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</div>The echoes of their laughter were carried through the spring breeze and toward the mountain peaks. Spring flourished on the lands; the wafts of flowers and refreshing clean air were deeply embedded in her memories. Feeling the ground beneath her feet once more, she smiled at him as he looked at her in such a special way. It was a feeling that no word could ever express as she had felt the same way. <b>“Good!”</b> she giggled again before turning away to look at the world in front of them, <b>“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this place—<i>this is ours</i>… Our life is waiting for us here.”</b><br/>
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Tucking a loose brunette strand behind her ear, she glanced over her shoulder, <b>“Em—what?”</b> As soon as she turned around, the beautiful mountainside atmosphere of spring had grown desolate and gray. The gentle breeze turned harsh as the warm rays of sunlight were no longer illuminating against the grassy hills. Aware of her new surroundings, she looked to the skies as they were shrouded in gray clouds—not a single blue sky peeked through them. The strong winds cut through her smooth skin as the falling flowers had been replaced with burning embers against the wintry mountains. Her bare feet frozen in place as snow blanketed the ground as high as her ankles; hugging herself to keep the warmth close she searched for him.<br/>
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Shadows loomed over the villages as some houses were ablaze with raging flames. People scurried outside as the peaceful atmosphere became a deafening cry for help. <b>“What is,”</b> words unable to be spoken were kept muffled in her throat as she continued to search for him. The world around them was in complete disarray and confusion set in. She tried to say his name, whispering it for the winds to carry through; but only a puff of vapor filled the air as the temperature dropped considerably around her. Grasping at her arms, she pushed forward as she left a trail of footsteps behind her. A figure approached as they grasped her wrist, pulling her toward the safety of the forest. She resisted with all her might, shaking her head, and crying out his name. The figure was persistent as they continued to pull her in as the flames jumped from one house to the next with no intention of stopping. Fear crept onto her features as her brows furrowed in a mix of emotion. Glancing over her shoulders, she called out for him as his words echoed in her mind. '<i>Never.'</i> But no matter how hard she searched, Emillian was <i>nowhere</i> to be found, again.<br/>
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A chilling scream broke out in the distance through the forest; and quickly her attention was drawn to it. However, it was short-lived as her eyes widened in fear; her brown eyes inched slowly upwards towards the heavens to watch the impending doom erupt around her. With a jostle of the ground quaking underneath her feet, the snow cracked before falling away and the grip on her wrist was loosened before completely setting her free. Time seemed to slow down as her eyes found their way back on the horizon, reminiscing about the sunrise during spring. Her petite frame was tossed into the sky before gravity pulled her down; falling with the land that could no longer support her. The cries of fear from the world around her was now muted; their sounds muddled by her own fear of losing someone she deeply cared for. The horizon was bare but was burning hues of red and orange. The world was losing hope; and she outstretched her hand toward the blazing fires near the horizon line, <b>“Emil…”</b> Down her body fell until she felt a hard pull catch her, almost jerking her body forward and Celine abruptly shot up from her bed to awaken from her dream. Clutching her shirt once more, she inhaled deeply through her mouth as her chest heaved from the sudden jerk movements.<br/>
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The morning sunlight peeked through her sheer curtains as she furrowed her brows in a state of relief. Burying her head in her hands, she groaned as her mind recollected the fragments of her dream. She had dreamt of him again, but there was something about this dream that was different from the others. This was the first time she could actually <i>feel</i> his presence—as though he was also witnessing her dreams come to life. Shaking her head in disbelief, she looked at her clock and trudged out of bed to start her day.<br/>
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</div>Towards the end of the day, with work and her chores out of the way, Celine was able to find a moment to herself as she sat at her dining room table. She eyed the ornate box that held her sleep remedy contemplating on whether she should ask the shopkeeper about her lucid dreams. She had to admit that without the magical dust, she would have been a zombie from the insomnia and perhaps her body wouldn’t be able to adapt or cope with the few hours of sleep (or lack thereof). Ever since she had listened to her friend about trying out the magical shop, she had been enjoying getting a good night’s rest every night. However, these past couple of days have been riddling her mind with questions and wanting answers as to who was this Emillian and why was she dreaming of him? The dream was always set in the same setting and it would always end the same, but she would always wake up before she could see what happened next. Regardless of it all, the strong feeling that was tied to her soul continuously made her feel restless as though there was something she needed to do.<br/>
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Slipping off her chair, she stood up and approached the box that was sitting on her dresser. She traced her thumb over the detailed foliage as the engraved design was etched into the wood. There were a few rough edges near the corners and near the metal lock, but none of it answered her questions. Carrying the box with her, she sat on her bed as she placed it on her nightstand next to her clock. <b>“I can’t make sense of it,”</b> she spoke out loud—part of her was talking to herself while the other part was addressing the box—looking over the intricate details wondering if they were part of some puzzle. <b>“You’ve helped me sleep soundly and yet; these recent dreams have been constantly waking me up. Am I supposed to find some hidden meaning? Something that I haven’t been aware of? Am I doing something wrong?”</b> More questions seemed to pour out effortlessly as she thought back to the shopkeeper’s words about making sure to lock the box every night after she dusted some on her pillow before bed. Tilting her head to one side, her mind continued to be in deep thought as she tried to retrace everything in her mind before nodding her head softly.<br/>
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Celine let out a frustrated sigh as she finally concluded that perhaps she was overthinking things. The dreams could be something entirely not connected to the box and something was bothering her with work or her friends. Not dwelling on another thought about it, she stood from her bed and retrieved the key as she decided it was for the best to sleep it off. She was thankful that the next morning would be a weekend—her day-off—and she could sleep late even if she had another intense dream. Unlocking the box, she opened the lid slightly to take a pinch of dust to sprinkle it on her pillow before closing the lid. However, before she was able to lock it like she normally did every night, her phone rang. Placing the key next to the box, she left it unattended, forgetting the most important thing. An hour later, with her mind preoccupied with other trivial matters, she tucked herself into bed and cozied up with her blankets. Celine couldn’t wait until tomorrow as she had been invited to lunch by one of her friends and they had a surprise for her when they would meet. Curiosity was getting the best of her. Once her mind settled on slumber, she slowly closed her eyes and inhaled the dust around her—once again carrying her off into her dreams.<br/>
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<fieldset class="ctaBbcodeFieldset"><legend class="ctaBbcodeLegend">‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‎· •  ⋄ ‎‏‏‎°  ⋆‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎</legend>‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎for <a class="username" data-user-id="2570" data-username="Nocturne" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/2570/">Nocturne</a> ; 1402 words</fieldset></div>