Miyu And Her Memory



“Who are you? Why are you doing this?! No! Wait! Stop!!” I feel a hand hold me in place as I struggle and a cloth covers my mouth. I hold my breath and try not to breath, but soon I have to. I take a deep breath, my lungs are still burning though, I have to breathe again. I take another deep breath through the cloth and taste the sweetness of the drugs. I start to feel faint as my attacks get weaker. I try to look at my attackers face but all I see is a black mask and then total darkness.
I gasped for breath as I sat straight up. Then, I felt a sharp pain in my head. I groaned as I sat back down and closed my eyes. I laid there for awhile waiting for the pain to ebb away. When it finally did, I slowly opened my eyes. It was too bright; I shielded my eyes and allowed them to adjust. I saw a white ceiling, so I slowly looked to my side and I saw someone staring back at me! I jumped. And then I noticed that it was my own reflection. A sigh of relief escaped me and I slowly sat back up. That’s when I noticed that everywhere I looked I only saw my own reflection. I stood up and walked over to one of my reflections; all of my reflections followed me. I touched the mirror and then looked around. I noticed that all around me were mirrors.
“What’s going on?!” I screamed to the air. Nothing answered. I looked back at my reflection and it reflected my worried, scared face. I shook my head. “There has got to be a way out of here.” I started to feel my way around and, sure enough, I felt an open spot. I walked through it and felt my way around again until I felt another open spot and then I slipped through that one. I went about my way, feeling around the mirrors. Now, that I was actually moving, I started to wonder how I got here. I thought back. I can’t remember anything! I jolted to a stop. Now, I’m terrified. I can’t remember. I can’t remember! I don’t understand! Ok, Miyu, stop freaking out. There must be something! I thought to myself. My name! My name is Miyu! Ok, so my name is Miyu. My age is… My age is 15. I suddenly remembered my dream. I must have been kidnapped or something. I concluded that that is what must’ve happened and kept moving on. I didn’t understand why I had been kidnapped, but it was the only conclusion from what I could remember. My dream must’ve been real, there’s no other way that that could’ve felt so real.

After awhile I got fed up, “Why am I here?! Where is this place?! Doesn’t anyone know that I’m here?!!” Only my reflections answered me with their stare. “I don’t understand!” I cried. “Why?! Why is this happening to me?!” I broke down into tears and collapsed into the little space. “How big is this place?! Why am I here?! Why am I here?!” Slowly, my sobs got quieter and quieter until all I had were the hiccups. Great, Miyu, look at what that crying did. You got nowhere and the hiccups. I started to cuss angrily at myself. Then I sighed and continued to move through the maze.

Later on, I was feeling my way through and there was no other way! I felt again just to make sure. Nope. The only way out was the way I had just come. I screamed and started banging on the mirror hoping to break it down, but it held fast. I started to cry again. “Oh God! Why? I don’t understand! Why?!” My sobs got louder and louder. Then, I suddenly heard something faint. I stopped sobbing and listened.
“Miiiiiyuuuuu!” I heard it very faintly.
“Miiiiiyuuuuu!” I heard it again. Yes! That’s someone calling me!
“Over here! I’m over here!” I called back and I heard footsteps as the person came closer. I saw his reflection before I saw him. He had sandy colored hair with dark brown eyes and tan skin. He came into view and he looked my way.
“Miyu!” he smiled as he ran to me and hugged me. I was so startled I just stood there. He pulled back.
“Miyu? Are you ok?” I nodded, but he must’ve noticed my blank stare. “Do you…” he faded off and so he tried again, “Do you still not remember me?” I nodded and he hugged me again. “Oh, Miyu. Don’t worry! We will get your memory back! I promise!” He started to pull me the way he’d come. I held back. He turned around, “What’s wrong, Miyu?”
“I’m not naïve! How do I know I can trust you?” He looked back at me and he thought a moment. Then he sighed.
“You can’t know really. I mean your memory has been erased. How about I put it this way? Who else can you trust? Your reflections? You can try, but I promise you they won’t know how to get out of here.”
“You’ll probably kill me in my sleep,” I mumbled, but he just laughed and pulled me along.
“Before we get too far, what’s your name?” I asked as I followed him.
“Jaskole,” he replied.
“Jaskole?” I laughed, “That’s a funny name!”
“Yeah, well, Miyu isn’t the most common name either.” He smiled. I smiled back and decided to trust him. For now.

