Remember your vow

Perspective : Kyle Bonfrost

{ Nightmare}

"What is this?"

"Where am I ?".

I opened my eyes, saw nothing.

It was a pitch black void.

Yet cold air caressed my skin,

From the depths of my bewildered mind, I became aware of a peculiar symphony, faint echoes reverberating through the air.

Like water being displaced.

"How odd!".

Curious, I raised myself from my seated position, straightening my posture.

I was in a realm of pure darkness, empty hollowness , I found myself adrift upon a small boat, guided by a figure hunched and enshrouded in a cloak of mystery.

"Who was he?".

My mind no eager to ask any questions.

As, a sense of relaxation and fatigue enveloped me. My body yearning for a sleep.

An eternal slumber for the ages, from which I never wished to be woken up.

And Yet, I can't help but wonder.

"Why is the sky above devoid of any stars?",

The sky looked like an abyss of obsidian, that cast an oppressive weight upon my senses.

As the weight of unease settled upon my weary shoulders, an unrelenting restlessness tugged at my very being, tempting me to succumb. A compelling force, like a siren's call, whispered in my ears, urging me to surrender to the allure of laying my burden down.

And then, there was that blackened sky, a void devoid of purpose or significance, devoid of stars or celestial guidance. Its emptiness, once meaningless, now held an inexplicable hold upon my gaze. It was as if the depthless expanse had cast a spell upon my senses, captivating me in its enigmatic embrace.

In that realm, darkness consumed all, stretching its tendrils into the infinite distance.

How far did it extend?

To the very fringes of the void, where the boundaries of perception dissolved and give way to an eternal abyss. Not a sliver of light piercing through the inky veil, leaving me to wonder the vastness of the unknown.

"Am I forgetting something?".

"No ... Nothing that I remember!".

In the middle of that eerie tranquility of that abandoned ocean.

Still and un moving. Where echoes of silence reverberated.

My vessel gracefully glided upon its mysterious surface, conjuring a strangely comforting sensation.

The only sound that cleaved through the silence. A harmony in the absence of any noise, becomes a captivating melody.

Which beckoned me deeper inside it.

In that dim veil of nocturnal darkness, a peculiar luminescence casted an ethereal glow upon that vast expanse of sea.

As if it had pilfered the infinite clusters of stars that once covered the sky, leaving it bereft and purposeless.

With a strange charisma, it bewitched me drawing me into its soothing embrace.

"Ohh how I longed to slumber inside it".

"Un disturbed... never required".

"Forever and forever more".

"Will I be like them ... swimming inside it?".

As I gazed into the shimmering depths of that luminous water, a mesmerizing sight unfolded before my eyes. Like ethereal creatures of the deep, a multitude of beings gracefully swam, their movements reminiscent of the synchronized dance of underwater habitants. They moved with elegance and harmony, gliding through the liquid canvas as if part of a living painting. The water embraced them.

With every twist and turn they took, the water reacted accordingly. Bursting bubbles of bliss above the surface.

However tempting it was to be a part of the deep.

"I must decline".

"My destination lies elsewhere".

As if I existed for that sole reason, the allure of that distant forbidding land beckoned to the depths of my soul.

Like moth to a flame, my boat seemed to navigate its course towards that comforting destination.

Where familiar shadows danced for all eternity, emanating a sense of boundless bliss.

Embraced by eternal continuation, my very being was pulled towards it.

As if that was my purpose, that was my reason and that was my destiny.

And yet I can't deny it.

{Little girl's voice

"Brother"}

"Huh... what was that?".

In the vast openness surrounding me, I heard a voice, so faint that it resembled the distant sound of a solitary droplet of water falling. Secluded in the distance, it carried a sense of remoteness, echoing through the expanse and reaching my ears ever so softly.

"What is this?".

"My stomach .... it hurts".

"But why?".

I reached out to touch it with my hand.

Nothing was out of the ordinary.

The throbbing pain gradually dissipated, allowing me to once again become immersed in that nocturnal essense.

As the dark patch of land drew nearer with each passing second, the once indistinct shadows began to take shape, their forms becoming more discernible. And amidst them, a sense of familiarity stirred within me, as if I had encountered those faces before.

Yet, despite this sensation, a frustrating veil of forgetfulness shrouded my memory, leaving me perplexed and yearning for answers. The question echoed in my mind,

"But... for the love of god... why can't I remember them?".

