“Impossible,” says Tatua.

Ms Pink merely rises a corner of her lips and the unease in Tatua’s eyes escalates.

“Impossible!” he yells.

“Miras, we will have to trouble you once again,” says Ms Pink as she gestures at my head.

“What will you have me do?” Miras asks.

Ms Pink smiles. “During the previous trial in Demortams, you retrieved a memory from the Erika, and we solved the great mystery of Olympias. This time, we need your help to retrieve a memory the Erika recently attained.”

I nod and close my eyes, entrusting my memory to Miras. Just like the last time, Miras’ hand presses on my forehead. It is cool to the touch and sweeps around the back before stopping on my right temple. A second hand presses on my left temple and the front of my brain kicks into action. It is as strange as the first time and again, I can feel threads of thoughts leaving me.

“It is done,” Miras announces after a moment. She takes the two wire ends from Seo and attaches them to her temples. “This is the memory.”

And the recollection begins screening. The young girl who is Ms Pink’s birth mother. The men who are trading yet-to-exist Ms Pink’s future. Ms Pink’s father. Ms Pink, the human baby. Ms Pink, the young girl. Helene and the man Ms Pink’s parents are begging. The garden. Malvico. Slaughter. Caepicta.

I am hyperventilating. Breaking out in cold sweat. I hate seeing the slaughter of Ms Pink’s family yet I have seen it at least three times now. Tearing my eyes away from the screen, I turn and see a stunned audience in the stands. It is only then do I realize just how much of her past Ms Pink has just willing shared with everyone in this place. How does she feel, knowing everyone has now seen her in her weakest moment?

I look to Ms Pink for an answer but her attention is fully directed at Tatua who has schooled his expression to give nothing away.

“Tatua, I must say, you were quite the charming gentleman back in the days before you got more and more tattoos. Or should I call you by your rightful name, Osiris?”

Osiris? Tatua is Osiris? Didn’t Osiris disappear a long time ago? What is this sorcery?

The loud gasps from the audience echoes my feelings.

“You are hysterical,” Tatua replies, shaking from head to toe with fury. “Insane.”

“Pan Ni, would you care to explain?” asked Miras.

“My pleasure, Miras.” Ms Pink stands before everyone, proud and tall. “During my investigation, I found records that listed the Park triplets as Olympias’ vicis. But a moment ago, Helene vouched for their legitimacy under the bloodline of Osiris. What does that mean?”

Ms Pink paced to the side of Demortams, taking each step like the Royal she was. “Tatua came into prominence after Olympias’ death. We saw Kharne rip her head off. She was dead. But her snakes were everywhere. And who was the one being who could communicate with Olympias’ snake?”

“Tatua,” said Miras, her jaw slack.

“Correct. Based on Tatua’s words, we believed that Olympias had been framed by Kharne and Charles. We could not verify it ourselves—none of us understand snakes. But why could he?”

Ms Pink stops by my side, placing her hand on my shoulder. “The Erika herself sensed something amiss about Tatua. She told me once. But I did not consider it valid at that time. A negligence I am guilty of.”

“Nonsense! The Erika is not at that level of sensitivity yet. She is but a baby,” Helene scoffed.

“The Erika’s senses have vastly heightened. I now trust the reliability of the Erika’s instincts,” Ms Pink rebutted, much to my delight. “A snake is capable of shedding its skin every season. A snake can change its appearance.”

“What are you trying to say, Princess?” Kharne asks impatiently.

“What I am saying is, the Tatua we see before us is an imposter.”

Sintix is on his feet. “Pan Ni, are you sure?”

Ms Pink nods. “I must admit, I do not know how Osiris did it. However, all clues point to this. Olympias is posing as Tatua. Olympias was once Osiris. Therefore, Tatua is Osiris.” She pauses, perhaps for dramatic effect, before adding the last twist. “And Helene has known it all along.”

“Pan Ni,” Helene growls in a threatening tone.

“I have a theory,” says Seo. “May I?”

Sintix waves his crystal wand. “Please, enlighten us.”

“According to the history of Pra, Osiris was Lord of the Dead, his power strong in resurrection. He defeated Pra by using essence he stole from Pra. And the essence later took the form of a serpent snake which eventually killed Pra.” Seo’s eyes gleamed emerald green. She was in her element. “This would be testament to the snake’s liability. It has proven to turn on its own blood once. Why would it not do it again?”

Murmurs rise in the crowd as they nod and agree.

“My theory. Osiris disappeared soon after defeating Pra because his serpent snake him. Olympias was known as the snake queen. That is because she was a serpent snake that had taken the form of Osiris. But she was not happy as a man. So she made Osiris disappear and reappeared as Olympias. Kharne eventually ripped her head off. But her snakes were not dealt with.”

“But she was destroyed by me. What good would her snakes be?” asks Kharne.

Seo nods, confidence overflowing. “Remember, Osiris had the power of resurrection. This power would remain in effect regardless of the form Osiris had become.”

“You are saying Osiris or Olympias—whoever—resurrected herself through the snakes?” Kharne says with a snort.

“Through the essence in her snakes,” Seo clarifies.

Numerous murmurs of agreement fill the hall and I find myself nodding too. Everything Seo has said so far makes a lot of sense. And the pieces are beginning to fit. This theory would certainly explain why I had a feeling there was something up with Tatua.

Ms Pink holds up her hand for silence. “The timing of Ttrowtos’ return was unexpected. Tatua, or Osiris, had no choice but to show loyalty to Ttrowtos. But Ttrowtos had a hand in persecuting Osiris after Pra was des