What do I do? Come on, think!
Peter's mind raced. Then he remembered the fight from earlier that day, the power he had used, the black flames that had answered his call.
That's right. I just need to focus… how did I do it?
He narrowed his eyes, straining to remember the sensation. He reached inward, toward something sleeping within him.
The beast lunged. Reia parried and rolled aside, but the creature kept pressing, unrelenting. Her strikes slowed it but didn't stop it. She was being pushed back.
It snapped at her legs, forcing her into a retreat. Her sword flashed in the firelight as she slashed upward, scoring a hit across its shoulder. The beast howled, but it didn't slow. Blood sprayed the ground as it twisted, knocking her off balance with a swipe of its paw. She caught herself mid-fall, stumbling into a crouch.
Then it pounced. She fell beneath it, sword held crosswise to block its jaw. Peter watched in horror as its teeth crept closer to her face, the firelight stretching their shadows grotesquely.
Come on, come on!
He reached deeper, and found it. Something responded. His body trembled as his arms suddenly erupted in black flame.
It worked!
He blinked in surprise, then snapped back to reality.
Reia screamed. Peter thrust out his hands. The black fire surged from his body and struck the beast in a roaring torrent. Reia kicked it off and rolled away just in time. The creature hit the ground and writhed as the flames consumed it.
Its roars became shrieks, inhuman and echoing through the forest like a banshee's wail. The flames weren't natural. Peter knew that instinctively. They clung to the beast like tar, burrowing into it, feeding on more than just flesh. It thrashed wildly, eyes rolling back, claws carving trenches into the ground until they finally stilled.
The fire didn't stop. It ate through the beast's flesh like acid, burning until nothing remained.
Peter collapsed.
His vision swam. Every part of his body screamed for rest. He couldn't move, but he could still see, barely. His eyes locked on Reia as she clutched her shoulder, blood soaking through her clothes. She was hurt. He wanted to go to her. But he couldn't even lift a finger.
She struggled out of her pack, gritting her teeth. Peter watched through flickering vision as she pulled out a bundle of cloth, unwrapped it, and applied something to the wound. Then she tied it tightly and slumped against the tree, breathing hard. After a moment, her pain seemed to fade. She stood and walked toward him slowly, sword at her side, eyes half-lidded with exhaustion.
"Thank you." Peter tried his best to relay his feelings to her, despite the fact that his words were no more than a whisper, he didn't even have the strength to speak.
She shook her head and put one hand on his shoulder. She said something but her words were muffled. Peter couldn't hear her, only buzzing sounds.
Even though he couldn't understand her words, he could tell her voice was gentle, not like it was before when she was clearly wary of him. She gave off a guarded atmosphere, or at least that was the impression he got from her earlier, but he couldn't blame her for that. Either way he assumed she was thanking him as well.
Through blurry eyes, Peter could see her suddenly smiling and despite her dirty and sweaty face, it was a lovely smile. It was a smile he hadn't seen in a very long time. He chuckled to himself, or at least he thought he was. He could see her looking at him strangely, but then she laughed along too.
That was the last thing Peter saw before the world slipped away, a moment that he would never forget for the rest of his life.
__________________________________
Before he knew it, he was asleep again. He must have been extremely tired to fall asleep in such a perilous situation.
What was it again? What was I doing? Oh yeah, I used that power again. Hmmm. I'm falling? What's going on?
Peter's thoughts were a jumble. It felt unreal, as though he was just observing himself falling from an unknown point in space, rather than having his actual body dropping from the sky.
Wasn't I asleep? This is... a lucid dream?
He thought as he wondered what would happen if he hit the ground below. Though some superstitions claimed that dying from falls in dreams result in the actual death of your physical body, he was only slightly afraid. He never believed in such silly superstitions, but this place felt too real in a way.
Suddenly, the world of his dreams shifted and his body floated, with arms and legs outstretched, until he landed on the ground, which had popped up beneath him, on his feet.
Before him, sitting on a black throne, was what appeared to be a young woman filled with the beauty of youth, but with a mature atmosphere. Her body was well toned and curvaceous and she wore a strange, skin-tight, black leather outfit that left little to the imagination. Her skin was an ivory white color and she had long, silky black hair tied in a single ponytail, that reached well down her back. Her eyes were unlike anything he had seen before, a bright, glowing crimson color.
Her beauty was breathtaking. It took Peter a moment to see the horns that were protruding from the top of her head. They were somewhat difficult to see as they were similar to a ram's horns that curved around her head and were thus partially concealed by her hair.
I guess I shouldn't be too shocked considering I am in a strange fantasy world. Not to mention this isn't the first time this woman has appeared in my dreams.
Peter was finally able to calm down when she spoke to him.
"Human, you should feel honored that I am once again gracing you with an audience."
Her haughty attitude was a little off-putting but he decided to just go with the flow. It's just a dream after all. Surely she couldn't hurt his real body from inside it... right?
