Ray - Breakthrough (2)

Ray felt a rush of excitement at the sight of the settlement, eager to meet new people and learn more about the nature of the Dream from them. She only hoped not everyone would be as silent as Sars and Olver. Demoa also seemed happy to see others. She leaned forward eagerly, trying to catch as many glimpses as she could, and Ray wondered whether she might fall off the muldi in her excitement.

Elga, too, was smiling. Of course, she had been here before, and Ray suspected she was looking forward to seeing some old acquaintances again. They had been riding for some time along a path pressed into the earth by many feet and were now approaching the buildings, which were round and almost resembled half-spheres.

Ray could soon see more clearly how they were built; it seemed that flexible branches had been used as a frame, bent into shape and then interwoven with other branches. She liked the rounded look, though it also reminded her of the glowing ring behind her inner eye, which sent another sharp pain flashing across her forehead. Quickly, she focused on the sky again to calm herself, breathing slowly and deeply in and out.

Eri and Elga seemed to be well known here, and the people in the center of the settlement began to smile with delight at the sight of them. They looked at Ray and Demoa with curiosity but seemed to ignore Sars and Olver altogether.

“Are these the new Lucids? Greetings and welcome to Geed!” a well-dressed woman with silver hair called out, clapping her hands together.

“These are Ray and Demoa. The others you already know,” Elga replied with a smile.

“Welcome, welcome! I’m so glad to see you again. It’s been so long since you came with the last three Lucids. We’re all eager to hear how things have gone for you!” the woman exclaimed, pointing to a small firepit where they could sit and share stories over a communal meal.

Ray noticed that the people around them barely gave Eri a glance, but he seemed to enjoy that. With a short nod, he walked off to tie up his muldi somewhere, and Ray suspected he wouldn’t return quickly. After Elga, Sars, and Olver also fastened their mounts to thick posts near the square, they headed to the firepit, and Ray hurried to catch up. Eventually, she sat down between Elga and Olver, while a handsome young man with black curls and a fleeting gaze lit the fire and kept glancing over at her and Demoa.

Ray tried to ignore him. It was enough that the other settlers kept casting her and Demoa furtive looks. She did enjoy being the center of attention in a way, yet she had too much on her mind to really engage with it. And there was something about the man’s long looks that unsettled her. Demoa, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it. With her eyes bright and her face smiling, she was telling a few older women about the things she had already seen on her journey.

Sars and Olver were chatting quietly with two athletic women with keen expressions about past hunts, with Sars proudly showing off his fur and being unusually talkative. Ray was glad that he had finally found something that made him appear more alive, since the monotony with which the rider usually drifted through the Dream had always made her a little uneasy.

“You didn’t have to bring anything, Elga. You’re a Sage, and we’re happy to offer you our hospitality. Besides, the stories and wonderful moments you bring us with your Lucidity can’t be measured against food!” said the silver-haired woman, shaking her head.

Elga seemed a little uneasy, shifting more than usual.

“Inga, traditions are traditions. I have to follow them like anyone else. Just because I have finished my Pilgrimage doesn’t mean your customs don’t apply to me.”

Inga laughed and shook her head.

“I’ve really missed you. You’re such a breath of fresh air. Why do you come so rarely?” she asked, grinning slyly.

Ray saw Elga blush slightly.

“I’ve missed you too, all of you! It’s just...”

She trailed off and looked at Ray as if for help.

“She often tells me she travels around this much to bring new things back for you, for all of you, when she returns. Stories and adventures, ideas. That’s what the Light wants. Doesn’t that make reunions all the more special?” Ray improvised.

Inga looked puzzled for a moment, then burst into laughter.

“There’s some truth in that. Elga! Ray’s right! Every time you come back, we know we’re in for a particularly peaceful time.”

She placed her hand on Elga’s shoulder and smiled warmly. Elga gave Ray a quick wink and then accepted a wooden bowl filled with a yellow paste, handed to her by the young man with the shy glances. Soon, Ray had a bowl too. The food itself was plain, yet the new company made it the best meal she’d had in the Dream.

If only I could share it with Dio...

