Chapter 13 : Dreamscapes
Alaires slept peacefully in the warm bed. No sooner did she lay down sleep was upon her in an instant. Of course sinking into the plushness that surrounded her did not help matters in the slightest. Dreams followed shortly afterward and she felt herself soaring. Blue skies dotted with fluffy white clouds blanketed miles of lush green plains, tall trees jutting from the ground to stretch towards the beautiful sky. Rolling hills adorned the grassy plains to further accentuate the overall work of art that was laying before her. Further ahead she could see cerulean lakes that sparkled as warm sunlight bathed their calming surface.
Soaring over this wonderful landscape Alaires seemingly willed her self forward, coasting through the ocean-like skies at a lazy pace. The air tasted sweet as it filled her lungs, eyes wide with excitement as she took in this tranquil scene. Only in books did she see such a wonderful vista but never did she think to behold one! Further along she came across towns. They were spread apart from one another in a similar fashion like on Motavia but not quite as far apart. Teaming with life, these cities were very advanced looking, yet seemed to hold a nostalgic quality to them. Everyone seemed happy and worked hard.
For what seemed like hours she just took it all in. What stories she would have to tell her classmates and Kyra when she got back. Soon however, her reverie would be broken. A dark cloud come towards her, covering everything in hateful blackness. Creatures of all shapes and sizes burst forth and covered the world with their darkness and began to reduce it to ash with their malice. Alaires wanted to spring into action and stop the chaos but found herself only staring in shock and awe as a mammoth hand snaked it's way from the cloud. With sharp talons it raked the towns away and crushed the buildings and people as if it were paper. She wanted to scream.
A sound from behind her took her attention away from the horror. At first it only appeared to be a dusty cloud coming towards the creatures and the giant hand. Soon the dust would fade away to reveal machines of war and various warriors to accompany them. In a hideous game of chicken these two forces rush towards one another, dead set on rushing over the opposing force. It wasn't long before the two sides collided in a fury of magic, steel and claw. The ensuing melee seemed to play in fast forward, a blur before her eyes.
Soon she was able to make out some faces, they warriors and their machines were Espers! Confusion crept it's way across her brain like an ooze. What were Espers doing in a place like this and not on Dezoris? The fight raged on with creature and Esper alike succumbing to their foe. As if damaged, the scene shifted to what appeared to be a later time with both forces now diminished in size but still struggling to gain an upper hand. Now two Espers seemed to come in to focus, a young woman who looked eerily like Alaires and a handsome young man with a slightly lighter hue skin than his Esper compatriots but with purple silver streaked hair to further distinguish him. These two warriors disabled and defeated the onslaught of hate with apparent ease. Soon the tide turned in the favor of the Esper army!
Alaires focused her attention on the young woman. How graceful she was, almost dancing amongst the enemy with deadly intent. Two, three, four monsters would fall at one time as she moved amongst the ranks. However, the deadly ballet this young woman was creating would soon falter as the creatures would now focus all of their attention on her and ignore the rest. Back and forth should go in a valiant effort to stem the tide, but they would push her back. Soon the push would stop as she was now cornered, fighting for her life. The young man, seeing this started to push harder and fight as if possessed. He would brutally strike down anything that dared step into his path. Closer and closer he would get to where the woman was, but yet seemingly further and further he became. He looked up to get a look at the woman he was trying to reach, horror casting itself upon his face as he saw her run through by a black knight.
The young man's mouth opened in what seemed to be a scream. He slashed wildly, pushed and shoved his way up to meet this black knight. The scene seemed to jump ahead once more, the young man now kneeling with the young woman in his arms. He cradled her as he leaned in to talk to her. Tears streaming down his face, he looked deeply into her eyes. The young woman slowly put a hand to the side of his face and smiled softly before closing her eyes. The young man stared in disbelief and shook her gently as if to wake her. Then he looked to the sky with clenched eyes and screamed defiantly at her passing.
The turmoil and heartbreak caused the whole scene to now spin before Alaires eyes. She felt herself grow nauseous before the sensation that she was falling commanded her attention. Faster and faster she seemingly fell, not knowing where she was going as the world kept spinning. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to hold out....
Alaires awoke with a start and jumped up to a sitting position still in the comfortable bed. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she looked around dazedly, not comprehending what happened. Soon she was overcome by an overwhelming sadness and put her face in her hands and began to cry. Lifting her head and looking forward, the only image that played before her tear soaked eyes was the young woman smiling softly before closing her eyes and drifting away.
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