Ch 8 : The Dream Throne
1213 Words
Darkness swallowed everything.
The roar of the jet engines vanished.
The storm disappeared.
Even the feeling of her own body faded away.
For a long moment, Mira floated through endless silence.
Then the stars appeared.
Millions of them.
No.
Billions.
Entire galaxies stretched across an infinite sky, swirling in rivers of silver and gold. Constellations
moved like living creatures. Nebulae bloomed like celestial flowers. The sight was so beautiful it hurt.
Mira stood alone upon a bridge made of crystal light.
She looked down.
There was no ground.
Only the universe itself.
Fear should have consumed her.
Instead, a strange sense of familiarity settled over her heart.
As though she had walked this path before.
Many times.
A voice echoed through the stars.
Soft.
Ancient.
Feminine.
"Welcome home."
Mira froze.
The voice wasn't frightening.
It felt warm.
Comforting.
Like a forgotten lullaby from childhood.
The crystal bridge stretched endlessly ahead
At its end stood enormous gates.
Silver.
Towering.
Magnificent.
Each gate was taller than a mountain.
Ancient symbols glowed across their surface.
As Mira approached, the symbols began illuminating one by one.
Gold.
Silver.
White.
Blue.
Violet.
Red.
Black.
Seven colors.
Seven symbols.
Seven lights.
The number again.
Always seven.
The gates slowly opened.
A brilliant light flooded outward.
And Mira stepped through.
Her breath caught.
An enormous city floated among the stars.
Silver palaces shimmered beneath celestial skies.
Golden rivers flowed through floating gardens.
Crystal towers pierced the heavens.
Countless bridges connected islands suspended in the air.
It was the most beautiful place she had ever seen.
And somehow...
She knew every street.
Every tower.
Every garden.
Every corner.
Tears filled her eyes.
"Why do I know this place?"
No one answered.
Yet her heart already knew.
Because this had once been home.
A deep sadness settled over her.
The city wasn't empty.
Thousands of people filled the streets.
Thousands.
Yet they weren't moving.
They stood frozen.
Like statues.
Waiting.
Watching.
The moment Mira entered the city, every head turned toward her.
A collective gasp swept through the crowd.
One woman dropped to her knees.
Then another.
Then another.
Within seconds, thousands of people knelt.
Tears streamed down their faces.
Some smiled.
Others wept openly.
Many looked unable to believe what they were seeing.
Mira stared in shock.
"What are they doing?"
An old man lifted trembling eyes toward her.
"My Queen."
The words echoed across the city.
My Queen.
My Queen.
My Queen.
Thousands of voices repeated them.
Thousands.
The sound shook the heavens.
Mira backed away.
"No."
The people continued kneeling.
"My Queen."
"No."
Tears burned behind her eyes.
"I'm not your queen."
A sudden wind swept through the city.
The stars above brightened.
And a familiar voice spoke behind her.
"You were."
Mira spun around.
A woman stood several feet away.
Beautiful.
Powerful.
Terrifying.
The woman looked exactly like her.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Same hair.
Only older.
Stronger.
Ancient.
The woman smiled sadly.
Mira's breath stopped.
"Who are you?"
The answer came quietly.
"Nysera."
The name echoed through the city.
Through the stars.
Through Mira's soul.
Nysera.
The forgotten queen.
The lost goddess.
The woman from the throne.
The woman from her visions.
The woman Dante had spoken about.
The woman she was somehow connected to.
Mira stared.
"No."
Nysera smiled gently.
"I know."
"This isn't real."
"It is."
"You can't be me."
Pain flashed across the goddess's face.
"I am."
Silence followed.
The stars continued spinning overhead.
Far below, galaxies drifted through the darkness.
Mira struggled to breathe.
Everything felt impossible.
Yet every instinct told her the truth.
Nysera slowly approached.
The closer she came, the stronger the connection became.
The same heartbeat.
The same emotions.
The same soul.
"You remember him."
Mira froze.
Dante.
The thought appeared instantly.
Nysera noticed.
A sad smile touched her lips.
"Of course."
Mira looked away.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You saw the memories."
The goddess's voice softened.
"You saw Dante."
A strange warmth spread through Mira's chest.
Immediately followed by confusion.
Why did every memory involving him feel so important?
Why did his pain hurt her?
Why did his smile affect her?
Why did she feel safer when he was near?
None of it made sense.
Nysera watched her carefully.
Then she asked quietly,
"Do you know what he sacrificed for you?"
Mira remained silent.
Because she wasn't sure she wanted to know.
The goddess looked toward the stars.
Toward distant memories.
And suddenly the sky transformed.
Images appeared above them.
A celestial battlefield.
Millions of warriors.
Golden armies.
Monsters made of darkness.
Worlds burning.
Reality breaking.
At the center stood Dante.
Covered in blood.
Standing alone.
Protecting a throne.
Protecting someone.
Protecting her.
The sight made Mira's heart ache.
"He fought until the end," Nysera whispered.
The vision continued.
Dante fell to one knee.
His armor shattered.
Blood covered his face.
Still he refused to retreat.
Still he refused to surrender.
The darkness surrounded him.
Yet he remained standing.
Mira felt tears gathering.
Why?
Why did this hurt so much?
Nysera answered the question she hadn't spoken aloud.
"Because you loved him."
The words shattered something inside her.
The battlefield vanished.
Silence returned.
Mira's hands trembled.
"No."
"You did."
"No."
The denial sounded weak.
Even to herself.
Nysera's eyes filled with sadness.
"Love doesn't disappear because a life ends."
Mira looked away.
Because she couldn't bear the truth hidden inside those words.
For a long moment neither spoke.
Then the city bells began ringing.
One.
Two.
Three.
The sound echoed across the stars.
Nysera's expression changed immediately.
Urgency replaced sorrow.
"They found you."
Mira frowned.
"Who?"
The goddess looked toward the sky.
Fear entered her eyes.
Actual fear.
"The Devourer."
The stars darkened.
The beautiful city trembled.
Cracks spread across the heavens.
The bells continued ringing.
Faster.
Louder.
More desperately.
Nysera stepped toward Mira.
"You need to wake up."
"What?"
"The dream is ending."
The ground beneath them began breaking apart.
Darkness spread across the celestial city.
The people vanished.
The towers collapsed.
The stars flickered.
Mira's heart raced.
"Wait!"
Nysera grabbed her shoulders.
Their eyes met.
For the first time, the goddess looked frightened.
"Listen carefully."
The city continued crumbling around them.
"You are not just my reincarnation."
Mira froze.
The statement made no sense.
Nysera's grip tightened.
"You are something far more important."
The dream continued collapsing.
"What does that mean?"
The goddess hesitated.
For a single moment.
A moment too long.
Because darkness erupted between them.
A monstrous eye opened within the void.
Ancient.
Terrible.
Hungry.
The Devourer had found her.
Nysera pushed Mira backward.
"Wake up!"
The darkness lunged.
The city exploded.
The stars shattered.
And Mira's eyes flew open.
She was back on the jet.
Breathing hard.
Heart pounding.
Dante sat beside her.
His silver eyes immediately met hers.
For a long moment neither spoke.
Then he asked quietly,
"What did you see?"
Mira stared at him.
Remembering the battlefield.
Remembering the promise.
Remembering the way Nysera had looked at him.
And for the first time since meeting him, she asked the question that truly mattered.
"Dante..."
His expression softened.
"Yes?"
"Who were you to her?"
For the first time, the immortal billionaire looked completely unprepared for a question.
And that answer frightened her more than anything else........
to be continued.......
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