I run through a beautiful meadow, the grass long and green, wildflowers blossoming and breathtaking. I hear laughter behind me and glance over my shoulder to see my father with the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She has long blonde hair and kind blue eyes, her smile is brighter than the sun shining above us and I feel inexplicably drawn to her. I start to move to her but giant trees sprout out of the ground and grow impossibly tall, thick roots emerging from the ground. The wildflowers have turned to vines of thorns and I cry out in fear as they seem to snake toward me. In the distance I still hear the faint sound of laughter and try to move towards it, tripping on tree roots and vines. My feet sting in pain and I glance down, not stopping, to see them bare and bloody from many small cuts. "Dad!" I scream in terror, looking around me but continuing running. "Anyone!? Help me!" I sit down at the base of a tree, hug my knees to my chest and start to cry histerically. A thunderclap drowns out the sound of my scream and rain starts to fall, at first a nice gentle rain but as the minutes pass, it turns to a storm, the rain falling fast and loud. I feel like just sitting under this tree forever.... or at least until someone finds me. I tilt my head up and let the rain wash my tears away, I feel small, a child again. I wonder if you can drown in the rain? I shake my head feeling stupid. "Zirconia..." A voice reaches my ears and I sit up fast, recognizing it as my father's. "Zirconia..." "Father!" I yell, getting up and running towards the voice. "Zirconia..." My legs ache from so much running but the thought of finding my way back to the meadow gives a new spring in my step. "Father, I'm coming!" The rain dies down slowly and the trees and thorns thin out. I burst out of the forest into the meadow, but now it's night. A ways a from me I see my father and the beautiful lady lying down. I sob in happiness and move towards them, my legs like jello and barely functioning. "I'm back... I found my way back." I say exhaustedly and the woman raises her head. Something seems different though, a feeling of danger and fear crawling under my skin. The woman's eyes are black and her hair is tangled with twigs and grass, no longer sleek and beautiful. And worst of all, her mouth is smeared with blood and gore. I bite back a scream as she smiles at me, an edge of insanity making it's way into her grin. "Hello Zirconia," she says, her voice soothing and terrifying. I move a little closer and see that my father's throat has been torn out and the ground around him is stained dark with blood. I take a shaky step back and the woman stands up, revealing the front of her white gown to be covered in blood too. "Don't run," she says, her face in an expression of concern. I ignore her and turn around, bolting back into the forest I came from. But now it seems the trees aren't so big, giving me no place to hide. "Zirconia!" I hear from behind me, the voice shrill. I fight back my terror and keep running until I collapse, my legs useless after so much movement. The woman appears behind me and makes a scolding sound, "Zirconia, you shouldn't run away." She wraps an arm around me and I struggle to move but she has an iron grip. "Zirconia," she says, her teeth now fangs that brush against my neck. "Zirconia you shouldn't run away from your mother." She says, caressing the back of my head with long, clawed fingers. I gasp before she continues. "Do you know how that makes me feel? It makes me feel like a terrible mother." Her claws dig into my head and I choke on a scream. "But I'm not a terrible mother. I won't be anymore. Because once your gone, I won't have a daughter to worry about." She laughs maniacally. "No I'll just be Atlas. Plain old Atlas without a care in the world." Her fangs graze the soft flesh on my neck and I gulp, knowing that I'm going to die. "Goodbye... my dear Zirconia." She whispers before her fangs rip out my throat.
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I wake up screaming, hands grasping at my throat. My head hurts as I lift it from my pillow, a groan escaping me as the terror drifts away. I make to get up but collapse immediately from exhaustion, wondering why I'm so tired. The nightmare slips from my kind as I tell myself it's not real and it never will be. I slowly stretch my arms behind my head while lying down and my back cracks loudly. I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed, staying still for a moment because of a sudden onslaught of dizziness and nausea. Suddenly Moira rushes into the room and gasps loudly, tears in her eyes. "M-Moira?" My voice sounds dry and tires, as though I haven't used words in a long time. "My lady! You're awake, and not a moment too soon, the festival starts in an hour!"
