I blinked away from my silent thoughts when the door opened and Brenna walked in. Same white clothes, same pathetic hair. The only thing that stopped me from completely despising her was the slight hint of my sister's features whenever she smiled.

"I'm not sure if you're worried, but I am," she told me, hands folded in front of her. "You have not used your gift for so long. We're worried that you're not ready for this."

She was right. Although my mind could still remember the last time I used my gift, my body may struggle after being utterly useless for two centuries. Using magic required not just a strong, focused mind, but also physical strength. I could feel my crux humming in my pocket, felt it connected to my core, but could it do its job without draining me?

I had not had the chance to try it. Even if I wanted to, Akiko and Spinett were not the perfect victims. If something went wrong, I'd have to pay the consequences. Around them, I had to at least make the impression that I was following the rules.

"I'm certain you'll be there if something goes wrong," I told Brenna.

"Of course." She studied me in my stiff white dress for a while before nodding. "Akiko, Spinett, and I will be there."

"If that's the case, shall we?"

She stopped me with a gentle hold. "Aster, if you're unsure about this, we can always ask them to reschedule."

"No," I said with a smile, gently pulling away from her hand. "I want everyone to stop questioning my abilities."

"We're not questioning your abilities."

I smiled at her. "That's nice to hear, but I know that the stories about me are not enough. I have to prove that I'm more than just the witch who slept for two centuries."

She frowned at me. "Where is this coming from? Has anyone said anything to you?"

"No, of course not. I have not talked to anyone except you, Akiko, and Spinett."

"Then have we said anything that made you think this way?"

Oh, this foolish girl. "No. In fact, the three of you have been nothing but a source of strength." She looked away when I smiled. As if she found something alarming there. "Shall we go?"

"If you're ready."

"I am," I lied, because I did not feel well at all. The insatiable thirst was back, and I felt feverish.

Once more, she escorted me out of Windsor and into a flying vehicle. For some time, we traveled along the top of shiny buildings. I got the chance to glimpse the Old London. Dark smoke hovered above old pointed towers, probably shrouding the city below in eternal darkness. I wondered if it was still the same London I knew. Who stayed there? Who left?

***

Akiko and Spinett were already waiting on the side of the road when we arrived. We were once more shadowed by the tall buildings of Genesis City. I made a tight fist with my hands and stretched them, hoping to feel a little better. I didn't. As another vehicle zoomed past us, I felt the world tilting below my feet. The sound blew my ears off, but everyone else seemed fine with it.

I steadied myself and pushed my hand inside my pocket, grabbing my crux. It helped.

"Ready?" Akiko asked with her ever pleasant smile.

I swallowed, hoping it would ease the burning in my chest, and nodded as I looked around.

No one stopped to gape this time. There were a few people in the streets at this time of day. Through the giant windows in my room, I had studied the city's predictable behavior. Early mornings were always busy. Midday, the streets were nearly empty. Early evening, they would all step out of these buildings, and by nighttime, neon lights would flicker and light up the city until before midnight, when everyone would be in their beds, ready for the halo's spell.

"I'm here for Mertha Krall," Spinett whispered to Brenna as they joined us outside the vehicle. I was not supposed to hear it so loud, but I did. It was as if he whispered it right into my ears. "And Aster, of course," he added when our eyes met. "She needs all the support she can get."

"Thank you," I forced out, turning away to face the magnificent double doors, holding my crux tightly inside my pocket to help me focus. Curious. The black metal surface was not entirely black. Glaze of colors appeared as I moved my eyes around, moving around like paints poured in a pan. "What is this place?"

"The Good Blood," answered Akiko, frowning up at the white teardrop sight above the doors. "An exclusive club."

"Why are we here?"

"Cedric Corey," Brenna replied with a sigh, pushing the doors open.

To explain, Spinett whispered, "Cedric Corey owns half of this club."

Interesting, I thought, taking in the giant archways that surrounded us. For the first time, I finally entered a room that did not blind me. The paneled walls were dark grey, almost black, extending to the dome ceiling. Velvet seats of different sizes were scattered around in groups all over the place, some on platforms held by cords in midair, others in more private corners behind blocks of glass that held moving white smoke within.

