A Dream

'Sorry I came late, Lord Zmey,' Aura thought as she stared down at Zmey. Thrills moved through her body as she acknowledged her fault in this. But amidst that vulnerability of hers, a confusion stretched in.Why did the dragon emperor commit a taboo despite knowing the consequences?Meanwhile, Zmey had a dream. It was as if he was alive – feeling at ease in naturalness, yet the other side of everything felt otherwise. He dreamt of a dark forest, illuminated by the silvery full moon that shone through the misty cloud. Tall, thin woods stood as imposing and gallant as war soldiers, separated by a half metre distance.Zmey turned and turned, then again. But nothing else but these woods surrounded him. In the distance, hazes filled the air. They made his exposed skin feel unsafe whenever he turned. His chest tightened as tension gripped him. A faint burning scent wafted to his nose. But could he care more about where he was?'Curse it…'Everything felt unnatural to him. His heartbeat was abrupt, unlike in real life. Seconds would pass before he realised he had never blinked. And his body appeared to float, though his shoes remained buried in a pile of leaves. It felt as if invisible hands suspended him above the ground.The thought of not blinking made him want to do so if it was impossible to correct his heartbeat. But he couldn't, in the next second – he knew he couldn't blink because of another thing. His sight turned dark with something pinning against the lids. Warm chills of tension wafted through him. He wanted to feel what the heck was blocking his sight, only to realise he couldn't swing his hands either.Many scents he couldn't quite register approached his sense of smell. He sniffed the air; was that a metallic scent? Cold chills passed into his nostrils. An earthy one, too?In the next second, things went numb. A realisation dawned on him that he couldn't act nor think any more. But it was otherwise again. Wasn't it foolish that he couldn't think but still had a realisation? How dumb could a dream feel?His sight opened with no one nor himself helping him to. Somehow, it seemed to him like he was a spectator of himself. But in contrast, he still felt as if he were the one in action.Time seemed to freeze in place…A deep mechanical voice of a man echoed in wherever he was. He raised his sight. He could see only a few inches of the stranger's silk gown. Intricate designs embroidered it."On behalf of everyone that believes in me, I will take your life tonight. Roll through the future, a pit of hell, and await me there, which is your destined moment of glory too. I'm not the devil here. But it's you, Orin Stonewood, who kills innocent souls all in the name of carrying out your future mission."The statement faded in his mind. His vision blurred completely. But it opened with a sharp motion to reveal a yellow talisman bearing the title "Fate" written in red paint. The blurring repeated itself, then opened to grey feathers. Then to a glowing crystal and to a bowl holding a fine content of thick red liquid.Despite his efforts to look up, he found it impossible. His neck would grow stiff, and it would feel like potent forces lowering his head roughly.Brim! – the sound played and faded off the next second. Pictures of a variety of things and places flashed in his mind. It felt like he was being absorbed by them, somehow. As if he was falling through a dark maze. He realised with a start that something was supporting his back.Now, he could think on his own.A soft surface held him in place; the unmistakable comfort of a bed surrounded him. The chirping of birds screamed in the distance, and he heard distant axing sounds.He creased his brows, still not opening his eyes yet. "That place... wasn't it the abandoned house in the Astral Kingdom?" The intricate embroidery and stern words drifted to his mind. He clenched his jaw. He squeezed the soft-textured material tucked over him. 'And… why am I remembering him now? When I have never dreamt of such before?'He sighed. He lifted his back from the bed with care. He had expected a tightness in the joint. But to his surprise, he felt nothing. He opened his eyes, with his palms resting on the bed behind him. He focused on the wooden wall that faced him at first. Next, as he turned left…His eyes widened in shock."Oh? Aura… how are you here?" he asked, seeing her seated in a chair around the half-metre tall table placed in the middle of where he was.Aura had crossed her arms while she stared at an ash cup that simmered with vapour. Then, she heard his voice. She glanced at him immediately, her eyes widening even more than his.Her arms uncrossed. She stood, disrupting the alignment of the chairs. She bowed to him and said with delight, "It's been a while, Lord Zmey. I hope you've had a nice rest."Zmey didn't reply immediately, but gazed at her instead. A hint of wonder crossed his face. He mumbled, "Woo… she's even more respectful and submissive than in the beast's realm. Strange."Mumbling that, he moved his legs down the bed, shifting his weight towards Aura. That was when he realised he was still in black, but it was rather a top instead of his tattered cloak. He moved his hands on it as if checking something. He raised a part, smelling it. Even though it had a faint earthy smell, he assumed it was better.He shifted his attention to Aura. "Weren't you at the Infernosphere before? When did you come here and find me?" he inquired.As Aura raised her head, Zmey noticed the door open with a creak. A shadow stretched between the arc reflection of the sun's rays. He lingered there as a woman with her white hair in a braid, wearing a skin-tight blue gown entrance.The woman turned, Zmey finally seeing her glowing-skinned face. She first stopped at the door. She held a large bowl close to her side. Then, she looked between the young man and that hot-tempered girl from last night. She felt she had interrupted their discussion. Both were looking at her with the same expression.She chuckled as her gaze shifted towards Zmey. "Good to see you're up. Welcome back.""Yes. Thank you," Zmey replied in a low tone with a tight smile. Despite his confusion about her identity, how Aura met her, and whose house they were in, he played along. But Aura wouldn't have a house on Earth, he knew.The woman passed behind Aura to a large clay jar at the corner of the room. Zmey and Aura looked at her. She bent before the jar, opening the lid and dipping her hand inside. Soon, smoky and herbaceous scents filled the room. She took her time to fetch the vegetables. First, bay leaves. Then, onions, spinach, and carrots. Finally, she got some smoked meat.She fetched everything into the bowl in her hand. No one said anything, leaving the room silent until the woman reached the door. And she glanced back, looking at Zmey again.A smile flushed her face. "I'm making a chicken and vegetable broth this morning. It's a soup that aids complete recovery from an injury. Wait for a few minutes here. It'll soon be ready.""… That might be unnecessary, ma'am. Thanks, but I don't have an appetite. I would tell you when I want to eat anything."Zmey forced a smile at the end.The woman smiled back. "Mm. Hope you're feeling completely well already."Zmey nodded back. "Yes, I suppose so.""You could take a walk around the vicinity to strengthen your bones. Well… choose for yourself. You're a grown-up man, after all."With that, she opened the door and exited. She nuzzled it closed afterward.Zmey sighed. He rose from the bed. He paced himself towards an open window and looked through it. Its position was at his chest level. His hands rested on the frame. The view was the house's rear. Ice bags littered the land. Distant mountains pointed at the sun. Snow drifted downwards in a soft manner. From the window, he saw a river to the right. He couldn't see the other side.Zmey reverted to his focus, turning and looking at Aura. Their eyes locked immediately."Aura…"She cut in."…Did you… have amnesia?" she asked, her tone frank. Something contrasting her strong exterior masked her face. Her chest tightened as she awaited his response.