Dangers of a Saint || Ryeji

64

At the beginning of her dream, Ryujin couldn't tell if she was ascending the stairs of heaven or something else.

She was barely aware of what was happening yet again, everything felt real, like she actually knew what she was doing and why she was doing it. In her dream, she was slowly walking on a red velvety carpet that seemed like forever. She was wayfaring an aisle embellished with golden petals and glimmering feathers. Arches were wrapped with silver branches and lustrous fabrics that matched the lengthy dress she wore. She was wearing a dress?

Her vision was limited by a gentle mist that felt cold and warm at the same time against her skin, only to realize that the heat that she felt came from the person beside her as they had their arms linked together. For some reason, she couldn't see clearly who it was and before she could even come up with a name, bells began to ring around them.

And then there was an orchestra.

Did people wear dresses when they approached heaven?

Was it always this dramatically monumental?

Instead of people weeping, however, the crowd surrounding them were cheering her on. In her state, she was able to distinguish their faces but somehow, she couldn't tell who they were. The only thing that she knew was they were clapping their hands as she passed them, like they were celebrating her mere existence. She could feel their genuine exuberance with the hollering and the round of applause that she continuously received. However, she was still unsure what it was for.

Were angels always gleeful every time somebody died and entered their palace?

But they didn't have halos above their heads, nor did they have wings on their backs. They appeared like regular people, and as it seemed to Ryujin, it felt like they were actually her friends.

The aisle was coming to an end and she was now getting a clearer view of what was waiting for her. She was only able to catch a glimpse of the tail of an imperial dress until looking ahead became far too blinding for her to keep her eyes open. There was a flash and for a moment she felt like being sucked into oblivion, and then it stopped.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing that she saw was the blanket of white sand beneath her feet as she stood frozen in the middle of a boundless beach. Despite feeling like she just experienced teleportation, there wasn't any apprehension present, like she knew where she exactly was and her safety was certain. Turning around, she tilted her head up to see a colossal house, surrounded more by gaping windows instead of concrete walls and making it appear like a glorious diamond in the midst of the paradisiacal ocean.

And there was the dress again. However, this time, it wasn't just the edge visible but the entire structure, including the sparkling stones decorating the fabric. The entire dress scintillated underneath the dazzling sunlight and radiating an endless spectrum of colors. Nonetheless, Ryujin knew—even in her dream—to whom those body features belonged to.

"Yeddeong?"

She was about to take a step towards the woman watching her only to be pulled back by another force. She was swept around through galaxies for a few seconds until she realized that she wasn't floating in space. Instead, she was surrounded by thousands of memories flashing before her all at once, like she was living in somebody else's mind and seeing every event in their life playing out like a movie.

But it wasn't a stranger's life.

It was hers.

It was her life with Yeji.

Everything was there—from the moment they first met until the very last day that she could remember, and then there was a portion of the future that they still shared together. They were running, hands intertwined like they always were, their hair flying in the wind, laughing like maniacs across the stretch of fallen autumn leaves.