On Dreams

Dreams will be places where visions of what may be occur, a space where questions can be asked. Perhaps this will be a place I escape to; perhaps it won't be. I will see myself back in my room chained at the ankle; I will whisper to her, "One day, you will meet wonderful people who will set you free."

Then, I will shift locations to a grassy meadow, where dogs and cats will dance on two legs while a table with sweets is set up. Although I will not have seen this particular scene before, I will see another girl who will also be me. She will take a drink of tea and bite into a cupcake. It will look yummy, so I will sit on a chair and have some tea as well.

When I drink, she will put down her teacup. The animals will stop dancing, and she will utter:

“Noitamrofnisim fo ortseam eht fo eraweb.

Tsud otni senob ruoy elpmart lliw yeht.

Emoc t’now nwad nosmirc eht.

Prihc ot esaec lliw drib elttil eht dna.”

She will stop speaking and drink the tea once more. Things will blur as the animals dance to the birds who whistle a tune, and time will distort.

~

Before I knew it, I was awake.

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

For the first time in my life, I witnessed the sunrise instead of just seeing the light filtering into my room from a window that was too far out of reach. I ended up sleeping on Lady Scarlet's bed, which was incredibly comfortable. The sound of Lady Scarlet's snores was comforting, as it helped me feel less alone.

Shortly afterwards, Lady Scarlet woke up and brushed my hair before taking me to breakfast. We had bread that, once again, had no green spots. Can you believe it? Two meals in two days! After breakfast, Mr. Ren returned, and I couldn't help but feel happy to see him.

“How did you sleep, kid?” He asked.

“I had the best night ever,” I replied with a smile. “Thank you, Lady Scarlet and Mr. Ren.” I bowed to show my gratitude. “I have had the best time of my life.” I beamed at both of them.

Mr. Ren looked slightly embarrassed while Lady Scarlet covered her mouth with her hands.

“Oh my, what a cutie!” exclaimed Lady Scarlet. “It makes me very happy to know you had a wonderful time.” She turned to Mr. Ren. “Ren, where were you planning to take her?”

“I was thinking it might be time to take the kid to meet Miss Zaloneas.”

“Hmmm? Indeed, it may be time for that introduction, but I meant to ask where you were thinking of taking her afterwards. You know, who would look after her and such?”

“My apologies, I don’t know yet.”

“In that case, I suggest she should stay with me.”

“You’re considering taking her in, Lady Scarlet?”

“Well, she is just so adorable.”

“I don’t mean to question your judgment, but how do you plan to look after her while managing the entire camp?”

“Firstly, she won’t be any trouble to look after, and secondly, I won’t be the only one caring for her.”

“What do you mean? Who else did you have in mind?” Mr. Ren asked.

“Well, my dear Ren, or perhaps I should call you Papa Ren, I thought you were doing an excellent job thus far.”

“Please don’t joke about something like that.”

“Who said I was joking?” She responded.

“You’re serious? You think the two of us should adopt her or something?”

“Why not? She’s a good girl. Between the two of us, we could take care of her. Besides…” She moved behind me and squished my cheeks together, though it didn’t hurt, so I said nothing. “How could you say no to this face?”

Mr. Ren sighed. “I get it. Alright, I accept.”

I didn’t fully understand the situation, but it seemed like I would be able to stay with Mr. Ren and Lady Scarlet. I would be truly happy if every day could be even a fraction as wonderful as yesterday was.

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

After they finished discussing everything, Mr. Ren took me to meet Miss Zaloneas. He led me across the campsite to a large tent, where two guards were stationed. The guards nodded to Ren and moved aside.

“Miss Zaloneas, I have come to introduce you to a new member of our camp,” Ren declared as he entered the tent, and I followed closely behind.

Inside the tent stood a humanoid creature with feminine features. She was as tall as Mr. Ren and Lady Scarlet. Her light brown fur appeared soft to the touch. She had long ears that drooped behind her back and a large snout that twitched slightly.

“Oh, my dear Ren, I was expecting another warrior like you; I did not expect a small child.” She turned her attention to me. “Hello, dear. My name is Zaloneas. As you can see, I am a Teraxious.”

She was a Teraxious. I couldn’t tell since I had never met one before. I had only heard about them from my father, who always seemed angry when he spoke of them and never described their appearance. If she hadn’t claimed to be a Teraxious, I would have assumed they were simply a different-looking type of human that I had yet to meet.

“Hello,” I responded, bowing to show my respect.

“Aren’t you adorable,” she quipped, resting one paw on her face. “Do you want to spend your remaining days here at the camp, or do you wish to find the Chalice of Xilu?”

Besides its name, I didn’t know anything about the Chalice of Xilu — not what it looked like, what it did, or why people wanted it. All I knew was that it was tied to the end of the world. On the other hand, I liked the camp.

However, Lady Scarlet and Mr. Ren had already suggested they intended to go into the rift to find the Chalice. If they both went into the rift, I would be alone. The last time Mr. Ren left, I didn’t like it. The thought of him leaving me by going into the rift made me feel bad.

Do I want the Chalice, despite knowing nothing about it? I was happy without it, so I didn’t think I needed it. But the thought of being in this camp alone was equally bad.

“I don’t really know,” I responded.

“If that is how you feel, perhaps looking for the chalice would be better for you.”

“Why?”

“Because if you are searching for answers, a journey may be just what you need.”

I see. So, finding the Chalice meant finding answers. That sounded good, but I don’t really need answers. I didn’t know things before, and it didn’t matter, so why do I need them now? But Mr. Ren and Lady Scarlet both wanted the Chalice. If I could find it for them, then I would try to find the Chalice. Besides, it meant I could be with them.

“Alright, I will find it.”

“Wait kid, the rift is extremely dangerous! Miss Zaloneas, you mustn’t encourage a child to enter that place. You could die in there kid.” Ren interjected.

“I don’t care about death,” I responded.

“But we care, kid. I don’t want to see you die,” he replied. Miss Zaloneas just watched on curiously.

“But won’t I die if I don’t go?” I asked.

“I suppose that’s true if we don’t find the Chalice. But Lady Scarlet or I will find it before it comes to that.”

“But I don’t want to be alone.”

“It looks like you found the first of your answers,” Miss Zaloneas smiled. Ren, on the other hand, looked extremely frustrated by this conversation.

“Fine kid, I won’t stop you if you are insistent on coming. However, before you make a decision, I want you to know more about the rift. You asked me about the Chalice of Xilu, and I said others could explain it better. Miss Zaloneas is the person who knows more about the rift than anyone else.” He turned to Miss Zaloneas. “Can you tell the kid everything you know about the rift?”

She nodded.

“Alright, let’s start at the beginning.”

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

End Chapter 5