The Dreamer: The Book of Godspells

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

I knew exactly where I wanted to go and took his invitation to heart. Since he had shared his memories, I dressed quickly and started out of the Vanis room toward what he had called the Greycene, wherever that was. Though unsure of its exact location, I recognized the type of walls in the Greycene, so I knew it was within the Citadel.

As I walked down the corridors, I noticed that the walls were crafted from pristine white marble, emitting a soft glow of natural light filtering in through the open windows. Each step I took upon the smooth marble floors echoed softly, as if the marble itself wanted to acknowledge my presence.

Above me, the ceiling stretched high, adorned with intricate carvings that seemed to dance in the light. Through the open windows, I could see the vast expanse of the outside world, bathed in the gentle glow of starlight. The air was filled with the scent of flowers and fresh air, and as I continued down the hall, I found myself drawn further into the enchanting atmosphere, losing myself in the beauty of the architecture and the natural world beyond. It was a moment of pure magic, a fleeting glimpse of a world untouched by the chaos outside.

Distracted, I suddenly heard voices coming from around the corner, and I stopped abruptly, praying that they did not hear the tapping of my heavy foot on the marble ground. Overhearing the conversation, I realized they didn't notice I was there, thankfully. It felt like déjà vu from overhearing Penelope and Allen the other day. I peeked around the corner and watched with a prying eye.

It was none other than Colik and Lulu.

"There you are," Lulu's voice said first. It was high-pitched but harsh. I watched Colik pause his steps, not turning around but waiting for her to approach him. He waited silently until Lulu's arms came around his waist.

"Omorfos," I heard her say as she stepped closer, her hands now under his loose outerwear, pressing down with her fingertips. Then she moved her hand over his wrist, over his brace as if to unlock it, and he quickly moved it out of her reach.

"No foreplay?" She said with a pout after he turned her around and was face to face with her. She didn't even look offended, which I expected, but more inquisitive.

"I don't want to feel like that right now," he said slowly and covered his wrists by putting his hands together and behind his back. Lulu was looking at him and stepped back with her hands in the air as if in truce.

"You don't even know her. How are you so... attached?" She asked, annoyed. She didn't touch him again, but she shifted her body to almost herd him in the direction she wanted, which was opposite the Vanis rooms.

"Attached is the wrong word."

"Then what do you call it?"

"Change. I call it change. We can change too, can we not? What Blaze said... maybe that is happening to me..." Colik's voice trailed off.

"Of course we can, but did you want that? To change?" Lulu asked. Colik snickered.

"What I want? How do any of us know what we want?" Lulu seemed to cringe.

"I think you know what you want when you realize it is the one thing you can't have."

"Get back to me on that, will you? I am sure one of these days I will not get what I want," Colik said with a devilish grin. They were both looking out through the open windows, out into the Citadel's beauty.

"It looks a little brighter, does it not?" Lulu finally said, trying to lighten the mood or change the topic. Colik looked out, and as if an epiphany, he perked up.

"It does, doesn't it? How many blood moons have passed?" He asked, his voice chipper as well.

"I believe we are getting close to a half cycle. That means..."