A moonlit dream

He was desperate. Who wouldn’t be? Running for 20 minutes straight in the streets illuminated by the light of the blue moon while being consumed by the sense of enchantment, fear and yet he was still enthralled by the sound he was chasing after. He wasn’t sweating still. Though this was an ideal situation to have his anxiety take over, he still retained his sanity even though what he was doing wasn’t sane in his dictionary in the least. The melody was unlike anything he had heard before. It was a very modest tune with an underlying sense of something ominous. But he was in his bed just a few moments ago… How did it come to this? Why was he chasing the source of this tune like a madman? He thought. The answer was pretty clear. It was the question itself. “Why does it resonate so much?” He mumbled a crippling question which he had no answer to. Maybe the answer lied in the things he saw for the past 3 days while he slept? Were they pure visions or silly dreams? He didn’t know. He recalled the entire thing quiet vividly. The latest? being in the middle of an arcane structure, thick fog surrounding the entire space and a shadow tightly gripping his shoulders from behind when he made the slightest movement to get out of that structure and uttering “I am sorry” Mochoma Alzebris experienced this for 3 days. They initiated the day he arrived at the central mansion for his 18th birthday. A very significant number in Atousia, the world of gems and miracles. An age at which a noble was recognized as the prominent acting member of the society. All the visions prior had a different setting. During the 1st a ball, the 2nd a dungeon and the 3rd a forest consumed by thick fog. It was significantly strange, since they all contained the same arcane circle and there was always someone gripping him from behind and uttering the exact same words… In short the endings were all the same yet the backgrounds differed. The melody initiated when he pondered over this in his balcony, just 30 minutes prior to his pursuit. And the sound enchanted him ever since. Still the reason he was chasing the melody wasn’t to find an answer to why he saw something so queer. Even though they concerned him a huge deal, they became mere hints to discern the nature of the tune he was chasing now. The sound became prominent which was a sign that he was close. Even before it was pretty clear. It was evident by the fact that he was able to hear it from such a long distance which was odd yet he didn’t really ponder over it and as he moved closer, his mind became even clearer. The questions were disappearing one after another. His jaded eyes grew wider as he witnessed the scene in front of him. A masked face…… Red hair…… a grand piano……

The said figure in front was a young boy with an above average build, His motion? Gentle His Aura? Enchanting His age? Same as the Jaded eyed lad His face? Concealed Or more appropriately, he was wearing a mask that concealed even his eyes. “So desperate that you didn’t go to the trouble of wearing a proper attire I see. Though a noble in his pajamas out at night is quite a sight” Mochoma heard a deep voice which belonged to someone in his 30s “Now now…It’s not moral to eavesdrop on a person like that you know” The hidden voice continued and it wasn’t hard to tell that it was aimed towards Mochoma. It was possible to alter sounds through certain devices so he didn’t made any conclusion regarding the age of the speaker even though it seemed to belong to someone in their mid-30s. “So you are the one I take it? This sound wasn’t supposed to be heard by anyone other than the one it was meant for. I guess the eye was right after all…” The hidden person spoke again. “And who are you?” He wasn’t shaken… By the voice or the reveal that only he was able to hear the sound. “Why would I be hiding if my intention was to reveal myself?” While he said that, the red haired lad continued playing. He was deaf to both of them… “So you do think that I am lying?” the guy spoke “Naturally yes… I mean if that were true, you wouldn’t have been able to hear it yet you can” Mochoma replied. “HEHEHE…” The hidden man giggled “Amusing! and on what basis is your assumption formed? I mean do you have my ears by any chance.” He continued Mochoma, clearly set on proving the point he had made, quickly responded “Prove it!!! I am well aware of the fairy tales of the forsaken realm! It all seems…” “So it’s called the forsaken now…” Mochoma was interrupted and he seemed a little fazed by the interruption. After all it was a peculiar dimension…. something that coexisted with the real world itself…A place where sinners resided or so he had heard. It wasn’t something he would believe in since it was obvious those people lied or so it seemed. “Well it’s the Devil s proof!! You can neither confirm nor deny my claim due to certain circumstances and yes I have no

