When The Last Petal Falls

31. Minds

Bellona found herself in a dream, surrounded by the familiar sights of her childhood home. The comforting smell of roses drifted through the warm air. The soft glow of twilight bathed the landscape as memories unfolded like delicate petals. As she walked through the rooms, echoes of laughter and innocent joy lingered in the air.

In the quiet corner of the garden, she saw Bakarus resting on the Oakwood garden bench, a spectral presence filled with warmth. He looked at her with eyes that mirrored the love they once shared and smiled. Mother how she had missed seeing that.

"Hi sis", he said as she walked slowly towards him. His eyes were as bright as she remembered, the gentle hue of his fae ancestry surrounding him like an ever present glow.
"Hi little one", she answered. Bellona felt a mixture of emotions, her heart heavy with both nostalgia and sorrow.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Bellona couldn't believe that she wasn't jumping in his arms, but she could also feel a sense of abnormal if in the air. Like something wasn't quite right.

"Tell me".

"Tell you what?"

She gently turned and faced him, "you have never visited me like this in my dreams." And it was true, this dream was missing the haunted screams and blood that marred her last memories of him.

"Something is amiss, tell me please".

"Bellona," Bakarus' voice echoed through the dream realm, carrying a weight of foreboding. "Darkness is looming on the horizon, a shadow that threatens to devour everything in its path."

Bellona threw him a knowing glance. "I know my brother. I can feel it in the air. What is the darkness?"

Bakarus raised a translucent hand, pointing to an ominous gathering storm in the distance that peaked above the peony field next to their castle. "A force that seeks to tear apart the delicate balance you must maintain. The prophecy foretells your struggle, caught between the Night Court and the Spring Court."

The dream shifted, revealing swirling symbols and cryptic images. Ones blurry enough that Bellona could only roughly see the outlines. A  spectral voice intoned a prophecy that echoed through the dream realm:

"In the twilight dance of realms, a daughter of air shall find herself torn. Between the night's embrace and spring's allure, her fate hangs in the balance. When the last petal falls, so will he."

Bellona, captivated by the unfolding prophecy, felt a chill in the air. That last sentence she had heard before clanged through her head "Who is 'he'?"

Bakarus' gaze turned sorrowful. "The one you hold dear, the one whose fate is entwined with yours. The petals represent the fragile moments of choice, and with each decision, the threads of destiny unravel."

A sense of urgency gripped Bellona. "How can I navigate this fate? How can I protect those I love?"

Bakarus' form flickered, his voice echoing as if from a distant realm. "Embrace the teachings of the Night Court, learn the shadows that weave through destiny. But remember, the Spring Court calls to you as well. Your choices will shape the fate of both realms."

"I have lost you. I don't think I can survive losing anyone else".

As the dream began to dissipate, Bakarus imparted a final warning. "The darkness is relentless, Bellona. Trust your instincts, and beware the choices you make. I love you my sister, and you have not lost me. I survive in the memories of those I love".

————

Bellona awoke with a start, her heart pounding from the vivid echoes of the dream that had gripped her. The room, shrouded in the soft glow of the Night Court's moonlight, felt both comforting and oppressive. The weight of Bakarus' warning lingered, a spectral presence haunting her waking moments.