Chapter 28 - Reality

Lumina smiled gently, her eyes filled with warmth as she looked at Ravenna. "Now, let's go back to reality," she said softly.

Ravenna nodded, still buzzing with the thrill of her new power. The World of Light around them started to fade slowly, like many flames of fire vanishing one by one.

Each glowing scene, each bright creature, began to dim, their lights flickering and then going out.

The market, the fields, the harmonious images of humans and creatures working together - all of them slowly dissolved into a soft, warm glow.

Lumina's form shimmered as she prepared to guide Ravenna back. A subtle flicker passed through her, but Ravenna didn't notice.

Maintaining the World of Light had drained Lumina's energy, but she kept her composure, determined to guide Ravenna without causing her any worry.

The scenes around them faded like a sunset, with the light melting away bit by bit. The bright figures of light people and glowing creatures became shadows and then disappeared entirely, leaving behind a comforting, gentle darkness.

It was as if the world was saying goodbye softly and slowly. With a final, gentle pulse of light, the World of Light vanished completely.

Ravenna found herself back in the real world, blinking as she adjusted to her surroundings. Her heart was still racing with excitement from all she had learned and seen. Lumina now in her orb form, hovering over her head. 

As soon as Ravenna returned to reality, it felt like the world had been paused and now resumed right where it had left off.

Time seemed to have stopped while she was in the World of Light. Ravenna was still there, in the field, playing with the Firehorn calf. The calf nudged her playfully, no one aware of the extraordinary journey she had just taken.

Ravenna blinked rapidly, her mind swirling with the memories of the World of Light. It was like waking from a vivid dream, where everything felt so real, yet now seemed distant.

Her eyes widened, and she wore a look of bewilderment, trying to process everything she had experienced.

The Firehorn calf looked up at her with curious eyes, sensing the change in her demeanor. Ravenna's heart raced with excitement and a new understanding. It was as if she had been given a secret language, a key to a hidden world that had always been there but unnoticed.

She glanced around, everything looking the same yet feeling different. The field, the distant trees, the warm sunlight - they were all unchanged, but Ravenna felt like she had been transformed.

It was as if she had been blind and could now see, the world around her suddenly richer and more meaningful.

Her expression softened as she patted the calf, her mind still buzzing with thoughts of how she could use her new power. 

Ravenna stood from her position, dusting off the sand that clung to her clothes.

She knew she had to keep moving, to leave the desert behind and seek out the answers she so desperately needed.

She was determined to uncover the truth about who attacked her kingdom and why. The journey ahead was uncertain, but she felt a different new strength and resolve within her.

The memory of that fateful night was still vivid in her mind. The suddenness of the attack, the chaos, and her mother's desperate attempts to protect her by hiding her in the secret tunnel.

It all seemed like a blur now, a nightmare that had thrown her world into disarray. When she had finally emerged from the tunnel, the war was over, and she was trapped in the endless dimension, only to later find herself in the desert.

Ravenna clenched her fist, ready to unravel the web of conspiracy that had brought her kingdom to its knees.

As she stood there, a doubt crept into her mind. Her thoughts drifted back to the past, to the cries of her mother, the blood splattered in the tunnel - blood she had assumed belonged to her mother.

But there was something else that nagged at her. When she had emerged from the tunnel, she hadn't seen any dead bodies of her brother or father.

There was no sign of them at all. It was a detail she hadn't fully processed until now, and it filled her with a mixture of hope, dread and doubt. 

Could they still be alive? Or had they been taken? The questions swirled in her mind, and she knew she had to find the answers.

Ravenna took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her mission and the journey ahead, but also the spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could restore what was lost, find her family, and uncover the truth behind it all.

Just as she began to leave the area of the Firehorn horde, she felt a tug on her clothes. Turning around, she saw that her cloak had caught on the horn of the playful Firehorn calf. The calf looked up at her with curious eyes.