~Petra's POV~

1 of the only two POV changes in the whole book

This is basically just a short Luktra oneshot asdfghjkl sorry

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I don't know what woke me up.

The night was beyond silent, the quiet seeping in and filling my head. Nothing was out of place.

Then I remembered.

Jesse.

My dreams had been terrible, ever since she left. Constant worrying about what might be happening to her, while I was asleep and awake.

I wanted to believe she was okay. I just couldn't quite manage it.

I lay still for a few moments more, trying to fall back asleep. I had been anxious for over a week now, and I needed to rest. I tried to relax, forcing all upsetting thoughts out of my head. But they just kept coming back.

I slipped out of bed, wincing slightly as my feet touched the cold floor. I grabbed an extra blanket off the foot of my bed, wrapping it around my bare shoulders. It was abnormally chilly that night, and my black tank top didn't keep me nearly warm enough.

I stepped out into the hall, glancing down the corridor to confirm that yes, Lukas was still awake. I knocked quietly and pushed the door open. Lukas was sitting cross-legged on his bed, reading a book. He looked up and smiled when he saw me.

"Hey. Couldn't sleep again?" He asked sympathetically.

"Yeah." I yawned in reply. "I'm...you know." Anxious. Terrified. Unable to think straight. Sick and tired of this fucking helpless feeling. I didn't have to say any of this aloud.

He put the book down. "Petra..."

"I know. I know. 'She'll be alright; worrying won't help'." I mimicked the words I'd heard at least a hundred times the last few days. My stress wasn't exaggerated. It had been more than a week since she left, and I hadn't stopped worrying for barely a moment. The rest of the Order had contacted Ivor and asked him if he knew anything about the mysterious sword or the five strangers, but he hadn't been able to give us any information. We were starting to get desperate.

"That's not what I was gonna say." Lukas said softly. He patted the space on the bed next to him, motioning for me to sit down. I hesitantly sank down next to him, feeling stiff with cold and worry. He wrapped his arms around me, and I let myself relax a little bit.

"I was going to tell you that if you need to vent, well, that's what I'm here for."

I was quiet for a few seconds, leaning my head against his chest and trying to calm myself by listening to his even breaths. It didn't work. He was right; I did need to vent.

"We're terrible friends. Letting her leave with those...strangers. I know she thought it was right, but she shouldn't've left! She might need our help. She could be dead!"

"She's not dead. She's survived a lot, I know she'll come back okay." Lukas tried to reassure me. I pushed myself away from him, just enough to look him in the eyes.

"She might be! For all we know, she could've been as good as dead as soon as she went through that portal! And we would never know! We don't know what's happened to her...we don't know anything. Everything we've thought up has just led to a dead end. She could be anywhere, dead or in deep trouble...and we're not there to help her."

I dragged in a deep, ragged breath, then continued, somewhat calmer. "Sure, she's survived a lot. But we've always been with her. We're a team. We're not supposed to be isolated like this. I just...I hate feeling helpless like this. I hate wondering if she's helpless. I hate wondering at all. I hate everything about this!"

Lukas didn't say anything for several moments. I started to feel uncomfortable, as though my scared, furious words were hanging in the air glaring at us.

"Yeah. She might be dead." Lukas agreed quietly. "Or she could be fine. She could be fighting for her life. Or she could be completely okay, hoping we're not worrying ourselves to pieces."

He lifted one hand to gently touch my chin, resting the other against my ribs and somehow warming me and making me shiver at the same time. "You're right, we're a team. And I'm not any happier about her leaving without us. But sometimes all we can do is hope and trust, and that's gotta be enough."

I ducked my head to escape his serious blue gaze. "I don't wanna just hope and trust, and it's not enough. Do you even realize how stupid that sounds aloud?"

Lukas laughed lightly, which took me off-guard. "Jesse has said the exact same thing to you, and you told her it would be."

"It's different coming from you! Everything's different when she's gone." I snapped.

His light smile quirked into a wry smirk. "For one thing, you get way grumpier."

