24 Dreams Of You And Me

10) Decisions And Disappointment

"People don't change, they grow up."

***

"About what?" Levi asked.

"About what's happening." Alice answered. "You saw Aradia, didn't you?"

Levi nodded.

"You did, too?" Alyssa asked.

Levi nodded.

"Me too." Alyssa breathed.

"You both did. She was about to make you an offer. The same offer she made to many other spirits. To join and follow her, or die."

"What?" Alyssa and Levi said at the same time.

"She casts a spell and the spirits become her slaves. Those who refuse, she neutralises them. That's why everything is chaotic. She's building an army. She wants to rule Earth as well as here. To rule Earth, she needs power-"

"-which she'll get from here." Levi finished the sentence.

"Oh, my God." Alyssa covered her mouth. "That's crazily bad!"

Alice glanced at her before turning back to her son. "She's cast a spell on you both, too. A trapping spell."

"Wait, I read about this in the lore yesterday!" Alyssa exclaimed and when she truly realised it, she felt cold.

"What- What kind of trapping spell?" Levi asked.

Alyssa looked around and things started to make sense to her and she huffed.

"You're trapped in your memories, son. The good ones, bad ones, or your dreams and wishes you had. Experiences you had while travelling, you're living them again." Alice replied.

Alyssa felt heavy and numb. So far she had guessed correct.

"So why is she here?" Levi asked and pointed at Alyssa.

"She's trapped too. She made Aradia angry, just like you did."

"But she could've simply killed me!" Levi argued.

"She plans to do that. Her soldiers are here somewhere. There's a price on both your heads. She has promised survival to those who become loyal to her and under her spell, those soldiers will go to extreme ends. Killing you both includes that. It'll set an example to those who refuse her rule."

"But I thought we can't be killed in a dimension we don't belong?!" Levi raised his voice.

"She has ways to find loopholes, Levi. I can't stay long. Angels can't contact you either. The moment she finds out I'm talking to you, she'll unleash her worst wrath upon us."

"Mom, wait-"

Alice handed him a piece of paper.

"One side has six ingredients that are needed to reverse the spell. The other side shows how to blend them and the words. Run. Hide. Protect yourselves. Her soldiers are coming for you."

With that, Alice was gone.

Levi ran his eyes through the paper and he couldn't believe it.

"Are you f*cking kidding me?! These are impossible to find here!" He screamed.

Everything I read was true, Alyssa thought, the spell, the trap. I will die here.

When she didn't speak for a while, Levi looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Alyssa's eyes snapped to him in anger and frustration. "Am I okay? Am I okay?! No! I bloody well am not! Can you seriously expect me to be 'okay' when I'm literally about to die? I've read about this, I know the ingredients. They're impossible to find. Hell, I don't even know what the f*ck half of them are! But that's not even the worst part. The worst part is.. you! Out of all people, why did it had to be you that I was going to be stuck with until the moment I die?"