The Dragon's Kiss

Chapter 228 NINE: A Strange Dream

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That night, Kel fell asleep feeling happy and a bit excited.

Perhaps, that's why she had such a strange dream.

It began in a familiar way:

She was sitting under a canopy of brilliant green trees, her legs folded neatly under her and a delicate lace dress splaying out around her.

In her hands were a cookie and cup of steaming tea.

"That dress doesn't suit you at all!"

A boy's voice mocked from off to her left.

She looked over to see Dash kneeling beside her, his hands full of sweet treats as well.

"Well, I think it looks lovely on you, Kel!"

A shrill voice contradicted Dash, and Kel saw Adriell sitting to her right, sticking her tongue out at the boy.

A tea party amongst three friends in the golden rays of summer sun.

The scene was nothing out of the ordinary. The friends giggled and teased each other in between filling their mouths with sweets. A soft breeze made the leaves rustle around them while insects hummed and birds chirped from their hiding places among the branches.

Whether it was an actual moment from deep in Kel's memory or a serene dream her mind enjoyed escaping to, she didn't know.

But she'd seen it many times before.

Things began to become unfamiliar very quickly, however.

"Keliyah! Dashien!"

Itzae came stomping out of the trees and into the middle of their picnic.

"Oh, Princess Adriell," he grinned and scratched the back of his head, "I didn't know you were here too."

"Hello, Sir Itzae," Adriell greeted warmly.

"You won't mind if I borrow these two hooligans for a minute, will you?"

The exchange was normal. It was exactly the way Adriell and Itzae would act.

But Kel was certain it had never happened, neither in past dreams nor real life.

The strangeness didn't stop there.

After their pleasant exchange, Adriell graciously granted her two friends to Itzae, who proceeded to lead them deeper into the forest. 

Kel should have wondered where they were going, but she didn't. 

Dash also didn't ask about why the man was leading them so far into the trees. In fact, he hadn't said anything for a while..

"Dash!"

Kel whipped her head around, looking for her friend, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Dash?" She called again. "Uncle, Dash is-"

She froze.

Itzae had disappeared as well.

"Where.." Kel spun around, looking for a sign of either of her companions.

It was no use. She was entirely alone.

Unsure what else to do, she continued walking through the trees. 

Eventually, her thoughts blurred with the greenery around her.

Where was she? How long had she been there?

"..el!"

Kel's ears pricked.

"..Kel!"

It was faint, but she definitely heard someone calling her name.

Frantically, she dashed toward the voice. But as she ran, the trees grew tighter around her and the ground more unsteady.

"Oof!"

Kel grunted as she tripped over a raised tree root, crashing to the ground.

She winced as she grabbed at her bleeding knee only to realize it didn't actually hurt.

What should have been warm blood trickled down her leg, but it may as well have been an illusion. Not only pain, she couldn't feel anything.

While she sat, marveling over her bloody knee, figures began to emerge from the trees around her.

Their faces were nothing but a gray hole, but each one had fluttering golden locks of hair.

She looked up slowly as they approached her, strangely unafraid of the faceless creatures.

"Kel!"

"Kel!"

One by one, they began calling her name.

"Kel! Kel!"

"Kel!!!"

She jolted awake as a particularly loud call penetrated through her dream.

"I've been calling you for a while now."

Calix's worried face hovered over her, his hands grasping her by the shoulders.

"You're drenched in sweat," he continued. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Kel shook her head trying to clear her thoughts.

"No.. not exactly a nightmare," she replied, her brow furrowed in thought.

Usually nonsensical dreams like that fade away quickly upon waking, but every moment of the bizarre experience remained vividly in her mind.

"It was strange," she mumbled, mostly to herself. 'They all had blonde hair. And they called my name."

"Who is 'they'?" Calix questioned, still desperately clinging to her shoulders, as if she'd disappear the moment he let go.

"I don't know," Kel still stared off in a daze. "They didn't have.. faces.."

She glanced up at Calix, suddenly becoming conscious of his presence. 

He held her gaze for several moments before pulling her into his chest, tucking his arms around her.

"It was just a dream," he whispered. "It doesn't mean anything."

But why did it sound like he was trying to convince himself as much as Kel?

Since learning of the possibility of having a real family, Kel had been having all sorts of thoughts and imaginings about it. Could those ominous golden-haired figures have been her subconscious self sorting through her emotions?

Or.. could it be something more?

A sudden chill came over her.

The faceless beings that the dream version of herself hadn't even flinched at were slowly becoming more and more terrifying to think about.

Calix felt her shiver and hugged her more tightly.

Perhaps it was his uncharacteristic actions that were making her feel so uneasy.

Just what was her body doing while her mind was dreaming in order to make him act this way?

As the gray morning sun slowly climbed above the horizon, they stayed there like that.

Both comforting each other from some nameless fear--something that couldn't be seen, heard, or touched, but hung over the both of them suffocatingly.

Eventually, the sun's rays filtered into the room, chasing away some of the darkness. As the soft warmth heated their skin, Kel's heart began to fill a little lighter.

Soon, it all felt like just a strange dream and nothing more.

She pulled back from Calix with a sheepish smile. The parts where their skin had been touching were coated in sweat all over again.

"A-anyway," she cleared her throat. "I think I'll go have a bath."

"Mmmm," the Emperor hummed, his lips curling into a smile of their own.

"Let's go."