Some instances, rare instances, blood moon in the cloudless sky whilst a solar eclipse darkens the world type of instances... you dream a dream.

A dream so good, so vivid, and such a far cry from the mundane, you never ever want to wake up again.

Good times forever, you think to yourself.

Then, just as the greatest euphoric climax was nigh impending - somebody, somewhere hits you with the eject button and off you go springing out of your seat, your mind snapping back to reality... hazy and disoriented, squinty-eyed and confused, going, "Huh, where the happy times?"

Well, this was exactly that, but different, as contradictory as it was.

It wasn't a nice dream. Things happened in them, and none I could say really deserved to be called anything but bliss.

One headache after the other... forget a can of worms, felt like I just opened up an entire fucking factory of worm cans.

Yet, all the same, I didn't want to wake up from it. Not just yet, anyway. And yet all the same once again, I still did.

That somebody somewhere is gonna get it from me, and I know just exactly who to forward my grievances to.

My somebody somewhere with her little violet cloak.

Waking up was always the hardest part of every day - not this day. I woke up, sat up, to a chill in the air, a smidgen of orange in the sky, and the dampness of dewy grass beneath my open palms.

I immediately whirled my eyes down to the ground to where Ria's still sleeping face met my own.

It wasn't even a minute ago that I saw her walking away, going away... staring with those crimson eyes so distant and aloof.

Hard to believe that all happened, when all this time she was just here... still and lifeless.

Like a dream or something, y'know? Can somebody say dissonance?

I looked back up, and then...

Face to face, all up in my face, a glaring gleaming golden gaze. Sera was kneeling, staring.

Waking up to a cloaked figure with a veil and a hood - you say grim reaper, I say -

"Put me back, Sera," I said, my vocal cords seemingly transforming into sandpaper overnight. "I wasn't... done yet, I wasn't..."

It was only after a few more moments awake that I began to hear it, like a radio slowly tuning in to the right frequency... I heard, past the rustling of trees, morning birds chirping up above their morning melodies, the struggle to breathe, the gasps of fatigue...

Can't really see much of her, but I can indeed hear her, and I was hearing her loud and clear right then.

I don't think she's going to be able to put me back asleep anytime soon... and I suppose bedtime stories weren't gonna cut it.

"No more magic?" I asked.

Her nod was like a catapult launching a tidal wave of implications, which I immediately began to sort into sections from A to D.

A. I'm running on a timer.

B. Said timer was her magic supply.

C. I'm gonna have to do this all over again.

D. Sera doesn't like me leeching off of her.

Sera made this indescribable long-drawn noise, like a groan got lodged midway up her throat.

A question? A suggestion? An insult? A compliment?

She made that noise again, only just a wince bit more impatient sounding this time.

"Sorry, I don't speak dead people, remember?" I calmly told her. "Get more lively otherwise you'll just be grunting all day."

Another grunt, and this time I understood well - that's her annoyed. Understandable.

At her side, she raised her arm, her baggy sleeve hiding most of everything, save for the tip of her fingers, which now pointed towards the direction of the slumbering Phoenix.

Oh...

"Ah, yeah..." I breathed out. "I met her, yes..."

Sera titled her, the universal gesture for, '...and?'

"And things got complicated. Very complicated. I can now understand why you're struggling all this time."

A sigh this time, followed by her slumping her hand back to her side.

"Do we... try again?"

She shot a glare, then shot her other arm up, pointing towards the shrubbery and trees from whence we came.

I raised my brow, "You telling me to leave?"

A nod, an instant response.

"Okay..." I said, and yet still sitting flat. "Will we try again soon, though?"

She shook her head.

"Later?"

Same thing again.

"Way later?"

Her glare got dangerous-looking, and she pointed again with enough momentum in her arm to stab a dude... judging by her stare at me, I can kinda surmise who she's imagining wanting to skewer.

"Okay, okay..."

Got the message loud and clear... I slowly stood up to my feet, giving Ria one last brief glance before I started to move again.

Sera watched my ever departing step - the longer I took, the most displeased she grew.

I was starting to manifest doubts that needed clearing, so right before I took my vanishing steps into the woods, I turned back again.

