Dreamer

5.

I gulp hard at the final words of grandmother as I stare at her with horror eyes and a beating chest.

"No... No... No... It's a lie... It's all a lie- all of this is not true," I nod my head negatively as I move away from grandma.

"I'm so sorry Athena, I never wanted this to happen, I tried everything to make this not to happen, it's just... It's the prophecy... "

"Prophecy?" I cut her off. "Grandmother what is all these? How do you even know all of these? How is all this making sense and you being in the middle, knowing everything about it from the very beginning?" I ask the most important question, as I stare at my grandma as though I don't even know her again while tears run down my eyes.

"I... I know about it because...because your grandfather was from Cyrus." Grandmother says lowly and my mouth goes open.

"Grandfather?.."

"I know this... This is all too much Atheena, but you have to listen to me. This was not my intention, I wanted you to have a good and free life, to be able to live as a teenager and not worry about carrying a demons mark..."

"But I do now...I have the mark on my chest... As much as I don't know what that means or what it entails, but it scares me grandma, it really scares me." I say holding my chest.

"I know that Athena, but you have to listen to me, we don't have much time again, you have to hear what I will tell you..."

"Where do I even begin? What can I even say... It's all too much and my head is aching. I feel like I don't even know anyone again.

The dreams, the voices the information and now the mark... Grandmother no. I can't. My life is turned pside down before this, and now with this... What.. What is mom going to think of me?" I say as tears pour like a waterfall for my eyes.

"Athena..."

"Does she even know about this? Did Dad know about it too?" I cut her off again.

"Did they?" My voice coming low again seeing grandma silent.

"Your mother doesn't know... But... Your father did, because he was also one." Grandmother says and another tear falls, while I stay there speechless just staring at the person whom I thought to be my grandmother hide such a thing from me.

"I have just one question Grandma, why me?" I ask her the one question I have been asking myself.

"Because you're special Athena, you're a gift..."

"But I'm not Grandma! As you have said, I carry the mark of a demon. A Demon Grandmother! How is that being a gift. No wonder, mother was always right." I say.

"Did you even ever plan on telling me that you all belonged to a mysterious world that it is still so unbelievable that I don't even know what to think?" I add running a hand through my brown locks.

"Athena, listen to me. There is more you need to know. I know that I have a lot of explaining to tell you, and I promise to say everything, but first you have to listen, because if you have seen the gaze of Articus, there is no time left again." My eighty year old grandma tells me as her feeble hands hold mine down.

"Wait what? That was the Demon lord?" I ask her as I stare in horror.

"Yes... It wasn't him exactly but for you to see his gaze, means he is watching you and now knows where you are," Grandma says and my hand leaves hers as I begin to tremble.

My hand finding ways to my hair while panic builds up in me. "Oh God... Oh God.. " My voice shaking.

"Athena, please you have to be strong, you have to hear it all," Grandma calls closer.

"No Grandmother I can't! Not anymore. I can't take it again, it's just too much," I say with tears. "I have been strong my entire life and just when I thought I was getting used to the Ie'll treatment, this happens. How am I supposed to be strong and it's not even all, because I know any other explanation that comes after this is worse."

I tell grandmother as a matter fact as she just stares at me with pity and guilt in her eyes. "I am not blaming you at all because I can't, and even if you never told me all these, you have been there when no one was for me, but grandma I can't take it anymore, I can't hear anymore. Not now, I need to be by myself,"

"Athena, now is not the time to waste any time, please you have to listen," Grandma tries to persuade me coming to hold my cheeks in hers.

"Grandma you know I have never rejected anything you have said, but now I have to, because at the end of the day this might be what would be the death of me if I keep going. My head is hazy grandmother, I feel like I'm running mad." I tell her sincerely as she and I stare at each other with tears in our eyes.

"I need to be by myself please," I say lowly as this time grandma doesn't persist as she nods her head at me, with guilt and fear this time in her eyes, but nevertheless let's me go.

I walk up the house, going into the room carved for me, and as soon as my body gets into the room, I slip down to the ground, as tears cascade me and I sob.

My sob growing louder as I bite my lip holding down my muffles, not to attract the attention of grandmother, while I continue to cry.

I'm tired of it all, I'm tired.

I just want one day, one day where I don't have to feel worse each and every passing day, where I don't have to think about the hate I get, the looks I get, and the demon after me.

And then there's the lies. The life Which I thought I knew has all been a lie, and all that has been happening has not been without the knowledge of my grandmother.

I sob more and more, as thoughts of different things fills my head.

