Spirit of the Forest
chapter 18

Darkness. That was all Romelia could see. Harsh winds tore at her tunic, making it snap and crackle in the wind. Her silver hair was like a flame, illuminating the dark as it flowed with the wind. The sharpness of the wind caused Romelia to shudder and hug herself. The moon peaked out from the clouds and lit the land around her. The new sounds and sights made the teen’s eyes widened in shock and horror.

She was standing in the middle of a large plain, in the middle of a battle. Dark red stained the ground, making it hard to see anything else than red. The metallic clanging of swords and battle cries filled the air. The smell of death hung in the air like a cloud.

For some reason, Romelia felt like this was her fault. That she caused this horrific battle. She felt like she was responsible for all who died. She had a feeling that one of her friends was hurt, or worse. She looked around frantically as heard a voice speak in her head.

“Romelia…”

The girls eyes widened more. That voice… Who-

“Come this way…”

Suddenly, there was a hole in the middle of the fighting. The people fighting didn’t move, they just weren’t there anymore. Her feet acted on their own accord and walked between the fighting. As she walked, the people continued to disappear to make a path. Soon enough, they parted to reveal a clearing.

People were fighting along the edges, the same as the path she had taken. When she had taken a step in, the path closed behind her as fighting blocked her way back. She looked behind her just as it closed.

Guess there’s no turning back…

Romelia turned her attention back to the clearing. The moonlight lit the clearing completely. Unlike the other places, the clearing was devoid of any blood whatsoever. The grass had be stomped down though, killing it. What caught her attention was the unmoving shape in the middle. Romelia recognized the golden hair that glowed brightly in the moonlight.

“Cyri!” She ran to her friend. He didn’t respond to her touch as she rolled him onto his back. She wanted to help him in anyway she could. She didn’t know why, but something drew her to him, unlike anything she had felt before. It was the same thing with her and Tanisha, but different some how. When she saw him, she couldn’t help but gasp.

He wore some kind of uniform that consisted of a light blue shirt with a strange symbol in the middle. As she rolled him, there was some kind of clinking sound muffled by his shirt. Blood was coming out from the shirt, staining her fingers red. Cyri was cold to the touch.

“No…” Romelia whispered, tears falling. A sudden sharp pain in her head caused the girl to clutch her head tightly. Incoherent voices whispered in her ear. Through the haze of pain, she caught fragments of what they were saying.

“Night and Moon…”

“One and the same…”

“To stop…”

“Doomful flight…”

“The old one…”

“Save the land…”

“Wake up.”

Romelia’s eyes snapped wide open, With a gasp, she shot straight up. Her forehead collided with something hard. Even more pain shot through her head as someone yelped and fell down. Whimpering in pain, she laid back down in a tight ball.

“Damn! That hurt Romelia!”

Her eyes opened again when she heard Cyri’s familiar voice. They filled with tears, remembering her dream. “Cyri…”

“Huh? what’s wrong?” A tone of panic and worry came into his voice as he continued. “W-why are you crying? A-are you alright?!”

She saw him next to her bed, looking down as her with concern. More tears came to her eyes at the sight.

“R-Romelia?”

“I-I had a r-really b-bad dream…”

His expression softened. Grabbing a handkerchief, he gently wiped away her tears. “It’s okay,” he said. “Nothing can hurt you. You’re safe.” Without thinking, Romelia sat up and hugged him.

Cyri stiffened as she cried into his chest. After a few moments, he wrapped his arms around her. She hiccupped a little as he started to rub her back comfortingly.

“It was horrible!” she sobbed. “T-there was blood everywhere! A-and there was fighting a-and y-you were-were-” She broke off in a sob. Cyri continued to comfort her, saying soothing words softly in her ear until she had calmed down.

“Better?” he asked once she stopped crying.

Romelia nodded, shifting a bit. “Thanks Cyri. That dream just got to me…”

He chuckled. “I could tell.” His smile faltered a bit. “Romelia, are you feeling better?”

She nodded again. “Yeah… I guess… Wait, why am I back home? I thought we were in the forest…”

“You don’t remember?” She shook her head and Cyri’s look got more serious. “Romelia, you passed out. There was a fire and the forest got burned, except for this tree. You’ve been out for a few weeks.”

A few... weeks? Why was I out for so long? Is everyone okay? … What happened to me? “Where’s Tanisha? And father? And mother? And-”

“Whoa there,” Cyri said. “You’re giving me a headache with all these questions.”

“Sorry…” I looked down ashamedly.

“Don’t worry about it.” I looked up, a bit surprised, to replace him smiling comfortingly. “Tanisha is fine. Ordello is fine. Everyone is fine Romelia. No one got hurt in the fire.” He placed his hand on your forehead. “You should get some sleep, Romelia. You’ve still got a slight fever. It won’t go away until you get some rest.”

Romelia merely nodded sleepily. She wanted to stay up, to see Tanisha and make sure she was alright. But her body acted on its own accord. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow. There were no horrific nightmares or soothing dreams to help her sleep.