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Then, turning to Ryke and Lexa, he held out the champagne flute. “To true love,” he said, raising his glass high.
The crowd echoed his sentiment, glasses clinking in unison. And as the liquid touched their lips, their whole world shifted.
In an instant, the opulent chandeliers, the royal blue drapes, and the echoing laughter of the ballroom vanished. Tristan found himself standing on the edge of an endless beach, the transition so abrupt that it left him momentarily breathless. The once solid marble floor beneath his feet was replaced by the soft, cool embrace of wet sand. The rhythmic waves, like nature’s own orchestra, crashed onto the shore, their frothy tips brushing against his ankles.
The air was thick with the scent of salt and seaweed, and the wind, more forceful than any dance partner, whipped around him, pulling at his clothes and sending his hair into a frenzy. The vast horizon stretched out before him, the sky painted in hues of oranges and purples, signaling the sun’s descent.
A distance away, a lone figure sat astride a majestic horse. Aurora, with her hair flowing like a cascade of molten gold, was a delight to see against the fiery backdrop of the setting sun. Her horse, Midnight, stood still, its black coat gleaming, absorbing the last rays of the day.
Panic and confusion reigned as the guests, once lost in the revelry of the ball, now found themselves waist-deep in the encroaching tide. Their elegant gowns and tailored suits were drenched. Their faces painted with disbelief and fear. Tristan thought it must have been a most disorienting experience for them, having no idea about the Dreamworld and what had just happened. Though he supposed they would simply put the experience down to having too much wine, rather than assuming that any of it was real. Their voices, once filled with laughter, echoed with cries for help, jolting Tristan to move.
He darted toward Aurora, each step weighed down by the wet sand beneath his shoes. But before he could get far, Aurora raised a hand, her eyes boring an intensity that rooted him to the spot.
“Stay in the water,” she urged. Her voice, though soft, carried an undeniable authority.
“I am not letting you go alone,” he said. The mere thought of anything happening to her made his stomach twist in knots.
“Tristan—”
“I am not leaving you, Aurora.” He studied the soft contours of her face, willing himself to memorize every single part. From her glittering eyes, shining at him, to her soft, rose-plump lips, pulling him to her. Even if they didn’t have a future together, he still wanted to spend every remaining second by her side.
Her pink cheeks rounded as she gave him a smile. Then, with a flick of her wrist, she summoned a bolt of lightning. The sky thundered above their heads and a flash of blinding light shot toward the ocean. It struck the water, and the guests screamed.
In a blink of an eye, the guests were gone, leaving behind vapor and the echoes of their collective scream. The night grew still once more.
Tristan’s gaze returned to Aurora. “Do you think it worked?” he asked.
“There’s only one way to find out.” She reached out her hand and pulled him up onto Midnight with her, then galloped into the forest toward the golden tower looming in the distance.
AURORA
Upon returning to the golden tower, Aurora sprinted up the newly formed stairs, her steps fueled by excitement and urgency. Aurora led the way, her heart pounding in rhythm with each step. Tristan followed close behind, his pace matching hers. Upon reaching the upper landing, her eyes were met not by an imposing door, but by an intricately etched engraving just below the doorknob.
Drawing a breath, Aurora retrieved her father’s golden ring, the tiny bee ornament fitting perfectly within the groove of the engraving. With a twist that mimicked a key turning in a lock, she felt the door yield, granting them access.
As the door swung open, their gaze fell upon an interior that mirrored Aurora’s hazy recollections. It was her old bedroom, painstakingly recreated down to the minutest detail. The bed stood against the wall with a figure concealed beneath the blankets.
Without hesitation, Tristan stepped forward, his fingers inching toward the covers, ready to unveil the mystery concealed beneath.
A scorpion, poised to strike, erupted from its hiding place, its venomous tail directed straight at Aurora. Time seemed to pause as she locked with its beady eyes.
Tristan lunged between them. The scorpion’s venomous stinger buried itself into Tristan’s back. An agonized gasp escaped his lips, his body contorting in a grimace. Aurora’s scream pierced the air, a desperate cry of fear and anguish.
A wave of heat began coursing through her body. Then a grim realization dawned on her as she looked down and saw that the stinger had gone through Tristan and into her. It had impaled them both.
A searing jolt of pain raced through their bodies as the scorpion retracted its stinger. The venom’s fiery touch seared through her body like molten lava, and a relentless current of pain overwhelmed her very soul.
As the scorpion slunk away through an open window, Aurora and Tristan collapsed to the floor. Their breaths labored and chests heaved as they grappled with the searing agony coursing through their veins.
Aurora clung to Tristan’s arm, as if he could anchor her to consciousness. Yet, darkness encroached like tendrils of an inky abyss, a relentless force that sought to engulf her. As her vision blurred, Tristan’s voice emerged like a lifeline in a storm.
Desperate to stay awake, she clung to the sound of his voice. But her efforts were futile. Darkness beckoned, pulling her into its depths.
Panic etched across Tristan’s face as her strength waned, her consciousness slipping through her fingers like grains of sand carried by an unforgiving wind.
Diving deeper into the blackness, Aurora’s mind was a canvas on which layers of dreams converged. Whispers of memories danced like fireflies, illuminating fragments of her life. Her father’s enigmatic presence, the burden of her curse, and the newborn desire of a future with Tristan—all wove a symphony of emotions that echoed through her soul.
When consciousness finally reclaimed her, Tristan was gone and Aurora found herself in an unfamiliar room. Her surroundings were different, the transition so smooth that for a moment she questioned if she had truly awakened.
