---
I tried to close my eyes, but sleep refused to co. I stayed outside, listening to the quiet rustle of the forest. Just as I was about to drift off again, an owl suddenly landed on my shoulder, startling awake.
"You again?" I asked. The owl remained still, hooting softly beside my ear.
"Why did you co back to the forest?" it asked once its voice returned.
"Do I have to explain it to you?" I muttered, turning my gaze away. The owl let out a low chuckle.
"Do you know the flower I'm searching for?" I asked suddenly, rembering the one that could save Arvan. The owl grew silent.
"Do you know it?" I pressed. Still, no answer.
"Do you even know its history?"
"Not every history can be read so easily," I snapped.
"That flower is rare," it replied calmly. "Even I haven't seen it again for a long ti."
"So you've seen it before?"
"Once. But never again."
The owl paused, then said, "I'll find out more. I'll co back tomorrow." With that, it flew off into the darkness, leaving alone with my thoughts.
As I sat there, my eyes finally began to close. Then sothing strange tugged at my body—like a magnet pulling inward.
---
Inside the dream
A woman stood before , holding a baby. I didn't know who she was. When I reached out, my hand passed through her as if she were mist.
The baby had golden hair and a radiant smile that could lt the coldest heart.
"One day," the woman whispered, "you will beco soone who brings hope to this world. Mother loves you dearly. Forgive … for giving birth to you from my mistake."
She kissed the baby's forehead gently. I couldn't see her face—only her fragile back. We were inside a grand castle, vast yet suffocating. This wasn't Albert's palace.
"Where am I?" I shouted, but the air swallowed my voice.
A maid entered. "Have you done as I asked?" the woman said.
"Yes, my lady," the maid replied with a bow.
"Good. I'll trust you. Let's go."
She took the child and walked away. I tried to follow, but my feet wouldn't move, as if chained to the floor. Then she turned—her face blurred by shadow—and smiled faintly. My chest ached as my heartbeat throbbed painfully.
---
End of the dream
"Xanders…" a soft voice called.
I opened my eyes to find Michelle beside . My head throbbed.
"Did you dream about sothing?" she asked, her tone unreadable. I didn't answer.
"What ti is it?" I asked instead.
"I'm sorry for waking you," she said quietly. "You looked… unwell."
"Never mind," I muttered, sitting up. "How's Arvan?"
She pointed at the unconscious figure nearby. "Still the sa. We need that flower to save him."
I exhaled harshly. The owl hadn't returned.
"I'll go look for it. You stay here and guard them."
"I don't agree," Michelle said quickly. "They're too weak to fight. If we both leave—"
"Please, Michelle. Just keep them safe."
Before she could reply, I turned and walked into the forest.
---
The deeper I went, the stranger the air felt. Mist clung to the trees, thick and glowing faintly under the moonlight. Eventually, I reached a lake. The water shimred like glass, and beside it grew a flower unlike any I'd seen—beautiful, glowing softly in the dark.
I stepped closer, srized, and inhaled its scent. Suddenly, the flower moved.
"What the—?" I stumbled back just as it released a puff of golden dust. The air burned. The moist soil beneath my feet dried instantly, cracking open.
The owl swooped down, landing on my shoulder.
"That's a poisonous flower," it said. "Anyone who inhales its pollen will have their heart stop in seconds."
I nodded grimly. "Did you find anything about the legendary one?"
"I asked my friends. None have seen it in ages."
My hands clenched. Arvan's life was slipping away, and I was running out of ti.
"I'll help you search," the owl offered.
We moved deeper into the forest together. Hours passed. Noon light broke through the canopy, but we still found nothing.
Then, in the distance, ca loud shrieks and chatter—monkeys, dozens of them, making a ruckus among the trees.
"What's happening?" I asked. The owl flew off and returned monts later, its expression tense.
"Xanders…"
"What is it?"
"I didn't expect this," the owl whispered. "But it's a miracle." It hesitated. "Yet you're in danger."
I frowned. "Danger?"
"The flower—it's there," it said, glancing toward the noise. "But sothing else guards it."
---
I followed the owl through tangled vines and damp earth. The air grew heavier with each step, filled with the sll of decay and magic. The noise of the monkeys faded, replaced by the low hum of power.
Then I saw it—the flower from my dream. It stood in the middle of an ancient tree's roots, glowing faintly with silver light. The petals shimred like crystal, and beneath it, the ground pulsed as if alive.
"That's it," I whispered. "The flower that can save Arvan."
"Be careful," warned the owl. "This place is… cursed."
I ignored the warning and stepped forward. The closer I got, the colder the air beca, and the shadows seed to move on their own.
Suddenly, the ground cracked open. A dark mist rose from the soil, forming into sothing with a human shape—tall, cloaked in smoke. Eyes like burning coals stared down at .
"So, another mortal dares to take what is not his," the creature hissed.
I froze. Its presence alone made my skin crawl.
"I need the flower," I said, steadying my voice. "Soone's life depends on it."
The creature laughed, a hollow echo that rattled the trees. "Every life here depends on it, fool. Take it, and the forest dies."
I hesitated, gripping the hilt of my sword.
"Xanders," the owl whispered, "if you fight, it will consu you too."
But I couldn't turn back now. Arvan needed .
The shadow moved closer, darkness rippling across the ground. I raised my sword, light flickering across its blade.
"For life, not destruction," I muttered.
The creature lunged. I dodged, barely, feeling the cold wind of its strike graze my face. My body burned with exhaustion, yet sothing within —perhaps the echo of that dream—kept standing.
Then, in a flash of light, the flower flared. The shadow shrieked, recoiling.
The owl cried out, "Now, Xanders—take it!"
I reached forward, ignoring the searing pain in my chest, and grasped the glowing stem. For a mont, everything went white.
When my vision cleared, the forest was silent. The shadow was gone. Only the faint glow of the flower remained in my hand.
The owl landed beside . "You did it… but the forest will rember."
"I'll bear it," I said quietly, turning toward the path ho.
---
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