The Dream Chronicles - Fragments Of Destiny

My life started going downhill, from the day "they" started coming.... Giving me fragments of something... They called destiny... But I didn't want them... I never wanted them.... But all I can do right now... Is reminiscence about the first time I encountered a "fragment"...

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A bustling atmosphere. People laughing, children running around and the dazzling light of bulbs hanging from the shops bouncing around, made the place look ethereal. As if it's not something real.

"Ruya! What are you doing zoning out like that? Come here! There are so many things here!" My mother's warm voice called out to me as my trance finally broke. Something feels... Different about this place... But I don't know what...

"What did you buy so far?" I asked my mother as I approached her, while she looked at the glimmering jewelry in awe.

"Hm? Nothing. I didn't buy anything yet, I am just looking around for now" my mother said, her eyes still glued to those pieces of metal. Honestly it's not like I don't like jewelry, I love them, but I have a lot of them to even glance at any jewelry. Though these... Do look particularly... Enchanting...

"You should just buy whatever you want, you have money right?" I small nod from my mother answered my question. But... Why don't I remember if we took money with us or not?

"At least tell us what you want, ma'am. We cannot guess what type of design you want if you don't tell us!" A nearby shopkeeper's voice caught my attention. It looked like it was a shop which sold phone covers.

"Hello ma'am" I said to the lady standing in front of the phone cover shop. I don't know why I came here or why I am talking to this lady. Because I am not someone who fares well with people, but like in a trance... I just came here.

"Hello" the lady replied, her smile bright.

"May I ask what you are trying to buy?" I asked before glancing at the shopkeeper, who was obviously annoyed at the sight of another customer, who looked like someone with no intention to buy anything. But it's alright, I will make sure this lady buys something.

"Oh that's wonderful! There are so many pretty covers here! Which one would you like?" My smile, bright as I tried to ask what she

wanted.

"Something with flowers" she said shyly. Upon hearing her words, the shopkeeper immediately took out a cover with flowers printed on it.

"Here! How do you like this one?" The shopkeeper said excitedly as he presented the cover in front of the lady.

"This... Is exactly what I needed" she said as her eyes shone with joy. But... Did she say needed? Maybe... She tried to say wanted but said needed? Either way it doesn't matter, right?

"Thank you so much! I found the one I needed! Ah, I would love it if you could remember this print... After all, you might see it again..." A different type of smile bloomed on her face... One made her look different... From humans...

"Ah yes I took a good look at it. Well then take care, my mother might be searching for me" I said before I hurriedly went back to my mother's side.

"Ruya! Here you are! I was worried. Seriously you are not a kid, you are a 15 year old teenager, how come you are running around and making me worry?" My mother said with a huff while her brows knit together in worry.

"I am sorry, anyways let's go deeper into the fair!" I said trying to distract her before she started nagging again.

"Ruya? Where did we come?" My mother asked anxiously as we stood in front of a dead end filled with bushes and trees. I might've brought us here while I dragged her around absent mindedly. But still... Is it possible for something like this to happen?

Just as I was thinking, a white cat with black spots on it appeared. It seemed to study me, before suddenly jumping into the bushes, which made the thick wall of leaves part a bit and show a path... A path which looked both dangerous and enchanting...

"Is that... A path?" My mother asked curiously as she parted the leaves even more.

"I want to go there..." I said, as if I was in a daze. I ran on the path covered with stone slabs and green with my mother's scared and worried voice calling out to me. But... I didn't care... It felt like, as if I was being pulled towards something. And that pull got stronger and stronger with each step, until I met her...

"Welcome my child. It took you long enough to come here" an old lady, dressed in white clothes, which were strangely not white, bit a bit yellow tinted, called out to me.

"Wh-who are you?" Taken aback by her words.

"You can call me, grandmother" she said with a small chuckle.

"As in, fairy grandmother? What am I? Cinderella?" I said, my usual sarcastic nature suddenly taking over.

"Haha no my dear, I am just an old lady, whom you should call 'grandma'. After all... Fairies don't exist in this world... Though many other things do" her lips tilted upwards with an ominous smile.

"Come, we are going to a shrine" the old lady said as she suddenly started running forward. It was pitch black and nothing was visible but she still somehow kept going forward.

"Ah! Wait for me" I ran as fast as I could behind her, afraid to be left behind. Why is a shrine in a place like this? Soon my eyes adjusted to the never-ending darkness.

