„I came, I saw, I conquered, a quote said by Julius Caesar. I kept fighting. That is what mattered. The best is only yet to come."-Peter Zahn
It had been a week since their failed attempts to break the curse. Throughout this whole time, Vivien had been very stressed from thoughts of the upcoming exams, her future and what others thought of her.
She went to bed and couldn't fall asleep until four to five hours later, constantly tossing and turning while trying to fall asleep. When she did manage to get some shut-eye, she'd wake up numerous times during the night. Eventually, when morning finally came, it would feel like she hadn't slept the whole night, yet she wasn't tired one bit. She didn't even feel sleepy.
This continued to occur for several days. But if she hadn't slept for that long, she'd get hallucinations, which she didn't have.
She got curious about this strange phenomenon and decided to search for it online. What she was experiencing was paradoxical insomnia. When someone is too stressed out, the brain perceives itself as awake, even during light sleep. It can also cause them to never feel tired. Never be able to truly rest.
She'd still experience days when she'd have panic attacks and never be able to relax. Her heart would race continously and she'd hear it beating in her ears. She'd also feel sick to her stomach from the anxiety and never feel hungry. The thought of eating almost made her gag, since no food seemed pleasant to her anymore. But food used to be her comfort, and now, she felt like she could live without it.
Sometimes, she'd experience days when she'd feel totally okay, although it didn't last for long. It depended. But it was a neverending cycle of torture, and the one that did this to her was her own mind. It was always alert, looking for danger, for something to stress about. When there was absolutely nothing to be anxious for.
She also experienced derealization from her altered state of mind. She'd wonder why everything exists and if she was truly real, which made everything seem weird around her. It was an unbrearable feeling. Luckily, the derealization only lasted for about ten minutes, around the time a panic attack would also last.
Nevertheless, she tried to pull herself away from the atrocious memories and everything she had experienced. Vivien wanted help, she wanted to feel normal again.
She'd read in the book „The curse of Althemia" that there was only one option left to break their curse. They needed to obtain a red atrifact from a secret underground library which was only present in the future realm. The portal to the underground tunnel could only be opened by the ones who possessed supernatural powers.
But there was a problem. She didn't know what the artifact would do and how it could be used, because the information wasn't in the book. One page was ripped out of the fantasy novel she had, assuming that what was written on that missing page would have allowed her to find out more about the artifact. This made Vivien even more stressed out, wondering what its effects would be, exactly.
The girl gathered with Jude and Sylas to the exact location the underground tunnel could be found. Outside, on a deserted field with no other people walking around, they stood there, hoping whatever this artifact would do, it would help. She longed deeply for something or someone to help her out of her tribulations.
„Hmm.. how do we find out if Jude won't freak out during this mission? He hasn't been with us when glurbs attacked us.", Sylas asks.
„I'm not afraid of them. They're harmless, if you know how to deal with them."
„I still think you're secretly scared. There's no way. Even back at that abandoned house we went at, you were afraid there, too."
Jude sighed. „One... two... three... and I take a deep breath. I'm not mad... not mad.", he said, but his tone betrayed his words.
„What do you think, Vivi? Is he scared or not? My guess is that he's trying to hide his true fear away from us."
„Hmm... my guess is that... he's very scared.", she said, siding with Sylas.
„Okay... let's try this again, maybe it will work. One, two, three, and I take a deep breath. I'm not angry... at all. Phew."
„He's not angry, you surely heard that, right, Viv? You're my only witness here. Alright, let's wrap this up. Work your magic, darling."
Vivien crouched and touched the ground, her hand emitting that same purple magic. In a few seconds, a dark and narrow pathway appeared, making a hole in the ground. Why did all the tunnels they went through need to be so dimly lit and confined?
The three of them jumped inside the space which led to even more darkness. There was no visible end to the tunnel. That made Vivien panic a little bit, but she kept going. They couldn't stop now. She made her decision.
There were candles placed on the walls which allowed them to see in front of them. Otherwise, they would have needed a light source to be able to walk forward.
After a few minutes of moving through the pathway, they came across a bigger space. In front of them was the red artifact the girl learnt about in the book. Except it was heavily guarded by glurbs. And these monsters were absolutely huge in size, comparing to the ones that they got used to which had attacked them before. They moved around in circles, trying to detect anybody who would try to steal the artifact.
The three made up their plans for how to grab the red gemstone displayed right in front of them. Jude said that he'd attract the attention of the glurbs so that Vivien can run and take the artifact. Sylas would also intervene, but only after Jude would give him the signal to.
With that being said, Jude stepped forward and attracted the glurbs' attention by waving his hand and yelling. They immediatelly ran towards him, and that was when he started running forward without looking back.
„If you're planning to go there by yourself, I hope you'll be careful."
