"it's that damn dream again" Her heart pounded as the same dream showed up again, the one that always slipped away before she could grasp it.
She woke up, soaked in sweat, her mind clouded, but there was no relief.. just that annoying feeling that something was missing. Like there's something she desperately need to remember.
"Getting bothered by a dream? again..?"
She hates it. It's like she's pouring her fear onto something that isn't even real. It's just a dream.
"Why am i even wasting energy on something that doesn't even make sense...?"
Before she could think of something again, her phone rang. She looked at her phone to see an incoming call from an unknown number.
She picks up her phone and answers the call without thinking.
"Who is this?" Her voice was rough from sleep as she answered.
"Curiosity is like a poison. So you as well should forget about it" She heared a man's voice.. A voice that's about to crack.
Her eyebrow furrowing and she immediately hang up the call.
"Now that's really creeping me out! What the hell is that?! Who the hell is pulling a prank at this hour.."
"Ugh.. my head already hurts like hell.."
She stared at her phone for a moment before tossing it aside. She thought to herself that it's probably just a weird prank and there's nothing to think about. but what came through the phone was nothing like a prank.. there was something desperate in that voice
Except she kept thinking about it and didn't even get a chance to close her eyes for a minute.
Before she knew it, the sharp ring of her alarm sliced through the quietness of her room, pulling her out of the fog of her restless sleep. She sat up, blinking in confusion, her mind sluggish and heavy as if it had been weighed down by something she couldn't quite reach. She didn't bother to wash up, nor did she eat for breakfast.
The thought of the dream from last night haunted her, an unsettling sensation.. It wasn't just a vague memory. It was like a presence that lingered, just out of touch. There was something about it, something that felt strangely familiar and nostalgic, like an old song she once loved but couldn't remember the lyrics of it just the humming sound.
Why even worry about it when it's just some weird pranks? Why does it feel like it's telling her something like warning her.
When she got into her school, something feels.. off.
Not the kind of "off" anyone would notice though. The sky didn't turn dark, the ground didn't crack open, and there were no strange signs that screamed something was wrong.
But there's something, It was the feeling of something hidden, A kind of unease that buzzed relentlessly under her skin, impossible to ignore.
Normally during lunch Lyra would joke and tease around with her friends, But today, Lyra couldn't bring herself to join in. She sat in her table quietly, tapping her pen against her notebook.
Natan, just being his observant self, noticed the shift in her behavior. He paused mid bite, watching her with a frown.
"Something going on, Ly? You're acting different today" he asked, his voice full of concern, but there was an edge to it. A subtle hint of curiosity that made Lyra feel exposed in some ways.
"Yeah, you look like you fought a racoon and lost" A second voice added from the other side of the table, trying to lighten the mood, but it only seemed to highlight how disconnected she is.
Lyra rolled her eyes but didn't push the conversation further. What was the point? They clearly didn't feel it. The tension tightening around her.
Natan, noticing that she was not responding like she normally do, leaned in to attempt and touch her shoulder, his fingers hovering just above her skin, almost hesitant. But before he could make contact, Lyra pushed herself up, grabbing her bag.
"I just didn't get enough sleep" Lyra stand up, leaving the room still feeling distant.
She heard her friends murmuring.
Natan was about to go after her but he heard their friends talking about her behind her back.
"Why is she acting so weird?"
"She is always weird"
They did it on purpose, knowing Lyra would hear. Lyra knew her so-called friends hated her, but she didn't bother confronting them. She figured if she remained cool about the situation, it wouldn't matter. After all, she doesn't really need all the validation.
Natan often finds himself envious of Lyra, who effortless independence without needing anyone or pretending to be someone she's not. Unlike Natan, who can't even manage to stand on his own.
To the world around her, Lyra appears like someone who doesn't care. She's tough, and independent, unwilling to let anyone see the vulnerability she keeps locked away. It's not that she doesn't have feelings and it's actually quite the opposite, in fact. Lyra feels everything deeply, but she is terrified of letting anyone in. Showing her true self would mean exposing the fragile parts of her, afraid of being rejected, misunderstood, or even worse, abandoned.
Lyra brushed past Evan, barely sparing him a glance. They had been schoolmates since elementary, and over the years, they had perfected the art of arguing with each other. It was practically a tradition.
Normally he would have made a smartmass comment just to get under her skin. But today? Today, he didn't say a word.
Instead, he just... looked at her.
It was a long, slow gaze that lingered longer than it should have. It wasn't the usual mocking look she was used to. There was something different this time.. something almost apologetic in his eyes.
