In the quiet aftermath of a stormy nightmare, Sol roused from unconsciousness. His brow was slick with sweat, his breath labored, as if he'd been fighting a battle in his dreams. The images were a blur of fire and death, the specter of a once-peaceful slumber, now mercilessly violated.
A gentle touch, along with a familiar voice, anchored him back to reality.
"Relax, Sol, it's just me," Hannah's words resonated in his ears, her concern evident in her voice.
Slowly, he sat upright, heart pounding like a war drum, disoriented and still reeling from the vivid intensity of his dreams.
"What...where am I?" Sol managed to croak out. His vision swam, the bright light stabbing at his eyes like icy needles.
"You're at the hospital, dear. We found you unconscious by the dock, in the rain." Came the tender voice of his mother, her hand grasping his with a vice-like intensity. Her eyes were brimming with worry, while her mind was plagued with the possibilities of what might have happened to him.
Regaining some measure of composure, Sol tried to brush it off. "I must have seen something out there... must've been a hallucination."
Pausing for a bit, he sighed.
"I...don't know."
He leaned back against the comforting mound of pillows, noting the presence of his family, and Hannah.
He frowned slightly at the sight of Hannah. Though he enjoyed her company, she didn't need to worry herself over him. But then again, that was just like Hannah, always there for him.
"The doctor believes you may have been struck by lightning, Sol. It's miraculous you survived. And look at this." Hannah gestured, revealing a distinct mark on Sol's skin that bore an uncanny resemblance to a dragon.
Caught in the hazy aftermath of his experience, Sol took a moment to process what she had just said. A glance at the dragon-like mark sent his mind reeling back to the creature in his dream.
'It couldn't be...'
Dismissing the thought, Sol reached for a glass of water, hoping the cool liquid would help clear his mind.
A small head found its way to the height of the bed.
"Will you come back home for tonight big brother?" A soft voice, laced with concern and longing, brought Sol back to the moment. His little sister, Ava, her face full of innocence, missed him dearly.
Sol's mother looked at her with a smile.
"Now now Ava, he just woke up." She said then turned back to Sol.
"Doctors have advised you to stay here overnight, just as a precaution." His mother explained. Her face, marked with worry lines, forced a weak smile onto Sol's pale visage.
"Hmm, skipping school tomorrow, huh? Can't argue with that." He replied, trying to inject some humor into the tense atmosphere.
His grandfather chimed in then, his voice filled with pride. "You're a strong lad, aren't you champ?" He flashed a wink over in his direction and was more impressed that his grandson could take a hit from a lightning strike. He couldn't wait to tell this to his old pals over some small talk during their golf trip tomorrow.
His mother's touch was gentle as she brushed his hair back, planting a loving kiss on his forehead. "We'll leave you to rest now. I'm just glad to know you're okay. We'll see you tomorrow, my love."
She looked at Hannah and gave a warm smile.
"Please look after him."
Hearing the weight of responsibility, Hannah straightened her back and saluted.
"Of course ma'am!"
Shortly after, Hannah said her goodbyes and told him she'll meet with him again tomorrow.
With that, he was left alone in the medical room. It didn't take him long to doze off, perhaps he was still tired after what happened to him.
The following day Sol felt somewhat recuperated from his ordeal and decided to head straight to the Faerie Café. The café, with its cozy ambiance and comforting aroma of coffee beans and freshly baked goods, was a familiar haven for him and Hannah.
Their table, tucked away in a quiet corner, was an island of calm amidst the café's soft hum of activity.
Upon seeing him, Hannah's eyes instinctively wandered towards the peculiar mark on his right shoulder. Her intrigue was mingled with a twinge of concern, as she grappled with the reality of Sol's near-death encounter.
"You're such a freak, Sol. Surviving a lightning strike is one thing, but you...you came out of it looking like you just got a tattoo." She teased, her tone light, yet masking an undercurrent of worry.
The playful jab did little to lighten Sol's mood, as his mind was occupied with the elusive fragments of memory from that fateful night. He looked intently at Hannah, his gaze earnest.
"I swear it was a dragon, Hannah. I wasn't that tired. I saw the dragon's silhouette during our ramen outing as well." He said, his voice just above a whisper.
"I'm not crazy, Hannah. You know I wouldn't make this up." Sol continued his plea for belief underscored with desperation. His words hung in the air, the absurdity of his claim not lost on either of them.
Hannah sighed softly, her skepticism clear.
"I know, Sol. It just seems... impossible. This is reality, it doesn't work like that." She reasoned, her scientific logic at odds with Sol's extraordinary claims.
Their conversation ebbed and flowed like this for a while, the air between them filled with the aroma of fresh fairy breadsticks and the rich scent of their cappuccinos. Hannah, a true lover of intellectual banter, cleverly steered their conversation towards quantum mechanics, her enthusiasm bringing a slight lift to the mood.
