A gentle breeze danced through Sana's snow-white hair, brushing it away from her warm smile. The sun glinted off her sun hat as she raced through the smooth, tall grass with two friends—a boy and a girl her age. With a burst of energy, Sana leapt from the grass into the open plains.
"I win!" she proclaimed.
The other children emerged shortly after, panting and exhausted. "How come you're so fast, Sana? You still have so much energy!" the boy exclaimed.
"It's my secret. If you ever beat me in a race, I might just let you in on it," she replied, grinning.
"What should we do next?" the girl asked, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"What if we went down to the pond and—" Sana's suggestion was interrupted by a sudden gust of wind that blew her hat off. She quickly snatched it from the air and placed it back on her head. "That wind is really strong today, huh?"
Turning back to her friends, she found them staring at her wide-eyed. "Hey, what's wrong?" Sana laughed nervously.
In unison, they pointed at her. "Lamina," they said together.
Sana's heart sank. "W-What do you mean?" she stammered.
"Monster," they replied.
"No! I'm not a Lamina! I'm just like you!" she whimpered, panic rising in her chest.
The two turned and began to walk away.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Her voice trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Come back! I'm not! I swear!"
"Slave."
Sana's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in shock. The ground beneath her shattered, and she plunged into a dark void. As she floated in the emptiness, she wiped away her tears and scanned her surroundings until she spotted a familiar figure. A perfect replica of herself appeared before her, its golden eyes glowing. It extended its hand, awaiting a response. As Sana reached out and grasped the replica's hand, it pulled her in for a comforting embrace. Relief washed over her, and she closed her eyes, resting against it.
But then, the replica whispered in her ear, "You're a Lamina. A worthless, filthy Lamina."
Sana's eyes flew open as she pushed the replica away. "No! I'm a human!"
"You're a Lamina. You always will be."
"No!" she screamed, jolting awake in her bed. Her heart raced, and she struggled to catch her breath. Composing herself, she gently touched her fuzzy white ears, frowning as she wrapped her blanket tightly around herself, like a mother's embrace. The haunting memory of the monster flickered in her mind. Just then, the door creaked open, and Yuuki poked his head in.
"Are you alright? We heard a scream."
"I'm..." Sana hesitated, contemplating whether to confide in Yuuki about her nightmare. "I'm fine." She chose to spare him another lecture.
"When you're ready, Nersi and I will be at the dinner table. There's something important we need to discuss."
"I'll be right out."
Yuuki closed the door, and Sana quickly got dressed. She stepped out of her room and made her way to the dining table, where Yuuki awaited patiently while Nersi cleaned up a chess set. The bags under Yuuki's eyes were more pronounced as Sana took a seat opposite him.
"What's with the serious face?" she asked, forcing a nervous laugh.
"Do you remember anything?" Yuuki inquired.
YOU ARE READING
With Chaos Comes Grief: The First Stage of Grief
Fantasy"When I entered this life, my only desire was to protect my family. That desire had been tampered with and broken down to nothing but mere strings." Yuuki is a farmboy, living his teenage years isolated from the rest of the world while trying to kee...
