RED EYES
Magicians

"Daughter, here's your breakfast. Have a good meal." 

A maid entered my room, she brought me boiled yams, a bowl of spinach, a bowl of rice and a glass of water. The maid who had just entered my room had light brown eyeballs. He looks much older than me.

"Where's Erasmus?" I asked the waiter. Without me intentionally, my tone sounded faint. Erasmus ruined my mood.

This is the first time I've asked where Erasmus is. I haven't seen Erasmus in two weeks. He did not give any news and did not send me a message. I'm looking for him not because I care about the strange prince, but I want to demand his promise to get me out of this country.

"The prince is busy arranging the wedding, princess." Answer the waiter respectfully.

"What's? Who will marry?" I asked in panic.

"Of course you are, princess. If you miss the prince, I'll tell you." Reply to the waiter.

It was like a volcano erupting, I was so angry because of that answer. Be married? I agreed as his future wife just to pretend. I don't want to marry her. After all, I could have been killed by Hera for marrying Erasmus using her name.

I asked the waiter out of my room, and he quickly left me. I immediately looked out the window. My head kept thinking where the portal was, my eyes kept looking around. I even forgot which way the portal door was. I only saw mountains, rivers and some statues in the middle of the forest.

WHERE IS THE PORTAL?!

I only remember if the portal was in a forest near a flower garden. I got an idea. Right, I just need to go to the forest and find the same place as my memories. My eyes looked at the forest from a distance. This small country is in the middle of a forest. Maybe I just need to walk straight.

I immediately grabbed my backpack and slowly walked out of the room. I tried as quietly as possible not to look suspicious.

"Daughter, where are you going? You have to stay in the room. It's an order from the prince, princess." My room guard, he has yellow eyes like a cat, he blocks me.

"really? The prince asked me to come to him because he missed me so much. You think people who fall in love can be separated for more than a minute?" Reply with a ketus. I lied, disgusting remark.

The guard was silent and lowered. He gave way back. If I knew it would be this easy, I would have run away by day two. Foolish, I'm staying in this palace.

Of course not only did my roomkeeper ask me where I was going, all the guards who saw me asked me the same thing. Of course, I answered with the same answer. They all allowed me to get out of this palace easily.

I walked through the various palace grounds easily. Walk quickly through various doors and down various stairs. This palace is quite spacious, I want to run to get out of this palace quickly but I am afraid it will look suspicious.

"Daughter, where are you going? You should stay in the room."  The questions of all the palace guards or servants were still the same.

Yellow-eyed male guard, I just realized that if all the guards had yellow eyeballs, he was blocking me. In front of me, behind the back of the bodyguard, was seen the main door of this palace. If I make it through that last door, I might be quicker to get out of this palace.

"The prince asked me to come to him because he missed me so much." I lie.

I feel like there's something really weird. The bodyguard clothes that were in front of me were different from the other clothes. His face was familiar to my eyes. His eyes looked at me with a sharp look. Maybe he was starting to suspect me?

"A. I'm not lying." I'm starting to get scared.

My eyes grew bigger as I looked at her eyeballs which turned red. I remember the color of his eyes was yellow. Right now the color of his eyeballs is not yellow, could it be that he is not a guard?

His palms began to touch my forehead. I tried to get rid of her hand but my body felt frozen and unable to move. I wanted to scream but could not make a sound. I can only stand in front of him.

He started to smile. Not a friendly smile, that smile was terrifying. Is she a very bad witch?

My head felt heavy and my gaze began to feel dark. My legs and hands are weak. I ...

...

My whole body is sick and weak. Can't move. I opened my eyes slowly. My heart was beating and my breath was a little tight, my brain was also unable to think. My whole body trembled as I realized I was in the middle of the forest. I saw my legs tied up, as well as my hands. However, I was unable to escape and could only lean back against the tree on my back.

"I won't trust Erasmus to take care of you anymore."

I looked slowly and I saw a man with red eyes. I remember the man, the one who tried to stop me from escaping. Who her? Why is it so brave to tie me up like this?

"Let go!" My orders in a quiet voice. He laughed.

"Diana, just show me the color of your eyeballs!" Reply to the man.

Diana's? Who's Diana?

I'm sure there's been a misunderstanding. She thought I was Diana. If I had known this, I wouldn't have followed Erasmus to live in this place.

"I don't understand. I'm not Diana." I tried to explain even though my body was starting to hurt.

"Why don't you confess? Are you too ashamed if you have the blood of a witch? Are you more proud to be Garde?" He asked a lot of questions I didn't understand.

I shut up and closed my eyes again. I don't understand why my body is so sick and weak. Both my legs and hands were tied, no one was beaten.

"May I ask for water?" My love, I feel thirsty now.

The man approached me. I thought it would be nice to give her a glass of water, apparently she pointed the dagger towards my neck.

"Diana, why can't you fight my magic? Did the King neutralize your blood?" He asks.

I hate this situation. I'm not Diana and I'm not a witch. Why does this weird guy keep talking about things I don't understand.

"Show me your eyeballs!" His order. He snapped at me.

"Water." My love. I was so thirsty, it almost felt like I was dead.

The man put his palm over my forehead. My eyes looked at her red eyes. His eyes also looked into my eyes. Our eyes meet, why does he not look foreign in my eyes?

