Chapter 4: Apollina

“Apollina.”

“…”

I fell silent, my brain struggling to process what she had just said.

When it finally did, my mouth fell open.

“Apollina? That Apollina?”

“Yes! That Apollina,” she replied with a giggle. “Now, will you accept my hand, Lumiel?”

This felt incredibly weird…

Still, I took her hand and let her pull me to my feet.

Damn, she was strong.

She looked far too delicate to haul up someone like me, yet she did so easily.

“So… if I’m not dead, then I guess I’m inside the Flame? Going through the Ritual?” I asked.

That was the only explanation that made sense.

Apollina nodded, her smile widening. “Correct answer. Better than the heaven theory, at least.” She giggled again.

“Well, I honestly felt like I was dying,” I shrugged. “It felt like my insides were burning. I could literally smell my skin scorching. Like… my blood had turned into lava.”

I shivered at the memory.

“That’s not entirely wrong, Lumiel,” Apollina said as she turned and began walking across the prairie, clearly expecting me to follow.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trailing after her.

She didn’t answer. She simply continued walking barefoot through the grass. Wherever her feet touched, the blades seemed to grow greener, brighter, and slightly taller.

Maybe that was just my imagination.

I was about to press her again when I noticed someone ahead.

“What?”

It was Apollina.

But younger, maybe thirteen or fourteen.

She sat on a large rock, staring at the sky, arms wrapped around her knees.

“Since my birth, I always felt a strong connection with the sun,” she said softly. “I would often speak to him. Converse with him like a friend… my only friend.”

“Didn’t you think real friends might be more interesting?” I asked dryly. “You know—ones that talk back?”

“Look up,” Apollina said beside me.

I followed her gaze.

The sun hung high above us.

It reminded me of Earth’s sun but it felt softer. Less blinding. There was a faint reddish hue to it.

And the longer I stared, the more I felt something…

Strange.

What was this feeling?

“Do you feel it?” Apollina whispered near my ear.

“I feel your very hot breath on my ear, and it’s distracting—”

She pinched my arm.

“That hurts.”

“Don’t you feel it calling you? Your veins heating up? The urge to do something you can’t quite name?” She asked.

“I only have one urge right now, and it won’t please you—”

“Lumiel.”

I sighed.

“Yes, I feel it… but I don’t know exactly what it is.”

It felt like loneliness.

Regret.

A quiet yearning.

It wasn’t pleasant.

“It is Helios,” Apollina said with a soft smile, watching her younger self beam at the sun. “The God who loved humanity so much that he remained, even after they forgot how to love him back.”

“Didn’t you have any other friends, ancestor?” I asked.

Her cheeks puffed out slightly. “Quite sarcastic, aren’t you? Definitely not the Lumiel from before. Should I blame Daniel for that?”

“W–What?” I stared at her, stunned.

How the hell did she know about my past life?

“How do I know about Daniel Brandt? Your other self, the one you somehow merged with?” She continued smoothly. “The moment you entered the Flame, I learned everything about you.”

“That’s creepy.”

“Every memory. Every thought. Every petty resentment. Every secret shame,” she added with a faint smirk.

“You’re a very meddlesome ancestor,” I replied sharply.

I didn’t appreciate having my life read like an open book.

“I have to be,” she said calmly. “That is my role here. And that is how I learned about you, Lumiel. The timid boy too terrified to disappoint others to ever truly try. And Daniel, the confident man who spent much of his time chasing women. Quite the hobby you have. Though I might say I prefer your other hobby.”

I narrowed my eyes.

She giggled.

“Tell me, Lumiel… would you consider showing me one of those tricks?” She asked playfully.

I smiled.

“My people worship you like a goddess. They’d be quite disappointed if they discovered what kind of girl you really are.”

“And what kind of girl do you presume I am?” She asked curiously.

I leaned closer and whispered, “An ordinary girl whose only friend is a dying star.”

She fell silent.

For a moment, I thought I had struck a nerve.

Instead, she burst into laughter.

Loud and high-pitched.

“Hahaha!”

At first, I was surprised. But soon, I found myself smiling too.

Despite the absurdity of everything, it was oddly comforting to see that Apollina wasn’t some distant, untouchable deity.

She wasn’t ordinary but she wasn’t divine either.

“You truly are something, Lumiel,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “I understand why Helios finds you interesting.”

“The trial’s over?” I asked sarcastically.

“Yes. It is.”

“What?”

That was the last answer I expected.

She smirked.

“It’s over. Your first trial is complete. I deem you worthy of the Flame.”

“Worthy? And what exactly were the conditions for passing? Flirting with you and mocking you?”

“You sound disappointed,” she teased. “Were you expecting something more painful? Perhaps you enjoy that?” She raised a golden brow. “From what I’ve seen, you’re quite experienced in that area.”

“I am,” I said, stepping closer with a faint smirk. “But I didn’t think you were that kind of woman, Apollina.”

“That’s rude. I wasn’t referring to that hobby of yours, but—”

“I know,” I interrupted.

She blinked in surprise.

“I am your ancestor, Lumiel,” she reminded me.

“Do you really want to know more about my tricks with women?” I asked, reaching toward her hair.

She smiled faintly.

“My new Guardian is quite the smooth talker.”

Suddenly, she placed both hands on my shoulders.

I dropped to my knees instantly.

I looked up at her, confused. “What are you—”

Before I could finish, she pressed her lips gently against my forehead.

A warm, tender kiss.

“Please,” she whispered softly against my skin. “Protect our kingdom and our people, Lumiel. Do not let what I built turn to ash because I chose wrong.”

“Apollina—”

But my consciousness began slipping away.

She simply smiled and waved at me, that teasing curve still on her lips.

Damn it…

At least tell me more…

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