Arwen’s eyes fluttered open as she found herself in a familiar location.
The purple sky lacked a celestial body, the dreary atmosphere, and most importantly, the decaying smell of death.
The vividness of the scenery was one she was all too familiar with, after all, she had been a regular visitor to this strange dreamscape.
It first started when she turned 6, she began having nightmares of people dying and the worst part was, those people she dreamt about always ended up dying the same way they had in her dreams.
It was terrifying enough that a little girl was forced to wonder if she were some sort of demon.
Of course, as time went on, she gradually got used to it and after dipping her feet into the supernatural, the nightmares began to make sense.
"Hah..." Arwen let out a sigh as she watched a crow fly past.
"I wonder who it is this time."
Though she tried to sound apathetic, Arwen always tried to prevent the deaths of those she saw... unfortunately, her failures outweighed her successes.
Which led to her current obsession.
In any case, it didn’t stop her from trying like now.
As she tried to stand up in a bid to follow the crow, several more crows passed and soon enough, a large flock went by, causing Arwen to frown.
"That many?" As she uttered those words, Arwen quickly realized that something was wrong.
The familiar smell of death was stronger than usual and the dreary atmosphere was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Taking a moment to calm her nerves, Arwen sat up and looked ahead only for her heart to palpitate strongly at the sight before her eyes.
"Wh...what is this?" She muttered with an expression filled with pure dread.
The sight before her was nothing short of a terror to behold, what with the destroyed buildings alongside the torn and mangled corpses strewn about.
Arwen could hardly keep count but it was easy to tell that the dead bodies numbered in the thousands.
Her heart skipped a bit as the thought that the area looked familiar rose in her heart and once it reached a peak, it struck her.
This was Krobridge... or at least what was left of it.
Arwen placed her palm over her mouth as she resisted the urge to vomit.
"H...how did this happen?"
As she pondered what could have led to such destruction, Arwen rose to her feet and traversed the landscape filled with death and destruction.
Scorch marks dotted the streets that she once traversed as a student with the acrid smell of burnt metal not escaping her acute sense of smell.
The eerie silence in the nightmare was broken as Arwen neared what she assumed to be the center of the nightmare.
Once she reached it, the sight of several crows gathered at the location offset her greatly.
However, even that paled in comparison as she laid eyes on those that lay dead at the center.
Arwen was rendered speechless and for a moment, found herself unable to breathe.
As she struggled inwardly, she slowly reached out and with the last of her strength, muttered softly.
Claudia rushed into the bedroom after hearing Arwen’s scream.
"Is everything okay?" She worriedly asked as she rushed to the bedside.
Arwen’s breathing was uneven as she stared into nothingness, her expression one of fear.
"Arwen!" Claudia called out but received no response.
Terrified that the corruption of the abyss wasn’t fully taken care of, Claudia reached for Arwen’s shoulder and shook her vigorously, ultimately snapping her out of the daze she was in.
Arwen’s breathing calmed down though the expression on her face remained as she turned to Claudia.
Instinctively, she reached out and held Claudia’s face and after confirming she was the one, Arwen pulled her in and enveloped her in a warm hug.
Surprised by the gesture, Claudia was not averse to it but she couldn’t help but notice that Arwen’s temperature had dropped to a low degree.
"Is everything okay?" Claudia asked after almost a minute passed with Arwen still hugging her.
Arwen’s lips quivered as she replied softly. "...Yeah, everything... will be fine."
Unsure of what to make of her friend’s condition, Claudia said no more and instead leaned further into Arwen’s embrace.
For a moment, the ladies enjoyed the company of each other.
The carriage trip was surprisingly without any hitches as Alex exchanged looks with Nadia a few times along the way.
After almost an hour, the carriage finally came to a stop after which a hoarse voice was heard from outside.
"We are here, Madame."
Charlotte flashed a smile as she addressed Alex. "After you."
The latter said nothing as the carriage door was opened from the outside, allowing him to step out alongside Nadia.
Charlotte and the two subordinates that accompanied her inside stepped out a moment later.
Alex glanced at the path behind which was completely shrouded in darkness before looking ahead to find that they were before a flight of stairs, leading to an unknown destination.
After ensuring everything was okay, Charlotte took the lead and moved up the stairs with the others following closely behind.
The trip up the stairs took almost 15 minutes before they arrived in a gallery lit up by scented candles and a fancy chandelier.
The gallery was filled with an assortment of art pieces ranging from sculptures to natural art designs made with the use of plants, making it seem like the location was a mix of a garden and an exhibition center for art.
Alex could also make out a few paintings that were quite pleasing to the eyes.
From a glance, one could tell the artist had put in a lot of work while drawing the piece.
A faint flowery smell permeated the area, carrying with it a calming effect that felt soothing to one’s soul.
Charlotte led them through the underground gallery which seemed large enough to fit a little over 200 people before arriving at a fountain with a patio beside it.
Alex quickly noticed the presence of two figures at the fountain.
One was a middle-aged Vampire dressed in a red and black suit, standing before a drawing board with a piece of paper placed on it while carrying a palette in one hand and a paintbrush in the other.
The other, a relatively young Vampire who looked no older than himself, was seated at the fountain in a rather peculiar pose while wearing a robe.