Lily startles away as she tosses and turns, tangling herself in the bed sheets. Trapped momentarily, she releases a sigh as she feels a sense of contentment. The experience is reminiscent of countless mornings as she awakes each day.
Her mind drifts at the edge of her dream as she tries to remember what happened. Staring into the depth of the hollowed creatures as their bodies shamble forwards.
Bones were gnawing against themselves as the faces seemed to twist too close as torn flesh forced the mouth shut. The intense pain of the monsters fed their hunger as they cried out in pain. They were at the edge of the clearing moments away when her mind slipped into the darkness.
As her headache lessons, she hears a voice at the edge of her mind beckoning her awake. A lingering thought that something is about to happen.
Tiny droplets of sweat bead down her neck as a cool breeze taunts her tired mind. The voice remains further, the whispers, soft commands, and movements to be prepared. The sounds dissipate as Lily tightly closes her eyes.
The pain lingers like a festering wound, throbbing and pulsing within her mind like a living thing until it slowly begins to ease and dissipate. The neglect of failure to see through her promise of submission. Seeing through her dreams to witness the saving of the child.
Even if it were only for a moment to finally see the face of the child that haunted her for so long would bring at least some closure. It would allow her to at least dream she had saved the child. Even if the hope was nothing more than a nightmare, at least she could cling to it.
Closing her eyes again, she can almost drift off to sleep when a knock awakens her. Far louder than anything, Olivia awakens with her on a regular morning. But then again, her dream was so vivid, her internal dialogue so pronounced she probably didn't hear the first few knocks upon the door.
"Come on in," Lily calls out as she swings her feet forward as feels the weight of the evening clearing from her mind.
As the door bursts open, Lily can hear the lighthearted giggle of a child. Her mouth drops as Sera walks through the door. Her vibrant red hair and green eyes shine beautifully. They are more dynamic than any that Lily has ever seen.
"Am I, Am I dead?" Lily asks absentmindedly to the foreign sound of Sera's laughter.
"No," Sera giggles, "You are safe. We are all safe, thanks to you."
"Me? Wait? Where are we?" Lily panics as she spins in her seat, looking for the red sheen. The ever-present mist taunts her with a living nightmare.
"Shhh. Shhhhh. You are safe," Sera says as she sits on the bed. With her daughter waddled in her right arm Sera places her left around Lily's shoulder, softly cooing to her like a newborn child.
Surprisingly, Lily calms at the tender motherly gesture, feeling safe in the arms of a woman only a decade older than her. The sounds of Sera's voice and her maternal care causes Lily to weep. Sera is far more loving and supportive than Olivia ever was. Lily could have never estimated the power of a mother's touch. One she hasn't felt since she was stolen from her mother years ago.
'Shhhhhhh. Everything is going to be okay," Sera repeats as she rubs the back of the younger woman. Both surprised and saddened that, like herself, Lily had never experienced warmth as a Seer in her life of service.
The cold behavior of, Olivia had never shown kindness and had even taunted her further. It sickens Sera to know her most trusted confidant had led her to the nightmares within the cave. But additionally led her to the hell of her escape by feeding the monsters upon their release.
A soft shudder runs through Sera as she remembers the nightmares, the death, and the destruction she witnessed every night as a Seer. Years of her mind broken down by thousands of deaths tore at her heart. And now, at this cruel twist of fate, she is finally free.
"Lily, it will be okay; everything will be okay."
"How can you be sure?" Lily asks between her hiccups and sobs.
"Because Nica told me."
"Nica?"
Sera smiles and rub Lily's back softly, "I know it is hard to understand, but Nica called out to me in a dream. She told me about you and that you would help to save my child. That you could be trusted."
"When? When did she tell you this?"
"Months ago... a strange distant voice called to me. I was told of what would come and that I needed to find you. She was there at my escape, and as she said, you would be the one to rescue my daughter. In your honor, I have decided to name her Lilith."
Lily gasps as she wipes her tears, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, for it was through your strength we were all saved."
"She said something about begging forgiveness before the world went black. Is she in trouble for saving us?"
"She is trouble with Caesar, but don't worry about that. It will hurt, but it will not destroy her soul."
"How do you know?" Lily asks as she watches Sera stare off into the distance.
"It wasn't his voice that gave me the courage to escape when I had lost all hope. He wasn't the one who told me about her arrival. He may be her Master, but he is not her Lord."