III || taste of oblivion

LOCATION UNKNOWN
Day 4 (?)

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I must've been knocked out real badly because my consciousness felt disorientated. The feeling of the bed beneath me felt rougher as sharp edges dug into my skin uncomfortably while the air surrounding me felt too suffocating to even breathe. An eerie, muffled whisper filled the air caused me to jolt. 

Isabel. 

Forcing my eyes open, I scanned my surroundings and tried to locate the voice but realised that I was all alone. As though the real world had not been haunting me enough, I found myself back to the dreamscape where nightmares were made of. The sky was still cloudy, dark and heavy but the terrain seemed flatter and unending than the previous time. I tried to navigate through the emptiness ahead of me until I heard sounds of rushing currents behind me. 

Turning around, it was a lush of silvery-green that threw the balance of this blasted landscape off balance. I followed the path into the woods, hoping to find a sign of life in this place of forlorn hope. At this point, the gushing sounds of streaming waters echoed louder through the empty woods. Still, there was no indication of a breath — no insects buzzing around in the scrubs, no animals of any kind.

A sudden thirst struck me and my hand wrapped around my neck instinctively, irking to remove that uncomfortable feeling. Tipping my head back, I looked up and realised that clouds had dissipated and the sky was blazingly bright with the sun scorching the grounds with its might. I stumbled closer to the sound of waters until I landed myself near the river. 

I dropped my body on the banks of the river and my hands reached for the water in desperation until a sing-song voice sang a riddle, "The oblivious banks of Lethe's stream have made forgetful." 

I whipped myself around sharply and saw a small figure appear behind the trees, she resembled a nymph but the air surrounding her also felt different, divine even. She eyed me with her illuminating green eyes and asked, "Do you long the taste of oblivion, child?"

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice scratching through my throat painfully.

The nymph walked close to me and her small hands wrapped around my neck. I wanted to move away at first but a comforting feeling eased through me and all the thirst I felt moments ago disappeared. Dropping her head to the side, the nymph asked innocently in her tinkling voice, "Why have you roamed the underside when you held onto the breath of life?"

"I don't know," I mentioned sadly, suddenly thinking about the predicament that my physical body was in while being trapped in this dreamscape at the same time. "I don't know being on which side is worse now."

She didn't say anything and when I lifted my gaze to meet her eyes, I noticed that she kept her gaze at me. Those forest green eyes glinted with curiosity but I didn't know what else to say. Hoping for a direction, I asked, "Can you please point me to somewhere?"

"Cross the river, it leads to a place of peace where the ordinary dwelled," the nymph giggled softly, her child-like manners reminded me so much of Thea and a sudden sadness rose in me.  She was sharp to notice every change in me and she added, "Your time isn't up, your memories are still yours to keep."

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, curious.

"Life is a twisted finite thread. Birth and death, cradle and grave — and the rest lay in silence," she sang a riddle again, smiling. "In that silence, your thread of life has woven through mine."

"I don't quite understand your fancy riddle, but thank you for your help," I huffed out a small laugh.

The nymph didn't seem offended. Instead, she only requested, "Come closer, child."

Without hesitation, I leaned close to her and she rested her small hands on both sides of my face. The nymph inched forward and breathed a kiss on my forehead. A small warmth coursed through my body and my eyes widened as I stared towards her. She chuckled in a voice that sounded like the chimes, "Cross the river, beautiful soul. My divine protection will keep you safe."

It was at that moment then I realised that she wasn't an ordinary nymph, smiling towards her, I nodded with respect, "Thank you, Goddess Lethe."

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Crossing the bridge, I entered the meadow that was an endless expanse of silvery grass. There was only one type of flower that grew here — small yellow blossoms that were pale to a near transparent. I walked through the plain of tall grass, expecting the stiff stalks to scrape against my skin but it was unusually soft to touch and gentle as they caressed me when I passed.

There wasn't a particular direction in my mind and I was simply maundering through the pasture while collecting the chaos of my thoughts: I wasn't just dreaming anymore. Everything felt too real to be dismissed as a mere dream.

When a gush of mild wind breezed through, it carried with it a tincture of powdery scent from the ghostly flower that filled the meadow. Even when I slept through most of the mythology lessons in Elysium, it was almost obvious that I landed myself somewhere in the Underworld where Persephone's favourite flower bloomed. I landed myself in the Asphodel Meadow.

