Alundra: Shadow in the Dreamscape

Chapter Five: One Who Yearns for Love

Written by Estrelita Farr

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"What? You mean Kline will become a werewolf, Nestus or Bergus will be kidnapped by the Murgg, and the Murgg are backed up by a sealed demon god?"

It was the next morning in the swordsmith's dining room. The three of them – Alundra, Septimus and Jess – were seated around the table, enjoying stacks of pancakes with butter and maple syrup.

Alundra sighed. "I don't know, Septimus. That's what I saw in Sybill's dream… and she said her dreams always come true."

The scholar nodded. "That's true. Everything she predicted so far will soon become reality." He crossed his arms. "But she used to dream only of trivial things… why did her dreams become more sinister now? I fear dark times are coming soon, Alundra."

"At least now we know the nightmares may have been caused by that demon from the war a thousand years ago, and the only way to end it is for me to hunt that bugger down. But the question is, where are all the Guardians?" He raked his hair in frustration. "Aaaaaaargh! How are we going to find all of them?"

Jess shook his head. "This village is cursed, Alundra… you should have washed up on another beach, you know what I'm saying?"

The adventurer shrugged. "Why don't we become more optimistic and say that my washing up on Inoa beach is a good thing?" He grinned. "Because if I didn't, Lars could've killed me with that nightmare he gave me."

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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It was a bright sunny day in Inoa, a gentle breeze weaving between the trees, the leaves whispering a soft, cryptic message. Alundra felt at ease, temporarily forgetting about the curse of the nightmare that befell the villagers.

As he descended the wooden staircase to the bottom half of the village, however, the peace was instantly shattered by an explosion. His heart jolted. Birds from the nearest tree took to the air in fright. Nearby villagers glanced at a particular stone cottage and merely shook their head ruefully. When Alundra glanced inside through an open window, he was surprised to find the floor was littered with broken pieces of a table.

The table had spontaneously exploded.

Standing up from a chair next to the destroyed table was a young woman, her golden hair gleaming in the sunlight that streamed through the window. She was quite pretty, her sky blue dress complementing her complexion… but beneath her bloodshot eyes were extremely dark rings. Glancing at the table, she hissed in frustration.

"Dammit," she muttered. "I fell asleep again…"

Kisha, Giles' sister, stood next to her, her golden hair the same hue as the young woman's. "Are you all right, Nadia?"

"No, I'm not." Nadia sighed and sank back into the chair. "But there's nothing I can do with this stupid curse…"

At that moment, there was a scream at the door, drawing their attention. Old woman Myra was standing there, her eyes wide, her hands at her mouth, the bag of fruits fallen to the ground. She rushed forward quickly to Nadia and embraced her tightly.

"Sorry, Mother…" Nadia muttered. "It seems I broke another table…"

"No, no, it's fine, darling," Myra said quickly. "How about some coffee?"

"That would be great, Mother."

As the old woman strode to the kitchen, Kisha sat on another chair next to her friend. "Stay strong, Nadia. I'm sure the curse will go away soon. I'm sure of it."

Nadia smiled wearily. "Thanks, Kisha, but go home and don't worry about me. I'll be fine here on my own."

She hesitated, but nodded a moment later. "I understand. Please let me know if you need anything."

Kisha left the house, shutting the front door behind her, and sighed deeply. His eyes narrowed with concern, Alundra asked, "Is there anything I could help with, Kisha?"

She glanced up, surprised, then shook her head. "No… there's nothing any of us can do. Nadia is inflicted with a curse that makes things around her explode when she sleeps. She worries for us, and for that, she hadn't had a night of sleep in days. On top of that, her love for Bonaire is unrequited…"

"Bonaire?"

"Bonaire is her neighbour, a man the same age. But alas, his only passion is the ocean wave." She closed her eyes. "I don't know how long more she can go on like this…"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You look a little tired too, Kisha. Come on, I'll walk you home."

It was a short distance to Kisha and Giles' home, a silent moment while climbing up the stone staircase. Once Kisha was inside her house, Alundra remained outside, leaning on the wooden fence, gazing upward at the clear blue sky as his mind whirled with thoughts.