“So, Ray, have you gotten used to the Dream by now?” Inga asked between bites.

Ray thought for a moment.

“It’s challenging and new. And I’m still a little afraid I won’t meet people’s expectations,” she admitted.

“Expectations? Oh, don’t worry about those. You’re lucid, the most important expectations are the ones you have for yourself. Don’t worry, you’ll do just fine,” Inga assured her.

Ray had her doubts. It was easy for Inga to say that, and although her words sounded sincere, Ray still felt uneasy. She quickly looked away and stared up at the sky.

Something’s missing...

Dio’s words echoed through her mind again, this time so clearly it was as if he were whispering them right into her ear, and out of nowhere the image of the glowing circle surged in her thoughts. A wave of nausea overwhelmed her, followed by a stabbing pain in her head. Ray cried out and dropped the wooden bowl, the yellow substance she had almost finished splashing everywhere. She barely noticed it as she collapsed to the ground. That, too, she barely registered. She pressed her hands to her forehead and fought not to scream again.

“Ray, what’s happening?” Demoa called out, worried.

Sars and Olver had jumped to their feet in alarm, and Ray vaguely registered Elga rushing toward her and leaning over.

“Is it the headaches, Ray?” she asked.

There was a sharpness in Elga’s voice that Ray had never heard before, and it deeply unsettled her. Then the shapes around her began to blur, and the circle of light forced itself into the center of her thoughts, pulling her in. A distant panic threatened to consume her.

“RAY! IS IT THE HEADACHES?” Elga’s voice cut through her mind.

Ray tore herself away from the image in her head and found herself back by the fire, though everything still felt distant and muffled.

“Yes, yes, it hurts so much…” Ray gasped.

She felt Elga’s hands cradling her face, and a soft white aura began to surround her.

Is she trying to heal me? To take away the pain? Can she help me get better? Am I even sick...?

Gradually, a sense of calm began to settle in, as if a part of Elga embraced every inch of her body, protecting and soothing her, and the panic and pain receded a little. Ray felt she could now slip away from her thoughts just enough to look up at Elga, who had her eyes closed in deep concentration and was murmuring softly to herself.

“Everything will be alright.”

Ray felt better now and began to relax inwardly, even as her thoughts still threatened to overwhelm her mind. Suddenly, Elga recoiled, and the aura around her intensified. She let out a loud curse, her face pale, lips tightly pressed together.

Did I do that? Did I hurt her? What am I doing?

Without warning, she pulled Ray to her feet and began to drag her away. Inga made a move to stop her, but Olver stepped in her path. The two women who had been talking to Sars also tried to intervene, but Elga’s voice, trembling with panic, froze everyone in place. When the now faintly green light around her flashed again, the others calmed slightly.

“She needs to be taken away from here immediately. Every breath counts! Ray, it’s not a cold, not a disease. It’s much worse. Trust me!”

The aura around Elga pulsed again, and Ray started to calm down more, but not nearly enough.

“Elga, what’s going on? I’m scared! You’re scaring me!” she cried, shaking.

“To the muldi. Can you ride or not?” Elga ignored the question and pulled her along.

Ray felt the cold sweat in her palm.

Something’s missing... Something’s missing...

Pain rushed through her temples, and Elga groaned. The aura around her became so bright it nearly blinded Ray, but somehow it also managed to soothe her again.

“No, I… the pain,” she gasped.

Without a word, Elga helped her onto the muldi and then swung up behind her.

“ELGA, WHAT’S GOING ON?” Eri shouted, appearing from some alley.

“It’s building up! I have no time!” Elga snapped at him.

For the first time, her voice was laced with real fear, undercut by regret. The pilgrim stopped in his tracks, shock spreading across his face.

“You mean…? No, that can’t be…!” he cried out, unbelieving.

Elga ignored him and urged the muldi forward. The creature was surprisingly fast, and Ray clung desperately to its mane.

“Where are we going?” she choked.

“As far away as possible. You’re going to break through very soon…” Elga whispered, more to herself.

Her voice was now drained of all life. Fear tried more and more to break into Ray’s thoughts, but somehow she managed to stand against it.

“What does that mean?” Ray gasped.