There were some people around, just a few men in suits, all boldly staring at me with interest. All of them vampires with gold goblets in hand. The place was lit with candles, one of the few items I found surprisingly rare in Genesis City. The lamps glowed yellow, just as they should. No bright white or neon lights. No screens with moving pictures.

It felt like home.

"Good day," a voice greeted from behind. I turned and froze in place, the thirst and the burning heat in my chest momentarily forgotten. Harald Evensen, dressed in black, stepped closer. His eyes focused on me, the corner of his mouth, the one with the scar, curling ever so slightly as his dark eyes roamed over my face. He did not look down, as if he, too, knew just how horrible I looked in white.

Too often in the past, I crossed paths with this man. And in all those moments, we were always not the friendliest. We were rivals in school and in everything outside. In everywhere I went, he was there to see me fail. And wherever he was, I'd also be there to ruin his moments. Sometimes he was victorious, sometimes I was. We each had our moments of making each other miserable.

Brie once said that Harald Evensen and I were the nemesis who could not live without the other because everyone else was simply too lacking. Thus, we resorted to many things other than actual murder. We tried our best to ruin each other's lives. I ruined his friends, and he had left me with none. Our deadly games only ended the night he helped his brother elope with Brie. That day, I vowed to destroy him for good. But then the fire happened.

"Miss Byrne," he said, tearing his eyes off me and resting it on Brenna. "I'll escort Lady Aster to the Council."

My eyebrow arched. Lady Aster. Yes, that's me. Not just Aster, the witch who woke up, but Lady Aster, daughter of a duke. And this man, whom I wanted to kill for many good reasons, remembered.

"I'm afraid I can't let you, Mr Evensen. We'll escort her ourselves," Brenna replied, stepping beside me.

But Harald held my arm and escorted me away, saying over his shoulder, "And I'm afraid I'm only following orders. Please be comfortable. Order anything you fancy."

I didn't know how my feet moved one after the other, or how I endured his touch around my arm. The tips of my fingers tingled to wrap themselves around his neck and squeeze, but even if I wanted to, I could not. The burning was getting stronger inside my chest, crawling up my throat. My vision blurred with each step.

"This way," he said in a calm and modulated voice. Two doors parted, revealing a small mirrored chamber. When I refused to take a step inside, he smiled down at me. "I swear the flight will be too short for us to kill each other."

Through gritted teeth, I said, "It's not that. It's the..." I did not finish. Why should I tell him I could hear his even heartbeat? That it was calmer than mine? That his scent filled every particle around me and to be trapped in a small chamber with him might just be too suffocating? I could not tell him those things because this was Harald Evensen—my nemesis. The one person who could not see me weak or damaged. "Never mind," I said instead, stiffly stepping into the elevator. I turned, and he followed, standing close beside me. Before the doors shut, I saw Spinett and Akiko looking over with concern. Brenna was simply red with fury.

"What are you doing here?" I coldly asked, gritting my teeth because I felt I was back in that ballroom, engulfed in fire.

"I own half of this place."

My head snapped. "You own this place with Cedric Corey?"

He smiled, eyes boring into mine. "You've met him."

"Of course," I said, looking away with a wince.

"Charming lad."

I stayed quiet, feeling a little nauseous. To be inside a moving box was not my thing, to be in it while burning invisibly was worse. "Why are you in this place?" I asked again.

"I told you—" He stopped, realizing my true question. "Someone convinced me to do it. And Genesis City is not a terrible place."

"It doesn't suit you."

"And what do you think suits me?"

"Hell," I said.

He chuckled. "I see you haven't changed."

"Sleeping doesn't change a thing."

"Dreaming does," he said. "And that's what you're good at."

The corner of my lips lifted, although it trembled. "Would you like a sample of my nightmares, Evensen? I never had the chance to enter and ruin your dream before."

His face hardened, but not for what I said. He was thinking about something else as he looked down at me. I almost stepped away at the intensity of his gaze, but I held my ground, holding my breath. "I think you'll be surprised with what you'll find when you enter my dream, witch."

I let out a shaky breath. I could not help it. "What do you mean?"

