Astralyth Online

Chapter 16 – Dreams

Madelyn stood in the familiar hallway, staring down its cold, sterile length. She felt the tension knotting in her chest as she weighed her options. The last two times she had been here, she had instinctively walked toward the woman in the tank. The first time, those piercing amethyst eyes had opened, locking onto hers, and that image still lingered in her mind. The second time, she had heard the woman’s voice in her head, a quiet yet urgent plea for help.

It was unsettling—this place, the woman, everything. Madelyn didn’t know what it all meant, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this woman was connected to everything that had happened to her. Somehow, she was intertwined with her transformation into Madelyn and the strange experiences in Astralyth Online. The thought gnawed at her, tugging at her curiosity and fear.

But what could she do? The hallway stretched before her, identical doors lining the walls like silent sentinels. The door to the room where the woman was held had always been the one that called to her, slightly ajar, beckoning her forward. She felt that familiar pull again now, the tug of something that wanted her to return, to find answers.

Madelyn hesitated, her heart pounding. She didn’t want to go back there. The last encounter had left her shaken. The woman had seemed so powerful, so ancient, and the message in her voice had been cryptic, leaving Madelyn with more questions than answers. But still, she felt compelled to seek her out once more, to try and understand what was happening.

Maybe this time I’ll get more answers, she thought, her feet already moving down the hallway despite her anxiety. Each step echoed softly in the sterile silence, the cold air brushing against her skin like a whisper of something unseen.

As she neared the familiar door, that slight crack in the doorframe felt more ominous than before. She swallowed, pausing just outside. The room beyond held mysteries she didn’t know if she was ready to confront. But doing nothing felt worse.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open, the soft creak of hinges breaking the heavy silence. The automatic lights flickered on, bathing the room in harsh white light. Her eyes immediately went to the center of the room—the massive glass tank still stood there, dominating the space, and inside, the woman floated in that strange yellow liquid, still as serene as before.

Madelyn’s heart raced. She didn’t know why she kept returning to this place, but she felt a strange connection to the woman. And she was certain, deep down, that the woman had answers—answers about who she really was, about why this had happened to her.

Taking a tentative step closer, she wondered if this time, she would finally understand the truth.

Madelyn stepped closer to the tank, her heart thudding in her chest, but nothing happened at first. The woman remained suspended in the yellowish liquid, her amethyst eyes closed, and the eerie stillness filled the room. Madelyn hesitated, unsure of what to do next. The oppressive feeling of wrongness washed over her again, stronger this time, like an invisible weight pressing down on her.

"I don’t understand," Madelyn muttered, her voice barely audible in the vast silence. Her hand trembled as she placed it on the cool glass of the tank, her fingers splayed against its surface. The connection felt both familiar and unsettling, as if the glass itself was a barrier to something far more powerful than she could comprehend.

Then, suddenly, she heard it again—the woman’s voice. But like before, it wasn’t spoken aloud. It resonated inside Madelyn’s mind, a soft, yet firm tone that sent shivers down her spine.

"They don’t know what they’re messing with."

The words echoed, and before Madelyn could process them fully, the world around her shifted. The sterile white room with the glass tank disappeared in an instant, and she found herself in an entirely different place. She blinked in confusion, disoriented by the sudden change.

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She was now standing in a cave—but not a dark, menacing cave like she might have expected. Instead, this place felt oddly cozy. Warm light flickered from torches mounted on the walls, casting a soft glow over the stone interior. The air was cooler, but not uncomfortable, and the earthy scent of the cave walls mixed with the subtle aroma of something... calming. It was far from the cold, clinical atmosphere she had just left.

Madelyn turned slowly, taking in her new surroundings. The walls were smooth, as though someone had lived here for a long time. There were shelves carved into the rock, filled with strange objects she couldn’t identify—small trinkets, tools, and even what appeared to be ancient scrolls. A low stone table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by large, comfortable cushions, the kind that invited someone to sit and stay awhile. The entire place felt... lived-in, as though it belonged to someone who valued both practicality and comfort

"Where am I?" Madelyn whispered to herself, her voice barely carrying in the still air. Her mind spun with questions. What was this place? And why had she been brought here?

Before she could move or explore further, the voice returned, still carrying an air of urgency.

"They don’t know who they’ve angered."

Madelyn’s heart leapt at the sudden movement in the corner of her eye. A small red fox pup darted through the chamber, its fur bright against the muted stone surroundings. The sight was unexpected, and for a moment, all she could do was watch as the tiny creature raced across the room, its paws padding lightly on the ground. The pup let out playful yips, full of energy, as it jumped onto the soft cushions scattered around the low stone table, rolling and bouncing in pure joy.

A strange warmth filled Madelyn's chest, a stark contrast to the tension she had felt moments before. The carefree nature of the pup was infectious, and despite the confusion and weight of everything happening, she couldn’t help but smile slightly at its antics.

Her smile faded when another movement drew her attention. From the same passage the pup had come from, a figure emerged. Madelyn’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized the woman immediately—the same woman she had seen in the tank, the one with the haunting amethyst eyes. But here, she was different. Gone was the eerie stillness and the aura of wrongness that had surrounded her in the sterile room. Now, she seemed... alive, full of life and warmth.

The woman’s face was lit with a bright, joyful smile as she walked into the room, her steps light and graceful. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back, and her eyes, still the deep amethyst color, sparkled with a softness Madelyn hadn’t seen before. She made no acknowledgment of Madelyn’s presence. In fact, it was as if she didn’t see her at all.

Madelyn stood frozen, her eyes wide as the woman approached the pup. The woman let out a soft laugh, kneeling down by the cushions to play with the little fox. The pup immediately bounded over to her, its tail wagging furiously as it nuzzled into her hands. The woman’s laughter was light and full of warmth, completely at odds with the serious, almost ominous feeling she had projected before.

