"Are you awake, my love?" I heard a soft, gentle voice say.
When I came to, I sensed my surroundings were bursting with an array of bright colors. The woods were thick, with wildlife in abundance, and in the distance, I could hear the running of a stream.
"I thought you'd never wake up," the female voice said. "You had me worried, my love."
I turned my attention to her, and instantly, I felt a sense of connection. Her qi was strong and pure, the energy bursting with beautiful white flame.
I used my senses to picture her, and a stunning girl with gold hair and blue eyes appeared. Her smile was exquisite as she looked at me while her hand was stroking me.
Then I came to realize I was just a ball of glowing energy. What the hell?
I wondered if I was in that sort of dream again. Like the one I had previously, back in Acaedien, where I was in the point of view of Yuki. But this time, I happened to possess an orb.
"Akari," I, or the orb, echoed.
"Yes, my love?" the girl replied.
So her name was Akari, then? Just like one of my middle names. Honestly, I was beginning to wonder if I personally had connections with Yuki and now this girl, Akari, since they were both my middle names. Or was it just a coincidence?
"Are we there yet?" I happened to ask.
"Nearly," Akari said. "Are you still tired?"
I didn't know a small orb could get tired. It wasn't even a living being, right? How could it get tired?
"Hmm," I apparently expressed.
"I can't say enough how grateful I am, my love, for you saving me back there. Those dark beasts..." She trailed off. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have left on my own, but Maximus..."
"It's all right, Akari. You were only trying to find Maximus. Yuki told me via telepathy a moment ago she and the others have found him in the depths of the forest to the north. She said he's safe."
Akari looked pleased. "Thank goodness for that."
We walked, or rather, Akari walked while I hovered in midair beside her, until we came to a clearing sometime later. Though in a dream, it didn't feel like sometime later but rather a split second.
Here, the beauty of the place hit me with all its gloriousness. This was like a secret garden of sorts, with the area filled with tall trees, wildflowers, and an abundance of roses in every shade imaginable, even purple and blue.
Before us, a little farther away, were people, two men and two women. I noticed instantly that one of them was Yuki Hoshi of Yamato. Her stunning beauty of dark hair and pale skin, especially in contrast to her burgundy, flowing gown, was hard to miss. So she appeared in my dream again.
The other girl of slender build with long silver-colored hair was standing next to Yuki, while the two men, both in masks, weren't too far away.
The moment Akari saw them, she rushed forward. "Maximus," she called out, her voice shaking with emotion.
One of the two men turned, and when he saw Akari, he smiled, his arms opened wide.
I watched as the two hugged each other tightly, and Akari dissolved into a pool of tears.
"Akari," the man who I assumed was named Maximus said.
I must admit he was handsome, with dark hair and a tall, lean body. On his face, he wore a half mask adorned with signs and scripts, not unlike the ones the lords of Acaedien wore to suppress their power and hide their true form. I wondered if this man, too, wore his mask for the same purpose. If so, then what sort of a paranormal being was he?
"I'm so glad you're safe," Akari said. "I'm so glad."
When the two moved back, Maximus turned to me and said, "Stardust." He even stroked me—the orb—like I was a pet dog or something. "Thanks for saving Akari."
I felt my cheeks burning hot. That was if the orb had cheeks at all. Across from me, the silver-haired girl laughed. I turned my attention to her, and if I had been in my human form, I'd surely have sucked in my breath because she was breathtakingly beautiful. Holy moly! She looked like an angel.
"Stardust is glowing very bright," she said. "She must be blushing. Am I right, Yuki?"
To my left, Yuki nodded. "When she glows brighter than usual, it means she's blushing," Yuki said. "Stardust is rather shy."
"I see." The girl came toward me. She reached her hand out and gently stroked me. I guess she couldn't take my hand to shake since I was just a ball and had no limbs.
"I'm Bella," she said. "This is the first time we've officially met. I'm one of the Great Ones, like you."
This Bella girl was a Great One? And apparently, this cute glowing ball I was possessing in my dream was one too. But how could a glowing ball of energy be a Great One? I thought the Great Ones were living beings, those that had humanlike characteristics.
The man standing behind Bella came toward me, which drew my attention to him. He was a big, muscular man with dark hair and green eyes. He wore a beast mask that was so hideous I had no doubt he'd scare the living daylights out of anyone who happened to chance upon him in the night. Then again, he didn't scare me simply because I was used to seeing men wearing mysterious masks and even had three making love to me with them on too.
"Now that Akari is safe, it's best we return to the palace," the man with the beast mask said.
Yuki nodded in agreement. "Lord Aslan is right." She turned to Akari then and said, "Mother is waiting. She told us the lords of Acaedien have figured out a way to save our world."
Lord Aslan said, "They will be arriving in a few days. We will have a conference then."
Wait! What? The lords of Acaedien? I assumed they were talking about Geoffrey and everyone else, right? These people were somehow connected to my boyfriends?
"Come," Lord Aslan said and led us toward a narrow pathway deep in the woods.
As we followed him, I immediately sensed something was amiss, and my danger alert was on high. Suddenly, I felt a dark force approaching, and I grew tense.
Lord Aslan shouted, "Get down!" He pulled Bella into his arms under him as he released his dark qi to form a barrier around us.
Maximus grabbed for Akari and covered her body with his. I, on the other hand, released a burst of energy shield to protect Yuki.
A massive, dark piercing fireball plunged through the air and smashed through Lord Aslan's barrier, breaking the magic shield. I watched in horror as the energy beam came straight at me, hitting me with such a powerful force that my being, a small orb, was scorching in pain.
"Stardust!" I heard Yuki screaming. "Stardust!"
Numb and confused, I felt the world around me burst aflame with smoke and fire, and I screamed in agony inside my mind. I felt like I was being burned alive.
"Stardust!" I heard Akari's voice shouting at me. "Please be all right, Stardust!"