Beyond The Eternity

Chapter 8: Chasing Dreams

With the sun's glare in her eye, she squinted, brushing off the grains scattered across her face. Karin lifted her body, buried just beneath the surface, awakening to a foreign place but a familiar sight.

A dizzying heat in an arid land, tantamount to a barren and oppressive environment. Whisks of wind whistled in the faraway distance as, beyond the horizon, there were only more rolling hills of sand.

"I'm here again."

She cupped a handful of sand, feeling individual grains pass through the gaps. Out of all places, she couldn't fathom why her mind kept dreaming about a desert.

Was this some form of lucid dreaming? Everything felt vividly real down to even the most minute detail. She was admittedly impressed at the magnitude and scope of her own imagination,

Karin slid down the pile of sand she was on, grazing against the gritty yet smooth terrain. She took a deep breath of the dry air, slowly lowering her guarded inhibitions.

Alone with no surveilling eyes, she found peace in solitude. Here, she didn't need  to disguise herself, nor act a certain way for the sake of her family.

For so many years, Karin fortified her heart, becoming a dependable pillar unshaken by personal troubles. After their mother's passing, it felt like the right decision to make. If it meant being a shoulder for Yuzu to cry on and Ichigo to worry less, she'd gladly forsake her inner child — even if it was a rather lonely existence.

Yet, right here, right now, she didn't need to do that. In this imaginary world, she wasn't Karin Shiba of the Soul Society, nor was she Karin Kurosaki of the living world. She was just her.

Soon, Karin stopped in her tracks and shot her gaze upwards. The bright sky collapsed in on itself as the world around her was plunged into an unforeseen night. A cold air swept through the dune-like landscape, sending chills down her spine as an ominous feeling pressed on her chest.

Suddenly, a ball of light appeared just steps away from her. A tiny dot spotted in the velvet embrace of night, shining brightly while possessing an alluring magnetism. Against better judgment, Karin reached out to touch it.

However, it was at that moment, an unidentified ringing noise permeated through her ears, only to come out muffled and disjointed. Karin winced, " What is that?!" She yelled, but her voice was deafened by the intensifying ringing. A rocking bass that pounded against her eardrums, Karin quickly covered her ears and closed her eyes.

She lunged forward, screaming as her body toppled to the ground. Karin fluttered her eyes open, finding herself face planted to — not sand — but wooden floorboards.

" Ugh..." she groaned, foggy from the strange dream she had just had. Eventually, she picked her haggard self up and prepared for the new day.

When she arrived in class, Karin caught sight of Professor Sato eyeing her from afar. She sheepishly grinned, ducking her head as she not only tried to avert her professor's gaze but also her fellow students.

" Damn, people really are staring," Karin said in passing. In what seemed like overnight, her academic life had taken a dramatic turn as she was now known as 'the new kid who got beat up by a Captain.'

Chiyo scoffed, " As much as I feel bad for you, you also had it coming."

" Yeah... you're right," Karin replied reluctantly. Despite all the ridicule, she would rather take this than re-live middle school.

Class came and went as usual. Even the least physically fit students had grown accustomed to the gruelling training. The sparring session was — by far — less eventful with Professor's hawk-like gaze drilling holes into Karin's back, all to make sure she wouldn't go rogue.