Alexis Abner is all set to celebrate her 18th birthday. Like every other high-schooler, she too throws a party at the local club. But, the night takes an unexpected turn when she meets a mysterious stranger. Ethan Campbell introduces her to a world...
"Nice and relaxed." I heard Halitus' voice next to me. I breathe in the minty scent as my senses heighten. I feel aware of my body lying on Rowena' bed in her room. We agree to perform the Trancition in her presence.
Once I got in bed, she handed me a tiny flask of purple liquid, like a blackcurrant syrup. I downed the liquid; my mind calculating all the possible of its atrocious taste. Nonetheless, it was tasteless as a summer cloud. The potion doesn't even seem to be in a liquid state. I rolled off my tongue like a dry gas.
"You have to know something." Rowena looked surprisingly concerned. "You have 20 minutes, until you find what you are looking for. During this time, the potion will slowly start drawing power from your mana, making it easier for you to maneuver in your dreams. It is like a poison; the hypothetical barrier will collapse within twenty minutes of its consumption. If you don't make it in time, you will no longer be able to stop the process, and the poison will consume your entire life force."
Everyone in the room is waiting for Halitus to begin the spell. I lay in bed, my chest rising and falling, as I try to calm my nerves.
Rowena basically fore played my death in detail. I have very limited time to find the object. Even if, I decide to come back empty-handed, we will never be able to perform this spell again, considering I recently consumed the very last drops of this rare potion.
Right now, every eye is on me; hoping I locate the crystal without causing a mayhem. The room grows quieter as I close my eyes; darkness surrounds me.
"Now, I am going to count from five to zero; when I reach zero you will be in a deep state of hypnosis." Halitus' voice is the only sound I can hear. "Now, you will go deeper and deeper as I count, Alright?"
My body relaxes as my mind follows her voice.
"Five, four, three, two. One."
The void engulfs me; any sound of the present is swept away. The still silence sinks in, as my body feels like it's leisurely been falling down a dark-hollow well.
There is complete darkness as I open my eyes, the walls of the well are jet black. As if an element like light doesn't exist in this dimension. As the blackness closes in on me, I watch my body being erased out of existence. The only thing I feel is the low thumping of my heartbeat and the cool air in my lungs.
"Every muscle; calm and relaxed." Halitus's voice echoes in the distant. "Can you hear me?"
"I can hear you." I speak in the void.
"Now, Alexis, remember, you have to find the dream where you meet Asmodeus for the first time. Try to recreate the memory as you search for the crystal. Once you get there, hold the crystal tightly in your hands and focus your energy on it. You will be able to locate it right away."
I nod, I am in a completely different place. The falling down the hole has stopped and I now find myself on the tiled floor of my high school. I get up and begin walking.
My hair is tied up in a high ponytail as I jog down the empty corridors. The place is dead silent. No professors, no students, no slamming of the lockers, no footsteps; nothing. My vision is foggy as I make my way to the auditorium.
As I open the door, I am greeted by flashing lights, the blue and pink colors tint the auditorium walls as the disco lights swirl over the crowd.
I can see boys and girls, jocks and cheerleaders, all dancing to the blaring music. Ribbons and confetti showering from above. It's the Prom!
I walk towards a familiar face; he is laughing hysterically at someone's joke. I approach him, my heart beating steadily in my chest. I feel like I know him, I place my hand on his shoulder. Jake!
"Alexis!! Girl, you look like a total snack!! I called you at 8.30. You missed the call." He squeals over the commotion.
"Sorry about that. But, guess who just asked me out!" I pause to create a dramatic effect. "Caleb Milton!!!" We both scream in a high-pitched tone.
"Alexis!" I hear Caleb's voice. I turn around to find him in his baby blue tux. He looks charming than ever. His blue eyes glint in excitement when he takes my hand in his.
I look around to find us out of the noisy and chaotic auditorium and once again in the empty hallway with Caleb. Silence envelopes us as Caleb looks deep in my eyes.
"You look so beautiful." My mind starts to glitch as I sense a tentative thought. Not for the fact that it's happened before, regardless, our prom is still due. I remember this day, more precisely, this moment. It was a dream I had about our upcoming Prom, back when I was at Papillion. It was the most magical dream. And, it went to my long-term memory for a reason. I know exactly what happens next. It's the most memorable thing. If it wasn't for this crystal hunt, I would've acted along.
"Come with me, you have to see this!" He grabs my hand and takes me towards the exit.
I know exactly what comes next. As he opens the door, the day will turn into night, the basketball court that is supposed to be there, turns into a magical garden, with fireflies. He will tell me to lay on the grass while we watch the night sky that is shimmering with stars and constellations.
And then, after a tad bit, he will confess his crush on me, and we will kiss in the blissful night. I can go along with this episode. The old me, would have done it in a heartbeat, However, this Alexis, no longer fantasizes over Caleb. I could finally see it; Caleb was never into me. He only hung out with me for a reason, And I finally know it now. Besides, the only thing that drew me towards him was his mystical blue eyes.
I stop in my tracks. Caleb reaches the door and opens it for me.
"I can't go with you, Caleb. I'm sorry."
He looks at me for a moment and then his gaze travels in the vacant air, "Close your eyes." He whispers to the Alexis that would've been standing next to him, instead of the empty space.
That's right. He can't hear me, nor can he respond to my irrelevant questions. It's like talking to a NPC in a video game, they will only reply to the programmed questions and nothing else. This is just the replay of my dream. I shake my head and walk back through the vacant hallways, meanwhile, Caleb vanishes behind the door.
I have to find that dream, I have no insight of the time, but if I have to take a guess, I would say an approximate of five minutes must've passed.
...
Third Person
"It's been 16 minutes; she should've been back by now." Marty checks his watch and mumbles hesitantly. "I'm going to get some fresh air." He leaves the room in silence.
Alexis is breathing calmly. According to the lot, she doesn't appear to be struggling in anyway. Lights would flicker every now and then; just enough to not cause an uproar among them. The three men and the two women wait patiently in silence. Everyone has the same thought in their minds; Will Alexis find the stone?
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