The flight up stopped gently, but it almost threw me off my feet. He held me steady as he faced the doors. I shook his hand off and he smiled, pressing a button before the doors opened.

"What are you doing?" I asked, alarmed.

He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small gold box. He opened it, revealing a small pill. "Take this."

"What that is, I don't need—"

"Yes, you do, you stubborn, witch. Take it. It will momentarily ease the pain."

"I'm not—"

"You look like you're dying. Look at yourself," he said, pointing at the mirror in front of me. He was right. I looked gaunt and pale. I frowned, confused. I didn't understand why this was happening to me. Had someone given me something to fail my test? "Take it."

"How do I know you're not up to something?" I asked.

"Aster," he said, dark eyes boring into mine, "If I want you dead, I'd do it grandly. Now, do you want to pass your assessment or not?"

"You never liked to see me win."

"Only against me, witch."

My jaw tightened as I stared at the white pills.

"One is enough."

My hands shook and failed to pick on. He sighed and did it for me. But instead of dropping it in my palm, he gently placed it between my lips. "This is stuff is expensive," he explained as he watched me swallow.

The effect was instant, almost miraculous. The elevator was suddenly quiet, the burning in my chest dying, leaving just my own heartbeats.

"That's better," he said, stepping away from me to push the button.

As the doors opened, revealing another room, he murmured, "Give them a dose of your powerful drug, Aster Byrne."

"I intend to," I said, stepping outside.

He did not follow. Curious, I turned to face him. He offered me a slight bow. "Come and see me once you become an Astral. I have more of these," he said, shaking the tiny gold box. "And I have something else for you."

I stepped toward him, but the doors were already closing. "What do you mean, Evensen?"

"Find me," he said, as if it was answer enough.

I stared at the doors long after they closed, wondering what he meant.

I have something else for you.

"Aster," Cedric Corey's voice said. He walked toward me with a welcoming smile. I looked around the room. It was dark and familiar. Lamps glowed yellow in every corner. Floral drapes hung on the windows, letting scant daylight inside. In the center of the room was a blue carpet that looked like a pond under the moonlight sky. Sitting around it were gold cushions that smelled of jasmine. And standing just outside it were the members of the Saint Council, all of whom looking a little uncomfortable. "I took the liberty of making inquiries about your practice. Harald Evensen, whom I believe was an acquaintance of yours from long ago, designed this room just as how you would have liked it."

And he did a marvelous job, I bitterly thought, stepping closer onto the blue carpet and right in the center where I turned, a smile curling my lips as memories came back to him. I could not count how many times I had stood on a carpet similar to this one, surrounded by men and women who craved for what I could offer.

Evensen was right to call my power a drug. Those who dreamed my dreams were never the same again. They feared my gift, but craved it at the same time.

"This is perfect," I said, eyeing each person in the room, pushing away the fear that the burning fever would start again.

They all wore white, their expressions the same as the last time I saw them. Glinda, the woman who seemed to hate me, was present. But her son, Cedric, was still as eager as he walked to me, saying, "But first, let us introduce you to the most powerful Astral of her time."

He turned just slightly, so my gaze followed his movement toward the arch opening that led to a smaller room. Out came the most ethereal creature I had seen in Genesis City. The only woman who looked deserving in white. She was slender, her hair straight and long, flowing softly as her white dress. Her angled eyes, paired with straight brows, held a power and knowledge almost palpable. The gems that lined her right auricle sparkled as she walked nearer, full lips curved with a knowing smile.

"Aster, meet Mertha Krall," Petros Saint spoke from where he stood. Cedric stepped to the side so Mertha Krall could stand in front of me. I looked down at her with interest, wondering what this woman had that Spinett admired so much. What could she do? What made her so powerful?

"It's an honor to meet you," she said.

"I've heard so much about you," I said in return, offering a small curtsy. She looked confused, almost shy, but she returned the gesture with grace. "My fellow Astrals have chosen me to represent them in this assessment."

"I hope to meet the rest someday."

She smiled, but I saw the contempt flash before her eyes. I could understand why she might feel so. From what I heard, it required much more than a powerful gift to be an Astral. And for someone like me to sashay into their society and become one simply because I slept for two centuries might indeed sound unfair.

