Nocturne of Nightmares: A Retelling

Chapter Sixteen

SUNLIGHT BILLOWED DOWN like a flaxen silk sheet and fell upon the treetops and the sand beneath me. The few trees closest to me had been severed to stumps of various sizes, and I felt this strange urge to climb them like stairs, like it was something I had always done. Where was I? I found children sitting in the garden - they were all laughing, sharing each other's toys.

"Hey, let's play hide-and-seek!" a girl chirped.

"Great idea! I'll be it!" a raspy, boyish voice declared.

I blinked a couple of times to deduce that it was Monica and Ray. One of the other children turned away, fiddling with their toy car. That's Thoma... Thoma's little brother pouted at him, as if disappointed to see him excluding himself again, but then young Ray decided to close his eyes and start the game.

"One, two, three..."

"Ray's counting!" said Monica. "Let's go!"

This must be a dream. This brings back so many memories. It's nice to be having a good dream for a change. I watched my younger self run to a certain spot in front of a huge tree with red steps curled around it, leading to what must have been a tree house. But then she stopped.

"Oh, no! Where do I hide?"

"Eight, nine..."

"Come with me!" Licht appeared by her side. Without anywhere else to go, the young me ran with her friend.

Ah, I remember... Licht and I hid in the old shack that day. It was so much fun. Sweet, gentle, Licht - what are you hiding behind that mask?

Did you know what was going to happen to us?

"Ziya, wake up."

"Hmm..?" I moaned, opening my eyes to find Subaru staring at me with a worried expression. I turned my head and saw Ray sitting by the window, writing something. We were back where we'd lost consciousness, where we'd lost Thoma.

"You didn't wake up right away."

"Oh... I was having a dream," I told Subaru.

"A dream?"

"Yeah, of when we were kids. It was about Licht. I didn't realise we could dream here in the nightmare world," I explained as I tried to get up, but my muscles were so weak that I almost folded right back onto the floor.

Subaru's strong hands kept me from falling. "Are you feeling sick?" he asked sincerely.

I'm fine, aren't I? "I just feel a little dizzy." Ray looked concerned as he stared at me. "Maybe because I just woke up."

He hummed. "Well anyway, just stay here until you feel better."

"What?" At any rate, I don't think I'm sick. Maybe it's because of the dream. For some reason, that time we were playing hide-and-seek stood out so clearly in my mind. Slowly, I started to return to it. I could see the dusty old shack, and Licht, standing across there from me.

"Ray won't find us in here."

"Phew. You sure saved me. I didn't know where to hide!"

"You're such an amateur. You're lucky I'm the hide-and-seek master!" Licht proclaimed and sat down next to me. In that small shack, we felt so close. Suddenly, Licht pulled two lollipops from his pocket. "Here's one for you."

"Ooh, I love lollipops."

"I know."

I looked at him, and he looked away, his face red. "Hehehe. Thank you."