#anna stories

[gildedworld]

Shopping

Alex hated everything about shopping and the mall. But most of all, he hated how crowded it was. Alex had absolutely no issues with the fact that most of his peers were regular humans - what made him uncomfortable was that there were so many of them.

Crowds had always made Alex nervous. He knew that even for a moment if he were to lose control, he could very well blow up the entire building. Of course, if he could turn off his mutation and the laser beams that shot out through his eyes, that would be ideal. But it wasn't the case unfortunately.

"I didn't realize that we were at a funeral." Rosaria's familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

"We aren't," he replied curtly, gesturing for her to get into his car.

"Then why do you look like you're going to one?" Rosaria countered as she climbed into his car, her eyes quickly skimming the interiors.

Alex's car was exactly like his room - neat, orderly, and without a single thing out of its place. Although he'd had the car for over 2 years now, it still looked as new as the day they'd bought it at the dealership.

Alex refused to answer the question and reached for the GPS, typing in the mall on its screen, watching it calibrate.

Rosaria watched Alex from the corner of her eyes as she ran her fingers through her hair. God, he's so stiff, she thought to herself silently.

"You know...," Rosaria began, reaching for her phone from her bag. "You don't have to come - I can go by myself," she added.

Alex shook his head slightly. "You can't drive - you don't have your license yet," he commented as he turned the car on, getting ready to drive.

Rosaria shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I could take the bus, or I could ask someone else to drop me off at the mall if they're going that way." she replied.

Alex rolled his eyes behind his glasses - Rosaria couldn't see it, but she could feel it.

"Terrible idea - that is how horror movies start," he commented dryly.

"The bus?" she replied, confused. "No - getting into a stranger's car," Alex responded dryly. "And as for the bus - you don't know who you'd be traveling with. For all you know, there might be crazy," he added.

Rosaria rolled her eyes at that. "Millions of people take the bus everyday Alex," she responded dryly.

"But not you," he countered, his eyes focused on the road as he drove. Rosaria's lips curved into a small smile at his response as she turned to look outside the window.

Alex hated the mall, and he hated shopping. He hated the crowds, he hated the idea of browsing, and he hated the traffic on the roads. But if he had to go, he'd go with rather Rosaria.

[gildedworld]

Sleep

July had always been a difficult time for Alexander. Exactly 7 years ago, the academy was invaded by the military forces of the United States, leading to the destruction of the Academy as Alexander knew it and the unfortunate death of so many mutants in the process.

While that did fundamentally change how Alexander and several other mutants also approached the topic of acceptance and co-existing with humans, it was only part of the reason. The real reason was that it was the day that he lost Rosaria.

Well, the world did.

He had always loved Rosaria. She had been the first mutant of the academy, and Alexander the second. They always had shared a special bond that developed into friendship and, eventually, something more as well.

He couldn't explain it in words, but he had always known that she was the one for him. If he believed in soul mates, she would be his, and he would be hers.

That is why it hurt him the way it did to lose her. Alexander refused to accept that she was dead. She couldn't be. After all, Rosaria was perhaps one of the strongest mutants he had ever encountered.

Equally, he refused to believe that she had any part to play in the invasion. Few knew Rosaria the way Alexander did - he was certain that she could never be a part of a sinister plot like that. It's why he had never entertained such garbage - and he had never been shy to make his point known to the people who did propagate it.

Even after 7 years, he remembered every minute of the invasion clearly. And he remembered-

“Alex how about this?” Francesca asked, snapping Alexander out of his thoughts.

“It's great,” he replied. Not that he knew what he was referring to.

“Really? I like the white one,” she replied, holding up what seemed to be a pair of white leggings to her waist, admiring them in the mirror.

“Great,” he answered, not knowing why the leggings she was holding up were not white. But he really didn't want to get into that at the moment.

“So you like the white ones too?” She asked, spinning around to face him, holding up yet another pair of seemingly white leggings.

Alexander nodded quietly.

“Are you sure because you said you like these ones,” Francesca pointed, holding up the first pair of leggings.

And at that, Alex sighed. He was starting to lose his patience now - both of them looked the same.

“Just pick one Francesca, “ Alex said, exasperated by the situation. “No one is going to be looking at your leggings anyway,” he added dryly.

