Chapter 9: The Dream Beyond the Veil

Eventually, Tiara managed to secure a house in the unwelcoming pack she had wandered into.

It was barely more than a shed—a forgotten cottage that was nestled behind the pack’s old arena, almost worn by time and molds. The windows in it were so rusty and would barely shut as they threatened to come off if too much pressure was applied.

The floor creaked with every ounce of wind that passed through, and the roof leaked without caution when it rained. But it was all hers, her comfort zone and shield.

After countless rejections and spiteful stares, after sweeping stables, scrubbing hearths, and drawing water in exchange for discards and coins, she finally had a place to lay her head in peace, away from the scorning and judging eyes.

Just like every other day, her hands were badly bruised, her knees were also blistered from having to clean the public bathhouse.

 Her body ached badly, weak and frail, her stomach a hollow drum. She took the last edible she had, it was a hard, stale loaf of bread, and she bit into it without hesitating.

The state of the bread hurt her jaw, but she cared less. She continued to chew, forcing the whole thing down, before she swallowed hard, the dry crust scratching her throat. Then she dragged herself to the old mattress in a corner of the room, stuffed with old cloth and curled into it, too exhausted to even pull the blanket over herself.

Her eyelids drooped as she slowly drifted into the dreamland.

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And then, she found herself in an entirely different world, a different realm. 

The air in it was so warm and sweet, like honeyed biscuits. The soft wind carried the scent of fruits and drizzled on earth. 

Tiara stood barefoot on polished marble that glistened under her feet like water under the moonlight. 

Above her, the sky housed shooting stars—bright and endless—while the trees nearby glowed with a subtle, golden light.

She gasped, mesmerized by the beauty and serenity of her newly found world.

"Where am I?" She questioned, reaching out to touch lilies that were reaching out to her.

This realm, this world, wherever it was— it felt like a memory she had never ever lived, yet she had always longed for.

"If this is a dream, I really do not want to wake up," she told herself, beaming with smiles.

From the horizon, a figure emerged—a woman.

She glided across the ground as her legs could not be seen on the marbled ground, as though the air itself bore her weight. 

Her long, thick hair was like flowing silk spun within the sun’s core, and her skin glowed like the moonlight on clear, crystal water. Her eyes, silver and endless held a depth that could drown the world and keep anyone spelled.

"Tiara," she called, smiling sweetly.

Her smile was so warm, so powerful and captivating that it pushed tears to Tiara’s eyes. She was a beautiful and flawless sight to behold.

“My child,” the woman said, her voice sounding like sweet music to the ears.

"Dear child??" Tiara curiously thought.

“Who... who are you?” Tiara finally said, almost in a whisper.

“I am the one who oversees the lost stars," she firmly replied, her voice slowly rippling through the air.

"And you, little wolf, you are a fallen light who needs to rise again.”

The woman stepped closer, caressing something in her hands.

An apple.

But unlike any other that Tiara had ever seen, its skin was like that of pure honey, pulsing with a gentle glow, veined with streaks of soft, white light.

"What are you thinking, child?" She asked.

“This is not a fruit of nourishment like you think it is,” the woman said. “It is a fruit of knowing."

"How did you know what I was thinking?" Tiara raised her concern.

" Nothing passes me by, child," the woman replied.

"Take it, and the gift of sight shall be yours," she urged.

" You will see what others fear, you will feel what others bury, and with it, you will reclaim what was taken from you—your truth, your place, your power, your peace.”

"....it is a fruit of knowing," echoed in her subconscious mind as she continued to look down at the apple, trembling a little, yet, composed.

“But... why me? "I am nothing.” Tiara protested.

“You were never nothing,” the woman replied, brushing a strand of hair from Tiara’s face. You were hidden, protected and shielded. But the moon never forgets its glow, does it?”

These words were still being said when the apple floated gently into Tiara’s palm.

"Destined?" Tiara muttered.

" You seem to know so much more about me than I do know of myself," she added.

The woman simply smiled, refusing to say another word in response to Tiara's words.

Without further ado, as if she was under a spell, Tiara brought the apple to her mouth, the sky above them burst into ripples of light—and a burst of colors. 

“Eat, dear child, and awaken your sight. Unmask the bond and be who you were destined to be,"

"You have done well, my child, now let the world see you walk your path to greatness," the woman happily said, blowing Tiara a kiss.

And just then, darkness engulfed Tiara again, taking her alongside the tons of questions she had in mind..

---

Tiara woke with a sharp breath, the morning sun slicing through the gaps in the wooden boards of her home. Her body was still sore from the rigorous activities that she had engaged in.

The bread crumbs, still stuck to her lips, but deep within her, something had changed.

The warmth from the dream still lingered in her chest and head, and her fingers tingled—as if they still remembered the weight of that apple.

"What sort of dream is that?" She rubbed her eyes, licking her lips as she reminisced on how delicious and natural the apple had tasted.

"Only if I could dream of places like that more often," she thought to herself.

" It would really be like my escape from all the troubles that I go through, literally every day." She cussed.

" Happy birthday, Tiara." She muttered to herself. It was her twenty-third

birthday.

Yet, deep within her, something had awakened— an ignited fire that was desperately burning with rage.