It felt like I was in a dream. A very beautiful one. But in this dream, I know that one day it will end. Not when I wake, but when I sleep eternally."Seasick?" Eric's voice caught me floating in space."No," I answered. "Just thinking about what's gonna happen next."Humming, he hugged me from behind and fixed our eyes on the beauty of the sea.Sailing in the sea, the small yacht took a stop in the middle. Just the two of us and the sight of the sun burning the sea.His hand rested on my belly as his head settled on my shoulder.I can feel his breath hitting my skin, tickling my neck. I can feel his heat sizzling the hairs of my body. I can only feel him within me."I want us this way," I heard him say.Simple, but it made a hole in my heart."I want to have a family of my own with you," he added. It's something I didn't expect him to say.No one has ever said such a serious thing to me, but a charmed Eric. Somehow, it caused a small, appreciable smile on my lips.Just's what I need
"Are you ready for me, baby?" Eric whispered.His breath tickled my ear, and it dropped my system to sleep. But Serena's impatient face is disturbing me."Wait, hold on." Pushing him lightly, I chased for my breath."What?" He sounded annoyed because his arousal hadn't been touched yet. "Come on, baby, I need you now."His lips sealed mine, and it was very tempting to kiss back and ignore Serena. But the problem is, I just couldn't.He worked his hand on my thigh, caressing and pinching."Eric, wait, I need a restroom," I excused. "I have to get ready first."Teasing a bite on my neck, Eric growled like an animal before lifting his head to take a look at my face."Just a second." I winced.Grunting, Eric rolled to the side, but his hands weren't letting me go. They're still on my thigh, sensually touching and sparking the heat."Hurry up, please?"I stared at his beautiful face for a moment and studied his beauty and adoration before leaving him in bed.Quickly, I slipped myself insid
Levitated from the ground, air whooshed from every direction, and the light became brighter and brighter than my eyes could bear.Voices from the past began echoing in my earsMy mother's lullaby, my dad's boisterous laugh. The nursery rhymes I learned, the unforgettable things I encountered when I was younger.The name calls I received from the bullies. The sound of trusting leaves at my mother's hometown, the happy birthday song for me.Receiving the world's grumbling news of my parent's death. All the things that happened, the good and the bad, all played before my eyes and ears at once before everything went blank and quiet.I stood in the middle of nowhere."Now what?" I asked myself.Looking around, there is no nothing left to see but darkness. As if I was brought into the further."Where am I?""In time."As soon as I heard Serena's voice, I pivoted and followed where her voice came from.There she is, smiling at me softly."So, this is it, right?""Right where you wanted," Ser
I don't know what happened, but it seems like the past Serena brought me took a different path.All the people I knew were jumbled into different positions in life. Only that their personality is still the same.Eric is who he was, but he's married. Zaya's not as fancy as I recall, and Joshua, I didn't notice anything about him but his smile.The sound of a closing door stole my attention.Eric stepped out of his office with his phone clammed in between his ear and shoulder while he fixed the strap of his bag.I don't know what has gotten into me that I accepted the job clerking for him when I finished my studies. And I'm passionate about designing.But instead of complaining, I see this as an opportunity to be closer to him.Even if he's married.Is that wrong?"Yes, I already fired her. What else do you want me to do?" I heard him talk over the phone.While I fix my eyes on the monitor, I eavesdrop on his conversation with that someone. And I'm guessing that it's his current wife th
As soon as I closed the door behind me, I tried to compose myself. Heaving in the breath I needed and slowly absorbed every change that surprised me even more.My ex-fiancé became gay and it's cute for him, but it's way too shocking for me.I shouldn't have gone straight here. I should've checked my apartment unit first."Oh my gosh, Serena. I swear on every witch you know, I'm going to kick your butt when we see each other again."Covering my whole face, I let out a grunt that was muffled.I was in the midst of destruction when I heard someone clear her throat.Peeping from the little space I made in between my fingers, I saw a woman who looked exactly as I was. I'm only a bit older, liberal, and have a dark brown pixie haircut."What the hell?" I can't help but murmur."Tell me, whose house do we have to burn this time?" She asked with her arms akimbo."What?"Rolling her eyes, she walked across the living room and stood before a body-sized mirror. "Whatever, go get changed. And hur
Here it goes again, the smell of intoxicating medicine and cleanliness. The alcohol and disease.I've had enough experience staying in the hospital, and I don't want to breathe in this place again.As soon as I woke up, I slid myself off of the bed and took off the IV injecinject into onLimping towards the door, but as soon as I opened it, an unexpected face welcomed me."Eric? I mean, sir." I almost exclaimed upon seeing him pass by.His head turned with his eyebrows furrowed. When I thought he was going to ignore me, he caught me by surprise when he pushed me back inside the room and closed the door behind him."Hey!"Shushing me, he stood there listening over whatever was outside."What are you doing?""Just a second," he whispered, lifting his forefinger before my face.I crossed my eyes, looking at it.A group of footsteps passed by where we were, a few seconds later, Eric let out a heavy sigh and let his head hang low."Are you okay?" I asked and remembered that I was his emplo
