CHAPTER 10: A SLEEPLESS DREAM

The wind carries the eye-watering aroma of cooked food to my nostrils as I stumbled towards a well-lit campfire. “So-so cold.” Shivering as I try to create a small flame, I anguish as it flickers out moments later.

The sound of clapping and music emanates from the camp, only increasing my longing for warmth.  Step by step, the music gets louder and louder as I make out a ring of white circular tents surrounding a fire.

I really hope the message was right…

Finally reaching the back of a tent, I scan the campsite for food. Amongst the crowd of people singing and dancing, I spot a large man stirring a steaming cauldron. I guess he’s the chef.

Seemingly unnoticed amongst the celebrating, I walk in front of the cauldron directly; my mouth watering at the sweet aroma wafting through the air.

“C-c-can I p-p-please have some f-f-food.” I ask the man from behind the cauldron, teeth chattering from the icy cold.

The chef peers over the cauldron, wide-eyed as he sees my bony figure. “I ditin spek Rangarian. Geten learc” says the chef while handing me a bowl of stew as he marches off towards a tent.

Not caring about what the chef said, I scoff down the entire bowl in a moment; my body instantly heating as the nanobots use the energy to repair frostbite and warm my blood.

Feeling slightly guilty, I eat several more bowls until Simbrain notifies me it has sufficient material for a full repair. Deciding to wait for the chef to return, I sit next to the smouldering remains of a pit fire. Now full, my mind does not want to rest. Who are the Silent Ones?

And who sent them to kill me? More than that, who sent a message to help me? Perhaps a competing group? That would make the most sense, but why?

Questions race through my mind, leaving me more uncomfortable and confused than perhaps ever before. And the fact that the messages seemed to know the future didn’t exactly help my anxiety. Watching the last embers of flame spit from the fire, I think about the concept of entropy. My life only seems to become more disordered.

“Good evening, I see you made good use of our leftovers” my eyes snap to the direction of the voice; almost ready to suffocate its owner in panic. But I thankfully control myself. The man in front of me is tall with Luxurious robes and pointy ears. Oh, it’s an Elune… I haven't seen one of those in ages.

“I’m not going to hurt you. But I’m surprised though, I never thought he would be right.”  He?

The man looks down at me with a curious gaze, lifting a finger to his chin. “Well, perhaps you should come inside for a moment.” Following the man into one of the circular tents, I notice curious gazes from the crowd on me.

Thankfully the inside of the tent is warm and filled with bookshelves and desks lining the walls. Several small floating stone lanterns contained a yellow flame that seemed to emanate with an abundance of warmth.

Rifling through a small chest, the man walks back to me holding a pile of clothes. “This should be better.” Says the man while he walks to the exit. “I will go get Malisa, put them on and stay here, ok?” I give a slight nod before looking down at the brown dress with white frills around the hem, neck, and shoulders.

Putting on the clothes, I find them to be a little lose; At least they're warm. I also put on a pair of fur boots and thick trousers, as I watch the floating lanterns bob up and down with amusement. I wonder how they do that without someone constantly using magic.

Grabbing one from the air, I examine its interior. The flames block my view, So I barely make out writing that looks like a written enchantment. How could that even work? It’s not like the lantern has a consciousness…

“I see you like the lanterns. The other kids worked very hard on those” my eyes focus on a beautiful woman, red hair, blue eyes, wearing similar attire to me, probably somewhere in her early twenties.

“I guessing you’re Malisa?” I ask while letting the lantern slowly floats back into the air. The woman gives a kind smile before kneeling down to my height and reaching for a lantern of her own.

“I am, and what’s your name?”

I was led here by that message, and it seemed whoever sent it was protecting me. But… I don’t want a repeat of last time someone asked me that question. 

“Emily Rosefield”

The woman lets out a small chuckle before pushing the floating lantern she held towards me. I grabbed it before examining it carefully; carved into the stone was my full name ‘Lucy Bella Ellenvale’.

“He said you would give me that name. I have to admit; I didn’t think you would come though. I can’t see how that boy got everything right in the end… still, I’m not complaining. One hundred to escort you to the capital is no laughing matter.”

Someone predicted I would use that name? That’s… this is getting slightly insane. Perhaps it was that man who saved me earlier? I wouldn’t exactly describe him as a boy though. And taking me to the capital? Well, I guess that’s the best place to start looking for my parents.

