Hey. I'm alive.
It's 6 am. Tears are blurring the view.
But now I can say for real that it's over. For good. Even when...
Sacrifice had to be made.
I was in dark area with odd lightning. Only thing I could hear was this eerie ambience. I didn't make the place to be that way. It was just like that. I knew I was dreaming, but I couldn't control anything. Was I in hold? Out of control of my own lucid dream? It actually felt like being in front of the court, ready to get the final judgment.
Suddenly she was there again, out of nowhere. Even the seriousness was still visible on her, she looked more worried and cautious.
"Why you keep coming back?"
Sadness, helplesness, bitterness in her voice. Like kind of anxiety when you know you failed to protect someone. I felt guilty and horrible. I was putting both of us in danger. But I needed to know. And she knew that.
"I promise this will be my last time. I just... wanted to say I'm sorry."
I saw bitterness on her again when she looked away from me.
"Can I also ask something, please?"
She looked back at me, sighted and tried to hide whatever feeling was taking over her.
"...Okay. What is it?"
"What happened to you? Did you break the rules too much?"
Sorrow was now even more stronger on her. Her eyes gleamed. Again I was the one who opened the Pandora's box. This time it was more personal.
"I was punished. I went too deep. And now, the only thing I want is to keep other mortals, visitors, safe so no one has to suffer the same fate I did."
Now it was time I wanted to ask the question that nagged me.
"I'm sorry to hear that. But who punished you?"
On that same moment, the ambience turned into the screetching and grinding of whatever was holding dreams together. I could already smell rust. Someone was listening to us. And they didn't like the fact that I knew again more than I should.
She stepped closer, fists white, distress in her voice.
"You have to leave, now!"
Noises grew louder, I started to feel pain on my chest, it started to get harder to breath. Then it hit me. They, or someone was ready to give me my ultimate, final punishment.
I was barely able to speak to her anymore, we both knew that time was running out.
"Will my punishment be fatal this time? Am I gonna... die...?"
"I can still save you."
What happened next I was not expecting and I still can't believe she did it for me. She grabbed the sides of her helmet and took it off.
When she did that... she was a mess. Her head was unrecognizable as bear's head anymore. It was just mess of darkness and black, the material that sleep paralysis is made of, as a mark of her eternal punishment. Her eyes were still there and even they were wide, empty but same time full of tears that now dripped like a stars against the blackness.
Time slowed down. For the last time in my dreams, I saw colors. The noises went almost completely quiet, I was able to breath again.
She still cried as she said her last words.
"Please...forget about me and don't make same mistakes I did."
I'm awake. I'm alive. All thanks to her.