Closer still we went.

The dark land grew bigger and bigger, streching to the horizon.

With not a flicker of light.

"Ohh I was mistaken".

As I ventured closer darkness seemed to warp and twist, unveiling a contradicting sight.

A colossal flock of fireflies emerged from the water, their tiny bodies pulsating with vibrant hues. Floating through the air they casted a hypnotic glow, illuminating the darkness ever so slightly.

Bewitched by fasination, I extended my hand.

As a firefly delicately perched upon my palm, ever so slightly illuminating my hand.

Dread and horror washed over me as I realized that instead of my familiar flesh, my hand was engulfed in a thick, swirling mist of black soot. As if drawn by an invisible force, more fireflies materialized, perching upon my entire body. Their collective radiance began to illuminate me from within, as if exposing what lay beneath the shroud of darkness. However, with each attempt to discern my own form, all I saw was an impenetrable void. The mist of soot had consumed me entirely, shrouding my existence in an eerie obscurity.

{Little girl's voice, "Brother wake up".}

[Kyle !]

"What was that?".

I was startled. My restlessness, now completely vanished.

This time the sound was clearer.

The darkness was no longer comfortable, It was haunting.

[Kyle ! ... Kyle ! stay with us]

The throbbing pain on my stomach resurfaced.

As those fireflies, illuminated those shadows. I recognised one of them. How could I forget. Her face is etched into my memory.

"Aunt Veera".

The fireflies illuminated the unseen.

My dead aunt, her face a grotesque macabre of decay.

Once again the world around me warped and twisted, as the water surrounding me morphed into a crimson existence.

Dread and horror washed upon me, with my vessel clashing onto the dark land.

Upon collision, the boat master surrendered to the sea.

Looking around, I found my boat, floating beside countless dead bodies emerging from the red water.

As my longing to tread upon that forsaken land faded onto nothingness.

I attempted to flee.

The very fabric of existence began to warp before my eyes. With an intent to steer my vessel back to safety, an inexplicable force took hold of my leg, defying the laws of reason. I turned my gaze downward, only to witness the ethereal spectacle of my aunt, her rotten form emerging from the darkest confines of the deep. With a spectral grasp, she drew me towards the aqueous expanse of that bloody waters.

My aunt, her eyes replaced by two enormous voids, each resembling a bottomless pit of darkness. Her skin, a sickly pallor, clinging desperately to her decaying bones. It sags and sloughs off in patches, revealing the deep-rooted corruption that layed beneath.

"Leave me!".

In the midst of my struggle to break free from her spectral grip, a cacophony of shattered fragments echoed through the realm, resonating with a profound intensity. As the dissonant symphony reached my ears, memories long dormant stirred within the depths of my consciousness. Images and emotions flooded back, swirling in a flurry of recollection. Moments that I could never forget resurfaced, like fragments of a forgotten puzzle assembling themselves. With each shattered note, the ethereal barrier between past and present

memories of her, my vow to her.

Reminded me of my duty.

"I can't stay here".

"Any longer".

{"Big brother wake up!"}

Her voice still fuelling my will.

"I will save you".

"Elise".

As the illusion broke, I heard voices prompting me to open my eyes.

[Kyle ! ... Kyle ! ... don't give up]

[Nothing is changing... he is still bleeding]

[I am working on it]

[If only, we had more experienced arch priest]

[Guys ... I don't think he is going to wake up]

[Don't be like that mate ... we gotta try]

[Shit! ... Shit! .... shit!]

{ Kyle opened his eyes }

The first sight I saw was Patrick.

His hand glowing with a green hue.

And then I heard Regina,

"He is awake ... he is awake!".

Elkdrack chimed in,

"Hang in there mate!".

Patrick changed his expression to that of a gentle smile.

"Don't worry... you will be fine".

As he himself was barely able to stand.

"Shut up! ... don't show me those fake smiles".

"I know about my condition".

My whole body was quivering with immense pain.

"Why can't you all be like Conrad... look at him standing there with no expression on his face".

"It is almost condescending ".

"Enough of this".

I extended my hand, opened my Item box, pulled out a green bottle.

A healing potion.

As I gestured, Patrick to stop. I poured it upon my wounded body.