Dorian opened the door and stepped inside.
The familiar quietness of his home welcomed him.
He placed his things down and sat on the edge of his bed.
For a moment, he simply stared at the floor.
Then he heard something that sounded like water dripping.
He turned to his side.
A cup of water sat on his table, but it had not spilled. Yet he could still hear it.
Drip.
Drip.
Slowly, the sound stopped, leaving him confused.
"Maybe all I need is some rest. The journey back home must have taken more out of me than I thought."
He lay down on his mattress and closed his eyes. At first, sleep wasn't ready to take him.
But eventually, he fell asleep.
In his dream, he was in the forest, walking around with his friends. They were talking and arguing as they usually did.
Then suddenly, he saw them.
Dead birds.
They were scattered everywhere across the forest ground.
Then he heard Leoric's laugh.
And with that, the dream suddenly turned against him.
Leoric stared at him with anger in his eyes.
"Do you want to know why all these birds are dead?"
"Why?" he asked.
"Because they did something they shouldn't have," Leoric answered.
"What are you tal—"
Dorian was interrupted.
"You know exactly what I am talking about!" Leoric continued, his voice changing and beginning to sound strange. "Didn't you ask about them back in the woods? Did you really care, or was your guilt getting to you?"
"Please, I didn't mean to cause any harm," Dorian said, crying as he covered his ears.
"Why are you crying? Wouldn't you want to know what it feels like to lie on this cold ground just like these birds? Wouldn't you like to share their pain?" Leoric asked as he walked closer.
Dorian began grunting as he held his chest.
"No. Please, no."
"There is no difference between you and them. Say goodbye, Dorian."
Just when he thought something was going to happen, Dorian opened his eyes in terror.
He immediately sat up.
An ocean of tears already covered his face.
He couldn't bear it anymore.
Something was extremely wrong.
Those things were just birds, but he could feel their pain. It almost felt real, as though he was the one dying.
He couldn't sleep again.
His eyes remained wide open as he held his legs close to his chest, fear keeping him awake as he waited for the morning light.
After some hours, the morning sun finally began to rise.
Dorian was still seated in the same position when he heard a knock on the door.
He slowly got off his mattress and opened the door.
The person standing before him was Leoric.
Leoric smiled.
"Would you like to join them?"
Dorian was taken aback.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"I said, would you like to join me for a walk?" Leoric replied. "But what is wrong, Dorian? You didn't sleep well? You look rather unkempt. Why don't you freshen up? I'll be waiting."
"Sure," Dorian finally answered with a nod.
Dorian closed the door behind him and walked back to his mattress.
He quickly changed his clothes and washed his face, trying to get rid of the tiredness that clung to him.
When he stepped outside again, Leoric was waiting nearby.
"You took your time," Leoric said with a small laugh.
"Sorry. I didn't sleep very well."
Leoric looked at him for a moment.
"I noticed."
Dorian frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You look like you haven't slept at all."
Dorian forced a smile.
"I'm fine."
Leoric studied his face for another moment before shrugging.
"If you say so."
They began walking together.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Dorian kept his eyes ahead, but his mind remained stuck on the dream.
The dead birds.
Leoric's voice.
The pain.
He swallowed hard.
"Leoric."
"Hmm?"
"Do you ever have strange dreams?"
Leoric glanced at him.
"Strange dreams?"
"Yes."
Leoric thought for a moment.
"Sometimes."
"What kind?"
"The usual. Being chased, falling from somewhere high, fighting someone I can't even remember."
Dorian nodded slowly.
"Nothing else?"
Leoric laughed.
"What else could there be?"
Dorian looked away.
"Nothing."
They continued walking.
A few moments later, they reached the edge of the village, where a small stream ran between the trees.
Leoric stopped.
"This is where I wanted to take you."
Dorian looked around.
"For what?"
Leoric pointed toward the stream.
"I thought we could spend some time here before the others arrive."
Dorian stared at the water.
It flowed gently over the stones.
Everything looked normal.
Yet something about it made his stomach tighten.
He took a step closer.
The sound of the water grew louder.
Dorian froze.
He looked around.
"Dorian?"
He blinked.
Leoric was looking at him.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah."
"You stopped walking."
"I thought I heard something."
Leoric tilted his head.
"Heard what?"
Dorian looked back at the stream.
"Nothing."
He forced himself to smile and walked over to the edge.
The water moved peacefully beneath the sunlight.
Dorian crouched down and touched it.
The moment his fingers touched the surface, he pulled his hand away.
His heart began beating faster.
Then suddenly—
"HELP!"
Dorian's head snapped toward the sound.
Leoric immediately stood up.
"What was that?"
"Help! Somebody please help my brother!"
A young woman called out from within the trees.
"Please!" she cried. "You have to help him!"
Leoric ran toward her voice, with Dorian following closely behind.
They finally reached her.
She looked frightened and out of breath.
"What happened?" Leoric asked.
"My brother," she said. "He's not waking up."
Dorian and Leoric exchanged a worried look before crouching beside her.
Dorian immediately stared at the young man lying on the ground.
The young woman called out his name through her tears.
"Elias!"
She gently shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up.
"Elias, please come back to me."
There was no response.
"Tell us everything. What happened to him?" Leoric asked.
The young woman looked up at them, tears filling her eyes.
"I don't know. We had just finished fetching water from the stream. He said he was tired and thirsty, so he drank some of the water."
She looked back at her brother.
"Then, as we continued walking, he complained of feeling weak. I didn't take it as anything serious, but after a few steps, he suddenly fell. I tried to wake him, but he won't get up."
Leoric stared at Elias.
"Has he been breathing normally?"
The young woman nodded quickly.
"Yes. He's breathing. He just won't wake up."
Dorian's eyes slowly moved around the forest.
His chest tightened.
He began thinking about the Silent Well.
The water rising around him.
The strange feeling that had passed through his body.
He remembered drinking it.
Dorian took a step backward.
"Dorian, are you hearing this?"
He looked at Leoric.
"You're pale."
Dorian tried to answer, but his vision suddenly blurred.
The voices around him began to sound distant.
"Dorian?"
He blinked several times.
The trees seemed to move around him.
"I…"
He reached for something to steady himself, but his legs suddenly felt weak.
Leoric stood up.
"Dorian!"
Dorian's eyes fell on the young woman's calabash lying beside her.
There was still water inside.
For a brief moment, he thought he saw ripples forming across its surface.
His breathing stopped.
The same feeling from his dream rushed through him.
Then everything went dark.
His body fell to the ground.
"DORIAN!"
Leoric rushed to catch him, but he was too late.
Dorian hit the ground unconscious.