ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴇʀᴄʏ {ʟᴇᴠɪ ᴀᴄᴋᴇʀᴍᴀɴ}

Into the Woods

{Mercy's POV}

Colors flew at me in every direction, originating from the darkness. They got closer, and more powerful with every second.
What the hell?
    Every color that reached me left a different sensation. The pastel blues were cold while the neon greens were fiery to the touch. The beams of white and yellow stung like an electric shock, and the dark oranges and dull greys were like sandpaper against my skin. I felt everything all at once, and suddenly nothing at all.
Am I dreaming again? Wake up, damnit.
     Everything went pitch black once again. My heart thumped in my chest as I tried and tried to force myself awake but to no avail.
    I groaned into the abyss, and was met with a voice beckoning me in the distance. It crept closer, and closer until it became clear enough.
    It was a woman's voice, and wasn't completely unfamiliar. I remembered hearing it in the last dream I had.
    "Darling.." It called. The voice, like the colors that struck me moments before, sent a sensation over my body, but instead of brewing fear inside of me it set me at ease.
    It was the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard.
     Am I dead this time? I wondered.
   "Darling..." the voice lulled. My feet were moving before I realized, and I made my way toward it. I felt as if it were a trap, but couldn't stop moving. Nothing that perfect could be real.
    "Darling." The voice laughed, this time sounding relieved. It was crystal clear in that moment, and my entire body felt warm with wonder and comfort.
Who is she?
     A white light flickered in the distance and grew larger with every second. Before I could take action, the beam of light struck me in the chest, and once again I was engulfed in blinding, searing white just as the last dream.
    A woman's face flashed in my mind, pulsating in and out of my vision. With such quick images it was hard to make out every detail, but I could never forget what I saw.
    Her shiny, pale blond hair flowed down her back. Her skin was pale and supple as porcelain. Her lips were thin, but full of life and color. Her nose was small, but came to a dignified point and her eyes... Her eyes held an entire forest inside them as they held every shade of green imaginable.
    I'd seen those eyes before. I could feel it.

    Before I could process what blazed before me, the images and white engulfment flew away and I was falling.
    I woke with a jolt and struggled to catch my breath. I tried to process the person in my dream, but everything was foggy.
I need to remember.
    I shoved the covers off my body and dashed to the mirror above the bathroom sink.
    I scanned my features. My dark brown hair laid nearly to my waist as it flowed over my shoulders, and my skin was pale but smooth. My downward-turned lips were blush colored, and my nose was small but came to a dignified point. I moved on to stare myself in the eyes.
    They were a forest of their own. Glimmers of sage and shamrock burst out of the center which was dark as pine needles. The outer edges were fringed with traces of juniper and mossy green. Flakes of olive and basil were scattered randomly through the middle. Every color shown through on its own, but came together to glow like the treetops at sunrise.
    My eyes were hers, and hers were mine.
   My mind raced and my chest heaved and fell as I tried to make sense of it all. I couldn't understand why such a damn dream would bother me so much, and why a person I'd never seen before in my life would greet me while I slept.
    I gripped the sink in front of me and groaned in anger while questions bounced inside my skull.
    Was I seeing some version of myself? Did I know her in a different lifetime? Was she important to me? Was she real? Was she...
     I looked into my own eyes one more time before storming out of the bathroom.
Could she be...?
    I grabbed my cloak and swung it around my body. A sudden dull ache spread over my skull, for all the anxiety had sent blood straight to my head. I had healed considerably from my concussion, but I still wasn't at my peak just yet.
    I grabbed a lantern off my counter and rushed outside for some air. I walked quickly at first, but as I breathed in the midnight air I relaxed and slowed my pace.
    I turned the last corner before reaching the wooded area several blocks from the HQ building only to see that a shadowy figure holding a lantern was already at its edge. I caught a glimpse of a green cloak with an embroidered Wings of Freedom symbol.
Looks like someone else can't sleep either, I thought.
   I waited several seconds before following their lead. If they were looking for privacy I sure as hell wasn't going to be the one to ruin it. I took slow, steady steps through the undergrowth of the forest, and snapped a branch in half. It thumped beneath my feet while an echo rang under the treetops. I looked up to notice the lantern light I'd been following was nowhere in sight, but kept moving.
     Leaves and branches brushed against my legs as I waded through the growth of the forest. I finally found a small, clear area and decided to take a seat and clear my head.
     I couldn't shake the woman's image from my mind. I wanted answers, but what I wanted more was to get a good rest instead of being met with colorful attacks and strange people.
    "You should be sleeping," A voice behind me bellowed casually which caused me to jump out of my skin. I whipped my head around. Dull grey eyes glimmered against the lantern light.
    "Captain Levi," I greeted as calmly as I could. My eyes lowered to his other hand which held a wicker basket. "What're you doing out here at this hour?" I raised an eyebrow.
   "Could ask you the same thing," He retorted and slowly blinked at me as if to show he was not amused.
    "Fair enough."
     Captain Levi took a few steps to my left and sat down in front of a large tree. He set his basket in front of him and began sifting through its contents. I couldn't help but stare.
    Without moving a muscle he snapped his eyes to meet mine.
     "Care to tell me what's so interesting?" I dropped my head forward and stared at the growth in front of me. He let out a sigh as if he regretted his own tone and continued. "I don't know why you're out here, but just because you are that doesn't mean I'm going to change my plans, so you can either stop staring at me or find another piece of land to pop a squat on," He said as he continued to sift through his basket.
     "I-I'm sorry, Captain Levi. I'll get going," I assured and turned to stand.
    "Why are you out here, Merciana."