36 Continuation

The astronomical girl, whom she had called herself "Pura" flutters through the vast space, as if it was nothing but an empty air.

Her words rang inside my mind, which left me astonished about these twisted turn of events.

"Argh!" Few moments afterwards, my head began to ache, specifically on my Frontal lobe. It was akin from a hammer being pounded directly to my head.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING?! MAKE IT STOP!" the pain had crawled its way towards my lower limbs, numbing every inch of my very existence.

I fell unto my knees and succumbed the terrible sensation. My teeth gritted passively, and gnawed the muscles inside my mouth. I can also somehow taste the metallic blood soaked between the edges of my jaw. Although grimace slowly consumed my body, the whole world around me ironically felt like a dream.

I believe an hour or so had passed since the beginning I had felt the immense pain gushing from my head—however, it still showed no signs of stopping my trauma.

"Please open your eyes" The soft worried voice of Pura resounded through my ear.

"I-I'm trying"

I couldn't help but cry silently at the edge of my seat.

Even those few set of words to be elaborately spoken up to a degree took a great toll on my body, and continued tormenting me without any explanations.

"Open your eyes and dig deeper into your memories." Pura exclaimed again, as if it was the natural thing to do.

Following her claim, I steadily unfolded my right eye, and attempted to perceive the setting around me. No matter how difficult it could be to open one's eyelid, I must persevere in order to attain a better sensation—apart from these anguish.

By the time I had fully uncovered my eyes, the strains from my back had magically disappeared. Despite being torn and impaled from every nick of my fibre, I was left unscathed with no visible nor alarming wounds. I was worried for a second that my body would unleash an adamant outburst of blood due to the earlier pressure minced inside of me. Yet the worse had never come.

"I'm okay! I'M ALIVE~" Mimicking Pura's aerial flight, I flit around—arms open wide, and overtake as many nebulas that I can find. For starters, these celestial bodies could reach up to two-hundred million degrees Celsius at its core, and for some reason I had never felt the slightest heat touching my skin.

"FLEUR, WATCH OUT!" Upon Pura's call, I immediately dodge an incoming asteroid belt heading to my way. With no time to spare, my feet began to swim towards the horizons, avoiding any sorts of impact from these large chunk of rocks floating in a set point.

"That was close!" I yelp triumphantly from my actions, as I safely avoided death once again, even inside my dreams.

Soon, the dark matter, which composes the galactic space, illuminates like sapphires, blinding me with its foreign hues. Both of my visual and audible senses became disrupted from the aftermath, and what came next was…

A familiar figure of a tall ginger girl stood from afar. Her posture seems to be waiting for my attendance—and that could only be accountable if she was

"Venice…?"

It was indeed her beloved presence, whom I've cherish with my life. A friend and a partner, who was always been there by my side.

Her apparition flashes me a smile, as she soon walked away without saying another word.

I could never forget that dazzling face filled with various emotions. And in that moment, all of my memory fragments came stitching up together, forming as one, and recalling what was rightfully mine.

"Perhaps it is time for me to go"

I turn around and confirm the origin of the voice once more. Now that my original recollections had brought me back to life, I became more self-aware from the situation that I am currently into.

It was still dubious for me to believe that my dearest friend, Paula Wattson, was the person…or the phantom, guiding me throughout this realm.

Theoretically speaking, these ambiance must've been thoroughly created by my own imagination, and it was somewhat rejuvenated back to reality. The pain that I had underwent through could've been the trauma experienced by my physical body elsewhere.

But the embodiment, which claimed to be the soul of Paula, is presently talking to me, as if she has always been alive. Nevertheless, getting a chance to see her once more, even so from this absurd situation, will never cease to amaze me

"It's been awhile, Pura"

"It sure does."

"Where am I?"

My eyes still wanders for more, as it fully discerns the in captivated scenery of the starry night zoomed beneath my sight. Alas, even the night had fell deprived, and shattered the obsidian walls, producing a lightning symbol crack from far and wide.

"As I've said from before, I'm a fabric of your dreams. I'll keep this nice and short. You have the power of the so-called 'foresight', an ability which lets you perceive farther from the unknown."

"You're not making this up now, aren't you?"

I threw a firm gaze from her uncertain claim, and observe her hidden gestures. The thought had made it difficult for me to grasp, especially about prowess and such.

"The serpent you've encountered—have you not dreamt about it?"

"Hmm. Fair point"

Now that she've mentioned it, it took me some time to fully understand the details of my dreams. The emerald scales attached to its skin, the corrosive breathe dripping from its gape mouth—it all makes sense to me.

I did came across a giant snake similar from what I've faced earlier from the sea…

"VENICE! Wait, is she still alive?"

The thought reminded me the person from before. It was when she had sacrificed her life and pulled me away from danger.

"I'll give you a parting gift on your way back"

Pura's image became clearer and clearer, as she hover herself slowly to my side. It was like back then from where we had first met, where she had muster up the courage to finally talked to me in an awkward manner.

"Dione and Venice are still alive"

With that being said, the universe slowly dissipates around me, thus creating a massive turbulence between the reality and death. The impression was akin to the famous supernova, where each reclined star falls inward on the neutron core. The heat was finally sensed through the surfaces of my skin, allowing myself to feel the senses I've lost.

By the time the world engulfed my sight with its jet-black anomaly, was the moment I had opened my eyes back in the materiality.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

"Mghm…"

I couldn't foresee what had happened next, and the world around me changed yet again.

Even before I was able to open my eyes, the first thing I became aware of was the soft calming waves splashing between the cold sediment rocks. Echoes of the humming breeze resounded in my ears, allowing me to get a vague grasp of the place where I was held in.

An array of intoxicating smells—rich with unfamiliar plants and sands—bombarded my senses, distracting me from anything else.

Opening my eyes, the first thing to welcome me was the blue sky from above, and a flock of grey pigeons venturing elsewhere. At the corner of my vision, I recognise numerous palm trees rested on the sands, each with matured coconuts hanging with the leaves. Besides the coconut tree, a forest similar to the wild had brought company to my unconscious body.

To my horror, there was no response when I tried to lift my legs; there was no sensation or feedback when I tried moving anything from the waist down. Optimistically, they were still normally attached, and no graze or whatsoever had harmed my body. Testing my upper limbs, I raised right hand and feel the superficial part of my head; checking for any lost cuts or bruises from the impact of my previous fall.

It was far too weird for not receiving any scratches or broken limbs despite from what had happened. No matter how hard I try to discern the mysterious place that had welcomed me, I could only guess that I was in an island, on the nearest shore.

After a few minutes, the numbness from my feet had returned back to its regular state. Testing out my rested legs, I began standing upwards in a shaking manner. Despite falling to my treacherous death, here I am, still alive, and even walking like nothing had happened.

There are few points I must consider before exploring these unknown domain. I neither have a map nor my personal bag with me from the fall. However, I am still handsomely pleased for my uniform that was also left untouched, just like my body.

Moreover, all of my valuable tools; such as the magnum, the thermoregulation binoculars, and my pair of gloves are ready at my disposal.

It seems like that the whole place have yet to be infested by zombies or the like, but we'll never be so sure of what may arise deeper on the sea of trees.

"I think I'm ready to go"

I have one full clip left from my .44 magnum, which is probably enough to protect myself from danger.