IV

This is what you wished for. I heard my mind say to myself as I followed the throng of people into what looked like a city.

It's a decent looking city with shops and stalls selling all sorts of things (mostly I've never seen before), there were animals too and much to my surprise most of them looked like the ones we have on Earth. On the other side of the city I saw houses made of wood, tiles and stone that lined up the streets as far as the eye can see. Farther up towards the center of an uphill street was a...castle? But even before my brain got the chance to process the thought, every hair on my arms suddenly stood up and the unsettling sensation crept upwards to the back of my neck.

I noticed a small group of people walking through the crowd; among them was a man with jet-black hair and long bangs that partially covered his eye, and that familiar jaw line that led down to a soft chin.

It's him! The man I'd seen in my vision, the same one I saw inside that house, in that room, in this place! My brain shouted as it frantically tried to make sense of everything that my eyes are seeing. But how could he possibly be mingling like that with the people when he was clearly badly wounded, maybe even tortured the last time I saw him. The blood stains on my shirt prove I wasn't just imagining things, it really happened.

"King Van is here!"

"Let's greet him!"

A group of young kids ran pass me; they're all clearly excited to greet the king, wherever he may be as I didn't see any semblance of a fanfare as you would expect from royalties.

"We have such a wonderful king. I'm sure the former king would be so proud." The woman beside me said; her companion nodded emphatically at her and looked at me the same like I was one of them. I tried my best to return the smile and turned my eyes to where they were looking.

I think I had just stopped breathing.

"He's a King?!" My head exclaimed in disbelief. Suddenly my heart raced faster and faster, as if something was pulling me towards him, and then he turned my way. I knew he saw me and I saw him froze, but only for a very brief moment; his deep brown eyes looked surprised and at the same time pained. He then heard someone call out to him and he hesitantly tore his gaze from me.

"Hitomi..?" A voice broke through my momentary trance. I slowly turned towards the voice. He was about my height, a pair of pleasant bright blue eyes, blonde hair and an aura of genuine friendliness flowed through him.

"Umm...do I...know you?"

The boy smiled and politely laughed afterwards. Looking at him and the way he is dressed I would have taken him as the king. Come to think of it, he has two stone-faced men beside him that surely looked like his bodyguards.

"It had been so long since we last saw each other. I've grown haven't I, Hitomi?" He gave me a smile so warm it made it difficult to tell him I don't know him.

"It's me, Chid." That smile again.

I let out an embarrassed laugh while I think of what to say next when he suddenly waved his hand excitedly at someone behind me.

"Aunt Millerna, Allen, Celena; come look who's here!"

I reluctantly turned around to that direction.

"Hitomi?!"

The next thing I knew I was being hugged by a woman; a dashing long-haired man was looking on and a pretty lady was smiling beside him.

"You came back." The woman pulled away and I saw her clearly now. She looked every bit a royalty. "Let's hurry back and catch up with Van. He's going to be so surprised." her voice chimed.

Van? Did she mean that man? The King? Him?! I can feel my hands go cold. I peaked at her from the corner of my eye. She must have noticed because she grinned at me and moved closer. I felt like a captive being escorted to face the king with all of them leading the way.

It didn't take long before we spotted him. His back was turned to us; a man was handing him the reigns of his horse when I felt it. It came like a jolt from within me as my head was flooded by a horrible vision.

"NO! STOP!" The words left my mouth as suddenly as my vision came.

Everyone did stop, even the old man who was about to take a bite off the bread he was holding stopped midway.

The king turned to our direction and like a tracker that had locked into its target; his eyes were dead-set at me. His hold on the reigns had loosened until it eventually left his hand, I then sighed in relief.

"Hitomi?" A female voice broke the uncomfortable silence. A girl, or is it a cat...a catgirl? Whatever she is looked surprised to see me as she made her way through the still somewhat shocked crowd.

A second later the horse that he was about to ride suddenly jerked wildly, trashing nearby stalls as it galloped away from the city. Everyone scrambled to take cover; I too was pulled away into the sidewalk until everything had settled down. That was when I realized six pairs of eyes were intently looking at me.