35. Together
Marcelline—still trembling slightly, sweat clinging to her skin—collapsed back onto her bed.
Victor remained at her side, his sharp eyes scanning every shadow in the room.
Amara sat on the edge of the bed, claws gently flexing on her knees, concern radiating from her supreme beast aura.
Victor (low, worried):
"Elli… tell me everything. Every detail of the dream. Don't leave anything out."
Amara (soft but firm, teasing masked by worry):
"Yeah, my dramatic little devil… don't hold back. You've been screaming bloody murder, and I want answers."
Marcelline closed her eyes for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts.
Marcelline (voice shaky, quiet):
"It… it was a battlefield… everywhere was blood… bodies… creatures… angels, demons, beasts… all tearing each other apart."
She shuddered, pulling the blanket tighter around her.
Marcelline:
"I… I held a sword. A huge sword… armor I've never seen before… I was fighting… but not just fighting. I was part of the destruction. And…"
Her voice trembled, almost breaking.
Marcelline:
"…I've never seen any of this before… yet somehow… it felt familiar. Like I was remembering something I wasn't supposed to remember."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
Even his centuries of experience did not prepare him for this.
Victor:
"Familiar… how? Do you mean… you recognize it? Like memory?"
Marcelline nodded, her breathing still uneven.
Marcelline:
"Yes… it's impossible to explain. The pain, the fear, the chaos… every strike, every scream… I felt it, deep in my bones. And yet, I've never been there… or maybe I have, in some other life. Some other time."
Amara's tail flicked nervously, her expression shifting from teasing to serious.
Amara:
"…Elli… this isn't just a dream. You're sensing something ancient. Something… that happened long before we were even here."
Marcelline's hands trembled slightly as she tried to process it.
Marcelline:
"I don't understand it… but the sword, the armor, the battlefield… it all belongs to me somehow. Or maybe I belong to it. I don't know which."
Victor leaned closer, eyes dark and intense.
Victor:
"You felt the echoes of a war… the most horrific war of all time. The one that left scars across every race—beasts, angels, demons, fairies… a war that lasted thousands of years ago. And you… somehow… your blood… your soul… is connected to it, and we need to find out how...!! "
Amara's claws flexed, nails digging slightly into her palm.
Amara:
"And that war… that horror… it's resurfacing. That's why this darkness is moving now. That's why it found you tonight."
Marcelline swallowed hard, trying to steady her racing heartbeat.
Marcelline:
"So… it's not just a nightmare. It's a warning. Or… a memory?"
Victor's lips curved slightly, a mix of concern and admiration.
Victor:
"Both. And you're more powerful than you realize. That sword, that battlefield… it's awakening a part of you that has been dormant for centuries. That's why it terrified you, and why it feels… familiar."
Amara exhaled sharply, her playful teasing gone, replaced by a steely determination.
Amara:
"Well, whatever this is… whatever it wants, it will have to face all of us if it dares touch my family. Especially my daughter."
Marcelline nodded, still trembling but trying to regain composure.
Marcelline:
"…I felt everything. The blood, the cries, the fire… but I didn't see a single thing I've ever known. And yet… it called to me. It's calling again, I can feel it."
Victor reached over, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Victor (soft, teasing under current tension):
"You're terrifying even when you're dreaming, my unbeatable darling. But don't worry… we'll face whatever this is together."
Amara smirked, shaking her head:
Amara:
"Ha! 'Together'? More like we're going to have to babysit our little apocalypse queen until she's ready to annihilate it herself."
Marcelline gave them a small, tired smirk, her eyes still faintly glowing crimson from the nightmare's residue.
Marcelline:
"…Then we prepare. Whatever comes, I won't run. I can't."
Victor and Amara exchanged a glance—both serious, both silently acknowledging the storm that had awakened within her.
The room fell into tense silence.
Outside, the palace was quiet.
But deep in the shadows… something was stirring.
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