Anna's Second Meeting

  John chuckles to himself after remembering that final gamble. 'Felix's inscription probably saved me if the energy wasn't redirected...' he thinks while looking at one of his branches, 'I wouldn't have had any soul left. Well, perhaps I should try and talk sense to that poor girl.'

  He then enters Anna's dream once more. The dream is filled with fire and destruction. Anna stands with her husband, listening to an enormous shadow solemnly. The shadow informs Anna that her parents died in some unknown place. Anna reaches out for comfort from her husband. As her hands wrap around him, he turns to smoke, disappearing into the surrounding flames. They all left her alone in this unforgiving world.

  Anna falls to her knees, weeping for her lost love. She coils in the corner of a house long destroyed by war. Anna hides under a blanket from the horrors all around her. Anna's bloodshot eyes gaze at the sky as her hair is disheveled by the firestorm, and her stoic exterior breaks, revealing a rabid beast as she unleashes a furious scream.

  "So I take it this isn't the best time to visit?" John asks as his voice cuts through the chaos.

  The sudden change in the dream world slowly brings Anna back to reality. The cloudy eyes of a dreamer fade, and her demeanor slowly returns to normal. As she gets to her feet, she glances annoyed at the intruder. "Coming and going as you please in my dreams is pretty rude, don't you think?" Anna scoffs.

  "Sorry about that," John says as he rubs his head sheepishly, "I heard you were getting married and decided to check in on you." He then blows away the fiery setting changing it to a quiet garden. A table and chairs are once again waiting for the two.

  "It looks more like you came to lecture me," Anna responds with a frown. She runs her hand through her black hair, setting it back into order. "It's been a while. I thought you left. Didn't you promise to help my son train? Yet you haven't entered his dreams for weeks!" she questions the ghost accusingly.

  John smiles warmly at the angry mother as he sits down. "Calm down and have a seat. I've recently been indisposed, so I couldn't visit for a while," he replies while waving his hand to the chair across from him. The chair pulls itself out from the table as if beckoning to the woman.

  Anna exhales deeply to regain her calm. She is still agitated by her dream and needs to calm down. "Fine, senior, we'll do as you say," she relents as she quickly takes her seat. 'What can keep a ghost so busy,' she wonders as she inspects the old ghost across from her.

  Noticing the inquisitive looks of the mother, John shakes his head. "It's nothing interesting I just had a bit of an accident recently," he simply states.

  "What kind of accident can a ghost have?" she asks with doubt in her voice.

  "There are many dangers for ghosts. In fact, there are more dangers for ghosts than there are for humans!" John answers the young mother with flair. "I appreciate your concern, though. If you wish to speak about my troubles, I don't mind, but I suspect you'd prefer to chat about something closer to home," he jokes.

  Anna sighs as she rests her chin in her hand while leaning on the table. "Fine, please grant me your great wisdom," she concedes.

  "Haha, I don't have any great knowledge to pass on... But are you sure this is what you want?" John asks as he leans back in his chair. His eyes are gleaming with sagacity.

  Anna frowns at the question and replies, "I don't understand what you mean by that? Is there a problem with me marrying for children? Isn't it normal for a woman to get what she wants through marriage?"

  John strokes his chin contemplatively. "There isn't anything wrong with it. But will it turn out well with you being so single-minded? If you want revenge wouldn't it be better to try and get help from someone powerful like Elanor instead?" he responds.

  She thinks back to what Elanor had told her after being healed and shakes her head as she taps on the table. "No, it's dangerous to tell anyone about my origin. Let alone someone who is close to the Emerald family."

  "Oh, what did she tell you?" John asks with a raised eyebrow.

  Anna recounts what Elanor said about her family and its connection to the Emerald family. John, for his part, nods as he scrunches his forehead in contemplation.

  "If I'm not mistaken, she should be from the Harlyn family. In some ways, they're more hated than Lamenters," John states with an I told you so grin.

  Anna looks at the old man in front of her with confusion as she asks, "How could they still be so powerful if they fought on our side?"

  "You misunderstand they were neutral. It's just that they liked to show up and wreak havoc for the Lamenters' side," John says before pausing to rub his forehead. He sighs as he remembers obscure rumors from his past. "I heard when they were confronted for their deeds. They casually blew it off. They said something like we are just returning favors we owe. If you have any that can inspire us to join a battlefield, we will be happy to oblige. This, of course, infuriated them, but they couldn't start a war with another powerful faction, so they gave up."

  "What kind of favors could my ancestors have been owed?" Anna questions in awe.

  "I have no idea. Everything I know is hearsay," John responds as he holds up his hand to show that she shouldn't inquire further.

  "Alright, but what does this have to do with me marrying Arron. It shouldn't block me from asking for help from Elanor. As you said last time, Franklin is already past the prime time to start training. If I have a few more children in this magical land, they will surely be able to start to rebuild the Lamenters," Anna reasons with a perturbed face.

  John slouches in his chair as he tries to explain himself, "I'm not against the marriage. I'm just worried that if you carry on with only hate and the future in your eyes, you'll destroy your present. I don't want that for any of you, including any future children. I think you should at least be more upfront with Arron. If he still wants to marry you and you think that there is some spark of affection for him, I won't say any more."

  Anna's eyes wander around the dreamscape before she responds, "Alright, I'll talk to him about some of my past and feelings. But answer me this why do you help someone from the Lamenters so much? Don't you hate us for what we did?"

  "I don't hate the past Lamenters, and I definitely have no hate for a descended that knows nothing of that old war. But, honestly, the only reason I'm helping is because you're here. If someone else interesting arrived instead of your family, I'd have helped them out just as much." John says.

  Anna nods as some of her worries drift away. "Alright, I'm fine with that. I'm glad it's just because you're bored and not trying to trick me," she says with a slight smile as the dream fades away.