Page 66 of Cursed Dreams
Her breathing slowed.
Her eyelids drooped.
The temple’s walls faded into nothingness.
Gradually the flickering candlelight, the deep scent of incense, the rhythmic chanting of the priestesses, it all dissolved, sinking into the edges of her mind like a distant memory.
Till there was nothing but darkness and silence.
Thalia opened her eyes; she was no longer in the temple. The air had changed- cooler, dense with moisture. The scents of moss, bark and something faintly sweet filled her lungs. She knew this place. The same forest she had dreamed of countless times, rendered now in the same muted palette of deep greens and pale light. Towering trees stretched endlessly overhead, their wide canopies laced with shifting leaves that glowed faintly, like light filtered through the glass. Everything was still. The air. The trees. The silence.
She turned slowly, breath quickening, her heart stuttering in her chest. The ground beneath her feet was soft, covered in a layer of moss that pulsed faintly, like the steady thrum of a heartbeat. A thin mist curled around her ankles, drifting through the trees like ghostly fingers. The stillness pressed inward, thick, and expectant.
She had been here before so many times before, just like all the others she wasn’t alone. A few paces ahead, she could see him, half veiled in the curling mist. Tall, motionless watching her. His eyes were unmistakable- pale blue, fixed on her with a steady, unreadable intensity. She couldn’t move. He looked exactly like he always had, yet more vivid now. More real. His dark hair fell just past his jaw, loose and unbound, framing his sculpted features. He was tall even for fae, and broad shouldered. His skin held a pale luminance in the forest light, as though the magic in this place recognised him. He was more than beautiful, he was devastating. The prince from the portrait.
Thalia’s mind reeled. This isn't real. It can't be real.
She stared, unable to speak. His gaze held her in place, rooted her with a weight that made her feel both exposed and seen. There was recognition in his eyes- not just of her face, but of something deeper. Something that made her skin prickle.
He stepped forward, his movement fluid, impossibly graceful, as if he were part of the very air she breathed, as if the space between them was always meant to vanish. Thalia's breath trembled as he approached. The forest remained utterly still, like it was too holding its breath. She told herself to speak, to step back, to do something- but her body refused. It was like she’d been waiting for this moment her entire life and hadn’t realised it until now.
He reached for her. His hand rose slowly, hesitantly- his fingers grazing her jaw with a touch so tender it made her knees weaken. She didn’t pull away. His hand cradled her face like she was something breakable, precious.
She didn’t wake?
His fingers traced the curve of her jaw, cupping her face so gently, so reverently. His thumb brushed her cheek; a soft caress and light exploded around them. Her chest rose and fell unevenly. She should have said something- demanded an explanation. Asked if this was real if he was real- but nothing left her lips. She couldn’t seem to summon words.
A small golden glow stirred between them, soft and steady. It rose without urgency, enveloping them both in warm light that seemed to come not from the sky, but from within the very space between them.
Thalia gasped, this was impossible. Impossible.
Everything about this felt impossible, and yet no part of her recoiled. Her pulse raced, but not from fear. It was something else, something deeper, she couldn't put it into words or explain.
It just felt right.
She stared up at him, eyes wide.
“I don't understand?” “Who are you? “
He didn't answer right away. His eyes searched hers- not demanding, not invasive, but deliberate. His fingers lingered brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His smile was soft, beautiful yet tinged with something like sadness.
“I am Caelum "he said finally, voice low, shaped with clarity and calm.
“Prince of the Forgotten Realms”
She stared at him stunned. The words echoed in her mind, but they didn’t make sense. The title meant nothing to her. She frowned” That’s not possible”
“This... can’t be real.” She stepped back “I’m dreaming. I have to be. My mind is just ... I was tired. I was praying.”
“You already know that it is” he replied. His hand slipped away from her face with a slow, deliberate grace.
“you’ve seen this place. Me. Over and over”
“Yes, in dreams” her voice sounded distant to her own ears” That doesn’t make it real”
Caelum’s smile deepened, but it didn’t mock her. It was knowing, gentle.
“It is a dream” “but it’s also real”
