FORESTVALE MANOR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: THE QUEEN OF DARKNESS

Mia lay awake in her bed, her conscious mind sensing the darkness within her soul and the aggressiveness and inner hatred that had gradually grown within her. As she closed her eyes, hoping to make it go away, she found herself in a dream instead. A terrible nightmare...
It was especially vivid; she was sitting on a throne, watching a naked man being whipped. Mia felt a strange kind of desire as she watched the naked woman give the lashes. Mia felt a peculiar combination of pain, pleasure, and anxiety, as she was the one receiving the lashes. Ryan was the one lashing her.

As Mia was ready to swallow a cup full of blood that appeared out of nowhere in her palm, a powerful light beamed down, and Eliza yelled, No! Mia's inner light struggled to shine through as she heard the voice, like the flickering of a small candle in a lonely cave.

She awoke screaming, feeling as though she'd been in a struggle and lost—a battle against a dark force or an unknown entity. Even when her eyes were open, her mind was filled with violent and passionate scenes that repeated in a loop. Mia's thoughts wandered to Xena, Felix, and her parents, whom she adored and respected. With each thought, a soothing wave of love washed over her soul, gradually removing the lingering darkness from her dream.

Her mother arrived at that very moment. She softly stroked Mia's hair and muttered soothing words, bringing her back to reality.

"What's up, Mia?"

Mia embraced Melissa, still shaking.

"Mom, I had a nightmare. Please remove this darkness from me," Mia yelled out.

"I'll help you, honey, but I don't understand anything. What darkness are you referring to?"

Mia realized she'd said too much.

"It is nothing. It's just that the dream was vivid."

Melissa preferred not to say anything, but she believed that the issue should be addressed with Arthur. Mia may have needed therapy.

Mia pays Rowena a visit at her home on the same day. She did not want to meet Rowena in the store to prevent Tabitha from hearing them.

"The dream felt so real, Rowena. I'm not the same after attending the cult's ritual. Sometimes I get strange thoughts and feelings. I'm experiencing hatred, anger, and lust, which is unusual for me."

"I warned you that something like this may happen and that you had to stay tough. Focus on your inner light."

"Each time is harder."

"I understand, but you're vital in this struggle. That's what the prophecy says."

"Is the prophecy mentioning me? Mia Richardson?"

"The Liber mentions the final battle, Mia," she went on to say. "In it, a young woman must take the initiative to restore the equilibrium between light and darkness, thus saving the planet. Those who have read Liber understand that she will bear both light and darkness in her soul. This explains why you are experiencing darkness. You are that young woman, the key to the balance, and the only one who can save the world."