She shook her head, trying to dismiss the strange feeling creeping up her spine. Weird, she thought. There was no way it was that simple.
Sleep didn't come easily that night. She scrolled through her phone trying to distract herself, but her mind kept drifting. She sat by the window, phone in hand. Her fingers scrolled mindlessly, tapping through messages she didn't care to reply to, pictures she didn't care to see. For a while she is waiting for her favorite dish Fried Chicken that she ordered to arrive.
And then, just as she checked the time again, it hit her.
Out of nowhere.. A memory hit her.
A flash so sharp and painful she almost dropped her phone. It was as if the walls around her were closing in, her senses overwhelmed by a sudden, sharp flash of something she couldn't quite place. Her heart skipped a beat.
Its that Dream! That damn dream she keeps forgetting!
It came back in pieces — burning images, broken voices — and then it was gone again.
"What the hell is that" Her head throbbed. She stumbled from the chair, clutching the wall but the world tilted, spinning away from her.
She heard weird voices..
"You shouldn't come back here"
"You're not supposed to be here"
Before she could even curse, before the fear and confusion, her knees buckled, and she lost consciousness, her body crumpling to the floor without a sound.
When Lyra's senses began to return, the first thing she noticed was the cold water in her skin. Her body felt heavy, like she was sinking into the water, and her mind raced as she tried to make sense of it. She slowly opened her eyes and froze.
The air was heavy with the smell of old stone and wax.
She was lying in a wooden bathtub and no, not just any tub, an old, wooden tub. The water around her was white and fragrant, almost milky. She blinked rapidly, as if trying to clear the fog in her mind. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she glanced around the room.
"Where am I?" Her hand instinctively went to her face, touching the cold, damp skin on her neck. And then, she touched her stomach. She was naked. Her body was exposed, but it wasn't the physical vulnerability that hit her the hardest!
She couldn't remember how she got here.
"One moment, I was sitting in my room, waiting for my food to arrive. The next, i was here.. alone, in this strange, ancient room."
"Is this a dream?" Her pulse raced as she stumbled out of the tub, her legs unsteady beneath her. She grabbed the edge of the wooden tub for support.
"No, no, no..." She muttered, her voice trembling as she took a step back, her eyes wide with fear. "This can't be happening. What is this place?" She could feel her panic rising, and then—
A figure appeared out of nowhere. A girl around her age wearing a Maiden clothing and carrying a freshly washed dry clothes.
Lyra stared at the girl in disbelief, trying to make sense of her sudden appearance.
"You? What are you doing here? You should have known already that a God from east is going to visit here in Thalora" Maiden says while looking at Lyra who is on the floor holding the edge of the tub.
"What the hell?! Where am i?" Lyra shouted as if trying to wake herself up.
The maiden woman was left looking flustered by the words of Lyra.
Cursing is considered as one of the big sin a person could commit in Thalora. Seems like Lyra wouldn't survive a day here.
"H-He.. I can't even get the word out. Listen, be glad it was me who heard you! others wouldn't have been so kind!"
Lyra sat there, stunned, her mind scrambling to make sense of it all.
"It had to be a dream—" Lyra says while her gaze darted around the room, desperately searching for something, anything, that could explain this.
But no dream ever felt this real.
"You've got to be kidding me.." Lyra muttered, hastily wrapping her arms around herself.
There'd been a rumor going around Thalora lately.. something about a crazy maiden wandering about. The maiden looked at Lyra, a flicker of pity crossing her face.
Maybe this was her, she thought. Poor thing.
Without a word, the maiden tossed Lyra a set of servant's clothes.
Lyra stared at the maiden, still dazed and confused.. She doesn't want to accept the clothes but, she doesn't have any choice because she needed to get out of here.
The maid turned to leave, but just before she stepped out, Lyra spoke up.
"What's your name?" she asked, her tone is cold but her hands is trembling.
The maid paused, thinking for a moment. She assumed Lyra was simply grateful and, without hesitation, she gave her name.
"Zira" The maiden said with a smile in her face.
"How about you?"
Lyra didn't ask for the maid's name out of gratitude.She wasn't that gullible. She asked just in case something went wrong.
Lyra didn't answer Zira's question.
"My own name speaks of being chosen by fate. That we meet here cannot be mere chance. It is fate's hand that guides us." Zira said as she headed for the door.
After dressing, Lyra took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. Her hands still shook as she adjusted the rough fabric of the servant's clothes the maiden had given her.
A God? Was this part of whatever twisted reality she had landed in? What did that even mean? And why was she involved?