.
.
.
"....?"
"...."
".....!"
...
Agh....my head...
It hurts.
It feels like a hammer is pounding into it...
Ch■■■■ slowly felt his eyelids open, in response to his thoughts waking him up.
...?
Where....
He captured the sight of what looked like brillant gold sculptures in the shape of large birds, etched into the ceiling of the place he had woken up in.
Birds....
Are they birds? They look odd.
They seem Larger...
What is that? What are they coated in?
.....oh....
They are dancing.
How beautiful.
Wait...are they even moving...?
Dammit it.
My head is spinning.
....or is the world just moving in circles...?
I cant tell.
Agh my head.
He squinted as he slowly rose to a sit from where he was laying.
He supported his head using one of his hands to press against his forehead.
The pounding just won't stop..!
As he sat upright, the layout of the place he was in began to be clearer.
He seemed to be in a wide hall area, with a grande ceiling that expand far beyond his left and right sides. The ceiling was arched, but at the very centre laid a large chandelier with birds being held to appear as if they were floating in mid air.
Around him, were multiple types of odd paintings, hanged and framed in multiple places along the walls. Some were of animals, others were of people, but one painting stood out amongst the rest.
A single small half portrait, of a lady in her late 20s or early 30s, stood still at the very centre of the hall, the lady had eyes in a colour he had never seen before, and hair as dark as the void he had just escaped from. The potrait was shielded by a semi-transparent black veil, and the lady was smiling – but only slightly, with the frame being made from wood instead of metal like the others around it.
He stared at that potrait for awhile, before he turned to inspect more of this strange area he had just woken up in.
The place that he was laying on looked like an antic couch, with beads outlining its figure in every place stitched. It had odd wavy patterns sewed onto its design, but he couldn't tell what it was. He had never seen such patterns before, but what was even more strange, were the shadings of the couch.
No, in fact, it was the shadings of everything in the room!
...?
What is this...
This odd shade....
Its like the ones in my dreams.
He reached foward to touch it, but as his fingers glazed the sofa, a voice interrupted him from behind, It startled him, making him immediately withdraw his hand back to his side and turn around.
Who-
"Hello! Oh, i am so glad to see your awake!"
A lady in his early 20s seemed to be speaking to him. She wore white gloves, had her hair tied in a elegant bun, and wore a dress an intricate puff-sleeved dress.
"Y-yes? I–"
..!
I can speak!
He was flustered. This situation was too sudden for him, and he didn't know what to do.
"Oh dear! You seem awfully pale. Wait one moment, let me fetch you a glass of ale"
"Ale..!? Wait- no!"
"I will just be a moment!"
The lady hurried off down the hall and into one of the rooms.
"Huh...."
What an odd lady.
Why did she talk like that...?
What an odd style of communication.
No.
Wait...
Everything about this is odd.
...where...am i?
Am i still...dreaming...?
He cupped his face with his hands, pinching his cheeks.
Ow!
Hmm, maybe not...
Then, a flash of knowledge came swirling in his head, like a tornado or a flood that carried bits of information, but messed everything up in the process as it swept.
Ah....
AHH!!!!!
It hurts. It hurts.
Why doesn't it stop!??
Then suddenly, from an aching, pounding pain, came clarity. His head had suddenly become clear of all the clouds and fog occupying it. He wasn't in pain anymore. In fact, it was the most clear he had ever felt.
He brushed the tip of his head slightly, to see if he felt any more pain. Nothing.
....the pain is gone...
Thank goodness....
He took this moment as an opportunity to finally observe his surrounding properly. He took his time observing the paintings, chairs, and carpets riddled along the halls, with occasional statues as it went further down.
But he felt like he was missing something, noticing that there was still a physical trobbing pain on himself, he looked down at his palms, only to discover that he had blood coming out of the nail marks he had made in the void.
...oh....
I.....
I really did dig too deep.
It....wasn't just a dream...?
Distraught, he stared at his hands in a daze.
Yuna.....
Grandpa....
.....i hope they are alright...
Despite his conversation with the "other-worldly being", he wasn't convinced.
That creature....
I don't believe it. No way.
There is no way they are gone.
I was....i was talking to them just awhile ago!
No...no..way.
Yuna...i promised to make cherry ice cream with her.
And grandpa..i said we would continue our talk tommorow!
No, no, no! This can't be happening.
Wake up!
*slap!*
He slapped himself across the cheek.
Nothing.
*slap!*
Nothing again.
No.
*slap!*
No.
*slap!!*
No.
No.
*slap!*
No.
*slap!*
NO.
Dammit!!! Why aren't i waking up??
It should be morning by now! I have been asleep for too long.
He began to panic, his breathing quickened and his fingers shivered.
Why...
Why am i not awake yet?!
He couldn't steady his thoughts, ...or his hands. They were both shaking uncontrollably.
I....
He felt his heart start to race, as sweat came down his forehead.
I'm panicked.
I'm panicked.....in a dream.
But this feels so real.
I have never felt like this before.
.....!
Am i actually....awake?
Is this not another dream...?
Slowly, his fingers stopped shaking, and his body calmed down.
He was losing hope.
What if...i am actually not dreaming?
What if....my world is actually gone?
Then,...
Yuna...
Grandpa...
They....
He shoke his head. NO!They have to be somewhere.
But where?
....!
That thing....that thing should know where they are.
Its....its trying to test me.
But...why..?
For what..?
Dammit it. What is even going on?!
I just.....
I just want to see them again.
He buried his head in his hands, closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself down.
*Tap!*
*Tap!*
*Tap!*
Not even a minute in, and an array of footsteps were heard from afar, getting nearer and nearer to where he was.
Chiyol sighed in defeat, as he raised his head to see the person that had walked up to him.
Its her again.
The lady with blonde hair, and....ruby eyes.
...?
Blonde? Ruby? Where did that word come from?
..?
Chiyol paused for a brief moment, rearranging his thoughts.
Have i always known that?
Blonde.....its...a colour.
A colour?
But i have not seen it before...
Why...do i know this..?
Although not well-versed in colours, as he had had not seen other shades apart from black and white till now, he remembered distinctly how new and different colours were called in his dreams. He would remember them as he was sleep, and then write down words or objects that the colours resembled or were referred to, in his notebook when he woke up.
He had been doing that consistently for 15 years. However, up until a momemt ago, he had forgotten such things. Now, the words seemed to flow naturally in his thoughts.
...?
Is this...because of the headache?
"Um...pardon me? Sir?"
..!
He had forgotten she was there for a bit.
He looked up and suddenly, his world changed. The colours were everywhere, and he knew what they were. They mesmerised him, as he felt a feeling he had never felt before. He was in utter awe of the beauty of this world.
"...beautiful.."
...!
Forgetting the lady was standing in front of him, the words slipped his tongue. His eyes widened in shock, as his hands covered his mouth.
"I- i didn't mean t-"
The lady chuckled slightly as she rased an eyebrow, eyes bleaming. "Well, thank you. Your not too bad looking yourself, mister...?"
Ah, i didn't mean you....
But...oh well...
Chiyol gulped. He tried to say his name, but it wouldn't work. The words weren't coming out of his mouth.
"Uhh...."
"I..."
The lady stared at him, and the nodded slightly before smiling. "Haha its alright, you must still be in a daze. After all, you just woke up."
She placed her hand above the left side of her chest, and said, "My name is Amber. Its a pleasure to meet you."