„One of us must risk it and take that gemstone, either way."
„I don't really want it to be you..."
„It doesn't matter."
„No, how could you say that? Of course it matters!"
Vivien ignored his concern. She was too tired and numb to care about what was going to happen. She couldn't feel anything anymore.
„Should I go, now?"
„I'm waiting for Jude's signal. After that, you're going to run and take the artifact. Don't you recall what we talked about?"
„Yes... right.", she looked to the right, staring off into space. She seemed to be out of it, as if searching for something that could make her feel again.
„Look at me."
She turned her head towards him. Vivien's eyes locked onto his, in that moment. She wanted to convey everything she'd been through, but her heart rested knowing he could tell when something was wrong, all the time.
Sylas pulled her closer and kissed her. That action made whatever emptiness she had slip away in an instant. In a brief moment, her soul was filled with an uneplainable sense of happiness and love. Their lips continued to move against each other for a few seconds. Then, Sylas pulled away, resting his forehead on hers. He didn't say anything for a few moments.
„Remember when you called me a nudnik at the library, that one time?"
„Haha, yes, I do!"
„I have a question, regarding that specific moment. What's your opinion about nudniks like me?"
„Nudniks like you... they're peculiar. They don't conform to usual norms, they're expressive, they're loud, they're vexatious, yet only at times. But I love them. What is your opinion on bookworms like me?"
„Bookworms are quiet, retrieved, but they have this secret side to them that shines without them realizing it. They're smart, they're strong, they're genuine, they're wise, and overall amazing."
Sylas pulled away from her forehead and looked into her eyes. His smile was so bright, it made Vivien also beam with joy.
„I love bookworms, too. I couldn't imagine my world without them in it."
Even if she'd never told him before, Vivien's love language is words of affirmation. Meaningful conversations were so important to her, because she always analyzed people's words. They always lingered in her mind. Therefore, when someone complimented her, it remained engraved in her soul for a very long time.
After a bit longer, Sylas heard the whistle from Jude. That was his cue to leave.
„See you, sweetheart.", Sylas said as he stood up, sticking his tongue out at her before walking away to help Jude distract the glurbs.
Vivien waited for him to leave the room. She got up and walked forward, coming closer to the red gemstone displayed. She reached forward, thinking it would be a better idea to take it with her left hand. It didn't have the FL letters like on her right palm, though her left hand was still bandaged because of the burn. She pulled up her sleeve and picked up the artifact. Then, she placed the small gemstone into the pocket of her coat.
A bit later, she noticed Jude and Sylas running towards her. They yelled at her to run towards the exit.
That's when she turned around and began to sprint without looking back. Her only goal was to escape from this dark tunnel that was confining them. This dark pit that was taking hold of her life. It felt dark and narrow, with no way out, but she could still make it back to where she came from.
When arriving at the end of the tunnel, they wondered how they could get back up. They were basically inside an underground hole, walls encircling them. Their only way of getting up would be to push each other up.
The walls around them looked like they were closing in. The glurbs from behind them were coming, faster and faster. Time kept moving without stopping. The monsters wouldn't hold back from attacking them and turning them into themselves.
In that stressful situation, when it seemed like there was no way out, Vivien got the idea to ask the magic for help. The purple magic responded. It came into action as soon as she asked for its help, a purpled strand steeming from Vivien's hand. It formed a purple stepway out of the pit.
They used that stepway to get out of the dark tunnel. Finally, after what felt like hours, they were done with their operation to steal the artifact. They could rest.
The girl looked at the two boys. She was oncerned, she hoped they were safe and sound now, that they had no wounds.
When the underground tunnel beneath them eventually closed, the girl thought about a conversation she had with Jude. Vivien reminisced on his words. She had asked him, before commiting to taking the artifact, what the unusual gemstone would do, and he responded to her.
„Only someone with a branding can use the artifact. Your hand is branded, so you're cursed to suffer terribly in the future."
„When we will use the artifact, will our futures look better?"
„No... it makes you exchange bodies with a random person of the same gender in the vecinity. Your memories with that random individual will also switch, and you won't remember anything from this life, but from theirs. You'll only have the memories of the person you exchanged bodies with, and the other person will gain your memories, instead."
„That is... debatable. It's a body exchange. I'm willing to try it."
„You won't remember me, or Sylas, or anyone else. Also, your family won't realize it's not you in the same body. Their minds will also be affected by the artifact, so they'll think you're the same person."
„This is better than me leaving college and going missing, isn't it?"
„I... I'm sorry, Viv."
„Don't be. If we meet and you recognize me by personality, you have to ask to be friends again."
„I will ask..."
„Okay.", she nodded.
Vivien wished to be someone else, anyways. She had always wanted to abandon her past and to start a new life as somebody new.