章 19: Chapter 19 - The Dream
"Mom, don't you dare leave again!" Lilly yelled through her sobs as she ran towards her mother.
She just stood there, looking almost as touched as Lilly felt, stretching her arms out and waiting for her.
They collided and nearly fell to the ground, but managed to stay upright. It was the kind of hug that would have been painfully tight if either of them were capable of noticing, but neither of them cared about much else right now. They were both crying uncontrollably.
They were standing in the living room of their house, but seeing her mother here made it feel so nostalgic, Lilly thought, like a place she hadn't been to in forever.
"Are you real?" Lilly asked between sobs. She knew the answer by now, but she didn't know how.
"Mostly, dear. I won't be leaving before you let me this time, don't worry," her mother replied, slightly more in control of her voice, but only slightly.
The hug lasted a long time, as long as Lilly could allow before her curiosity became unbearable.
She released it halfway and looked her mother in the eyes, seeing the same ones she had dreamt of so many times since they were separated.
"How, Mom?" Lilly asked, hoping the full question was obvious.
"Well, it's sort of a bonus from the Vermilion Flame. Our bloodline has been blessed somehow, giving us the chance to inherit the flame from our ancestors. And through the flames, our souls can travel briefly to the minds of the living, into their dreams," she explained patiently. She seemed to have a lot of questions herself, but it seemed she could stay patient for a while.
"So you've visited me even before I knew about it?" Lilly asked, trying to choose the most important questions.
"As often as I could, Lilly. It was lovely being able to visit you and see parts of your life through your dreams, even though it was impossible to communicate with you. But then you awakened the amulet, making it possible for me to talk with you while you were only half dreaming. You sure didn't waste any time listening to my advice," she said, smiling. "Gods, it's so good to talk to you again, Lilly."
Lilly felt so happy about all this; she barely even cared about the enchanting anymore.
"I guess you could say it has been an eventful day. Very eventful. But… What about dad?" Lilly asked, although she thought she knew the answer.
"You won't be able to see him unfortunately. He's not a part of the same bloodline. But you can rest easy; I'll tell him everything about this meeting when I see him," she said, obviously sad he couldn't be here as well. But her mood quickly turned around. "You didn't grow quite as much as I expected Lilly, did you stop early?" She asked playfully, noting that she still was half a head taller than Lilly.
"It's not my fault, you're the one who found a husband shorter than you." Lilly answered indignantly, enjoying the familiar banter. "But there really is an afterlife, then?" Lilly asked, feeling even happier now, even though she was sad she wouldn't be able to meet him.
"There is, and it's a wonderful place. But it's not… Most people aren't all that present, I guess you could say. But people who still have connections to the world are thankfully pretty fine." She seemed to dislike that aspect of the afterlife.
"That's great!" Lilly said, imagining a wonderful place and feeling much more at peace with death now.
"Oh, don't you dare hurry after us, Lilly. I'll never let you hear the end of it if you don't take another 50 years at least." And she seemed serious about that.
"I'll take my time, I promise," Lilly answered, hoping she indeed would. "I'll let you have some questions now, but I still have plenty."
"I graciously accept. How far am I from being a grandmother?" She asked, with a serious look on her face.
"Mom, I'm only eighteen. It will be a while before you can visit any of the younger generations. But there has been progress today, actually." Lilly said with a slight blush. She wanted her mother to know the most about her new relationship. In another life she would be the first to know after Lilly herself.
"I got a girlfriend today!" Lilly told her, smiling.
"Really? A girlfriend?" She seemed a bit surprised, but less so than others she had told so far. "Do I know her? No, wait, is it Mia?"
"Wow, you remember her Mom? Yeah, it's Mia." Lilly was surprised this time, thinking her friendship with Mia back then wouldn't give her enough of a clue.
"Oh, your dreams do show me some things, you know. Mia was there on occasion, as part of your dream of course. I noticed I never saw many boys, so I had to wonder. Mia seems like a wonderful choice; I remember her parents well." She explained her reasoning and seemed happy about it all.
"Oh, yeah, I might not really be that into boys, I guess?" Lilly wondered a bit to herself, never really thinking she was unusual before now.
"Oh, I had so many dreams of your father at your age, Lilly. Most of them I shouldn't even tell you about," She said with a bit of a naughty smile.
