Ava told the address into her phone, hanging up on the ambulance dispatch before rushing over to Carter. She pulled him close, her hands trembling as she held his limp body.
"Brother? Carter, please, are you okay?"
No response.
She glanced up, her eyes tracking the mysterious man who was walking away. One hand was shoved casually into his pocket, completely unfazed by the chaos behind him.
Who—or what—was he? Ava thought, a chill running down her spine.
She looked back down at Carter's unconscious form, panic tightening in her chest. What do I do? As a surgeon, she specialized in complex cardiothoracic and neurosurgery, but out here on the cold pavement without a scalpel or an operating room, her medical degrees felt completely useless.
Then, a memory flashed through her mind. She remembered the first time she had healed Carter—back when Ron and DA had helped her. She recalled the sensation: a strange, warmth-infused power coursing through her veins.
Closing her eyes, Ava forced herself to focus, digging deep into her consciousness for that elusive feeling.
In the absolute darkness behind her eyelids, a vision suddenly materialized. A woman stood there, smiling gently at her.
The woman walked closer. Ava stood frozen in the pitch-black void of her own mind as the stranger extended a hand. Smiling faintly, Ava reached out and took it.
Dream? Ava thought.
Instantly, the dormant power roared back to life. A vibrant, otherworldly glow enveloped Ava in the physical world. Beneath her hands, Carter's pale complexion immediately began to clear, his shallow breathing stabilizing.
What was that? Ava wondered in awe. Did she just lend me her power?
But the sudden surge drained her just as quickly. A wave of intense vertigo slammed into her. Fighting the encroaching blackness, Ava dragged herself over to Rocky. She pressed her hands against his mangled leg, channeling the final remnants of the power to knit his wound together for a brief moment.
Then, her vision spun entirely. Her knees buckled and she collapsed, the distant, echoing wail of an approaching siren being the last thing she heard.
The rhythmic sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the void.
Ava's eyes fluttered open. She was lying on a crisp hospital bed, but there were no walls, no machines—just an endless, suffocating darkness surrounding her.
Where am I? Ava thought. Hearing the footsteps draw closer, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, straining her eyes against the gloom.
Suddenly, a striking woman stepped into view. She had long, midnight-black hair and matching dark eyes. She wore a sharp white button-down shirt, a pencil skirt, and a tailored jacket, her hands resting easily inside her jacket pockets.
As the woman approached, a realization hit Ava. Dream?
"Hi, my dear friend. I am Dream," the woman said, a warm, gentle smile gracing her face as she extended her hand.
Ava shook it, the touch confirming her suspicion. She recognized her instantly from the old photographs in Ron's house.
"Dream? How are you alive? And where are we?" Ava asked, her voice tight with confusion.
"Well, it looks like you already know who I am," Dream noted with a soft chuckle.
"I saw you in the pictures Ron kept," Ava explained, nodding.
Dream's expression softened. "We are inside your unconscious mind. I am simply the physical manifestation of the power you're wielding. That DA... he's a piece of work. He managed to siphon a fraction of my energy through Ron's copying ability and plant it inside you."
"DA? Right. I remember him," Ava said, a bittersweet smile tugging at her lips. "He really is something else."
Dream laughed softly in agreement. But as the echo of her laughter died down, a heavy, complicated silence settled over them. The air grew thick with unspoken history.
Dream looked at Ava, her gaze turning intensely vulnerable. "How... how is my Ron doing?"
The question stabbed at Ava's heart. She cast her eyes downward, the weight of sudden grief crushing her chest. "I couldn't save him," she whispered, her voice cracking as tears welling up and spilled over her cheeks.
Before she could spiral, Dream stepped forward. Her fingers were surprisingly warm as she gently wiped the tears from Ava's face.
"Don't carry that burden," Dream said softly. "I am incredibly grateful to you just for taking care of him."
Ava shook her head, still staring at the floor. "He was the one taking care of me."
A tender, nostalgic smile graced Dream's lips. "That's the Ron I know. The man I fell in love with. He always did everything he could to protect his friends."
"He did," Ava agreed quietly.
Dream sat beside her on the edge of the bed, gently patting her head. "We should try to get along with each other, too."
Ava looked up, her expression a mix of confusion and guilt. "Aren't you angry with me? I... I married him."
Dream stopped her with a gentle raise of her hand. "If I'm being completely honest? Yes, it stung. But I know Ron. If he did it, he must have had an undeniable reason."
"It was because of my brother," Ava confessed, eager to clear the air. "He was in deep trouble. For my safety, he practically begged Ron to marry me so I'd fall under his protection. My brother knew how powerful Ron was—that no one would dare come after his wife."
Dream listened intently, then nodded slowly. "If it was to protect you, then I understand. It's okay. But I am still I little sad."
Ava blinked, stunned by the woman's actions.
"I just hope that one day, we can all be reunited," Dream murmured, looking off into the dark expanse. "You, me, Ron... and Ines and Ai. My daughters."
"Your daughters are beautiful," Ava said earnestly. "Just like their mother."
A shared, genuine smile passed between them, a quiet bridge built over shared grief. But then, Dream's gaze dropped back down.
"You said Ron is gone," Dream murmured, the reality sinking into her voice.
Ava nodded silently.
"Then we will just have to wait to be together in the afterlife," Dream said, a quiet acceptance in her tone.
Ava looked down too, a nagging question finally rising to the surface. "Dream... can I ask you something?"
Dream nodded, encouraging her to speak.
"I heard from someone that Ron originally came from eight hundred years ago," Ava said, looking up to catch the ancient depths in the woman's dark eyes. "I wanted to know... are you from that era, too?"