A night passed as swiftly as it came, and my heavy eyes finally surrendered, dragging my exhausted body into a deep sleep. That night, I dreamed of a distant land where rivers ran gold beneath the sunlight, their surfaces glimmering like molten metal. The grass there was so vividly green that even the bright blue sky seemed pale beside it. In the heart of towering mountains crowned with snow stood a castle. It was neither grand nor humble, just large enough to shelter a small royal family.
I saw a girl, perhaps three years old, maybe a little older. She cradled a woman's severed head in her tiny arms. When her crimson eyes lifted to meet mine, warmth swept across my skin like sunlight after winter. The breeze stirred the leaves in a gentle dance, and the scent of fresh dew filled my lungs, washing away the fatigue I hadn't realized I carried. My eyes snapped open to find the same sunlight spilling through the tall trees above me, its glow painting the forest in shades of gold.