"Mom!" Lilly blushed, not wanting to know anything about that.
"My point is, I had a hunch from comparing you to myself. But what about grandkids then?" She asked again, seemingly very invested in that point.
"Well, a very nice alchemist I know has said there's a way to fix that issue. I'm not sure how yet, and I'm not sure I want to know yet, but there is a way," Lilly told her, and watched her mother light up.
"Ah, the magics of alchemy," she sighed, seeming very pleased.
"Okay, my turn again," Lilly declared. She wasn't looking forward to this question, but she needed to know. "... How did you die?" That question had plagued her for a long time, with the implied 'Why?' close behind.
"Oh dear, there's nothing I regret more than leaving you on your own." She really seemed ready to cry, and Lilly could understand a bit of it. She had also felt some of the same emotions when she thought she would leave Gramps behind in the forest.
"Like any other dead adventurers, we were stupid. We thought we were prepared for most things in the forest, but a poison hydra came from deep in the forest and became our undoing. I think I managed to kill it as well, but at that point, we were too far gone…"
Lilly started crying again, and then her mother did as well. Another session of hugging and crying later, they were ready for more questions.
"How often are you able to visit?" Lilly asked, hoping it would be at least somewhat frequent.
"Well, now that you have awakened, it might be less frequent for a while. There are some ancestors that will want to meet you, and the flame will probably prioritize them so you can learn some things," she said, looking thoughtfully into the air.
Lilly listened, her eyes tracing the familiar contours of the living room. But as she focused, subtle changes began to emerge. The room around them started to subtly shift, and the furniture was swaying gently, as if underwater.
"The flame is sentient?" Lilly asked, suddenly seeing her new power in a new light. Her voice started to echo slightly now, making the dream seem more fleeting.
"In a sense. It's only really following instructions, but you could consider it alive, yes." Her mother's voice seemed to come from a greater distance now, even though she was right in front of her.
"This dream is starting to seem weird," Lilly noted, understanding that dreams were more organic than firm. She asked further, only finding more questions in the answers she got. "What instructions?"
"I'm not sure who made the first ones, but you might have felt that it follows your instructions when you try to manipulate them."
"Yeah, it felt like it was just following my orders instead of me using my own powers." Lilly's gaze drifted to a painting on the wall. It was a landscape she remembered her mother loved, but now the trees in the painting seemed to sway, their leaves rustling in a non-existent wind.
"Exactly. It can take instructions and follow them, like an obedient soldier."
The air around them grew cooler, and the familiar scents of home – vanilla and cinnamon – were gradually replaced by something fresher, like a breeze through a mountain forest.
'Being awake for so long in a dream seems to be causing some weird effects' Lilly thought to herself, getting distracted from the conversation."Okay, uhm, why did I get the flames?"
"It seems to be somewhat random who gets them and who doesn't, but only one person can have it at a time, I've heard. I think it has been a good few generations since the last one though."
"Can I still use normal spells?" Lilly asked, hoping to find a solution to one of her biggest problems right now.
"That's the kind of thing you need to ask the ancestors about. I never had it myself." As her mother spoke, the edges of the room softened, the corners gently blurring as if the dream couldn't maintain the sharpness of reality.
"What can I do with the flame?"
"You can wield immense power and destroy almost anything you want. And you can command any other flame like it was your own, I think?" Her voice trailed off, and the light in the room dimmed slightly, casting elongated shadows that danced faintly against the walls.
"And something about purifying. I don't remember, sorry Lilly." As she spoke of purification, the room subtly brightened, the shadows receding as if in response to the concept.
"No, that's plenty. I haven't tried any purifying yet, so that sounds interesting. I don't care about the destruction though, honestly."
"Really? Didn't you and Mia dream of being adventurers as well?"
"Oh, we did, and I even tried when the amulet awakened. But Gramps tricked me into not wanting to try again, and since then I've been learning enchanting. And with Mia as my partner smith, we're cooperating and creating magical items." Lilly said proudly, glossing over the trickery a bit.
"He tricked you? Badly?" Her mother's concern seemed to momentarily stabilize the room, bringing a brief surge of clarity to the dream environment.
