Everything... slowed down.
I could see and hear everything in slow motion, as if time itself was stretching out.
It felt like I was swimming through the air. No... it was more like floating.
As I neared the ground, I could hear the screams of the people below.
And then... it happened.
I hit the ground.
I felt my soul being drawn out of my body, a strange, empty sensation.
But then... something deep within me stirred.
An overwhelming urge to survive... My instincts kicked in.
Somehow, my body healed itself, restored to its original state. I had no injuries, but the force of the impact left me unconscious.
Meanwhile, Princess Honoka of Japan sat in a room with her daughters, Princesses Kaguya and Himiko.
"Oh no..." Kaguya gasped, her voice filled with disbelief.
"What's wrong, Kaguya-chan?" Honoka asked, her concern evident.
Kaguya showed her mother the devastating news on her phone.
"Azusa-chan's black friend... she jumped off a building and got hospitalized..."
Princess Honoka's face paled. Without wasting a moment, she rushed out of the room and into the car of her private driver.
"Take me to the hospital," she commanded, "near the large shopping mall."
The driver quickly navigated through the streets, and Honoka entered the hospital, her presence captivating everyone in the building.
"In which room is the black girl?" she asked the receptionist.
"Room 30, third floor," the receptionist replied, still in shock.
Without hesitation, Honoka took the elevator to the third floor.
"Wait!" The receptionist finally processed Honoka's arrival. "Guest hours are over... You can't visit unless you're a guardian."
But Princess Honoka didn't pause. She entered the room where I lay, kneeling beside my bed, tears streaming down her face.
"Oh... What have I done?" she whispered, overwhelmed with guilt. "You should've been the Crown Princess, Chisa. But instead... you're cast to the lowest point of society. No one knows your true heritage... your real identity. Life is so unfair... My poor Chisa, please... please survive. Live and thrive."
Honoka removed Kimba's Crown from her own head, untying her ponytail and gently placing the red scrunchie in my hair.
"From this day forward," she declared softly, "you are the vicegerent of Mother Kimba on Earth. All descendants of King Benda and Queen Kimba must respect and honor you. Your authority stretches to all the Badilite families, except for the Badila Patriarch, Matriarch, and their children, and the Japanese Royal Family. May God preserve this lineage until the Last Day."
Honoka left the room quietly, exiting the hospital in tears. None of the staff or visitors dared disturb her.
She returned home that night, long after her daughters had gone to sleep.
"They stole Chisa's birthright," she murmured, her voice bitter. "I won't allow them to steal her crown as well."
The following morning, Princesses Kaguya and Himiko noticed their mother wasn't wearing Kimba's Crown.
"Are you not wearing Kimba's Crown for the event, Mother?" Kaguya asked, puzzled. "You always wear it."
"I don't think I'll wear it for a while," Honoka replied softly.
"Why?" Himiko asked. "It suits you so well."
"But it suits my daughter better..." Honoka smiled faintly.
"Which daughter?" Himiko asked, exchanging a confused glance with Kaguya.
"It must be me," Kaguya said proudly, "since I'm the eldest. So, when are you passing it to me, Mother?"
"We'll see," Honoka replied, her smile gentle.
Later, I woke up in the hospital, bewildered to find myself still alive.
Confusion flooded me when I noticed the peculiar reddish scrunchie in my hair. Who put it there? Why?
A nurse entered the room, her face filled with relief when she saw I had regained consciousness.
"Thank God, you're alive! It's a miracle, really. You should've been badly injured from that fall, but you're completely fine!"
"I'm... alive?"
"Yep!" she replied cheerfully. "Please don't try anything like that again! This is clearly a sign from above that your life isn't meant to end yet!"
I glanced at the scrunchie in my hair. "Who gave me this?"
"I'm afraid I can't say. You were unconscious when it was placed there..."
"How strange..." I muttered.
The nurse then remarked, "Your golden eyes... they're glowing."
I didn't understand what was happening anymore.
After passing all my tests and checkups, I left the hospital. As I stepped outside, my phone rang. It was Azusa. Miraculously, my phone was intact despite the fall. I didn't understand how.
I answered the call.
"CHISA-CHAN! You're alive?! Why did you do that? Do you have any idea how... how devastated I was? I fell into a pit of despair! Why would you try to end your life? You're not alone, I'm here for you!" Azusa cried out, her voice trembling with emotion.
I felt a deep pang of guilt. I had hurt her more than I ever imagined.
"I... I don't want to be a burden anymore. People know I live in a children's home... and they say I've ruined your reputation by associating with you. I thought it would be better to just disappear."
"Chisa, you idiot!" Azusa shouted. "I'd rather lose my social standing than lose you! And guess what? My private investigator found out where the leak came from... It was from your children's home. The girls there exposed it to the public. Most of the hate comments are from them. Society actually pities you for your situation, and they're praising me for being friends with someone less fortunate. You almost killed yourself over nothing!"
I couldn't believe it. The girls at the children's home had done this?
Azusa's voice softened. "I've already contacted the police. Please, don't do anything rash."
But instead of feeling relieved, I was consumed by a burning anger. I wasn't the one who should die. They should.
I hung up the phone, my hands shaking as I bought alcohol and matches. I was done with all of them. They were the ones who had wronged me, and now, they would pay.