taipan

With each mile that he passed with his car his anger turned from fury to a blinding fire to a pitch black pit of chaos. And yet the pitch black chaos was too small a word as further ahead he went, until there he stood in front of ‘Manerium Somniorum’
The manor of dreams.
Standing at the gates his anger dissipated to a form of fear and melancholy. Christian knew it like he knew the back of his hand that these emotions were his. Whatever he was feeling was an aftermath of what the manor was listening in on. The walls were screaming the story that unfolded between their bricks as the windows tried to leap open, over powered by the yearning need for some kind of a void. An escape from what unfolded. 
The gate of the manor seemed barred from reality. Acutely preoccupied by the nightmare. Participating and escaping every word the manor screamed. Time did not exist beyond these gates. No what was left behind was simply the shadow of broken hearts.
With each second that passed Christian watched a darkness descend upon the manor as thick mists of clouds and shadows formed. Untouched was the reality outside the gate but inside Manerium Somniorum dreamed. 
Dreamed of a heartbroken man. Echoed of an unquenchable thirst. Begged for her return. Pulling every reality into it in its desperation, whispering and moaning Christian or anyone that dared to watch to enter. Enter their dream. Dream their love. And bathe in their despair as a symphony lulled Christian into a heavy sleep. With each ticking minute the manor seemed to draw further and further away, without even realizing his eyes had closed and his body was mesmerized by her. 
By them.
It played out again like a song, starting with a verse. A look. A pair of eyes. A shadow. As translucent darkness shone brightly around a man and interlaced with his soul. And there she stood. It was her form and her face and yet her eyes betrayed who she was. A conscious thought metaphored into her existence, standing right there under the soft glow of his lantern. Christian was the prince and the prince was chaos as their fell in love for the first time. As their skin felt the fleeting graze of her smile and their ears heard the soft whisper of her gown tease the ground. 
There all three souls stood as one falling in love with the same form and yet a different woman. 
"We were never meant for tomorrow ..." 
She said with a trembling voice as her hand reached out for his, so close and yet much like their fates all there was between them were dreams.

Unveiled (MLL)

Athena found her way to the door, feeling the rough texture of the bricks underneath. Until she stood there for a moment, unsure if she wanted to find out what was inside. She knew with the creature in hiding she would find something different from last time. She knew what she saw then and what she would see now would be different. For these were the parts the creatures could not see.

These were the memories the creature was tortured by.  The memories she recognized but could not remember. Empty forms she saw knew looked different but craved to watch. This was what the creature wanted. Why she wanted Athena back in the chataue.

But, she also knew the creature would never show. The creature tried to hide the last time. The creature saw them alone. These were after all her memories.

Her heart pumped faster as she curled her hand around the telltale metal and pushed it open.

She felt a resistance as she stepped inside. The creature did not want Athena to enter. But, the creature was unaware that Athena was here.

With one cautious step she was inside, slowly opening her eyes.

The dust had settled again on the floor, erasing off any presence of Athena ever having been here. Her footprints gone, her scent lost. The chateau smelt old now, like that of wet stone from a different age. It was lush green with the moss that had grown on it over the years, thriving on the death that lay buried in these grounds. The room was bare aside from the handcuffs she that rested on the window.

The far end of the wall was made of glass which was fully transparent allowing Athena to see the other room. She walked closer to the walls wanted to hear its whispers. Wishing to find out the secrets that the walls held.

Upon looking closely she saw that the wall beside the window had another layer to it, one that had rods of iron weaving in zigzag patterns.

Athena felt the rusted iron under her fingertips, immediately invaded by an image.

The image of the woman she had barely gazed upon the first time she met the creature. Her glossy black mane was tied back in a ponytail. Her hands raised above her head, shackled to the wall with handcuffs, much like her legs. The glow of her skin under the bright rays of the sun were inviting her to be touched. To be painted and molded in any way one would please. Was this tied up beautiful woman the creature?

Athena heard a voice from behind. Or was this the creature?

It had a feminine quality to it. Gentle and soft. Like a whisper. A voice that was born to a blue blood.

Leaving behind the shackled woman Athena turned to look at the other one. This one had long burgundy hair and beautiful hazel eyes.

"Its Asteria now … you know that my love …"

Athena recognized the name from the book she had found. Was the book somehow real? Were they the same? Christian's Asteria and the Chateaus one?

Or was this all a dream? A hallucination out of a silly obsession?

All she knew was the veil between reality and fiction was unveiling every minute.

Chapter 37