Two Worlds Apart

Chapter 12: Prophecy

"The time to know will come, but for now, trust the silence and the waiting."
-Merlin

"In the crimson glow of twilight’s final breath,
A flame shall rise from the ashes of death.
Born of fire, fierce and untamed,
Guardian of realms, her power proclaimed.

Wings of shadow and light shall unfurl,
Protector of magic, the keeper of worlds.
But when the stars bleed and the moon weeps red,
A final sacrifice must be led.

Bound by fate, yet destined to fall,
For the magic she guards, she shall give her all.
The one who bears fire will take her last flight,
And in darkness, her ember will fade into night." A voice whispers...

                         Brielle

I shot upright in bed, heart racing, breath ragged. My body felt cold, yet drenched in sweat, and my mind was still trapped in the remnants of the dream. The crimson glow, the fire, the wings… It had all felt so real, like it was happening to me, right there in the moment.

It was just a dream.

I blinked, forcing myself to take in the familiar sight of my room—the soft flicker of moonlight through the window, the gentle rise and fall of my chest. I was safe. But my hands shook, as if the dream had left something behind, something I couldn’t quite grasp.

Born of fire… Guardian of realms...

The words, the images—they lingered in my mind, like echoes of a past life I couldn’t remember. I rubbed my forehead, trying to shake the feeling that there was something I was missing. The dream had been so vivid. Too vivid. I could almost still feel the heat of the flames on my skin, the rush of power surging through me.

Wings of shadow and light...

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stop the images from flooding back. What were they? Why did they feel like they belonged to me, like they were mine? I reached for the blankets, twisting them between my fingers as a chill crept through me.

It wasn’t just a dream.

I felt it. Something about it had been real. Something had touched me in the depths of my soul, like it was meant to warn me, or maybe guide me. But guide me where? To what?

I stood up, the floor cold beneath my feet, and walked to the window, peering out at the night sky. The moon was high, its pale light casting an eerie glow over the world outside. Nothing looked out of place. But I still couldn’t shake the weight of the dream.

It felt like a prophecy. But it couldn’t be. Prophecies weren’t real, were they?

I laughed at myself bitterly, but it was hollow. The flame, the wings, the sacrifice—it all felt like it had been written for me, like my very existence had been laid out before me, and I was powerless to stop it.

I pressed my hand against the cool glass of the window, staring at the stars. When the stars bleed and the moon weeps red...

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I shook my head, taking a deep breath. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be.

But as I turned away from the window and walked back to my bed, the whisper of the dream clung to me, refusing to let go.

I walk to the balcony the night air wrapped around me, biting at my skin as I stood there, gripping the cold railing of the balcony. My thoughts were a whirlwind—flashes of flames, wings, and that terrible prophecy. It all felt so real, too real, and yet, I couldn’t make sense of it. I needed answers.

I closed my eyes, breathing in deep and trying to center myself. Merlin, I called softly in my mind, my thoughts reaching out to him. Please, I need you. What's happening to me?

Nothing.

I swallowed hard, a wave of panic rising in my chest. Merlin?

Still nothing. No presence, no familiar warmth, no gentle hum in the back of my mind. The silence pressed down on me, suffocating, until I could barely breathe.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, that something was coming for me. My thoughts raced, desperate. Why can’t I reach you?

And then, as if his presence materialized from the very air itself, I felt him. Faint at first, like the brush of a whisper against my thoughts, but unmistakable.

"Brielle..." his voice rumbled through my mind, like a distant thunderstorm breaking through the quiet.

I froze, every part of me on edge. "Merlin?' I thought, almost breathlessly. 'Where were you? Why didn't you answer me before?"

He was silent for a moment, and I felt a kind of weight settle in my chest, as if he was considering his words carefully. ''I was here," he finally said, his voice soft but firm. "But the time was not right to speak yet."

The weight of his words hit me harder than I expected. "What do you mean?" I demanded, my frustration boiling over. "I need answers! That dream—that vision—what does it mean? What’s happening to me?"

"You have seen a glimpse of what is to come," Merlin replied, his voice steady, but there was an undercurrent of something ancient and knowing in it. "But you must wait, Brielle. You must understand—some things cannot be told until the time is right."

I shook my head, the emptiness of the night pressing down on me. "I don’t have time! The prophecy– "My voice faltered, but I pushed on. "It says I’ll die. It says I’ll have to sacrifice everything. How can you tell me to wait?"

"The prophecy is not a death sentence, Brielle," he said gently, though there was an edge to his words. "It is a path—a journey. You will walk it, but you must trust that the answers will come when they are meant to. Not before."

I clenched my fists, feeling the sting of helplessness in my chest."How am I supposed to trust in something I don’t understand? How do I prepare for something I can’t even see?"

There was a long pause, and for a moment, I thought he might not answer me at all. But then his voice came again, softer this time. "You are stronger than you know. And you are not alone. The flame within you will guide you, Brielle. But for now, you must trust the silence, trust the waiting. You will understand when the time comes."

And with that he's gone again

I stood there in silence, my heart pounding. I wanted to scream, to demand more answers, but his presence was already fading, like a fog rolling away at dawn.

When the time is right… I repeated his words to myself. But the question still gnawed at me: how would I know when that time was? How could I trust in something that seemed so far out of reach?

I will be here, always, Merlin’s voice whispered through my mind, barely there, a faint echo of reassurance. And when the time is right, you will know.

The connection finally faded, leaving me standing alone in the quiet night. The stars above seemed to mock me, distant and cold. I didn’t have the answers, and I didn’t know how to prepare.

But for the first time in a long while, I knew one thing: I would have to face it, whatever it was. And when the time came, I would be ready—even if I didn’t understand why.