A Dream of Regrets

Lyrasia tossed and turned in her sleep, her mind clouded with fragments of memories, old fears, and deep regrets.

It was as if her past life had decided to claw its way back into her thoughts, unraveling all the pain and exhaustion she had buried deep within.

The familiar weight of exhaustion settled over her, the familiar ache of her past haunting her in vivid nightmares.

In this dream, she found herself once again in the gritty, suffocating world she had left behind.

She was back in her old life, working tirelessly, running errands, and struggling to make ends meet.

The world was just as cold and indifferent as it had always been, and she was just as desperate as she had been before—working herself to the bone, all for what?

A little pay? The meager scraps of money that barely covered the bills?

Lyrasia felt the exhaustion in her bones, a bone-deep weariness that never seemed to go away. She had worked so hard, sacrificing her time, her energy, and even her passions.

For what? To support her friends, her family—yet none of them seemed to truly understand the toll it took on her.

They never saw the late nights she spent at the bookstore, trying to get extra hours just to afford the next semester's tuition.

She had juggled everything—work, school, and the demands of life—and yet, with every passing day, she found herself slipping further behind.

Her grades began to drop, no matter how hard she tried to keep them up. She could see it in the eyes of her teachers and classmates—the disappointment, the quiet judgment.

And there were always those who went against her, people who seemed to thrive in the system she was struggling to stay afloat in. She worked harder and harder, her passion slowly draining away with every sleepless night, every grueling day, until she didn't even recognize herself anymore.

She had given everything for the sake of others, and yet, in the end, she had nothing to show for it.

As the nightmare raged on, Lyrasia could feel herself suffocating.

The room was closing in on her, and no matter how hard she tried to escape, the burden of her responsibilities followed her like an unshakable shadow.

She felt herself growing weaker, the energy draining from her body until she was nothing but a shell of her former self.

But there was no rest, no reprieve.

Every time she thought she could stop and breathe, another wave of despair would crash over her.

Then, in the chaos of her mind, a voice called to her. A familiar, comforting voice that pierced through the fog of her thoughts.

"Lyrasia..." The voice was soft, soothing, yet full of worry. It was the voice of someone who cared. Someone who wanted to help.

She tried to focus, to pull herself out of the darkness.

She felt the dream fading, but the weight of the emotions still lingered.

The fear.

The exhaustion.

The hopelessness.

Her body was trembling, but there was something warm wrapping around her, something gentle, something that felt safe.

Suddenly, her eyes fluttered open.

The world around her was unfamiliar, a soft bed, warm blankets, the faint scent of lavender in the air.

Her breathing was shallow, her heart racing as she tried to make sense of where she was.

It took her a moment to remember that she wasn't in her old life anymore.

She wasn't in the cramped apartment she had lived in, struggling to keep her head above water. She wasn't surrounded by elites who plotted against her in every turn.

It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't alone.

A woman was sitting by her side, her hand resting gently on Lyrasia's shoulder.

The woman's face was warm and kind, her expression filled with concern. Lyrasia blinked, trying to make sense of it all. She didn't recognize the woman at first, she had never known a mother in her previous life, never had that kind of love or support.

But there was something in the way the woman looked at her that made Lyrasia feel... safe.

"Lyrasia," the woman said softly, her voice filled with a tenderness Lyrasia had never known. "Are you okay? You were having a nightmare."

She couldn't understand what was happening.

This woman... this was her mother, right? But it didn't feel real. How could it?

She had never had a good mother before.

In her previous life, her parents had been distant, too focused on their own lives to ever notice the struggles of their child. She had always been alone, even in the midst of her family.

But now, in this strange new life, here was a woman who was caring for her, comforting her. 

The woman, her mother, gave her a soft smile, brushing Lyrasia's hair back from her forehead with a gentle touch. "It's okay, sweetheart," she said softly. "Mama is here for you."

Before she could stop herself, Lyrasia buried face in the woman's chest. She didn't care that she was supposed to be a grown-up in this new life.

She didn't care that she was still learning everything, still trying to figure out who she was.

In that moment, all that mattered was the comfort of the woman holding her, the warmth that enveloped her, the feeling of being loved for once.

Her mother held her tightly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "It's okay, Lyrasia. You're safe here.."

Here, in this new life, she didn't have to be alone. She didn't have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders anymore.

For the first time, she felt what it was like to truly be loved. And in that moment, Lyrasia realized that maybe, just maybe, this life was going to be different.

Maybe, just maybe, she could finally find happiness.