I tried to heave an annoyed sigh, but it turned into a quiet laugh. "Don't analyze me like that." I said, insincerely. He knows me well enough that we probably could've had this conversation without any words at all.

I shifted to the side, leaning my head against him again. "Sorry for bothering you in the middle of the night."

"S'okay. I'd rather you were here 'bothering' me than just simmering to yourself. You need...you really oughtta calm down."

I pulled away again to give him a reproachful look. Lukas shook his head and wrapped his arm around me. "That's not what I meant. I know you don't like feeling helpless, but it's all about perception. There's nothing we can do, but that doesn't mean you're completely powerless. But, it does mean that if something happens to her, it's in no way your fault. Okay?"

"Okay." I sighed. I knew he was just saying whatever he thought might get me to stop blaming myself, but this time around, it was alright. I had to believe it would all be alright.

He eventually went back to his book, and I dozed off next to him, leaning against his comforting form side-to-side. For the moment, I could believe everything would be fine.

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Unfortunately for me, my dreams weren't half as calm and comfortable as my sleeping form. My imagination spawned a dark and frightful landscape, shadows writhing and swooping in the corners of my consciousness.

I was standing alone in the darkness. I was equipped with my armor and sword, but still felt uneasy.

There was something here.

"Well, well. Look who's finally here."

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, echoing around me as though I was in a cavern. I looked around, trying in vain to identify the speaker.

"You can't see me, Petra. You don't know where you are, or why you're here...but I do." It called mockingly.

This is a dream. A nightmare. I need to wake up. I realized. But somehow, this didn't affect the nightmare landscape.

"You can't get out that easily, you foolish thing. I have something you want, and I doubt you'd want to leave so quickly even if you could."

"Who are you?!" I shouted into the darkness. Suddenly, a pair of red eyes appeared, right in front of me. I gasped in surprise and stepped back.

PAMA? The hue wasn't quite right, the glow not as bright, but in this kind of nightmare, anything was possible.

"No, Petra. I am not PAMA. I am something much worse...and I have something very important to you."

A light flicked on behind me, and I pivoted. A scream prepared to rip itself free from my throat, but all that came out was a hoarse gasp.

It was Jesse, with her eyes closed and her hair floating around her as though she was underwater. I ran forward, but smacked against an invisible barrier right before I reached her.

"Ah-ah. You can't have her back that easily." The voice chided, sounding way too amused.

"Why?!" I yelled indignantly. "Who are you, and what have you done to her?!"

"She has to get back on her own. It's not up to you, or the rest of your little friends, or even me. She has to get herself out of the trials and back to you. Of course...she has to survive tomorrow, first."

My heart sank. What had happened to my friend? What was still to come for her? Who was this mysterious villain, and what did they want with Jesse? The questions piled up, making my head feel like it was splitting open.

"You can't do anything, little Petra. You're a million miles away, locked in a dream. This is up to Jesse now, and with the other contenders...I'm not sure I like her chances."

"Stop! Just stop! Let her go!" I screamed, dropping my sword and placing my hands over my ears. It didn't help- the wicked voice penetrated my skull, stabbing my senses with its taunting barbs.

"You should know, that if she never returns to you...it's not my fault...or yours...it's her own. She'll be dead and gone, and you'll never know what happened. You have no power in this, little Petra. Corporeal power is no match for the likes of me."

I turned back to where the red eyes were floating, picking up my sword. With an angry shout, I tossed it end-over-end right between the glowing eyes, but it had no effect. The wicked laughter tripled, becoming even more maniacal.

"You have no power here, girl. Your strength wavers, here in the realm of nightmares where your friend's bones will forever rest! She'll die soon, and you can't do ANYTHING to stop it!"

I sank to the ground, placing my hands over my ears again. The self-important, evil, laughter came from all around me, and I folded in half, leaning over, pressing my forehead to the ground, and praying to wake up.

My prayers were not answered.

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Okay I lied, only half of it was a cute Luktra oneshot

The rest was just because I felt like I needed to elaborate a little more on how cruel Entity 303 can actually be :))

Word count- 1581 (i needed another short chapter, sorry)