Seer In the DreamScape

Chapter 3: The Future

Song: https://youtu.be/bXT96SVp0jg

Barrett watched me look around helplessly for a moment as he set his bow over his shoulder.

"Lost, huh? Well, there's not much I can do about that. C'mon, I'll take you to Tyren's, he has a map. Maybe you can find your way home with that." He offered, gesturing for me to follow him as he started off already.

I practically stumbled after him, my ankle still a bit sore from being snared in tree roots. "Alright." I murmured, though I didn't think it would do much, seeing as I'd literally come here by a doorway in a tree. Unless the offered map told me exactly where the tree was, there wasn't much chance I would find my way home that easily. I followed him nonetheless, perhaps the tree was well known.

Taking a quick look at him, I couldn't help but smile a little. This was the man I'd dreamed of many times before. But seeing him in the flesh made my heart flutter in excitement.

He headed further into the dark forest, making me pause before quickly following after him. Why were we heading deeper into the land of my nightmares? Bad things happened here. Why stay near this place?

When we reached Tyren's, it was rather dark out. I nervously looked around us at the streets, noticing how poor the buildings around us looked. They were worn down, and the people who were outside at this time looked a bit...shabby.

Refocusing on Barrett, I followed him into the tavern before perking up. The inside was cozy and inviting. Small, homemade chandeliers hung from the ceiling and people sat at tables or counters, drinking and eating peacefully. Music was being played on a slightly raised stage off to the side. A singer lulling the place into a feeling of peace.

My guide brought me over to a table and sat me down. "So, where did you come from, and what brought you to the dark forest? Judging by your clothes, you..well, look like you were robbed." He told me as I glanced down at my scuffed shirt and jeans.

I laughed a little, he wasn't wrong. But how would I explain my predicament? I didn't want to lie to him.

"It does look like that's the case." I agreed with him before setting my hands on the table, lacing my fingers together. "It's a bit complicated honestly, but I just sort of wandered here. I guess I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going." I shrugged as Barrett held up a hand to a passing woman and asked her for a map. She obliged, pulling a map out of her apron and set it on the table for us to look at.

"Just point to your home." He told me as he talked with the woman a little more, asking for a meal.

I swallowed before looking at the map. This is where it got complicated. I couldn't find any marks of an enchanted or ancient tree. What's more, is that the dark forest was a lot bigger than I'd originally thought. But it was part of a land I vaguely remembered from earlier dreams in my childhood. The kingdom was called Astra, and the dark forest was located along the south border.

Biting my lip, I tried to find some way to explain where I'd come from that would make sense when Barrett set a hand on the map. The waitress had walked away as he looked at me.

"Find it?" He asked, but I smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Well...remember how I said it's a bit complicated?" I asked as he narrowed his eyes. I swallowed before trying to find the right way to put this. Could I really tell him that I'd found a random door and went through it with no plan on how to get back? It made me sound like a complete dolt, but that was what had happened.

"I stumbled upon a door that led to a forest, and I went through. I guess I got a bit excited and didn't even think about leaving a way to find my way back through." I admitted before rubbing the back of my head.