"Yeah, a bit… He hired a few adventurers to scare me out of adventuring. We had an argument about it today, but I forgave him in the end."
Now the furniture in the room appeared to age and renew in a slow, rhythmic cycle, like echoes of past and future dreams woven into the fabric of the present.
"That… doesn't surprise me too much, honestly. I might even have done something similar in his shoes. No, I would," she reasoned, seeing a bit of herself in her father. "How is he, Lilly?" The concern in her voice was mirrored by a gentle flickering of light, like the pulse of a heartbeat, subtle but perceptible.
"He's fine. He misses you a lot, of course, probably as much as I do, or did. But he's hanging in there, taking every day as it comes. He seemed very happy about my new relationship, so I think he'll be happy for a few days now," Lilly answered as well as she could.
Her mother seemed satisfied with that answer. "Well, tell him I miss him a lot too. I can visit him in his dreams sometimes, but he doesn't respond much. And I know it's hurting him when he wakes up, so I tried doing it a bit less."
"I will. I think you underestimate how happy he will be when I tell him about this though; you can probably visit as often as you want, and he will be elated."
"Hah, I can imagine. Give him a big hug from me, will you?" She looked thoughtful for a bit. "I'm so incredibly grateful I got to talk to you like this, Lilly. I haven't felt this happy since the day you were born." And she really looked happy, glowing even.
"You sound ready to leave?"
"Oh, it's all up to you, Lilly. We have a lot of time if you want it."
"In that case, you're stuck here forever. Sorry."
"I wouldn't mind much." As her mother responded, the room began to settle, the surreal elements gently receding, as if the dream itself was content to linger in this moment of connection.
"Hmm, let me think." Lilly thought about if there was anything else important to ask about or tell. "Oh, right, do you remember Eolande?"
"The elf?" Her mother responded, with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, she was one of the adventurers that scared me. But she was so nice to me and comforted me right after it. Since then we became a lot closer, and eventually we talked in front of your graves and decided to become a sort of family." Lilly felt it was weird to talk about someone kind of acting as a replacement for her mother like this, but Lilly felt her mother would be happy about it.
As Lilly mentioned the graves, the dream shifted to reflect the bleak but tranquil atmosphere of the graveyard. The light became less warm, and all smell disappeared, leaving only room for grief.
"Really? She didn't seem quite that emotional when we met her, but we didn't get to know her very well. I'm glad you get along with her, Lilly. Oh, tell her sorry as well. She told us not to die, oops." She said with a silly look, sticking her tongue out.
"Heh, she mentioned that. She didn't know you were my parents before we talked that day, but she seemed very emotional when she learned you died."
"Really? I'm touched." She said, clearly not expecting such a response from Eolande.
"It might have been amplified by all the other adventurers she knew in that graveyard if I'm honest. It was thoughtless of me to bring her." Lilly still felt a bit bad about that.
"Well, at her age, that's not surprising. I guess she chose a hard path as an elf though, getting so close to people, knowing she would lose them eventually."
"Yeah, I don't envy her that part. She said she was looking for an immortality potion for me, though, but I think that's wishful thinking." Lilly was honestly unsure how she should feel about that, if it really was a serious topic for Eolande.
Living together with her for as long as she had wanted would be nice, but then Lilly would have to leave many people behind her as well. Gramps was expected, although he hopefully had a good 20 years left, but Mia would be hard. At least if everything went as she hoped.
"Oh, that could be nice. It would take a long time before I got to see you properly, but I can wait a few eternities if it would make you happy, Lilly." Both her mother and the room seemed to light up a bit at that.
Lilly thought for a bit, eager to find things to talk about. "Do you want to know what's going on in the world? It seems to be changing a bit right now."
"Oh, sure. Changing in a bad way?" Her mother looked worried.
"Maybe… There's a war starting up right now, against Dortfell. Something about a marriage being denied, I think was the reason, but the truce ran out a few years ago, so we think they just want to go to war." Lilly told her, thinking back to the explanation she had gotten.
As Lilly mentioned the war, a faint, distant rumble, like the echo of thunder, seemed to pass through the dream, a subtle reminder of the brewing conflict far away. Her mother's expression grew more concerned, and the room's light dimmed slightly, reflecting the gravity of the topic.