"We will try again, won't we?" I asked, keeping my tone as amiable as possible. "Once you've rested enough..."

It was only from afar that I could fully see how much the process had taken a toll on her body.

For one thing, she was hunching. I think the reason why she was even kneeling in the first place was that she couldn't stand even if she wanted to.

The strained look in her eyes was something I was all too familiar with seeing on my own.

Deprivation would do that to you.

If the process was causing her this much distress, I feared she'd just up and abandon the entire thing altogether.

Why risk your own life for some nobody, right? Even if you did promise to help...

Bated breath, she looked at me... contempt, disgust, and anger all rolled up into one broiling expression - and nodded her head.

Okay, now I can go ahead in peace, and that's what I did, giving her finally her own peace of mind.

"Alright, see you same time, same place, then."

Retracing my steps back to the more populated area of the park was a whole lot harder with early-morning disorientation added to the mix.

Heavy aching legs were already bad enough, now I'm also lugging around some heavy mental baggage.

The things I've seen back there... the things I've heard... so fortunate I wasn't seeing a shrink or something cause otherwise, I'd be going homeless with all the appointments I'd be no doubt setting up.

Ria's mind was a jack in a box of limitless surprises... if I was coming back, if I was to be delving into her mind once more... then I'm going to need to prepare.

Meeting those children... talking to Latrissa, stepping into that burnt-down section of the forest made me realize just how woefully unequip I was all along.

I knew absolutely nothing about her. I thought I did, those days I spent in her company had me thinking I did.

Looking back with the things I know now... it was rather conceited of me to even think that.

I don't know her, I never did. But I do know someone who does.

Makes me wonder why the hell she wasn't here with me in the first place considering, well, everything.

You knew her practically all your life, Irene. Said it yourself... so why am I here and you aren't?

Where the hell are you, anyway?

Swear to God, once I get out of this park, I'll be getting those answers one way or another.

There was a tree that looked familiar, so I went in that direction. Then there was a berry bush that looked even more familiar so I kept going...

Eventually, after swiping away one last loose branch - I finally made it back to civilization.

Morning joggers off on their morning jogs, hustling school kids cutting through the park in their daily commute to garner some knowledge, and leave rakers raking leaves.

The morning crowd really was a glaring contrast to ones that surface in the night.

It was your normal everyday sight, nothing out of the ordinary... until I noticed that their gazes were being pulled in a certain direction.

So, drifting along with the status-quo, I found myself staring in that direction too.

If they were confused at what they were seeing, then I was downright flabbergasted.

Before I could even think, I was already speaking, "You didn't... you didn't go home?"

Her long ashen-white almost seemed to glimmer in the morning light - as did her eyes glittering like green gems...

She stood there at first, motionless, but once she caught sight of me... it was like a porcelain doll whirring to life.

Warm orange in the sky, a nippy breeze blowing through, making an already ethereal sight even more dreamlike.

I'd say pinch me, but the swelling pain in my calves kinda already affirms my solid grasp on reality.

I spoke again, wide-eyed and fully awake now, "Were you seriously out here the whole night?"

She stopped, stood inches in front of me, and just simply nodded her head. The way she did it so casual-like made me feel like I was the odd one here.

"But I didn't ask to..."

"Ahh, Master," She blew a weary breath, smiling a little slight smile. "If you sincerely believe even for the briefest moment that I'd depart here without you..."

"Pretty sure even Elves need their beauty sleep, don't they?"

"You're already aware that I care not for such frivolous matters," She reached a hand at me, and plucked a stray leaf from my cheek. "As your servant, to me, you're all that matters."

Such things really should not be said so casually. That was enough of a jump to the heart to compete with a damn defibrillator.

"Right..." I looked off elsewhere, suddenly finding everything else to be seriously fascinating. "How could I have forgotten?"

"Leaving that aside, Master..." Her gaze drifted, peeking over my shoulder. "In there... did you succeed in waking Mistress Ria?"

"No, not... not yet," I replied.

"Yet?"

"It's a long story."

"Do tell then."

I snorted.

"Alright, I guess we got the time..." I glanced over to the long, long pathway to the exit. "And the distance to match it…"

Luckily, this time, I got back my sturdy pillar to lean on.