/"I am nothing but a pebble in a sea of diamonds."/

But my cat disagreed.

/"What is a million diamonds to the rarity of one pebble?

You were The Queen in the past and so will you be in the future.

Failure is death thus death will become your future.

Fight and become queen once again."/

I did not understand what he meant nor did I take it seriously. But now, everything made sense, why the girl must undergo rebirth and why I must take the queen's throne no matter what. I never expected it to be because of this.

Ironic.

What kind of queen would destroy her very own kingdom?

I am currently staring at a man I had never seen before. He has the face men and women would covet。His well-kept metalic golden hair that is tied in a knot to his side, electric blue eyes that pierced coldly like winter and clothes in red and white emphasized his magnificence in a whole magnitude.

He sat on his golden throne leaning his head on his long elegant fingers that curled up in a fist. His elbow rests on the handle of a broad sword.

It was a sword that either serves as a decoration or of something more sinister. It stood half struck on the ground as its handle glistened in mocking gold.

Such man and scenery is a grace upon men. A lone man, bright and beautiful only thought to come from a painter's imagination was before me in flesh.

What made everything perfect was the golden crown atop his beautiful head.

A knight behind me yanked my hair down forcing my face upward. My eyes shoot up straight.

Blood dripped from the minor wounds on the side of my face, arms and legs. I was kneeling on a red-tiled floor.

Or has it gone red from the pool of my blood?

I don't know anymore.

This is a dream.

A mere illusion generated from a childish mind.

I know because no person would remain sane and calm under his gaze. But I am calm. I am sane. And I am conscious enough to know that I am dreaming still.

I looked down at 'my' body.

Was I this pathetic?

Dream or not, would I ever bring myself to such destruction?

Everything was like a theatrical scene. A gathering of crowd in a palace hall without the distinction of status and... me, woman chained behind her back. An accusing atmosphere. Malicious and mocking stares.

The king groped for the handle of the sword and heaved. He lifted the sword like it was a toy made of wood.

I can't feel pain because this is a dream. I know... but seeing the sharp glint of metal brought shivers down my spine。So this is what fear feels like. Fear that symbolizes the meanibg of life and death.

I laughed inwardly despite the coldness that crept over my body.

Am I dreaming my own execution ceremony?

I jolted up from the bed. Cold sweat formed across my forehead and my hands shivered in fear.

"It was a dream." I sighed in relief.

My hands unconsciously crept up to my neck as images flashed. A brief shudder spread all over my body.

I looked down and stared at my small hands, my arms and my legs. I am still me. The ten year old girl that I am. No bloody wounds and no more chains.

I looked around. My once erratic heart had seemed to calm down as I caught sight of the familiar white tapestries hanging on the walls. Soft wisps of smoke whiff from a small ember left in the hearth. Its meager glow gave off soft warmth that calmed my shivering nerves. The windows were open and a faint silver moonlight laced across the floor.

I slumped back to the bed staring up at the intricate floral designs of the canopy. I never paid attention to such details before. But for the first time, I welcomed such sight.

I moved my hand to the vacant space beside me.

Where is that stupid cat? The space was still warm. I looked around looking for my kitten. It was a black kitten with red eyes that used to curl up next to me when I sleep. Just when I needed some warmth and it's gone.

/Arty?/

I steeled in my position perking up my ears, listening carefully to my surroundings. My eyes darted from left to right scanning the whole room.

I definitely heard a voice. But I was quite unsure if what I heard was just another fickle of my imagination.

Just to make sure, I guess I should...

"Uhm... hello?"

If it responds, doesn't it shorten the time of guessing if there is indeed a voice?

"I just had that stupid dream, my stupid cat is missing and now this?" I grumbled. I was about to dismissed everything when...

/Who are you calling stupid?/

hitch!

"Ahh!"

I screamed on top of my lungs and hurriedly jumped from the bed. I then fell unceremoniously on the floor. My left hand caught the lamp on the bedside table and it fell alongside.

A loud crash echoed as debris scattered on the floor followed by the sudden darkness. I scampered about, my back hitting the side of the bed. Books and pens fell as the table beside me rattled.

