...BETWEEN DREAMS AND REALITY...
~ KIERA ~
The water was cold, dark, and filled with the bodies of strangers. Severed heads and other body parts occupied the lake with the dead and dying.
I floated above my body and watched myself be swallowed into the abyss.
Pale beams of moonlight revealed the steam hanging in the atmosphere. As everything intermingled with blood, guts, and knots of hair, its shattered visage mirrored on the water's surface became more distorted.
Lake Sage was a large body of water nestled in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by six-meter-high cliffs, a dense forest of dead trees, and located three kilometres directly North of my house.
Because of its odd shape, the locals referred to it as the devil's bathtub and told every curious newcomer that the trek up to the lake wasn't worth dying for.
I used to assume they were just terrifying stories. A minor fact wrapped in a lie designed to scare children and deter anyone from visiting. But after seeing it for myself, I realized the rumours were not exaggerated. The lake was dangerous. Even animals instinctively avoided getting near it.
I heard two girls screaming, which brought my attention back to my surroundings, and pulled me out of my thoughts. My body resurfaced between the others and my eyes snapped open. Small bits and pieces of flesh were stuck in my curls and the stench of death filled the air.
I could smell it without being in my own body, just as I could feel the cool misty air gently brush across my skin.
My pale brown eyes stared straight through me at the two figures above. Slowly, I floated upwards and hovered near them. Their faces were featureless and flat, and they had no hair or clothes. They were a strange pair of transparent inky black shapes barely resembling people.
It was as if my mind censored their identity – erased them from my memory – all to protect what little sanity I held on to.
I couldn't tell if they were screaming because they just noticed the dead, or if it was because they saw the creature move underneath them. It was so big that even the slightest movement caused a wave of corpses to slam into the side of the cliff.
I wasn't in my body, but I still felt the thing's appendage slither around my leg through some sort of connection. I wanted to scream but I was too afraid to even open my mouth. Whatever slaughtered the people around me, was still in the water and I didn't want to alert whatever it was to my presence.
So, I floated like a dead fish, both in the water and outside of it.
"Why?" the smaller figure asked. It was short, thin, and half as tall as the other one. "Why did you do that?"
"I didn't mean to!" the other figure replied.
…DIA OS DAE UN YAVAR…
Something whispered in my ear. I looked around, but there was nothing there. It sounded like it came from every direction, and I had no idea what it had said.
A large crimson arm emerged from the depths and snatched the taller individual up. Water and body parts were thrown into the air and dropped back down.
The arm aggressively shook its victim before crushing it to death. The inky person gradually faded to grey and dissolved into nothing. The arm let go, and what remained of the figure's corpse dropped into the lake next to me.
The smaller figure cried for the other, but the creature's arm knocked her off the cliff. She fell into the water and immediately attempted to get out. Her arms flailed in vain as she attempted to reach the edge. She was losing her mind and screaming uncontrollably.
My eyes filled with tears which blurred my vision, but even so, I still saw the thing grab the girl and rip her limbs off before she disappeared below the bloodied bits and pieces still adrift in the water.
I knew I was no longer safe. Pretending to be dead wasn't going to work, because an involuntary gasp escaped my lips, and the monster was alerted to my presence.
I felt its slithery arm still around my leg, wrapping around the rest of my body. Thousands of tiny needles pierced my skin, making it impossible to separate us. It was careful with me, uncertain if I was alive, but I could only watch as it pulled me under to inspect my body.
…AESI RAS HEBI VITA'A…
The voice whispered again. This time it sounded as if it was above me. I looked up and saw the moon spiralling in the sky, as if I were seeing its reflection in a pristine and tranquil lake, in stark contrast to the bloodied nightmare I was in.
"Grab a towel, Reed. It will get messy after we apply the ointment," a distorted voice said. Unlike the other voice, this one sounded a little familiar and less monstrous.
I looked around, trying to locate its origin, but there was no one there. The lake and everything else faded away until nothing but darkness remained.
Then, one by one, red eyes appeared everywhere around me. So many, that they could have been mistaken for red stars.