Francesca's eyes narrowed at that. “Excuse me, but I have over a million followers and they wait to see what I wear every single day,” she began gesturing over her present outfit - a Lululemon cropped top, matching Lululemon Leggings, a pair of Adidas Samba sneakers, and a Lululemon crossbody bag around her waist to complete the look. “Besides, these are the latest leggings,” she added, scoffing lightly as she rolled her eyes and flipped her long brunette ponytail over her shoulder.

“I mean, you always get like this at this time,” she continued, throwing her arms up dramatically. “It's like your body's here, but you aren't, “ she added.

“Like,” Francesca began before sighing dramatically and storming out of her room, leaving Alex alone.

Alex, on the other hand, sighed. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. She's not wrong, he thought to himself. Every year around this time, he was the same - spaced out, distant.

Yes, it had been 7 years, but he just… couldn't. Even if the world had given up on her, Alexander never would. She had to be alive somewhere. He just knew it.

Sighing again, Alex opened his eyes and proceeded to walk out of Francesca’s room, locking up after himself.

The plan was to meet a few others for lunch but Alex really was not in the mood. So, he headed back towards his room, locking the door behind him and collapsing on the bed. Grabbing his phone, he shot Freya a quick text telling her that he wasn't going to make lunch after all. Sighing once more, he closed his eyes.

---

Rosaria stood still in the corner of the room, watching a very frustrated Alex try to fall asleep. He couldn't see her, of course - no one could because she wasn't physically there. But she was.

All she had wanted to do since when she was taken by the Order was to come back. But she knew it was too dangerous at the moment - half the world hated her and wanted her dead, and the other half thought she was dead.

Rosaria's lips curved into a small smile as she watched Alex sleep - his expressions and mannerisms were all the same. Quietly, she walked over to the bed and ran her fingers across the side of his face. Even if she was not physically there, she could feel the warmth of his skin. She could hear his heart beating - slow and calm and all of a sudden rapid.

Almost instantly, Alexander's left and moved to grab her wrist, and his eyes snapped open.

Rosaria's eyes widened - as she instantly stepped back, her wrist slipped through his fingers- literally. It dissolved into air as she stepped back, ultimately dissolving into air herself. After all, she was just astrally projecting- her physically body was still very much in Denmark with the Order.

---

Alexander, on the other hand, saw nothing - no one was there, and his fingers had curled into a tight fist, unable to grasp anytime but air.

Slowly propping himself up on the bed, Alexander leaned against the wooden bedframe.

What had just happened, he thought to himself silently as his eyes scanned the room for any signs of irregularities. But there were none.

Closing his eyes, Alexander sighed. None of this made any sense - no one was in the room, but for a moment, he could feel her. He could feel Rosaria with him, but he knew that made no logical sense.

Sighing once more, his eyes snapped open and he reached for his phone, quickly texting Freya to meet up.

Maybe Francesca did have a point after all, he thought to himself silently.

[gildedworld]

Good Night

Rosaria hated the night. To be fair, the day wasn’t too much better either. But the night especially she hated.

When other kids told people that there were monsters under their bed, or voices in their heads, the adults around them would take them somewhat seriously. But every single adult around Rosaria would just nod and ask her to be patient. She is dead, she has all the time in the world, Rosaria thought to herself silently as she stared up at the ceiling of her room blankly.

It was because she was a mutant - voices were expected. The adults would say, it was just the voices of other people around her - the inner thoughts and workings of their minds that lay exposed when they slept. But she knew that wasn’t the case. This voice was different. It was constant - it had been with Rosaria her entire life, constantly lurking at the back of her mind. 

It was hard for her to explain it in words. It was as if she had two people inside her - one being herself, and the second was her. She had a name - Rhiannon. She too had been alive at one point from what Rosaria had gathered - some sort of warrior queen in ancient Europe. And that in itself was never the problem. It was Rhiannon itself - her words, her mannerisms, and most of all, her looks. She was tall, slender and bore a striking resemblance to Rosaria herself. It wasn’t just the hair and eyes, it was everything about her.

“You won’t find me in the books your less than adequate tutor preaches from,” Rhiannon spoke calmly.

For others, at least their thoughts were private. But that was not the case for Rosaria - she shared a mind with Rhiannon. Rhiannon heard every single thing she thought of. Even the things she hadn’t told anyone about. Rhiannon knew it all. And then some.

“Maybe because you never existed,” Rosaria whispered calmly.

