Souls Of Sorrow || 𝐸𝑟𝑒𝑛 𝐽𝑎𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑋 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟

Chapter 34 - You

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Everything feels so hazy, like my mind isn't my own. I'm conscious of things happening around me, but I can't seem to grasp reality.

My head is buzzing with voices I can't place, like a constant, faint cacophony that doesn't fade. I feel my face twitch, trying to pull myself out of this dream like state.

My eyes fly open and the buzzing stops abruptly. The only thing audible is my own breathing.

I blink, and I realize I'm already standing.

I'm in the middle of...a field. It's familiar, and as I look around I recognize it as the field I used to play in when I was younger, the one outside the scout headquarters. Except there aren't any buildings, no matter where I look there's only grass, and a single tree standing tall a yard away.

What the-?

Above me, the sky is cloudless and blue, vast and never ending.

I feel a faint breeze ruffle my clothes as I start walking over the vibrant green grass, instinctively moving towards the large tree.

The roots of the tree are thick, up turning the dirt around it. I place a hand on the bark, feeling the rough, familiar surface as I walk around it.

I stop in my tracks when I see someone else already sitting on the other side, a young man, settled in the space between two roots that make a protective barrier.

My heart stops for a moment when he turns his head, looking up at me with a warm smile as he tosses a ball he's holding in the air and catches it. "I've been waiting for you," he says in an even tone.

I don't think too much about what he means by that, instead I let the disbelief settle over me for a moment as I stare.

"Marco," I murmur. I move to sit next to him, pulling him into a tight hug as I let out a shallow breath.

His arms wrap around me in turn as he buries his head in my neck. I place a hand on the back of his head, keeping him there as I revel in seeing him again.

We stay like that for a long moment before I pull away, my hands coming up to hold his face. My eyes search his features and freckled skin, he looks the same as when I last saw him.

My eyes close as I smile faintly. I bring his head closer to mine as I press my forehead to his. "I missed you," I murmur.

A light, wistful chuckle leaves his lips. "I missed you too."

Slowly, I pull away again, my hands still holding his face. "How-?"

I don't have to finish the question as his eyes meet mine, brown irises full of the same youthful innocence he always carried.

Oh. That's right.

Marco's dead. I'm dead.

That warm smile is still on his lips, but it falls slightly as he studies me. "You okay?"

I purse my lips, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Missed me that much?" he teases lightly.

I let out a dry chuckle and I feel tears prick my eyes as I look him over once more. I pull him into another hug, nodding as I rest my head on his. "You have no idea."