1,192,877,280, 1,192,877,287...
In her mind, she continued counting as though nothing had changed and nothing ever would. Time became a construct to be followed by fools, and space just an extension of who she was and would forever be. She never spoke and even preferred to keep her eyes shut for as long as she could. Things had been quiet for the past twenty-seven years, and she now hoped that peace would continue for as long as possible. She had at some point in her life been human and therefore understood the greed that infected their hearts. She was sure someone would come for her sooner or later, but she also held the false hope that she was wrong. Medusa had accepted that she would not be so easily allowed to die, but this did not mean she had to spend all her time being used. If she weren't counting her numbers, just as she was now, these would be the things she would think about. The counting, this time around, had gone on for twenty-seven continuous years. One would think this was a very long time for one to count, but they would be wrong once they understood how long she had been doing the same thing. At this moment, the golden door that she had faced for all this time finally opened. She sensed someone enter the room, but she did not open her eyes. She wanted to be left alone. She had grown to love the darkness, and the light this new person promised her did not interest her at all.
"What are you?"
When Medusa heard this question, she could not stop herself from opening her eyes. Right before her, a young girl, not more than twelve, stood. She had long black hair and eyes that shone with innocence. Her green dress made her even cuter.
"What is she doing here?" Medusa thought. She had been in this place for a long time, and no child had ever been allowed to come anywhere near her. Her severed head had exchanged hands countless times by now, and in all her time, she had not been allowed to see a single child.
The moment Medusa opened her eyes, a barrier made of very powerful magic appeared around her. It glowed with a green hue that was momentarily shaken by the power of her eyes. The young girl finally understood fear and staggered backward.
"I have to try." Medusa thought. She did not care about the ethics of what she was about to do or what it meant for the little girl. She only thought about herself and how she could survive. As for anyone else in the world, they were out of luck. The world had abandoned her, and she had in turn rejected it hundreds of years ago. Her green eyes glowed with power like never before. Her black hair began moving about as though coming back to life. A few seconds later, she no longer had hair on her head but snakes. She could see through all their eyes and feel everything they did. The magic barrier trembled, and so did everything in the room. She did not want to alert anyone to what she was doing, so she immediately began chanting the spell she had created and practiced for over five hundred years. The air in the room grew thinner, and the young girl was sealed in place by an otherworldly power. She could not scream, and even breathing was no longer an option for her.
"I am sorry," Medusa said.
Even though her heart had been hardened by the centuries, she was still able to see the evil of what she was about to do.
Booom! A wave of power moved through the room, but the spell confined it within the room itself. Medusa had prepared for years, and she was not foolish enough to leave a flaw that would expose her escape the moment she tried. The young girl quickly turned to stone, and in a matter of less than a second, she was a statue standing before the severed head. Medusa had made countless statues like this, but this one was different. It seemed to have more life than the others. The severed head went back to sleeping with its eyes closed as usual. Everything calmed down, and even the magic barrier disappeared. Medusa found herself trapped inside an endless tunnel with no light. She had expected something like this. She just continued running through the tunnel. She did not stop for anything. Even when she saw things that her heart truly desired, she remained calm and ran forward. This went on for what seemed like an eternity. If it were anyone else, there was a very good chance that they would give up and be swallowed by the darkness. Medusa had completed her spell centuries ago, but she had not used it until now because she understood the risks. There would be no second chance. If she were to fail the first time she used the spell, she would die. Her soul would be dragged to Hades, and her eternal torture would continue. Medusa's will remained strong, and her feet became faster. Still, there was no end in sight. She did not grow frustrated over this. She just moved on. She finally reached the end of the tunnel. It was a waterfall with no bottom to be seen. She did not hesitate as she continued running forward. Instead of falling to her doom, she ran over the air as though it was still the ground. She did not look down and even tried to avoid listening to anything. She ran into the sky until she was swallowed by the clouds. Boooom! The statue of the young girl exploded into countless pieces that flew all over the room.
These pieces of rock were then pulled back together, and the young girl's body and even clothes were reformed perfectly. She stood there, looking at the world calmly.
She then looked at herself and then at the head in the display case.
She smiled with a joy not seen in a hundred years.
"I am finally back to the world of the living. Rebirth has never been sweeter," she said in a voice that seemed ancient beyond compare.
This young girl was no longer herself. She was Medusa reborn. Medusa had used her strange spell to take over not just the young girl's body but everything she was.