***More chapters up on Inkitt. Will upload them here too but might take some time. Also, for those reading on Inkitt, sorry there's not been much updates. Really busy with work. Sorry!***
Chapter 10 - This is Real
Aerith's Room
Hades' Palace
The Underworld
-Aerith-
I opened my eyes and it was his face I saw.
It was that same angelic face I've seen in all my dreams. His brows were creased and his face was filled with worry as he looked at me. I wanted to wipe away that expression. I want to see him smile. He'd be so much more handsome if only he smiled.
My vision dimmed as pain assailed my shoulder and my chest. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. With each gallop of the horses, my body was jolted and more pain was added. At first, I thought I was dreaming when I saw all those ghosts battling the mortals. But if I was dreaming, this wouldn't be so painful, right?
I wanted to laugh at my situation but the pain prevented it. Right now, I don't even know dream from reality. I've had dreams so vivid these past couple of days that I felt it actually happened. But then it could not, right?
Otherwise, my dream guy would be real. These horses running faster than cars ever travelled would be real. The battle and the shades would all be real.
My Ezio clutched me tighter to his chest and I shivered against him. It was becoming much colder and harder to breathe.
"Hold on, my queen," he whispered.
I wanted to reply but my lips wouldn't move. I was so weak.
"Welcome to the Underworld, vasilissa mou." That was the last thing I heard before darkness claimed me.
****************************
I stretched my limbs yawned loudly. Today, I felt different. It's as if I've slept for days! My limbs felt languid and I was totally relaxed. But that's impossible because I have school, homework and chores. Speaking of school, I have to get ready.
Wait. Maybe five more minutes.
I had this dream where there was a battle led by Ezio. He summoned ghosts and they were fighting alongside him. Then, there were four massive, black horses pulling a chariot. The ground opened up and we were descending into darkness. When the darkness cleared, there was a grand castle in the distance. It looked ominous and menacing with its black towers and the lightning and thunder that surrounded it. Throughout it all, I was in the arms of Ezio.
In that dream though, I was in pain. And now I felt blissful.
Realizing I can't delay getting prepared any longer, I opened my eyes. At first, I thought I was hallucinating so I rubbed my eyes. The scene before me didn't change.
"What the–" I gasped.
I was in an unfamiliar place. This was not my bedroom nor was it Claudine's. This one was bigger, more luxurious. The room was decorated with gold, platinum and other metals. Various colored gemstones were placed as designs on the poster of the bed, the walls, and on the ceiling where it served as a chandelier. That chandelier was made of what looked like diamonds! Everywhere I looked, I was greeted with extravagance.
Curiosity got the better of me and so I stood up and approached the nearest lamp. The body of the lamp seemed to be made of gold and it was decorated with amethysts the size of my thumb! The lamp itself was pretty weird though. It didn't have a light bulb but green fire was burning in the center of it.
Whoah. Awesome!
I looked back at the bed and realized that I was just lying down on silk sheets of the highest quality. The bed was also magnificent. It was a four-poster bed with gossamer-thin curtains. The wood was inlaid with gold and silver.
If I was able to lift this bed and sell it, I could probably buy a Lamborghini. Maybe even two.
To the left of the bed were several chests. Just like the other items in this vast room, the chests looked like it was made of gold. I tried lifting one and almost broke my back in the process. More curious now, I opened one of the chests and was greeted with gold coins, necklaces, bracelets, earrings all made of diamonds and other priceless gemstones!
I dug my fingers into the stash. This is probably the only time in my life that I'll be able to touch such beautiful and expensive jewelry. Surely this were all fake, right? Who'd keep a stash like this in a room?
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
"Wait. I get it. I'm getting Punked right now, aren't I?" I looked around thinking where the cameras must be located. Then I waved and smiled widely. "Haha! You got me! Nice one, guys!" I shouted to no one in particular.
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. If this was no reality show, then maybe it's Claudine doing this. And wow! She's outdone herself this time. I waited a bit but no one answered. The door didn't open and no cameramen and hosts filed into the room screaming: You got punked!
With a sigh, I crossed the vast expanse of the room and headed towards the door. There were two doors. The first one was locked so I moved to the other one.
Near the second door was a mirror and that was the first time today I saw what I was wearing. To be honest, the jewels dazzled the hell out of me that I didn't even notice my own clothes.
What I was wearing was beautiful. There were no other words to describe it. I wore a black dress which fell to my knees. It had bell-shaped sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. The bodice fit my chest and my waist as though it was made for me. The skirt fell down my hips and my thighs like it had an invisible petticoat somewhere. The shoes were nice too! I wore black ballet flats with straps that crisscrossed up my ankles and ended halfway up my leg.
I opened the door and yet again, my jaw dropped. Just like the previous room, the outside was magnificent as well. The corridor was wide but I couldn't see any doors except a big one beside mine. It was lit by green flame from jeweled sconces that hung on the wall.
Best freakin' corridor ever!
