I found myself levitating alone in the heart of Hexarium, but it wasn't as comforting and loving as it usually was. Instead, there was a chilling silence and a sense of urgency. The dark line I hadn't paid much attention to before called out to me.
I noticed that it fed from Hexarium's pool of magic, whispering words that I couldn't decipher.
A sinister spirit seemed to throb from within the line, and it reared back out of the pool like a viper and began to slither toward my spirit. Its form shifted, and more tendrils extended from its core, elongating and reaching out for me.
I couldn't move as they wrapped around my limbs, crawling up my body with a nightmarish determination.
Terror like I'd never felt before paralyzed me as I watched the spirit line tighten around me and drain my energy, sucking my magic. With each passing second, I felt my life force being ripped away from me. It left me helpless, doing exactly to me what it was doing to the heart of Hexarium.
Its influence spread through my veins, infecting my mind, and a surge of madness crept into my consciousness, distorting my thoughts and blurring the line between reality and nightmare.
Images of distorted faces and the sounds of malevolent laughter filled my senses before madness threatened to consume my sanity again.
I jolted awake in an instant, my body drenched in sweat as I gasped for air. My heart pounded wildly as I clutched my fists to my chest and scanned the room.
Warm light streamed through the window and illuminated the twins' and Silas's sleeping forms on our large bed.
Frowning, I realized that the panic thrumming through my veins during my nightmare hadn't woken them. I rubbed my palms against my cheeks, trying to wake myself up. The remnants of the nightmare clung to my memories.
Bastian and Aimon were the only ones missing.
I crawled out of bed, trembling as I gradually slipped off the end of the mattress.
Glancing back at the bed, I noticed Karma fast asleep between the twins and Cosmo sleeping on Silas's chest. Even my cats hadn't felt my distress in that hellish dreamscape.
Charm and Oz were missing, along with Aimon and Bastian, which meant they were with them.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I sought solace and comfort in my own embrace before forcing my wobbly legs to move me out into the living room. I was desperate to push the fleeting fragments of my dream away.
Bastian stood in front of the cauldron brewing the antidote again while Oz swatted at his head, floating just out of reach. "Come on, Oz, I'll play with you in a few," Bastian reasoned with my cat, but Oz just continued swatting at him. "These portions are off. I know for a fact the ingredients are right. I'm so close."
"You'll get it," Aimon assured him as he poured batter into a pan.
Charm meowed urgently before Aimon snapped his fingers and conjured a vine for her to play with.
"How's it going?" I rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes and stumbled in with loud footsteps.
"Morning, bug--" Aimon turned, and his eyes widened. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"Yeah, I did." I rubbed my chest where the tendrils of darkness had tightened around me the most. "Did you feel my fear through the bond?"
He shook his head. "No. But you're sweating, and you look terrified." He abandoned the pan and walked over to me, wrapping me in his comforting embrace. "It's odd that we didn't feel your distress through the bond."
"I don't know why. I wasn't hiding it or anything. Usually, my cats notice bad dreams, but they weren't aware this time either." I scowled, hugging him tighter.
"I'm sorry we didn't know, love." Bastian said from his spot next to the cauldron.
"It's not a big deal. I've had nightmares before."
"Well, let's take your mind off of it," Aimon suggested. "Do you wanna help me cook?"
I nodded, a smile spreading across my lips as we pulled apart and went into the kitchen. I loved the space that I had in the kitchen now that he and I renovated the cottage.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, filling the kitchen with a warm glow.
Aimon smiled at me as he stood in front of the stove, flipping pancakes with skillful ease.
It had been so long since I had pancakes, but Aimon made them from scratch all because I had mentioned how nice it would be to have.
