The Petals of A Dream - II

Leaving ((Chapter 27))

*** Abrielle's POV ***

"Bear with me, Yhue. I'll get you out of here. I promise."

I relaxed my stiff shoulders and tried to think calmly. I held his right hand firmly with both hands and concentrated on my surroundings. With that, I stretched my consciousness away from us, searching for an exit from here. I was surprised that no matter how far I've went, I never hit a wall. The shadows were overwhelming, and the trench was too deep. I groped around, but found nothing.

Is this really my head? I can't believe it... Aren't I suppose to see fragments of my memory here? Or some sort of light? Is there really nothing?

The darkness seemed endless, but his time was running out. I needed to hurry.

If what my other self said was true, it means I'm truly not part of the living any more. So what am I now, a ghost? A fragment of my soul that was left lingering? Then, how can I save him?

I clenched my teeth as my consciousness suddenly snapped back, cringing from the impact of energy loss. My magic was at its limit. I have no choice now, but to wait until my strength returns. Worry was creeping into me, like a leech that I couldn't shake off. For now, I shifted through the possibilities of our case.

*** Alaire's POV ***

"Don't mess with me!" I shouted, shrugging their holds off. Steven and Tharne didn't even bulged. Instead, they dragged me further from the bed.

"Are you insane? There's no way -" The priestess stood up and faced me.

"We can't be sure if we don't try it, Wrynlace!" I cut her off. Her face dimmed at my response, and I immediately regretted my words. I knew she meant no harm. She cared for me, but I couldn't refrain myself from doing something. "My Lady, those two are my best friends. You should understand that I couldn't just watch them wasting away."

"I agree with him, Wrynlace," Era said in a determined tone. She looked agitated beside the crying figure of Theletta.

"Stop talking like we don't feel the same," Jaed growled, an unusual response from a quiet soul like him. "I've tried accessing their their minds for a couple of times. The emptiness inside was so severe I couldn't help but retreat. Someone weaker than me could easily be swallowed whole and lose his mind."

"Don't underestimate me, priest." I shoved my captors away, inevitably losing my cool. My jaw tightened as I unleashed my power. "I may not be as experienced as you, but I am a pure noble. I have much more magic within me."

I knew reasoning with them would be senseless and time-consuming. Without a second thought, I chanted a sleeping spell on everyone. They all went unconscious in an instant. I sighed as I fixed their positions from the ground. They would be mad at me, but I couldn't care less. I had my priorities set, and saving those two were on the top of the list.

"Sorry guys," I muttered as I placed a blanket on each of them. "Nobody could stop me."

No one, literally could, especially now that I've recovered my full powers and I've rested well enough. I took a deep breath as I sat on the bed. I eyed the two of them, who were both the cause of this mess. Abrielle seemed only asleep, lying on the bed peacefully. Yhuelle, on the other hand, was sitting on a chair beside her as if tending on someone sick. He was still holding her hand, his head on the bed too. What I found ironical about our situation was his smile. He looked... happy.

I snapped out of my reverie. I couldn't delay any longer. I cleared my mind and pressed my palms on their heads. I tapped on my magic pool and allowed my consciousness to be linked to theirs. Yhuelle's mind was practically empty. He had no thoughts. He had no dreams. It was exactly like I suspected. His body was simply nothing but a shell, a container without its host.

I then removed my link from him and concentrated on Abrielle's mind. It was so dark that at first I thought I closed my eyes. I was diving deeper into her mind, but still didn't reach the bottom.

What the heck is this?

Just then did I realize how true Jaed's words were. If you were a weakling, you had no chance of ever going back on the surface. The swirling black mass of negative emotions bothered me. Oh, but that didn't daunt me. I had the will of iron. I grinned at that thought as I continued on my astral journey.

It looked like I would need to traverse this for all eternity. But hey, eternity didn't sound so bad. At least to someone as enthusiastic as me, it's better than doing nothing.

*** Abrielle's POV ***

I noticed that something changed. I could sense a foreign entity from a distance. It was approaching us; I could feel it although it was too far away for me to pinpoint it.

I turned to Yhuelle when he stirred from my lap. It was the first movement he made aside from breathing since I defeated my ego. He groaned when he made the mistake of moving his injured arm. I tried to numb his pain, although I had no idea whether my spell worked or not.

I didn't notice that I fell asleep. I didn't now whether I should call a state of 'stupor' or numbness while inside my mind, 'sleeping'. I guess it's understandable. I was alerted when I felt the quirk from before nearer to us. It was a vague presence. Somehow, it resembled someone I knew...

"I finally found you!"

I didn't understand my emotions at that time. When I saw his face, when I stared at his eyes, when I glimpsed at his silly grin, I was suddenly filled with relief and mirth that I began crying. I was totally glad, kind of confused and yet overwhelmed by the fact that he was here. Perhaps I was shocked too, and perhaps a bit sad.

"Ali!" I sobbed as he pulled me into a warm brotherly hug. "Ali!"

"Hush. You finally met me and all you're going to do was cry?" He patted my head, comforting me by his presence. I noticed that he stiffened when he saw Yhuelle. "What happened to him?"

"A long story," I replied in a clipped voice.

"Tell me later. He doesn't look good. This was his soul. It needs to be repaired before it returns to his body. There's lot of damages... "

"What do you mean? This is not just a normal mind - ?"

My voice faded when I saw the look he had on his face. It was his expression that told me Yhuelle did something unforgivable. He was sincere, and abnormally composed too.

"No. This bastard used Abyss."

"What?!" My throat went dry. My lungs were suddenly empty, like there was no air. I realized I couldn't breath.

"Come on," he carried Yhuelle with him. "Let's leave."

"I've been trying that since - "

"I know the way. Trust me, Ab."

I nodded and swiftly followed him.