Chapter 9 - Third dream

The infinite void. Again. Memories start forming around me. One gets closer. I’m about to be swallowed by it. I resign myself to live it… 

Nothing. 
It recedes. 
I’m floating. In the void. Surrounded by memories that aren’t mine. Strands of lives that didn’t happen. Another one approaches. I can feel the heat coming from this one. Stronger than the desert. A fire. Flames consuming the world. Some sparks fly towards me, extinguished quickly. 
I brace for the pain. I already burnt alive. Multiple times. But it never gets any easier. The acrid smoke, the nauseating smell of flesh burning… 

Nothing. 
The memory disperses. 
I let out a relieved sigh, but I know it’s not over. There are others. Many more. And I know there’s worse. Way worse. I try not to think about it, to not conjure up the memory. 
Too late. 

My lungs fill with water. A burning sensation in my throat and chest. I try coughing, but each inspiration only brings in more water. I hold my breath, hoping to reach the surface before it’s too late. My lungs are full of liquid, ready to burst in my chest. I release as much water as I can, emptying my lungs. It burns my throat. Everything is dark around me. Stopping myself from taking in another mouthful of water, I push myself forward, hoping it’s the way up. 
The burning in my chest intensifies. I need air. But I can’t. I’m still underwater. I can’t open my mouth. 
Don’t breathe. 
I hold onto that single thought. 
Don’t breathe. 
Find the surface. 
Don’t breathe. 
I frantically kick with my feet. 
Don’t breathe. 
I push with everything I have. 
Don’t breathe. 
My mind is going dark. 
Don’t breathe. 
I’ll die here. 
I breathe.
 
Coughing. Air! I’m breathing. 
I reached the surface. I look around. 
I’m floating. In the eternal void. Memories surround me. 
I got out. 
Before he died. 
Before I died.

I’m me. I was with Aurora, Morgan, and Heilig in the forest. There wasn’t any water. It was a dream. A bad dream. Nothing more. Because I’m me. And those aren’t real. 
I’m me, and I’m alive. I take a deep breath. The burning sensation fades away. I calm down. My heart isn’t pounding. 
Warmth. 
Behind me. Beside me. Embracing me. 
I’m safe. Everything is fine. I’m alive. It’s just a dream. I let myself drift off in the warm embrace. There’s nothing more. Just a reassuring light, taking me whole. 
I’m me.