intention of proving something I know but for the sake of argument, only you are here… Not even the guards who patrol the area.” The hidden man spoke and He had a point. The present time was 15 minutes before dawn. A period at which no one would be out due to the tales of the forsaken. This was a time at which that realm was stated to be the closest to their world and naturally no one came out at this time except the guards assigned to the noble estates. Their sole duty was simply to erase any meddlers and considering the pitch of the sound, it was all pretty strange… No it was impossible that they wouldn’t have been able to hear the tune. “And besides, aren’t you….” The tune slightly changed “having those visions lately?” A chill ran throw him as he heard those words. “How….. do you know?” Mochoma stuttered a little. “So now do you believe me?” Mochoma s legs moved now… He didn’t command them to… He had no intention to! But they moved, and before he knew, He ran Not away from the sound of the speaker but towards the place where it was coming from “It’s useless… You cannot find me or see me as long as you are like that or until I allow you.” It was incomprehensible. He could have sworn he heard that thing from the sideway at his back. But it was empty. It was a dead end only hidden through a sideway behind him… He could still hear the sound… It was even clearer than before… “Don’t be afraid… I have merely come to warn you… or rather to give you some hints. Was a figure really present there or was he hallucinating? Or was it a dream? He thought… He was slowly becoming agitated “Please be direct!!!” “I am being direct.” There was a pause and then the hidden figure continued “It seems as though, I might have given you the wrong impression. I am not an enemy nor your friend. I am simply a warner at this point, though I maybe more to you later on” The tune came to a halt and the performer became still… the blue moonlight, the posture of the lad who was in the center of it all made up for an enchanting view…The sight was closer to a beautiful painting rather than the present reality. Yet the young lad was to dumbfounded to have had noticed... His mind wasn’t clear and he forgot his main reason to be there. “And why me?” Mochoma asked

“Well because you can hear it… the tune or should I say, the melody.” “bu…” “Let’s not waste more time my dear… the moon will blink again pretty soon” …………….. There was a long pause. “So what’s the warning? considering its clear that you have no intention of revealing anything not to mention this whole affair is quiet pretentious…” “Hehe, you are quiet an impatient fellow” “ENOUGH!!! For god sake I just want to wake up from this silly dream already!…” “Oh it’s definitely not a dream my dear… so let’s get down to it shall we?” The response was followed by a short pause. The silence was almost eerie.. “If you want to have your last chance given to you, be careful of the tale that you would see on the first day of the coming month… Scarlet.” The hidden figure spoke in a stern tone. There was silence till the tune broke it again, as the young red haired lad, motioned his fingers again… Mochoma pretended not to act unfazed but it was all getting to him. Sweat dripped from his Forehead though it wasn’t exactly hot outside… Without any clue to what to do, he shook his head in disbelief. “Are you seriously going to believe in something so tedious?” He asked himself. And as his gaze shifted towards the performer, he was reminded of his main reason to be here. “So this tune has some sort of an hypnotic effect?” Mochoma asked “You are not going to ask me regarding the tale” the hidden fellow replied clearly amused by the his reaction. “It’s no use, I mean you wouldn’t tell me any more than that now will you? Mochoma had a sharp tone “Hehehe, well I would die if I did so sorry about that. About the tune, I have heard it enchants the listener in a weird fashion. Just as it did to you. However only people who can hear it can discern its true nature so I am just as lost as you at this point.” “And who are you?” The question was followed by a pause “Illusions.” The performer stopped and the tune came to a halt once more. The sight completely changed. Mochoma was flabbergasted and stunned… Not by the words but by the figureless being which was invisible just moments before... A shadow with nothing but 2 orange eyes looking directly into his jaded ones. Mochoma s palms were wet, his heart throbbed faster and faster. He gulped, clearly flabbergasted