I couldn't wait 'til I see the rest of this place. But what is this actually? A very extravagant mansion? A palace of some sort? That thought made me giggle. It would be so awesome if I was actually in a palace. I could finally pretend I was a princess for a day.
************
The rest of my tour was a bit uneventful... and creepy.
This place was so big that I confirmed I was really in some sort of palace. But the weird part is, I've not seen another human being. It was practically empty. But wait, there's more. That's not even the creepy part. The part that made the hairs on my body stand on end was the shadows I've seen darting around.
I don't know if it's a trick of the light because of the lamps with the green fire or my eyesight got worse, or maybe I hit my head to hard at one point... but I swear I'm seeing shadows moving. I would enter a room and see all these shadows and then they'll just dart away as though scared of me. By then I'll usually blink or rub my eyes and when I open them again, they're gone and I'm left there thinking I'm going crazy.
Aside from that, there was nothing else. Sure, the rest of the place was as luxurious and shiny and expensive but it felt like an endless maze of corridors at one point. I had no idea where I was going. I tried to open a few doors but they were sealed shut. So I just went where my feet took me and I ended up in this grand staircase which led to a foyer or ballroom which could probably fit four houses in it. Yep, it was that massive.
After that ballroom was a set of large doors – probably ten times my height. Thankfully, those were left open and I was able to dart outside after a lot of groaning, heaving, and pushing.
What I saw outside made my heart stop.
It was a garden... of sorts. But instead of actual plants, this garden was a replica. There were roses, tulips, stargazers, orchids, and many more flowers and trees! But they were all made of gemstones. Looking at it from afar, it does look like any garden. But up close? The rose I touched and took a closer look at looked like it was chiseled from a ruby the size of my fist. Each petal was perfectly sculpted to look like the real one.
This was how I realized I was dreaming again. At first, the castle and all its surprises, I really thought that was Claudine. That maybe I fell asleep or fainted somewhere and was brought to her aunts' house or something. But this was different. This was something straight out of a creepy fairytale.
For a long time, I walked around the garden. I looked at the various flowers and tried to guess which gemstone they were made of. Truly, it was beautiful.
But that was until I heard growling.
Slowly, I turned around and towering from the maze of flowers was a giant, three-headed dog. I gasped and my heart started going wild inside my chest. Slowly, I backed away just as the dog started approaching slowly.
His heads were cocked to the side and he was sniffing the air as though he can't quite figure me out. He was about five times the size of a horse. His fangs were easily about twice the size of my head and from what I can see, they were razor-sharp. As dreams go, my creepy fairytale just turned to horror.
I stretched out my hand as he continued his approach. "Good boy. I'm just walking around. Not going to steal anything," I said slowly to the beast. When I spoke, that made him pause and stop growling. When I took another step back, the growling resumed. He also started moving to the side as though circling me so that if I run, he'll catch me right away.
I stood my ground even though I felt like vomiting all the contents of my stomach because of fear.
This is just a really, really big dog with three heads, Aerith.
So I stood there and lifted my chin high. A dog's inclination is to chase after you if you run. This is why they say that if your dog escapes the house and runs away, call his name and run the other direction. His instinct will be to run after you. For this dog, I really have no intention of running. He'll probably reach me in one huge leap and then I'll be torn to shreds by those teeth.
I raised my hand again and his head followed the action. The three heads barked once, all at the same time, and the sound was like a boom of thunder.
"Bad dog!" I shouted. His growling stopped and his ears twitched. "Sit!" I commanded. At first he looked at me as if to say: who are you to tell me what to do? He kept looking at me but thank heavens he didn't start all the growling or barking. "Bad dog!" I repeated, louder this time, when he didn't obey my command.
Yep, this was a dream and I was going to own it. This dog is not eating me today.
This time, his ears fell and I think I heard a small whine in there. Ever so slowly, the massive dog sat.
"Good boy!" After hearing that, his tail started wagging. Three tongues rolled out and the three heads started panting. Aww, isn't this giant a little softie? I think he just wants attention.
"You want to play?" I asked. He seemed to recognize the words because he perked up and bounded away. I breathed a sigh of relief as he left. Yup! Not dog chow today! But then, immediately after, I heard the sound of his paws and felt the ground shake as he came running back.
The middle head dropped a large, black ball before me and all heads looked at me expectantly. I winced. "Uhm. Yeah. I can't throw that, boy," I told him. The ball was as big as me. To show him, I pushed and pulled on it but it didn't budge.
"I'm sorry, I can't," I repeated. He whined and three pairs of ears fell again. "If only your ball was smaller," I said to him.
He seemed to recognize a word in that sentence because he stopped whining and his tail started wagging again. Then, the left head scooped the ball up with those giant jaws. The two other heads gave a small bark as though to make sure he had all my attention. Then, his chest puffed out. Black smoke swirled around him and before my very eyes, he started shrinking.
I blinked and rubbed at my eyes but yep, that's still happening. He kept on shrinking until he was only the size of a Great Dane – but with, you know, three heads. Still big but at least not massive. The ball shrunk with him and he dropped it before me. He tilted his heads to the side as though telling me: now you can throw it.
