The sisters were floating in their unconscious state.
They could see nothing
Feel nothing.
Hear nothing.
Suddenly a strong, female voice spoke to them.
Commanded them.
"You are not dreaming. Every single one of your experiences are real. Remember the clues I have given you. Saintess. Guardian. Remember who you are. Work together to find the answers and save the kingdom of Elysium from the grasp of the Demon Lord. Save their souls. And save yourselves."
Dixie's eyes snapped open. Once again she was greeted by an unfamiliar environment. This time she was sprawled out on a bed as opposed to running, falling or kneeling. The air smelled very stale, almost stuffy. And the room she was in was derelict to the extreme. Never in her life had she been in a room this hideous.
Glancing at her hands, she realized she was still Felicia. What had happened in the cathedral? What was that white light? What was that purple lightning? The book never mentioned Felicia having such power. The book execution had unfolded with no fight or intervention.
But in the dream version she and Bonnie had been there and that had changed everything.
Dixie ran her hands through Felicia's hair, noticing how dull and thin it was. Her eyes adjusted to the slightly dark room. There was only one small window and it was on the roof. A small section of the dusty floor was illuminated by it.
They had disappeared into the infinity again. So where was she now? Had she travelled back in time again?
And that voice speaking to her...the Goddess.
Defeat a Demon Lord? The Saintess and the Guardian? So, me and Bonnie then.
Did that old lady know this would happen? Did reading the story activate the magic within the book? The infinity symbol?
Was the story we read a possible historical account of what had actually happened in Elysium? How did the temple get destroyed? What was that red fog that was written about in our textbooks? How did Goddess Kartara lose her standing when she was so widely worshipped?
Young Duke Alexander, Lady Felicia, Saintess Helena, Pope Matthew, Grand Duke Roelle, Duchess Moniqua, Duchess Tyren, Prince Constantine, King Robert, Young Marquis Liam, Second Prince Florentine, Reverent Demetri....how many others? Were all the characters in the books actual people that lived in Elysium hundreds of years ago? Did they all have a hand in the fall of the divine faith? Did they somehow trigger the mysterious betrayal that caused the death of the ruling class and clergy which led to the conquest by the northern kingdom?
Were Felicia and Alex the main contributors? Is this why Bonnie and I are here as the two of them as opposed to anyone else?
Dixie glanced around.
This must be the annex. Felica was locked up in here shortly after Tyren and Helena showed up. The book only begins after the death of Duchess Moniqua.
How long has Felicia been trapped here?
Standing up, she walked over to the vanity table which was missing most of its drawers and sporting a mirror with a large crack in it. Looking at her reflection, Dixie knew Felicia had been trapped here for a while. Possibly a few years. The signs of starvation were prominent. Especially, her hair. She was probably losing clumps of it due to vitamin deficiency. Poor girl. Reading about it was one thing, but seeing it first hand was something else entirely.
This was all Tyren's fault. She lied and forced Felicia to live here claiming it was the Duke's orders. That evil woman wanted all of the attention on her own daughter. She wanted Helena to take Felicia's spot and claim her birthright. She stripped Felicia of her monthly allowance to ensure she would not be able to properly maintain herself.
She even went as far as to instruct for Felicia to only be fed bread and water. Tyren was actively trying to kill her step-daughter.
You best prepare yourself, bitch. Now that I am here I am so gonna deal with you. You and your spawn!
The room was more like an abandoned attic than a functional bedchamber. There was a thick layer of dust and grime everywhere; the rat tracks were clear to see.
I need to get out of here. I'm certain Bonnie has woken up in the body of Alex by now, so she'll come free me soon. Haha. Even in this life, we are siblings.
Her stomach gave an angry growl.
I also need to eat. I need to get up to a healthier weight so I can immediately start weapons training. Felicia has so many enemies. I have to build muscle and learn how to fight. I also need proper clothes because this one is falling apart at the seams. And I'm not going to battle through the dust and grime to see if there is a better one.
Dixie coughed and held and hand over her mouth. Gods, I can barely breathe in here. How has she endured this for years?
Why? Why such a pushover? Look at where life can land you when you don't stand up for yourself, Felicia. No matter what happened, you should never have compromised your self-respect.
But there was a silver lining now that both she and Bonnie were here.
Alexander may be cold towards his real sister, but Bonnie and I are joined at the hip. We'll bring the estranged pair together and work to change her circumstances. Having Alex back on her side will immediately improve Felicia's circumstances.
Or rather, my circumstances now, I guess.