"My dad recently collaborated with a team of European scientists. They've developed an atom-teleportation device that can transport a single atom into a warped dimension, and then back to earth again." She explained, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"The unspecified location it goes to is still a matter of debate, though. Apparently, they can't track the exact location with their equipment." Hannah elaborated, her words painting a picture of a scientific breakthrough teetering on the edge of the fantastical.
A waitress approached their table, her friendly smile breaking their deep conversation.
"Anything else I can get you two? More cappuccinos, perhaps?" she offered.
"I'm done for today, thank you." he gestured. He met eyes with Hannah again before continuing. "Hannah, thanks for coming today I love to chat, but I really do need to go now. Got some errands to do." Sol muttered. He grabbed a final sip of the remaining drops of caffeine from the cup then placed enough money on the table to cover his meal and waved goodbye.
"Hey…you were supposed to pay for my meal!" Hannah shouted.
Her efforts went to waste as her voice faded faster than it could've reached Sol.
Leaving the comfort of the Faerie Café, Sol headed home, his mind a whirlwind of questions. His brief encounter with a dragon - or at least what he firmly believed to be one - had left him with a puzzling scar and an insatiable curiosity.
As he entered his home, he was greeted by the familiar scent of home-cooked meals and the warmth of his mother's smile.
"How was your day, Sol?" She asked. Her voice was soft yet brimming with concern.
"It was... interesting." Sol replied, attempting to keep his tone casual. "Hannah and I discussed some fascinating stuff about quantum mechanics at the café."
His mother nodded, pleased to see him engaging in his usual activities. "That's good, dear. You should get some rest. You've had a big day."
"Will do, Mom." Sol said, ascending the staircase that led to his room.
Once in the sanctuary of his room, he snapped a clear photo of his dragon scar and uploaded it onto the internet. His fingers danced across the keyboard as he delved into the labyrinthine world of online research, each click pulling him deeper into the rabbit hole of ancient symbols, pagan rituals, and forgotten languages.
Hours passed, yet time seemed irrelevant as Sol discovered that his scar was in fact a symbol used by pagans during the 6th century. A symbol with a purpose, a symbol that was meant to do something. His heart pounded in his chest as he found a hidden passage tied to the symbol. The words of the passage were foreign, yet they resonated with him, like an ancient song remembered by the soul.
His voice echoed in the room as he recited the passage out loud, the foreign words rolling off his tongue with an eerie fluency. Suddenly, his dragon scar began to glow, bathing his room in an ethereal light. The world around him seemed to warp and shift, the familiar confines of his room dissolving into a vortex of colors and light.
In a bewildering moment, the air around him congealed, freezing time itself, as an inexplicable force gradually drew particles of dust towards him. Suddenly, with an abrupt surge, the force intensified, causing the surrounding lights to become blinding. In an instant, Sol vanished from his room, as if erased from this dimension entirely. All that remained was cascading paper, swirling dust, subtly displaced furniture, and flickering lights. Sol found himself transported to an entirely different realm. He stood atop a grassy knoll, surveying an expansive, untamed landscape. Majestic mountains loomed in the distance, while a pristine river meandered through the valley below. Above him, the sky dazzled with hues so vivid they seemed plucked from the realm of imagination.
'What the...where am I?' Sol thought.
As the enchanting beauty of this strange land revealed itself, Sol was gripped by a harsh reality that interrupted his awestruck gaze. His stomach churned violently, as though rebelling against the odd method of appearing on this world, he found himself hunched over, retching onto the lush green grass.
'Did I just warp here?'
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His body was disoriented, and his senses were scrambling to adjust to the abrupt displacement. He felt like a radio tuned to the wrong station, with static and noise replacing harmony and rhythm.
Pushing through the discomfort, Sol got up took his first hesitant steps into this foreign land, his boots sinking slightly into the soft earth beneath him. He found himself following a forest path that winded its way between towering trees, their branches whispering ancient secrets to the wind. The sights and sounds were exotic and strange, yet there was a certain harmony that hung in the air, an inviting promise of adventures yet to be discovered.
'A dirt trail...I might be able to find help if I follow this'
His senses, though initially unsettled, began to pick up on the symphony of nature around him. The chirping of alien birds, the rustling of unseen creatures in the undergrowth, the heady scent of foreign flowers – they were all pieces of a grand puzzle that he yearned to solve.
However, his solitary journey was cut short by the unexpected interruption of crude laughter. From the thick undergrowth emerged a gang of individuals, their sneering faces masked by unkempt hair and grime. Their eyes glinted dangerously in the dim forest light, and they carried with them an air of menace.
Sol threw his hands up in an attempt to look harmless.
"Uh, hello guys, I was just wondering if you can show me where the city is?"
One of them walk forwards with a laughter.
"Why of course we can!" The individual looked behind Sol and nodded.
Before Sol could react, a hard object collided with the back of his head. Pain exploded across his skull, blinding him momentarily. His legs buckled beneath him, and as he fell to the ground, consciousness slipped from his grasp. His last vision was a group of grinning group of people, their laughter echoing hauntingly in the depths of the forest.