I can keep that image out of my head. Raeliana was unconscious, drowning in her own blood. I could not do anything to prevent it from happening. So weak, so useless, I thought that this time I was going to keep her safe, and yet, I couldn't lift a finger when she was in so much pain.
[Child, hey wake up, can you hear me?]
A voice? Where is it coming from? Everywhere I turn my head, my eyes can't see anything. It's just black, an infinite void of darkness. Where am I, and where is Raeliana? She was with me until she was gone
[Child, wake up!]
Huh?! What is this, am I imagining things? A black shadow in the form of a human body that can separate itself from the surrounding, a white aura that is making his human shape indistinguishable from the darkness, two big red circles as eyes, and a mouth wide open full of sharp white teeth. And above all, he is ginormous. This is probably going to give me nightmares for sure!
"What exactly are you?"
He leaned down until I could see his face more clearly. His mouth become even bigger, smiling from ear to ear, and the fact that I could see nothing more than two holes with a red light at the end that worked as his eyes, but also those full set of teeth that could swallow my whole body in one chew, gave me the chills.
[Hahaha. Child, did you forget me already? Well, that was quite a big fall into the depths of hell, and you might as well have hit your head in the process. But still, how can you forget me?]
I don't understand anything he is saying. Wait, it is a he or a she? Because I can tell from that distorted voice.
"Needless to say, I don't fucking know you. And stop calling me 'child' because it's annoying. Do I look like your son or something?"
[Son?! Child, did you hit your head that hard when you fell here, or you haven't seen yourself in the mirror for a while? You are a girl. But now that I look closely, your eyes seem different and…oh my god, child don't panic!! Your hair, why is it just simply silver? Where did the red go?]
What is this black shadow saying, I don't get it. I am not a girl, and my hair isn't even that color, that's Raeliana's thing. But this body, why do I feel so empty and lifeless? Like I don't belong here at all.
"Hey, you! Bring me something or do a trick so I can see myself!"
Huh, he made a huge mirror out of the surrounding darkness. I guess since he said that this was his realm, he can do whatever he wants in here and give it a shape and form. If he could do that, why didn't he change this place a little? This is like a room without a light. But first, since the mirror looks like it isn't affected by this place and can show his reflection clearly, I can see what I look like and compare it with what he said.
No way, I can't believe my eyes. He was actually telling the truth. I-I am a girl, no I actually look like a little girl. Long silver hair, pale skin, a lean body , big purple eyes, and the face of a doll. Wait, who am I kidding, I look exactly like Raeliana without her rapha characteristics. I am happy to see that something has not changed even though I look different, but how old am I? I look so young, but still, this body looks like it belongs to a mature woman probably in her twenties.
'Will Raeliana look like this when she grows up? I can deal with everything except for these ridiculously big…things in my front area. She definitely doesn't need a D cup or whatever this ridiculous size is, not in a million years. Even without that, men are running after her, and I don't want to imagine if she has these things too…sigh! Perhaps I should rip their eyes out, then she will be only mine to see.'
[You seem to be enjoying yourself while looking at your reflection. However, have you forgotten about something?]
"Oh right, I forgot you were still here. But I would rather not look in your direction, it gives me the creeps staring into those empty, soulless eyes of yours. Not to mention you don't even have a body, you are just like nothingness and something at the same time. Rather disturbing and disgusting if you ask me."
[What did you say?! Who asked for your opinion, you insolent human? You are inside my realm, everything you see in here is mine, so you better treat me with respect if you don't want to be dissolved into dust. And also, I read what was on your mind just now. I saw that you are down bad for my child, I mean the owner of this body, aren't you? Hmph, how sad that she thinks that you are just a cocky manipulator that wants her for the power she possesses or you are just another person from the memories she has lost and is still losing to this day. So whatever you do, you are not gonna have her fully. You will receive what she wants you to receive, nothing more than a part of her that pities you.]
"Are you done?"
This person or whatever is getting on my nerves. He is talking like he knows Rai better than I do. She is confused, I get it, but eventually, she will be mine. She has to or we both are better off dead. But something is for sure strange. Who did I end up in here? This place is inside Raelianas body and I never thought, in my entire life that I would be inside her like this, never, not in a million years. And what's worse, I have to share it with this disgusting-looking creature. He might know how I got here, but something tells me that he won't do it. Asshole, he is lucky to be with Rai twenty-four-seven.
[Why are you gonna cry? I don't care if you do, I still have so much more to say and I still haven't used my powers. That was a small portion of my little revenge for you, because my owner shed tears for days thanks to you, and even considered death as an option to relieve stress. Sigh, you humans don't think before acting, do you? You want to mess around with her in any way possible without thinking about the consequences. But you will see!]