It wasn’t always that she saw Rhiannon. But she certainly heard her often.

“Then how do you hear me?” Rhiannon asked dryly. Rosaria could feel her rolling her eyes. 

“How can I hear you?” Rosaria asked, with an equally dry tone. “Maybe I am crazy,” she added.

“Are you?” Rhiannon questioned. 

“You tell me,” Rosaria answered with a sigh, as she closed her eyes. “It’s not like I have a large circle of friends to consult anyway,” Rosaria added. 

“What you need are allies, not friends to engage in idle chatter with,” Rhiannon responded, scoffing slightly.

“I’m 16. I’m not going to battle anytime soon,” Rosaria responded dryly as she turned on her left side, preparing to sleep.

“That is unfortunate,” Rhiannon replied.  

“Although, I’d probably choose battle over going to class tomorrow,” Rosaria replied with another sigh.

“I can not disagree with that. Your tutors and peers are most unimpressive,” Rhiannon replied, scoffing slightly again.

“Not all of them,” Rosaria replied softly. Of course, she had a specific peer in mind - he was the most impressive to her.

Rosaria could feel Rhiannon roll her eyes again and that just made her smile. She knew Rhiannon could never understand. Alexander had been the only person to take her seriously when she told him about the voices. Of course, she had still yet to tell him that she had seen Rhiannon. After all, Rhiannon was not a figment of her imagination - she was annoyingly very real.

“You should get rest - it is important for recovery,” Rhiannon marked, and this time, Rosaria couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“I would - except someone keeps talking to me,” Rosaria replied dryly.

“Who?” Rhiannon asked, and Rosaria refused to engage with that. She knew where Rhiannon was going with this. 

Rhiannon had brought it up a couple of times now - that Rhiannon was Rosaria. Or something like that. Rosaria didn’t fully understand it, nor did she have any interest in doing so. All she wanted to do was get at least a few hours of sleep and for once, wake up on time.

[gildedworld]

Sleepless Nights Part 2

Of late odd things had been happening. Odder than usual, that was.

Ever since Roasaria had seen Rhiannon's face, she seemed to see Rhiannon everywhere. She was fairly certain that no one else could see Rhiannon - humans and mutants included.

Rhiannon was everywhere, much to Rosaria's annoyance. She was there when Rosaria was awake, and when she slept and when she was awake. She never left Rosaria's mind, constantly hovering over her.

And that wasn't the worst part.

Of late, other things were happening, too. Rosaria seemingly was hearing the thoughts of everyone around her - humans, mutants, and even animals. She heard them thinking in their native language, and somehow, the thoughts were translating to Rosaria's native language within her mind. And these thoughts kept swirling around her mind.

When she was awake, it was annoying, but she could control it by anchoring her thoughts on a sepecific object or person - just as the Professor had taught her. But the problem was when she slept. She still heard their thoughts and they still swirled around in her mind.

What was worse was that depending on what Rosaria was dreaming of, when she awoke the next morning, it would take place. One night in particular, she wanted water and could feel herself drinking it from her bottle during her sleep - she could feel the water in her throat. The next morning, she awoke to find her desk had somehow been transformed into a pool of water, suspended precariously over Rosaria's head.

Rosaria wasn't sure what was going on. From what the Professor had hypothesized, she was going through a sudden surge in her abilities and that only served to scare her further. She knew in the day, it was not a problem because she was awake and in control. But at night..

So far, it was just a table turned into water, but who knew what it would be the next time? She couldn't afford to take that chance and find out. Because of that, Rosaria had resorted to not sleeping off late.

Some nights, Rosaria would lay awake, staring at the ceiling in her room. Other nights, she'd wander through the Academy halls, hoping to occupy herself and make the time pass by faster.

Most nights, everyone else would be asleep. But on some occasions, she would follow the lights to the library to see Alex flipping through another book in the Professor's collection.

Even though Alex wasn't her favorite person by far, she felt a strange kind of comfort with him. She could talk to him, like really talk to him. And he would just listen - he wouldn't judge her, nor would he peach. He would just quietly read, nodding as she spoke.

But at the same time, Rosaria knew he didn't just brush off her words either. She knew he took them seriously. But at the same time, he had never betrayed her trust.

It was hard for her to explain in words. But she felt comfortable around him. Comfortable enough to sleep.

