Chapter 16 - 16.DREAM

NIKOLAS POV

I found myself standing in a dense forest surrounded by towering trees that seemed to stretch up to the sky the only light is the moon overhead looking around I realized that I was completely alone. The silence was scary and the only sound is the distant hooting of an owl.

I began to walk my feet carrying me through the dense woods searching for a way out of the forest but as I walked, I couldn't shake off the feeling that eyes were on me, I glanced around, but saw nothing but the towering trees looming above me.

"Hello?" I called out, my voice echoing through the forest. "Is anyone there?"

There was no response only the continued feeling of being watched. I quickened my pace, my heart racing with every step.

Suddenly, I heard rustling in the bushes behind me I quickly spin around but saw nothing.

"Run!" a voice whisper in the air.

I snapped my head sharply to the left, trying to locate the source of the voice, but as I looked into the darkness I regretted it as seas of red eyes stared back at me, glowing like embers in the dark.

I tried to step back, but my feet felt rooted to the spot. The eyes drew closer, their glow intensifying and I could feel their presence closing in around me.

"Run, Nikolas!" the voice whispered again, this time more urgently.

I didn't need to be told twice as I turned and sprinted through the forest, the red eyes hot on my heels. Branches whipped past my face as I stumbled over roots but I didn't dare look back.

I burst through the trees and found myself at a clearing I didn't stop to look around as I just kept running, my legs pumping furiously trying desperately to sought out an escape but that was short lived as I stopped at the edge of the cliff, my toes curled over the precipice as I gazed down into the abyss. The drop was deep and the rocks below are looking like tiny pebbles from this height. I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, my stomach lurching at the thought of falling to my death .

But I didn't have a choice. The monsters with red eyes were closing in behind me, their hot breath on my neck making my skin crawl. I could hear their snarls and growls, their footsteps getting closer and closer.

"Jump!" the same voice whispered in my ear.

I hesitated with fear. "Jump, Nikolas!" the voice urged again.

Taking a deep breath I closed my eyes and launched myself off the cliff. Time seemed to slow down as I dive towards the rocks below, my heart filled with fear.

I opened my eyes to find myself staring at the sky I scrambled to my feet ready to run again. But as I looked around, I realized I was alone with no sign of the monsters with red eyes. The voice that had been guiding me was also gone leaving me only with my thoughts.

I start to walk again my feet carrying me through the forest. The moon above seemed to be directing me, its silvery light illuminating a path through the trees I glanced over my shoulder, but saw nothing. The trees seemed to loom over me.

"Where am I even going?" I wondered aloud but there was no answer. I was alone, with only the moon to guide me.

I continued on, my feet carrying me deeper into the forest when suddenly I heard a faint rustling in the bushes ahead I froze, my heart pounding in my chest but looking closer I saw that it was only a small rabbit with big brown eyes staring up at me.

I let out a sigh of relief and continued on the moonlight casting eerie shadows on the ground around me. As I rounded a bend in the path I saw a bench in the distance, partially hidden by a screen of light but what caught my attention was the figure sitting on it, their face was hidden because they were facing away from me.

My curiosity piqued andI approached the bench cautiously not wanting to startle the person. As I got closer I saw that they were dressed in a long black coat with a hood pulled up over their head.

"Hello?" I said softly announcing my presence.

The figure slowly turned to face me, their face features are still hidden in the shadows of their hood.

"Ah, Nikolas, we have been waiting for you." The hooded person said the voice not sounding human.

"Who are you?" I asked trying to peer into the darkness of their hood.

The figure slowly pushed back its hood, revealing a face that was both familiar and yet completely alien. It was a face that seemed to be carved from the shadows themselves, with eyes that glowed like embers from a long dead fire.

" we are the ones who has been guiding you," they said, their voice dripping with an otherworldly intensity. " And we are the ones who has been waiting for you, Nikolas."

I took a step back, my mind reeling with questions like who are the WE but before I could ask the figure spoke again.

" Sit with us .Nikolas, we have a lot to discuss"

I sat down beside the mysterious figure. "How do you know my name?" I asked.

The figure chuckled a low menacing sound. "Oh, we know everything about you, Nikolas,"

I felt a shiver run down my spine. "How?" I demanded.

The figure leaned in close their eyes scanning my body "Your body is healing, Nikolas," they whispered. "It's becoming what it was always meant to be. You are becoming our Lord."

I pulled back, confused "Lord of what?" I asked.

The figure smiled, their lips curling up into a cruel smile. "You are not who you think you are, Nikolas,You are powerful. More powerful than you can ever imagine." they said.

I shook my head trying to clear the cobwebs. "What are you talking about?"

"You are one of us, Nikolas," they whispered. "A being of great power and strength. And soon, you will remember who you truly are."

I woke up with a start my face filled with sweat and my heart racing .I looked around disoriented and realized that I was still in my own bed surrounded by the familiar walls of the castle but the memory of the dream lingered.feeling too real to be just a product of my imagination.

I threw off the covers and got out of bed, pacing back and forth across the room. The dream had felt so vivid so real. The figure on the bench, the words they had spoken , it it all lingered in my mind like a shadow.

I stopped pacing and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes looked haunted with my face pale. I took a deep breath and tried to shake off the feeling of unease.

"It was just a dream," I told myself but the words felt hollow.

I thought back to the dream, trying to remember every detail. The forest, the moonlight, the figure on the bench and the words they had spoken... "You are not who you think you are, Nikolas." "You are powerful."

What did it mean? Was it just my subconscious mind playing tricks on me, or was there something more to it? ..