An unrequited love towards her childhood friend? Maybe it was a curse related to the nightmares… if so, since the nightmares are a product of the victim's negative thoughts, this curse might be due to Nadia's unrequited love.

Bonaire, huh? Come to think, he hadn't formally met him yet. Maybe he should pay him a visit.

Bonaire's house was directly next to Nadia's stone cottage, a small wooden cabin surrounded by trees and bushes. Outside, Nadia could be seen standing at the window of a wooden cabin, gazing longingly inside.

"Oh, Bonaire," she muttered. "My heart is filled with love for you… and yet, in love, you and I are oceans apart…" She heaved a long, heavy sigh. "How I wish you could fill your mind with dreams of me… instead of riding silly waves in the ocean."

With a shake of her head, she turned and walked sadly back into her cottage.

Alundra stepped out from his hiding spot on the other side of the wooden cabin. He sighed, wondering what he could do to help her. Glancing at Bonaire's cabin, he walked to the front door and raised a hand to knock… but just as his knuckle was about to hit the wood, the door swung open abruptly.

"Huh?"

BONK!

Something thin and hard struck Alundra squarely on the forehead, knocking him flat on his back. It was Bonaire, a well-tanned young man with long ruffled silvery hair, dressed in shirt and pants of loud, colourful flowery patterns, his hand holding a large surfboard.

"Whoops!" he said as he helped the swordsman up. "Sorry, dude, did my bonzer hit you?"

The adventurer got to his feet and shook his head to clear the stars from his sight. "Your what?"

He grinned and patted the side of his surfboard. "My bonzer. Isn't it totally rad?"

Unfortunately, he didn't have the same taste for surfboards. "I guess it is… what do you do with it?"

"Are you kidding me, dude? Surfin's the life! Riding fully macking double overhead corduroy to the horizon… it's the life, man!" Suddenly, he grabbed the other young man by the arm. "C'mon and I'll show you!"

Before Alundra could decline, he was unceremoniously dragged through the village's southern exit. Despite loud protests throughout the short trek through the forest, they arrived at a sandy beach by a tall cliff. Catching sight of the well-tanned man with the surfboard, several village children aged between eight and twelve, who were gathered at the beach with their surfboards, ran up towards him and cried excitedly, "Bonaire, Bonaire! Are you going to surf?"

Bonaire grinned. "Hell yeah! We're gonna turn this beach dude from a kook to an epic surfer!"

"Yay!" the children cheer as most of them rushed into the waters.

"W-wait, Bonaire! I said WAIT! WAI–" was all Alundra could say before he was tossed into the waters, where he was forced to cling onto the surfboard along an exceptionally turbulent wave.

Watching him struggle, the children laughed and Bonaire shouted in amusement, "Yo, dude! You gotta ride the waves like you mean it!"

"Like HELL!" was the swordsman's response, just as he fell off the board and landed face-first into the salty waters.

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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The sanctuary was dark, gloomy. Nadia stepped gingerly inside, wrinkled her nose at the perfumed smell from the candles, then closed the door behind her. She had never liked coming to this place… but today, she felt desperation pushing her towards previously unconsidered options, and she was glad that Ronan was elsewhere.

She approached the altar with heavy steps on the dull, discoloured carpet. Steeling her heart, she knelt before the altar, closed her eyes and clasped her hand in prayer.

"Oh, god… I know I haven't been here much… but please… let me become Bonaire's sole object of affection…"

Slowly, silently, dark mist seeped through the crack between the doors of the house-like object on the altar, weaved stealthily through the gloomy air around Nadia…

…and disappeared into her.

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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As the sky grew a shining golden-orange colour, a rather animated Bonaire, a group of excited children and a very exhausted Alundra returned to the village, completely drenched from their outing to the beach. They parted at the bottom of the wooden staircase, each child waving goodbye as they sped home for dinner.

As he turned towards the swordsman, Bonaire gave him a friendly slap on the back. "That was epic! We gotta do it again sometime!"