And so, this had become their routine off late - Alex would wait for her in the library, knowing that she couldn't sleep. Rosaria would meet him in the library and inadvertently would fall asleep beside him as he continued to read a book from the Professor's collection.

And come dawn, everything would return back to normal - Alex would wake up Rosaria, and they'd return to their rooms to get ready for the day once more - both of them awake, both of them in control.

[gildedworld]

Sleepless Nights

Alex always had trouble sleeping through the night - his mind was constantly racing with thoughts. He would sleep for a few hours, and then he'd lay awake, aimlessly staring at the ceiling above in his room.

Of late, Alex's had decided to use his time productively and had resorted to heading down to the library when he awoke at night. He honestly preferred this as well - the whole Academy was asleep and the world was silent. There was no one to distract him, no one to annoy him. He could read in peace.

Like this, he had read through several books - history, biology, physics, astronomy. It was great. He had the time to explore the Professor's vast collection of books, absolutely uninterrupted. This was quite literally a dream come true for Alex.

Of course, he could quite literally picture other students' reactions to this - Freya would roll her eyes, scoff, and tease him for voluntarily studying.

But he loved it. He loved learning - be it through books or through training on the field. Alex loved to learn and strives to be a better version of himself every single day. After all, that was one of the core values he was raised with.

Currently, Alex was reading a book on his namesake - Alexander the Great - and his military conquests. Of all the topics in the world, Alex gravitated towards military history. He loved learning about how people fought and, more importantly, how they won.

Briefly, Alex paused, no longer reading but his eyes fixed on the pages of the book nonetheless.

"Couldn't sleep again?" He asked.

He could feel her presence. Even if he couldn't see her right away, Alex always knew when Rosaria was nearby.

Rosaria, on the other hand, looked a little caught off guard. She'd tried her best to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake the other students. Once again, Rosaria had heard the same woman speak to her in her mind. Once again, she had egregiously claimed that she and Rosaria were one and the same. Only this time, she'd spoken her name - Rhiannon.

There were other things, too, of course - recurring images of fire, the buring of homes in villages and cities, wailing women, ships siking amid violent waves. But what always bothered Rosaria was that these images always felt so real. It was as if she had truly been there herself, as if there were her own memories. But she hadn't. Rosaria grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and the only other place she'd ever traveled to outside her home state had been the Academy.

This night in particular, she'd woken up startled and panicked only to find half the objects in her room floating above her head. And that panicked her even more - she was using telekinesis in her sleep again. Unable to fall back asleep, Rosaria wandered out of her room to get some water from the kitchen - that's when she saw the light on in the library and allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.

Rosaria shook her head lightly as she took a seat beside Alex, her eyes lightly skimming over the book he was reading. Alex could see her from the corner of her eyes - her face looked tired, troubled.

"Same lady talking?" He asked as he flipped the page of the book. Rosaria nodded quietly , her eyes fixed on the night sky outside through the window.

"What did she say this time?" He asked, glancing at her briefly again.

Rosaria shrugged her shoulders lightly. "That she was me," she answered quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alex didn't know exactly how to process that. Everyone had bad dreams now and then. But in Rosaria's case, he'd stopped suspecting them to be dreams a while back. She'd told him that she'd heard voices and whispers all her life - when she was asleep and even when she was awake at times. Moreover, Alex had seen it himself - he had caught her seemingly speaking to herself when she believed she was alone. These were not dreams. But at the same time, he wasn't quite sure if what they were either.

"Did you tell the Professor?" He asked. Rosaria shook her head slightly. "I will," she answered. Her voice was tired, distant. This was the fifth night in a week she'd joined him in the library, unable to sleep after all.

Rosaria's eyes wandered across the library, briefly skimming over the titles of books on the shelves in front of her before returning to the window again. The night was so peaceful, she thought to herself quietly. So still.

Before she knew it, her eyes began to feel heavier and started to become harder for her to keep open. And before she knew it, her eyes were closed, and she'd drifted into a deep slumber, unable to stay awake any longer.

At first, Rosaria fell asleep sitting on the chair. But soon enough, her body leaned towards Alex, her head resting on his shoulder as she fell asleep, her red hair falling over her face.

