Vision
(Word Count: 1692)
POV: Melwyn
Date: 24th of september, 370
Location: Omaren and Melwyn's room, in Bernars's house.
I woke up on a cold floor. I felt groggy and... in pain? Why...pain? Am i hurt? How? What happened? I let out a groan and clutched my left side as i sat up and looked around me. I was in a small room, surrounded on all sides except one by stone and concrete. Metal bars on my left allowed me to see more stone bricks along the hallway outside. My cage, i said to myself as i finally recongnised where i was. This was my cage, back in Kus'Qari... i could never forget that place... But, why am i here? Shouldn't i be in Gysia right now? "Ugh, what the hell?" I said, clutching the side of my head. It hurts when i think too hard, i realised. I turned towards the door and walked up to it. The door wouldn't budge when i tried opening it. A flash of panic rose in my chest. No, there's no way i'm back here again! Why am i back here? How is this possible?! I was in the house! In my bed! I stopped struggling against yhe door as i realised something. Wait. The house? In... Gysia? With Omaren, Calydan and Benars... How... do know this? "Isn't this in the past? " i said, turning to look at the cage again. This isn't real, i realised. I must be dreaming, but i'm... aware? How is that possible? I shook my head. "I don't care." I said out loud. "I don't want to be here. I... fucking hate this place" I felt my eyes water as all of the bad memories rose to the surface. "I don't want this!" I yelled out. "i don't want... to do this again..." Tears fell down my cheek. I've... dreamed of this place nearly every night since i got out. I don't want to go through this again... i don't want to see him... I closed my eyes, hoping that when i would reopen them, i would wake up back in my warm cozy bed, far from this place. However, when i finally did gather the courage to do so, i found the door gone. I jumped back, startled not by the lack of door, but by the suddenly accessible hallway. Damn it! I cursed myself. Every fucking time... I'm still scared! Why? I clenched my jaw and stepped outside and into the hallway. I let out a sigh i forgot i was holding in and turned around to my cage. Except, it was gone now, replaced by a brick wall and a wooden door. I was only surprised for a split second, before i remembered that i was dreaming. I was dreaming, but... this wasn't part of the usual recurring dream i kept having in the past year. I raised a brow at the door. I was supposed to head to the arena by now, not facing a... wooden door. It... looked so out of place here. And the red and brown bricks surrounding it, half-covered in white plaster... i squeezed my arm, feeling uneasy. Ugh... why... do i feel sick of of the sudden? "I should get out of he-" I turned to the hallway, and saw another brick wall, and then another, and another. The hallway had turned into a small brick room, trapping me. I turned back to the door, realising that it was the only way out. I swallowed the bile coming up in my throat and ignored the prickling feeling all over my hand as it touched the handle, and opened the door. A veil of pure blackness greeted me on the other side. I couldn't see a single thing, but i had to go inside anyways. It was the only way out of this place. This dream. The second i did however, the darkness enveloped me. It felt suffocating and disorienting, and in seconds, i had completely lost my bearings. I couldn't even spot the door i had just came through. Then, the darkness vanished as an intensely bright light filled the area, forcing me to look away and close my eyes. After a moment, i was able to reopen them, and found myself sat inside a small boat, floating in the water. In front of me, i saw the bright light morph itself into the sun, which was now high inside a clear blue sky. I smiled as i felt the warmth of the sun on my skin. But my happiness didn't last as something else caught my attention. It was a large building. A tower, build near the water. It was tall, but its top seemed to be broken. It's shape cut a dark shadow on the horizon. I felt a sense of dread in the pit if my stomach as i gazed at it, which i had not explanation for. Sure, it looked a bit creepy, but this was much more than that. It was like ever fiber of my being, and even my Iksai, were both screaming to not go near it. Well, it wasn't like i was planning to do that anyways... Then, the sky darkened as Veos rose from behind the tower and eclipsed the sun, leaving only a bright ring of green fire hung in the sky, and the darkness surrounded me again. When light returned, or maybe when i opened my eyes again, i wasn't sure anymore, i found myself back in the hallway, with my hand still on the handle. Fuck... what the hell was all that? None of this happened last time... this is not how this dream usually goes... at all. "Fuck this!" I said, before i began to pinch my arm and face, trying to wake myself up. But nothing happened. I could barely feel anything. Clenched my eyes shut, i began to slap my face repeatedly. I want to wake up! I need too! Wake up! Come on! "Aw... what's the matter?" A voice said, startling me. It was His voice. "Leaving already?" I opened my eyes and slowly turned around, dreading what i would see. Sure enough, he was there. My whole body tensed up as i saw Master, grinning wildly at me as he stood in the hallway, on the other side of the metal bars of my cage. Why i was once again in my cage was only one of so many questions racing through my mind now, but i didn't have any time to figure out the answer to any of them as Master begins banging loudly against the bars with a Battan, making me reflectively nervous all of the sudden. "Surely, you haven't forgotten what this means, right?" His smile sent shivers down my spine. I remember what it means. How could i not? That's how he woke me up before battle. Every time. "You have a match to win. Caleon is waiting for you" I shook my head, struggling to remember that