"Oh dear, you're staying far away from that, I hope?" Her mother looked more worried now. War was a foreign concept to both of them, but it was still scary.
"Oh, absolutely. But my teacher has left to join the defenses, so I'm nervous. I should be safe, with Elly protecting me. She's moved in right next door actually."
"That's good, with her protecting you, you should be fine." Her mother's voice was reassuring, yet Lilly noticed a slight tremor, a mother's inherent worry that never fully fades.
"Is she that strong?" Lilly asked, not having a great grasp on Eolande's strength.
"Yes, from what I know of her, she's the strongest adventurer in Thundrel, and I suspect she's hiding some of it." A knowing look passed across her mother's face, a hint of admiration and mystery lurking in her eyes.
"That much? What about Lady Selene?" Lilly asked, remembering how Eolande had been the one to tell her about the Lady.
"She's not an adventurer, so I didn't include her." Her mother paused, her gaze drifting as if she was sifting through a sea of memories. "I think Lady Selene is stronger, especially with the equipment she has from being in the Royal Guard. But I wouldn't know who would win in a fight; archers are often weak against rogues after all," she concluded thoughtfully.
Lilly was surprised, thinking Eolande was at the level of other experienced adventurers in the city. But since she trained Thoren and Eldrin, it did make sense for her to be strong.
The dream room subtly reflected her contemplation, the shadows around them playing out silent, ghostly duels.
"You should never underestimate an elf, Lilly." Her mother's voice brought her back, the faint echo of wisdom resonating in the air.
"That seems like good advice. Got anything else?" Lilly asked, a playful glint in her eye despite the gravity of their discussion.
"Hmm, not much Dad couldn't tell you honestly. He taught me most of the advice I followed, so just listen to him… Be generous in the bedroom." She added after thinking a bit, completely unfazed by the topic.
"Mom! I told you not to talk about that! Besides, it's different." Lilly's cheeks flushed a deep red, the dream room momentarily taking on a rosy hue in response to her embarrassment.
"It still helps, I'm sure. Mmmh, don't fight poison hydras?" Her mother tried to suppress a chuckle. She seemed to be having a hard time finding good advice, but she really seemed to want to give some.
"It's fine Mom, I'm bad at following advice anyways." Lilly told her, hoping her mother wouldn't think she was unhappy with the advice she got.
"Well then, fine. I'll ask your dad before we meet again; he'll have something clever to say, I'm sure."
"Yeah, he was good at that. You tell him I miss him a lot as well, okay?"
"We both know Lilly. And it's bittersweet for us, since it's our fault…"
As her mother spoke, a soft, ethereal wind seemed to sweep through the room, gently rustling the curtains and stirring Lilly's hair. It felt like a tangible expression of the bittersweet emotions hanging in the air.
"I forgive you for dying, you know. At first I was mad at you, but it has passed by now. I know it wasn't actually your fault." She looked at her mother with a smile, hoping she didn't feel such regret about that anymore.
"Lilly… You really have grown a lot," her mother said, wiping away a tear that seemed to sparkle in the dream's soft light. "Even lying to make others feel better. I think it's a family trait."
"No, it's not a lie. I really think you were just unlucky, not stupid. I… I know how you feel, a bit. When I was scared by Elly and the others, I really thought I was going to die. And in that moment, I felt so incredibly bad for leaving Gramps behind alone. I don't want you to feel that way, even a little bit."
"Lilly!" She hugged her again, sobbing.
"I absolutely forgive you. And I miss you, both." Lilly said, now crying along once again.
As they embraced again, the room seemed to hold its breath, the dream pausing in this moment of connection and forgiveness. The third time they separated, the dream began to gently unravel, the edges of the room blurring, signaling the end of their time together.
"I think I'm ready to leave now, Mom. Have fun in the afterlife for me, will you?"
"Of course Lilly, you have fun as well. Live as much as you can before joining us, okay?"
"I promise Mom, I'll be a lot older than you after a while."
"Oh, that's an unsettling thought. I'll see you again later Lilly." The dream's colors softened as her mother said her goodbye, a sense of peace enveloping them. Her mother's image began to fade.
"See you later Mom, I love you."
"I love you too, Lilly." Her mother's voice was a whisper, a sweet echo that would stay with Lilly long after the dream had faded.
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