In Dreaming Reality
Epilogue

I was a being of light with no physical form, I was true Fae, thousands of years old— power surged in my veins, as humanity slipped off and my body fell away. I was a warrior, walking on a sea of darkness. Voices taunted me, whispering at me from all sides— Fae, wolves, vampires, fallen... but I wanted nothing to do with them— I had been born for one purpose and one alone, I was the tool of war. I sensed this, knew this in the centre of my being. I was an echo, a new-new... something or someone. I could sense time, history repeating itself, when I saw the man with red eyes and black wings staring at me on the lake of lava, in the pit of hell. I knew the gate of hell were still locked, and that Lucifer walked the globe, the prince of darkness... and it was one of his children who beckoned me now— one with whole I had been ancient the dance which would lead or would have led to my death. We were not really in hell, but a hell of this demon’s creation.

I pulled a sword of light from my side, and charged at him, knocking him into his own fire, he was surprised, but not put off, quickly rebalancing and retaliating.

“Genevieve.” This demon spawn cooed at me, “can you not see we are destined, fated? I know you believe in destiny, you believe in fate. Surely you can see— our lives are linked together.”

The liar could not see, he was a pawn in someone else’s game. He and I had both been used, by someone more powerful, someone more devious and cunning. Yes, it was true, our lives were linked, but not because it was meant to be— but because of this great evil— greed. Who's evil? I could not tell. I knew I should know who this demon was,

We fought, swords of light and lava clashing in the dark, he tripped me, grabbing my arm, squeezing it until I could feel the steering heat of his fire. I shook from his grasp, my arm aching, even though I was light. I looked down at where the demon had touched me, and to my shock I could see a giant handprint radiating red heat, fire... Deep within my mind I saw a scroll, heard a prophecy... she will be marked as the original was marked, a shadow of the first, she will be— and she will bring about war.

“You are nothing more then a puppet in fates game. You and your kind will play your role and nothing else.”

“And you will not be free of my mark until-”

“I have your demon spawn.” I heard the words come from my mouth but I couldn’t place how I knew they were true. “But the curse to die has been broken. You cannot kill me now. This is not hell— this is but a shadow of the pit.. which means I can leave whenever I want. You have no power over me, demon.”

“That’s what you think.” The man hissed. “I could kill you here and now-”

“Without getting what you want? I don’t think so.”

The man wailed, thrashing his sword of lava at me, over and over again— we fought, and I realized I was tired, soon I wouldn’t be able to fight this demon spawn anymore. I needed to replace the key, the key to making all this ‘hell’ disappear, and with it the man with black wings and angry red eyes.

“Find it, replace the key. You must not give up, princess... do not give in.”

“Give in!” The man screamed, “give in to me!”

“Never!”

“So you would choose HIM, over me?”

I blinked, thrown off— who was this demon speaking of? “Him?”

“Yes— HIM!” The demon spat, as he pointed at my left arm, to where I was just beginning to see a tattoo of gold and leaves...

What? What was this?

“Find me, my love.”

Another voice? And who was this, this second voice calling out to me in the dark... so soft and familiar, and yet so strange.

“Ugh, enough!” Frustrated, I threw my sword to the ground and lunged at the demon— we wrested rolling on the waves of fire, neither giving in.

“My decisions, like my fate are my own.” I threw a punch hitting the demon in the face, it flew backwards, and sunk into the lava. I took a fighters stance, grounding myself— but the demon didn’t rise from the fire, instead it this pit of hell faded and once again I was floating in a sea of darkness. Something, the key? It had brought me here... but what was it?

I wandered, I do not know how long for, until I saw a tunnel of light ahead. It glowed softly in the dark, a dim white light, pulling me forward, and from within that light, I saw her.

“The key.” I approached feeling slightly unsettled, I knew many things— but not who this being was. She floated there, as if perched atop an invisible table— her dark hair blowing in a wind that did not exist.

“She is dying...”

“Who?”

“You are dying...”

Impossible. I was quite well, and alive— a being of light unencumbered by physical form, and I-

The girl blinked, her eyes opening as she gasped for air— violet eyes. I froze, recognizing her without understanding why. She was clearly human, and yes, I could see her fading away. She trembled, flailing about— pushing on the air around her as if it were trying to choke her. My heart broke for this girl— she was so young. What had bright her here?

Across from me an apparition appeared, tall, blonde, a crown on his head. I stared at him, his being not quite solid, appearing ghost like in his form, he at me, and it sent shivered through me when he spoke.

“Yes, Princess, it does not make sense— but I assure you, this is you— the human form of you, and she is dying.”

I took the girl’s hand, it was cold, as cold as the lava had been hot. I wanted to tell the boy with the crown that he was wrong, but as I held her hand, I felt a connection I couldn’t deny.

“How?”

“Can you not sense it?... listen.”

I closed my eyes and shut out every other sound, and I heard it— her heart, pumping fire through her ice cold veins. I gasped, and almost dropped her arm.

“Yes, you are many things,” the boy murdered, “an original Fae, a human, and now... vampire.”

I shook my head, such things were not allowed, the crossing of so many species. We had all been told this when we had been in the beginning, at the dawn of it all.

“Time, yes, it is time.” The boy nodded, his apparition fading. “Now, awakened one, it is time for you to be reborn.” He disappeared as he spoke, and I stared into the nothingness space he had been inhabiting, as a pain went through my hand and then whole being.

Pain? I shouldn’t be feeling pain... I looked down and saw my hand on the girl’s arm— it was swirling, my light fading as it turned to mist— a mist being pulled into this girl. I tried to pull away, but my light, my form was magnetized to this human, this being, this— vampire. I slowly unravelled, and all turned to darkness.

Gasping, grasping— screaming in the dark, I opened my eyes. I was awash in a sea of nothing, a void, as fire laced it's way through my heart and sent light out my fingers and toes, and eyes. It hurt, it hurt so much I felt I would not be able to breathe, not be able to survive. The light faded as i thrashed, and the heat subsided— leaving behind an ice that settled and soothed. Just ahead of me a tunnel of white light beckoned.

“It is almost time.”

Feeling returned to my limbs. I floated to a standing position, my legs standing on some sort of solid ground within the sea of black. I took a step towards the light, what was at the end of the tunnel?

“Time for what?” I felt my voice squeak out. It scratched my throat, like sandpaper, as if I hadn’t spoken in moths, years...

“for you to return to your body.”

“Now?”

There was no response. I took a step towards the white light. Behind me voices called to me, the boy prince, the demon and another... I shivered, looking over my shoulder— feeling like someone was watching me, but no one was there.

“Little bird?”

I blinked, and there in the darkness, a pair of green cat like eyes. I jumped, and blinked again but they were gone.

“Come replace me, little bird.”

I took another step into the soft lights of the tunnel— who was this, who did these green eyes belong to?

“Remember, war is coming.”

War? What did I know of war? I was— I was? Who was I?

The tunnel was narrowing, and ahead was a white door— I might not know much of anything, but one thing I knew, behind that white door was the path of my destiny. I reached out a hand, tired of all the voices telling me who to be, and what was to come, and I closed my eyes and pulled the door open.

“Princess! Wake up.”