Pretending To Be Gilead's Prince and Master Wizard

The captain's question also soon becomes a question inside my head. Why do I always have the urge to follow him? Why do I have this feeling that we somehow… knew each other in the past? 

What is wrong with me?

"Speak at once! I don't want my time getting wasted in this nonsense!" Captain Alex roared as soon as his temper snapped. It's kind of weird that I didn't flinch at his voice, or it did not startle me at all. I feel this unusual feeling that I am somewhat used to his ill-tempered manner all along.

After being silent for a while now, I gathered my courage to speak. More people are now flocking around us as a result of the captain's outburst just now. All of them are exchanging whispers to one another that I may have some serious trouble with the law or anything of that sort.

With a straight face, I finally mustered the will to speak my thoughts out loud. 

"This may sound weird, and I am fully aware that you may not know me well the same way that I do not know anything about you, but…"

"Get straight to the point already! Geez!" 

"Alright, alright. Don't be such an ill-tempered captain, will you?! " I countered then paused for a moment. Oh no…. did I just talk back to the captain like that? I wondered how did I get that courage huh.

From what I observed with him, he did not seem to be mad at me at all, so I carried on and advanced a few steps forward towards him without minding the people around us. The captain, on the other hand, seemed to mind the prying eyes and ears of the crowd, hence he suddenly creates a wall that totally isolates us from the rest of the residents.

"Well, that's a relief." I blurted out. He only glared at me as his response so I proceeded right away with what I am about to say to him.

"Lately, I have been seeing you in my visions every single night without really knowing who you are. In my visions, we talked as if we are close to each other, laughing… walking side by side, and I even saw you look drunk once in my dreams and we were just staring into the night skies while we're sitting on some sidewalk."

I paused for a moment to see his reaction. The captain's lips are surprisingly parted, his eyes wide-eyed as he looked at me straight into my eyes.

He didn't seem to have anything to say at the moment and just waited for me to continue, and that's what I did.

"I have been seeing my alienist for quite some time now, and he strongly suggested for me to meet the person in my dreams and see if there is anything I will learn from you…" In this statement, I looked at him hopefully, waiting if there is anything he would like to share about, but he speak nothing and immediately crushed my hopes away.

With a sigh, I delivered my last statement. "Well, that is all. I have to go now…"

Yet after I said that, he did not barge and just stood his ground, like his brain is still processing the things that I said just now. As I was about to get ready to break free from these walls myself, I felt something warm that touched my right hand…

"Wait!"

Upon looking, it's his hand that is now gently gripping mine. I instantly felt the tingling of my skin, like my body already got used to his warmth that I immediately felt comfortable under his touch.

Before I knew it, all those hidden memories that were stored deep down in my subconscious mind are now starting to resurface in a series of flashbacks. Captain Alex must have felt it too, for he also has that bewildered reaction that is same as mine as we met each other's gazes.

["W-Why are you crying, mister?!"]

["Do you really think you can run away from me?"]

["I am Lancelot, archbishop of Citadel. Then that is Alex, captain of the magic army. And this is Lucas, a royal counsellor."]

["We will need your face…"]

["Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Prince Arthur Spellman of Gilead!"]

["You're just a mere replica of the prince and master wizard!"]

["I'm sorry Krisella… For dragging you into this."]

["...thus he called it our secret hideout."]

["I must hurry…"]

["... I am definitely certain that I like you, Alexander Crimson. I like you very much."]

["...because we all got your back, Krisella."]

["Dear Diary…"]

["Do you know anything about dreamwalking?"]

["Goodbye… my friend."]

["You have to run out of here! Right now!"]

["You… You're sick! How could you do this to all of us?"]

["... I'm afraid you have to be put to sleep."]

["Goodbye, Krisella. It was nice meeting you."]

***

As the flashbacks slowly fade away, the realization from all of it became stronger inside me. With a downcast face, I tried to process it one by one. This is too much for me to handle that I am now starting to have some severe headache from any of this.

All those things that I have seen just now…. They are real! I became part of a secret mission of impersonating the prince and master wizard! I know this guy after all, and we were THAT close with one another. The culprit! I now have an idea who that was! And this diary! I have to get it so that I can read for myself what are the things I've written there! Not to mention there is this secret hideout that only me and this guy knows that we all have to visit!

The only problem is… If those things from my vision are inside the castle, how am I supposed to get my hands into it?

"Like you, I have also had these constant visions of you every single night from the moment I saw you back there at the antique store. I never knew why, but I felt as if you were a part of my life…" 

His hand that was once in my right hand slowly made its way up to my chin and gently lifted it up for me to meet his gaze at once. 

"Alex…" I called out his name like it is a natural thing for me to do.

"Krisella…" Alex's voice now was full of pain and longing as what I am also feeling right now. This heat between us is so overwhelming, that I do not know what to do anymore.

"I don't know what might happen to us after this, but before it becomes too late, I want you to know that…"

Alex's face is surprisingly beet red at the moment, but his eyes are not backing out. As he tried his best to maintain his composure, his face slowly leaning in towards mine. All I did was to close my eyes and wait.

"... I love you, Krisella. I really do."

Before I knew it, his soft lips came crashing into mine. From being gentle, he pulls me in closer to him as he deepens the kiss, our tongue fighting dominance with one another. I completely surrendered myself to his touch, not really wanting to be away from him any longer.

After a few moments, he breaks free from the kiss and it gives us a window of opportunity to catch each other's breath. However, I noticed that his eyes are steady and is eagerly staring at me, like he wants to say something else but is trying to hold himself back.

I reached out for his hand and gently caressed it. "Hey, what's the matter?"

I saw him blush for a split second, which nearly surprised me. Him… being the proud and once arrogant captain of the magic army, blushing in front of a girl? Impossible!

At least, that is what I wanted to believe.

When he didn't say anything, I pushed him even more. "Come on now, what is it?"

"Well, I was wondering…" Alex paused for a moment, as if he was thinking of the right words to say. "Would you like us to go somewhere else… away from this crowd around us?"

Normally, I would have trouble understanding what he means at first then he would eventually explain it for me while frowning for being slow to understand. But now, I seriously get what he means now the first time… like we are sharing the same thought at the moment.

Like I've said, our visions are somewhat interconnected with one another long before all of these are happening… It's like, we are meant to be together at some point.

"Yes, please." 

I saw the great captain of the magic army smirked before snapping his fingers right away. There was a change of scenery after that in a flash. 

One look at my surroundings and I immediately know where we are right now without having been told. 

We are now in his room…