Lucidity

Chapter Seventeen: Red to a Funeral

After the adventure with the journal, the group found itself happier to be together than before. They spent their time sat together, sometimes talking, mostly quiet. To Hjalmar's surprise, he found Kosa and Anwyn didn't bother him as much as previously. Maybe it was the weight of shared loss or maybe the influence of diverse cultures, regardless, he was starting to see the two girls as friends, Oburon too. The eve before the funeral, they sat around together and exchanged stories of a life before lucid dreams and deception.

"You guys won't believe it, but Kosa and I weren't even that close before all this," Anwyn admitted with a small smile. The weight of Dale's death still hung heavy on hers and the others' shoulders, but she'd accepted that moping around and blaming herself wasn't going to help.

"Yeah, I only came along because Nokia was cute and it sounded like a cool adventure," said Kosa, grinning at Anwyn.

"I didn't know Junior or Hazhil either... Can't say I'm sorry," joked Hjalmar. Then, upon remembering Yaz's existence, he hastily added, "Oh, and Yaz neither."

There was a silence in which their thoughts drifted to their companions back in Belmoth. For a moment, they expressed their hopes for them, then Anwyn shyly asked Oburon, "What's your background?"

"I'm a Gaspa," Oburon replied as if that were self-explanatory. When he didn't reveal anything else, Anwyn said, "And...?"

"Like all Gaspa, I've been raised to serve."

"Oh, is it some kind of society system where people are assigned a group at birth?", Kosa asked.

Oburon shook his head. "Not quite. But those with the gift of tongues are expected to serve a Parvi family. For balance's sake." There was this bitterness to his voice which didn't entirely surprise the others because it didn't exactly sound like an idyllic life.

If he'd been amongst other citizens of his home area, Oburon would have closed his mouth then, yet this more international outlook the others had caused him to continue. A second opinion from someone who hadn't been brainwashed like him was just what he needed. Hence he continued, "The issue is, our powers have natural drawbacks. Pain. Why should we be enslaved too?"

Anwyn's eyes widened at the thought of the practice, Kosa bit her lip, uncomfortable with mentions of the injustices within Lypera. In contrast, Hjalmar spoke up, "It's called jealousy and exploitation. It's got nothing to do with Lypera's balance, no matter what they say."

Oburon nodded grimly. "But what can I do? If I return home, that's the system I'll be faced with."

"That," Hjalmar grievously responded, "I cannot tell you."

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Upon abandoning her friends, Caitlyn's first move had been to walk as far as possible until the moon had been fairly high in the sky. This had proven itself to be more difficult then she'd expected, for having witnessed the conflicts and fatalities of the day had left her mentally and physically worn out. Nevertheless, Caitlyn's purpose had warmed her heart and driven her onwards.

To her surprise, she had reached a jungle-like area which contained a small town. Evidentally, Dale hadn't been joking about the order having transformed the surrounding area into a desert. The natural terrain must have been the transition between the desert and the jungle.

Caitlyn had perfomed the same ritual she had done once before and had smiled up at the moon. Slowly, a shadowy face had come into view.

"Natalia. I need to ask you for a favour."

The conversation had lasted ten minutes in which Caitlyn had outlined the first steps in a complicated plan. After their long distance chat had come to an end, all she had been able to do had been to sit against a tree and to wait. It had been hard not to know how long Natalia was going to take, but she was coming. Caitlyn would have help.