A gentle rustling of leaves fills the air. I can smell the sweet scent of flowers, it tickles my nose, and soft grass brushes against my arms, legs, and exposed back. The sun warms my bare skin, chasing away the goosebumps brought on by the wind. I take several long, deep breaths before opening my eyes. The sky is a perfect baby blue, and a few large fluffy clouds are scattered about.
Sitting up, I take in the rest of my surroundings. Wildflowers of yellow, pink, and purple are in full bloom everywhere I look. It's peaceful. I'm tempted to lie down and go back to sleep. The sound of a branch breaking from behind me grabs my attention. I turn to see a large dense forest. It's so dark it's nearly impossible to make out the individual trunks of the trees.
"Grace," someone calls out to me in a hushed tone. "Come to me, Grace."
My body starts moving on its own. As I approach the wood line, the voice grows louder.
"That's it, my dear. Just a little further."
I don't recognize the voice. Still, I step closer. I can see the tall silhouette of the stranger, a man, drawing me towards him. My heart beats faster, and a fog fills my mind. The shadows around the figure look like they're moving. The longer I stare, the more I swear I can see red eyes peering at me from behind him.
The lanky form slinks forward to the edge of the darkness, extending his hand out to me. His fingers are long and thin, each one adorned by a gold ring, with jewels of varying sizes and colors. The one on his pinky is different. It's a signet ring with the alchemical symbol for brimstone engraved on it. I raise my arm to match his, our fingertips almost touching. Before we can make contact my body jerks away. The tall man reaches for me in a swiping motion, but he isn't fast enough. He quickly retreats back into the inky blackness of the forest as if the sunlight hurts his skin. I manage to catch a glimpse of his appearance. His hair is white as snow, eyes dark like the shadows behind him. His cheeks are sunken, and his face lacks color, making him look sickly. The man's left eye has a long jagged scar across it from the top of his eyebrow down to his protruding cheekbone. The pupil itself is dull and glazed over like it's dead. Anger distorts his features, and he says something to me I can't understand.
Suddenly, the forest is gone. All I can see in the distance is the blooming flowers from before. Still in a slight daze, my head lulls to one side to see what or who had pulled me away. It's Kieran.
He looks scared, his breathing labored. I've never seen him like this before.
"Kieran?" My throat feels scratchy and dry.
"How did he get in here," he says under his breath.
"What's going on? Where are we?" The heavy fog in my mind is lifting, I can tell the environment around us seems off. "An astral plane?" This brought Kieran's attention back to me.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. You can let go now."
"Sorry," he removes his arm from around my waist. His fingers gently graze my midsection as he does. The sensation sends tingles throughout my body. We put a little space between us. Kieran abruptly turns his back to me, clearing his throat. "You might want to cover up a bit."
Confused by what he means, I look down. My face flushes. I spin away from him, trying to cover myself with my arms. I don't know why, but I'm wearing a sheer pink nightgown. With nothing underneath.
"Kieran, can you please get us out of here?"
"Uh, yeah. Give me a second."
Minutes go by, and I hear him take a few deep breaths.
"Kieran?"
He groans. "Close your eyes for me real quick."
"Why?"