He shuddered to think about another surfing lesson, but mumbled, "Yeah…"

The latter grinned as he started towards his house with a wave. "Latronic, dude!"

He shrugged. "See you later… I guess that's what it's supposed to mean."

Alundra started climbing the wooden staircase towards Jess' house, desperate for a good sleep. Even the smell of Jess' good cooking did not entice him enough to stay awake. After a few slow bites of meat, he dragged himself up the stairs and threw himself on his bed, quite forgetting to take off his boots, armour, sword and jacket.

After what felt like a short sleep, however…

BOOM!

The explosion rang across the night sky, startling him awake. He bolted upright from his pillow, his eyes wide. It took him a moment to realise what happened before he ran the window, only to find neighbours doing the same, looking around warily in their nightgowns. Some even came out to investigate.

Alundra turned and descended the staircase outside his room, just as Jess exited from his with a lantern and a rather frilly dressing gown.

"What's going on?" the older man asked. "It sounded like something exploded…"

"I don't know, Jess," Alundra admitted. "But I'm going to find out. I'll be back soon."

With that, he sped down the staircase, skipping the last two steps, and burst out the front door, where Septimus was already waiting for him.

"Alundra!" he cried. "I just heard that Olen's house was smashed into pieces!"

The news took him by surprise. "Olen's house?"

"Yes, though there are no traces of explosives…" His eyes widened. "Oh no… Alundra! We must go quickly to Nadia's house!"

Without wasting any time, both of them descended the wooden staircase as quickly as they could.

The adventurer muttered, "She hadn't slept for days, so maybe…"

Septimus nodded grimly. "I fear she might have fallen into a cursed sleep…"

At that very moment, the rain barrels near them detonated, spraying rain water all over them. Flower pots broke into pieces, spilling out the dirt, and a woman's scream could be heard right after the sound of glass shattering. The two young men glanced at each other and the same thought came to their minds – they had to hurry to Nadia's house.

Once they had arrived at their destination, they saw that a lot of villagers had gathered outside Nadia's house, either praying or wondering what they could do to help. Alundra and Septimus made their way to Nadia's bedroom, where her mother and friends were looking on fearfully… and Nadia lay still on her bed, her face pale, her breathing shallow.

"Nadia… oh, Nadia! Why did this happen?" her mother Myra wailed, burying her hands in her face. "Why did the gods curse my daughter then rip her from me? The world is a cruel and vicious place… I long for death's comforting embrace…"

Kisha shook her head slowly. "My brother Giles has barred himself inside the house, praying to the gods for help… but, if they didn't hear his pleas before, why would they hear him now?"

The girls in the room clasped their hands together in fearful prayer, holding in their sobs.

"It doesn't look good, Alundra," the scholar said, shaking his head. "I fear Nadia's soul is slipping away…"

Alundra nodded and stepped forward. "All up to me now, I guess."

The people in the room parted to allow him to kneel by Nadia's bed and take her hand, which seemed rather small and frail in his. Feeling her faint pulse under his thumb, he closed his eyes and breathed in time with her, preparing to enter her dream…

…yet he could not feel her presence.

Beyond the darkness in his closed eyes, he should have felt her presence getting nearer and nearer, like a bridge forming between them for him to cross. Yet, he couldn't feel her… as though he was on a broken bridge that led to nowhere.

All he could hear was her faraway voice, crying, "Bonaire… oh, Bonaire, darling!"

Bonaire? Did it mean her spirit had left her body to find her love, Bonaire?

That had to be it.

Alundra stood up, turning around to see everyone's expectant eyes on him. "I couldn't enter her dream… all I could hear is her voice calling out for Bonaire."

Septimus held his chin in his hand. "Could it be that we have to bring Bonaire here?" He nodded. "We should. Let's go to Bonaire's house!"

But Myra threw herself at Alundra. "Please, please! Don't go! Please save my daughter!"

The adventurer felt a pang of guilt in his heart, but shook his head. "Myra, I want to save Nadia as much as you do! But she's not letting me enter her dream, so our only chance is to bring Bonaire here! Please trust me on this!"

