How long has it been?
I couldn't tell if I was awake or trapped sowhere between dreams and reality. My eyes felt open-or so I thought-but nothing around looked or felt real.
Silence surrounded , deep and oppressive, as if the world had vanished entirely. I was drowning. The icy grip of the ocean clung to my body, wrapping in its embrace. Saltwater seeped into my mouth and burned my eyes, making flinch. It was unbearable, and yet, strangely, the weightless sensation of being subrged dulled the agony of the wound in my chest.
That bastard... Durathiel.
He'd nearly killed . No-he had killed .
Or was I alive?
I wasn't sure anymore. The mory of his strike played over and over in my mind. I'd seen my life flash before my eyes.
But wait...
Why am I thinking like this?
As if I'm fine?
I'm not fine.
I'm going to die here, aren't I?
Cleenah.
I called out silently, desperately.
'Are you there?'
Nothing. No response. No comforting voice. Just silence. Was she even able to hear ? Or was I beyond her reach now?
I didn't even know if I was alive anymore. Maybe I was already dead.
No.
It can't end like this.
I clenched my fists-or tried to, but my body refused to obey . I couldn't feel anything anymore. Not my hands, not my legs, not even the pain in my chest.
I can't die.
Not like this.
There was so much left undone, so much left unseen, unfelt. There were people I needed to protect, promises I had yet to fulfill.
As my consciousness began to slip away, my vision blurred into a haze of dark blues and greens. Through the murkiness, sothing massive lood in the distance, cutting through the water with terrifying speed.
Sothing big was swimming straight toward .
Great.
Eaten by a shark.
I closed my eyes, letting the darkness take .
...
-
I had a dream.
It was unlike any dream I had ever experienced.
I saw myself—a bit older, and different in ways I couldn't quite define. Standing by my side were familiar faces: Layla, Miranda, Cleenah, Mary, and even Ephera. I couldn't make out her features, but it was her. It had to be her. She reached out a hand toward , her voice calling my na, warmly with that smile of her.
Behind them, I saw more people-so many more. My family. My parents from both worlds stood together, united in a way that defied logic. Chloe and Elona were there too.
Elona was clinging to my arm like the spoiled sister she was.
Chloe was complaining to about sothing pointing her finger to before crossing her arms. What a tsundere sister she was though...
Oh...even Louisa was there...alive.
She nodded her head at , showing a smile I had rarely seen on her face.
My childhood friends filled the scene, their laughter ringing like distant echoes from a ti I'd nearly forgotten. Friends from Earth-faces I hadn't seen in what felt like lifetis- joined them.
And Naomi... Naomi was there too strangely maybe because of the guilt I felt toward her. She appeared as a child, frozen in ti, the way she had been in my last mories of her. She was waving her hand at .
I wonder if she ever forgave , I suppose not...
I knew it was all an illusion, a cruel trick of a dying mind. And yet, as I stood amidst the impossible gathering, a strange warmth blossod in my chest.
For just a mont, I let myself believe it.
I let myself imagine a world where all these people, from both my lives, could exist together.
A world where there had been no wars, no betrayals, no bloodshed.
If only things had unfolded peacefully in both worlds.
If only Edward and Nyr hadn't been forced to rge into one. If only I could know, truly know,
that the people I cared about were safe and happy.
It would have been enough for either part of .
But it was just a dream-a fleeting, impossible dream.
"You are pathetic."
Suddenly a shadowed figure said standing apart from this dream.
I couldn't say whether it was a woman or a man but the figure's eyes were looking at with
unmasked disdain.
What the hell are you saying?
I recognized that gaze but couldn't quite rember.
And as I reached out toward that person, my vision faded into nothingness. Darkness claid
once more.
***
"Ugh..." I groaned as my eyes fluttered open, my vision greeted by the jagged contours of a
rocky ceiling.
The throbbing in my head was quickly overshadowed by a sharp jolt coursing through my body, like an electric shock rattling every nerve. I instinctively sat up, but the movent sent waves of pain crashing over . It felt as if every inch of my body had been battered, broken,
and barely stitched back together.
Grimacing, I clutched my chest, only to hiss in pain as my fingers brushed against the tender, bandaged skin. Blood seeped through the makeshift wrappings, staining them with crimson streaks. My abrupt movents had reopened the wounds.
My gaze lowered, and I noticed I was topless, my torso covered in bandages that bore evidence of a hurried attempt to save my life.