My eyes widen in fear as I stared up in front of me. Beyond the darkness, floating atop the bedside table just inches above my head, two red orbs glistened.

"Heok!"

Like round rubies the size of a pea, it flickered, somewhat disappearing then reappearing once again.

"W-wha... wha?" I stuttered unable to complete my words. My throat and mouth was parched like a dried up desert. Fear and panic gripped my heart, unable to scream nor to breathe.

/Are you okey?/

The voice said and the two red orbs seemed to bob themselves up and down. A white sharp tooth glistened.

"Laticca?" Is that my cat? "You almost killed me you-."

I picked the cat by his scruff.

/Arty. That hurts./

"Ahh!" My hand moved and I flung the small feline to the edge of the room.

The kitten landed on all fours.

/Careful you idiot./

"What are you?"

/A cat. Obviously./ he walked closer to me like a black patch in the night. His red eyes gleamed like a monster.

"Who are you? Where is my Laticca?" I said as anger flared up burying the fear that once dominated me.

/I am Laticca. I am your cat./ the voice I heard belonged to none other than my own cat.

"Impossible!." The talking Laticca moved even closer, erasing the gap beteeen us.

/Don't be scared Arty./ the talking Laticca sat on its hind legs and looked at me with drooping ears. Almost looking apologetic. I wanted to stroke it. Feel the soft fur against my hand.

Stop it! That is not your Laticca. Cats can't talk.

/I was your Laticca and I am still. But something has happened. I need to show myself./

"What do you mean?"

/Someone wants to kill you./ I haven't noticed before but its voice is so small. Like that of a child's.

"Seriously?"I crossed my arms and leaned my back on the side the bed.

/You won't believe me./ Well ofcourse I won't. But I won't tell you.

"Try me." I challenged. Talking Laticca stared at me with disbelieving eyes. Anyways, how did I even learn to read a cat's facial expressions?

/Very well. Then I will have to ask you a question./

A question? Is being with me and my tutors the whole day rubbed of off him?

/What do you think will happen after death?/

What kind of question is that? That sounded out of place. No one knows what happens unless your dead, but...

"According to the temple, we get to live in the kingdom of the gods in eternal bliss." The temple housed the kingdom's religion that taught life and death. For it is believed that the kingdom is ruled and blessed by Gods themselves or descendants of theirs.

/That is what your temple told you./ Laticca said as he pointed his front paw at me.

/But in truth, after death comes judgement. The soul is judged with three options. First, is to live with the Gods. Second is to burn in eternal fire to suffer for your sins. And lastly, you will reincarnate in another world. Move on and live another life. But one without memories./

"Isn't that different from the teachings of the temple? The temple only talked of one. How did you even know about those?"

/This goes beyond just your temple and your kingdom. This is the rule of all worlds. I am from another world and I know that you and your world is in peril./

"You mean there are other worlds out there? What are you?"

/Yes. But never mind that. I don't even know what I am at the moment. What I am aware about is that I was born into this world to assist you, guide you and become your instrument./

"Are you something magical?"

/Perhaps? My memories only belonged to my days as an ordinary cat./

"Then how did you know all this things?" I asked even more confused.

/It's like how a baby knew that milk is its food and nothing more. Do you need to explain how you recognize and know things that you inherently knew?/

"uhm... no. So you mean, its like how you knew you are hungry without actually being taught that the feeling of pain and discomfort in your stomach is actually because of hunger."

/Yeah. Its like an endless shelves of books and books but I am not yet capable of understanding them. My existence is like a locked memory box. It gets unsealed once requirements are met or if I level up or something."/

"Level what?" Now I am getting more confused the more he talks.

/Its a game thing./ Laticca rubbed his forehead with his front paw. / Anyways, I'll tell you all about me when I find something. What you should focus now is your world, your time and your situation./

I still can't get over the fact that there are other worlds out there and he wants me to dismiss it. Hell, no! But are there really worlds out there, I mean?

"I... those worlds... what are they like?" My  curiosity kept gnawing at me. Are there worlds governed with kings and queens like ours? Are there magical beings like talking cats there too?