She hesitated, then opened her mouth to protest, but Lutas, who came up from behind Alundra, put a hand on her shoulder.

"Myra, ever since he came to this village, Alundra tries his best to help us and save those who are inflicted by the curse." Lutas' voice was soft, persuasive. "We all know Nadia has feelings for Bonaire, which may be stopping Alundra from helping her… please put your trust in him, Myra."

Her eyes were tearing up, but she nodded slowly. "But please, please save my daughter…"

Alundra gave a nod. "I will, Myra, I swear on that." He glanced at the blond-haired man. "Thanks, Lutas."

Lutas gave a nod. "Let us go quickly to Bonaire's house, I heard he, too, has fallen ill…"

True enough, as they entered into the wooden cabin, they found the surfer was lying still on his bed, despite his energy and enthusiasm during the surfing outing during the day. His warm, tanned skin was slowly turning clammy and pale… so much that Ronan was muttering by his bedside, "The gods are preparing to summon him into the light. Bonaire's time has come…"

Kline shook his head grimly. "Bonaire's always been a sound sleeper, but this is no ordinary sleep…"

"We must hurry, Alundra," the scholar stated as they approached the bed.

Alundra knew, Unlike his first dreamwalk with Wendell, where he had only one person to save, and with Olen, where he only had to learn the truth… now he had two people to save in a possibly short period of time. He didn't know if he could do it, but he had to try.

As he slowly entered Bonaire's consciousness, he could hear the surfer whisper, "Sara, my love… I'm coming for you…"

And Lutas asked, "Who is Sara?"

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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What greeted Alundra was the scene of a great golden beach, a tropical breeze blowing relaxingly, the sunlight rays gleaming off the surface of turbulent waves, which, by the surfer's standard, would be an 'epic macking double overhead' wave, whatever that meant. At the eastern edge of the beach, two huge cliffs overlooked, with a long wooden bridge that linked them together.

It seemed as though that was his next destination.

Just as he arrived at the base of the nearer cliff, he caught sight of Bonaire at some distance before him, facing the other way.

"Hey, Bonaire!" the swordsman shouted, breaking into a run.

Bonaire, apparently unable to hear, took a few steps towards the cliff. "Sara… Sara!" He grinned. "Don't be shy, you tasty morsel of babitude! Let me check you out!"

"Heeeey!" he tried once more. "Hey, Bonaire! Can't you hear me?"

Suddenly, a young woman materialised before them, her long golden hair gleaming in the sunlight, her long purple dress dancing playfully in the gentle breeze. She raised hand forward, gesturing slowly yet with a hint of playfulness. Her very skin seemed to shine. Alundra's eyes were drawn to her lush lips, then to her curves. Alundra felt a strong urge to kiss the lips, and to run his hands down those curves… then he caught himself and immediately turned away, reddening.

"Here I am, you Greek god." Her voice was soft, alluring. "Come to me, Bonaire. Hurry… hurry!"

With a goofy grin on his face, Bonaire ran up to her… and together, both of them disappeared into thin air.

Alundra wondered if this was the reason the surfer stayed in this dream… though frankly, he didn't blame him. In fact he felt envious – that was one stunning babe!

"Dammit, Alundra, focus!" he muttered, starting to walk. "Remember what you're here for!" He sighed. "Next time she appears, I gotta close my eyes…"

Truthfully, he doubted that would work.

Upon climbing the cliff, he found quite a number of caves littered about. Inside the caves was a labyrinth of stone, twisting here and there, linking each entrance together. After some time of navigating, he came across a large open cave and found Bonaire once more.

"Sara… oh, Sara… where are you going?" The surfer heaved a sigh and shrugged. "Throw me a bone here! Are you totally trying to guide me somewhere?"

In front of him, the young woman spun around and gave a mischievous smile. "Indeed I am, hunky buns. I am taking you to the gates of rapturous paradise." She pointed at the exit of the cave, where the sunlight was streaming in. "Go through that door. That's it… almost there, my sweet."

Then, as Bonaire stepped into the sunlight, both of them disappeared once more.

