The Book Of Flowers
The Woman in the Dream
- - - Xiang Kingdom - - - - - - Kingdom
'Vescal...'
'Vescal...'
'My dear, wake up...'
...
'My viscal...'
"Who...?"
The newly opened Veskal still had a blurry look. The face of the person who called him was completely invisible and still dim
One thing he could confirm, the person had long dark hair and striking green eyes. Even though his gaze was still blurred, he could tell the color of that person's eyeball which was like a jewel
That guy was a woman. And from his current point of view, Veskal was lying on the woman's thigh
"You... Who...?" who's...?"
"Std... Relax, my dear, calm... No need to force yourself now"
A soft voice like an angelic trumpet, that was the image that Veskal gave the woman
"... We haven't seen each other in a long time, my dear"
...
She has been calling him dear ever since. But, his still blurry gaze and his still heavy head did not allow himself to recognize the figure of the person
He could only lie down and look up, while feeling a soft elbow on his head, and another hand clutching his right hand tightly
"You're a big boy now... I'm so happy to see you grow up to be a man..."
"..."
"Do you have someone you like?"
"... Why would... I have to answer your question...?"
"... I'd be very happy if you'd like to talk to me"
The figure was silent, looking straight ahead. Veskal could see his eyes not glancing at him, and just focused forward as if enjoying a scene
But, as Veskal glanced slightly around him, he realized that he was in a place he did not recognize now. A green meadow, yet it had a slight impression of white. There were no trees near them, only a few flowers that did not know what, grew in groups surrounding them
There was no one in that place but her and that woman. And also...
That place is so soothing...
He had never felt that calm all along. The weight felt off his shoulders in that place. And the elusan of the woman's hand that touched her head, made her not want to move at all
It was as if he was dead and in heaven right now. In a land where he no longer needed to feel pain
In fact, she was wearing a soft white shirt that she did not know since when she was wearing it now. He began to think that he was really in heaven right now
"Vescal"
"Yes...?"
"What do you think this place is?"
Veskal thought for a moment, while looking around
"... I'm thinking... It may be heaven..."
"Hm... You're right and wrong"
Veskal did not understand the woman's intentions at all. But, before he could ask, the woman turned her head back towards him
"This place is just your shadow. A place where you run into a world that you create, to avoid problems in the outside world" the woman explained
Veskal fell silent, still wondering why his gaze remained blurry. But, he started not caring about it anymore and started replying
"But you also said I was right..."
The woman gave a small smile, and a laughing voice tucked out from her thin-looking lips
"Because this is the most ideal place for you. This is the heaven you imagined"
Veskal fell silent, then his lips slowly began to form into a smile
"That means, you're some kind of angel...?"
"No. I'm not an angel. Quite the opposite, because I've made an unforgivable sin"
"... What sins...?"
The woman fell silent. This time, what was heard by Veskal was a sound of sad breathing, until he heard an answer
"I left my son in the world, with no one else to look after him"
The woman's hand stopped. Veskal even felt it and became astonished, as if he had gotten used to the habits of the woman
And the next moment, he could see something shining slowly slumped down on the woman's face
A tear...
"I left my son---and gave it to the wrong hands-"
His voice began to sob. A voice that had sounded like an angelic trumpet, now sounded very heartbreaking and pierced into the deepest part of Veskal's heart
He wanted to wipe the woman's tears, but he realized one more thing...
He could not move his other limbs, other than what was in his head...
He could feel it, but no one wanted to move, as if they were glued to the ground
The woman's cry began to harden, even the reflection of light in her tears could be seen filling her cheeks
And so, Veskal had to use his only limbs that could move to stop the woman's cry
"Don't cry... Don't wet your cheek..."
...
The woman began to calm herself down, sounding from her deep breaths and exhalations
Veskal looked at the woman. Not a single bit of his eyes turned, as he waited for the green eyes like jewels to look back at him
That didn't take long either
"Sorry to make you nervous. I shouldn't have done that"
Veskal smiled, trying to return the woman's grasp. But, his body remained motionless, and his hands remained limp
"... Your body cannot move" the woman said
"... Yeah"
"... There's something in the outside world that makes you unable to move"
The woman knew, and Veskal could feel it
"Body... It's on the chain now... In a place..."
...
The woman was silent, with her head bowed. Veskal could see that his eyes widened as if he could not believe listening to the thing that had just been thrown
"Vescals..."
"But calm... My pal... Will come to save me..."
...
"Friends...
Ah yeah. Both of your friends. I know"
"... You know...?"
The woman nodded slowly
"Where are...?"
"You tell me often. Don't tell me you forgot?"
The woman laughed so cheerfully, even Veskal could feel the aura emanating from her
An aura familiar to him
"... You smile... Like Verdea..."
But, he felt that there was still something wrong with what he said
"... No. gabe... I don't think that's true either..."
"So, who am I smiling like?" The woman asked
"... I don't know... There's somethin... Which crossed... But I can't remember well..."
He wanted to hit her in the head right then and there, so that she could remember something familiar
Something he shouldn't forget
And at that moment, Veskal unconsciously raised his right hand to feel the woman's face
But, he stopped. He was startled when he realized that his hands were suddenly able to move
It's just...
As he stopped, with his hands just barely touching the woman's face, an unfamiliar memory was triggered inside his head
And the figure of the woman, she was seen in that unknown memory...
For some reason, tears began to drip from his eyes. A feeling of longing began to gnaw at his heart like a termite perforating a wood
The woman tried to calm Veskal, whose eyes began to water by holding his right hand. Slowly he kissed the hand, and then he approached Veskal's face
Veskal only regained his senses, when he felt a kiss on his forehead, and the woman's face was very close to him
And that's when he realized, even how close he was to the woman, even if his head didn't feel heavy, the woman's face would not be able to see her figure
Even as she approached, the woman's face remained blurry in Veskal's eyes, except for her beautiful green eyes
"I'm sorry, Veskal. Don't give up"
"... Why...?"
"I will always be near you. Go, live your life until you get old
Don't be like me. Live on... For me"
The last word of the woman slowly began to make things feel spinning for Veskal
......................
She woke up
When he opened his eyes, he could clearly see everything that was there, even under the darkness of the place
The torches that lit up near them, were now extinguished and had not been replaced. It indicates that the sun is still in the sky
But, Veskal slowly remembered the dream
She embraces herself, trying to figure out who the woman in her dream is
He even shed tears, in the dream, and also when he woke up
The question is, 'who?'
His curiosity rose as the questions in his head continued to grow and did not stop
...
As he continued to embrace himself beside the sleeping Collin, a pair of red eyes lurked around him without Veskal noticing
"I wish I could kill you now..." The figure muttered, then retreated before Veskal realized his presence
But an increasingly silent cynical laughter belonging to the figure gave Veskal goosebumps and realized a presence, but too late turned his head when the figure had disappeared from the surroundings
