Back in Luna's room, Theia slept in the bed, her breathing heavy and her face slick with sweat.
She frowned, her face contorting in pain as if she dreamed something unpleasant. Just as she began gasping for air, we slowly drew closer to her face, then spun into her nightmare.
***
A girl of peerless beauty, with pure white skin, long silky white hair, and deep blue eyes, leaned towards Theia. She had her hands behind her back and looked up at her, saying, "It was fun, right? This place is really beautiful. It's nothing but fun, right?"
The girl extended a hand towards Theia in a fist but with her pinky standing out, saying, "Since dad created you yesterday, we are family from now on, right? Let's be together forever, okay?"
Theia extended her hand towards her, and they shook while intertwining their pinkies.
The girl, with her eyes closed, smiled widely from ear to ear while blushing.
She jumped back and spun on her toes, then stopped while bending forward before smiling widely, exposing her pure white teeth.
***
Theia opened the door to the palace basement, looking back at the doll-like servants with their ball-joints, all of them with black hair and black eyes.
"Are you sure she went there?" Theia asked, pointing down the staircase.
Every one of the few dozen servants on the ground, first, and second floors stopped in their tracks and turned towards her. They all bowed and said "Yes" simultaneously.
So, Theia entered the basement, closing the door behind her, and made her way down.
She grabbed the lamp beside her, illuminating the path as she slowly descended the tediously long staircase.
The light reached far down but couldn't find the bottom. The sounds of the servants slowly dimmed, replaced by the eerie sound of empty silence.
With each step Theia took, the sound bounced off the wet, stony walls, echoing through the corridor.
After minutes had passed, Theia finally arrived at the doors at the end of the corridor, an empty room waiting beside them.
"Niv, are you there? Please answer me. You really scared me with your disappearance; I searched for you all over the island."
She moved towards the door, reaching for the handle. "Honestly, I wanted to keep it a secret for a while longer, but I have a precious present for you." As Theia grabbed the handle, she scratched her face as a blush grew redder.
"I am sure you will love it. I took many days to create it so that you'd finally be able to be like those knights your father told you about from the Creation."
Theia pushed down on the handle, forcing the doors open. The hinges squealed loudly.
"The armor you always wanted—I had it made for you, and I want to give it to you. So please, come up with me."
As Theia cast the lamp's light into the room, the opening doors slowly revealed an arm suspended in the air. "Niv?"
The doors opened more, revealing the body of Nivaris slowly rotating as it hung from a rope, swaying from left to right.
Blood flowed down from her neck, dripping onto a five-pointed star filled with a puddle of blood.
The blood dripped down Niv's white, silky hair, imbibing it, slowly either falling to the ground or making ripples in the puddle, being absorbed into her cotton-white dress.
"Niv?" Theia asked, her eyes slowly growing wide open. Her face contorted forcefully, as much as it was possible for her; slowly, the skin began to break apart as tears started flowing down her cheeks.
The lamp in her hand loosened and fell from her grip. As it fell to the ground, it shattered in Niv's blood, and a blood-gurgling scream sounded through the staircase. "Niv!"
The dream dissipated as Theia jolted upwards in bed, screaming, "Niv!"
She gasped for air, gripping her face in her palms. Breathing in and out, she relaxed and fell back onto the pillow.
She took the pillow from under her head and placed it over her face, muffling the sounds of weeping. But still, some escaped the isolation, sounding gently through the room.