Madelyn felt like she was intruding on an intimate moment, a snapshot of a life she didn’t understand. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The woman from the tank—this mysterious, powerful figure—was playing with the fox pup as if everything was normal. As if there were no tanks, no sterile hallways, no cryptic warnings about something dangerous.

"Is this... real?" Madelyn whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the stillness of the chamber.

The woman didn’t respond, her attention solely focused on the little fox, whose playful antics filled the room with energy. It yipped happily, jumping and rolling, and the woman’s laughter echoed in the chamber, soft and melodic. The sound filled Madelyn with a strange sense of calm, but also deep confusion. Why was she seeing this? What was this place? And why was the woman so different here?

Madelyn's mind spun with more questions, but no answers came. The woman and the pup continued to play, unaware of her presence, as if this was a memory she had somehow stumbled into—a glimpse of a life long past, or a vision of something she couldn’t yet understand.

Madelyn watched the serene scene unfold before her, the fox pup darting playfully around the woman. The warmth in the room contrasted sharply with the cold, sterile environment she had encountered the woman before. For a brief moment, everything seemed peaceful. But then, without warning, the woman’s eyes lifted from the pup and locked onto Madelyn.

Her amethyst eyes were no longer soft or playful. They were piercing, intense, as if they were staring straight into Madelyn’s very soul. The woman’s gaze held her in place, and in that instant, Madelyn felt a surge of energy coursing through her body. The warmth from earlier was gone, replaced by a strange, overwhelming sensation, like she was being pulled into something far beyond her comprehension.

Suddenly, the world around her erupted into a kaleidoscope of colors. Vivid, swirling hues surrounded her, consuming the cozy cave and the playful pup in an instant. It was as if the entire scene had shattered, fragments of light and color exploding in every direction. Madelyn’s heart raced, her breath caught in her throat as she felt herself being swept up in the chaos. She tried to cry out, to make sense of what was happening, but no sound escaped her lips.

Then, just as quickly as it had started, everything stopped.

Madelyn gasped as her eyes snapped open. She found herself lying on her back, staring up at the familiar ceiling of her bedroom. The stillness of the room pressed down on her, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure if she had just woken up from a dream or if the whole experience had been something else entirely. Her body was shivering, her pulse pounding in her ears. Every muscle felt tense, like she had just run a marathon.

Her mind scrambled to process everything she had seen—the cozy cave, the playful fox, the woman’s piercing gaze. And then the explosion of colors... what did it all mean?

"What the hell was that?" she muttered to herself, her voice shaky.

She sat up slowly, rubbing her hands over her face, trying to calm the trembling that still lingered in her body. The vision, or dream, or whatever it had been, had felt so real. Too real. It was like the previous times she had seen the woman in the tank, but more intense, more vivid.

Madelyn’s hands shook as she tried to steady her breath. Why did she keep seeing that woman? And what was the meaning behind the cryptic voice, the strange warnings?

She looked around her room, trying to ground herself in the present. The comforting sight of her familiar belongings—her desk, her posters, the soft light filtering through the window—helped a little, but the unsettling feeling remained. There were no answers, just more questions swirling in her head.

She needed to figure this out. Whatever was happening to her wasn’t going away. It was getting more intense, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that the woman in the tank was somehow at the center of it all.

Madelyn lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, her mind spinning with questions. The only problem was that none of the answers seemed within reach. Who was the woman? That question had haunted her since the first time she’d seen her in the tank. Now, with each dream or vision, the connection felt stronger, but no clearer.

And the fox pup? The cozy scene she had witnessed—the woman laughing and playing with the small creature—it didn’t make any sense. There was something almost intimate about the moment, something that felt personal, but not to her. It was as if she were peering into someone else’s life, seeing memories that weren’t her own. Why did it feel so familiar?

Madelyn's brow furrowed in frustration. She felt like she should know the woman, like the answer was just out of reach, teasing her from the edge of her memory. But she was certain she’d never met anyone like her. There was no one in her life who matched the woman’s appearance or the intense presence she exuded.

"Why do I keep seeing her?" Madelyn muttered under her breath, the unease gnawing at her insides. She rolled over onto her side, clutching her tail closer as if it could somehow shield her from the strange, overwhelming sensations still lingering from the dream.

The image of those amethyst eyes locking onto her wouldn’t leave her mind. It was as though the woman knew Madelyn was watching, knew she was intruding on these visions, and yet didn’t seem angry. It felt more like a warning—or an invitation. But to what?

Madelyn sighed, her thoughts tangled up in a web of confusion and half-formed theories. She was no closer to understanding anything than she had been before. The woman’s cryptic messages—they don’t know what they’re messing with—echoed in her head, but provided no clarity. Messing with what? Who were they? Was it connected to Astralyth Online? Was it something even bigger than that? It didn't make sense.

The exhaustion from the emotional roller coaster of the day, combined with the intensity of the dream, weighed heavily on her. Madelyn felt her eyelids grow heavy, her body sinking deeper into the mattress. Her thoughts blurred, the edges of her consciousness fraying as sleep tugged at her.

"I’ll figure it out later," she whispered to herself, her mind too tired to keep wrestling with the puzzle. There had to be an answer, somewhere, but for now, she just needed rest. The tension in her body began to fade as sleep slowly took her over.

As she drifted off, the image of the woman’s smiling face and the playful fox pup lingered in the back of her mind, haunting her even as she slipped into the depths of sleep. Whatever the truth was, Madelyn knew it was only a matter of time before she found herself drawn back into that strange, mysterious world once more.