"Ugh..."
     Amanda's eyes fluttered open weakly, pain rippling through her with every breath she drew. She pushed herself into a sitting position, agony flaring through every inch of her. Hot tears ran down her face, and a wave of confusion washed over her mind.
     "What's going on?" she said groggily.
     She sat in a field of barren black stone, a city's skyline visible on the horizon before her. She looked up, gasping in surprise.
     The sky was a bloody red, with clouds of navy fire drifting across it randomly. The sun was high above her, a giant ball of black lightning that sent bolts in every direction and pulsed like a beating heart.
     "Where am I?"
     An answer seemed to ring from the sky.
     "You are in the Lower Sect, enemy territory for one as pure as yourself."
     Amanda scrambled to her feet.
     "The Lower Sect?" she asked.
     "Did I stutter?" a voice whispered in her ear.
     She turned on her heel and a hand caught her by the throat. Her vision wavered, then cleared as she focused on her attacker. His hair was purest white, standing on end in a mass of spikes. His sapphire eyes were narrowed in hatred, and a thin white vertical scar divided his face. Amanda's voice came out strained as she recognized her captor.
     "R...Reaper...?"
     "Who else could it be, you stupid girl?" he hissed, tightening his grip.
     Amanda kicked, strugging to get free even as her vision began to fade. Reaper's eyes were cold, pitiless, as he continued to tighten his vice-like grip.
     "J...ohnnie..."
     Her eyes shot open, her breathing quick and shallow. Pain ripped through her breat with every heave. She stared at the blue sky above, trying to steady her breath and block out the nauseating pain. How long she laid there, staring at the sky, she didn't know, although to her it felt like days. Finally, she mustered the strength to push herself into a sitting position, even though the wound on her chest screamed in protest.
     A palace of gold rose to the sky before her, shining like a gem. The ground was soft and white, like snow, but warm.
     "This must be the Upper Sect," Amanda whispered.
     She struggled to her feet, stumbling to her knees several times before remaining steady.
     "I'll be there soon, Johnnie."
     She began trudging toward the palace, her legs feeling like they were encased in lead. There was nothing between her and the gleaming castle, nothing but an expanse of pure white earth.
     "Johnnie," she whispered.
     The thought of her husband fueled her steps, but another thought kept pervading her mind. The dream.
     "Siniris will know what it means."
     With that thought in her mind as well, she quickened her steps.