Chapter 7 - Derum's Premonitions

"She just needs to rest, don't worry too much about her." said the old man Derum when they brought Qrolo to the temple.

Yana felt reassured by the old man's words.

"You're a human, aren't you?" the old man asked Yana.

"Ah, yes, I am human. And I am currently dreaming." Yana replied.

"Avoid crowded places as much as possible." said Derum.

"Why? Here in the dream?" Yana asked, puzzled.

"In your world, don't ask questions, just do it. It's for your own good." replied the old man.

Yana remained silent and just wondered why.

Meanwhile, Riyugi and his group returned to the kingdom of the Ronoru and informed the King that they had discovered the gateway to the human world. However, there was an obstacle due to the energy surrounding the point, which served as protection against anyone attempting to open it.

The King immediately ordered Riyugi to bring someone from the kingdom to the depths of the ocean and read the inscription on the stone near the gateway to the human world. The King also ordered his subjects to stop killing humans for now and instead bring all the humans they find to the kingdom.

"Your Majesty, I will handle your orders myself." said Riyugi.

"I expect that. Remember, your destiny is to follow all my orders. This is how you gain value, so don't fail me." said King Merif seriously.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It is my honor to serve you." Riyugi replied, placing his right hand on his chest and bowing before the King as a sign of respect.

Riyugi wasted no time and immediately left the kingdom alone, searching the surroundings for humans who had dreamed and wandered into the Ronoru territory. The Ronoru dominated the southern region, while the Aruha controlled the eastern region.

When Qrolo woke up, his eyes immediately searched for Yana. Yana was just beside the bed, watching over him, waiting for him to wake up.

"Y-Yana." Qrolo called.

"Qrolo, you're awake! I was worried about you." said Yana, her voice filled with joy upon seeing Qrolo awake.

"Don't leave, stay here." said Qrolo. Yana lowered her head.

"If only I could. But I've been dreaming for a long time. I will wake up soon." said Yana sadly.

Yana was startled when Qrolo held her hand tightly.

"Let me hold your hand while you're still here." said Qrolo.

Yana didn't know what to say, so she just nodded. She was confused by Qrolo's actions and didn't want to give meaning to his words and actions since he hadn't clarified anything to her. However, her heart was beating fast. She asked herself what she was feeling, knowing only that she was happy whenever she was with Qrolo in her dreams.

A few minutes later, Yana began to fade away.

"Yana, I'll wait for you." were the last words Yana heard from Qrolo before she woke up.

When she opened her eyes, she saw her room. It was already noon, and she was glad it was Saturday and there was no school.

When she turned on the television, the news was still the same. There were still mysterious deaths of people in their sleep.

Now she knew that the killer wasn't alone; there were many of them. Yana was stressed, realizing that what she thought she could solve was a huge problem that seemed unlikely to be resolved soon, even with Qrolo's help.

While Yana was watching the news, Lexa called, asking her to come to the mall because it was the fan meeting of her favorite boy group. Yana couldn't refuse, so she agreed, and they met at the mall.

"I'm so excited to see them, let's hurry." said Lexa, pulling Yana into the mall.

Since the boy group hadn't arrived yet, Yana invited Lexa to eat first because she was starving. They ate at a fast-food chain inside the mall.

"Lexa, if someone is nice to you, does it mean they like you?" Yana asked while they were eating.

"Hmm, it doesn't necessarily mean they like you. Unless they explicitly say they like you, don't assume. Many people are just genuinely kind." replied Lexa, making Yana think.

"Is that so? Oh no, I think I'm falling for him." said Yana, shaking her head.

"Hey, who are you talking about? You're falling in love, huh?" Lexa teased.

Yana then told Lexa about Qrolo and the good things he did for her. She also mentioned that Qrolo was not human but a being that lived in dreams.

"Girl, you're in love. I understand; he's like a prince charming, saving you and being sweet to you." said Lexa.

"I don't know anymore, Lexa. He doesn't exist in the real world, and I'm not even sure if he likes me." Yana said.

"Oh, stop it. You'll only get hurt in the end." advised Lexa. Yana nodded but felt sad.

Yana also mentioned the Ronoru, that there were many of them killing people in their dreams.

Lexa felt a chill. She was grateful she didn't dream about them or the Aruha. Yana was also thankful for that. She was afraid something bad might happen to Lexa and the people she cared about.

After they ate, they went to the fan meeting. Lexa was thrilled as they lined up to buy the newly released album of her favorite boy group and get autographs.

Yana stood behind Lexa. After buying the album and getting autographs, Lexa's smile reached her ears, overflowing with joy. She hugged the album and poster she bought, looked up, and squealed in excitement, delighted to see her idols in person.

"Yana, thank you for coming with me." said Lexa, opening her eyes.

"It's nothing, I know you idolize them and you're crazy about the members of that boy group." said Yana.

But Lexa saw a light fixture about to fall on them from the ceiling. It was a large, round light, styled like a chandelier, and it was falling fast. Lexa quickly pushed Yana away, causing her to fall. Yana was shocked by what Lexa did, and when she looked back, the large light had fallen on Lexa. Yana screamed in shock.

"Lexa!"

People rushed towards them, and the mall guards quickly helped remove the large light that had fallen on Lexa. An ambulance was called immediately. Lexa was bleeding, and it seemed she had a serious head injury as it wouldn't stop bleeding. Yana cried and cried as Lexa was placed in the ambulance.

When they arrived at the hospital, Lexa was rushed to the emergency room. Yana was left outside, still crying, and she called Lexa's parents to inform them of what happened. Lexa's parents arrived quickly, crying and helplessly waiting.

