The Blue Flames And Rusted Swords

Chapter 6 (Part 2)

I had fallen asleep after a bit, and I was dreaming about the flashbacks of the thunderstorm last night and just the day before. My eyes closed for just a brief moment until I opened them.

It was a different scene. I couldn't recall any memory like this. I was running down a steep slope with eroding soil and jagged boulders that were somehow still stuck in place. It was pouring, and I kept spotting a white flash followed by a loud boom.

I heard voices in the distance shouting to me, but I kept running. Whatever those voices were, in that dream, I felt like I knew who they belonged to except if it was all real I wouldn't. Sometimes, I will look over my shoulder to see if the people are close by.

They were meters away from me and were still at the top of the slope. I continued to run until I slipped on the wet soil and went tumbling down. It felt like a while before eventually my vision went black.

When I awoke, there was an awful ringing in my ears, and my vision was all a blur. I blinked away a few times before everything started to clear up. I struggled getting up because of the pain.

My body was aching and sore all over. I pulled my sleeve to reveal bruises on my arms and several small cuts. I groaned out of frustration, and I was also covered in dirt.

My clothes, skin, and hair were all still drenched after the rain. I touched my face and the back of my head for any sign of bleeding. When my fingers touched my forehead, I felt a little sting before I pulled my hand away.

I saw a small bit of blood that mixed with the rainwater, streaming down my fingertip and to my palm. I looked around to take in the scenery before me. However, it became even more confusing.

On my left was the river bank, and to my right were the mountains. I was surrounded by forest, and on top of that, the river was calm. The only time I remembered the river flowing so smoothly was when I found myself here, in this exact spot, and having no memory of how I got here. That was all seven months ago....

However, my feelings weren't the same in my dreams as I remembered it being. Before, I didn't mind where I was nor was terrified of being lost. It was something about the land that soothed my pains and worries.

Though seeing this replayed in my dreams all over again terrified me. Yet, even though it did, I still managed to get up and carry on with my dream. My muscles were sore, and so I was struggling, but eventually, I got up.

When I stood up, I was shocked to find myself not limping. However, that shock was only temporary before I looked up at the sky and realized how dark it was getting. It was cloudless, but I saw the great hues of blue overcoming each other as night fell.

I decided to trek through the forest and find a shelter. I was walking barefoot, but I didn't mind. The only issue I had was tripping over the roots of the trees and not having a torch.

After a few muttered curses, I decided to climb up a tree and take shelter from there. I could hear the sound of wolves howling from afar and an owl hooting. Once I made it up to the first thick branch of the tree, I propped my myself onto it.

I figured it was strong enough to carry me. I didn't have any ropes that I could tie myself against the tree with to prevent falling. So I just had to hope that I didn't fall to my death.

I crossed my arms behind my head to use it as a pillow. I leaned back against the trunk of the tree. As I was about to close my eyes, I caught a whiff of burning wood.

I sniffed the air and turned my head to find the direction of the smell. As I kept nearing towards my right, I caught a glimpse of wispy red and orange. I could hear the sound of crackling, and when I eventually saw it, I couldn't move.