I laughed and smiled as I saw the exit to the maze. I ran towards it. As I reached it, an old man appeared before it, smiling. I skidded to a stop right in front of him.
“H-how did you get there?!”
“Get where?” He asked back in this really annoying voice.
“There! Where you are sitting!” I replied, annoyed.
“Here?
Or there?
Or anywhere?
Now you see me.
Now you don’t!” He disappeared. Then reappeared a moment later in the same spot, still smiling his madman smile.
“Shut up, old man,” Jaskole said from behind me. “Just let us through. We don’t want trouble.”
“Trouble?
On the double!
You can get in
But you can’t get out
Unless you win
Beyond all doubt”
“I don’t understand what he means!” I whispered angrily to Jaskole.
“He wants us to win at something, probably a game. And if we win, then he will let us out,” he whispered back. To the madman he says, “What do you want us to do?”






“I am The Madman of The Maze of Mirrors
I have seen many of the maze’s terrors
But out of that you will be
If thee answers correctly three
Of the finest riddles ever known
That’s when you will be shown
The way to a safe place
And out of this wicked space.”
“What does he mean?” I asked Jaskole for his translation.
“He wants us to answer three riddles correctly. If we do that, we can get out. And not only will he let us out, but show us to a safe place.”
“That sounds like a good deal.”
“What if we get it wrong?” Jaskole asked the Madman.
“If one of the three answers is not known
Then every one of you shall be thrown
Back into the maze of mirrors
And all of its terrible terrors.”
“If we got one of them wrong, basically, he would throw us back into the maze and we wouldn’t be able to ever find our way out,” Jaskole translated for me again.
“That’s terrifying!”
“But if we don’t try, we are going to be stuck in here anyways.” He made a good point.
“Okay.” I swallowed my fear, “What’s the first riddle?”
“What always runs, but never walks
Often murmurs, never talks
Has a bed but never sleeps
Has a mouth but never eats?”
I was at a complete loss. Luckily for me, Jaskole had heard that one before.
“A river,” he replied as if that was the oldest one in the book.
“Well done, sonny boy
But this might take away your joy.
Just one color, but not one size
Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies
Present in the sun, but not in the rain
You’ve seen me before, so what is my name?”
I looked at Jaskole. He was concentrating, so I decided not to bother him. I started thinking. Grass? No, it doesn’t easily fly. Feet? No, they are different colors. Love? No, that’s present in the sun and the rain. That got me thinking. Present in the sun but not in the rain? What is present in the sun, but not in the rain? Swimmers? No. Heat? No that couldn’t be it either. A shadow? A shadow. Hmmm.
“A shadow?” I said without thinking. Jaskole gave me a look that said ‘you’ve messed it up now’. And I was just about to apologize when the Madman cut in.
“Good job, my busy little bee
On this next one your answer choices number three.
Little lost Miyu
Who are you?”
I glanced up at Jaskole, he must know me better than I know myself at this point. And he opened his mouth to answer the riddle.
“Sonny Boy, do not answer, let her be
Miyu must be the one to answer number three”
I looked fearfully at Jaskole. His face was set. He nodded for me to go ahead and answer. But I had no idea! What was I supposed to say?!
“I-I must be me.” I stuttered.
“Right
But not quite.” The Madman replied. I silently cursed myself. What could I say? The only thing I knew I had in me was the truth. I remembered believing that the truth was everything. So, I gave the only answer I could.
“I don’t know who I am.” I said as boldly as I could and waited for him to say I was wrong in his weird way.
“And busy little bee
Has answered three out of three
Correctly.
You are free.
Come with me.” He led us away from the Maze of Mirrors and through a tunnel. The whole time we were walking, Jaskole said nothing. But the gears in my mind had been turning.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked the Madman.
“Maybe
But busy little bee
Mustn’t know herself yet
No, not yet
Not yet”
“So, you do know who I am! Who am I?!”
“Find the man who kidnapped you
Find the man who knows the truth
Then you will finally see
Your powers awakened
Just like it was meant to be” and just suddenly he stopped and disappeared.
“Wait! Stop! You never answered me!” I waited to hear his response but nothing came. I looked to Jaskole but he shook his head. I dropped down to the ground and beat on it.
“Ugh! This is so frustrating!! I don’t understand! I don’t understand!!” I looked up at Jaskole, tears stinging in my eyes, “Why won’t you tell me?! Do you like to see me hurt?! Is that the kind of person I should trust?!!” Jaskole just looked at me with sadness in his eyes.
“It is not time for you to know yet.” He held out his hand to help me up. I slapped it away, glaring angrily at him. He sighed.
“These things take time. You will remember when the time is right and you need to know, that’s how these spells work. Trust me. I know you will remember soon. You will remember in time. Trust me.” He held out his hand again. I thought about slapping it away again, but right now there was no point. I took his hand and he hauled me up. I brushed myself off.
“So, where are we?” I asked, trying to make myself look respectable after my breakdown. I looked around. We were outside in a dark forest, the trees surrounding us. The sky, what you could see of it, was dark and foreboding. And nocturnal animal sounds were the song of the night.
“Over here. There should be a place we can rest.” He led me through some tough bushes and then we stopped.
“Why are we stopping?” I asked.
“It should be around here somewhere. Look for a tree root that sticks up and looks natural but not natural.”
“What kind of description is that?!”
“Just look, Miyu, It’s got to be around here somewhere.”
“Well, I’m not looking! I’m exhausted! And it’s dark outside!” I sat down right where I was and landed on something hard. “Ow!” I stood up and as I stood up a huge, gaping cave stood up out of the ground. I gasped in astonishment.
“Nice job, Miyu. You found it.” Jaskole walked towards it.
“Now my butt hurts! And I have to go in there?”
“Stop being a whiney baby and come on. It’s safe. Hurry up before it closes.” He walked inside the cave.
“You’re impossible! And if you think I’m going in there, you got another thing coming!” I shouted after him, but he didn’t answer and I didn’t want to be left alone so I followed him and the darkness of the cave swallowed me up.

