As I lay down on the bed, next to Rose, I lay back into the sheets and I look directly up... through a clear sky light in the ceiling... the red rain has been washed away, and now I can see the red blood moon directly above my head. Clouds surround it. The Krypt, floating, directly below it.
It was the only floating building, this sky scraper – as tall as the Sky Breaker in Eleyrion.
I feel myself sink further into the sheets, while I am entranced by the beauty of the moon, the sky... the enormous amount of strange freedom, splitting through my mind... limitless... limitless potential... like nothing can die.
I remember my home...
"Eleyrion," I whisper, a little randomly, the paradise is in my mind. Was. Still is.
"Helena."
Rose's soft voice pipes up, her hand touching my cheek gently, trying to get my attention after I zoned out.
"Helena...?" a low, warning growl, far away, from Lyrian himself, even though he is so close, watching over the bed.
But my mind is held captive by the moon.
My thoughts flow more easy, as I allow them too, without fear.
...Llyrian... this world... and Eleyrion... my world... they were so close together. As I'm staring up at that static moon, with no phase but that one, the full moon... something more unlocks inside me.
I inhale a deep breath as feelings breathe straight through me, every cell of me. I feel everything, every possible feeling, all at once! I am exhausted, starved, dehydrated – yet totally fine, energised, joyous, completely high... utterly low... it's as the blood moon rays turn to silver moon rays, sparkling into my eyes, that I come to a startling realisation.
I have self control.
Literally all parts of me.
No, no... not just my feelings... but everything else too. Like what I can see and comprehend. The things around me... the strange things around me.
I'm lucid. Like when you're asleep and you realise it's a dream.
I focus on the ceiling. I imagine the sky light shattering into a billion pieces, the shards raining down on me.
The moon stops glowing red once again.
As the glass sprinkles down around me, the moon glows a silver-white.
I even start to levitate a few inches off the sheets.
I'm starting to smile – when claws wrap around my ankle and pull me back down.
"Helena," Lyrian has used his presence, to pull me back. Not just his claws.
I abruptly sit up on the bed, surrounded by tiny shards of glass.
Rose is staying completely still, scared of cutting herself.
"How did you do that, bitch?" Orphis asks me, a 9ft demon, looking stunned and almost spell-bound.
I look from Orphis, to Rose's wide but excited eyes, and then to Lyrian.
"Imber," I say his name, without fear, and maybe with a little bit of less respect than before, as I realise more now about his world, "Do you remember where you come from?" I ask. He stares at me, with that easy fury in his eyes, but it doesn't faze me, "Imber," I say his name again, "Our worlds are polar opposites, but one thing is exactly the same... isn't it... we're all asleep," as I say this with finality, Lyrian let's go of my ankle and stands up tall, to share a knowing look with his brother.
"Fucking hell," Lyrian lets off a low, snarl of displeasure, baring his teeth as he looks back down to me, "You are correct, brat... but only Orphis and I were armed with that knowledge. How else do you think we attain order in such an emotion and passion driven world? There is no logic here, only souls bound together."
"But, do you know why?" I ask, excited.
"It doesn't matter," Lyrian smiles slow, oh he knows why, but he won't tell me, "Our duty is simple, slut pup... be as we are. Exactly as we are."
"I want to know why too," Rose sits up, disregarding the glass, she seems to realise what I had. The glass shards won't cut us, not if we don't want them too. Just imagine them as glitter.
"No one else can know, not even the pack," Lyrian speaks to Rose, then looks to me, "How about a permanent gag, Helena? To keep your tongue from wagging –"
"You can't. I'll think it off me," I challenge Lyrian now, "You can't control me anymore –" Lyrian and Orphis both grin and laugh, pure demonic amusement at my confidence.
"Yes, we can," Lyrian challenges me, his red eyes focusing on mine, "Dual with me, anytime bitch, mind to mind, and see whose soul wins... you are more than welcome to try and outdo me."
I look to Rose, and she looks to me at the same time. Both our eyes sparkle with new knowledge.
"...why... won't you tell us... what the purpose of this dream is?" Rose asks, very straight to the point, "You know, don't you, the both of you..."
"You won't ever know, because you whores came after us," Lyrian explains, licking over his teeth, "We are first."
"No wonder you joke about hunting me all the time," Rose accuses Orphis, "It's just a fucking dream... no wonder... after hundreds of cupcakes a day, I don't get fat –"
"Wait. That's why you were banned from eating them? You eat hundreds?" I ask, this is the most shocking part of our conversation. My mouth hangs open as she explains.