The path was beautiful, a few bushes here, a few trees there. It looked something out of a fairytale... Or should I say dream?

Suddenly a white ghastly figure of a human passed through us, running in the opposite direction of ours, though it was not quite human... More like a mannequin?

"Don't take notice of them. Don't react to them. Because if you do, I won't be able to save you" the old lady said, her voice deep and serious.

I struggled to keep my composure. Everything is so weird. On top of that, I don't remember anything. About why we are here and what place this is.

"This place is somewhere, which you're very familiar with." The old lady answered, as if reading my thoughts. I felt a chill run down my spine.

"We are here" she said, as we stood just a few meters away from us.

"Where do we go from here?" I ask panic rising a bit.

"We walk" she said calmly almost nonchalantly, as she dipped her feet into the black water. And without flinching she kept going.

After trying my hard to muster courage, I finally dipped my toes into the water. I expected it to be cold, but it didn't feel like anything... I couldn't feel anything... Why?

We kept walking, silence enveloping our surroundings when suddenly, we heard a noise, one that sounded eerily like crying.

"What- what is that noise?" I ask while fear threatens to take over me.

"They are sinners... Don't notice them... If you do... " She stops mid sentence, scrunching her face in pain at whatever she was imagining.

"You are our hope. Don't do anything foolish if possible" she said again, this time annoyed. I thought she looked warm, but she is suprisingly cold and stern.

"Ok" my voice came out small. The thought of my worried mother was long since gone from my mind. The only thing which remained, was this haunting pull towards "it"...

Soon, the source of the cries came in view... There were several ghastly figures submerged in water, even though the water level only reached till our ankles, yet the figures were submerged deep, till only their crying heads and flailing arms were all that could be seen.

"Ruya!" The old lady's voice rang, stopping me from staring at those figures longer than I already was...

"Remember what I told you? Don't notice" she said through gritted teeth, though her eyes never leaving the path ahead. I muttered a small "yes" in response... Because that was all I could say...

After walking for a while, we reached a place filled with seaweeds, to the point it covered the whole place, giving the illusion of lush green land. The old lady stood in her place contemplating what to do next as I moved past her, and looked at the place. Everything is strange. So utterly strange... But painfully familiar too...

"What do you —" the breath from my lungs cut short, as I saw something crawling up the old lady's feet. It was an insect. It has several legs like a centipede but in reality it wasn't... Something about it felt... Otherworldly...

"Wha-what is that?" I asked, stuttering from confusion and fear. Though the old lady didn't even flinch at the slightest, as the insect crawled higher and higher, till it froze at its place. Then suddenly opened its wings, and rolled into a ball as it kept flapping. The scene both beautiful yet terrifying. And something in me told me to run away.

As if finally freed from my trance, my feet started running towards the way we came from. I ran fast and hard, trying my best to outrun the old lady.

"Ruya! Come back! These are nothing! Nothing at all!" Her voice filled with urgency followed me. But my feet didn't notice stop. Not even when those nasty insects started crawling up my leg too.

Like a maniac, I jumped and threw my arms and legs, trying to get off the insects and ran again, till I saw the same bushes and trees which took me to this cursed place.

Frantically, I parted the bushes and saw my mother standing on the other side, her pale skin stained with tears as worry marked her face. I took one last glance at the cursed path, to see if the old lady was still chasing me. But suprisingly, I saw her standing in the same place where I met her for the first time, looking said and melancholy, as if I had just abandoned her... But... I am not saint... So turned my back to her and embraced my mother in a tight hug with a jump. Life came back into her eyes as she saw me.

"Ruya!" A voice identical to my mother's, called out to me from somewhere, but it's strange, my mother is in front of me and she isn't saying anything.

"Ruya!" Again, the voice rang in my ears, threatening to wake me up. Wait! Wake me up?

"Mom?" I asked with confusion in my eyes as realisation dawned upon me. But... I found her smiling sadly...

"Ruya!" My mother's loud voice rang as she shook me hard and I panted hard.

"I have been trying to wake you up for so long! Someone came to meet you!" My mother said angrily. Though nothing was heard by me... All I could think was... Was it all a dream? Why did feel so... Vivid?...

"Hello Ruya" a lady who was far too familiar came into my sight as my mother beckoned her inside...

"Remember this, dear?" She asked, as she flashed a flower printed phone case...