Spectra: The Eternity Vault

5 | Ambivalence

A cloudy sky. The scent of mint hanging in the cold air. Dry leaves crunched under his feet, the only sound in the otherwise still morning.

Val ascended a dirt path, one that wound through the trees like a serpent and ended at the edge of a bluff ahead. Tall trees with golden-orange leaves stood watchfully on either side of the path, occasionally gifting him with an offering from their branches as the leaves floated down onto his shoulders and hair.

He did not recognize this place, but he could not deny that it felt ... familiar. Despite the chill in the air, his surroundings left him with a rather warm feeling inside. This was a place of sanctuary.

"Do you remember this forest?"

Someone stood on the bluff, their back to him and a tan cloak draped over their head and shoulders. As he joined them on the rocks, he shook his head. "No."

"You told me that the trees reminded you of me," the person spoke, a melancholy note in their voice. "A world in perpetual autumn, a continent blanketed in orange. It was an apt comparison."

They lowered the hood and turned to greet him with a fair-skinned face dotted with freckles and wavy locks of fiery hair. Her frosted green irises bored into him. "Do you remember me?"

"I know your name," he said slowly. "I dream of you."

"You dream of me?"

"Sometimes. You mostly appear in the corner of my eye, but sometimes you get close." He pointed at her. "I saw you the other night at the farm. You were staring at me through the rain. I see you in my nightmares too, watching me. Always watching me."

She said nothing.

"I remember fighting with you." He looked down at his arms and hands, imagining them as they appeared in the memory he was referencing. "We were both wearing armor. You said that you wanted to run."

"That's right," she agreed. "And you wanted to stay."

"The Sensus tried to use that memory of you against me." He stepped closer, standing only a meter from her now. "Remembering that helped me realize how to stop it."

"You haven't stopped it," she said softly, shaking her head.

"I closed the Gate."

"You've bought time, but it's still out there. Waiting."

"And I'm right here," he shot back. "Waiting."

They both fell silent. Though they stood only feet from one another, the distance might as well have been light years.

"Who are you?" he finally asked.

"I thought you knew my name."

His hands tightened into fists. "Who are you—to me? Why do I dream about you?"

"Valentine," she breathed, stepping close to him. The smell of mint became stronger, emanating from her person. "Come here. I want to show you something."

She led him to the edge of the bluff where it overlooked the rest of this vast forest, the leaves of its trees just as brilliantly aflame in color as her hair. The sun could hardly pierce through the clouds above, leading to the forest being cast in a serene mix of shadow broken by intermittent sunbeams. "I've seen what you dream of. I've watched you dream it." She gestured to the fantastic view. "This is what I dream of. In my private moments, when I wonder if everything we've endured has been worth it—this is where I dream to be, and here you stand at my side."