ONLINE: Blades of Eternity

Chapter 108 A BAD DREAM

The night was still and quiet, with only the soft rustling of flowers in the breeze breaking the silence. Sofia lay on her back in the open field, surrounded by the vibrant blossoms that blanketed the ground. Above her, the stars twinkled faintly, but her mind was far from peaceful.

In her dream, she found herself standing in the ruins of her childhood home, the walls charred and crumbling, the air thick with the acrid smell of smoke. She could hear the distant screams, the terrifying roars of monsters—beasts that had torn her life apart in an instant. Her parents, their faces pale with fear, calling out to her before they vanished into the smoke, leaving her all alone.

A suffocating darkness descended, and she felt the weight of her loss crushing her, just as it had all those years ago.

Her heart raced, and just as the dream reached its peak, the moment when she felt completely and utterly alone, Sofia jolted awake, her body drenched in sweat.

"NO!" she screamed, sitting up with a start, her breathing ragged. Her voice cut through the quiet of the night, startling the others awake.

Kaelen, Morris, Ethan, and Guinevere stirred, quickly sitting up and looking around for any sign of danger. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, their eyes turned to Sofia, who was still trembling from the vivid memory.

"Sofia!" Kaelen called, his voice full of concern as he rushed to her side. "Are you alright?"

Guinevere knelt beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "What happened?" she asked softly, her eyes scanning Sofia's pale face.

Sofia's breath came in shallow gasps, her mind still swirling with the remnants of the dream. For a moment, she couldn't speak, couldn't find the words to explain the terror that had gripped her so fiercely. The memory of her parents' death, the moment she became an orphan, was still too raw, too painful to put into words.

"I'm fine," she finally managed to say, her voice trembling but steadying as she drew in a deep breath. "It's nothing. Just... a bad dream."

Her words didn't ease the concern etched on her friends' faces. Morris frowned, his gaze flickering between Sofia and the dark night around them. "Are you sure? You screamed pretty loud. It didn't seem like 'nothing'."

Sofia shook her head, trying to dismiss the lingering fear that clung to her. "Really, I'm fine," she said more firmly this time, though her heart was still pounding. She wiped a shaky hand across her face, willing herself to calm down. "I just... I don't even remember it clearly."

But that was a lie. She remembered everything. The fire, the screams, the crushing weight of her loneliness after her parents were taken from her. She could still hear the roar of the beasts that destroyed her home. But she couldn't let them know—not now, not when they had so much ahead of them. They couldn't be burdened with her past.

Kaelen exchanged a worried glance with Guinevere, who still looked at Sofia with concern. But Sofia forced a smile, trying to reassure them. "Really. I'm okay. Let's just... go back to sleep. We have a long journey tomorrow."

There was a pause, the tension thick in the air. But finally, Kaelen nodded, though he didn't look entirely convinced. "Alright. If you say so. But if you need to talk about it, we're here."

The world seemed to slow as Sofia's heart pounded in her chest, her vision narrowing on the creature that had haunted her every waking moment since her parents' death. It was the same terrifying monster that had torn through her life—its sharp, jagged claws and enormous, gnarled horns were burned into her memory.

It stood there, staring at her, as if it had been waiting for this moment, its presence more terrifying than ever.

Sofia's breath came in shallow gasps as fear gripped her tightly. Her legs felt weak, and for a moment, she couldn't move, couldn't speak. The memory of that day—the fire, the screams, the helplessness—crashed over her like a wave, drowning her in a sea of terror.

Kaelen's voice pulled her back, but it was distant, almost drowned out by the pounding of her heartbeat. "Sofia! Stay with me. What is it?"

She turned to him, her eyes wide and filled with fear, barely able to form the words. "It's... it's the same beast," she stammered, her voice trembling. "The one... from the dream I had hours ago"

Kaelen's eyes widened in shock. "The same one?" he repeated, his hand tightening on his sword. "Then we need to be ready."

The others quickly took up defensive positions, but Sofia remained frozen, her mind swirling with memories of the day her life had been torn apart. The beast let out another growl, low and menacing, as it began to move toward them, its massive form crushing the flowers beneath its feet.

"Sofia!" Guinevere called, her voice snapping Sofia out of her paralysis. "Focus! We need you!"

Sofia blinked, trying to push the fear down, but the panic rising within her was overwhelming. How could she face this creature again, the one that had destroyed everything she loved? She had trained for years to grow stronger, but standing in its presence once more, she felt like that frightened, helpless child all over again.

The beast's glowing eyes bore into her, and for a moment, Sofia thought she saw a flicker of recognition in them, as if the creature remembered her too. It bared its fangs, and a low, menacing rumble filled the air, shaking the very ground beneath her.

Sofia's legs buckled slightly, and she took a shaky step backward. The weight of her past pressed down on her, the fear suffocating her resolve. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kaelen, standing firm, sword drawn, ready to face the monster that had haunted her for so long. The others stood beside him, unwavering, their eyes filled with determination.

"Sofia," Kaelen said, his voice steady and calm despite the danger. "We're with you. You don't have to face this alone."

His words pierced through the fog of her fear, grounding her in the present. She wasn't alone anymore. This time, she had friends—people who stood beside her, ready to fight with her.

Taking a deep breath, Sofia forced herself to stand tall. The fear was still there, gnawing at the edges of her mind, but she refused to let it control her. Not this time. Not with Kaelen and the others at her side.

The beast let out a final roar and charged toward them, its massive form barreling through the field. Sofia's hand instinctively reached for her weapon, her fear now tempered with resolve.

This time, she would not run.