75th Day of Spring, 513 AV
Dreamscapes
Dreamscapes
A soft breeze flowed through a field of white flowers while Syna’s rays gently caressed everything in its reach. Birds chirped happily overhead, floating swiftly through the sky to their destination, regardless of where it may be. A bubbling creek sang its own song of rushing water, moving where its path in the earth allowed it to go. All was serene, all was peaceful. All was beautiful.
Orion found himself resting in the midst of the exquisite blooms, the sound of his soft breathing all but out of place in the calm of nature. A soft tickling sensation on his nose aroused his senses and caused him to reactively open his eyes. A butterfly had landed on his face, slowly waving its nearly transparent wings in the graceful wind. It was a scene right out a story. It was a scene right out of a dream.
Orion laughed, reaching up to playfully swat at the butterfly, causing it to go airborne in order to escape the young man’s touch. A beam of sunlight caught the wings just right, displaying the full brilliance of the insect’s splendor. Almost sparkling, glistening, and glowing in the light, brilliant blue hue coming forth when at just the right angle. “Well hello there little thing. You’re a playful one, aren’t you?” Orion sat up as he spoke, looking at the creature as it danced through the air. It flew away from Orion, circled in the sky and then came back to him, fluttering about his face. This elicited another outburst of laughter from the squire. He was supposed to be Syliras, getting ready for a patrol tomorrow, but it seemed that he’d wondered outside of the city. It was worth it. Dinah wouldn’t mind at all, right? He was relaxing to get ready for a grueling end of season.
The butterfly repeated its path over and over until Orion finally stood, trying to shoo it away. “What do you want, little one? Shall I follow you?” What an absurd question. It was a butterfly. It couldn’t possibly give him an answ-
”…Yes…”
Orion’s heart nearly stopped as a sweet, sing songy voice rang in his mind. He’d not heard vocals like that since…
The little insect turned back to him, and then floated away again, this time with Orion in tow. His brow raised instinctively as confusion overtook his countenance, the blue eyed man plodding along through the field of flowers. “This is all too weird,” he muttered, looking around at the endless meadow. There was no place like this around Syliras, at least not that he knew of. Surely he would have been told of something this magnificent.
Onward did the little butterfly go, with Orion following obediently behind. It led him for what felt like an eternity, but never did he tire, never did he grow weary. Syna’s light refreshed him, and the fragrant scent of flowers kept him taking step after step. Gradually the field began to thin, giving away to rocks and rough ground. The flowers were fewer and fewer, and the vibrant green grass was less so, turning in to a sickly olive, then to a dying brown. Still, the butterfly kept its vitality and magnificence. If ever did Orion stop, it would immediately flap its tiny wings in Orion’s face to get him going again.
“What are you?”
No reply. Maybe he had been hearing things. How long had they been walking? Why wasn’t he weary? What was going on? Orion’s thoughts ran wild, but never once did he avert his gaze from the insect. He couldn’t lose it. He had to follow it. He could tell down to the depths of his soul if he let the wonderful creature leave, he would regret it for the rest of his life. Not that it was letting him go. It scarcely gave him respite if he took a moment to look around. No, he had to keep his eyes on it. Trailing behind it was his only option.
At this point there were but a scattering of flowers about, the field otherwise devoid of life. Only the blue butterfly acted a beacon in what had become a wasteland. In the very near distance he could see that the land ended, dropped off, and stopped. Why did it lead him here? It was so peaceful before. No longer did birds sing. The breeze had stopped entirely. Even the sky had turned grey. There was no more life about.
It fluttered out onto a ledge, Orion close by. His guide now floated in place, no longer moving onward, and he was thankful for that. He couldn’t have resisted walking off into nothingness if the butterfly had willed it. Looking down past the edge, there was nothingness. A dark abyss of empty awaited those who took the plunge. No light, no life, no anything. What was here but death?
“Why did you lead me here?”
”..Ri-Ri..”
His heart stopped. Only one person called him that. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.
Someone was playing the cruelest of jokes.
“What are you?!”
The blue butterfly answered him with a swirl of light. Spinning around, a transformation occurred before his eyes. No longer did fragile wings dance about before him. Instead, nude as when one steps into the world, there was a woman. Beautiful, lithe frame, perfect curves, and milky white skin. Long, straight hair which was dyed blue hung down, covering her breasts from view, but for once in his memory, the fact a woman was naked before him was not of concern to him. Instead it was this specter that floated before him. A ghost from Orion’s past. A beautiful, beautiful ghost.
“Lyla…” His breath was sucked from him. She was dead. She wasn’t supposed to be here.
She said nothing as she floated just above the ground, a snowy purity about her which the filth of the world deserved not to touch. Her gentle gaze rested on the squire, and his knees nearly gave out, just like the first time they met. Just like when he stupidly fell in love at first sight. The moment his life changed, no, the reason his life changed was there before him.
