Jade dashes at breakneck speed, terrified. Every muscle is burning. The monster that lives in Jafar bubbles at the surface. She perceives it and senses its presence as he moves through the traveling groups. Flashes of crimson eyes amongst the travelers stir something inside her. She fears knowing that his followers exist. Surrounded by her friends and family, the sensations rage within her soul.

The cart’s worn state strikes her as she dashes through the convoy. With time, the paint almost completely fades. With each step she takes, the greater the changes in her life become. The sounds of movement and murmurs of joy drop off. A chill permeates her. She unexpectedly halts, yearning to advance. With a swift turn, she hears the call of desire.

There is this sense of want. A faint chilling melody stirs within her, reaching into her very being as she continues her journey. Hush whispers reach into a crevice of her mind. The resonance exists barely beyond her; A breath reaches her flesh. It approaches her gently at the outset. Her anxiety leads her to turn, scanning her surroundings, and she finds nothing but emptiness. She sees no one, isolated in the darkness. The light, a glimmer reflecting off a fire far off in the night.

Jade abruptly withdraws her breath. She turns on her heels, engulfed in a sensual mist. Miniscule pricks travel up her skin. Her skin is slick with sweat, and soft movements accompany it. Sounds that were prominent fade gently, dissipating as she remains motionless. The glow of the forest dissipates as each breath, each moment, fades into the distance. Her mind dulls under the weight of the unknown moment, the pocket of darkness. Her mind cannot maintain a thought, a memory.

“What are you?” Jade inquires of the darkness, hearing her heartbeat in her ears. The vein in her arm twitches faintly at the nothingness.

A string of unmistakable voices speaks nothing. There is no sense of a word. Just hundreds of differential thoughts running through her mind as she turns. She waits for a single voice, a thought that emerges as she stands still. Her fingers linger. Drawing symbols of mystic runes in the air.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Jade senses the wind rushing through her hair. The scent of something foreign reaches her. A sweet aroma, burned but tangy and sour. Her deep breath brings her close to experiencing it, as if it rests on her tongue. Jade’s stomach lurches at the sensation. But gradually, it becomes noticeably calmer. The feeling in her taste shifts. She immerses herself in her thoughts and finds a spark of optimism. A memory of her grandmother’s boar stew.

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The memory invades her mind. As a child, her grandmother stands beside her, preparing the dish. As Jade gazes into the unknown, she senses a hand, the appearance of a face. The calming features of her grandmother approach her in the darkness of her mind. Her grandmother’s face is soft and holds dozen of lines across her eyes and cheeks. An endless trove of memories gathered throughout her life. She consistently tells Jade that her life, a history full of a life rich in experiences, is something to be thankful for. Time marches on, aging us and our bodies, leading us to yearn for the days of our youth. An age untouched by passaging life.

Her grandmother’s words, “Life is a whisper at the end of a dream,” stay with her. The constant swirling of the present moment dances among memories of the past. A soul’s journey winds and evolves with each sunrise. That in the darkness, in the hidden world, there is something beautiful. Something everlasting that can hold the beauty of a world in a single breath. Achieving that breath, that serenity, is a feat surpassing the heavens themselves.

The texture and flavor of the taste on her tongue reminds Jade of the stew her grandmother used to make. This creates a longing, a bubbling desire for what has become a lasting memory. As Jade hastily shuts her eyes, a sharp pang of regret pierces her. Her grandmother’s features are so real, present, and mesmerizing. She steps forward, her lines flawlessly drawn and her eyes shimmer like translucent pools of color. Jade’s emerald eyes mirror back at her, as her spirit is an echo, constantly present. Her grandmother’s silken voice infuses her creations, from words to spells to recipes, with echoes of the past and dreams of the future.

The chilling voices echo through her mind again as she tries to silence them, her heart racing. Her fingers outstretch as the symbolism of the rune fades. The need, desire, and hunger build. She has to understand what is being said. Her grandmother’s lips move as she reaches out into the faint nothingness.

Tears stream down Jade’s face as she watches her grandmother’s light flicker, reaching out in vain to hold on to the only warmth she’s known. Making the world a safer place is something only she can do. She can destroy the monsters that lurk beneath. She has the power to preserve her innocence.

“Please stay!” Jade half shouts to the shimmering memory of her grandmother.

Her grandmother’s hand, fading from her mind, continues to reach forth. Jade’s fingers contact the touch, and her mind’s eye perceives something real. The strength of a frail hand grips hers as she hears the echoes of a faraway voice. Straining with all her might, she tries to understand the words, the essence of what is being said.

“What are you?” her voice reaches back to her, a timber lower, asking in a wicked growl.

“Afraid,” Jade whispers as her world goes black. Her mind collapses under her experiences’ weight and drifts into eternal nothingness.