"Good boy! What a nice trick!" I told him. I swear his chest puffed out even more. I picked the ball up from the ground and threw it as far away as I could. He bounded after it right away. Even with his smaller size, he was still so fast and he had brought it back to me in the span of seconds.
"One more?" I asked. His tail wagged and he started doing that little doggie dance where he stepped side by side and his paws tapped the ground in excitement.
"Alright boy, go fetch!" I threw it again, farther this time. He ran after it excitedly and just like before, he was back so fast. I laughed and threw it again and again until my arm hurt. The dog didn't even look winded at all.
When I can't throw it anymore, I sat on a large rock in the garden and patted the space beside me. "Let's rest a bit. You can sit here," I told him. Obediently, he sat and I reached out slowly. At first, he looked at my hand warily but thank heavens he didn't snap or bite. He might be smaller now but those teeth will be razor sharp still.
Three heads sniffed at my hand and I waited for him to make the first move. When he nudged my hand with his nose, I patted his head. His tail wagged so fast right away. Then, I scratched his ear. The two other heads barked at the head I was giving attention to. That one made me laugh so I used my other hand and tried to scratch as much as I could.
A short while later, he flopped down on his belly. "Want me to scratch your belly?" I asked. His tongues rolled out and he looked at me as though to say: do it now, woman. I laughed at that and proceeded to give him belly rubs and more scratches.
A while later, I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I looked up and the first thing I saw was black boots and black pants. I continued looking up and gasped as I saw Ezio. Immediately, the belly rubs stopped and I heard the dog whine.
"I see you've met my dog," Ezio told me. He was smiling now but it was one of those shy smiles where it's a bit awkward. But no matter what, he was still breathtaking.
"It's you..." I whispered. My throat went dry and my heart started beating faster at the sight of him.
One elegant eyebrow raised. "Me?"
"Ezio," I whispered. "Ezio..." he repeated. "What is this name you call me?" he asked with a frown. I shook my head. "In all my dreams of you, you've never told me your name. So I gave you one," I answered.
He smiled. This time a genuine one.
"Curious how you've dreamt of me all these years. I have dreamt of you too, little one," he told me in a tender voice. "My name is Hades."
"Hades..." I repeated his name and for some reason, hearing myself say it just felt so right. It felt like I lost this last puzzle piece and now found it.
The spell was broken when the dog nudged me and almost sent me sprawling on the ground. He's been nudging me gently earlier but I was so entranced with my dream guy standing before me that the dog was then completely ignored.
He was having none of it and decided to shove a little stronger. Hades caught me and prevented me from falling flat on my face. "Thanks," I told him. He turned to the dog. "No," he said. At once, the dog stopped nudging me. He sat stiff as a stone and looked at his master obediently as though waiting for orders. I saw a little guilt in his eyes as well.
"What's his name?" I asked.
"Cerberus," came the reply.
"Oh... He's such a nice dog," I told Hades. I received another smile. Hades looked at Cerberus. "A dog who should be guarding the gates," he said. Now I know why Cerberus looked guilty. He was basically caught playing hooky from work.
"Aw. Every dog needs to play at least once a day, am I right boy?" I cooed. His ears perked and his tail wagged again. But he was still in that stiff position – probably because his master is here.
"Cerberus, you've had your fun. Now go back to the gates," Hades commanded. Cerberus barked in reply and ran away. I looked at him and as he was running, he started growing bigger again until he was back to his normal size.
"Let me give you a tour of the palace?" Hades asked.
"Oh yes, please! From what I've seen so far, it's really beautiful," I told him. Just like his dog, his chest seemed to puff out with pride.
He offered me his arm and with all the excitement and joy bubbling inside me, I took it. When our skin touched, I swear I felt a jolt of electricity run down my spine.
"This is such a nice dream. I don't ever want to wake up," I whispered, mostly to myself.
Hades stopped walking and faced me again. "My queen... This time, it's real. It's not a dream. You are here with me."
I frowned. "Where exactly is here? And why do you call me your queen?" I expected his reply to be that he calls me queen because that is an endearment and I deserve to be treated like one or you know, something sweet like that.
"This is the Underworld. This is where mortal souls go when they die. This is where the Titans are imprisoned. I am Hades. The King of the Underworld... and you, my dear Aerith, are my fated and my queen."
My head started spinning. There was a whole lot of information in that last statement.
"Alright, this dream just got weirder," I whispered.
"This is not a dream. You are really here," he answered.
I pinched myself to prove a point. But this time it hurt. I pinched myself again and my eyes watered with pain. Still, I did not wake up.
"Stop that. You're hurting yourself," he whispered tenderly.
"This can't be real..." Nope. Seriously, it's not even possible. And I'm sure I'll wake up any minute now.
Grey eyes the exact color of the the sky and the clouds before it rains bored into me.
"My queen, this is real," he repeated. He took my hand and squeezed.
"I will prove it," he vowed.
*********************************************************
Join my Facebook Group for all my readers! Just search for AerithSage's Immortals on Facebook. Hope to see you there! :)