When the doctor came out, he said that Lexa had a severe head injury, causing blood to pool in her brain, putting her in a coma, and they didn't know when she would wake up.

Yana's world almost stopped. She felt it was her fault; Lexa saved her instead of herself. Her tears wouldn't stop falling. Lexa's parents were also crying, hoping Lexa would wake up.

Yana didn't leave Lexa; she stayed by her side.

"I'm sorry, Lexa, I couldn't do anything to save you. I'm sorry." Yana sobbed while looking at Lexa, who seemed lifeless. There were apparatuses attached to her, and the only sound in the room was the machines.

"It's getting late, you should go home. Don't blame yourself." said Lexa's mother. She understood because Yana had told her what happened. Lexa's parents were kind and understanding.

"Yes, auntie. I'm really sorry. I couldn't do anything." Yana said, still crying.

"Stop blaming yourself. Let's just pray for her recovery." said Lexa's mother.

When Yana got home, she went straight to her room. She couldn't stop crying, remembering what the old man Derum had said about avoiding crowded places. Was that warning for her? Yana thought it should have been her, not Lexa.

"Why? Why did it have to be Lexa? It should have been me." Yana said to herself, still crying and blaming herself.

She cried until she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Lexa found herself in an unfamiliar place, walking. There were no people around. She wondered why she was there, the last thing she remembered was being at the fan meeting with Yana in the mall. She was terrified and kept walking.

"There's a human!"

Lexa heard from behind, and when she looked, she saw two scary-looking creatures staring at her, like monsters. She stepped back and fell.

"Kill that one!" One creature said.

"The King ordered not to kill humans instead bring them to the kingdom." the other replied.

Lexa couldn't understand what the scary creatures were talking about. Her heart pounded in fear, and her whole body trembled.

"Let's catch her!" one creature shouted.

"Right!" the other replied.

They approached Lexa. Despite trembling with fear, Lexa forced herself to run fast, but the creatures caught up with her and grabbed her by the arms. Lexa screamed and cried in terror.

"Let me go! Help!" Lexa screamed.

Suddenly...

"Let her go!" Lexa heard, and when she looked where the voice came from, she saw a strong-looking man standing on the roof of a house.

"An Aruha!" said one of the creatures holding Lexa.

The man quickly descended from the roof and approached.

"Let's finish him!" one creature

And they charged towards the man. The man they charged had a knife and was skilled in using it, so they couldn't do anything and got hurt. The two monsters fell to the ground.

"I hate creatures like you, Ronoru! And remember this, I will eliminate all of you!"

He shouted at the two creatures that fell to the ground.

Before the two could answer, he finished off the two. Then he approached Lexa.

He noticed the fear in the woman because she was shaking and slowly stepping back.

"Don't worry, I'm not like them. You're safe now."

He said and extended his hand towards the frightened woman.

Lexa's heart was relieved upon hearing what he said and she gave her hand to the man who saved her. He held it firmly.

"My name is Qrolo."

He said. He looked into her eyes, which were very gentle. Lexa's mind was at ease.

"I'm Lexa... Lexa is my name."

Lexa introduced herself. What Lexa didn't know was that the man she was with now and who saved her was the man Yana had told her about.

Lexa also didn't know what was happening to her now. She had no idea that she had already entered the world of dreams. Her mind was still confused with everything that was happening.

Meanwhile, Yana had landed in the southern part of the dream world. A Ronoru had grabbed her. He wanted to kill her.

"Don't you know the orders of the King?" Riyugi said as he pointed a sword at the neck of a Ronoru he was holding.

"Venera..." The Ronoru said fearfully.

"That's right! Let her go." He said authoritatively and released her, then the Ronuro ran away.

Yana's heart almost stopped beating in fear when Riyugi held his sword to her neck.

"P-please don't kill me."Yana pleaded in great fear.

Riyugi lowered his sword and grabbed Yana by the arm, pulling her towards the horse.

"Get on!" He ordered authoritatively.

"B-but it's too high, I can't climb up."Yana said anxiously.

So Riyugi got on first and lifted Yana onto the horse.

"Thank you." Yana said gratefully.

She thought Riyugi was an Aruha because of his human-like appearance and because he saved her from the Ronoru who wanted to kill her. That reassured her.

As they rode off quickly on the horse, Yana held on tightly to him. What Yana didn't know was that she was being taken to the kingdom to be presented to the King of the Ronoru.

And to be taken to the depths of the sea to read the inscription on the stone.

Qrolo took Lexa to his house with his friend Kenro.

"Who is this?" Kenro asked when they arrived.

"He's a human. He was almost killed by the Ronoru." Qrolo said.

"What are you saying? Where am I? Please, I want to go home."Lexa cried.

Qrolo and Kenro were puzzled.

"Wait, she seems to not know that she's dreaming and that she's here in the dream world." Kenro concluded.

"I think so." Qrolo said.

"What are you saying?" Lexa asked.

"You're dreaming, you're here in the dream world. When you wake up in real life, you'll be able to leave." Qrolo explained.

Lexa remembered Yana's stories about dreams and the creatures in dream world.

"So I'm dreaming." Lexa said.

"Yes, and just wait until you wake up from your sleep. You'll be able to go home." Kenro said.

Lexa nodded.

"Thank you so much for saving me earlier." Lexa thanked Qrolo again.

"You're welcome. It's my duty to save and protect people here in the dream world." Qrolo replied.

Lexa was excited to wake up and tell Yana what had happened. But Lexa didn't know for sure when she would wake up because she didn't realize she was in a coma.