Alchemy Of Abyss

Chapter Three~9

CAMELLIA a female voice screamed astounded her, she hastily opened her eyes and her jaw dropped; she saw a woman standing next to the pool. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see her clearly, but the dim lighting of the backyard garden only manifested her deep, burgundy-colored lips. Camellia the voice said again. She saw the mystery woman's lips moving, but her voice was heard inside her head.

She looked over at the right side of the backyard where the security men were standing. Her mind swirled in more confusion; the two men were completely frozen. Neither of them was moving or even breathing. Camellia switched her sight again to the odd woman. Remember... the sword the voice said again, yet this time calmer and steady. Camellia didn't move her eyes from the mystery woman. She looked back at Nadine. She looked frozen as well.

She didn't notice how fast she ran until she was downstairs, standing before the woman. Camellia's loud breath was heard in the dead silent garden. Everything looked and felt frozen and lifeless.

The woman walked out of the shadow, revealing herself to her. The first thing she saw was a pair of black converse sneakers with a bloodstain on the right shoelace; she frowned, then looked at her own feet. She was wearing identical sneakers with the exact stain.

The woman was wearing tight-fitting jeans, and a red shirt exactly like what Camellia was wearing. Strong bright blue strings were covering the woman's left hand; it was connecting her hand to what she was holding; the strings connected to the enormous tattoo on her arm, the same one Camellia had.

The woman was holding a thick sword covered in blood that ran through its almost blinding, lustrous, long white blade with the blood drops hitting the green grass constantly. Camellia's eyes finally laid on the woman's face. She gasped and felt her soul leaving her body. The woman closed the space between them and in a quick movement she grabbed Camellia's hands, and both held tight to the sword. Blinding light hovered over their hands, swallowing their bodies.

Camellia shoots her eyes open when Nadine punches her right shoulder. "Are you okay? You kept quiet for a minute."

"I'm fine but you guys... are fucked up!" Camellia said with one hand pointed at Nadine and the other hand holding the balcony metal railing tightly.

"What are you talking about?" Nadine asked.

"I remembered nothing at first but... it makes sense somehow," Camellia said and looked at her feet, trying to find words to describe what she was thinking. "We have to end it now before it affects Donggun."

"Donggun? Liam's father?" Nadine said, frowning.

"It will come to you and Liam," Camellia said without lifting her eyes from the ground.

"What are you talking about?"

"It will happen to you now as it did before! We need to stop it."

"Stop what?!"

"It might be nothing! Just a story! A myth! Right?" Camellia said and finally looked at her. "It will change everything... it will destroy everything." Camellia breathed deeply and took a step closer to Nadine, then said, "Is there anything odd that happened to you lately?"

Camellia's words evoked something in Nadine. She felt the need to tell her what happened to her yesterday; to tell her what she saw. She knew it would sound crazy and out of this world, yet what she learned was indeed out of this world.

She opened her mouth to tell Camellia everything, but words got stuck in her lungs. It nearly felt like choking her; her soul knew exactly what happened, but her mind couldn't proceed with the words. "... is it normal to have the same nightmare?" she thought of one thing only; her repeated nightmare.

Camellia looked at her. She knew what Nadine would say. She knew it was time to end this play. "Why? Do you have repeated nightmares?"

"It's properly nothing," Nadine said and waved her hands. Camellia's stare was intense, waiting for her to continue. "I remember little, but it felt real somehow... someone was choking me and calling me a murderer, but it was in a weird language. I don't know how I understood him. But I did... and there was another man behind him. It looked like he was trying to stop him but couldn't."

That nightmare always dreaded Nadine, yet it wasn't what she wanted to tell her. She tried again to open her mouth, yet the choking feeling came along, forcing her to stop.

Camellia opened her eyes wide and felt like the whole place around her was drifting. "Did you see the man's face? Or the other one behind him?"

Nadine's mind swirled easily to the nightmare, remembering every little detail. "It wasn't clear... It was a little dark and there was a bunch of candles lighting the place but the one who was choking me was wearing a necklace that looked familiar... he had a tattoo... a glowing black one on his left forearm with a weird symbol."

"Oh, shit," Camellia whispered to herself. "What type of necklace?"

"Similar to the one you had earlier... But that's not the weird part—"

"What is?"

"—every time I wake up from this nightmare... I wake up out of breath and with hand marks around my neck, I know I sound crazy, but I don't know if I choke myself or what."

"How often did you have this dream?"

"Well..." Nadine looked at the floor, trying to recall her memory. "I think it has been like this for the past eight years."

"Oh, my god! Every night for eight years!" Camellia gasped, even though she didn't look surprised.

"Not every night; it's like seven times in total."

Camellia started walking back-and-forth, mumbling cursing words. "We can't wait till tomorrow." Her voice was raucous. "I knew it! It's true, it happened. We must go to the airport now. We must fix it before it's too late!"

"Now!" Nadine said shockingly, and before she could say anything else, Camellia grabbed her hand and dragged her outside.