Darkness, thick as ink, enveloped Eira, suffocating her, rendering her immobile and unable to think. Her consciousness drifted like a fragile boat in a stormy sea, tossed about in the endless void, constantly at risk of being consumed.
"My lady! My lady, wake up!" a desperate voice called out, accompanied by a violent shaking that pulled Eira back from the abyss.
Eira's eyes flew open, and she gasped for air, like a drowning person finally surfacing, greedily inhaling the fresh oxygen. Her chest heaved, her heart pounding furiously, as if it might burst from her ribcage.
"Mary..." Eira croaked weakly, her voice raspy and strained.
"My lady, you're awake!" Mary rushed to the bedside, gripping Eira's hand tightly, her face etched with worry and concern. "You've been unconscious for a day and a night, you had us all so worried."
Eira's gaze slowly came into focus, and she recognized the familiar faces around her. There was Mary, her devoted maid, looking anxious. Her father, Baron Erikr, was pacing the room restlessly, and her mother, Lady Evelyn, sat by the bedside, softly weeping.
"What happened to me?" Eira struggled to sit up, but felt utterly drained, as if all her strength had been sapped.
"My lady, please don't move, the doctor said you need to rest," Mary gently eased Eira back down, tucking the blankets around her. "You suddenly collapsed in the garden, but thankfully, Captain Roy found you and brought you back."
Eira's mind flashed back to the moment before she lost consciousness - the hazel eyes filled with malice, and the bone-deep terror and despair. Could it be that it was not a dream, but a real event that had occurred?
"Father... Mother..." Eira wanted to ask, to uncover the truth, but she also feared what she might learn.
"My child, you're finally awake, thank goodness..." Lady Evelyn pulled Eira into a tight embrace, tears streaming down her face. "You frightened your mother so..."
Baron Erikr also approached the bedside, his eyes brimming with concern and anguish. "How are you, my child? Is there anything that troubles you?"
"I..." Eira opened her mouth, but the words eluded her. She could not explain the cause of her fainting spell, nor the nightmares that had been tormenting her for days.
"The doctor said, my lady, that you simply had a fright, combined with the heat, that caused you to collapse. A few days of rest and you'll be just fine," Mary interjected.
Relieved, Baron Erikr and Lady Evelyn instructed Mary to take good care of Eira, and then left the room.
Eira was now alone with Mary. Lying on the bed, she stared at the intricate ceiling carvings, her mind in turmoil. She did not know whether the dream was a true recollection or merely a nightmare. But one thing was certain - something had fundamentally changed within her.
Over the next few days, Eira remained confined to her room, resting. She spoke little, spending most of the time lost in thought, replaying the vivid dream and the fragmented memories that haunted her.
Mary remained by Eira's side, tending to her meals and care. She knew Eira had encountered something troubling, but she did not pry, content to silently keep her company, hoping Eira would find her way back to health.
One afternoon, Eira was sitting by the window, reading, when she suddenly felt a strange energy surge within her, leaving her inexplicably flustered and uneasy. She set the book aside and went to the window, pushing it open, seeking fresh air.
Outside, the sun shone brightly, the air filled with birdsong and floral scents, yet Eira felt no sense of peace or joy. Her inner being was being gnawed at, leaving her deeply unsettled and restless.
Her gaze fell upon a potted African violet on the windowsill - a precious, delicate plant with pale purple petals and golden stamens, its fragrance soft and alluring.
Eira reached out, her fingers gently caressing the velvety petals. The moment her skin touched the flower, she felt a powerful force surge from within her, flowing through her fingertips and into the violet.
Eira watched in astonishment as the once-wilting plant was revitalized before her eyes. The petals plumped up, the colors deepening, as if time had rewound, restoring the flower to its former glory.
"How... how is this possible?" Eira stared, wide-eyed, unable to believe what she was witnessing.
"My lady, what's wrong?" Mary rushed over from the other side of the room, seeing Eira's stunned expression fixed on the windowsill. "What are you looking at?"
Following Eira's gaze, Mary was also left speechless. She saw the African violet, which had been on the verge of withering, now miraculously restored to vibrant health, more beautiful than ever before.
"This... this is amazing!" Mary exclaimed. "My lady, how did you do this?"
Eira shook her head, unsure of the explanation herself. She had simply felt a strange energy well up from within her, and then the violet had undergone this remarkable transformation.
"Could it be... that I truly possess some kind of special ability?" Eira's mind once again returned to the image of the woman in the purple robe from her dream, and the words that had haunted her: "This power belongs to you, Leila..."
A tumultuous storm of emotions surged within Eira. Could it be that the dream was not just a dream, but a recollection of real events? Was she truly the woman called "Leila"?
Eira did not know the answers, but she was determined to uncover the truth. She had a premonition that her origins were not as simple as she had believed.