Shrinking in my bed, my eyes stared right up at the ceiling. Everything that happened today was a surprise to me.At the moment, I'm having a hard time trying to arrange everything in my head.I became a secretary, I have a sister and I was a mother. The only thing that hurt was my Mom's love was taken away from me.And to make it more difficult to catch up with this life, Eric isn't as terror as how I knew him, he's asking me something I didn't expect him to ask."What the hell, Nicole," I mumbled through my breath before rolling in bed and settling my eyes on the window.The moonlight escapes from the thin gaps of the curtains. Suddenly, I remembered Serena.Where is she right now?A knock on the door cuts my thoughts. When it swung open, Monica peeped her head."Hey," she greeted. "Can I come in?"Pushing myself up, I nodded my head and watched her march inside my room and sat on the edge of the bed."Mom loves you."A part of me still remembers that she does. "I didn't see that ea
Her eyes stayed the same, but it was hidden behind her thick, rimmed eyeglasses. Her hair is still white blonde, but her fearless aura, where is it?"Serena?"Surprise is written on her face when I utter her name. "You know my name?""Uh-- yeah?" With uncertainty, I replied."But how?"Squinting my eyes on her, I took a huge step backward motioned my hands all over her, and shook my head."What are you doing?" She asked."That is just a disguise. You're not the loser type. You're this tall," I told her while gesturing at how tall she was compared to me. "You're a badass witch from another world, and you have magic to shapeshift."I revealed everything, but I couldn't see any shock on her face. Does she remember me?"Do you know this face?" Pointing at myself, I hoped for a positive response, but instead, she placed two fingers on my forehead, and all of a sudden, we were taken by a hard wind.I yelped in a sudden change of pressure and exclaimed upon what my eyes welcomed me."Is-- is
The thunder cracked, yet there was no lightning. The thick, dark clouds were menacing, but the rain seemed to be postponing.The winter cold breeze was chilling. It brushed my skin, making me shudder.But nothing mattered to me more than Serena. Aside from her suffering, she was my only hope for setting those creatures free and for Eric, my Eric."Who the heck is that?" I asked myself, peeping through the edge of the wall and sneaking a look."Your stinking possession has poisoned you, you've turned your back on your people! Take your soul back and save what's left of your barony," Serena grunted.She was shackled and helpless, it seemed like those chains were capable of stifling her magic.What should I do?"The baron is now under my control, and you, you brought me the gift I needed. Where is the human?" The baron grumbled his voice as he questioned her."Away from you," Serena fought the urge to moan in pain when the shackles were pulled. "You will not lay a hand on her, Zeth, ever
The creature guided me to a place much farther than the spot Serena had instructed me to wait. The more distance I covered, the eerier the surroundings became.Though still within the barony's boundaries, it felt as though I had stumbled upon a forgotten area.The walls were ensnared by the roots of an ancient, lifeless tree. Fallen leaves crunched under my boots and dust had claimed the once pristine bricks."Hey, slow down!" I called out, trying to catch up, my fingertips tracing the rough texture of the walls.I jogged carefully, doing my best to avoid stumbling.As we ventured further, we entered a cave. The roots now sported thorns, resembling rose stems. However, there was nothing beautiful about this place. It was filled with darkness, an unsettling view, and a palpable sense of danger."Where have you gone?" I lost sight of the creature and peered deeper into the gloom.The darkness enveloped me with an intensity that seemed to devour any trace of light, leaving me utterly bli
The night was pitch black, and the morning hadn't brought any light. The wind bit into my skin, causing my teeth to chatter in the frigid air.The fire must have died out.With each shivering breath, I forced my eyes open, only to be greeted by an unwelcoming environment. I was still here.It felt like waking up inside a nightmare, trapped within its confines."Serena?" My voice, hoarse and shaky, called out for the only ally I knew. But she was nowhere to be found. "Serena?"I found myself lying on the cold, hard ground. The remnants of the fire stained the stones around me, and the log where Serena had been sitting remained undisturbed.I was alone.This was not promising.Wrapping my cloak around myself for warmth, I clutched the sword at my waist."Serena?" My voice echoed through the trees, the birds mimicking it and sending ripples through the forest.A deafening silence filled the air, so quiet that it was almost painful.Suddenly, the ground beneath me started to shake.The st