Alex's body stiffened slightly as he felt the weight of Rosaria's body leaning against his right arm. She's really tired, he thought to himself silently. Otherwise, Rosaria wouldn't have just fallen asleep anywhere like this. Normally, she was quite particular about sleeping in her room as she would telekineticly move objects around her now and then in her sleep. So the fact that she fell asleep so easily here was concerning for Alex because it meant that she was truly exhausted.

Alex also made a mental note to ask her about this woman - this is getting out of hand, he thought to himself.

He was fairly sure that this wasn't a dream. But it could be anything - someone else telepathicly reaching out to Rosaria in her sleep, a ghost, a demon, her own overactive imagination after binge watching Charmed for the 20th time, anything.

Alex needed to look into this, and if Rosaria wouldn't tell the Professor, he would. Rosaria not being sharp and on point affected everyone after all - she was an incredibly strong telepath, and her telekinetic abilities were some of the strongest Alex had ever seen.

With his left index finger, Alex turned the page of the book in front of him, continuing to read, not particularly focusing on the words or the material on the pages.

Alex was in two minds - he wasn't sure if he should let her sleep like this or if he should wake her up. If he did wake her up, he wasn't sure if she'd be able to fall asleep again. But at the same time, he wasn't sure if it was best for her to be sleeping like this either.

Briefly, he glanced up at the clock - it was about 2 AM now. Even if she slept for another 3 hours, it was still better than nothing, Alex rationalized. So, he let her sleep as his eyes glazed across the words of the page in front of him.

[gildedworld]

Suspended

Rosaria had forgotten the last time she'd actually felt alive - she'd forgotten what it felt like to have her senses engaged. She couldn't remember what rain felt like on her skin or what coffee tasted like on her lips.

She'd forgotten what it was like to feel alive

Rosaria knew she was not dead, though. But at the same time, she wasn't entirely sure if she was alive either. She was somewhere in between - floating and suspended in nothingness.

She felt shapess and undefined. Rosaria couldn't remember the last time she'd even felt her own body - it was as if she had been severed from it. She could not speak, nor could she really even move. All she could do was float aimlessly.

Rosaria had no idea where she was. This place seemed to be beyond light and beyond time itself. She seemed to be the only one here - even Rhiannon was not here. For Rosaria, who had grown accustomed to sharing her mind with Rhiannon, this felt odd and uncomfortable.

But despite all of that, Rosaria continued to hear voices and see faint images pass her by. Unlike earlier, they were not a distinct entity. They seemed entirely random and would pass through her as if she were air itself. And the strangest part of all of this was that Rosaria could truly feel the images as if she was there herself- she could feel herself as the child blowing out his birthday cancels, or the old woman reading the morning paper. She knew the images and voices spoke a different language, but she still seemingly understood them - as if the voices were translating to her language in real time.

And it wasn't even just human experiences that she felt - she felt experiences of animals, the fish, the insects, the bacteria - every single being that was alive. They all passed through her, and she passed through them - floating and still suspended in this space beyond light and sound, where time seemingly stood still.

...

In Kringla Hemsins, three robe-clad figures walked through large, empty hallways, their footsteps echoing. Their faces were covered by the robes hanging over their heads, their eyes fixed on the floor as they continued to walk ahead.

It was the year 2021 - two years had passed since they had retrieved the current manifestation of the Phoenix from the former Xavier's Academy. Two years had passed since she had been placed in a telepathic-induced coma to allow her to connect with the Phoenix within her.

For them, time was of no concern. Rosaria Huntington could safely take all the time she needed to connect and channel the Phoenix within her - she was safe here, far from the distractions that came with human and mutant society, free to explore herself here.

After all, the Order existed for this, and they had been preparing for this moment for centuries now. There had never been a true manifestation since the time of Queen Rhiannon. At that time, the order did not exist. But today, it did, and it's members intended to serve the Phoenix in any way they could.

[gildedworld]

Rhiannon, Part 2

Rosaria went through the motions of daily life - she woke up, went to her classes, studied with Alex and her friends and then came back. She forced herself to smile and engage with the world around her.

Normal.

Desperately, Rosaria hoped to claw onto some semblance of normalcy and stability.

To her, normalcy was conformity in many ways. She had to fit in. She had to make sure no one else suspected that things were not perfect with her.

And lately, things hadn't been. Ever since that night, Rosaria's life had changed forever. She was used to sharing her mind with others as a telepath. But this was beyond that.