this was just a dream. Why am i seeing this? Are these memories? But that's not how it went at all. I never would've left my cage if i knew i had to fight Caleon. "What's that?" Master said, his face contorted into a truly awful smile. "Getting cold feet? Do you have any idea how many you've killed before now? But now it's apparently too much for you?" "I'm done following your orders!" I found myself yelling at him. Master laughed at me. "You followed them pretty well when you killed him, didn't you." He said, nodding to my hands. I looked down and saw my claw-tipped hands covered in blood. I clenched my fists and fell to my knees. "It's your fault! I... we didn't want to do it! You forced us to fight!" I said, yelling at him. "And yet, i wasn't the one who bit down and broke Caleon's neck." He said, shrugging. "You did that. You killed him. You killed him. You killed him." He pointed at me as he repeated his mantra. "Stop! I didn't want to do it! I'm... i'm sorry!" I was crying now. Warm tears streamed down my face as the world shifted around me once more. Looking around, i found myself in the hallway again. I got up, and began running. As i did, the whole hallway bended out of shape in front of me. The walls, the floor and the ceiling started twisting, turning and bending on themselves as Master's voice echoed along them, calling me a coward dog which has to be put in his place. The fear pushed me enough that i kept running for a long time, even after i realised that the hallway, despite breaking appart, was now much longer than i remembered, and with no end in sight. With my lungs burning and my heart threatening to burst out of my chest, i stopped. I leaned against my knees, panting, as i struggled to catch my breath. Almost immediately, i heard a whisper behind me. "When will you learn, that you can't escape from this?" Master whispered behind me. I turned around just as he kicked me in the chest, sending me to the floor. Except, it wasn't the stone floor i hit, but sand. As i got up, wanting to get away from master, i realised that he was gone, and that i was now in my wolf form. I looked around the dimly-lit arena, which was packed with loud cheering spectators, but it wasn't a good distraction for long as i then saw a puma shapeshifter on the other side of the pit, laying on the sand. Caleon. The sick feeling to my stomach returned and i laid on the sand, covering my eyes and whined. I just wanted this dream... this fucking nightmare, to end. Caleon's voice suddenly resonated in the arena. I lifted a paw, and our eyes meet. The crowd grew louder around me and so did he. He said only one thing, over and over again. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" He spoke, but not with his own voice, but someone elses, which felt familiar... My head started hurting again as i struggled to remember who it belonged to, when suddenly, it came to me. Omaren? OMAREN! My eyes snapped open.
Date: 24th of september, 370
Location: Omaren and Melwyn's room, in Bernars's house.
I woke up on a cold floor. I felt groggy and... in pain? Why...pain? Am i hurt? How? What happened? I let out a groan and clutched my left side as i sat up and looked around me. I was in a small room, surrounded on all sides except one by stone and concrete. Metal bars on my left allowed me to see more stone bricks along the hallway outside. My cage, i said to myself as i finally recongnised where i was. This was my cage, back in Kus'Qari... i could never forget that place... But, why am i here? Shouldn't i be in Gysia right now? "Ugh, what the hell?" I said, clutching the side of my head. It hurts when i think too hard, i realised. I turned towards the door and walked up to it. The door wouldn't budge when i tried opening it. A flash of panic rose in my chest. No, there's no way i'm back here again! Why am i back here? How is this possible?! I was in the house! In my bed! I stopped struggling against yhe door as i realised something. Wait. The house? In... Gysia? With Omaren, Calydan and Benars... How... do know this? "Isn't this in the past? " i said, turning to look at the cage again. This isn't real, i realised. I must be dreaming, but i'm... aware? How is that possible? I shook my head. "I don't care." I said out loud. "I don't want to be here. I... fucking hate this place" I felt my eyes water as all of the bad memories rose to the surface. "I don't want this!" I yelled out. "i don't want... to do this again..." Tears fell down my cheek. I've... dreamed of this place nearly every night since i got out. I don't want to go through this again... i don't want to see him... I closed my eyes, hoping that when i would reopen them, i would wake up back in my warm cozy bed, far from this place. However, when i finally did gather the courage to do so, i found the door gone. I jumped back, startled not by the lack of door, but by the suddenly accessible hallway. Damn it! I cursed myself. Every fucking time... I'm still scared! Why? I clenched my jaw and stepped outside and into the hallway. I let out a sigh i forgot i was holding in and turned around to my cage. Except, it was gone now, replaced by a brick wall and a wooden door. I was only surprised for a split second, before i remembered that i was dreaming. I was dreaming, but... this wasn't part of the usual recurring dream i kept having in the past year. I raised a brow at the door. I was supposed to head to the arena by now, not facing a... wooden door. It... looked so out of place here. And the red and brown bricks surrounding it, half-covered in white plaster... i squeezed my arm, feeling uneasy. Ugh... why... do i feel sick of of the sudden? "I should get out of he-" I turned to the hallway, and saw another brick wall, and then another, and another. The hallway had turned into a small brick room, trapping me. I turned back to the door, realising that it was the only way out. I swallowed the bile coming up in my throat and ignored the prickling feeling all over my hand as it touched