I turned away from Mertha Krall and faced the Council. Inside my pocket, my crux hummed intensely, perhaps sensing my core condense with energy as I prepared to take my guests into a journey they would both dread and desire with great intensity.

"If you would each take a cushion, I can start," I said. As they did, I continued, "I can perform my gift anywhere, but I prefer a venue such as this for the comfort of the dreamers."

Cedric looked up at me with a coquettish grin. Petros Saint, on the other hand, looked uncomfortable as he settled beside Glinda. The others were the same, perhaps not used to sitting anywhere lower than a chair.

"We are ready if you are," said Petros, looking around the group.

I smiled and turned until I was facing Mertha Krall again. I settled down, gaze solely on her. The crux in my pocket vibrated the excitement that rushed through my veins. I may never have the heart to thank Harald Evensen for his magic pill, but I was grateful he had a bout of generosity and kindness. Two centuries without me must have bored him. He must want me to be an Astral for one reason: he needed a powerful nemesis.

Taking my mind off Evensen, I focused on the task at hand. "Before I start, I would like to talk about the doors."

"Doors?" Cedric asked behind me.

"My dreams always have doors. Each time, it's different for everyone. All except one will wake you up. And all except one, you can pass through."

Mertha frowned, but she didn't voice her question.

"There are five doors—white, red, yellow, black, and blue. The first four will wake you up. However, not all of them are the same. Some doors will allow you to remember the dream, others won't. Also, some of them will allow you to carry all effects of any physical exposure you may have had in the dream. I call this manifestations."

"You mean if we get hurt in the dream, we'll wake up hurt?" the old woman asked.

"Yes. If you get wounded in your dream, the wound stays with you in the waking world."

"Which door will do this?" someone asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Let's discuss each one. If you go through the white door, you'll remember and manifest everything in the dream." Mertha's eyes wavered, and she looked over my shoulder at Petros. "Entering the red door means you will remember your dream, but whatever you experienced in the dream will not be manifested in the waking realm. Yellow means you will not remember and will not manifest. Just like the spell of the halo."

"You said there are five doors," Glinda said, tone impatient.

I said, smiling at Mertha, ignoring Glinda. "Black means you will manifest, but will have no memory of the dream."

"And the blue door?" Petros asked.

I smiled, holding off the answer as I stared at Mertha. "It leads to another dream," she replied.

"Yes and no," I said, finally tearing my eyes off her to look around the group. "You'll enter another dream, but it will not be yours. It will be inside someone else's."

Someone gasped. "Goodness."

"Which color can we not enter?" Cedric asked.

"The blue door, of course," I replied, returning my gaze to Mertha, who was looking more uncomfortable with each passing time. "Entering someone else's dream may trap you there and we don't want that, do we?"

"We can just enter another door."

I shook my head. "You have to return to your own dream world to do that. By trap I meant being caught in a loop of blue doors."

"Has it ever happened before?"

"Of course." Everyone stayed quiet, waiting for my next words. "If you choose not to enter a door, and given you are in your own dream world, you will simply wake up remembering everything about the dream."

"No manifestations?"

"Sometimes," I replied. "Sometimes none. It's a game of luck."

"Then it is the safest option."

"Sometimes." I smiled when Mertha took a deep breath. "Should you choose to enter one, you will have to trust me to give you guidance."

"What does that mean?" Glinda asked.

I took a lungful of air because the answer made me feel more powerful. "Because only I can see the true color of the doors."

Instantly, alarm registered on their faces. With each revelation, they were more unsure. And I wager they'd be terrified if I shared my little secret. I told them everything they needed to know except one because it was a secret no living soul knew about. The one element that made my gift utterly powerful.

Letting the silence linger for a moment, I waited for one of them to stand and walk out. Not one person moved. Why would they? They were here to see if I was as powerful as the books say I was, after all.

And Mertha Krall was staying because she wanted to know who was more powerful. She didn't have to say it. I could see in the way she looked at me the hesitation, the question, the threat to her status.

I looked around. Some were awed, afraid, and certainly skeptical.

Feeling my crux in my pocket, relishing its throbbing heat, I stood and looked down at them. "Are you ready to dream?"