“Yes, thank you,” Jaskole said to the innkeeper. It turns out that the cave led to an underground inn, only known to some special few. I stayed hidden behind him as he talked to the innkeeper. The innkeeper was nice and he looked very friendly. He wasn’t the reason I was being shy and hiding. It was the other guests at the inn. They didn’t look too friendly. Not only that, they didn’t even look human! Jaskole turned back around to face me and I jumped.
“A little jumpy?” He smiled.
“Shut up. This place is creepy. We’re going to stay here?”
“Yep.” He held up a key, “Room number 103.” I instantly blushed. He cocked his head at me, “What are you blushing about?”
“W-we’re staying in the same room together?” I stuttered. He looked at me for a second more then he burst out laughing. I got annoyed.
“What is so funny?”
“You! What else?” He smiled, “Don’t worry, honey, there are two separate beds.”
“Shut up! And don’t call me ‘honey’!”
“Why not, honey? I rather like the nickname. Though it doesn’t fit with how sweet you are.”
“That’s exactly why I hate it! And other reasons! Just don’t call me that!”

“Sure, sure,” he shrugged, but I still saw his smile. Oh, if only I could wipe that smirk off of his face somehow.



Jaskole came in, carrying a tray of food. I had been laying on my bed thinking about what I couldn’t remember, but when the scent of food hit my nose, I shot up like a rocket.
“Food! Oh my God! Food! I’m starving!!” I reached for the food but he slapped my hand away with a serving spoon and he laughed.
“Let me at least set it down first.” He set down the bowls of food and he gave me a plate and himself a plate. I reached for the food again; he slapped my hand away again.