“Um… did the boy say anything else? What did he look like?” Malisa looked slightly confused but shrugged. “Ah... let’s see… he was probably about seventeen or eighteen, perhaps half Elune, nothing else really of note. He didn’t really say much else either… just that you would find us when we got stuck at Yuling’s Pass on the 86th, that you would call yourself Emily but your real name was Lucy, and that you weren’t exactly to be treated like a child.”

Half Elune? Seventeen or eighteen?

Turning the lantern around in my hands, I try to imagine how someone could possibly predict not only my time of arrival, probably months ahead, but even a name I chose off the top of my head. They would either need the greatest computational ability imaginable, or they would need to receive information from the future.

Frankly, both options are absurd, impossible even. Yet… how else could that boy have known? I let the lantern go while yawning. I really need some sleep, I hardly did that for the last month.

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“Um... I guess you have somewhere for me to sleep?” Malisa gave a quick nod before leading me outside. The freezing cold was present, but my new clothes kept me warmer than before.

“you can stay with me and the other kids, I’ve prepared a blanket and pillow,”  said Malisa as we walked past a crowd of people drinking next to a fire.

“you said the boy paid you to escort me, but I guess you were already passing through here?”

Malisa’s face dropped slightly as we stopped in front of a tent. “He was right about you not being normal you know… I deal with kids your age all the time, your speech is far too developed. So, let me ask; do you know what a refugee is?”

Nodding my head, I look at the camp; hardly anyone seems to be speaking Rangarian, nor do they look rich enough to me merchants. “What was it? Disease, Poverty, hunger, or war?”

A bitter smile appeared on her face. “All of them.”

“I see.”

The tent was full with sleeping children who given the situation, I presume to be orphans. Several of them seemed to stir as I climbed into my own blankets. “Are your parents still alive?” whispered Malisa after she checked on a baby near the entrance.

Remember the conversation I overheard during my escape; I try to reassure myself. “I think so.”

Malisa looked concerned but didn’t say anything. Instead, she lay down next to me with her own blankets; falling asleep instantly. How do people do that… I usually take at least an hour before I sleep.

Rolling to my side, I wonder if my parents are still searching for me in Randalinst; it’s already been over a month… And it’s not like this world has the infrastructure to keep looking for someone.

…

Mum and dad are sitting across the table from me while eating breakfast. Evan packs his bag while Emery walks in sleepily with his glasses skewed. “I’m so glad you’re back Lucy. I was so worried about you.” Says mum as she reaches across the table to grab my hand.

“So was I, I hardly slept at all,” says dad while eating flying bacon as usual. Giving both of them a smile, I smother jam on my toast. “Same, I’m just glad all of you’re fine. Even Emery.” Emery looks over at me; a sense of disappointment obvious.

“But Lucy, how did you escape?” asks Evan as he sits next to me. Looking back at my breakfast, I try to remember how…

“Oh, that’s right! I killed them all!”

The sound of chairs scraping echoes through the room as I look up in horror. Both mum and dad float in the air lifeless, a single tear sliding down their faces. I turn to see Evan collapsed onto the table, while Emery lays on the ground bleeding from his mouth.

Did… I kill them? No… I couldn’t have; I only imagined it for a second. Tears well in my eyes as I stare at my mother once again. Only to jump when a small metallic object drops from her now outstretched hand onto mine; a small bronze key with the number 2472 engraved.

.

I wake up startled, almost jumping from my blankets. The tent swaying harshly in the wind as I sit. It was just a dream..? Feeling a sense of relief, I decide to step outside for a moment.

Stepping over Malisa, I pull back the flap to exit. However, I crash straight into a solid brick wall. Staring at the wall curiously, I remember my second birthday party. Heart pounding, I turn around to find myself surrounded in the same way. I knock and knock, scream and scream, but no one rescues me.

.

Running through a never-ending hallway lined with red doors and red carpet, I mutter each door’s number as I pass.

‘345.'

‘678.'

‘903.'

Looking down at the small bronze key in my hand, I run even faster towards ‘2472.’ The sound of laughter follows me, not a human’s laugh but a monster’s. It calls my name repeatedly as space seems to stretch before me. Until the next door is almost an eternity away. Dropping the key and scream as something penetrates my chest.

.

“Want an ice-cream? The robot’s coming our way” asks Natricia as I dust sand from my holo-phone. “Sure, get me hokey-pokey or something” Natricia walks out from under the shade of the umbrella towards the ice-cream robot.

