'I trust you…'
'You don't have a say in this!!'
She was running, barefoot. The halls stretched like a maze behind her, tapestries torn, the red stain of wine or was it blood? splattered across the floor. Someone was chasing her. No, watching her. Always watching.
A whisper echoed through the corridors:
'She's unfit... poisons the mind… silence the bloodline...'
'Wake too soon, you die again'
'She screamed no one heard. We did'
Time stopped, her soft yet bloody feet felt like was levitating. It wasn't the appropriate time to express her fear of height, and as if the eerie air around her had read her mind, it seized her dragging her down again with rough, violent speed.
Her lungs felt like water, like she couldn't breathe. Every bone in her body hurt, as if they had broken and were floating inside her blood. She was drowning in her own blood and couldn't move to adjust her disoriented body.
'…Not fair at all…'
'So painful… I'd rather die that feel all this…'
'What's all this. No who's this?' Her small strained voice whispered as her gaze sifted to the body floating next to hers. No her body was floating next to her.
What was all this? Dreams were natural cause in her life but this, felt so real. As is she had travelled to another realm in her dream. Suddenly the floating body turned and looked at her, smiling while blood flowed out her mouth.
It wasn't hers. Vein like or rather roots like in her delicate face ran to her hands, it felt like it was growing naturally… Like vegetation. Twisting black roots crawled along the ground, pulsing as if filled with blood. Dark red flowers bloomed from them—petals soft like velvet, but dripping with something thick and black, like poison.
'This body was never yours…'
'Sleep and we'll finish what we started…'
Her body jumped as if she was a wakening, all this energy merged and surrounded her like mist,
"Your heart beats in her chest! Let's stop this or we'll both losses our lives," This came natural as if besides her, not whispers anymore.
"She stole our futures, we'll take hers. One cut… just one cut and she'll vanish…" A hoarse voice uttered, thick with hatred, as if it slithered from the shadows themselves.
The voice came out rough, like nails scraping against metal harsh, grating and painful to hear. Even the shadows around her seemed to flinch, as if the sound disturbed more than just her. With a sudden whip of light, the shadows around her shrieked in agony twisting and writhing as if the light burned their very existence.
They let out voices like balloons losing air high-pitched, wheezing, and full of panic as the light tore through them. Sure enough, holes tore through their non-existent bodies, and one by one and vanished as if they had never been. All that remained was a foul odor, thick and bitter; strong enough to jolt the queen no, the former queen awake.
A warm liquid smeared across her face no, not liquid… something was licking her. Blinking against the dim light, her eyes settled on a small creature sleeping near her pillow. It looked cute, almost harmless… familiar, yet not. Its eyes too knew
its ears stood tall, and then flattened against its head, giving her a confused look,
"You're different... yet still yourself," it asked, voice soft but strange, like an echo inside her mind.
Too many questions flooded her mind at once sharp, echoing, and piercing like specks of glass. She clutched her head, the pressure unbearable.
"Stop…please, stop!" she screamed, the sound tearing from her throat as the strange voice clawed through her thoughts.
She wasn't used to this. The world, the voice, even her own reflection it was all too much, standing from her bed, her weak legs led her to the opposite room that seemed to be the bathroom.
The room was carved from smooth black stone, polished until it shimmered like obsidian. A large circular bath sat in the centre, sunken into the floor, filled with warm water that always seemed to steam scented faintly with jasmine and something older, like ancient herbs.
Tall silver mirrors lined the walls, slightly fogged around the edges, as if they remembered past reflections. Golden sconces held blue flame torches, casting flickering light that danced like shadows on water.
Along the side, a marble vanity was set with delicate crystal bottles perfumes, oils, and healing salves. Some labels were written in an old, unreadable language.
A silver brush sat atop a velvet cloth, strands of white-gold hair still tangled in its bristles. Even the air smelled of forgotten magic.
In her sight was the same pale delicate face that was on her dream,
"No… it only happened in movies. It's not real, I'm just dreaming and soon I'll be home," you'd mistake this as something normal that happen in her daily life because of how calm her face was but she was a mess inside.
"Because I'm here, let me enjoy this rare yet spooky." she whispered to herself, trailing her fingers through the warm water. Steam curled around her like ghostly fingers, and despite the unease in her chest, a strange calm settled over her.
She didn't know how long she had before the dream shifted again but for now, this eerie peace was hers.
"You wear my skin, but do you carry my soul?"
The words echoed like a breath against her neck soft, cold, and deeply unsettling.