/Artemesia!Listen to me!/ Laticca's stern voice pierced me.

I snapped from my reverie and looked at the tiny black patch of darkness in front of me. Red eyes stared back.

/Something went wrong with your world. Time rewound back everything in this world leaving one person behind. One person with memories of her past./

okey? So how am I supposed to interpret that?

"How do you think a 12 year old girl to understand that?" I stared at the talking cat.

/I thought you are smart./

"I am smart. I know what it means. I understand." The cat gave me a toothy grin. I glared at him. "Okey. A tiny bit."

/so?/ he probed.

"What do you mean, so?" I glared.

/So, what have you understood from what i've told you?/

This feels more like a class lecture the more we keep going.

"I understood that there are worlds out there. They are governed by one set of rules."

/No. We are governed by one set of rules. Each world moves according to their own system like how your temple knows only one of the three. Think of it as a tree. The root is the origin where gods reside while the branches are the different worlds. We are the birds that settle on the branches. Each flock of birds has their own branch and their own views about the branch. To some it may be straight while others are twisted. But overall, the tree is one singular form and the same process is applied to all brances./

"Then how do you explain about time rewound back."

/All branches grow upward, that is the rule. Since I've mentioned that there was something wrong, it meant that the branch that should have grown upward went against the set of rules. /Laticca explained. /Let me ask you one question. Do you think it is possible to return to the past?/

"If it is then isn't that just convenient?"

Laticca chuckled. /All you know is convenience and profit./

"Go on. I still don't know what you want from me."

/Its like a restart button./

"Restart button? Is there even a button called restart?"

/You and your world's prinitive living conditions./ Wait what? You call my kingdom primitive? I was about to argu but Laticca opened his moutYou see thued. /The branch that is your world stopped growing, instead it shrunk back 10 years. Imagine it, today, you were supposed to have your 22nd birthday but now you are back to your 12 year old self./

"I think I understand what you mean. Restart. When everything starts all over again. You mean we are restarting? So I had already lived my life and due to some u4nkiown reasons, we went back in time?"

/Yes. Correct./

"About that person. The one with memories. I don't quite get that."

/Think of it this way. You and everyone else had lived your lives once before. Now everything went back 10 years. But all of you have no memories of the 10 years you lived except for one./

I kept listening without saying a word, trying to understand and soak everything.

/Out there somewhere, there is a girl who has her memories of the past. To her who has memories of it, she refer to it as the past, but for you, who had no knowledge about such, it meant that those memories are knowledge of the future 10 years that is yet about to happen./

"Why are you making everything so complicated? Isn't she someone who knows a little bit of the future. It's not like history will repeat itself."

Laticca's jaw dropped. Or that of a cat's jaw. /I never thought you'd regard it so lightly./

I sighed. "One with memories, huh. Like second chance? Is it reincarnation? No. Perhaps, rebirth? A girl reborn with memories from her past lives." I surmised, tasting the words in my mouth.

"You also said 10 yrs. What happened in that 10 years? Her death? But still... what does it have to do with me?"

Laticca grinned. I swear, I just saw a cat grinned. One white tooth glistened under the moonlight bathing him in corporeal light.

What was I before the time reversed back 10 years? A noble lady married to some random nobleman my father arranged for me?

"I am merely a viscount's daughter who wishes to live life in peace and tranquility. I am but a pebble in a sea of diamonds. I cannot move the world."

Laticca didn't budge. His eyes remained glued at me.

/What is a sea diamonds compared to the rarity of one pebble?/

My eyes shook at his words. What was I in the past to gain the interest of one who has memories of a possible future? No. What will I be in the future? Will I become so evil that I wronged her to the point of seeking revenge?

/I am given the red flag that this person wishes to change everything. And our job is to continue the flow and move it to the right path./

"How would I know that the path I'm taking is the right one?"

/You don't./ Laticca grinned. /I do./

Laticca opened his small mouth and the words that came after shook my world.

/You were The Queen in her past and so will you be in the future.

Failure is death thus death will become your future.

Fight Artemesia. Survive and become queen once again./