The Story of Midnight

Chapter 15 Part 1

This chapter was too long so I had to break it into two parts.

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order."

John Burroughs

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I let out a tired sigh. I'm probably going to stay here until tomorrow, maybe even further into the next day unless the Commander forgot he left me in this room.

Did Lynx already know I was missing? Did the Commander tell him what happened to me? Did Lynx believe him? I shook my head to rid myself of the ongoing questions.

Taking a few minutes to wiggle my toes to somewhat bring back the blood flow; I noticed my legs weren't chained to the wall. It didn't matter if I could still move my legs to some extent; the small room was designed not to let its prisoner escape. If I did somehow managed to free myself, where would I go? There's no way I can go back to my cell without being detected and you need a key to unlock the door to it. Same goes with the door to this room.

Time went by slowly.

My arm and shoulder muscles started to burn in protest at the awkward position they were put in since they were placed above my head. I knew there was no point in struggling against the chains; it really was impossible to break their grip on my wrists.

I assumed it was about past midnight since exhaustion finally got the better of me, so with a calming breath, I decided to close my eyes and waited for sleep to take over me.

I woke up to a strange tickling sensation on my face. I opened my eyes cautiously and smiled when I realized it was just Zephyr. His long whiskers continued to tickle my cheeks for a few more seconds then moved back to let me stretch.

"I am aware of what happened to you, Silver," he said seriously, "I cannot believe he would simply leave you in such a state."

I shook my head.

"I couldn't escape; even if I did it wouldn't lead me anywhere. I had no choice but to put up with it."

Zephyr nodded thoughtfully as I rubbed my eyes at the vivid landscape.

"I see you are still not familiar with bright colors."

I smiled behind my hands and said, "It's strange being blind by day and being able to see by night."

"Not to worry, you will become accustomed to it after a while."

I blinked a few times as my eyes regained their focus. "Are we going to do anything today?"

The dragon shook his head.

"Not quite. I need you to leave that place first. You need to be calm when you come here; it helps with the training process," Zephyr explained.

I stood up, walked over to a nearby tree and sat against it. I gazed up at the sky and let the gentle wind whisper its words to me letting my mind forget about everything for a short moment, even the dragon that gazed at me with an amused look.

This was the only time and place where I could fully relax and not feel so restricted to the world beyond my cell back in reality.

This realm is a combination of both mine and Zephyr's subconscious. So, what else will there be in this place aside from the usual forest and the waterfall he showed me? Is anything possible here or are there rules I have to follow?

My thoughts always lead me to more questions than answers.

Finally, I looked to my right only to find the spot empty where Zephyr's coiled body used to be.