THE DRAGON EMPEROR

Chapter 5

Al's pov

I was standing in a clearing in the middle of a forest. The forest itself looked like it was made of something liquid, moving, swaying, fading in and out of visibility. The forest itself was too green and golden, the trees were as tall as skyscraper and the sun light streaming through them was like golden honey dripping. I turned and looked around as to understand where I was, that was when I saw her.

She was just standing there, with her mane of jet black hair flowing around her head, sometimes coming over her face, sometimes in her eyes. She was looking at something deep into the forest. That thoughtful look on her face, those brown - almost golden- eyes of hers, the angle of her jaw, everything about her from the she stood to the small freckles on the bridge of her nose felt familiar. I was broken out of my trance when she turned to look right at me.

She looked at me, there was some emotion in her eyes that made them look almost like they were longing for something. She stared at me and I stared at her, trying to remember where have I seen her. She was looking at me with those brown eyes of hers, she tilted her head, my body copied her movement. A look of sudden determination crossed her features. She took a deep breath and started walking towards me, her long white sundress flowing behind her. It was all too surreal to be real, but it was too cozy not to be real.

She walked past me, leaving a trail of fragrance, it smelled like the misty air of an open field after the rain. I was too intoxicated by her fragrance to notice that she was gone. I whirled around frantically looking for her. There I found her, standing by a tree beckoning me to follow her. She walked behind the first tree. Disappeared. She came out from behind the tree. Disappeared behind the second tree, then reappeared again. Disappearing and reappearing, she walked by six trees. At the seventh tree she disappeared but she didn't reappear. I ran towards the seventh tree but she wasn't there, I looked all around the clearing but I wasn't able to find her. I ran back to the centre of the clearing and looked for the first tree she went behind. I found it, it was standing right there, tall and big. It was the biggest tree with orange colored moss covering it's bark.

I went behind it, as I crossed it felt like I was walking through hot burning jelly. As I came out from behind it I saw that there seven trees that stand out from others. I guess I was too enthralled with that woman to notice before. I walked behind the second tree, it's bark was covered with green moss. Walking out from it's behind felt like digging through a solid layer of soil. The third tree was covered with bright yellow and blue moss, walking past this one was the worst, it felt like thousand lightning strikes hitting me at once. It reminded me of someone but I just quite remember who.

Fourth tree had black mushrooms and fungus over it, it filled me with a sense of dread, hopelessness, insecurity and every other bad feeling in the world but I managed to walk past it too. Next tree had white and bright yellow colored stuff covering it and unlike the black tree, it washed away all the sense of dread and despair and filled me with hope and peace. The sixth tree had nothing on it, it was clean as the air in the sky, but it did had some mist clinging to it's roots, as I walked behind it my senses were overcome by the same misty fragrance. It almost knocked me off my feet. I leaned against the trunk for support, it's trunk felt cool against my skin. When I looked up, I saw her.

She was standing there behind the seventh tree, just looking at me with adoration. Finally I gave and spoke," Who..." but as the word left my mouth it echoed throughout the forest so much that it made my ears ring. She just walked towards me, her hair and dress flowing behind her. She came up to me, I stood up straight suddenly conscious of how I look. She raised her hand and placed it on my chest, right where the rib-cage ends. Her hand felt soft, and warm through the white T-shirt that I was wearing. Her hand made my chest fell warm, and cozy. The warmth was spreading throughout my chest, reaching up till my shoulder blades and thighs. She moved her hand to my cheek, and all of a sudden the warmth intensified and filled my whole being. It was just so good, that I just couldn't stop myself from leaning into her touch. At this she, for the first time, smiled at me knowingly. Something clicked in me, and then I remembered who she is. She looked at me and sighed. Then she spoke," You're ready now, time to go now". And as she removed her hand, just like the ripples that appear in clear water when throw a stone, several ripples spread throughout the landscape washing over me and her.

I woke up with a gasping shriek," MOM!" But then I realized it was all just a dream. I was at Luke's house, on his sofa, drenched in sweat and shaking like a leaf in wind.