"Where... am I?" My voice cracked as I struggled to sit upright. But before I could gather my thoughts, a tremor ran through a deep, resonant vibration that started in my chest and
rippled outward.
"Argh!" I collapsed onto the dirt floor, clutching at my chest as searing pain radiated through . My body writhed against the cold cold ground.
It was the wound-Durathiel's attack.
My nails clawed at the dirt as I fought the waves of tornt. It felt like fire lancing through my veins, growing in intensity until it beca almost unbearable.
The pain reached a crescendo, and for a mont, I thought my heart might give out. My breath hitched, my chest heaving as tears of pain welled in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks.
I couldn't endure this much longer. It was the sa excruciating level of pain I'd felt when receiving my Legacies-only this ti, it was concentrated, sharper, and striking directly at
my heart.
I was losing the fight. My vision blurred, and my mind teetered on the edge of
unconsciousness.
But then, warmth.
Arms encircled from behind, pulling into an embrace. A divine scent enveloped ,
one I would recognize anywhere.
"C-Cleenah?" I rasped, hardly.
"It's fine," she murmured softly.
"I'm dying here..." I gritted my teeth against the lingering pain.
"It will be gone soon," she said gently, holding tighter.
And she was right. Slowly, the unbearable pain ebbed, receding like a tide. Her presence
seed to absorb the agony, leaving a sense of peace in its wake. My tense body relaxed,
leaning into her embrace.
Monts passed, and finally, the pain disappeared entirely.
I exhaled shakily, exhaustion overtaking . "Isn't it risky for you to hang around outside like
this?" I asked weakly, glancing back at her.
"..."
She didn't reply, her expression unreadable as arms remained securely around .
"You saved again, didn't you?" I asked.
"No," Cleenah said, shaking her head.
"Huh?" Confusion flickered across my face. "Then how am I still alive? The last thing I
rember is drowning and..." My voice trailed off as I struggled to recall the details, but my
mory was hazy, fragnted.
I an I was drowning. Before Cleenah could respond, a figure appeared at the entrance of the rocky cave.
It was a girl, stepping in from the sea. Her blond hair clung to her face and shoulders, drenched from the water, and her light blue eyes shimred like sunlight reflected on a calm
ocean.
She looked impossibly young-no older than twelve, I guessed. Yet there was sothing unearthly about her presence, sothing that set her apart from an ordinary child. When her gaze t mine, her light blue eyes widened in surprise, and she froze in place.
For a mont, we just stared at each other, neither of us daring to break the silence.
There was sothing strangely familiar about her. I couldn't place it. Was it real, or just a trick of my disoriented mind?
Her gaze wavered, her eyes quivering as though fighting back an unspoken emotion. Then,
she clenched her fists and spoke in a quiet voice.
"You're awake..." She muttered.
"Yeah..." I managed, pushing myself up with trembling arms. "You're the one who saved
?"
I glanced around, noticing that Cleenah had disappeared. It wasn't unusual for her to vanish without a word, but her absence left feeling oddly exposed.
The girl gave a small nod in response to my question. "Thanks," I said, tilting my head to study her. "But... who are you exactly?"
She didn't answer imdiately.
Was she just soone swimming by who happened to spot drowning? Or was there
sothing more to her sudden appearance?
Before I could press further, the girl reached for the hem of her wet dress and, to my utter shock, began removing it.
"Seriously?" I blurted, averting my gaze so quickly I nearly gave myself whiplash.
This had to be so sort of misunderstanding. I glanced at the rocky walls before the FBI
knocked on my doors, that was the typical comnt that useless system Jarvis might have given. I shook my head, suppressing the thought.
Still, I couldn't help but notice sothing unsettlingly mature about her deanor, despite
her youthful appearance.
And there was no denying her outstanding beauty for her young age. I had to admit I was
attracted to her but not that way at all. It wasn't the kind of attraction that stirred a man's heart toward a woman...it was sothing deeper that I couldn't quite define. When I cautiously glanced back, she was no longer undressed. She had slipped into what
looked like a simple nightgown, the fabric swaying as she moved. Without a word, she crossed the cave to a small fire pit that was already prepared and lit it.
The flas crackled to life, their warm glow reflecting in her eyes as she sat on a nearby rock.
For a mont, she stared into the fire, her features softened by its light.
Then, at last, she spoke.
"Vina."
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