IT'S NOT REAL.

Aramith felt very uneasy but he kept moving with a half smile on his face to conceal his feelings.

He tried to remain courageous but the fear and guilt stung at him and he shook with the feelings within him, but how many people would know that?

Even the girl he carried on his back didn't feel it. His shaking was disguised by his movement as he tried to get away from the unsightly scene through the rain.

The scent of blood was very strong and could make another person pass out, but the darkness within him helped him stay strong.

It was after everything had happened that her mind registered all that had happened as reality. The fear had killed some of her senses, but after it all, she was hit with it.

Twice she vomited but she was so weak, Aramith couldn't say if she was conscious or not.

The state she was in was very bad, but that helped him hide his fears. Things would be worse if she knew he was half as scared as she was.

He wanted her to believe there was a shoulder she could lean on, so if she found out he wasn't in a better state, her fear would spike up.

The rain fell softly with low rumbling thunder and lightning in the distance like the growling stomach of a starving beast. He felt he had walked quite a distance, but then he realized they were still around the same place, for the blood was still at his feet.

He felt like screaming out at what he had done, but that couldn't happen. His priority was to get her to safety.

"Ar...ith," she said softly. He didn't hear her and continued without responding.

"Ara...th"

"Ara...mith" He heard her this time, but it was very faint so he wasn't sure.

"Aramith..." her soft voice floated into his ears. His brows came together in slight discomfort.

"Aramith," she said again

"Mm?"

"Aramith?"

"What is it? You can tell me," he answered her.

"Is this real? Are you real?"

"Of course I'm real. You should rest."

"No, you'll go, you'll leave me alone with those men "

"What? No way would I leave you behind."

"But..you already did."

"What?"

"Why, Aramith, why?" She said with pained emotion.

"What are you talking about? You should rest, maybe it's just a bad dream." He assured her but was uneasy. Something wasn't right.

"Why did you leave me?"

"I..."

"You didn't come when I needed you," she said between sobs

"I was..."

"I thought you loved me. You don't care for me...anymore"

"But...why would you think such a thing? Of course, I love you I care for you very much."

"You don't...you don't love me, you're lying again"

"What do you mean I'm lying again? It's not-"

"You promised me you'd be there when I needed you, but you weren't there when I needed you." She cried more now, gripping him tightly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it in time, but we're safe now," he tried to assure her.

"No, you're safe, but I'm hurting. I'm hurting and you're safe with her," she said with such seriousness through her cries he almost believed her.

"What are you talking about it? Stop the nonsense, we'll get somewhere safer." But he was scared, his heart beat faster.

"You won't even look at me, that hurts. My chest hurts." Her voice sounded different. It sounded like 'her' voice. It can't be 'her', he thought. It sounded like...

He looked over his shoulder at her face, and a shock froze him

The dark hair was now blonde. The little rounded face had grown a bit more and was now slightly angled. It looked like his own face.

The eyes that were mostly green were now gold and they stared straight at him.

Her pale red lips moved a little and mouthed the words, but his brain added some sound to it to make it more real.

"You don't love me, " she said

His face went paler

. "What is this?? Who are you??!" He shouted in fear as he dropped her to the ground and jumped back. He'd felt afraid before, but this was another kind of fear. A kind that went"

deep into him. He felt like he was running out of air to breathe, and his brain was finding it difficult to process what was going on. She remained still as a doll, but her eyes were filled with disappointment.

Her expression was that of pain. Her face had some scratches with dried blood at the corner of her mouth. Her dress was torn and soiled with dirt and dried blood

The scene stung his eyes and he looked at her face, he noticed her face seemed to have lost some more color after he dropped her. Her red lips were more pale as she spoke again.

"Where were you when I needed you? You could have done something about it. They came for me...but you weren't there to save me."

"No no no no this isn't you, Lia. This is not true. You're not real," but he was starting to realize the change in the place they were in.

There was a fountain nearby, and the ground was covered with grass.

It was a park, and the grass around Lia was tinted red, her dress was covered with more blood.

She was in pain, a trail of blood hinted that she had been dragged to that position, or that she had painfully dragged herself there.

Aramith was confused, and the fear was swallowing him whole.

"He-lp," She said, and raised a hand towards him, but she stopped and gripped her chest suddenly.

"It hurts here, a lot. Save...save me..." She said softly.

His body moved on its own towards her, but he couldn't move fast. It felt like he was wading through thick mud. when he was close enough, he hit an invisible barrier. White ripples spread out.

"Lia! Lia!"He banged at the barrier but only ripples spread out.

"No, Lia!" He kept hitting against it as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge.

After a while, he sank to the floor, but before he could give up, his eyes widened as he noticed blood pooling around her.

It was no doubt her blood.

This jolted him to his feet, and he frantically attacked the barrier. He kept at it, and when he saw a small crack, he focused on it with all his effort. He was now relying on punches alone, and they picked up speed till soon enough, they were nothing but a blur.

The crack was spreading some more, and his hands were getting numb. he could see blood coming from his fists, but he felt nothing.

A loud bang sounded when all of a sudden, the barrier exploded.

Blood rushed out from the other side like a dam, drowning him in it.

This caught him by surprise, throwing him off and taking him away. All he could see was red as he was dragged deeper and deeper into the blood.

He tried to swim, but he was only tossed about by the blood. He had lost all sense of direction and didn't even know where to swim, but he still didn't want to give up.

His mind was starting to fill with darkness. He couldn't make sense of what was going on. and his body was starting to fail him. he willed it to move, but he had reached his limit. He was not going to make it to save her.

"You're not real after all," her voice made its way into his ears. "At least I got to see your face one last time. Even if I die I won't re...t it..."

He came back to his senses and was trying to swim when his body smashed into a wall and he blacked out.

Aramith's eyes opened and he sucked air into his suffering lungs. It felt like he hadn't breathed for hours, and his vision was a little blurred.

Before his sight fully came, he started to assess the place. First of all, he wore comfortable clothes and was on a soft bed.

He closed his eyes and opened them after a while. When he looked around, he realized the place was familiar. It was more than familiar, it was his room. When this fact came to him, he almost cried. It was a dream after all, he thought, but he was still afraid. The scene was far too real and scared him. He couldn't tell if it was a vision or not. What if-

A knock on the door disrupted his thoughts. A maid came in and placed a tray of food next to his table. Another brought in his clothes, and he remembered what time it was. He had to dress up quickly and go out for the party.

It only took him a short while to prepare himself. He went out, and as he walked toward the meeting place, he saw someone standing ahead of him. Relief washed over him.

"Lia! " he called out.