The pain in my body disappeared in an instant. The feeling of weakness and thirst began to be felt. I just understood that all the pain, weakness and thirst was the magic of that man.

His hand is no longer in my possession. He also sat right in front of me. We looked at each other. A look that looks sad. However, he did not remove the rope that bound both my legs and hands.

"Why don't you want to show me your eyeballs?" Asked the man, his voice weakened.

He looked at me with a full of anger. He was angry, but he didn't seem to want to hurt me.

"I don't understand what you're saying. I'm not the Witch or Garde you said I was. I am not Diana. The most important thing is I don't know who Garde is and I don't believe there's a witch in this world." I explained to her.

"You lied." He doesn't believe what I'm saying.

"My name's Claire!" I introduced myself to the screams. I hope he trusts me.

"You are Diana." The reply.

"Whatever." He won't believe me even if I'm honest.

"Why do you want to marry Erasmus?" He asked again.

"the diamonds? Is he still alive?" He knew the evil man.

"Yes. You knew her?" Short reply.

"Sure, he is a traitor of our people."

We were? Witch means? All right, soon my head will break because of this fantasy madness.

He started sitting next to me and leaning against the same tree as me. To be honest, I don't like it because it's approaching. After all, he was a stranger who had just tried to kill me.

"I understand now. Your memory was erased by your father." He spoke again. This time his voice was weaker.

He knows my father? I just don't know my father other than the photo Mrs Renata once gave me. I feel like this is beyond logic, the man I just met knows better who I am.

"I have to get out of this place. The longer I'm here, the more I'm going to go crazy hearing what you and Erasmus have to say." I complained.

"My name is Eric." He introduced himself and ignored my complaints.

We leaned back and looked up at the sky. I was quiet, and so was Eric. He didn't ask anymore. He didn't hurt me anymore, though he didn't take off the rope he had tied to my hands and feet.

"May I ask?"

I opened the conversation first. I knew I would regret talking to him, but I couldn't keep the question marks in my mind.

"Yes." Yeah." The reply.

"What is this place?" My toot.

"Grand." Reply in brief. That's not the answer I expected.

Our eyes still don't look at each other. Just looking at the blue sky that looks cool.

"Why is this place full of magic?" I asked again.

"There's no magic in this place." The answer. He lies.

"The first time I came to this place, I passed through a magic portal and my clothes changed all of a sudden. Everyone is friendly with nature, as if they were talking to animals and plants. Then, crocodiles or snakes are friendly with small children. I've also seen a palace maid bewitch a water into a hunk of ice. Is that not magic?"

"Not." Answer's short. His eyes looked into my eyes. It feels strange to meet red eyeballs.

"Then?"

"They can do all that because they are Garde. They take care of nature on earth. They are friends with all that is on earth. It looks like magic to you, but it's not magic. Some of them are friendly with animals, so animals obey their words. Some of them were friendly to the elements, so that he could smelter the ground, direct the wind, and control fire and water. Some also control the memories and thoughts of living beings. That's all I know." He explains.

I'm silent. I began to understand a little about this strange place. For me it's the same as magic, even if it's not for him.

"Why does everyone have a different eyeball color?" Ask again.

"Because they're Garde. Green is the strongest Garde and black is Garde who has no strength. Silver has more than two powers. Brown is a devout Garde and his powers only appear during emergencies to protect the other Garde. It seems like there are still a lot of colors and I don't really know what those eyeballs mean. You can ask Erasmus about it." He turned his face back when he mentioned Erasmus.

I nodded slowly, understanding everything he explained. I saw his face. Her hair looked strange in my eyes, silver in color. He explained everything I asked. However, he did not explain the meaning of red eyeballs to me. It was the color of his own eyeball.

"Eric, your eyes-"

Redder.

He looked at me, and so did I. Our eyes meet. We looked at each other's faces. To be exact, I looked into his eyeballs.

"Don't you want to ask what red eyeballs mean?" He knows my mind.

"Right now it's just me and you who have red eyeballs here. However, your eyeballs are hidden by the strongest Garde. Red eyeballs belong to witches." He explains.

I'm silent. Do I have to accept that I am a witch? Crazy one!

"Erasmus must have missed you so much. Eric needs you to meld his guilt. However, there are still many who need you for begging for help." Her speech.

Need me because I'm a witch? Does he think I'm Diana or Hera?

"I'm not Diana or Hera!" Reply with a ketus.

"I can't believe your father wiped your name from your own memory." Eric replied with a naughty smile.

"You didn't take off this rope?" I asked, I'm tired of this conversation.

Eric took off the rope that tied my legs, and he also took off the rope that tied my hands. He helped me to stand up by giving me his right hand.

"Where?" Ask.

"Stana." The answer.

I was silent and not standing. He sat back in front of me.

"Will you help me? I'll pay with something valuable." My love.

"What do you want to pay me?" Reply Eric. He's laughing at me.

"Gold." I answered without thinking. I just don't have any money.

"No." The reply.

"Money and gold! However, help me to steal the gold in the palace." I beg.

"All right."

I also gave him my right hand. He pulled me up and helped me stand up.

"May I ask you again?" Love again.

"certain."

"Why are you forcing me to show you my eyeballs?"

"There are lives that must be lost for thousands of lives." The reply. Those words are so scary.

...