“Where have you been? I’ve missed you so..” He took a step towards the blue haired beauty, eyes welling up with tears of happiness, shock, and relief. He’d not cried over a woman in so long. None had made his heart sing like she had. None had made him feel alive. None of them spoke to him on a primal level as she did. He wanted to take her in his arms, hold her close, kiss her, love her, whisper to her, and live with her like they were supposed to. There were none like her. There were none like Lyla.
And now she was back.
His eyes fell to a single, untainted, white rose which grew without fear from the wicked dirt beneath it. It defied all that was levied against it. Like her. It was a perfect gift.
He reached down and plucked the perfect flower from the ground and reached up to give it to Lyla. “I’m so happy to see you again. I’ve thought about you every tick, of every chime, of every bell, of every day, of every season, of every year. Ever since I thought you were gone.” He took a deep breath, fighting back a sob. Years of emotions threatened to spill over and consume him, consume their moment. He just wanted to bask in her presence, not pervert the moment with his wicked tears.
Slender, unblemished fingers reached out to the flower, and it floated from Orion’s grasp, hovering in the air before her. It rotated slowly, its petals swaying in a breeze which didn’t exist. An expressionless face studied the rose, the young woman tilting her head slightly to observe it closely before looking up to Orion.
“Ri-Ri…”
“Lyla, I love y-“
Her finger brushed against the rose petals, and Orion didn’t get to finish his proclamation of affection. White turned to black, then to brown as the petals transformed and then withered right before his eyes. A vacant face turned into one of annoyance, perfect features twisting into a look which Orion had always feared to see. Annoyance turned into rage as she opened her supple lips to speak.
“I hate you, Orion Michaels.”
Orion’s heart stopped. Those words unleashed a stream of tears from his eyes, the waterworks blowing completely open. It couldn’t be. They were in love. There wasn’t room for that.
“L-Lyla, n-no…” He wiped his cheeks of the liquid, but only a moment later the streams covered his face again.
“Be quiet. You’re disgusting. I hate you.” She floated towards him, throwing the rose at his feet. The flower turned to dust before their eyes, blowing away as a huge gust came from nowhere, winding and circling around the two former lovers. “You used to be a gentle soul. Now you’re sick.”
Orion felt sick. He felt like he was shrinking. He felt worthless. “B-but, I couldn’t go on without you! I didn’t kno-“ Lyla snapped at him and cut off his protest.
“Ri-Ri. Is it my fault that you’re a whore? Is it Lyla’s fault that you can’t control yourself? How dare you use a woman you claim to love as an excuse to sleep with every woman in Syliras and beyond. How dare you.”
Orion fell to his knees, scooping frantically at the dust as it disappeared. Droplets of water stained the dirt beneath him, as the earth greedily drank up his tears. Neglected, long forgotten, this ground thrived on the sustenance of his pain and sorrow. The already grey sky darkened and opened up with a torrential downfall of rain, obscuring any weeping which escaped from him.
“What happened to you? I always thought, I thought that if something happened to me, you’d move on, and make someone as happy as you made me. Instead, you’ve…you’ve become the worst. So hateful. So spiteful. And all to people who’ve never harmed you? You’ve forgotten how to love, and that’s what my favorite thing about you was. You genuinely cared.” The fair skinned beauty drifted away, over the edge of the cliff. “Who are you? I hear you ask that question to others. Why don’t you figure it out? Maybe you can stop being so horrid.”
He took each barb, wincing with every single one. She hated him. She’d never forgive him. “Lyla..”
“Don’t say my name. I want you to forget my name. I don’t want to be your excuse. I don’t want you to use me like that. We were a team. I was never your crutch, and you were never mine. I hate what you’ve become.” She began a descent, floating down into the void beneath them, looking up at Orion as he scrambled to the edge to watch her fall. A single tear escaped her eye as began to fade into blackness. “Forget about me, Ri-Ri. For both our sakes…”
“Lyla!! Don’t leave!”
He finally broke down entirely, collapsing into a fit of sobbing convulsions. He rolled back away from the ledge, stopping on his back as his wailing carried in the gale about him. He curled into a ball, turning to his side and pulling his knees to his chest to rest in the fetal position. Why did it have to happen like this? Everything was always so bright with Lyla. Everything was so perfect. Hate? The thought of the word sent him howling into a bigger fit. He never wanted to let go of her, but she was trying to force him to. How could he? The woman was his everything. Everything he lived for. Was it all gone now?
He felt naked. He felt cold. He felt alone. He didn’t want to move. Maybe he should just roll back over and go off the edge and join her in the depths. After the words she said, it wouldn’t have mattered.
After all, all he wanted to do now was die.
