Once Upon A Dream (Part 2)

"Where...where am I..." Ray groaned in agony, his voice crackling with every word. A decrepit rooftop drifted into view, hazy in his view.

Trickle by trickle, memories of what happened slowly flooded back. Fear once again assailed his heart. He...he remembered what happened. He should be dead...

"Hmmm....Ray! Ray....you have finally woken up!"

A familiar voice jerked his consciousness back to reality. It turns out he was not dead after all. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the corners of her crimson red hair pooled around his arm.

At least she is alright...

Ray breathed a sign of relief.

Wait...wait a minute...how am I back here?

Something was wrong. Didn't he collapse in the alleyway on his way to see His Highness? There was Damian, and then the witch...

Argh...a piercing pain shot through his skull. The witch...the witch...what did she do? What....did....she....do...

Wait...something else was not right...

Ray stared in silent horror at the face that began to drift into view. It was a face that looks familiar, yet foreign. Her crimson red eyes remain the same, yet everything else was different. It was...more matured, more sensual. Long gone was the young girl that haunted his memories. What replaced it was a young lady in the cusp of her youth.

A terrifying thought struck Ray. How much time has passed? How...long ago was his encounter with the witch? What happened?

"Lizz..." His voice was coarse and weak. "What happened?"

"Ray...are you alright? Why are you asking me this? You...you should know why you are injured like this. It...it was all because of me..." A tinge of red flashed across her cheek. "You got injured in a fight against Damian and collapsed right at our doorstep..."

Damian? What? Isn't Damian dead? Wait...wait...this is nonsensical. This...what in the world...

"Wait...wait...Lizz...answer me...what year is it? What...what year is it?"

"Ray? Why? It is Year 2022."

Year 2022? Isn't it suppose to be Year 2018?

"Lizz...stop fooling around...it is not funny...isn't it Year 2018?" Ray could feel his voice crackling. He was afraid. Very afraid.

"Ray...what is wrong? It is Year 2022. Don't you remember? Year 2018 was the year that you had your chance encounter with His Highness. Are you alright?"

Ray could feel his strength leaving him once more. He sunk back down, his field of view narrowing. Where did four years of his life go?

"Lizz...help me...tell me...how exactly did I end up unconscious?"

"Ray...are you...fine? Never mind...I will tell you what happened. You became unconscious because you had a fight with Damian over...over his attempts in courting me. I told you about it and you when dashing off. The next thing I know, I hear a knock on the door and you arrive back bloody and bruised. Your collapsed at our doorstep and did not wake up for the next few days..." At this point, Lizz's voice got softer. A mellow tone drifted into her voice. "I was so afraid that your would never wake up..."

Ray took a deep breath. It...it really seems that something magical has happened. He was in the future. Somehow...that witch...whatever she did...took four years out of his life and transported him into his future. He, for all intends and purpose, missed four years of his life.

Or was it the other way around? Perhaps it was the other way around. What he thought happened was nothing but a dream. He, he...he may just be suffering from amnesia what happened with Damian. He needed to find out more.

What is a dream? What is reality? Ray no longer knew.