Relaxing my head on the sand, I listen to the waves pounding against the shore. This would be perfect if only it weren't too hot…

“Here. Apparently, they only sell vanilla and chocolate.” Says Natricia while handing me a chocolate ice-cream. The flavours nice, but I’m surprised they have so few options. “Hey Jason, why didn’t you tell me about the eclipse today?”

I look at my wife confused.

“There isn’t an eclipse today...”

But then I notice the surroundings get darker, as my wife and everyone else points towards the sky. Looking up, I see the sun being slowly engulfed by darkness fro the outside to the centre. Until everything was dark. There was quiet at first, stars spanned the sky like never before; people staring in awe. But, it didn’t last long. The sun never came back, and so the day became cold.

I listened in shock as the screaming started, thousands of lights from people’s holo-phones moved in a stream of light through the darkness. Crying about the world end.

…

“Wake up!”

I feel myself being shaken as I open my eyes. Malisa standing beside me, I jolt up instantly. “Um… can you stop freezing us all to death.”

Looking across the room, a large blanket of snow beginning from my hand covers everything; the other children all staring at me frightened. Did I use magic in my sleep? Is that even possible…?

Turning the blanket of snow into a snowman, then warming the room with fire magic, I apologise to everyone and exit the tent. Noticing my much healthier arms, I try putting my weird dreams behind me. I just want to relax for once…

The morning light gleams off the snow as I make my way towards the chef from last night. The same sweet aroma filling my nostrils. “Good morning~” I sing while standing in front of him with a bowl.

The chef just nods before filling my bowl.

Sitting on a log, I take a small sip as my eyes open wide. I didn’t realise it last night, but the stew was beyond delicious. One of the things I have learnt recently is that taste buds really do matter more than mind when it comes to liking food. I would have absolutely hated this as Jason.

Activating light filters, I stare directly into the bright yellow sun. Thankfully there’s no sign of it disappearing anytime soon. “Do you mind if I join you?” asks Malisa as I continue thinking about my not so pleasant dreams. “Sure.”

I try to keep my mind occupied with other things for a while. Creating sequences and other stuff that Jason used to occupy his mind with. But it was no use, the events of yesterday and my dreams kept emerging in my mind.

“So… I see you look a lot healthier today. If only I could recover that fast.” Asks Malisa while eating playing with her food. “You know… I once met someone who could regrow a severed arm in a day. He was a bit like you actually, young yet distant, and excellent at magic.”

I perk my ears the moment she mentions regrowing an arm in a day. I know for a fact that healing magic isn’t capable of that… according to Emery anyway. So, the only way for that to happen would be to have Simbrain or something like it.

The Silent ones seemed capable of regenerating much faster than that, so perhaps… perhaps just maybe, it could be someone else from Sol! And what does she mean distant!? I try my best to be as sociable as possible! Even if it doesn’t always work…

“you wouldn’t happen to know where this boy lives, would you?”

Malisa nods her head. “I would. Although, if you want me to tell you; you’ll need to tell me how you do it… Deal?”

Tell her how to do what? Does she mean, regrow limbs? I guess I could tell her, it’s not like she’d understand anyway.  “Deal.”

Malisa smiles before handing me a piece of parchment. “It’s written on the other side.” Turning the parchment over, I see a poorly scribbled map with an arrow pointing towards Tredivate University. With a name: ‘Nathan humingul’

“Tredivate University? That’s in the capital, right?” I ask while trying to follow the map. Giving a small nod, Malisa gives me an expectant look. I guess I better keep my end of the deal.

“I have a quantum computer with several billion nanobots at its command. The box comes from another universe with significantly higher levels of technological advancement, although maybe not as much so as the Silent Ones.

Nanobots are tiny machines capable of manipulating individual molecules, and sometimes even atoms. In the case of repairing a severed arm, the quantum computer would send a message to the nanobots to interpret my DNA, and then build my arm piece by piece.”

Fortunately, Malisa didn’t seem to understand at all. “I thought you were just going to say magic like the other boy…”

“Well, I like telling the truth” yea… definitely the reason.

I start thinking about my goals. First things first; I need to find my parents. After that, I want to know what the fuck is going on… And since I’m going to the capital, I might as well talk to this boy. I should probably also focus on learning more offensive magic… I don’t know if I killed that military like man, but I’m certain that if he fired first; I would die.