The Alchemist's Starling

Sweet Dreams...

Chisa's POV

I'm floating...

Suspended in mid-air, surrounded by darkness...

There is a light, like the sun, but it's far away...

Sometimes, it gets closer; then it drifts away again...

I don't know why...

My purple hair is billowing all around me, and I'm wearing a plain white nightgown. My feet are bare, too.

I'm pretty sure I'm asleep. I don't know how long it's been, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's been a few days. I dread the moment when I will wake up; I don't want to suffer anymore at Joseph's hands. The pain he can inflict upon someone - it's not human.

Wait... He's not human... He's an Alchemist, an immortal Alchemist. He merged with Cartaphilus, taking on his Curse. I understand that he's in constant agony and he's always suffering, but that does not give him the right to make others suffer! Renfred... Alice... Me... It's not right... It won't lessen his pain, even though it makes him happy... He's a sadistic creep...

And I hate him. I hate him for tricking me, just as much as I hate myself for accepting his ridiculous Pact! Everything about him screamed danger... and I was stupid enough to believe that the world could offer me a shred of kindness...

How stupid can I be?

Slowly, I start gliding towards the light again. Each time I blink, the light is significantly closer. When I nearly reach the light, I stop moving. I don't question why as immediately my eyes land on a plain, wooden chair. Somehow, my subconscious mind knows that I have to shift in the air into a sitting position before I am lowered onto the chair.

Dreams are weird...

I just sit there... staring at the blinding light, wishing it would go away. I don't know how long I sit there - it feels like a long time... but I know that time runs differently in dreams.

Then vaguely, I start to notice a flaw in the light... something... or someone, is coming from the source...
I quiver slightly in the chair, my eyes zoned in on the unknown figure who is gradually advancing towards me.

When the figure reaches me, I gasp, shocked and scared at the same time...

It's Joseph... Yet his hair is pure white and his skin is pitch black. His usually stormy grey eyes are now a pale, cloudy grey. His mouth is set in a thin line... that's not a good sign and my heart constricts at this detail. However, he is wearing some sort of old-fashioned robe; it's navy, with triangular patterns on the cuffs.

I gaze up at him fearfully. Great, I'm not even safe in my sleep anymore... Is there any way I can be free of him? Why does he enjoy tormenting me so much? I wish he'd leave me alone... I wish he'd never found me...

Joseph's features suddenly twist into a smile, and I gape at him in shock. It's not his creepy, sadistic smile - it's a genuine, 'hello, it's good to see you', smile.

"Hello again, Chisa. It's nice to see you. How are you feeling?"

He even sounds different! I'm so confused... Joseph never acts like this... and usually he'd be physically touching my by now - but he isn't. And don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for that. Personal space is a wonderful thing, Joseph.

Joseph tilts his head to the side and alarm bells sound in my head... I didn't answer his question! Despite being in my dream state, I start shaking.