Ceres

103

That night, Ceres didn't return to the palace to guard Leona. She and Gil talked a bit before she decided to head out once more.

Gil wanted to stop her and told her that he should be with her but Ceres didn't want to. She told Gil that there are things in this world that only she must do and on her own.

She knew that something was really different in this city. Something triggering Ceres' memories and if she couldn't solve it, it might not just end with just her passing out next time. Thus, she decided to head out again. The only problem was that she couldn't pinpoint what exactly is that thing she needs to do.

What Gil relayed to Ceres was mostly about the information she requested. Ceres actually wanted some information about Ceres' family particularly on that person who was posing as her. Gil even went as far as to suggest about eliminating that impostor but then, Ceres said that it's not important anyway. Actually, she thinks that it's much better to have that impostor so that most people wouldn't look for her. But then again, all she wanted was to gather more pieces of her missing memories. Everything else is just trivial.

Right after Ceres received the information she wanted from Gil, she told the latter that she will head to her courtyard by herself.

If there is a place close to 'Ceres'' heart then it must be that place.

Thus, her destination... The Ellion household.

Using Ceres' memories, she found her way to her old courtyard. Surprisingly, no one was living in this shabby old place anymore. The impostor was relocated to a much better courtyard; leaving this old courtyard without anyone taking care of it. Dusts have filled the room and Ceres even wiped some of it from the wall.

Ignoring the dirt, she looked around and noticed that most of the things in Ceres' memories were still present and untouched. The impostor probably got her hands on new things and decided to leave everything else here. It isn't really shocking since the previous Ceres didn't have much anyway. Even the stuff of her parents were not given to her and her brother when they became parentless. As such, she really did have nothing.

She started to slowly walk around; touching everything as if engraving them into her own memories. Even if she had the previous Ceres' memories, she felt a mix of emotions in this place. Out of all the places in this city and this kingdom that she went to, only this courtyard seems both new and familiar to her.

Ceres touched from the desk, to the bed, to the window sill, and lastly to the huge khaki cabinet in one corner of the room.

Her mind was filled with the previous Ceres' memories at the moment; from the small child Ceres to the young girl Ceres. She saw a Ceres running around the courtyard, playing by herself. She even saw a small Ceres reading a book on the desk and one who is randomly picking grasses on the lawn. There was also a young girl Ceres who quietly sits by the window, enjoying the night view and also, one who is sleeping on the bed, having problems with her blanket.

Right when her hands felt the edges of the cabinet, she saw another memory. Slowly, she started opening the cabinet's two doors and inside it, was nothing. However, her vision is not on the present. Thus, what she is seeing is actually the previous Ceres; as if she was alive and in front of her at this very moment.

A five year old Ceres was shivering inside the cabinet. She was surrounded by some fabrics and clothes as if afraid of anyone seeing her. Her hands were also covering her ears while her eyes were tightly closed as she was curled up inside the cabinet. The five year old Ceres wasn't talking but this scenario clearly showed that she was afraid and hiding from something.