….is dead.

….is dead.

The lady led him to the bed and helped him to lay down. She also sat down on the bed beside his head and gently raised his head up and placed it on her lap.

She moved her hands towards the shelf beside the bed and brought out a lotion from it. She scooped out of it and rubbed her hands together before applying it on Leonel's forehead.

She helped and messaged his head which he had used to hit the wall as she moved her hands towards the back of his head.

"Have you always had this mark?" She asked.

"No, it just appeared. I'm also surprised about it," he replied, almost too quickly. He was surprised by it all. This woman's hand was so soothing that he didn't know what to say again and he willingly allowed her to place his head on her lap for this long period.

Everything about her was so calm and he couldn't help but close his eyes as he savored her warm hands on his hair as she rubbed it. This was what he had lacked at home; the warm care of a mother. Even though his father tried his best, he still couldn't act as a mother to him.

_______________

In a dark gloomy place, Leonel met himself standing. He woke up to meet himself here, in a dark space.

The place was surrounded by black huge trees and the floor was so dark that he couldn't even discern anything below his feet.

Black fog filled the place but even though it was all black and gloomy, Leonel could still see the area very clearly except for the ground which he couldn't even tell how it came to be. It felt like an unknown force was stopping him from seeing below his feet.

He moved forward from his initial position and walked round the place looking at the weird atmosphere and scene in front of him.

Then, when he had turned around a little, he saw a table and chair well positioned under a big black tree. He moved closer to the place because…why not?

He was just so bothered. He was lying on a mysterious woman's lap and now he met himself here. What did they say again about a woman being able to kill a man? What was the difference now? He had obviously laid without any caution on an unknown woman's lap now he met himself here.

All these thoughts raced on in Leonel's heart as he moved forward to the table. When he got close, he saw a golden stuff on the table; his ring.

Leonel quickly rushed forward and picked the ring. His brows curved up in amazement.

He looked at his hands and was at loss of words. His ring was not on his fingers and he didn't even realize that until he saw it here. Who brought it here? And where exactly is here?

As he continued thinking of this, the scene changed and he woke up to reality.

Leonel sat upright on the bed in shock.

'Where was that place that I saw? Was it all a dream?' he thought as he wondered. He then looked at his left hand and behold, the golden ring laid on his palm. He had picked it up from his dream and truly, he met it on his palm and not his fingers.

He rushed out of the bed almost stumbling as he staggered to the mirror. His tied hair had loosened already and it all laid scattered on his forehead. He used his hand to sweep it to the side and there he saw it, the golden mark which he saw earlier wasn't there again. It was strange.

He looked at the ring on his palm and wore it and it showed a bright golden light as it settled on his fingers. As the light showed, he saw the mark which was previously on his forehead on the ring. It was neatly carved small on the ring.

"No wonder why I thought I had seen it before, it seems it was on the ring," he muttered.

'Now what?' he pondered as he looked around the room. He spotted the door and moved closer to it but then it hit him hard and he moved back to the mirror.

"Don't tell me…" he trailed off as he raised his shirt to his face and he couldn't find any sword mark or wound. When he woke up and didn't smell any blood and saw himself neatly dressed up. He had rushed to the mirror to confirm but then, what he saw had shocked him that he was distracted from checking his wound and then the lady entered.

"Right, the lady." He muttered as he continued checking his chest. He traced his hand around his body and it didn't hurt. He felt no pain.

'How strange. What happened? Is it somehow related to the ring,' he pondered as he dropped his raised shirt and smoothed it out with his hand.

He moved towards the door of the room and placed his hand on the knob to open it.

As he opened the door, he was greeted by a warm, cozy sitting room. The fireplace crackled in the corner, casting a soft glow over the chairs. At a corner, the dining table could be seen with chairs round it.

The scent of vanilla candles and polished wood filled the air, creating a sense of comfort and peace. He felt his shoulders relax as he stepped into the room, almost making him leave his worries at the door.

He walked forward to meet the lady who he met earlier who was currently sitting on one of the chairs in the sitting room. The lady was engrossed in the wool she was knitting. It seemed she was making a warm jacket.

Leonel stopped in front of the woman and swayed his right hand in front of her, "Hello…" 

"Oh my God!" The lady exclaimed. She had not been aware of the person standing in front of her and Leonel's sudden voice had startled her from her solitude.

"Child, when did you wake up?" She asked as soon as she composed herself.

"Leave that, you are beginning to annoy me already. Did you see any man with me when you rescued me, I assume?" Leonel asked as he took a seat on the chair next to her.

She was currently seated on the rocking chair in the room while Leonel sat on the plush armchairs.

"Oh…" she dropped what she was holding, then looked back up at Leonel before saying, "Lord Darkwoods is dead."

"What!!!” It came as a shock to Leonel.