At that moment, I became aware that I was dreaming, yet being conscious of a nightmare was not enough to wake me up. I was confined. Reduced to nothing but a spectator. Nightmares have always been my prison, both now and back then.
At least, this nightmare was different. It was clear, detailed, and terrifyingly real. Or so it felt. Though the lake made an appearance, it wasn't the same dream I always had. The same dream that trapped me in a mini coma for days at a time.
"Why not just heal her with one of your spells, Cain?" another voice asked. It sounded like he was right next to me, but his voice was unfamiliar.
The sound of clicking and growling became audible, and I felt my heart squeeze and shrink inside of my chest.
The eyes blinked in random patterns and the darkness around me seemed alive and breathing. The Reds always watched me. Their eyes have always been an invisible burden.
They were small little things. Some were ravens or crows, others were cats, and there were even a few foxes. But that thing with the horns and the skull mask was the biggest one I've seen so far.
The Reds were black with bright red eyes and other characteristics that indicated they were not normal. Some possessed horns, an additional set of wings, legs, or tails. Some others appeared mixed, such as a fluffy cat with hooves instead of paws, a fox with wings, or a wolf with horns and front paws that resembled human hands.
…ET SKI KIERA…
That voice whispered again. This time, coming from behind me. I turned around, but nothing was there. Just more eyes. More Reds.
"If we could solve this with a spell, then don't you think I would have done it already? Besides, you're a healer. Your mana is compatible with anyone. I'm not sure how she'll respond to mine. She might even die," the familiar voice said.
"Alright," said the other boy. He exhaled. "However, I shall smear it in. Go after Rivian. I will take care of this."
"And watch him release poison into his lungs? No, thank you. He's not the only one going through a difficult time, you know. Are you aware of the experiences I've had over the last six months?"
"How thoughtless of me. It must have been difficult for you as well. I apologize, Cain."
"Less talking, more healing, Reed. How she's still alive is nothing short of a miracle. I'm sure he's doing everything he can to keep her here."
"Who do you mean?"
"What did I just say, Reed?"
"Yes, of course, I'll begin by applying the ointment. I cannot heal her while the mark is still on her neck."
Cracks of white light emerged in the darkness. I looked around again. The Reds vanished. Nothing but white remained.
I opened my eyes and adapted to my new environment. I was met by a strange white ceiling. My eyesight was fuzzy and out of focus, but I knew I was in a white room with two other people.
The light was painfully bright. It stood in sharp contrast to my frequent dreams, which kept drowning me in darkness.
A boy I didn't recognize leaned down and smeared something onto my skin. His touch was gentle, and he carefully applied something to my wound.
I looked up at his face, but it was still too hazy to discern anything but the colour of his hair. It was a milky shade of light brown, and he wore a black jacket with a splash of orange on his left arm.
"It's starting. Hold her shoulders down. I'll grab her legs," the person said.
His hair was several shades darker than the boy with the black and orange jacket, and he was dressed in familiar black clothing. Cain. I blinked a few times to try and focus on his face. His eyes weren't glowing anymore, and his mouth was pressed into a tight line. His small circular dimples on the sides of his cheeks deepened as he did so.
He pressed his hands down on my ankles and kept my legs pinned to the bed.
My sense of pain returned, and I became aware of the weight of my own body. I felt myself press down into the mattress and the clothes sticking to my bloodied skin felt crusty and stiff.
My veins itched and it felt like my blood turned into jelly. The pain was so intense that my eyes rolled back into my head and my mouth filled with foam, as my heart forcefully pumped the slimy black substance out of my veins.
…HEBI WIL HALRA AESIR AELA, KIERA...
The white room faded away.
The view of the lake returned but it was empty. I wanted to cry, but I knew it would do nothing for my situation, so I didn't bother.
The bodies were gone, and I was alone.
The full moon's light penetrated the depths and touched the sand dunes underneath. I was plunging further down.
I couldn't hear Cain or that other boy anymore and the subtle presence of that whispering voice disappeared too.
My ears heard a continuous screech that got louder the closer I got to the bottom. It took me a full minute to realize that I was hearing myself screaming out in agony.
My real self. Somewhere in the waking world while my consciousness was down here in the abyss. Trapped in the dark.