"I'm emotionally tortured, Helena," Rose grimaces, "And the fucking thing spawns in the fridge every time I eat it, another appears... I thought it was magic... or a fat-curse... but I don't get fat! And sometimes, when I don't eat, for days on end, I don't get hungry... usually because I forget I need to eat, because sometimes Orphis fucks me for 72 hours, like, nonstop... and that fucking brother of his joins in... but at least, you're here now to share that burden," Rose blurts all this quickly, and I feel like we have so much more to discuss.
"So nothing can kill us, nothing can hurt us, nothing can change us..." I summarise, while the two Dual Lycan Kings stand awkwardly, waiting for us to stop talking, "What's stopping us, taking over this world," I don't care that Lyrian and Orphis are right there, because now I look at both of them, "Destroying your eternal Dooms Day. I bet I can."
"Well... don't get too far ahead of yourself, now," Rose squeaks out, "H-helena? M-maybe we should shut up..."
I stare at Lyrian, without fear, "What?" I ask, already challenging him again.
"You want a fight, Helena?" Lyrian cracks his head to the side, his claws clicking together as he slices them up and down, anxious to swipe at something, "Then let's return to Hell... where we can run freely of interruption from this world of horrific doom, and you and I, we will dual, soul to soul, doomed dark against pure light," Lyrian can't wait, he hopes I say yes. I don't need to, my eyes say it all.
I too, want to fight.
I clench my fists.
It wasn't my fists that had to do the punching.
Just my mind.
I look to Rose, but she's pale and looking like she wishes she wasn't here.
"Well?" I ask her, "You're coming too."
"No," Rose whispers, shaking her head, "I'm happy to obey, Helena. I don't want to fight."
"Queens match their Kings," I tell her, "Why not –" Lyrian takes both my ankles with one set of claws, and drags me off the bed. He swipes me off the covers, until I'm hanging upside down, and he lifts me up, to meet me eye to eye.
"You're not scared," Lyrian analyses me, "Why not, bitch? You think I'll roll over with a simple thought?"
"Why should I be scared, it's just a dream," I admit this is what gives me confidence. Lyrian loves that I am so naïve.
Lyrian smiles right next to my cheek, "You're wrong, Helena, it's my world, and it's a nightmare, not a dream – so it's by my rules, and you'll live by the rules I give you. Bring your brat, Orphis. Helena will need support."
"Nooo... oh, please, just fuck me instead...? Noo..." Rose tries to be cute, whining as she rolls around, closing her eyes, trying to wish herself out of here, but Orphis walks to her side, scoops her up, and places her over his shoulder.
Orphis and Lyrian exchange knowing looks once again.
"We'll fuck, babe," Orphis reassures Rose, "First, let's fight, it'll be fun, cheer up honey bun."
"I don't wanna fight you, babe," Rose sighs, "I just wanna fuck you, pleeeease."
"Hear it?" Lyrian whispers to me, "You'll be like that soon... just give in to your instincts. Queens relish serving their Lycan Gods."
That was a bit bold.
Lyrian lowers me, still smiling, as I'm happily glaring back up at him from upside down, but also kind of feeling like he loves me or something... kind of like how I feel warm about him too.
Why?
He didn't feel like the ultimate enemy anymore.
Rather... a friend... in a game. Yeah – ah, Lyrian also licks his hot as hell Lycan tongue, straight between my thighs, right over my pussy, spreading intense heat through my body.
He rolls over my clit and then his tongue laps up a wet trail of cream from my aching pussy. When he does such a simple trick, my mind weighs heavily into the other direction.
Like a balance of scales, being tilted.
Before I felt rebellious, completely invincible, especially after breaking the skylight so majestically and so easily – then even fucking levitating to top it off.
But now I'm laid a quick reminder.
There was still the other side to contend with. The storm cloud that was his Lycan's mind... both beautiful lightning... and terrible thunder. Both addictive. Both enthralling. The demon's side didn't just disintegrate, just because I made one thing happen of my own accord.
The rules of dreaming would therefore apply. Two things would navigate you. Your deepest fears and your deepest desires. Often so deep, so subconscious, they only manifested in the dreamscape. Either it would be within your control or outside of it.
Now that I know the rules revolve around dreaming, all that happens next, will be determined by what's in my soul... what do I really want?
And him.
Lyrian.
What did he want?
Did we want the same thing?
Or would our minds tear us apart.