That day they all finished their meal.
The next day, early morning, 4:00 A.M.
Doctor John woke up to the sound of the alarm. With his diary and pen, he stepped outside. He glanced once toward Francis's tent. There was no light. Thinking Francis was asleep, he walked toward Rose. When he left, a movement stirred behind his tent. Immediately, it stepped out from the darkness into the light. It was Francis. Without making a sound, he walked toward Rose's tent. Francis had been hiding in a place where the moonlight could not reach. Because of the darkness, even his shadow could not be seen inside.
He sharpened his ears to know what was inside. Rose, in a low voice, was describing the terrible nightmare she had seen. Without understanding anything, Francis stood outside listening to everything. After it was over, the doctor came out. Francis watched as the doctor went back into his own tent.
He came in front of Rose's tent to see what she was doing. Then he pulled aside the curtain at the entrance of the tent. As he looked inside, Francis saw the sight of her sleeping with her eyes closed. Not understanding what was really happening, he went back to his own tent. Having drunk a lot of water, he relieved himself and then lay down to sleep.
Even though he tried to sleep, Francis's thoughts were entirely about Rose. Thus, that day passed without any major disturbance. Yet, it never left Francis's mind. The next morning, the same thing happened again. At four o'clock, the doctor went to her tent, spent a little time there asking about the dream she had seen, and then returned. Since Francis could not understand anything, he went back to his own tent once again.
It was the third day since the practice of lucid dreaming had begun. That day, at four in the morning, Francis was unable to wake up. Doctor John, awakened by the alarm, took his diary and pen as usual and went to Rose. That night as well, she had seen the very same dream. After the doctor gave her a sip of water, he returned to his own tent. Rose closed her eyes and began practicing the W.I.L.D technique. She focused her attention on the rhythm of her breathing. Even the gentle rustling of the leaves swaying in the wind outside could be heard clearly and soothingly. Rose started reciting the mantra in her mind.
"I want to have a lucid dream tonight."
She kept repeating it silently for about ten minutes. Then, to perform a reality check, she opened her eyes.
Her eyes darted toward her hands. A sudden fear crept into her mind. The positions of her hands had switched. She quickly looked at her legs, but there was no change in their position. Instead, the number of toes had increased. Inside the tent, all the items placed around her were floating in midair. It was not a pleasant sight. The fear in her heart doubled. She had never expected a lucid dream to happen so suddenly.
She had believed it would be just like any other ordinary day, but she was wrong. She tried to slowly bring herself back to a state of calm. Suddenly, in her sleep paralysis, a dark and terrifying figure appeared, clutching at her neck. The sight of it made her breath halt for a moment. At once, a spark flashed in her mind. She realized she was now standing at the door of the dream world, and entering it would not be so easy. The moment Rose understood that whatever she thought of would come true, she moved her lips and let out a sound.
"Let it dissolve into dust in the air."
The next moment, the figure disintegrated into black dust, vanishing into the air. Rose's eyes widened in astonishment at the sight. She thought of something small within her mind.
"Let me be born into a better world."
The place where she lay was suddenly enveloped in smoke. It slowly wrapped around her, and her eyes began to close. Rose drifted rapidly into the void, with the smoke carrying her as though it were her vehicle.
Suddenly, she jolted awake, as if struck on the head. For two or three moments, she forgot who she was and where she had come from. When the haze lifted, she suddenly realized she was Rose, the girl who had entered a new world through lucid dreaming. At once, Peter's words flashed through her mind: once she arrived in this world, after some time she would forget who she was and where she came from.
That very thought stirred fear within her. A sharp pain struck her head, so intense it felt like her skull might burst apart. Her memories dissolved into emptiness, and confusion consumed her once again.
This time, when she opened her eyes fully, she saw herself lying on a bed made of wood. The entire room was decorated with wooden carvings. Even the table beside her, the kettle, and the glasses upon it were all crafted from wood.
Her eyes then caught sight of a shelf lined with books. Even their covers were wrapped in wooden bindings. Rose was filled with wonder at everything she saw.
"Angel, it's time to come down!"
A young boy's voice echoed in her ears, pulling her abruptly out of her thoughts. The wooden door creaked open, and a small boy stepped into her room. He had white hair and striking green eyes. His height was quite short, and without hesitation, he ran straight toward Rose. Once again, he called her Angel.
"Angel, come down! It's time to eat."
At that moment, a woman appeared at the doorway.
"Elrian… I told you not to call her Angel. That will only bring danger upon her," the woman said in a stern voice.
"Alright, Mother," he replied, glancing once more at Rose.
"Come on, let's go eat, Lucy." Elrian, the little boy, addressed her by another name.
In that instant, Rose suddenly realized he must be her younger brother. And the woman standing outside the door might very well be her mother.
"I'll come, Elrian. But… why did you call me Angel?" Rose asked.
Hearing this question, Elrian looked utterly surprised. After a moment's pause, he answered,
"That's your real name, Sister. Don't you know that already? Then why would you ask me such a thing?"
"Then why didn't you call me by that name?" she asked him once again. Elrian's expression changed.
"Did you get hit on the head or something, Chechi? Is that why you're talking crazy like this?"
"I was just joking, trying to mess with you. You go downstairs, I'll come in a moment," Lucy lied quickly, not wanting him to get suspicious. He left for downstairs at once.
Lucy couldn't understand anything. She remained lost in thought for a while.
"If I stay here any longer, he'll come back again," she thought, and quickly rose from the bed.
There was a washbasin in the room itself, made of wood. She went over to wash her face, but there was no handle or tap to open the pipe. Lucy grew confused. That's when she noticed something carved on the wall. She read it aloud:
"Velra thanor arelion."
The moment she spoke, water gushed out of the basin with force. The sight astonished her. Then suddenly, from behind the wall, a mirror slid out. For the first time, Lucy could see her face.
Her eyes were blue. Her cheeks glowed with a reddish flush. Her hair was golden. And then she noticed her neck on it was etched a blue butterfly. She couldn't understand its meaning. She stood there, stunned by her own beauty. Yet the clothes she wore were worn-out, in places even torn.
She washed her face and stepped out of the room. A large staircase made of wood descended before her. Holding onto the railing, Lucy went downstairs. At the table her mother and younger brother Elrian were already waiting. Lucy also sat down in a chair.
Her mother served them both wooden bowls, filling them with porridge. Even the ladle was carved out of wood. The three of them ate in silence. Elrian was the first to finish and stood up. He went over to the washbasin to wash his hands, spoke the words:
"Velra thanor arelion."
He washed and stepped aside. The other two repeated the same.
"Elrian, awaken the time."
At those words, Elrian used his supernatural power. He brought both his hands together, and a strange energy began to flow into them. He then directed it toward the wooden clock. Instantly, the clock came alive. Its wooden hands moved, and it spoke the time aloud:
"9:50 A.M."
Lucy stared in shock at what he had done, unable to understand.
The moment her mother heard the time, she quickly urged them to go outside. The three of them opened the main door and stepped out.
What Lucy saw astonished her. All around stood houses made entirely of wood, and from them, people began emerging. Far away, on the highest point in view, a radiant light shone. From that source, a glowing halo spread outward, bathing the entire region in brilliance.
As she looked on, the hundred or so people gathered there suddenly fell to their knees in reverence. Lucy, not knowing why, followed their action and knelt as well.
They all began to pray toward the light. After some time, a deep, resonant chime echoed across the land, startling Lucy. The moment it sounded, everyone stopped their prayers and began walking forward. Without understanding anything, Lucy too found her steps moving with theirs, carried forward with the crowd.
To be continued.....