Maybe I should just run away. Maybe if I run away all these would stop and the people close to me won't have to cry and be sad, because to look at it, it's all because of me.

Athena this and that. So I guess it better if Athena isn't even in the picture anymore.

"Oh God... " I bit my lip more as more cries sneak out. My heart beating, as my lips tremble with pain in me. "Dad... where are you?... I miss you," I mutter under my breath as my body falls limp lying on the floor.

If only my father was here, he would have been able to protect me, he would have told me calming words like he used to, and take my worries away, yet, here I am lying on the floor with a Demon's mark on my chest.

----------------

The dark space filled with nothing more of blankness and void, as my feet wonder inside the room. Not one inch of sunlight penetrating through for to me to figure out where I am.

"Hello!" I call in the room as my voice echos, yet no answer from anyone.

Where am I?

Is this real or is this a dream?

Rather am I dead?.

"Hello!" I call again, and still nothing. My feet still walking deeper into the dark room, as the deeper I go the more the temperature rises and I find myself holding my arms from the cold.

"Hello!" I call again as my lips begin to shiver from the increasing temperature. "Anyone here?"

"Hello," My attention perks up hearing a response from my calls making me turn my back swiftly to the sound.

As I turn, the bright unforeseen light is the first to greet me making me squinch my eyes at the effect it has on me. I begin to open my eyes properly as this time the light has become dim, yet I'm not able to make anything out of it. "Who are you?" I ask as the cold never seems to decrease rather intensifies with every breath I take it comes out cold.

"My name is Octavius." The voice which informed me sounds backwards again, making me turn my body to the current echo of it, as my gaze lands on a presence this time, and I take in the appearance of this male standing in front of me.

His skin white, with eyes that holds experience and expertise in them, yet warmth. His black hair combed and slicked back in a file manner, along with his high cheekbones and sculpted jaw line, and if I wasn't so bothered about the cold and the fact that his name sounds familiar, I would admire him.

"Oh, my apologies, it's too cold here, forgive me, I like the cold," I hear him say taking my attention back to his words. It takes me a while to comprehend what he is saying, and I don't until I watch him snap his fingers, and in an instant the temperature drops back to normal.

What is this?

How the hell did he do that?

"How did you... Where am I?" I ask not even knowing what question to take first.

"You're in an alternate world of course, I thought you would know that?" Octavius says more like a question with him furrowing his eyebrows while he stares at me.

His attire, a shade of emerald and black as each design is intricately decorated on the material.

"What? Alternate world? What is that? A game or what?  How did I get here?" I ask again clearly taking Octavius by surprise.

"I should be asking you, because you came in here on your own," He says as this time he begins to move in circles watching me while my eyes move with him.

"No I didn't, I didn't come here, I don't even know what this place is," I answer still with a gazing Octavius.

I don't hear anything else from Octavius realizing that he is no longer in my presence. "Hello!" I call fearfully.  "Octavius!" I call his name as the feeling of his name from my lips feels powerful.

At the sound of his name Octavius takes me by surprise as he appears in front of me, making me yelp in my stance and screaming as he becomes face to face with me.

"Of course! Of course, I should have known. Such power radiating from a mundane is rare. Of course, it's you. " Those are the words of Octavius as he scrutinize every inch of my face.

"What are you talking about?" I take a steps back from him as he remains in his position now.

"Athena." My name comes out from his lips as my eyes go wide at him.

"How do you know my name?" I ask with fear as my heart begins to beat.

"Don't worry, you have no reason to fear me. I won't hurt you, in fact I have been searching for you. And here you are presenting yourself to me." Octavius says.

I stare at him dumbfounded, nodding my head negatively at him.  "I think you have the wrong person, I need to get out of here, my grandmother would be worried about me," I say taking steps back again.

"Don't worry about that too Athena, Celia is watching you right now, and has no idea where you are." Octavius says while adrenaline starts to pump in me.

"How do you know that?  How do you know my grandmother's name?" I ask him but instead of a reply Octavius smiles at me.

"Why don't I show you child," He says gesturing with his hand to look in front of me and when I do, an appearance of grandmother picking up a blanket and putting over my body as I lay on the wooden floor asleep.

Of course!

Of course!

This is another dream.

This is another nightmare, and I fell asleep.

But how I'm I seeing this? Am I supposed to?

"Your grandmother doesn't know where your soul is?" Octavius says making me cower in fear as my chest rises. "So Athena, tell me, do you carry the Demon king's mark?"

And my fear only intensifies.

Where the hell am I?