ASTRID SHADOWBANE.
I opened my eyes to see, during the moonlit night, as I looked around the room which glowed with a tinge of bluish hue, making my room walls, and ceiling look like it was painted with the colour from the moon itself.
As my gaze shifted around the room, it fell on the sleeping body of a girl, who is around the age of 8, my eyes widened as i realised where I am, it was the same room I used to live in with my parents, and my– brother. "it's that dream again." I said my voice only audible to myself.
It was the same incident that happened 12 years ago, that day turned my life upside down. I lost my home, my family, and my carefree life as an 8 year old. I pitied my 8 year old self, for the gruesome incident she is going to witness the moment she wakes up. I watched as the clock reached the 12 hour mark in the midnight, and the sound I knew all too well came. 'THUD' even after witnessing this dream for hundreds and thousands of times it still sent a bolt of fear down my spine. And also waking my 8 year old self from the loud noise.
I watched, as the younger me struggled to turn on the mana lamp next to the bed, she tired again and again but failing– giving up on the lamp, her eyes darted around the room frantically, as she searched fpr something to comfort her in the bluish room.
She tried calling her– no OUR parents, i reminded myself. With a childish tone and fear mixed with every word she spoke. "PAPA....MAMA...are you there?...I'm scared papa." She shouted, but the only response that came out was– dead silence. I watched, as my 8 year old self hopped out from the huge bed, which was quite big for a child her age, she started walking downstairs, towards our parents bedroom.
I wanted to stop her from going there, I wanted to scream and tell her not to go there but all I can do is watch, as she descended the final stair, her body quivered, as her nose picked up on the smell of– blood. I watched helplessly as the younger me opened the door to my parents bedroom, as I and the 8 year old me saw the mysterious man clothed in white, and blade in his right hand as he stood tall looking down at the dead bodies on the ground.
I knew this moment was coming, but it didn't make it any better, I still felt helpless even in the dream just like the younger me, I couldn't do anything at that time, even now I can't do anything.
Except watch helplessly, as my parents blood poured out of their body. Just then the mysterious man spoke, his tone threatening, as he turned his head to look over from his shoulder, at the childe who is shaking trembling in fear, he had a mask on his face only his deep blue eyes were visible.
His black mask was quite opposite to the white clothes he wore. his deep blue eyes glowing from the moonlight, and glared right through my very soul as he said. "You're not even worth killing." After that, the man disappeared into thin air.
As the place where he stood now empty, he disappeared without even making the slightest of sounds.
As the child me fell to her knees infront of our parents, and started crying uncontrollably, screaming uncontrollably, but my Father, who had a huge hole in his abdomen.
The blood started pouring down like a river, with every slight movement resulting in groans and grunts from the man who I called "Papa.." I watched as the 8 year old me held our father tightly, her small arms struggling to wrap around his large frame, feeling jealous at my younger self.
As I too wanted to feel his warmth one last time, but I can't do anything except watch as my he slowly passes away.
I watched, as my Papa's futile attempts to calm me down failed, but the man kept patting the back of my head to calm me down.
I still remember the soft cooing sounds he made to calm me down while patting my head. And how he talked through the pain. I still remember the words like it was yesterday, even after 12 years, "shhh There There....papa is here, don't cry...Ast."
I too had tears in my eyes, as I watched my papa slowly loosing the life in his eyes, right infront of my eyes.
As he held me close to his chest, covering me in his blood. I wanted this dream to stop I wanted to wake up but at the sametime i didn't want to wake up.
Because I can only see my parents in this dream. I watched as my father mustered up all the strength in his body and hurled me out of the window, shouting.."AST RUNNNNN." I watched as the 8 year old me flew out of the house and landed safely on a haystack, outside the house.The next second, the placed I called home eruptied into black flames, sparing everything except the house, like the flames had a will of their own.
I saw as my papa was burned alive right infront of my eyes, even though he was dying, the man still had smile on his face like he achived something incredible, that day those black flames engulfed all my memories and goodtimes changing my life forever.
"PAPA NOOO." I sat up in my bed, my hand stretched out to catch on to something that isn't there, "it's that dream again.." I said as i face palmed myself with the same stretched out hand.
It's like a reminder that kept reminding me that this 'incident' happened in real-life, and I'm the only surviver left from my family. Even my big brother who was in the capital city of milry to study magic in the magic academy went missing the next day of this incident.
Fresh drops of tears formed in my eyes, i've been experiencing this dream for the last 12 years since that 'incident', but it still left a bitter taste in my mouth every time.
I quickly wiped the tears away and said to myself. "Come on that's enough crying, isn't that what you would've said– brother?" I looked around the small cabinet I called my home, which was only 4sqm, with a small bed and a bathroom.
I shook my head, a decision I would regret the next second, "damn it" I cursed as my stupidly long hair got even more Messier than it already is.
I remember tying my hair before going to bed in the evening, and then I looked around on the bed and saw the black rope which would mix with my raven hair, i reached out to the hair tie.
I picked the hair tie next to the pillow, which probably came undone during my sleep, and after a few seconds of gathering all of my hair, I tied it in to a normal ponytail without even bothering to comb my hair, which would only worsen my mood.
After tying my hair I left my bed to go to the bathroom. The cold wooden floor creaked with every step I took. As I made my way to the bathroom, and closed the door behind me. The bathroom only had toilet and a wooden bucket full of water, and a metal mug, and to my right side a small mirror, same size as my window was placed inside the hole which was carved into the wood so that the mirror can be placed.
I turned my body towards the mirror, as I took in my dishevelled appearance, and let out a sigh. "Aunt Isabelle would freak out if she saw me like this" my hair is a mess to say the least it reached all the way to my knees in a make shift ponytail as i considered.
how I'm going to remove the knots in my hair, and to my lists of worries, my clothes were a mess too, the black t-shirt I'm wearing the left side of the neck was stretched to my left shoulder revealing the black strap of my undergarment, with a sigh i pulled it over, to its normal position, and started getting ready for my dinner at aunt Isabelle's house.