Alundra, though strongly attracted to the young woman, had a bad feeling. He quickly sped through the exit of the cave, descending the other side of the cliff, then arrived at the long wooden bridge that joined the two cliffs together.

And there, on the other end of the bridge, was Bonaire once again, and Sara was on a ledge just above him. When she caught sight of the adventurer, a look of contempt washed over her face, which disappeared as she called out to the surfer once more.

"Make haste, darling Bonaire! Someone lies in wait to snatch me from you!"

Bonaire shook his head in disbelief. "That's totally not going to happen! Nothing can keep us apart, Sara! I would pass up the most righteous swell for you!" He hesitated. "Bhuh… at least I think I would…"

She tried to persuade him further. "Just a few more short steps until we can intertwine our taut, supple flesh forever, darling Bonaire."

That seemed to perk him up. The surfer picked up speed, the goofy grin etched on his face.

"Wait, Bonaire!" Alundra shouted as he ran across the bridge, but it was too late.

As soon as Bonaire arrived at Sara's side, both of them faded away.

Then, suddenly, the golden-haired woman materialised right in Alundra's path.

Alundra skidded to a stop. "W-what?"

Sara snarled. "I am the crusher of souls! I am immortal! And worse… I am pissed! No one messes with Sara and lives to speak of it!" She flicked her hair and raised a hand. "Let some of my closest ghouls impress this upon you!"

With that, she disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared… and several zombies took her place, moaning as they shuffled towards him.

He scowled. "Tch! You think this can stop me? Take THIS!"

With skilful sword slashes, each of the zombies were easily dismembered and dispatched, allowing him to rush to where Bonaire was last seen. He entered the cave entrance he came across without a second thought and continued to run, his footsteps loud in the tunnel.

The grey walls gradually turned into brown brick ones, the tunnel gradually turning into a long hallway. Then, the hallway widened without warning into a large, rectangular shaped room. The two black statues of gargoyles at the back of the room stared at him menacingly, seemingly guarding a part of the wall that had the stone carving of an angel, its wings spread wide…

And there, braced against the angel's outstretched hands was Bonaire, his head slumped forward, his arms spread at his sides against the angel's wings… his tanned skin becoming as clammy and pale as it was in reality.

Sara gave a high laugh, spreading her arms. "Come hither, surfer boy, you'll make a fine snack!"

"Not if I can help it!" Alundra shouted, running forward. "Take THIS!"

He slashed at the woman, but his blade only hit air. Sara disappeared away and reappeared somewhere to his right, flicking her hair.

"You're the one from before…" she remarked. "No matter. I'm glad you're here… I don't think waveboy has the… meat to satisfy my appetite."

He shrugged. "Can't you just eat regular food like everyone else? Besides, I'm here to rescue him, so it's not like you get to eat him, anyway."

"What's that? You're here to rescue him?" She snarled. "Well, too late, punk! Bonaire's all mine! Perhaps we can strike another bargain instead; I'd spare your life if you submit to me."

Before he could open his mouth to toss a retort, she abruptly disappeared and reappeared in front of Alundra. With a sweetly smile, she ran a finger down the armour that shielded his heart. "You being my love slave isn't such a bad idea, is it?"

Alundra stepped back, startled. She was close… too close. He could almost taste her scent. An overwhelming urge to kiss her, to touch her, rose from within him. Her skin seemed to shine, blinding his eyes, clouding his mind. He raised his hands, about to pull her into his embrace…

"Awaken, young one! Fall not into her trap!"

Lars' voice rang through his mind, snapping him out of his stupor. It took him only a moment to realise what was going on, and anger burned in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he drew his sword into one smooth arc, only to strike air once again.

"Dammit!" he growled. "Stop toying with me!"

Sara laughed, a high condescending laugh. "You men are all the same… easy to control. Unfortunately, when I tire of you, I shall be forced to devour you anyway." Her form began to change. "Let's get it over with now, shall we?"

He quickly jumped back as she took on a different form. Her clothes disappeared away to reveal a coarse, leather brown hide. A pair of large bat-like wings spread from her back. A thin, pointed tail swished behind her.