Didn't I tell him that I can read his thoughts? What an entertaining human! He knows that I can hear him and he still continues to insult me. Just like her, but I can do nothing to the child so I guess he is brave or simply foolish for continuing to do it. I was suspicious at first since I thought that he was taming her after what happened two weeks ago, but now I get an idea that that's bound to happen since they are so similar to each other. However, I feel some type of way when I see that his mind is full of child's face, and it is sad that I can go deeper into his memories. But I guess this will be enough for her if, of course, I decide to tell her anything.
'Raphaaaaaaaael!!! I know you are here somewhere. If I find you, you better have a good excuse for why I had to return here inside this dark place AGAIN!!'
[Oh, so she is also here.]
"She?"
[My owner, of course.]
Raeliana is here too? I want to see her, I want to know if she is all right. I have to ask her so many questions about this place and how it is possible that I can come here and so also her. But first, I have to find her without knowing what direction should I take, everything looks exactly the same. This creature has to help me or I will get lost in here forever.
[Hahaha, she is as furious as ever, I can feel that burning flame of hatred everywhere, but I think it has become even stronger since the last time she was here. Anyway, I have to go now or she will start screaming and shouting in my face again. So, I have to say goodbye to you for now.]
"Wait, you have to help me find her first. I cannot find my way around here without someone leading me."
[Nuh, don't worry about such trivial things. If the child didn't experience a life-threatening situation before coming here, this darkness will soon change form by itself and you will find her easily. However, although it has happened a lot in different situations, this is the first time she has a companion.]
"You mean, Raeliana comes here a lot? If so, how can she find her way out of here, is there a door, a task she has to complete, or it is just a safe space where Raeliana goes to be alone with her thoughts? Tell me, what is the purpose of this place?"
[I don't need to tell you anything, you will find out about it by yourself. But I will give you a small hint since you are the second person I talk to after more than seven years of interacting with only my owner. Sigh, it is lonely in here, she never talks with me if she doesn't need something in return. Anyway, just try to remember that finding the meaning of the vision you are about to see with her, is what will get you out of here, but without the child, they are both nearly impossible for you. She will return back where both of you were when the vision ends, but you will be stuck here without her help. So first try to find the child, and then she will have to think about how will you get out.]
Wait, why does it sound like he is leaving the thinking process up to Raeliana? And from what he said, I can quickly guess that she doesn't know how to do it either. I have to rely on her to find a way, but this creature told me that she doesn't trust me and thinks I am manipulating her...
...I guess this is the end, she will surely leave me here with this disgusting thing.
[Hey! I wanted to be nice and tell you what you have to do, and this is how you thank me. By calling me a creature for the fourth time in a row and also calling me names like disgusting and disturbing, how dare you? Hmph. If I was still alive, you would have been blinded by my beauty, but oh well, you are lucky that I am not. Still, before you change that "I am weirded out by what you said" look, now it is the time you close your eyes.]
"Why should I?"
[Do what I say if you don't want to go blind. My realm is changing right now and inside the darkness, the light is going to enter and both will create the vision I spoke to you about before. To put it simply, your eyes are used to the surroundings and after the light will-]
"I get it, I get it, stop explaining it to me, and let's focus on the matter at hand, shall we? So after I enter inside the vision, I have to find its meaning, but I can't do that unless I am with Raeliana, but she will go back when the vision ends. So to summarise it all, I have to be fast and hope that she will help me. So, I have to be fast, and hopefully, in the end, I will never see your annoying face again."
[Hmph. Humans!]
I closed my eyes as soon as I notice that the place started shaking like an earthquake, and kept them shut until I felt a ray of light on them. It was difficult to adapt to that blinding light after staying in the dark for who knows how long, and my vision was blurry for a good amount of time. However, when I started to see clearly, I understood that this was going to be a difficult task for me alone. The creature was gone and that was not just a vision as he declared, there was so much to see and explore, and so many other people who were part of it as well.
The first thing I did was to check and ask everyone for the information. Time was not on my side, and to make it worse, no one had seen or heard about a girl with silver hair and amber eyes. I was on edge and desperate to find her as soon as I could, but alone it was futile. I spent the whole day searching for the first place I saw when I opened my eyes here. It was a small town near the sea, and it took some time to notice, however, from their outfits, buildings, lifestyle, and the old language that I had seen in the books documenting the events of thousands of years ago, I found out that the vision was taking place three or four thousands of years ago.
If this is about Raeliana, there is no mistake, the time of this vision is when the three kingdoms were not established yet. I more or less am familiar with this time period thanks to those books that documented it. Three or four thousand years ago a Rapha terrorized all the eparchs, or those who today are known as nobles until they won their safety through money. He become so successful that he bought all their lands with their money and killed everyone who opposed him with his own hands. And those who agreed with him backfired when he isolated them inside the territory that later became the first empire.
"That means that before I find Rai, I have to guess if this is before or after the empire's creation. This will take me a long time, but if I am still going to be inside the vision then Raeliana will also be here until then."