A Broken Heart

Chapter Twenty Seven - Who Am I?

Dawn's POV

Sitting in front of an extraordinarily long table placed with uncountable plates of luxuries food, I stare in astonishment. Donning an attractive pure white dress with a large yellow ribbon attached at the back and silver tiara on my hair which flowed down to my waist, I notice the maids, all lined up perfectly down the table, smiling at me.

Just how did I end up here again?

Flashback

My money is limited and, with my injuries, it'll be difficult to rescue Ash even if I do find him. Immersing myself in deep thought, a sudden red carpet rolls in front of me. I shift my attention upwards to find...me?

"You must be Dawn." 

She speaks in a refined tone with a kind smile plastered on her face. Incorporating her elegance is a dress that seems to be taken out of a fairytale.

I examine her appearance but aside from our attire, we look identical. Who exactly is she? My doppelgänger? Or perhaps a long lost twin sister of mine?

"Y-Yes." I stutter, tempting to add 'your majesty'.

"Most excellent. Freesia?" She click her fingers as she call out the name.

"Yes ma'am." 

A middle-age woman, appearing from behind my doppelgänger, responds. Without further instructions, the seemingly maid claps her hands twice. In a split second, a group of men, all dressed in black, surrounds me.

"Wh-Wha?" I stutter, attempting to push my way out but failing miserably and getting caught instead.

Desperately struggling my way out, one of the men forces me to swallow a tablet and pours water down my mouth. Nothing seem to happen with my body at first but I'm becoming more and more drowsy in the following minute.

"A-Ash..." I whisper before blacking out.

Time Skip

Slowly getting up, I open my eyes, rubbing them until they're dry. After regaining my clear vision, I scan the room I was locked in. It contains nothing but simple bedroom furniture; a bed, bookshelf, wardrobe and desk with a chair beside it.

The bed I'm sitting on has a gorgeous transparent veil covering attached from the ceiling, accompanied with pastel pink bedsheet and pillows. The surrounding furniture are all a mix of the same two colours, producing a princess-themed room.

I subconsciously climb out of bed and approach the bookshelf, reading through the titles.

"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty... All of which are fairytales relating to a prince saving the princess..." I murmur to myself.

"That's correct." A voice responds.

I immediately look towards the source of voice, finding a familiar woman by the door. Ah! It's the woman I saw from before I lost consciousness!

"My name is Freesia and I'll be accompanying you to see madam." She states.

"Do you reckon I'll just say 'okay' and go along with you? Who the heck are you and where am I? This does count as kidnapping right?"

She ignores all my questions and continue speaking at her own pace.

"I have applied medicine on your wounds during the time you were unconscious. Please change into the clothes provided for you in the wardrobe, I'll be waiting for you outside."

And with that, she left the room. Only after she mentioned it, I notice that my injuries from before are feeling awfully better. I debate with myself about whether to escape or follow her orders, ending up picking the latter. I think that I should at least hear their explanation before making any decisions.

I change into the clothes inside the wardrobe and, to my amazement, it's an attractive pure white dress with a large yellow ribbon attached at the back. Accessories is also included; a silver tiara with sapphire embedded on it and a blue pearl necklace.

I neatly fold my normal clothing and left them on the bed. I brace myself before opening the door and exiting.

End of Flashback

It's rather unbelievable that I just went along with what my kidnappers told me to do without them threatening me.

I'm sitting still with all the luxurious food placed in front of me. Is this a test of endurance?

Moments later, the grand door on the opposite end of the room opens. My doppelgänger enters and despite the thousands of questions that I demand answers to, my first one is awfully simple yet of great significance.

"Who are you?"

Ash's POV

"Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill." I repeatedly mutter.

"The experiment is a success! Our task for now is to monitor any physical or emotional changes that occurs." 

"Good."

A photo taken of two woman is held in front of my eyes.

"Now then, Ash Ketchum, awaken the demon inside you! Allow Lord Aeshma to take over and kill the two in this photo!"

My head begins spinning and, from within me, a dark force starts spreading throughout my body.

"N-No... Who-Who am I?" I gasp.

"Tch. Seems like the side effects aren't completely over."

Trying to fight off the force that's taking over my body, I collapse and lost conscious.

A black four dimensional area, I feel a sense of familiarity despite the unwelcoming atmosphere. When was it that I've been here? J-Just who am I?

Footsteps echo and a lady whom dons a masquerade mask appear in front of my blurry vision. I don't remember anything of myself yet my meeting with this woman doesn't feel like a first.

"Listen carefully, Ash Ketchum. Before the demon completely takes over your body, remember those who you hold dearly in your heart. As long as your heart does not forget, all would be fine."

She fades away as her voice continues to echo around. Vision of two girls appear inside my mind. 

"...remember those who you hold dearly in your heart..."

M-Misty... A-And who? The name that I cannot remember is the one which is most important to me.

Despite regaining my consciousness and returning to reality, I dare not to open my eyes. I have no recollection of the people in the room but my gut feeling tells me they're not my allies.

"Boss, why must we order him to kill two ordinary high school girls? Aren't our goal is to use him to take control of the world?"

"Idiots remain idiots despite my thorough guidance over several years. The method to ensure he's tamed is for him to kill someone that he values. If he's able to eliminate his beloved ones then it's proof that our experiment is a success and Lord Aeshma is in full control."

It became harder to act as if I'm still asleep after hearing their conversation. K-Killing my beloved? 

An image of the ocean flashes in my mind. Blue sea? D-Dane..? No- It's...Da-Dawn! That's her name isn't it? The name of my most beloved person. 

My memories are still extremely vague and I cannot remember much of myself. However, I somehow know that if I injure this lady named Dawn, I'll never forgive myself when my memories do come back.

Before the dark force took over me completely, I engrave her name in my heart.