A gargoyle. Like the statues that watched him menacingly.

Alundra stared, unable to believe his eyes. To think he was actually attracted to such a hideous creature…

The gargoyle snarled as she rushed towards him, swiping with her sharp claws. He scrambled to the side and quickly raised his sword above him, just as her claws struck the blade. With a high-pitched cry, she suddenly disappeared into a round dark void-like portal, which, too, disappeared.

He glanced around quickly, warily, fully expecting her to strike at any moment.

And she did strike. The dark void appeared briefly behind him and fired a lightning blue sphere of energy. He tried to leap out of the way, but the sphere struck him like a thunderbolt, sending waves of numbing and pain through him. Sara took this chance to materialise through the dark void and strike at him, but he broke free of the pain and hurriedly ducked. As she streaked over him, he swung his sword as hard as he could.

The blade slashed right across the gargoyle's back, drawing dark-coloured blood. A loud shriek filled the room, as the creature disappeared into a dark void once more.

Alundra blinked the pain away, breathing heavily, and forced himself to keep on moving.

Then, he stopped. His eyes widened.

Before him, Sara stepped out of a dark void.

And so did her six exact copies.

The gargoyles gave a high cackle of unison and fired energy spheres towards him. Alundra turned and run, swinging his blade at them in hopes of dissolving them.

But there were too many of them.

His cry of pain echoed loudly across the room. Burning electricity shot through his veins, pain filled every part of his body. The lightning bolts sparked uncontrollably around him.

And the seven gargoyles tackled into him, slamming him against the wall behind him.

Alundra coughed and spat blood onto the floor. As the gargoyles faded into the void once more, he tried to get up, but his legs gave way and forced him back on to the floor. His breathing was heavy, his blood was trickling down from the corner of his mouth.

Sara, appearing once again in human form, smirked. "Not such a big talker, are you now, pretty boy?"

The swordsman glared at her through partially shut eyes, but his pain-filled mind could draw no retort.

She laughed. "Since you've struck out on your end of the bargain, I'll throw in a bonus; I'll let you watch helplessly as I feast on surfer boy!"

His eyes widened. "N-no!"

Sara rose into the air as she transformed into the gargoyle once more, snarling as she rushed towards the still, pale figure of Bonaire…

Then she stopped and recoiled.

A faded image of another young woman took over her, and a familiar voice cried, "No! I won't let you hurt Bonaire!"

The faded image disappeared away as though it hadn't been there, but the gargoyle shrieked as she writhed violently.

Seemingly torn between going for Bonaire and stopping.

Alundra stared, then shook his head and gritted his teeth.

Bonaire's life was counting on him, and so was Nadia's – he had to end this quickly!

With a loud cry, he forced himself onto his feet and charged forward, his sword raised and ready to strike.

And the gleaming blade pierced through Sara's heart.

The gargoyle gasped as she recoiled back. Time seemed to stop… then, her appearance flickered between her gargoyle and human forms. She began to fade, then took on the appearance of another, yet familiar, woman… then completely disappeared from sight.

Alundra heaved a sigh, sheathed his sword. His legs trembled, but he had no time to rest – he pulled Bonaire from the wall carving of an angel, with patches of blood on the back of his shirt from being embedded in the carving.

The surfer stirred, shaking his head dazedly as he looked up. "Whoa, talk about dizzy, dude!"

Alundra supported him. "Are you okay, Bonaire?"

He grinned. "Okay is an epic understatement! At least, once the room totally stops spinning…" He looked up at the adventurer. "Thanks, dude, you totally saved my life. Who knew that betty was a total psycho? I'm, like, totally bummed out."

He shrugged. "Well, when you're in a dream and an extra sexy girl tries hard to get your attention, there's got to be a catch somewhere, you know?" Remembering that he, too, was about to fall under her seductive spell, he coughed and quickly said, "Come on, let's go. The others are waiting for us."

Bonaire nodded.

With that, Alundra closed his eyes and made the leap out of the dream world… back to reality.

