Built to Live

Chapter 6: Part 1-3

Agmos

We ended up hosting the Dreamscape ride in my bedroom to make it comfortable for me to drift to sleep and lucid better. With all the work that's been thrown at me, I haven't had a good rest in a hot minute, and I'm dead serious when I say that I needed that shit like yesterday.

Purple candles surrounded my king-sized bed as I lay there, and the scent of Dragon's Blood lingered from the burning incense to ward off unwanted spirits from tagging along with me when I wake up later—like that's gonna happen on my watch. I'd like to see them try.

"Aquí." Cora comes to the side of my bed and hands me a shot glass of a mixture of mugwort and whiskey. My nose scrunched from the sight of it as I took the glass. I love me a good whiskey, but I'm not gonna lie when I say—this drink looks like piss water when it's mixed with herbal tea. And no, it doesn't taste good either unless you're into bitter, earthy spice.

Cora rolled her eyes at me, "You've drunk worse. Stop being a baby."

"D'aw, does Aggie Waggie need a bottle to go nini?" Bittie cooed on the other side of the bed.

"Fuck...all..the..way..off," I growl. Tilting my head back, I took the shot. The alcohol's sharp heat was a familiar sensation to my throat, but with the mugwort mixed in, it made the shot seem like it was my first. I grunted, swallowing the potion, set the shot glass down on the nightstand beside me, and then laid my head back onto the pillow.

"Remember, under any circumstances, don't interact with anyone or anything in there—even the girl. Just get the necessary details and leave there as soon as possible."

"Got it," I respond to Cora.

"You have your emblem?" she asked. Having some emblem while venturing into the subconscious is vital, especially if I need to split in case I encounter a threat I can't bear up against.

"Right here," I say, pulling up my dark-teal arrowhead necklace underneath my black shirt with my fingers to show it. Laying still, I watched as Cora came over with the cloth and carefully laid it over my eyes. "Relax," she says, her voice steady and grounding. "Clear your mind. Let go of every thought, every memory clinging onto you."

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Agmos exhaled deeply, his body sinking into the bed as Cora's presence at the edge of his mattress anchored him. Sitting cross-legged, she places her cold fingertips over his forehead. The silence was interrupted as the dim-lit room filled with the rhythmic pulse of the Nahuatl chant spilling between her black lips.

Her citrine eyes darkened as her voice rose and fell, shifting to an inky black that seemed to consume the light around her. Raising her arms above the air, they transformed, unfurling feathers and morphing into large, imposing crow wings. The air stirred as Cora's wings spread wide, the tips vibrating with a subtle, otherwordly, rising energy.

With a final chant, she folded her unholy wings over the prince, encasing him. All sensation faded, and his familiar world turned into darkness.

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 Agmos

The darkness lifted as my new surroundings became clear. My legs moved forward, out of the shadows, into the light. I stood beneath a clear, colorless sky. Buildings stretched around me in either direction, each labeled with white metal titles like Fine Arts, Math Center, etc. Turning to the left, I spotted a sign titled "Ravenstone University." Looks like my target is a little college student.