Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted

White nothingness stretches in every direction. No up, no down, no sense of space or time. My last memory places me on the couch in my cabin, exhaustion finally claiming me after what feels like days with minimal sleep.

Yet here I float, in a familiar void.

A memory teases at the edges of my consciousness—a similar sensation of falling without movement, of existing without breath or body.

"Why does this feel so familiar?" The words disappear into the silence, no air to carry them. Yet somehow I know I've spoken them.

Because I've been here before. In another time, another dream. I just can't remember—

But suddenly, the white is no more, and I blink my eyes against bright sunlight. Warm air surrounds me, my body baking beneath the warm layers of winter.

Jagged cliffs rise around me, familiar yet different. Last time, clouds dotted an impossibly blue sky. Now it stretches endless and clear, like someone wiped away every imperfection.

I remember this place now. The pond with its gorgeous, clear aqua water. The strange sensation of magic in the air, something now familiar to me. It's a placed not only imbued in mana, but created from it.

This is where I met the Moon Goddess, so long ago.

"Selena?" My voice echoes in this gorgeous vale, but no answer comes.

The crystalline pond draws me forward, its surface a perfect mirror. Magic pulses beneath my skin, stronger than before, reaching toward something in this place.

"Hello?"

Still nothing.

The water reflects my face, but something's wrong. No glow emanates from my form like last time. No ethereal light dances across the surface. Just... me. Regular, exhausted Ava Grey staring back.

This has to be the same place. The magic hums in the air, making my skin prickle with recognition. Every breath fills my lungs with pure, crisp air untouched by the modern world.

I sink to the ground beside the crystalline pond, my fingers trailing through the cool water. The ripples distort my reflection—but it remains just a normal, tired face staring back. No magical glow, no hint of the power I wield.

"This makes no sense. I've grown stronger. I've learned so much."

The last time I stood in this place, my magic blazed like wildfire in the water's surface. Selena was beside me then; perhaps her presence is necessary to see the magic.

What did she tell me, so long ago? This place is a reflection of my inner self. Also, the world needed its children to bring life back from drought.

And I had told her… "That the world is thriving," I murmur, remembering how dismissive she had been. What were her exact words again?

I suppose that would be how humans perceive it.

The silence weighs heavy without Selene or Grimoire to debate these riddles. No snarky comments from my magical companion, no gentle guidance from my wolf.

I press my palm flat against the water's surface. "I wish you two were here. You'd probably have theories about all this."

"You've returned." A soft voice breaks through my reverie, making me jump.

I spin around. Selena stands there, though something's different. Her form wavers like heat rising from summer pavement, less solid than before.

"The taint I've been purifying—is that what you meant by the world being in drought? Does this place have anything to do with the wards on my soul? Are you—"

She lifts her hands, cutting me off. "I have little time."

"But—"

"Remember, Ava Grey. You are not the only one out there."

Her words startle me, losing my mental balance. All the questions I have, and she goes in a direction so different—I vaguely recall something like this from our past visit, though. I'm not alone, and others will help guide me…

I've had so much help recently. "I've made friends with vampires and Fae, who have helped me."

Her form flickers like a candle in wind. "The path ahead is dark, but you won't walk it in solitude."

The world lurches. An invisible force yanks me backward, away from her fading form. "Wait! Please! I need to know more!" I reach for her, but my fingers pass through empty air. "The taint, my soul—"

But the vale dissolves into white nothingness, Selena disappearing from view.

Ava! Wake up! Selene's voice pierces through nothing as I roll off the couch, slamming into the floor with a groan. Lucas will be here soon!

My eyes snap open to the familiar ceiling of my cabin, the floor hard against my bruised back.

"Lucas…?"noveldrama

My brain takes too long to sift through everything, and Grimoire pops into my head, sounding concerned. Did you have a bad dream?

Something like that, but—first, I focus on Selene's words, though her body language has changed from excitement to concern as she stands beside me, her furry face looking down on mine.

I shove her out of the way as I sit up, groaning over my bruised shoulder and back. The couch isn't high, but falling off it still hurts. "Where's Lucas?"

He is coming. They're in a car. Selene sniffs at my face. Are you okay?

"Yeah." Maybe. "I had a weird dream again. I saw the Moon Goddess, but it wasn't like last time."

Grimoire's voice sharpens. Last time?

Selene settles into my lap, rubbing her head against my chest. "Haven't you gone through my memories? You should have seen it."

Have you read every book in a library just because you've read a few? Grimoire's voice drips with disdain; I don't think he'll ever get rid of this elitist section of his personality.

"Of course not. But you could just say you haven't run into that memory yet instead of being a jerk about it."

Well, ask stupid questions—

Selene's hackles rise. I haven't had a bone in a while. Maybe I'll make do with your spine.

I apologize. Grimoire's tone shifts to contrite faster than a wolf can snap its teeth. That was uncalled for.

The remnants of my not-dream tug at my mind, but I push them away. We'll discuss it later, but more pressing matters demand attention—like the fact Lucas is coming home. My heart skips, then thunders against my ribs as the reality sinks in.

"I need to shower." I stand, my legs shaky. "And change. And—"

Breathe, Selene suggests.

Right. Breathing. Also important.