And What I Found There - Book Two

26. I Lose Myself in a Daydream

Despite being exhausted from my intense workout, I'm apparently not too tired to dream. This is not a Blood Dream though. I know what those feel like by heart. But all the same, this dream still feels familiar.

Everything is glowing bright white, and everything seems to be floating as if underwater... I've had a vision like this before when I first came to Raetri; the vision had shown me what I wanted to see the most and that had been my mom. I had seen that she's still alive but imprisoned somewhere by someone. But unlike last time, this vision isn't about her.

This one is about me.

I'm in what looks like a church, but it's kinda hard to tell with everything glowing so painfully brightly that it all kinda blurs together. But there are crosses everywhere and dramatic arches and columns around me like a cathedral. What...? I see the glowing white silhouette of someone hobbling towards me, they carry a huge staff of some kind...

I yelp as they come closer and now suddenly, I wake with a jolt, frantically crying out for my Dark Rider even before I'm even fully conscious.

"You alright?" Vyndren morphs from the shadows beside me.

I shake my head and anxiously look around, after being blinded by searing white light only to be woken up in the middle of an eerily pitch-black night has my head spinning. "I-I seen something."

"Was it a Blood Dream?" He kneels beside my mat.

"No, I don't get those anymore since I found you, remember? But this...this has happened to me before." I hug my blanket around myself tighter. "Only last time I was awake. These aren't dreams," I insist, glancing at him. "They're more like...visions."

"What'd you see?"

"Okay so the first time I had one of these things I was running, right? Obviously I was awake, okay? But I was freaking out worrying about by my mom and then the next thing I knew, I was thrown into this...void where everything glows white and looks like it's floating and then I saw her locked up somewhere. She's not hurt, but I didn't get to see anything else because then I tripped and the vision was lost."

"So what happened this time?"

"I don't really know... It didn't make any sense. What are these things though? I mean... I know they're not dreams! But what else could they be?"

"You said it best yourself," he shrugs. "They're visions."

"I have visions?" I shake my head with disbelief.

"I don't think these are necessarily your powers though..." He trails off as he looks me over thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Y'know, I was beginning to suspect that your Alice powers might be even more powerful than any Alice that has come before you ever since I saw that your animal soul spirit was the fabled Angelus Reprobi."

"I don't understand!" I exclaim. "What do you mean special powers?"

"So remember how I told you that an Alice is a rare person that has the ability to give magic, right?"

"Yeah, I remember that. And?"

"Well," he smiles faintly and shakes his head with disbelief. "I think you're the kind of Alice who has the powers to both give magic and take it. In Raetri's folklore that is the rarest, most formidable power of all."

"OMG, are you...? Are you serious?" I scramble up and start pacing the length of the tent. "Are you insane? Am I insane? I have the power to...take other people's magic? OMG!" I run both hands through my hair, shaking my head with befuddlement. "What does this have to do with my visions?" I frantically ask. "Whose powers are these that I've taken?! Accidentally, of course," I hastily add.

"I think they belong to your mom." He stands up and gently grabs my arms so I stop pacing.

"Mom?" I widen my eyes. "You're trying to tell me that she is prophetic? No way -" I suddenly break off in a gasp as I realize something. "No, wait... you're right. She does have visions. She had a premonition of the Phantoms attacking us moments before they actually did! She told me to go to my closet, which of course I thought was weird, but now it all suddenly makes sense. Oh, and!" I excitedly remember. "Cornelius told me that Mom seen Regina trying to kill me as a baby and that's how she was able to save me after Adarina was murdered! Whoa," I numbly take a step back. "But how is any of this possible for me?" I glance up at him helplessly.

"Y'know how your animal soul spirit is part Jabberwocky?"

"Yeah, and part unicorn, so?"

"It's the darkness of the Jabberwocky in your soul that gives you the power to take magic." I feel my heart skip a beat. "And of course," he rolls his eyes. "It's the goodness and light whatever of the pure unicorn in your soul that grants you the ability to give power. A unicorn is the sacred animal soul spirit of all Alices." He reminds me.

"Incredible..." I breathe.

"I'm guessing that you've been unwittingly taking powers from your mom for years all while simultaneously giving them back to her without either of you even noticing."

"Really?" I shake my head. "I guess that does explain some of the weird dreams I used to have as a little kid..."

"Y'know if you really honed this skill, you could be the most formidable Alice in all of history," he insists, looking me over with wonder.

I blush and pull away. "I don't wanna be formidable, Vyndren. I just wanna be...good."

He gently strokes my face. "Believe me, Adara, you are good." He pulls me closer and puts his forehead against mine. "Just don't be scared of your full potential. You have this strength within you for a reason."

"I...I guess," my eyes flutter over his face, my heart skips a beat being so close to him. "Why aren't you an Alice, again?" I smile.

"Because I'm the bad guy, remember?" He purrs, caressing my face between his hands.

"You're not always so bad... I learn the most from you," I remind him as I wrap my fingers around his wrists.

"Trust me, you don't owe me anything." He kisses my forehead. "Your greatness is all yours."

I smile more, feeling a blush spread from my face to my neck. "Oh," I suddenly think of something else. "When I... take power from someone, will I have it forever? And... the person I take it from, what happens to them?"

"It probably just depends on how much you take... All persons with magic restore their strength and energy from the world around them. So anything you did take would eventually be replaced again. But I mean, if you really tried, you might be able to drain someone dry of all magic. That'd be pretty incredible, I think." He winks.

I roll my eyes with exasperation. "On second thought, maybe it's a good thing you aren't an Alice." I push him away with a smile.

He chuckles as he catches my hands and pulls me closer. "What can I say, my dear? I make a damn good bad guy."