There was a person who lived in her consciousness now. She heard her thoughts, felt her anger, experienced her pain. It was as if Rosaria had two bodies - one in the present, and the second, her.

Others in her life called her Rhiannon. They called her a Queen, a tyrant, a warrior, a prisoner. She styled herself as a survivor who kept her promises.

Rosaria desperately avoided being alone. When her mind was occupied, Rhiannon was at bay. She made sure her days were long - she occupied her time in the company of others around her. Rosaria made sure to participate in as many volunteering activities as she could. She studied late into the night with Alex.

To the world around her, Rosaria was a hard working student who desperately wanted to retain her standing as the top student and the Professor's protégé. And a part of that was true. She hated to loose, especially to Alex.

But the truth was that Rosaria was terrified of being alone. Because when she was, it meant her mind could finally pay attention to the woman lurking in her consciousness - watching her every move, questioning her every decision.

One could call her a ghost but Rosaria knew she wasn't one. There was something that drew her to this woman. And as much as Rosaria wanted her to disappear and leave her alone, there was an element of comfort that Rosaria experienced knowing Rhiannon was occupying her consciousness.

At least with her now, those whispers had stopped.

[gildedworld]

Rhiannon Part 1

Rosaria's eyes snapped open as she woke up covered in cold sweat, her heart racing and her fingers in tight fists.

The sheets under her had melted away, turning from satin to ashes. Her comforter had been reduced to cotton balls, scattered across her room like snowflakes.

Taking a slow breaths, her eyes darted across the familiar landscape of her room. Registering this, her heart beat began to slow.

She had no words to describe what she had experienced. It had started out as a regular night, she fell asleep rather reluctantly well past midnight. At first, it was the same dream again- whispers and tendrils of shadows reaching out desperately to grab her.

Most nights, they would quiet away eventually and she would find herself asleep for a few hours at the very least. This night, that was not the case.

Rosaria recalled seeing a pathway of some sorts form from the shadows, dimly light. For reasons beyond her, she felt compelled to follow it. From then, it was like she was in a different world.

She was in a prison cell in a body that felt like hers but wasn't. She could see memories of a red-haired woman as a queen in a castle and then in the midst of a battle on her horse. These were memories she did not recognize, but felt familiar all the same.

In the prison cell, Rosaria felt her arms bound by chains and overwhelming pain radiating across her body. She felt light headed, having lost blood and a deep hunger for sustainance. In all her life, Rosaria had never experienced such a thing.

She heard voices from around her in an unfamiliar language and saw rats scurrying away in the darkness from the corners of her eyes. From presumably outside the prison walls, she heard desperate cries and echoes.

In the air, she could smell the dampness of the prison cell and a faint burning and ashes from outside.

'If you exist, let me keep the promise I owe them. Take me later. That is all I ask of you,' Rosaria heard a voice speak in her mind.

Hearing voices in mind, hearing the thoughts of others, sharing her mind with the presence of others - these were not new sensations to her. What was new however was that Rosaria seemed to be in someone else's mind this time, and she had no idea who this was.

'The more you fight it, the worse it will be. Accept your fate. Let it consume you. Do not run from it.'

Rosaria heard another whisper. This voice was familiar, and it caused blood in her veins to curl and her skin to crawl. All of a sudden, she felt heat overcome her body. She felt the sensation of fire over come her like a tidal wave, burning everything in sight, everything it touched.

Before she knew it, her vision blurred and all she saw was a blinding light of white.

'You can not fight what you are.'

Rosaria heard the voice whispering again.

And then, her eyes snapped open - her heart racing, her body covered in cold sweat, her sheets reduced to ashes and her comforter reduced to snowflakes of cotton.

Slowly, she raised her hand. The moment she moved her fingers, she felt as if she was being pierced by a thousand needles. Clenching her jaw, she forced herself to raise her left arm above her head.

In the luminescent light of the moon, Rosaria could see light scars of chains across her wrists fading away rapidly.

Was that a dream, she thought to herself. Or did that really happen, she questioned quietly as her arm dropped onto the surface of the mattress like a rock.

Rosaria clenched her eyes closed as she bit down on her lip, pain raidiating across her body.

And that's when she noticed it - she expected blood to fill her mouth from her lips. Instead, all she tasted was ash.

'Flames of creation, flames of destruction, flames of inspiration,' Rosaria heard the words echo around the room - a hollow, unfamiliar voice.