Shadow Beings

54. A Circle of Light

I became aware of the soft rays of the sun falling on my closed eyes, stirring with the wind that whistled through the thick leaves of the tree I fell asleep underneath.

Birds chirping. Shadows walking. Light conversations. Breathing. 

I brought my hands onto my eyes, rubbing them gently to wake myself up. A drop of water fell on my eyelid, immediately spreading a cooling sensation. My eyes opened slowly to a bright, gently burning sun, its glow full of vigour and was yet soft. Somewhere in time my mind found itself lost in the light, the blue sky serving as still water to a bubbling source of energy, its aura colourless but free to the new day.

I saw the sun in its totality.

I turned my head to the side, my vision clearing beyond the sights of Nature to see a tall figure sitting with his head against the tree, the light around him refracted slightly in the small bubbles of water that hung on the green leaves swaying above me. His eyes were closed and his head was slightly tilted in my direction, a small bump in the tree stopping it from falling to the ground. The sun fell on his black hair and on his loosely folded legs, but they stayed away from his eyes, not disturbing his sleep.

Huh... we slept through the rain.

Slowly, I sat up and moved away from Galen, giving him the space he needed. I rested my hand on the grass, but silly me didn't see where I was keeping my hand and I touched a fallen leaf, making a loud cracking noise that dissipated as soon as it came.

Galen's head jerked, his eyes opening wide with alert. He moved his head from the left to right, suddenly stopping with a sigh when his eyes saw my oops expression.

"That was some fright you gave me, Audrey."

My jaw dropped in disbelief. "I scared you? That is perhaps my biggest achievement yet."

Galen narrowed his eyes, then turned to the sun as he stood up. "It was only for a brief moment."

I laughed, standing up to fiddle his hair and he gave a smile with a shake of his head. I too turned towards the sun, those gentle radiations waking me from my rest, providing comfort to my dormant worries.

"What were you doing here?" I asked, turning to him.

"You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up. I came out here after dinner, too, and saw you then." Galen patted my head, treating me like a small child.

"And you just sat beside me."

Galen nodded and began walking as he spoke. "Ariana wanted to talk to you. It's good that you woke up early; it's around seven right now. She said the sooner you meet her, the better."

I nodded, wondering what she would've wanted. The gentle breeze momentarily took away my curiosity, however, a small smile pressing against my face. It accompanied me as I walked behind Galen, on the path of stone that featured a cold touch that pleasant morning. I followed him into a large grey structure a fair distance away from Sylva Vita. Its interior was humble, mostly made of wood of trees that had died centuries ago. I stopped for a moment, drawing in a deep breath, feeling the vastness of history and time.

How little we are as sentience... but we aren't sentient.

We took the staircase till we reached the fifth floor. I didn't peak into each level but I could feel the diverse auras the building held, as if each room was completely designed for a certain activity.

As soon as I stepped into my destination, a wave of determination hit me.

Galen and I entered a wide room, the wooden floor warm by the sun's heat. The walls were at a height of not more than nine feet from the floor and there were slight gaps in the walls, allowing the bracing wind to flow in. These holes and the roof could be closed but they usually remained open, especially during the day. Ariana and Aurelia stood somewhere in the centre of the room, speaking in rather solemn and soft tones.