Chapter 1

The dying girl laid on the floor of the dirty, damp cell that smelled of mold. Her previously unruly and curly red hairr, which once shone with vibrance was now a dull shade of red. The sockets which housed her conspicuous green eyes were now empty, showing that their occupant had been cruelly dug out—leaving a hole filled with only scars and pain. 'She's been unusually quiet today," the warden guarding her cell said to his colleague who was guarding the adjacent cell. 'It's good that she's quiet. Her voice gives me goosebumps," the other warden said, rubbing his arms with a slight shiver. 'It's such a pity. The previous queen of the Kingdom has been reduced to such a state" 'That's what she gets for being evil," the other warden scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. Reika listened to the guards talking about her, her heart already cold from the disdain the people she had once cherished. Feeling life slowly sipping away, Reika whispered a prayer, pleading with the moon goddess to bless her next life. In her next life, she didn't want to be foolish. In her next life, she didn't want to be wolfless. In her next life, she didn't want to have greedy and selfish family members. With those last thoughts, she breathed her last. Strangely, a tear slipped out of her empty sockets and down her sunken cheeks—a tear filled with regret, sorrow and pain. ....... The sunlight streaming into the room through the half opened blinds shone on the face of the young girl lying on the bed. She stirred sleepily, a yawn escaping from her shrinked purple lips. "Stand up from there you lazy girl! It's morning, and you still haven't started your chores?" the angry voice of a woman yelled from the other side of the door. Rieka stood up from the bed with a yelp, her large green doe eyes looking around the room in a panic, wondering what she was doing in this place. 'Aren't you hearing my voice? Or do you want me to come in there and get you?" the woman shouted again, making young Rieka take a deep intake of breath. She shifted closer to the wall, fear written all over her face. The woman pushed the door and, realising it was locked, let out a tirade of curses, 'You little imp! No food for you today—I'll personally make sure of that" she spat before stomping away, the loud tapping of her shoes fading away slowly till it disappeared. Rieka heaved a sigh of relief and scrambled up from the bed, but she crumpled on the floor, making her yelp in pain. A few moments later, after gathering enough strength, she slowly stood up from the floor and took slow but shaky steps to the chipped mirror in her room. Her eyes widening at the reflection staring back at her. Rieka stared into the mirror with astonishment, her hands caressing her smooth, scarless face. Her eyes were intact. She touched her neck, searching for the chains that had once bound her, but to her greatest delight, they had mysteriously disappeared. The disappearance of her scars and chains, the presence of this dingy yet familiar room hinted at one thing. Thee Moon Goddess, Selene, had overdone herself. Selene had taken her back to her younger self, to the time when she was the most powerless and at the mercy of her evil parents. A lone tear rolled down her cheek, and she hurriedly wiped it away. Looking into the mirror, she make a decision. She would end this life once and for all. She didn't ask for this. What she wanted was a new life, not to relive her old life. She was tired of suffering. She won't suffer anymore. Rieka climbed down the staircase of their little house, careful not to alert her parents or her tattletale of a younger brother. 'And where do you think you are going ?" a familiar voice asked, making Rieka freeze. It was her younger brother, Riftan, the one person she had worked so hard to avoid. She glared at him. Immediately, he wailed loudly and he threw the apple he was holding at her. Rieka who had been badly starved by her family and was already weak and malnourished lost her balance, tumbled down the stairs, her body smacking against the wood boards with a loud thud. Riftan burst into a loud ranbocious laughter at the pitiful sight of her. Their mother, who had been lying down in her room, rushed out with a long stick. When she saw her son standing at the foot of the stairs, laughing and her daughter lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs in a pathetic heap, she he heaved a sigh of relief and pulled Riftan by the ears lightly. 'How many times have I told you to stop making such a loud racket? I thought someone had broken Into the house?" Mama Riftan said. Riftan winced and pointed at Rieka with accusing fingers. "It's not my fault! She's the one who tried to steal my apple and wanted to push me down the stairs, but I didn't let her— so she fell instead! he whined. Mama Riftan looked down the stairs. Indeed, the half eaten red apple lay at Rieka's feet. Immediately, her face twisted with rage. 'You little brat! Are you so heartless that you would try to kill your innocent little brother?" Mama Riftan screamed as she bounded down the stairs, the feeble steps creaking under her hefty weight. Rieka fled, the instant she sighted the angry look on her mother's face. She knew that the next thing that was coming her way was a beating. 'Make sure you never return to this house, you evil brat!" Mama Riftan cursed, she wasn't able to pursue Rieka because of her heftiness, so she just heaved and panted at the foot of the stairs, cursing loudly. 2 days later. Rieka stared in disbelief at the wound on her wrist, watching it close at a speed visible to the naked eyes, not quite believing what was happening. This was the second attempt since today. After coming to terms that she was truly back in the past, she was scared . Her previous life was agonizing. She didn't want to relieve it. And so, after thinking for so long, she had arrived at a decision. She would end it once and for all