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-o-o-o-o-o-

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The adventurer slowly opened his eyes, then groaned as he felt the aches and pains in his whole body. He was leaning against a wall, with Septimus and Lutas kneeling by his side in concerned and sighing in relief when they saw him awake.

"Thank goodness, Alundra," the researcher said. "You're back."

Lutas nodded. "We feared the worst when blood started flowing from your mouth… are you all right?"

"My whole body is aching… but I blame Bonaire's surfing lesson for that." He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up. "I managed to defeat the thing that was keeping him in the dream, so Bonaire should be fine now."

"That's wonderful!" Ronan cried. "We should take this opportunity to kneel and praise the gods!"

At that moment, the surfer groaned a little and opened his eyes. "Ooh… where… where am I?"

Kline smiled. "It's good to see Bonaire's eyes bright again. I really didn't think it was his time."

Lutas walked over to the bed. "How are you feeling, Bonaire?"

"Where am I, dude?" He sat up slowly and shook his head. "Oh, yeah. Sara is history… but that's a most excellent outcome in this case."

The other villagers glanced curiously at each other, and Lutas asked, "Sara? Who is she?"

Bonaire sighed. "Sara was my dream girl. The betty I always wanted to land… but the betty I could never have. Totally a figment of my imagination. But in my dream, she was, like, totally real, and totally psycho… she didn't want me to wake up!" He shook his head quickly. "Who knew my dream girl would turn out to be some kind of psycho spazzie?"

Remembering how Sara had disappeared, Alundra grew quiet. He frowned as he quickly raked his head for all details of her defeat… she had taken on the image of a familiar blond-haired woman before she disappeared, but who was she…? It somehow struck chillingly through his heart when he saw it, but it was so brief that he couldn't remember why…

Bonaire got off the bed, albeit a little shakily. "Alundra, dude, thanks again. Just when you defeated her, she turned into another righteous babe… I think it's Nadia, dude. Speaking of which, I've caught her checking me out a couple of times." He grinned. "I think she's Bonaire material…"

The moment Bonaire completed his sentence, realisation struck Alundra.

"Alundra?" Septimus called.

The adventurer abruptly jumped to his feet, nearly falling over in his disorientation, and sped from the room. He didn't stop when the scholar shouted his name, yelling apologies as he bumped into people.

After what seemed to be a long run, he finally arrived panting in Nadia's room.

He stopped. His eyes grew wide.

His heart felt as though it had stopped.

Just above the bed, a cloud of dark mist escaped from Nadia, forming the silhouette of a familiar young woman.

Sara.

With a high echoing laugh, she flicked her hair arrogantly, then the dark mist faded into nothingness.

Nadia was eerily still. Her skin was white.

Alundra rushed to her side, putting a thumb on her wrist… and froze.

There was no pulse.

As his eyes widened in shock, as his knees buckled weakly beneath him… the cold, cruel truth struck him like thunder.

Nadia, who yearned for Bonaire's love, left her body and entered his dream. She took on a different shape, enticing him in the form of an alluring, attractive young woman entirely different from herself, calling herself Sara…

…and it was Alundra who killed her.

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End of Chapter Five.

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Author's Notes:

I'm really sorry about being late with this chapter! It's because I couldn't log into FF (dot) net all weekend because of a funky error message… so here's a cookie for you to make up for it. o_o

Man, for some reason, Bonaire's surf speak is a pain to write. Even with a surf speak dictionary, I had a lot of trouble with his word usage, especially with his description of the sea waves… and apparently there are hundreds of words to describe a sea wave! So for Bonaire's description of a sea wave, I just hijacked one of the sentence examples and left it at that. xP

As for Nadia's death… in-game, it was Sara who killed her, but here, I twisted it a bit. It's really ironic that it was Alundra who personally took Nadia's life, even if he did it unknowingly. :(

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To alundra gamer:

Well, Jess' past was a partly from the game and partly self-fabricated. After the trip to the mine, Lutas' NPC speech does say something about Jess 'losing his wife and son', but there wasn't any details as to how it happened. So I added some of my own. :D

And I do find Cephas rather creepy, too. xP

Thanks for reviewing!