The Legions Broken Flame

Chapter 5

Soren

I'm suddenly on the beach again with the salty ocean breeze hitting my face and the sound of the waves crashing beside me. That must mean she's here, too.

"Ophelia!" I call out when I don't see her along the beach. I would use our bond, but it's still new. With the Lessening it will take time before I can use the bond to physically find her. Soft crying reaches my ears and I run toward the mounds of rocks it came from. I take my time searching every large crack and crevice that she could possibly fit in.

Finding her doesn't take long as there aren't too many places that big to squeeze in to.

Stepping around a large rock, slowly, I see Ophelia huddled down with her knees drawn to her chest while her arms are hugging her legs to her body. Her face is burried in her knees and her shoulders shake with silent sobs.

"Ophelia." I keep my voice low, not wanting to scare her, and step closer. Her head snaps up and her eyes widen. She is absolutely beautiful. Even more than I had imagined while attempting to piece together her face the past six months. Grey eyes, long lashes, full lips the perfect shade of pink.

"I have to go back. Please help me get back." Ohpelia sobs and it sends a stabbing pain through my heart. I kneel in front of her, our eyes never leaving eachother, and brush the hair away from her face.

"You can't go back yet " I explain to her, my voice soft and apologetic. "We're just going to relax here for a little while." My hand cups her face and I wipe a stray tear away with the pad of my thumb. To my surprise she leans into my touch, though her brow furrows slightly. I know she's confused, and I'll have to explain everything. For right now, I just want to comfort my flame and enjoy finally being in her presence.

I move to sit beside her and pull her into my side, the contact sending a pleasurable warmth through my body. Ophelia rests her head on my shoulder and I feel her relax into me almost instantly. After a while she's finally calmed down and the tears have stopped.

"What's your name?" She asks. "Or do you not have one? I don't know if made up people have names." My brow quirks at her comment.

"Made up people?"

"Well, yeah. This is a dream. My head obviously made you up. Maybe my mentality finally snapped." She mutters the last part more to herself than to me. I gently take hold of her chin and tilt her head up to look at me.

"My name is Soren, and I can assure you I am very much real." I tell her, holding her gaze. "You will never go back to that house, I will make sure of that. You are mine to protect and that is what I will do."

Ophelia smiles softly, but it doesn't reach her eyes. I know she doesn't believe me, but she will soon.

She snuggles back into my side and sighs. "I'd like to think of it like that while this dream lasts. It would be nice to talk to someone other than Ezra. I feel like a burden to him most of the time. He's always stuck up for me and I can't do anything in return... Plus I've never been to the beach before. It would be fun to do this for real."

I decide to ignore the comment about her being a burden. She already doesn't think I'm real and trying to convince her otherwise wouldn't do much good right now. Steering the conversation a different way seems like the best option. "Then I'll take you. We'll come right here on this beach and watch the water for as long as you want." And I would. I would give her anything she ever wanted. Ophelia is my every breath and heart beat. I need her I my life.

She isn't facing me, but from the angle I'm at I see a single tear streak down her face. "That would be nice." The sadness and disbelief are noticeable in her voice, but it's okay. I know for certain we will sit on this beach together, in this same spot, because I will make it happen.

The dream starts to disappear in the distance and I know our time is up for now. Ohpelia sits up and watches the water slowly drop into nothing in the horizon, the edge creeping ever so closer. She turns to me, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you for sitting with me; For keeping me calm." She chuckles sadly through her tears. "I'm happy my mind brought you here to me. I didn't want to be alone."

My heart constricts and my eyes begin to burn with my own unscheduled tears as I wipe hers away. I pull her to my chest and bury her nose in her hairbefofe our moments over. "I promise I'm coming . You won't be alone." I whisper. "Everything is going to be alright."

Ophelia pulls back and looks into my eyes. "Goodbye, Soren." And then everything went black again.