He didn’t utter any other word… he just couldn’t. This wasn’t a surprising since anyone would have had the same reaction after experiencing what he did during the last 3 days… and it resembled the exact shadow, the one from his visions. Was it the same as that? It wasn’t really clear but the connection was imminent. “Me and that lad over there are both illusions… but not in a literal sense… You will get what I mean with time.” The shadow still looked directly into Mochoma s eyes, but there was no malice in them… No uncertainty or deception as well. The thing before him didn’t seem human yet it sounded more honest and certain then anyone Mochoma knew. He hoped, they had something like that in them since not having any malice made it terrifying. “I guess I am feeling a little generous today so I will tell you something more. Congrats! those visions wont haunt you anymore…” His mind was in a chaotic state… Sharp pain got a hold of him He was sweating uncontrollably “It doesn’t make any sense!!!! He grew impatient “WHY ARE YOU SO VAGUE?!” Mochoma wasn’t angry, he wasn’t scarred…. He was simply agitated…irritated by the whole affair “Why do I have to cautious? Why are you telling me this? Why AM I EVEN HERE!?!?! Mochoma s jaded eyes turned scarlet and the round iris changed into a octagon shaped structure the pupil became a narrow oval connecting both the top and bottom of the shape. Why? Why? why? Why is my head hurting so much now!!! Just as he was about to utter another word something shattered “Huh?” It was a mirror piece, and his reflection in the tiny pieces which laid flat on the ground was prominent. He saw his messy black hair clearly indicating he had woken up not to long ago, his pajamas which were still surprisingly clean, his slightly tanned skin and the expression he wore. A very haunting expression at that… Something that bared a small trace of insanity… “I….looked like this the whole time??” He was appalled “I seriously can’t believe how you can be so reckless” The shadow spoke again but those words weren’t directed towards Mochoma “Drip” His eyes changed back to their normal jade as he glanced towards the hand of the red haired boy. It was red too…as blood was dripping from it. After all he had thrown the mirror… Mochoma wasn’t himself during this entire course… He wasn’t patient, something he was famous for, He wasn’t calm, a very noble trait he was associated with, He wasn’t rational,

something he took pride in… Or was this the real him? He couldn’t answer… There was something warm about the red haired lad. Something that made Mochoma calm for some reason. Even though in his cloak, at first glance that boy seemed rather dark but in reality that wasn’t the case at all. Mochoma wanted to talk to him. “A….I!” Just then a strong gush of wind passed right through. It was unusually fast, fast enough to shut his eyes down… When he opened them, the space in front of him, In which the 2 of the most unusual people had seen stood was now empty. There was no shadow, or the young lad… There were disarranged mirror pieces though… But there was also something new. Something which wasn’t there before “A note?” A piece of paper. The words were clear and the writing was intricate. “32 Blue 906 Happy birthday” As he finished the sentence, the moon blinked twice. It was the only natural source in their world and as it did, the sheer amount of darkness in those short moments was nothing short of overwhelming… Those little pauses marked the end of this long peculiar night. . 10 minutes later Mochoma was in his bed constantly wondering about the encounter he just had. “1st scarlet huh? But that’s the first day of the new academic year” However there was something even more pressing that bothered him. he constantly stared at the note “32 blue 906” The date was today. The date that marked his birthday but there was something subliminal about it… Because no one outside of the nobility circle was to know of this. As much as Mochoma wanted to deny the words of that shadow, about the tale popping up and those visions, he couldn’t shake the intensity of those eyes nor the terrifying sensation he felt. The shadow felt human and that bothered him even more. He laid his arms on his forehead, lost by the incomprehensible nature of this whole affair. He didn’t knew what he felt but he was aware of one thing, his life which was hardly peaceful before was about to take more than just a drastic turn…