“What is your problem?” I asked, annoyed and really hungry. It felt like I hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“We are going to eat like civilized people.” I growled at him as he handed me a fork and a spoon, but he just laughed, so I took them. He dished out the food for us and we began to eat.
“This is delicious!” I said, my mouth full.
“You’re mother would be disgusted with your table manners.” I perked up as he said that. He noticed me perk up and then this look that said ‘oops’ crossed his face.
“Don’t even try-“ He began, but I cut him off.
“Who was my mother? You know about my past, it’s time to tell me!” I demanded. He sighed.
“You know I can’t.”
“But why?” I whined. “It isn’t fair! You don’t know what it’s like to not be able to remember anything! It’s absolute torture!”
“I’m sure it is,” he said, without a hint of remorse.
“You suck!” I laid back down on my bed, I had finished my food.
“Why, thank you. Aren’t you sweet?” He said sarcastically.
“Yep! I know I am.” He looked annoyed at my response but said nothing. I sat back up.
“What did you mean ‘spell’?” I asked.
“What?”
“I mean earlier. When you said ‘that’s how these spells work’. What did you mean by spells?”
“Oh that.” He replied.
“Yes, that.” I said impatiently. He said nothing. Into the nothingness I said, “And why are there strange-looking creatures out there? And why is the Inn underground? And why do we have to stay here like fugitives?” He still said nothing and I started getting irritated, “Why won’t you answer me?!” He sighed and put down his plate of food.
“These questions that you are asking all have to do with your past. The same past that you can’t remember.” He replied. I hissed at him and he shrugged, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say, I-“ He stopped talking for a moment and cocked his head to the side as if he were listening for something.
“What?” I asked, slightly scared.
“Shh. I hear something.” He put his fingers to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet. I couldn’t hear anything, so after awhile I just laid back down on my bed and closed my eyes. I started thinking. Thinking about my questions and what that old madman said, ‘Little lost Miyu, who are you?’ and ‘Find the man who kidnapped you, find the man who knows the truth, then you will finally see, your powers awakened, just like it was meant to be’. Find the man who kidnapped you? I remembered my dream. I thought really hard but all I could see was that black mask.
All of a sudden I heard a big crash. I opened my eyes to see a creature that was completely black and its skin was sort of wispy like smoke. Its eyes were the red, burning fire. It had broken down the wall and was now staring at me like I was its next meal. I screamed and scrambled away. Jaskole jumped in front of me.
“You.” Was all he said. I saw a fire in his eyes and he jumped at the creature and wind came out of his hands. It took me a second to register what I had just seen. Wind came out of his hands! It blasted at the creature and a huge hole appeared in its skin. So, it was made out of smoke! I know I was totally freaking out inside, but I just sat there on the floor staring up at Jaskole battling the creature with his wind. The creature’s eyes lit up and fire spread down its back. Jaskole flipped his hands and then water started pouring out of them. He started to rise and he flew over the creature, squirting the water at it. Jaskole flew! I was sure I was about to faint, but something caught my eye. It was a man, off to the side, he had his hands up and he was concentrating on something. But that wasn’t what I was looking at; I was looking at his black mask. The mask that had been haunting me up until now. That black mask of death. Then his hand moved. I noticed the creature moved at the same time. I was no expert, but all I could say was, “He must be controlling the beast.” I got up slowly and started slowly walking to him, then I walked faster and faster until I was actually running at him. My mind was racing, just as I was racing to the man in the black mask. I remembered my dream. What the madman said flashed through my mind, Find the man who kidnapped you, Find the man who knows the truth, Then you will finally see, Your powers awakened, Just like it was meant to be. Find the man who kidnapped you, Find the man who knows the truth, Then you will finally see, Your powers awakened, Just like it was meant to be. It repeated in my mind at least a dozen times over and over again. When I was four-fifths of the way to my attacker, the creature disappeared. I saw it disappear but I was to intent on my target. He looked at his hands in surprise, and then he must have seen me out of the corner of his eyes, because he turned to me. But it was too late for him to get ready, I slammed into him, knocking him down and his breath whooshed out of him.
In that moment, I remembered everything. I stood up and said loud and clear, “I am Miyu Xenoniktion, daughter of King and Queen Xenoniktion. Stand down.” The man in the black mask stayed lying down. I smiled. I remembered who I was. I was the princess of a realm that was connected to Earth. It was called Malonian. They had powers there, magical powers. It was a huge beautiful realm. Many creatures and humans live in Malonian and that is why it is governed by a King and Queen. I remembered that even though everyone else had a power, I did not. Even though I was the queen’s daughter, I did not have a power. I remembered that it had tortured me always, everyday. Whenever I had asked my mother why I didn’t have a power, she would always avoid the question or smile and say something like, “You’re fine just the way you are. You don’t need a power.” It always seemed like she was hiding something from me, but I had never questioned her further.
