Life Eternal

Chapter IX (Part III) - Petals, Snow & An Empty Grave

[ They called me astral wanderer, they called me soul whisperer; they called me 'the one who walks between the worlds'... & soon, soon they called me 'Channeler', although I had no idea what all those terms meant, if they had any meaning at all... I always thought that I was simply dreaming; sometimes during the night, sometimes throughout the day, every once in a while sharing my dreams with the world. 

But that one dream changed my life & my entire perception of it in the blink of an eye...]

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          " You... you are Anders Ohlin? "

With your lower jaw dropping shortly after an expression of both, utter disbelief as well as bewilderment crawled its way upon your features; a wave of what felt like a hundred different emotions hitting you so out of the blue that it was simply too overwhelming & you in turn immediately started to tremble. Though he was clearly not a threat at all your heart was racing regardless, pounding hard in your chest to the point where it brought you enough discomfort to get up & even take a step back as the adrenalin shooting through your veins practically forced you to do something in order to get rid of it. 

The man before you, suddenly no longer just some random stranger raised a hand in an attempt to soothe you, smiling that familiar smile you had already seen on someone else's face not too long ago...

" Yes, I am. But there is absolutely no need to be nervous or even scared, ma'am. I am also just an ordinary human being – nothing more, nothing less... "

Most certainly true yet easier said than done. The realization who he was slowly but surely settled into your mind & flooded it with dozens of questions, some of them impossible to express with words alone; moreover, the significance of this very meeting that was taking place right here, right now. Something about it felt divinely guided, as surreal as that idea appeared. 

" I... I apologize, Sir. I sincerely do. This is just... so unexpected &... confusing? A part of me is still convinced that this is... "

             "- just a dream, & soon you will awake? "

Anders voice had replaced yours, a gentle yet confident tune to it, his verdant eyes resting on your face which was still mainly ruled by an overall puzzled expression.

" Pelle used those words all the time, convinced there was truth to them. Maybe he was right all along, but I fear I will never truly find out..."

Lowering his gaze towards the emerald grass below the man sighed loudly; whether it was a sigh of relief or one of deep sorrow you could not tell, merely guess, though the halfhearted smile that followed almost spoke for itself.

" Please, sit down again. I really do enjoy your company. "

For a moment there was so much doubt & reluctance on your part that at first you actually faced the other way while drawing in some fresh air, your eyes drifting around as if in search for guidance since, despite Anders' sincere & tranquil presence, something about this entire situation bothered you deeply. Yet even though there was this constant nagging sensation of unsettlement you felt neither alarmed nor worried, in fact your very soul appeared strongly drawn towards opening up about your reasons for being here as well as that 'journey' you had embarked on, kind of sensing that this was why the two of you had been brought together in the first place.

Upon turning around to face Anders you noticed his left hand & how it patted the spot you had previously been sitting in in an inviting manner, his head all the while slightly tilted to the side as though to reassure you. A quite harsh gust of wind blew against your back, sending you a clear sign to accept his gesture & only a heartbeat later you were sitting right beside him again, pushing a strand of hair away from your face. Finally, after a brief moment of collecting all those scattered thoughts & calming your breath your lips drifted apart again.