Our Story Part Two
I spent a short while lost in the darkness. I was so far not even Luukos could reach me. Minutes stretched into hours, days stretched into the months and months seemed like years. The darkness was so thick, so suffocating, that it was almost tangible. Some days, I swear, I could feel it sinking into my skin, mixing with my blood and strengthening my bones. I started losing memories, my mother's face, the smell of my grandmother and the sound of her voice. The darkness was taking over and I was letting it. Here, in the darkness, I didn't feel anything, I was forgetting the pain. I could stay here forever, I'd reasoned, and be happy with the monsters that prowled in the shadows. After all, I was one of them, wasn't I?
It all changed suddenly.
I was making my way through the gloom when my surroundings rippled like water on a pond. When everything settled, you were there. It couldn't be real, it wasn't real. Logically, I knew this, but my heart still skipped a beat, my throat grew thick with emotion.
"Nyssia." you whispered, head tilting to the side. "You have to wake up. Come home."
"I can't. I don't know how. I don't want to go back." I replied, shaking my head stubbornly. "Stay here with me." You offered me a smile filled with sadness before turning and walking away. I tried to follow but my surroundings rippled again and you were gone. Even here, in the murk, seeing your face and hearing your voice, made the feelings that had numbed rear their heads once more. My heart burned as the sadness crept in again. The longing came back and with it, the familiar pull on my soul.
I don’t know how long I wandered, searching for you, searching for a way out. I was beginning to lose hope when my Master appeared. I fell to my knees in front of him, touching my forehead to the ground. His whispered words, which I’ll not repeat, hissed through the darkness and surrounded me. They wrapped around me, holding me close, keeping me safe. I fell asleep there, wrapped in his words, curled into a ball.
For the first time since I’d arrived here, I dreamt.
You were there, Iowen was there. The trees were green and flowers were blooming. The birds in the bushes had never sung so sweetly. I saw my mother again, and her mother. I could feel them, smell them. It felt real and I never wanted to leave. Unfortunately, all dreams must end and this one was no different. I woke the next morning, greeted by the sun and the hard ground beneath me. Disoriented, I wandered down the streets until I could get my bearings. The Shining City. I was home. Gathering my skirts, I hurried down the streets and across the bridges. My first stop was the Baths. I had no idea how long I was gone but I was sure one was needed. Emerging a few hours later, I went to the dais and it was here that I heard the news for the first time.
You were engaged.
It all changed suddenly.
I was making my way through the gloom when my surroundings rippled like water on a pond. When everything settled, you were there. It couldn't be real, it wasn't real. Logically, I knew this, but my heart still skipped a beat, my throat grew thick with emotion.
"Nyssia." you whispered, head tilting to the side. "You have to wake up. Come home."
"I can't. I don't know how. I don't want to go back." I replied, shaking my head stubbornly. "Stay here with me." You offered me a smile filled with sadness before turning and walking away. I tried to follow but my surroundings rippled again and you were gone. Even here, in the murk, seeing your face and hearing your voice, made the feelings that had numbed rear their heads once more. My heart burned as the sadness crept in again. The longing came back and with it, the familiar pull on my soul.
I don’t know how long I wandered, searching for you, searching for a way out. I was beginning to lose hope when my Master appeared. I fell to my knees in front of him, touching my forehead to the ground. His whispered words, which I’ll not repeat, hissed through the darkness and surrounded me. They wrapped around me, holding me close, keeping me safe. I fell asleep there, wrapped in his words, curled into a ball.
For the first time since I’d arrived here, I dreamt.
You were there, Iowen was there. The trees were green and flowers were blooming. The birds in the bushes had never sung so sweetly. I saw my mother again, and her mother. I could feel them, smell them. It felt real and I never wanted to leave. Unfortunately, all dreams must end and this one was no different. I woke the next morning, greeted by the sun and the hard ground beneath me. Disoriented, I wandered down the streets until I could get my bearings. The Shining City. I was home. Gathering my skirts, I hurried down the streets and across the bridges. My first stop was the Baths. I had no idea how long I was gone but I was sure one was needed. Emerging a few hours later, I went to the dais and it was here that I heard the news for the first time.
You were engaged.
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