Aria
Chapter 6
As I laid in my new bed, I replayed the events of the day in my mind. From the meeting with Jori to the visit to the pub with Jessinia and Marcus, it had been a day full of new experiences and new people. My mind was buzzing with excitement and curiosity, and I couldn't wait to see what tomorrow would bring.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. But as I drifted off to sleep, I was immediately engulfed by a strange and vivid dream.
I found myself in a dark and eerie forest, the branches of the trees reaching out like bony fingers in the gloom. A thick fog hung low to the ground, obscuring my vision and muffling all sounds. As I walked deeper into the woods, I felt a growing sense of unease and foreboding.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Jori, but he looked different somehow. His face was twisted in a grotesque grimace, and his eyes were black and lifeless. I tried to run, but my feet felt rooted to the ground.
"Follow me," he said, his voice a deep, hollow whisper.
I had no choice but to follow him as he led me deeper into the forest. The trees grew more twisted and gnarled, and the fog grew thicker and more suffocating, and there was a dark pond before us.
I see a woman standing at the edge of the water. Her hair is long and dark, and she's wearing a long white dress that's flowing in the wind. She's beckoning me with her hand, and I feel drawn to her.
I walk towards her, but the closer I get, the farther away she seems to be. I start to run, but it's like I'm running through molasses. The woman is fading away, and I feel a sense of panic rising in my chest.
Suddenly, I'm not in the water anymore. I'm standing in a field of tall grass, and the sun is shining down on me. I feel a sense of peace wash over me, but I can't shake the feeling that something is off.
As I walk through the field, I see a man in the distance. He's wearing a long black cloak, and his face is obscured by a hood. He's holding a staff in his hand, and he's beckoning me towards him.
I hesitate for a moment, but then I start to walk towards him. As I get closer, I start to feel a sense of dread in my stomach. Something about this man feels dangerous.
He stops in front of me, and I can see his face now. His eyes are black as coal, and his skin is pale as a ghost. He speaks, but his voice is distorted, like it's coming from far away.
"You shouldn't be here," he says. "This place is not for you."
I start to back away, but he steps closer. I can feel his breath on my face, and it smells like decay. I try to scream, but no sound comes out.
Suddenly, I'm falling. It's like I'm being sucked down a dark tunnel, and I can feel the wind rushing past me. I try to grab onto something, but there's nothing there.
When I finally hit the ground, I'm standing in a room that's completely unfamiliar to me. The walls are made of stone, and there's a musty smell in the air. I can hear the sound of running water, like a river in the distance.
I start to walk towards the sound, and I come to a set of stairs that lead down into the darkness. I hesitate for a moment, but then I start to descend the steps.
As I get closer to the bottom, I can see that there's a room illuminated by torches. There are people in the room, but they're not human. They're creatures that I've never seen before. Some of them have scales, others have fur, and some have wings.
They're all gathered around a stone altar, and there's a woman lying on top of it. She's unconscious, and there's a man standing over her with a knife.
I try to run towards the altar to stop him, but I'm frozen in place. I can only watch in horror as he plunges the knife into her chest.
The dream ends abruptly, and I wake up gasping for air. There's a noise coming from the other room, and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. I sit up and try to calm myself down, but the feeling of unease won't go away. Something is wrong, and I'm not sure what it is.