"You're warm," a chilling soft whisper sounded from my side and I looked down to the blood-curdling sight of a pale figure of a child close to me. My body tensed when I felt his coldness folding on my fingers as he reached to touch me. In a hushed tone, he spoke, "Won't you play with us?"

"Us?" I asked and followed his line of sight to find a few other children staring towards me curiously and with anticipation. Crouching down, I smiled at the boy beside me, "What do you suggest?"

A huge smile broke on his face as he chuckled, "Let's play a game of tag, you're it!"

"Are you sure you want me to be it?" I laughed. "I'm really fast!"

"You're it!" The child tittered cheekily and scurried away from me. I paused on my feet for a moment, allowing them to have some time to disperse themselves in all directions. Their heads bobbed down to hide within the tall flowers, but I could still see the subtle halo of light surrounding some of them. I pretended, "Oh no, where did all of you run to?"

I heard muffled giggles and chuckled to myself, amused by the pure-heartedness and innocence of these children. One of them tried to sneak around me and I pointed towards her and exclaimed, "Found you!"

In a hurry, she ran and I chased behind. She shrieked excitedly and just before I could tap on her shoulder, she misted into nothingness in front of me. A surprised gasp escaped from my lips and my feet halted into a sudden stop as I muttered under my breath, "What—"

"She went," A deep voice sounded from behind me and my body turned sharply to face a tall man who looked right up into the silvery clouds above the meadows.

"Went?" I asked, my heart clenched slightly at the unknown man and at the disappeared child. "Where?"

"Don't worry, she simply moved on into her new life," the man smiled and I felt a sudden coldness seizing me up. I stumbled a few steps back when he introduced himself, "I'm Thales, kyría."

"I don't understand," I said, my voice falling quieter.

"If it's about the child, you don't have to worry. The children with a halo of light surrounding them, it's the right time," Thales smiled politely when he explained. "Souls in the asphodel meadows don't stay here forever. They move on and return to the world of the living. Most souls could accept it but children sometimes become scared when they're aware of their own fading presences. Kýrios made it a rule for us to play with the children. Because if they pass on in the exhilaration of play, it's less frightening."

"Who is—" I wanted to ask further but I saw a head bobbing up from the tall grass, as though check if I was still searching for them.

"Remember to call the game off when you're done, so the other children can stop hiding," Thales grinned. "Play well, kyría."

"Me?"

"You're it," Thales nodded, pointing towards me.

"That's your job!" I argued.

"You're it," he repeated.

Frustrated, I grumbled, "I'll argue with you later, the children are waiting for me."

Following Thales' words, I chased after the children marked by the silvery halo. It had been a while since I played like a child, but surrounded by these joyous and lovely laughter made me forget about who I was. Every child I sent away was gripping against my heart, but I would rather them leave this place happily — they deserved it. Sending the last child off, I whispered softly, "May this life treat you better, child." Then, I plopped into the soft bed of flowers as I let out a loud whine, "I'm tired, let's stop the game!"

A child popped his head out from a bunch of tall flowers beside me and asked, "Will you still play with us next time?"

I chuckled, "If I ever visit again, let's play together."

"Pinky-promise!" Another child appeared and stretched her hand towards me, with her pinky pointing out.

A pang of emotions struck me when Thea flashed across my mind. I stared at the small hand ahead of me for a moment too long and the little girl sat herself on my lap and mentioned, "It's okay if you're late, as long as you return. I'm sure there are people waiting for you to go home to them too!"

"As long as I return?" I spent some time deliberating over her words and she nodded, grinning happily. Breathing out a sigh, I returned the smile and hooked her pinky with mine, "Alright then."

The girl pulled out a bundle of asphodel flowers and gave it to me. Then, the children tittered exuberantly before scattering themselves in all directions across the meadow. I pulled my legs in and tucked it close to my chest, enjoying the view of peace. The sky above started to blur and I knew that I was waking up. With dread, I closed my eyes to welcome the fading feeling of my consciousness. 

Feeling the sharp cold air against my skin, I jolted awake with a bouquet of asphodel flowers in my hand and dirt on my feet before I felt a pair of eyes piercing right through me as he smiled amusingly, "You're definitely getting more and more interesting, darling." 

Pelleas eyed me and pointed to the bouquet in my hand, "Where have you gone to while you're asleep?"

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a/n.
i get it that the story might be confusing at the moment, please be patient for the unfolding. but iva is definitely something, don't you think? *wink*