An abrupt exclamation slipped from my lips when I spotted the wolves. However, these were not any ordinary wolves with soft white, grey, or black fur like snow."They're made out of smoke?" I shivered.Their eyes were yellow, filled with rage and menace.The paws that should have been digging into the dirt were invisible as they seemed to hover in the air, carried by the dark smoke of the malevolent Zeth."The bringer of fear," Serena murmured, her hand beginning to form a defense against the gloom these wolves, summoned by their master, brought with them."Indeed, they really do instill fear in me." I swallowed the rising tide of negative emotions within me, but the scent of fear still escaped as I heard their growl crawling on my skin."No weapon can harm it while it feeds on you," Serena warned. "You must be strong.""But I'm not," I protested, shaking my head in denial as my worries started to overwhelm me. "I don't know how to fight them.""It's simple," Serena reassured me, look
Despite the danger, we plunged into the water, fighting against coldness.As soon as half of my body got submerged in the waters, I felt my whole body stilled from the sudden drop in temperature."I just remembered how I hate cold baths," I uttered."Wait, stop!" Serena suddenly held us up just as we swam."What is it?" I asked.The bottom of the river is shallow, I couldn't reach it. But I can feel something softly bristling on my legs."What the hell is that?" I flinched."Don't move," Serena warned me.The waters aren't as clear as it must have been. I can't see what's underneath.Serena looked in the water with a deep frown. "There is something in the waters," she said that alarmed me.And before I could say a word, something pulled me down."Serena!"My voice was muffled. Bubbles come out of my mouth.From the bottom, there are whips of leaves that are darker than the night and have hands that vine around my limbs.I'm losing my breath, and I have nothing on me to fight against i
I nodded, understanding her pain. "We will end this, Serena. For Eric, for Mellon, for everyone who's been affected by this creature. We will bring peace back to this world."Justice, I don't know how to explain to her what it means, but I know that she feels it.I can hardly hear my old self whenever I open my mouth. Is this where I get to grow?Her eyes met mine, and for the first time, I saw a glimmer of hope in them. "Yes, we will."As we stood there, under the starlit sky, I felt a sense of camaraderie with Serena. We were both fighting for the ones we loved, ready to face whatever came our way.And that's more than enough for me to keep the urge to step further forward.The next day, armed with the knowledge from the Oracle of Time, we set out on our journey.I do not have enough strength to face what's waiting for us, but all I know is that I have a reason to be strong."You have such a great heart, Nicole." Lady Marmara read my eyes. "I may not accompany you in the world of da
As Lady Marmara whispered to the water, an image appeared.My heart stopped as I saw Eric, his face twisted in pain.Tears welled up in my eyes as I reached out to the image, my hand passing through it."Eric..." I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.The image disappeared, leaving me with a sense of urgency. I had to save Eric, no matter what it took.I turned to Lady Marmara, determination burning in my eyes."I will do whatever it takes to save him," I said, my voice steady. "Tell me what I need to do."The courage in my voice shook me as well. I was never the type of person who would advance to attack.In every problem I have encountered, I face it with my wobbling legs, never with a hard face."I can hardly hear the human I read about," Serena uttered as she looked at me. "You are not ready to face the dark creature. No one is.""The only thing I have in mind is to save the man I love, Serena. What makes you think I called for you?" I clarified. "I'd move mountains just to ge
Inside the castle where I had never stepped foot on its very heart, I was struck by awe when my eyes were filled with its beauty.Then I realized that I had seen it die once.Just as much as the sight of the castle is wonderful, the interior is magnificent.The carvings on the wall and ceiling, the painted walls of beauty tell the whole story of their world lengths from the beginning of the width of the wall to its end.Everything's in white, even the marbled floor doesn't seem to be dirtied.Now I feel guilty walking on it.But that's not really what's inside my head. It's Eric.Are they hurting him? Whatever they're doing to him, if he gets hurt, it's all on me. It's all my fault.Going back to it all, I wonder if I didn't receive the flower. I would've stayed the same, worse, really lost my job, living alone and depressed.Maybe it's time for me to start thinking that everything that happened isn't bad at all. The consequences are.Could I ever stop myself from being pessimistic? N
The broken lamp was on the floor, and the bed was thrown on the other side of the room. I watched how Eric was covered with the dark smoke brought by the air.His face showed how terrified he was, but even when he was the one in danger, he thought of my safety.The claws of smoke dug into his skin, and he screamed in pain as his blood gushed out of his flesh and veins.Torture is brought by fantasy.Is it in my head? Is this real?This can't be.I have left everything behind. Why does it still haunt me?And it's taking Eric!"Allen, run! Run!"My ears heard what he said. Loud and clear, but my feet couldn't move. My eyes settled on him, planning on reaching out for him, but as I was about to make a move, a figure suddenly showed up.I sucked up my breath when it hit me how familiar that figure is.Why is it here?"What the fuck?!" Eric exclaimed when the dark figure appeared. "What is that?""Eric," I called for him, and when he met my eyes, I offered him a trembling smile. "It's okay