Several weeks had flown by since the dreams started, or nightmares depending on how you looked at it. The death of her parents was a hard ones to get past especially since they were obviously still alive; still to see things like that in such clarity it was enough to wake her in a panic.

There were times when she woke up startled from a gruesome attack, and when she looked down at her own hands she could see the blood stains as if it was an event that had just happened. Even though a year had gone by Acrucis would never be able to forget the student Thraen once carried or the condition he had been in when she found him at his safe house; a place she had not been back to since checking on him later that same day. It had taken all her magic, not once but twice, just to alleviate some of his discomfort and yet it still ultimately wasn’t good enough.

“Heh. Will I ever be?” The Senshi of Prayer asked aloud. If the dreams were anything to be believed then the answer would be no. There was hope though in those visions when she caught glimpses of a much stronger prayer that was able to heal far more than simple cuts and scrapes. Even in the end... her thoughts trailed off not wanting to remember the most recent of memories that took place on her homeworld.

For a while she walked in silence through the gravel path that wove through the woods on the north eastern part of Destiny City. The weather was freezing but she came prepared; or rather as prepared as one could be. Just like the previous year she remembered her blue fleece blanket which she wrapped tightly around her shoulders willing it to become something more of a second skin. Next time she’d have to remember to slip on a pair of tights or something just to spare her bare legs; if there was a next time.

Acrucis wandered aimlessly, not necessarily looking for anyone or seeking a specific destination, rather to ‘just be’. There was a part of her that desperately wanted to reach out to Delilah and tell her about what she saw but she wasn’t sure if that would be a wise idea or not. It may confirm that there was more truth to these dreams than what she originally assumed; then again the opposite could be said as well depending on whatever her sister said.

“Those eyes…” Her voice was no higher than the whisper of wind that rushed passed her in haste. Despite the fact that they remained the same crimson color there was a look of unfamiliarity in them that broke her heart time and time again. “I can’t lose you.”

A lump formed in her throat then at the possibility and so Acrucis stopped for a moment and rested her back against the rough bark of a naked deciduous tree. The number of times she had called out to the Senshi of Doves just to be on the receiving end of a blank stare or glare of hatred was enough to make her fall to her knees in desperation and beg for her sister to come back.

The Senshi of Prayer sniffled then; whether it was because she was overcome with sadness or it was just that cold out depended on who was asking. Even so she reached up with her fleece blanket and buried her face in the soft fabric. “None of this makes any sense.” She was frustrated and rightfully so because for the first time she had absolutely nobody to go to.

Seconds turned into minutes before she calmed down enough to resume her wondering once more though this time in a numbing haze. It was then, as she passed by an old maple tree, that she felt a brush against the furthest reaches of her senses. A whisper of something unidentifiable that tugged her curiosity and replaced her previous thoughts of a possible future.

What started out as a walk soon progressed into a jog then a full out sprint as she sought the location of the odd aura. I’ve been around Sheena enough to know its not mauvian and it’s definitely not senshi. Then again it didn’t feel like it was chaos either. Oh please don’t be a shade thing again. That would be very unfortunate if they came back again on the eve of their last encounter.

She came to an abrupt halt then in front of a very knobby tree and it was there she stood panting till her breath became even once more. There in one of the crevices of bark which resembled a scar across its wooden flesh was a faint light, a shimmer like a distant star. Like a moth drawn to a flame Acrucis reached out and carefully pulled back a piece of the bark revealing golden shard. Carefully she removed the precious sliver and held it in her open hand marveling at it as if it were a rare treasure.

The sound of a twig snapping behind her startled the senshi enough that she closed her fingers around the shard and withdrew her hand into the folds of her fleece blanket, pressing it against her chest. Like a timid doe she did not wait to find out who or what was nearby and proceeded to flee away from the sound back the way she had come. There were no order or chaos signatures around but it didn’t mean it couldn’t have been another monster of sorts beside those youma creatures or it could be a civilian out on a late night hike. Either way standing around waiting to find out was not in her best interest and so she hustled home; back to the safety and comfort of her own room and it was there she placed the shard in a glass jar she had once used for sand she had collected from the beach then stowed away in her desk draw till she could figure out what to do with it, whenever that might be.