"Ah yes. I absolutely feel honored to receive your audience." Whoever you are...
Peter only thought that in his head, as he pretended to bow respectfully to the elegant temptress.
She seductively, yet somewhat awkwardly, rose from the throne and approached him, putting her hand on his shoulder as she walked around him slowly. She appraised Peter like he was a prime piece of meat.
What am I, a prized ham?
Peter was somewhat confused by her behavior.
"Umm, can I help you with something? Or rather, where am I, and isn't it about time you told me who you are?"
She stopped directly in front of him when he said that and came in too close, with her face mere inches away from his own.
What a beautiful woman... No! Focus! She should get out of my personal space.
"I am speaking with you telepathically through your dreams but I am not far from your physical body." She stared into his eyes so intensely that he thought she would kiss him, but it seemed as though she was only interested in looking.
Peter inched back slowly, as she started to creep him out. Noticing his behavior, she backed off and spoke again.
"My name is Ardan'allein Sadren Hesaphiri Do Ra Yssafurin."
That's a rather long name, must have some significance. Hmm, in Earth's history, long names usually denoted some kind of nobility.
She must have noticed his perplexed look because she then said, "You may call me Allein." She abruptly spun around before Peter could respond and returned to the throne.
Why did she even bother coming down from it?
"Is there a reason why you are invading my dreams? I was sleeping peacefully, I think anyway, until you came along."
Peter was a little annoyed by her behavior. There should be some code of etiquette in regards to entering another person's dreams and this was already the third time now.
Allein covered her mouth again and her eyes gained a sinister look as she predatorily stared at him for a moment before speaking.
Peter was about to inquire further, but he was interrupted when she spoke.
"I have been looking for you for a long time."
Peter frowned.
What is she talking about now? I only just got here. This woman never makes sense.
"Look, I don't know what is going on. Why don't you start explaining some things to me? Like, how are you communicating with me right now? Even though it is telepathy, why am I hearing your words come out in my native tongue? What do you mean you've been looking for me? Do you know something about how I can get back home?"
Peter bombarded her with questions, hoping to at least finally get some answers.
"SILENCE!" Her voice cracked like a whip. Peter instinctively shut his mouth. "Do you know what good fortune you have, that I have come for you personally, a dragon princess?"
Well, that would explain the attitude. She looks like a regular woman to me, though. Is she really a dragon? She has horns, sure, but that's it. Aren't dragons supposed to be giant reptilian monsters that breathe fire and fly? Are dragons people in this world? Are there any humans here at all?
No, wait. Reia definitely mentioned humans and she also called me a human.
"Are you really a dragon? I mean, you don't look like one to me," Peter asked, with a sarcastic tilt to his voice. He wasn't about to believe whatever this mysterious dream-stalker said just because her words were wrapped in theatrics. She looked annoyed, but answered anyway.
"That is what I said, didn't I? I am Dragonkin, proud daughter of the Black Dragon King."
"Aren't dragons supposed to be enormous monsters that breathe fire and fly around destroying human villages?"
That only made her angrier.
"How dare you compare my kind to one of those monstrous beasts!"
Peter was beginning to enjoy taunting her a little too much. It was only a dream, after all. Might as well have some fun.
She's just too easy. Must be all that pride stuffed into her head.
"Alright, just calm down. I have to process this. First I meet some kind of fox lady, now a dragon woman? What kind of messed-up place did I fall into? Actually, don't answer that. Just tell me what you want."
"I already answered that question. Are you stupid? I am here for you."
She pointed directly at him and scoffed.
"Even if you say that, it doesn't explain anything. What do you mean you're here for me? Do you know what happened to me? Do you know how I can return home?"
That was all Peter wanted to know.
He had daydreamed about this kind of thing in his youth, being pulled into a fantasy world, going on some epic journey. But now that it had happened, it didn't feel magical. It felt lonely. Frightening.
Besides his daughter, he hadn't had much tying him down, but she was everything to him. His ex-wife would probably celebrate his disappearance, but his daughter... she still needed him.
She was so young. What if she forgot about him?
That thought chilled him to his core. It would be like he never existed at all. Would anyone even miss him?
Allein didn't respond.
She simply looked at him. And for the first time, he thought he saw something vulnerable behind those crimson eyes. A quiet sorrow. Deep and suffocating, like a sadness she carried but didn't dare speak aloud.
Peter stared into those eyes, stunned once again by her beauty, but even more by what was hidden beneath it. The sorrow in her expression didn't lessen her power. It made her feel more real.
His vision began to blur again. The world started to ripple and distort. He was being pulled out of the dream.
The vision of Allein, the throne, the eerie world around them, all of it started to fade.
Before he could fully wake, her voice echoed one final time:
"We will meet sooner than you think. Make sure to welcome me when we do."
Once more, the dream ended just as suddenly as it had begun.