Remember

Seria's POV

I was dreaming about the desert again.

I had opened my eyes and found myself in a familiar barren wasteland, the hues too bright to be real. Of course, I didn't really open my eyes – in the real world I was still asleep in a tent – but in this strange limbo of consciousness, I would wake up on the ground as if from a slumber, my vision struggling to adjust to this weird world full of sharp colour.

The desert never seemed to change, as if time itself held no power over this place. There was the same rust-coloured sand, the same eerie floating rocks and the same hyper-blue sky stretching for miles above…

I never dreamt anymore, but I didn't mind. My old dreams were always full of nightmares and haunting memories anyway. Something that I could live without. Instead, it looked as if I was destined to wander the Spirit World in my sleep for the rest of my life. I think it's because of the link I had with Sho, that somehow once my spirit had a taste of this world, it couldn't detach itself so the connection was never completely severed.

I – or rather, the projection of myself – sighed and stood up from the ground, dusting off the sand caught in the creases of my trousers. The grains slowly floated back to earth to mingle with the rest of the golden sand, never to be distinguished again.

Although it is now still, the desert is never quiet. There's a distant rush of noise, like sea waves breaking against the shore, nothing more than whispers on the wind. But I know that isn't possible as there's no ocean around for miles.

I drift around the landscape, exploring acquainted ground. I feel time shift around me but I didn't feel a part of it, as if the hours had turned into a river that I was no longer flowing in the currents. I began to run with my feet barely touching the ground in a random direction. This is something to amuse myself: To try and reach the edge of the desert. To find the source of the noise. An end to all this sand.

As I streak through the land, faster than I could ever run in real life, I look around and wonder if I would see Sho this time. Most times he doesn't show himself, but occasionally I do glimpse a black shadow in the distance, nothing more than a charcoal smudge against the blue sky before it disappears behind a rock.

Faster I run, laughing and giddy with something I can't explain. The sand is soft beneath my feet but it does not slow me down. There's nothing to hold me back and I simply feel alive.

That is until Sho appears right in front of me.

I skid to a stop, coming to a halt a foot away from the Spirit of Energy. Stunned, my eyes drink in the pulsing black body, the white mask and the strange symbols. I haven't been this close to him since that day on the cliff…

Realising that I was still gawking at him, I shut my mouth with difficulty and bow low.

"Sho," I greet respectively.

He nods in that massive and slow way he does and I say nothing. I expect him to drift away, for this to be just an accidental meeting, but to my surprise he speaks. "There is something you need to remember, Seria."

I look up at the mask astonished. "Yes?"

There's a pause and I shift around nervously.

"Pathways." His voice rumbles like an avalanche.

"Pathways?"

He stares at me with unblinking eyes, so dark and deep that I find myself lost and spinning into their bottomless pits. I can't look away when he speaks again. "Sometimes humans will have the same destinations but different pathways."

I swallow. "I-I don't understand…"

"Think about it," Sho says in such a commanding voice I couldn't disagree if I wanted to. "You won't remember this when you wake up. However it will come to you in time. And when it does, make the right choice."

Although I'm confused beyond all reason, I give a small nod. This seems to satisfy him and he turns around, slowly drifting away. I panic as I am suddenly filled with unanswered questions.

"Why am I here?" I blurt out, taking a step towards him. "Is it because you wanted to talk to me? Is that why I come here instead of dreaming? And why do I have to remember about these pathways? Is something going to happen?"

I am suddenly breathless and close my mouth, staring hard at the shadow's back in front of me. Sho slowly looks back around.

"You are here," he says deliberately. "Because it is my bidding that you are."

I bristle, annoyed that once again he has just ignored most of my questions. But I know better than to get on the wrong side of a spirit, so instead I ask: "Will I see you again?"

I realise that he's disappearing, steadily losing his substance and opacity. I don't know if I imagine it, but I think I hear the slightest sigh before he completely dissolves into the sands below, and I'm left staring at the spot where he disappeared.

The wind picks up and I brace myself, trying in vain to stay in the desert for a little longer. I'm not ready to leave just yet. I grit my teeth as sand buffets my face, but it is useless and I am spun away and thrown back into the physical world.

Hey there guys! Hoping you're enjoying this story so far - I know I'm having fun writing it ;) Just a little notice to thank Omega- thEND, Momo da Munkee, sunflower 13 and Beth x for reviewing and letting me know what they think! And to all you awesome people who have favourite/followed this story, thank you as well! ^-^ Hehe I love getting reviews and knowing different opinions on the story so it would be great to have some more feedback. Update will come soon! ;D

Happy reading!

~Zozeebobs