Chapter36: Visions of the Past

Maxiana I’m on the beach again, that beach of gems and calm, dark water. Black mist hangs all around me as I walk in no single direction, unsure if I’m going to step off the beach and into a vat of inky, black nothingness again. He’s not here this time. I’m not sure how I know, but I can just… feel that I’m alone. Horribly, inexplicably alone. I’ve never been alone. Never. Not a single day in my life. I hug my arms to my chest as I pick across the beach. The mist begins to part, and through the starlight reflecting on the gems, I think I see the glow of a… a lantern. Yes, that flickering, soft amber light is stationary compared to the rippling glow of the stars shining against the gems. The mist parts further, revealing a small, stone building with a single sconce lit on its side, right beside a door. My heart rate skyrockets. I stumble over the gems in my haste to run, but I’m moving in slow motion, my movements dreamlike and hazy as I try to force my body forward over the beach. “Ple