the dream

Wariness.

Gabriella Godfrey should have known better than to listen to the voices that whisper in her head, the very whispers that droved her to a path that she wouldn't have taken unless someone told her to do it, it was maddening that she was pulled into this world she had no clue that existed.

A world filled with magic and danger.

It was a world beyond imagination and beyond comprehension, the questions she had asked before were now answered but at what cost? She followed the voice that leads her to a field, this place had grasses greener than the well-kept lawn of her neighbor, it shone as if the sunlight gave it a more emerald shine while the wildflowers enhanced it by shinning just as bright, she also thought that they had diamonds around them. She sighed at the beauty of the place and began walking towards the middle of the field where a golden cage was located.

'𝙍𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙪𝙨...' Inside the cage, she saw two large birds, one black and one white, in tandem they recited the words over and over again, their gentle voices made her quake on the inside and goosebumps appear on her arms. There was power radiating from the cage. '𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑓𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡.' The white bird has said, Gabriella could label the white bird as she, a gentle voice that holds your attention. '𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭.' His voice was calm yet it spoke of authority, Gabriella didn't realize that she was in front of the golden cage, she stared at the majestic birds that were locked inside. "Why?" It was a stupid question to ask but the birds merely looked at her with eyes that pierced her soul. It was those eyes that lead her to open the cage and enter it.

Before she woke up sweating profusely and the energy around her was something unnerving that her own Mama knocked on her door with a cool glass of water, she sat on Gabriella's bed while the young woman took deep breaths in order to stabilize herself, she was grateful that her Mama handed her a glass of water because she badly needed it because of her parched throat. "Was it the same dream again, my little bird?" She nodded before running a hand through her hair which had lengthened in her sleep. "Only this time they spoke to me, Mama." It was surreal and her hands started to shake, Valentina Godfrey took the glass from her daughter's hand and placed it on the nightstand before hugging her daughter. "My darling, there are things in this world we barely understand, never ignore the signs." Mother and daughter held each other's gaze before nodding.

"I love you, Mama"

"And I love you, my dear."

Gabriella Godfrey was told to take it easy for the day and she decided to spend it in the forest where she connected with the energies of the forest, how it curled around her fingertips as she brushed it on the leaves and flowers she came in contact with. 'What did it mean?' She thought as her dream came back in full clarity but then her mind came back to the mysterious man from yesterday and the pull of his magick was something she can't ignore. It seemed too weird that out of all the faces and energies, she remembered someone who she never met before.

Maybe that was the appeal of meeting someone she never met?

When she reached the lake, she felt the tranquil waters washed away her anxiety. 'You seemed troubled, little one.' She smiled as she saw the water form into a translucent figure of a woman. "I had a dream again, Amira." They began chatting amicably like dear friends. 'You described birds of legend but no one has seen one in years not even in dreams. They've secluded themselves in another plane of dimension.' The beautiful brunette furrowed her brows in concentration while the water nymph hummed. "Then why appear to me?"

'There are things that happen for a reason and whatever it was, you were meant for change.'

For the past few hours, she stayed in relative meditative zen as she stared at the reflective pools of the lake. Her mind wandered from topic to topic but it always comes back to the birds in the Golden Cage, the man, and her stirring power. She brought her hand out and focused.

Black Flames emerged with a tint of white.

"What is that?" She got startled as she saw that there was a person beside her. "None of your concern," Gabriella said abruptly before extinguishing her flames, and once she met the person's gaze as if there was a type of click that happened to her. "I could've sworn I saw you conjure up black flames." She pursed her lips and looked away from the man, it took a herculean effort but she did so anyway. His image burned in her mind even if she turned away, black hair that was dark as shadows and eyes burning with her own black flames. A man fit for the dark and it made her blood sing.

"Don't you know it's rude to sneak up on someone?" She replied a bit petulantly even if she couldn't see him, she felt his smirk. "I have the right to wander around my own property especially when the ward was disturbed." He replied casually and Gabriella turned to look at him with a confused look. " I wasn't aware this was a private property." She replied while the man sighed. "The manor is secluded by the trees and wards but nonetheless, it extends up to the lake." It gave her a bit of shame for treating the Lord of the place disrespectfully but also a bit angered since the place she's been visiting will be corded off her since the owner is here.

"So is this a way of saying Get The Hell Out of My Property?" She asked a bit stiffly while the man raised a brow. "Do I need a sign for that?" She rolled her eyes. "Can I at least say goodbye to my friend?" She pointed at the figure that has a semi-emerged head from the water while the man looked surprised. "You're friends with the elementals?" He asked a bit surprised while Gabriella nodded.

"I know there's a big stigma on it and frankly, I don't care. She treated me better than most humans have." The man's eyes had a flash of understanding and nodded before stepping back to give Gabriella and the water nymph their privacy.