Sleepwalker {Seducing Me} {1} {A Tuomas Holopainen/Nightwish Fan-Fiction}

A windy torrent of rain sprayed through the corridor's tiny windows, thoroughly saturating the already shivering figure creeping down the dim, stony floors, darting through irregularly cast shadows. Beneath the ragged cloak wrapped tightly around the feminine form rested a gleaming pendant of dark silver and sapphire. Her hand constantly reached up between her breasts for reassurance her prized treasure was still secure around her neck. Fingers clutched tightly against it, she strove forward. Though her flesh was weary with exhaustion, her spirit was determined in its hope of finding a door--the door that would unlock her...her...

Well, she wasn't exactly sure what it would unlock. Her quest had begun long ago, after she had broken the Mirror of Schizophrenia in its storming, symmetrical valley. After discovering the Mirror's secret and destroying it, a wise man had appeared. The storm had quieted into an eerie stillness, so quiet it was deafening, so heavy it was difficult to breath. His haunting words remained imprinted in her subconscious, urging her to journey from the valley, through fearsome woods, across icy peaks, and from there to her present location, an enchanted castle. The wise man spoke of its mysterious doors, and of a magical key, a pendant, which was meant to unlock the door she was destined to open. As soon as he had spoken of such a key, the pendant appeared around her neck, and against her bosom had it rested since.

Now she was inside of the enchanted castle, after many hardships and dangers, and the sheer force of her own will was the only thing that kept her limbs moving. Many doors had she passed, yet none would suffer her entrance through their frame nor her pendant key into their locks. Instead, she was trapped in this damp, cold, winding hallway of stone, lit only by a cloud-covered moon beaming dimly through the tiny castle windows. Heaving forward another step, ignoring the angry wind gusting against her, sweeping its way in purpose of whence she had come. Still shivering, her trembling legs managed to turn yet another, endless corner.

Yet this corner seemed different…

For just a moment her spirit felt quiet, as if at peace, yet once again braced itself for a raging squall rushed towards her in renewed fury. A scream nearly escaped her lips, yet was stolen at once by the screaming tempest tearing at her from all sides.

The storm had worsened, and yet her spirit screamed in adrenaline-rushed fervor. Something burning inside of her danced with ardent vigor, coaxing her to keep moving forward.

Through the rainy sheets, her squinted eyes traced the vague outlines of an ornate, looming door. Its very existence beckoned her closer, and in complete defiance of the storm, she fought her way towards it. Finally she was before it. Grasping tightly to her pendant, she spied its lock and furiously thrust it inside.

Light erupted from its intricate designs, spilling from every side. The storm was replaced by a violent quaking, and the door broke open. A vast, blinding expanse of brilliant light swirled in the beyond, unleashed at its full might, acting as a vacuum and pulling in its fearful awakener. She fought against its pull in vain, and soon was hopelessly sucked into its seemingly endless infinity, screaming.

Violently jerking awake, Courtney's eyelids flung open, mouth agape in silent terror. Her body writhed beneath the covers entwined with her legs. She was drenched in sweat and, glancing at her bedside alarm clock, had been asleep for a nearly eight hours yet felt even more exhausted now than she did when she had fallen asleep the night before.

So it had been for the past few weeks as Courtney had endured consecutive nightmares. At first she had brushed it off as an excessive creative energy that her mind rid itself of in her sleep, yet after waking up with bruises and scratches time after time, she was beginning to accept that her nightmares might not entirely be...well...nightmares. It was a crazy notion, but she almost believed they were real.

Breathing deeply and longing for a long shower, Courtney untangled herself from her bedspread and sheets. Her window was still open from the night before, and a squirrel watched her from behind the screen. However, she took little interest in it and made her way to the bathroom.

'I'm fortunate these weird dreams didn't start until summer,' Courtney thought as she reached for a folded towel from the bathroom closet. 'I can't imagine trying to focus on schoolwork without sound sleep.'

Turning on the water faucet, she stepped into the shower. Steam slowly filled the bathroom, causing every muscle in her to relax.

Except for her mind: it was racing about her turn of events.
After all these weeks of searching, she had finally found the door.