My Sensei, on the other hand, always believed in me. He was my tutor, the person in my life who seemed to know everything. He always believed that I had a power and that it was lying dormant inside of me. Whenever I started doubting that I would ever have a power, he would say, “You’re power is the dragon lying sleeping in the cage that is you’re disbelief. It is a beautiful dragon; it has shimmering scales that glint when the smallest ray of light touches them and the most deadly red eyes that are so deep that you could fall into them. It breathes the hottest fire, red like its eyes, and it can scorch all in its path, but it also can heal the deepest wounds. Its immeasurable wings are pulled tightly to its body as it sleeps, but those wings yearn to open and fly forever into the midnight air. But it stays asleep. Why doesn’t anyone awaken it, you ask? Why, because it is a clear dragon. Yes, this grand dragon cannot be seen by anyone. It stays locked up in your cage of skepticism, anticipating the time when it can be awakened and it can glide over everyone’s astonished faces.” Even though, sometimes, I felt that I could never believe him, his description of my slumbering power would always captivate me and I would stare, wide-eyed, listening to him and imagining this dazzling dragon. My mother was always overprotective of me, never letting me do what I wished, worrying that I would be hurt in some way or another. Whenever I got so furious with her that I would break down crying, Sensei would consistently be there for me, comforting me. And not just when I got angry at my mother, he was repeatedly there for me, whenever I needed something.
But, Sensei was not here now. I could not ask help from him. But I had still brought this man down with my own power. Maybe my power wasn’t a magical power, but something else that I hadn’t expected.
Suddenly, the man in black started laughing. I became irritated in an instant.
“What is so funny?” I asked the man.
“You!” he replied, and so fast that I could not react, he got up and hugged me. I stood there, dumbfounded, letting another person that I couldn’t remember hug me. Then, I pushed away from him.
“What- Who are you?!” I almost yelled at him.
“Oh, you don’t recognize me?” He pulled of his mask and his shoulder-length amber hair cascaded down onto his shoulders. His brilliant blue eyes were easier to see now.
“Sensei?” I asked, incredulously. He smiled slightly.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“B-but why?” I stuttered.
“Why what?”
“Why did you kidnap me?”
“I’m sorry about that. I believed that if your skills were put to a test, your power would come out,” he grinned, “It seems that it worked!”
“Worked? What do you mean?”
“You didn’t notice?” Jaskole said with a chuckle.
“No, what did I miss?”
“You missed your power, my dragon. Did you notice that when you came close to me, my creature disappeared?” Sensei asked me.
“Yeah, but what does that have to do with my power?”
“It means that you have a numbification power, or a power that can stop other people from using their powers. You can ‘numb’ other powers.”
“Numb?” I thought about it for a second, and then asked, “Is that why no one knew I had a power? Because it needed someone else’s power to try to hurt me before my power could take effect?”
“Precisely” My Sensei responded.
I stood there for a few moments, pondering, and then I beamed, “I have a power!”
“See? You shouldn’t have been so worried about it.” Jaskole said.
“Well, I didn’t know!” I retorted to my childhood friend. I was happy that I could remember him. He was repeatedly there for me too. My wonderful friend.
“Which reminds me,” I turned to Sensei, “That means that you erased my memory as well!”

Sensei smiled sheepishly, “Yes that was me as well.”

“Why?”

“Your skills would’ve been put more to the test that way and it gave you a higher chance of your power coming out.”
“That doesn’t excuse it!” I shot back. Sensei smiled and I couldn’t help grinning back.
“Now for the news,” Cut in Jaskole.
“News? Did something happen in Malonian?” I inquired.
“Yes,” Sensei sighed, “There has been some trouble, a realm traveler has caused a disturbance and has set everyone on edge.”
“What happened?”
“He said that the royal family had done him a wrong and he swore revenge.”
“What did we do?”
“He wouldn’t say. After he swore revenge, he disappeared. We think he’s in one of the nearby realms but we haven’t been able to locate him yet,” Then Sensei gave me a peculiar smile.
“What’s that smile for?”
“Want to go on an adventure?” Sensei asked with a fire in his eyes.
“You know mother would kill me, right?”
“When did you ever listen to your mother?”
I looked to Jaskole and he nodded at me, I turned back to Sensei, “You make a very good point,” I replied.
It seemed like my adventure away from my homely castle was just beginning. I didn’t know how it was going to turn out and I had a good but bad feeling about the whole thing. But I knew that no matter what was thrown my way, I could overcome it.