Chapter 6: A Dream or a Nightmare

For what felt like an eternity he drifted in the darkness alone like a bottle on the ocean currents. The silence was only occasionally interrupted by a static hum of which he couldn't pinpoint the origin. Pain was an old friend at this point but now it truly became his only companion in the void, constantly reminding him he was still alive. All else was numbed to a distant thought.

Over time the hungry space around him ate at his body, chipping away piece by piece until a single fragment of his body remained and then it too was gone. The darkness reminded him of himself. He felt its insatiable hunger and loneliness but also something else not easily described by words.

Decaying into tiny glowing particles he found himself back in his human form before a large door. He was still in a place devoid of anything but murky black. Though this one monument stood tall just steps ahead.

The odd double doors were both perfect and imperfect. Simple and complex. They shifted often as if alive and there was a strong urge within him to approach and grab hold of the crystalline handlebars.

He could hear whispers through the cracked wooden frame and smelled a sugary sweet scent. They promised him peace and happiness. They promised him he could turn back time to be with anyone he wanted.

Stepping closer to the door, tendrils of a sickly white light reached out beckoning to him. The door creaked ominously as it began to move. He had a sense of tranquility and the pain finally started to ease. The door now just inches away from the tips of his fingers. It was so close.

Spooking him from his daze a hand appeared from nowhere gripping his shoulder. It was soft yet firm but the owner of it remained unseen. The static resurfaced and the mystical door trembled before receding into the distance. He struggled to escape the grasp and chase after the door that grew further away. Static exploded into a symphony of noises until it was all he could hear. His mind went blank as he had a similar sensation to falling and then nothing. Nothing at all.

******

A hard surface uncomfortably pressed against his body and face. It was cold and rough but strangely familiar. He felt queasy while slowly blinking his eyes open but he fought through it and saw that he was laying in a pool of his own sweat.

Beneath him was a dark stone brick floor which gave off a powerful feeling of deja vu. Distracting him from this though was the smell of burning wood and sounds of a crackling fire. It drew his attention to the stonehearth just feet away in the corner of the room. He blinked a few more times adjusting to the light and pounding headache in his head.

The shelves lining the walls were full of books and documents he remembered reading. He scrambled to his feet, knocking over a small table and a stack of papers. Grabbing one up he saw the roaring lion insignia pressed into the melted wax. This was his seal, this was his library. He was back in blackrock castle.

'How? Was it all a dream? But it felt so…real.' he thought in confusion.

The glass on the southern wall was frosted over but he could still see the snow falling. A heavy fog did not allow for him to see much else. Weather like this only occurred in the dead of winter so it was strange. That is unless it was the dead of winter. But from what he remembered spring was already nearing its end.

'It's snowing. Was it all a fever dream? Was X ever real.' Were the thoughts jumbling around in his head when a shuffle nearby put him on alert.

"Looking for me?" a silky smooth voice came right over his shoulder as a pair of pale arms wrapped around his stomach.

Her figure pressed against him from behind and her chin rested on his shoulder. He didn't move a single inch but from the corner of his eye he saw hair as white as snow and in the glass before him he saw a face he'd never forget.

"X… Wh-" He felt the words catch in his throat before they could even leave his mouth.

"Awe, cats got your tongue does it?" She giggled.

"That's fine, I'm feeling tired too. Today was a blast. I really love this place and you just make it so much better you know." She continued while squeezing him even tighter.

This time he didn't even try responding but he reached a hand down and touched hers. He ran his fingers up her arm before stopping all together just above her wrist.

"So what's the plans for tomorrow my King?" She asked playfully.

Bringing her lips to his ear he could feel her hot breath and for a moment her soft lips.

"No…" Was all he said turning his head away.

"Hmm? Why?" She asked, sounding disappointed but not willing to give up.

He remained silent and a minute ticked by. Then a few more as they both stood in the silence until he finally spoke

"Because…your not…real"

"Of course I am, you idiot." She said, confused and feigning to be hurt.

X pinched him on the cheek to try and prove her point. Sure enough he felt it and his skin turned light red where she touched but his stature did not change.

"I have dreamt about you more than enough to know that this isn't real. You're not…her." He looked down and the overwhelming feelings of depression and heartbreak that had temporarily hidden reappeared as strong as ever.

"But why not? I am the person you most want me to be. I am almost an exact copy am I not?" X asked, releasing him, stepping back and talking in a different tone. One lacking any life or emotion, a polar opposite to how she spoke seconds before.

She stood in his shadow but he could still see her outline behind him in the glass.

"You're just not her."

As those words left his mouth she was gone and he was alone. The fire continued to crackle and the snow just outside continued to fall.

"If this is not a dream then what is this nightmare? Is this death? This is where I am meant to remain for all eternity? This cruel and tempting fantasy." he muttered but it appeared no one else was around to answer him.