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There was no weight on her shoulders. She woke up feeling safe, tranquil, free; three sensations she had forgotten how they felt like.
Tender, warm sun rays slipped through the curtains of the room. Emily lifted her upper body with her elbows slowly, kind of disoriented and still in a half asleep haze. Where was she? This bed felt familiar, it felt comfy like her own- it was her own. She widened her eyes and inspected it, touching and feeling the well known texture of her pillow and mattress, small signs that meant everything to her.
ーI'm… home?ー she wondered out loud, honestly expecting someone, anyone to suddenly talk to her and wake her up from this fantasy.
But no one came.
She stood up, and tentatively searched for her slippers with her feet, not really looking where she was going. Somehow she found them and slid inside the comfy pair, shuddering a bit at the warmth. What was going on? Emily knew dreams couldn't be like this, they couldn't… feel so real, feel at all.
She peeked through the doors of her house- this was her house, alright, definitely-, looking for Victoria, or Magnar, or even Amber. She vividly remembered being in the cabin, going to sleep with anxious thoughts clouding her, a war looming over the distance, the Spirit of Fire badly injured and the Spirit of the Moon telling her she needed to rest. Where had that all gone? It was real, it had been real. She was smart enough to tell the difference between dreams, illusions, and the overwhelming truth that was the world. As a spellcaster, she had to know how to.
So now, why?
The chirping of birds outside the window got her attention, and ignoring the harsh lights of the morning Sun, she walked over the closest one and scanned the outside.
Wait a minute.
ーWhat?ー the gasp left her lips without her consent. Not thinking of anything else, she rushed outside towards her little garden, and opened the backdoor only to find herself facing a huge forest decorated with all kinds of herbs, flowers and miscellaneous plants.
The spellcaster could only let her mouth fall open in fascinated shock. Emily stepped outside, taking off her slippers and feeling the soft, cold wet grass come in contact with her feet. A few bees flew in front of her, making her yelp in unexpected surprise. Carefully, she placed her hand on a trunk, feeling the rough surface and noticing the tiny ants making their way up and down.
Pots were scattered all over the place, some hanging from a wooden structure that did belong to the garden she remembered she owned, some hanging from the branches of the massive trees she did not own before. Literally anything could be found amidst the variety of plants growing from practically everywhere: flowers used mostly for decoration like dandelions, herbs used mostly for medicine like matico; everything potentially usable for spells.
She knew she wasn't one to cry often, but this was too much. Not resisting the urge, she hugged one of the trees, caressing the lines of life that crossed its trunk, and letting her forehead rest on some of the soft leaves that sprouted from said crevasses.
This garden was the one she had dreamed of building in the past, the place where all her worries would turn to nothingness and all her thoughts could focus on the calmness her plants would bring her. After a while, she let go of the oak she had found comfort in, and let her body collapse and rest on the ground, surrounded by flowers and smells and sensations she had always wished she had.
She wished she could stay there forever, and for that time, not remember who she was or whatever weight had been placed on her shoulders.
Emily felt like being herself, and enjoyed the feeling of her perfect world for as long as she could.
✯
Magnar slumped down on a chair, watching Amber rest and slowly be healed by the energy he had given her. Karmin's appearance had been unexpected, but thanks fate he could treat the wounds that were inflicted during that clash.
He felt a tingle at the back of his head, and he turned his head around curiously. His power was being used, it was probably less than 1% of it, but it was there.
A bittersweet sensation overcame the Spirit of the Moon as he recognized the kind of energy he was feeling from Emily's gem. Whether she had willed it to happen or not, it was unclear, but he knew she would get the rest she deserved.
He felt kind of bad she would need to wake up at some point; the dreams made out of his powers could be quite shocking, and quite comfortable too. Perhaps it was a bad thing to let her feel that calming bliss to then take it away.
ーI'm sorry… ーhe whispered. It was all he could do to get rid of the guilt.