AMBER MENORA AND THE VIAL OF BLOOD (Slow Updates)

1. DREAM OR REALITY?

It was dark.

    Dark, cool and soothing.

        My eyes peeled open as they tried to adjust to the scene before them.

         I was sitting on a pillowy couch, comfortable, but very different from the one in my room.
     It was dark green, with red satin cushions strewn across it, one of them sticking out from beneath me. I was in a balcony that appeared to be carved out of black marble. There were supporting pillars forming an arch overhead, adorned with sweet smelling, red flowers creeping around them in a harmonious hug. The bright silver moonlight flooded the entire place, making it look heavenly.  

     I breathed in the flowery fragrance that lingered in the air, letting out a soft sigh. It was beautiful. Serene. Relaxing.

Where was I?
    
    
     Slowly getting up, I turned around to get a better look at my surroundings. The balcony overlooked an inky black river of some sort; the only contrast being the reflection of the white moon on it. The couch that I had been sitting on was situated more or less in the middle, with a three legged circular table kept beside it's left arm. It was intricately decorated with rubies and sapphires: two of my favourite stones.
  

  After admiring the table for some time, I turned to my right, squinting at the more pillared side obscured by flowers. I was about to ignore the silhouette at the corner as some peculiar shadow of the bent creepers round the marble, but then, it shifted, making me freeze.

      Standing in the darker corner of the balcony, sideways, was a sylph, staring at the river outside. His face was partially hidden by the long collared jacket that he was wearing. From what I could make out from the slight crease across his forehead, he didn't appear to be in a very good mood.

    I didn't know why, but something made me take one tiny step towards him.
 
Maybe he could enlighten me about this place?

        I hadn't expected him to hear my inaudible footsteps. Neither did I expect him to have the ears of a hound.

Just as I took another step forward, he looked up, alarmed and cautious, his frown deepening. The next moment, he twirled to his side, staring right at me.

    No wait...it would be better if I said, right through me.

     For all these years, I had prided myself for my eyes which were renowned to be the most fierce, enthralling and captivating in all of Griph. Even in other realms.

Yes, don't tell me! In the beginning, I used to grow frustrated over this plain stupid ideology of fawning over somebody's eyes. It would irritate me like hell.
    But six moons and several hormonal changes later, I had just accepted the reason for all those princes' infatuation. I grew proud of it, especially after mother made me believe that eyes were the mirrors to our souls. So in reality, as she would say, they appreciated my soul.

     A lie.

That was false, because I could clearly see what they thought about me due to my lack of special powers.

     Still, this lie made me feel better. Made people give me importance. So I let my eyes get the fame.

  This man standing before me here put me to shame.

         I had never been so captivated by anyone else before...and it wasn't just for his enigmatic deep green eyes, almost next to black in the night, which seemed to pierce right through my soul and invade all my deepest, darkest secrets right at the spot.
  
Somewhere, he made me feel vulnerable.