Chapter 16: Close, Yet So Far
Roughly an hour ago, at the headquarters of the guild Valiant Blades.
Sophia tossed and turned in her sleep, her nightwear tangling with the sheets. The moonlight filtered through the window along with a cool, gentle breeze.
But nature couldn't bring solace to her mind as beads of sweat formed across her face, and she found herself trapped in a nightmare.
In her nightmare, she saw Adrian being tortured by several masked men. Sophia rushed to help him, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reach Adrian as she kept calling her for help.
By the time she got to him, it was already too late. Adrian's eyes were void of life as he stared at her. Sophia reached for his face, cradling it, but before she could do anything, Adrian's corpse came alive, pushing her aside.
Adrian's corpse told a lot to her, but Sophia couldn't make out what he was saying until she realised Adrian blamed her for his death. Sophia tried apologising for leaving him behind and going on the subjugation quest.
Still, Adrian had none of it and pushed her into a pit before leaving her alone in the darkness.
"Never reach out to me again," Adrian warned her before everything disappeared.
***
"ADRIAN!"
Sophia woke up with a start, gasping for breath. Disoriented and still confused between the nightmare and reality, Sophia reached for Adrian, her hand grasping empty air.