the handle, and opened the door. A veil of pure blackness greeted me on the other side. I couldn't see a single thing, but i had to go inside anyways. It was the only way out of this place. This dream. The second i did however, the darkness enveloped me. It felt suffocating and disorienting, and in seconds, i had completely lost my bearings. I couldn't even spot the door i had just came through. Then, the darkness vanished as an intensely bright light filled the area, forcing me to look away and close my eyes. After a moment, i was able to reopen them, and found myself sat inside a small boat, floating in the water. In front of me, i saw the bright light morph itself into the sun, which was now high inside a clear blue sky. I smiled as i felt the warmth of the sun on my skin. But my happiness didn't last as something else caught my attention. It was a large building. A tower, build near the water. It was tall, but its top seemed to be broken. It's shape cut a dark shadow on the horizon. I felt a sense of dread in the pit if my stomach as i gazed at it, which i had not explanation for. Sure, it looked a bit creepy, but this was much more than that. It was like ever fiber of my being, and even my Iksai, were both screaming to not go near it. Well, it wasn't like i was planning to do that anyways... Then, the sky darkened as Veos rose from behind the tower and eclipsed the sun, leaving only a bright ring of green fire hung in the sky, and the darkness surrounded me again. When light returned, or maybe when i opened my eyes again, i wasn't sure anymore, i found myself back in the hallway, with my hand still on the handle. Fuck... what the hell was all that? None of this happened last time... this is not how this dream usually goes... at all. "Fuck this!" I said, before i began to pinch my arm and face, trying to wake myself up. But nothing happened. I could barely feel anything. Clenched my eyes shut, i began to slap my face repeatedly. I want to wake up! I need too! Wake up! Come on! "Aw... what's the matter?" A voice said, startling me. It was His voice. "Leaving already?" I opened my eyes and slowly turned around, dreading what i would see. Sure enough, he was there. My whole body tensed up as i saw Master, grinning wildly at me as he stood in the hallway, on the other side of the metal bars of my cage. Why i was once again in my cage was only one of so many questions racing through my mind now, but i didn't have any time to figure out the answer to any of them as Master begins banging loudly against the bars with a Battan, making me reflectively nervous all of the sudden. "Surely, you haven't forgotten what this means, right?" His smile sent shivers down my spine. I remember what it means. How could i not? That's how he woke me up before battle. Every time. "You have a match to win. Caleon is waiting for you" I shook my head, struggling to remember that this was just a dream. Why am i seeing this? Are these memories? But that's not how it went at all. I never would've left my cage if i knew i had to fight Caleon. "What's that?" Master said, his face contorted into a truly awful smile. "Getting cold feet? Do you have any idea how many you've killed before now? But now it's apparently too much for you?" "I'm done following your orders!" I found myself yelling at him. Master laughed at me. "You followed them pretty well when you killed him, didn't you." He said, nodding to my hands. I looked down and saw my claw-tipped hands covered in blood. I clenched my fists and fell to my knees. "It's your fault! I... we didn't want to do it! You forced us to fight!" I said, yelling at him. "And yet, i wasn't the one who bit down and broke Caleon's neck." He said, shrugging. "You did that. You killed him. You killed him. You killed him." He pointed at me as he repeated his mantra. "Stop! I didn't want to do it! I'm... i'm sorry!" I was crying now. Warm tears streamed down my face as the world shifted around me once more. Looking around, i found myself in the hallway again. I got up, and began running. As i did, the whole hallway bended out of shape in front of me. The walls, the floor and the ceiling started twisting, turning and bending on themselves as Master's voice echoed along them, calling me a coward dog which has to be put in his place. The fear pushed me enough that i kept running for a long time, even after i realised that the hallway, despite breaking appart, was now much longer than i remembered, and with no end in sight. With my lungs burning and my heart threatening to burst out of my chest, i stopped. I leaned against my knees, panting, as i struggled to catch my breath. Almost immediately, i heard a whisper behind me. "When will you learn, that you can't escape from this?" Master whispered behind me. I turned around just as he kicked me in the chest, sending me to the floor. Except, it wasn't the stone floor i hit, but sand. As i got up, wanting to get away from master, i realised that he was gone, and that i was now in my wolf form. I looked around the dimly-lit arena, which was packed with loud cheering spectators, but it wasn't a good distraction for long as i then saw a puma shapeshifter on the other side of the pit, laying on the sand. Caleon. The sick feeling to my stomach returned and i laid on the sand, covering my eyes and whined. I just wanted this dream... this fucking nightmare, to end. Caleon's voice suddenly resonated in the arena. I lifted a paw, and our eyes meet. The crowd grew louder around me and so did he. He said only one thing, over and over again. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" He spoke, but not with his own voice, but someone elses, which felt familiar... My head started hurting again as i struggled to remember who it belonged to, when suddenly, it came to me. Omaren? OMAREN! My eyes snapped open.
Not all memories are happy, sometimes the reverie is when the nightmare is over. Well done!
Indeed! Thank you for the like, comment, and for hosting this challenge!