An ear-piercing cry of a baby echoes in the air, the atmosphere too dark to even think it was nighttime. The cry could be heard from anywhere, wherever you go, you could still hear it. Tsung Yue finds herself in the same place the dancing lady was, but the flowers and grasses no longer sway, and the cry of the child seems to get louder. The sky is filled with dark brown clouds, eerily blocking any light source that would give Tsung Yue at least a glimpse of her surroundings. Because of the darkness, the plants look decayed and dried up, making a faint crunching sound whenever they make contact with each other. But she could sense that she was not alone. There were many. The only thing breaking the silence was the cry, and then it suddenly stopped, leaving Tsung Yue more lost than she already was. It was a bit comforting for Tsung Yue to assume someone other than her was with her, but now that it was gone, she could feel a pang of fear rooting in her heart. When the silence cloaked the area, not even a gust of wind could blow to make a sound. As if it was waiting for something…
Due to the darkness of the field, Tsung Yue couldn't see the approaching beings surrounding her, but she could feel them coming closer. What do they want? Are they predators? It couldn't be, it sounded more like human footsteps. Tsung Yue needed to do something, quickly. She doesn't know what their motive is, nor why she feels like they're targeting her. She started to take a few steps back, because who in their right mind would think they could outrun whatever that was approaching her? It's too risky. After she took a safe distance from them, they stopped too. "What the hell!" She thought, wondering if they were joking with her. And then, as if god was blessing her, a spark of moonlight appeared between the thick clouds, enough for Tsung Yue to see her surroundings. But to her surprise, there was no one, not even a cricket to jump around the grass. While she was trying to understand the situation, a magpie flew over her, landing near where the dragon was standing. The magpie looks Tsung Yue up and down, left and right as if taking her appearance to its memory. Then, the magpie spoke in a teenage girl's voice;
-"You've been here for a while. And yet you're still lost. Better remember how to wake up before you forget everything again."
After the magpie said that, a sharp pain hit Tsung Yue in her back, enough for her to crouch as if it would help to reduce the feeling. Her mind becomes dizzy, her eyes unfocused, as the pain intensifies. In the background, a weep of a toddler starts to be heard, instead of a baby. Tsung Yue doesn't know what's going on, the only thing she can do is listen and feel the internal torture she's enduring. The magpie is still there, hopping closer to the crouching dragon, then it squawks again.
-"Is this your fault? I hardly believe it. You don't deserve this. But you were chosen specifically to feel this and move on. That's your purpose, or is that what you think?"
Such confusing words made Tsung Yue feel more demented than she already was, her mind barely focusing to even comprehend what the magpie had said to her. All she wanted was for this to end. The weeping continues, much louder, not one but multiple children are crying this time. The cloud blocks the moonlight, its shadows enveloping everything again. When the darkness cloaks the place, the only thing visible is a soft glow of white silk, flowing right in front of Tsung Yue. When it appears, all the pain, sounds, everything vanishes. The silk gently wraps around her body, its touch soothing but suffocating. Just when the silk started to lift her, Tsung Yue woke up.
The morning sun had risen, its rays flickering through the gaps of the cave, signaling it was time to get up. When Tsung Yue had woken up, she realized something was pouring down her face. It soon occurred to her that she had been crying in her sleep, but why didn't Hairong wake her up? Where is she? After thinking about that, Tsung Yue got up and started to look for Hairong. She soon came to the conclusion that Hairong was not in the cave.
A few moments pass by, a silhouette of wings approaches the cave, revealing Hairong near the entrance. Looking from the fact that she's holding something in her mouth indicating that she'd been hunting while Tsung Yue was sleeping. After seeing Hairong come back, Tsung Yue runs up to her.
-"And where were you? Why did you leave without me?"
Tsung Yue spoke in a frantic manner, still shaken from her mysterious dream.
-"What? Didn't you tell me to leave? You were mumbling about something like "leave, leave…go away"."
-"I said that? I was only sleeping…"
-"That's…weird."
Hairong told her, her tone a little bit worried now that Tsung Yue told her she was mumbling in her sleep.
-"I tried to wake you up but you got up and mumbled something then laid back down. I assumed you were sleepy and my presence was disturbing you, so I went out to get some fresh air."
Hearing this, Tsung Yue was baffled about what she had done in her sleep, it wasn't everyday that this occured to her.
-"What? I don't sleep-walk at all…"
When Tsung Yue said that, Hairong took a longer look at her face.
-"Are you okay? Your face looks wet…were you crying?"
-"I suppose I was, I just had a really weird dream…"
Hairong's curiosity was peaked, dreams were something only one's mind can specially create than anyone else, so she decided to pry a litle bit.
-"Ooh, tell me."
-"uh…"
-"Don't tell me you forgot this one special dream that practically made you move and talk during your sleep!"
-"Buddy, I'm trying to remember here. Shut your trap."
Hairong started to pace around, frustrated, the scene felt like a child throwing a tantrum to Tsung Yue.
-"HNNNGH!"
After the long grunt Hairong had made, Tsung Yue got the silence she needed to reminisce about her dream.
-"I remember…a baby crying."
Meeting with that information, Hairong nearly choked on her salvia.
-"What! You, having a baby!? Did you see the future?"
-"What? No!"
-"Then what's with this dream? This has to mean something…"
-"If it actually meant to foresee the future, then no wonder I suffered so much."
-"What do you mean?
-"Nothing…"
Tsung Yue said half-annoyed, since she was slightly exasperated with her dream, because what if she actually had a child in the future? Thinking about it, Tsung Yue shuddered, the mere thought of raising a baby felt foreign and hard for her.
After the discussion, Tsung Yue felt a bit of relief after opening up to Hairong, and also, because it was only a dream. But, from afar, a lone magpie sits on the tree branch, glancing over the mountain from time to time.
***