Lucid Dreaming/ RavnWoong

Chapter Nine (Edited)

Ravn woke the next morning with the spot beside him empty and cold. His body rocketed forward, sitting up as his eyes darted around the room in panic. He didn't calm down until he heard a small splash come from the bath that sat behind the little privacy screen, that sat off in the corner of the room. He relaxed a bit, letting his body slump back into bed, laying down and tossing a hand behind his head to support him. He let out a small sigh before mumbling out into the silent room. "How long have you been up?"

The silence that had hung around them, before the older had spoken, was back. It was that silence that had Ravn raising his head, looking over toward the direction he should have heard the younger's voice. "Hwanwoong?"

"I'm him, aren't I?" The prince finally mumbled out, unsure of what more he could say after he woke that morning.

"What are you talking about?" The guard sat back up; his eyes trained on the silhouette of the man bathing behind the screen. Ravn could already tell what the younger was meaning but he had to get the words out of him. If it really was what he was thinking, what he was hoping for, then he was terrified. He may have hoped for the boy to remember his past but that didn't stop the elder from feeling a gut retching fear overcoming his body.

"I'm the reincarnation of Hwan, aren't I?" The prince clarified.

Ravn's heart pounded against his ribcage. If Hwanwoong was finally connected to dots, then he knew their history. He would know everything about their past life together...and that terrified the older. The guard stood frozen; an uncomfortable feeling welled up within him. What would that mean for them? "What gives you that idea?"

"I've been up longer than I'd like to be, I had a...nightmare...if you'd want to call it that." The younger's voice was trembling with each word, and if Ravn was there in front of him then he would have seen the boy shaking. "It was like I was there through every event, feeling everything that happened. The images were so real...dying...that's what woke me. Seeing the look on...on..."

"Seeing the look on what?" Ravn questioned, waiting and wanting to see if the prince really was just remembering his past life. Depending on the answer he received, it would change so much for them...or would it? Why would it be for that matter? It's not like the prince shared the same feelings; sure, he was Hwan' reincarnation, but did that really mean the feeling were the same. The older let fear and doubt creep into his mind, though he had to remind himself to stay strong.

"On your face..." The prince breathed out, the water sloshing around him as he moved and gasped out for a breath like he was reliving the dream. "You're and I'm Hwan...and don't bother lying, because this ring you gave me is enough proof for me to make the connection."

Silence.

That was all that hung in the air as Hwanwoong shrank into the bath, with his nose just above the surface of the water. Even after waking the memories didn't fade, the nightmare he had was just the terrible truth of how he died in his past life. He heard Ravn stand from the bed, heard the man moving about the room before he saw a silhouette standing in front of the screen. He didn't know that the guard felt both relieved and terrified at the same time. He couldn't see how the older shook, dark eyes staring in shock at the shadow behind the screen.

"I'll get breakfast brought up here." The silence was broken, Hwanwoong watching as he saw the silhouette, of the man fiddle with his sleeves, disappearing toward the door.

Ravn pulled the door open, his body and demeanor setting into a sort of numbness. He'd waited three hundred years for this day to finally come and now that it was here, he didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do. There were so many things that could have changed over the last three hundred years. Hwanwoong didn't have to love him like Hwan did. Hell, Hwanwoong didn't even have to want him around after this; Ravn wouldn't blame him.