Her Shadowed Sky

I opened my eyes.

But it wasn’t to the cracked ceiling of my old house. This one... was carved wood. Polished. Decorated. I lay on a silken bed, softer than anything I’d ever known. For a second, I thought I had died. Maybe this was the afterlife.

But no... I could still feel the weight in my chest. The ache in my limbs. The cold sweat clinging to my back.

I sat up slowly.

The room was massive—tall, sunlit windows, white curtains gently swaying. Gold accents. A chandelier. Walls painted with stories I didn’t understand.

“Where… am I?”

My fingers dug into the mattress. This was real. Too real.

Then I saw her.

Outside the window—in the palace gardens—stood a girl.

No... not just a girl. A princess.

She looked no older than me, yet held a presence beyond years. Her long white dress shimmered with blue patterns like frozen waves. Her hair was silver-blonde, kissed by the wind. And above her—

My breath froze.

A shadow.

Not a normal one.

It loomed like smoke given form. Fangs. Eyes that didn’t blink. A body that pulsed with something ancient and violent. It wasn’t looking at me—but I felt it watching.

I couldn’t move. I trembled. My knees gave out beneath me.

“T-that thing…!” I gasped, crawling back on the bed like a wounded animal.

“Ah, so you are awake.”

A calm voice cut through the chaos.

I turned.

A man stood at the door. Mid-thirties. Black suit. Posture perfect—the kind of man who wouldn’t flinch even with a blade at his throat. His eyes were cold, but not cruel. Just… measured.

“She found you,” he said, stepping closer. “On her way back to the palace. Princess Annya.”

I tried to speak. Nothing came. My voice was dust. My heartbeat still hadn’t slowed.

The shadow outside moved, curling above the princess like a crown of smoke. It didn’t attack. It simply existed—a curse so powerful it made my soul feel like glass.

The butler followed my gaze. But his expression never changed.

That’s when she turned.

The princess noticed us. Her eyes met mine through the glass.

I flinched.

But she… smiled.

She walked into the room moments later, her presence gentle like a snowflake landing on skin. And yet—that thing still floated behind her, like a silent guardian of nightmares.

I could barely keep myself from collapsing again.

“T-that thing… above you...” I stammered. My voice cracked. Cold sweat dripped down my neck.

She paused, a hint of amused curiosity in her eyes. Then, softly, she said:

“You can see it too?”

Those words stopped time.

She stepped closer, placing a hand on her chest.

“It’s a curse,” she said. “Not from this world.”

Her voice didn’t tremble. Not once.

“I lost my family because of it. Ever since then, Jonathan has raised me like his own.”

I looked at the butler—Jonathan. He simply nodded, as if that explained everything.

Then it happened.

Her body faltered—like a doll losing strings.

“Princess Annya!” Jonathan rushed forward as she collapsed, catching her before she hit the floor. The shadow above her flared—rising tenfold in size and malice. My head throbbed just being near it.

He didn’t hesitate. Holding her close, he whispered spells I couldn’t understand, his hand glowing with soft blue magic. The curse, as if lulled by his voice, slowly calmed and coiled again into stillness.

He carried her out without saying a word. I sat alone, stunned.

Minutes passed. Or hours. Time didn’t exist in that room.

Then the door opened again.

Jonathan stepped inside, his expression unshaken. He sat beside me on a wooden chair, arms crossed, eyes scanning me like an old clock measuring time itself.

“I can tell,” he said, “you’ve been through it too.”

Those words—they shattered me.

I didn’t cry. I broke.

My shoulders shook. My hands covered my eyes. Tears—hot, endless—rolled down my face.

But Jonathan didn’t mock me.
He didn’t leave.
He didn’t even flinch.

For the first time in 13 years…
I felt something warm.
Not fire.
Not rage.
But comfort.

I didn’t know when I fell asleep from exhaustion.