The Universe Beyond Ours

Chapter 14 (Part 2)

     Soon, the night falls over the vast land, shrouding everything in a thick veil of darkness. Yet, the city remains determined to shine, with its bright, vibrant lights sparkling amidst the darkness. The outdoor temperature drops to an almost freezing point, and the cold air is enough to make one's hair rise and one's warm breaths form vapours.

     Within the comforting silence of the unlit hotel bedroom, Denis, Harris, Chloe, Philip, Meredith, Presley, and Felix sleep and take the opportunity to gain rest from an exhausting day. Denis snores as he sleeps. Then, he rouses. He stands up and leaves the hotel to behold the magnificent view of the sumptuous city. Outside, amidst the shadows, he watches the interplay of light against the black sky.

     Suddenly, Denis feels something cold, something piercing, behind his back. He hears a swirling wind emanating from behind. Raising a brow, he turns around. What could it be? As he turns to look behind him, he sees Lyvie and encounters her, standing before him.

"Oh, sweet, little Denis," Lyvie smirked.

"W-what do you want?" Denis stammered.

What could Lyvie do? What would she do to him now that Denis stood all alone?

"If I show you where the last two totems are, will you join our coven?" Lyvie offered ominously.

What could be so bad in the coven if Denis would get whatever he wanted? It piqued Denis' curiosity, as he never intended to run away but talk with Lyvie for a while. "...What's your coven about anyway...?" he queried.

Lyvie's sinister smile widened. "...It's a place where your heart can get whatever it truly desires," she responded earnestly. "We know how you feel. That's why you're sent here for a bigger purpose," said Lyvie. "There, in our coven, where your future is held, your potential will be recognized, unlike in the universe you were born in," she ventured. "So, let me ask again. Will you join if I reveal where the last two totems are?" Lyvie questioned with a smirk.

Denis contemplated deeply before responding. "...You stole the totems from the Goblins' Den. Why should I trust you?" he asked.

"Hm, I stole the two totems because you won't be needing them to return to your universe anyway. Why would you want to return to a world where your talents are shrouded in darkness when you are sent to a place where there's a better opportunity?" Lyvie explained.

"Then... why would you be revealing the last two totems if I don't need them anyway?" Denis pondered.

"If I were to tell where the last two totems are, I'd be proving my reliability. Wouldn't I?" Lyvie responded.

"Oh," Denis nodded, his eyes dropping.

"...Don't tell this conversation to anyone, alright? It's only between you and me..." Lyvie warned menacingly. "...So, the last two totems are in..." she began.

     Denis awakens suddenly, his body drenched in sweat, chest heaving with each ragged breath. The remnants of the dream still cling to his consciousness, a phantom echo of emotions that refuse to dissipate. As he registers the stark reality of his surroundings, the momentary tendrils of the dream slip through his fingers like grains of sand, leaving him adrift in a sea of disorientation and confusion. Returning to the sanctuary of his bed, Denis seeks solace in the familiar comfort of its embrace, the softness of the sheets a balm to his restless mind.

     With a determined resolve, Denis closes his eyes tightly, willing himself back into the realm of sleep, though the tendrils of wakefulness tug at the edges of his consciousness. In the hush of the night, a sense of unease lingers, an unsettling undercurrent that whispers of the uncharted territories of the mind. The surreal nature of his dream leaves him questioning the boundaries between reality and illusion, the line between the tangible and the intangible blurring in the wake of his nocturnal reverie. As he lies there in the quiet darkness, grappling with the remnants of the dream that still linger in the recesses of his thoughts, a single question emerges like a beacon in the night: should he place his trust in Lyvie's enigmatic words, or dismiss them as mere figments of a restless imagination?