I opened my eyes.

The scenario was of a city taken by battle.

Demons had invaded that city and would take it for themselves by force. Civilians were evacuated while warriors faced demons, with swords, arrows, spears, pistols and powerful spells.

And I was there. For some reason, I was there.

I could feel the heat of the flames, the cold of the icy wind from the freezing spells and the smell of gunpowder mixed with blood entered my nose.

I was also fighting the demons and I was doing well. Even though I was tired, I still had the strength to continue. However, my luck turned upside down when she showed up.

A demonic woman. Her hair was red as if it was dyed by red wine and her eyes, as red as a jewel, shone with the ferocity of a bloodthirsty creature. I remember the reflected light of the moon hitting her back, making her face darker and highlighting the fierce glow of her eyes.

Despite my fear, it wasn't me that she was hunting. It was someone else, but I didn't want to allow her to attack them. Fortunately, I was fast enough to push the target away from her claws, but I was not fast enough to deviate from its range.

What came next was the feeling of having your back pierced and torn. My body started to exhale the smell of blood. The wound had been serious enough for me to surrender to fatigue. I fell to the ground, with no strength to get up.

Someone had approached me and put me in their arms, shouting my name, but their voice sounded so distant. I think they had said something about "hold on”, but I couldn’t confirm, I was losing my senses. The last thing I remember hearing was the sound of a sword crossing a body and a scream of shrill pain and finally, I blacked out.

………

I opened my eyes once again. This time, I was lying on a bed in a train car. There was no blood, no gunpowder, no fire, no demonic woman. This time, I was awake. This was reality.

Sighing relieved, I got up, sitting on the bed. The private cabin was the same way I remembered when I went to sleep. The difference was that the sun's rays passed through the windows and the curtains had been opened.

I looked at the other bed next to me, it was empty and messy. In other words, Erina had woken up before me.

Speaking of her, I heard the noise of a door handle opening. This noise came from too far ahead, on the bathroom door of the wagon. From there, a young girl with blonde hair and green eyes came out dressed in a white robe and wiping her wet hair with a towel of the same colour. This girl was none other than Erina Banloros, my travel colleague on this train and a long-time friend.

“Gosh, what a great bath!”, She sighed to herself, expressing how that bath had reinvigorated her, “Ah, good morning, Amaris!”, When she noticed that I was awake, she greeted me excitedly. However her excitement became a concerning look the moment she saw my face, “What happened to you?”

“I'm fine. It was just a nightmare.”

“And it looks like it was a rough one...”, Erina commented and was quiet for a few seconds, thinking about what to do now, “Look, how about you take a shower to cool your head? Then you tell me everything.”

I nodded in agreement and got out of bed. After going to get a change of clothes in my suitcase, I went to the bathroom and closed the door. Because it was a wagon, the bathroom was small, but it was structured so as not to look claustrophobic. I could still smell the products that Erina used in the bath, leaving the room with a freshness of refined flowers. I went to the sink and washed my face, raising my head to look at the mirror soon after. Seeing the fog that had accumulated in the glass, I instinctively cleaned it with my forearm, revealing the reflection of my sleepy face.

Looking at the mirror, I felt the need to find out something, so I took off my nightgown and turned a little to the side so I could see the reflection of my back. In my dream, the demonic woman attacked me from behind, tearing my back, so I looked for the presence of a large scar. As could already be expected, there was no injury to my back, which means that there is the possibility of that attack of demons will happen in the near future. Sometimes, I confess that I feel sad for not seeing a scar on my back since it would mean that the attack I feared so much had already happened and I had survived.

Having to leave my lamentations aside, I got into the bathtub and turned on the shower. Although a bathtub bath is great for relaxing, Erina and I would arrive at our destiny this morning, so a shower would have to work. The water that hit my body seemed to have the power to put my thoughts in order, as if it were a potion. Combined with the delicious smell of the soap, such a wonderful feeling was created that it made me want to take this shower forever.

But of course I couldn't stay in the shower forever, so soon came the moment when I removed all the foam on my body. Stepping out of the shower, I took a towel and wiped myself. With a dry body, I took the lilac dress I had brought and put it on. My hair was still messy, so I left the bathroom to go to the dressing table.

Sitting on the dressing table was Erina, who fixed her hair in a ponytail with a red bow made of a high quality material whose name does not come to my memory. She was wearing a red dress with white lace and a blue ribbon tied around her waist. Underneath the dress, she wore a petticoat that gave volume, but without making the dress too heavy, a mixture of mobility and elegance.

Erina Banloros has always been like this. Her family, the Banloros are famous traders who reached fortune through their negotiations. Even with so many brothers and sisters, she never lacked anything. On the contrary, she always had enough for her to live in luxury. And how she loves luxury! She always makes a point of living in style and with everything she is entitled to and this has always been evident in her expensive clothes and decision-making. To give you an idea, this trip in this particular wagon was her idea!

“Amaris!”, Erina turned to see me and got up from the chair, “Sit here! I want to style your hair!”

As I had no reason or desire to refuse - and I already knew she would insist until I gave in - I agreed and sat in front of the dressing table. Since she had a fancy lifestyle, Erina also liked to keep me well-groomed. Whenever she has the opportunity, she gives me new clothes and beauty products. It arrived at a point where much of my wardrobe was made up of clothes she gave me. Even the dress I'm wearing was given by her. And, it can be said that she financially supported me. Being her friend was definitely something beneficial. But the benefits went beyond money, because there was something more important that united us, a secret that could only stay between us...