The Severaine

Chapter Thirteen Delusions and Illusions-3

He had once known this area so well, but the force of the Severaine had twisted this once familiar place into a barely recognisable mass of fallen trees and raised earth. This was the place he had first crossed paths with Zo, but all that remained now was the pristine stone circle.

'Zo,' he thought to himself as he moved to sit on one of the uprooted trees, his head resting in his hands. Why had he even come here? A deeper chill, carried on the breeze, caused him to shudder and wrap his arms around himself. He saw now for the first time the shadows encompassed him completely. The small clearing was the only place free from their blackened touch. He gave a sigh. The roar of fire startled him, his vision turning quickly to the stone circle where the fire now hungrily devoured the flickering wood. He felt himself falter, his balance failing as he reached his arm out to steady himself on the tree only to find it narrower than he recalled. He fell heavily, his legs spinning around quickly to push him onto his knees where watched the flames from behind the fallen tree.

Black billows of smoke began to spew from the fire, their dark tendrils curling upward and outward, bathing the area in a dark haze. Daniel covered his mouth, already choking against the bitter taste as lungful after lungful entered with each terrified breath. He stumbled to his feet, staggering backwards, no longer caring about the shadows and the darkness. The smoke gathered, its black image distorting to form horrific faces as they pushed against the toxic cloud. Watching him the roaring flames twisted into mocking laughter as it pursued at a speed unhindered by the gentle breeze. The shadows behind began to meld into the mist, riding its momentum as if it were a wave. His feet staggered and stumbled as he focused everything he had into his escape. He ducked and dodged trees, fighting his way through the forest. Never had it seemed so vast before.

The air grew lighter as he erupted from the trees into a clearing, his feet daring not to slow as his pursuers remained close on his heels. The darkness was so dense it no longer feared exposure to the light. A town lay before him, a figure in the distance gesturing to him desperately. His legs tried to veer him away, but his mind took solace in the image of his brother. It took a moment to realise it wasn't him his brother beckoned, but his pursuers. Daniel's feet back-pedaled against the gained momentum, changing direction with difficulty. His head lowered as he broke through the trees to the side of the town. His mind too busy to even question how it was he stood before Weft.

Deeper and deeper into the forest he fled, his legs barely able to keep pace with the growing desperation he felt. Trees flew past, shrubs and autumn shades became a stream of fluid colour, he could see light ahead, he knew this had to be the forest's edge. The ground beneath him altered from detritus to a slippery sheet of damp grass. His feet skidded across the grassy plain as he fought to regain his balance. Before him was a lake, in his mind a thought rekindled, evil could not cross running water. He had no time to consider if a lake with its slight currents was classed as being in motion. It was his only hope of escape.

Panic filled him, the ground beneath his feet trembled as he stumbled down the pier. He was unable to catch his breath before hurling himself head-first into the lake's waters. He gasped, inhaling deeply as he broke its surface, aware of the encroaching darkness from all around. His arms reached out desperately, securing the wooden brace of the pier in an attempt to rest. The decaying wood broke at his touch, plunging him once more beneath the surface. He fought his way up, his arms flayed wildly in exhaustion as he struggled to tread water.

Two rubbery hands seized him from below, the skin loose as it moved beneath its grasp. Daniel had no time to look, he felt the force of the hands as they pulled him down into the depths. His scream was cut short by the sound of water filling his lungs as he was dragged under. A figure watched him from the peer above. He thought he heard it speak his name.

“Daniel?” Zo gasped watching in confusion as the panicked figure was dragged beneath the water's surface. She felt herself sprinting down the unstable pier. It could not be him. Not here, not now. Seiken had ensured this area was free from dreamers, this was the only reason she had been allowed to remain here alone. The dreamscape had been cleared and he was setting up a perimeter to ensure their practise remained undisturbed. They had come here to train, so how had Daniel managed to bypass the safeguards and find himself here?

She called his name again, seeing without a doubt his panicked figure as he was dragged further than the lake should have allowed. She dove in striking the water with less grace than intended, the force of her momentum seeing her fingers barely touching his. She kicked harder, seizing his wrist in her hand, relieved to feel the pressure of his own grip returned. Turning to gain momentum her feet made deliberate contact with the leach-like creature that held him. The power of the kick saw its grasp on Daniel break, as well as propelling them towards the water's surface.

When they reached the lake's true depth, instead of that created by the apparition, she felt the soft pebbles of the lake floor form beneath her feet. With struggling, stumbling steps she pulled him to the shore. Lying down she breathed heavily as Daniel choked, coughing out mouthfuls of water through heaving breaths. Zo stood slowly, unsure what to do now. Should she leave him, hide within the dreamscape until Seiken returned to find him? It was too late, his vision had found her. He glared at her angrily, his mouth moving as if trying to form the words he wished to speak.

“What is it you want from me?” he demanded. For a moment she thought he addressed the dark mists which had pursued him, but as she turned to look upon them she realised it was already too late, both of them had been consumed, plunged into the darkness. They were alone, yet despite the lack of light, their two figures stood clearly visible to each other. “I've been trying so hard to meet your expectations. How dare you place such a responsibility on my shoulders!” he growled, realising for the first time he was no longer awake, but had somehow been forced into Darrienia. Worse than this, was the realisation that Zo stood before him. Of course, he knew it wasn't her really. Soon she would alter, deforming the image of his dearest friend into that of his most feared enemy, Marise Shi. She, like the ghost of his brother, taunted him.

“I—” But her words were lost as he continued.

“Tell me, Marise,” he spat venomously, finding within him a resistance that surprised even him. The figure looked to him in surprise. “If I kill you here, do you think an Oneiroi would save you?” Dark tendrils curled around his arm forming a weapon, he was surprised when Marise took a step backwards. He was right, it was her, he could kill her here and no one would stop him.

Zo took a tentative step backwards as the sword appeared. The matter which constructed this weapon, like the darkness which circled them, seemed to be something more than a dream. It was dangerous.

She had known for some time their paths would cross in Darrienia. She had imagined their meeting countless times, but never had it been like this. He had every intention of killing her. Her words, all the things she had wanted to tell him, had frozen in her throat as her eyes fixed upon the weapon. No, it wasn't a weapon, it was something else, something alive.

Dark tendrils formed from the shadows, distorting into images only Daniel understood. He cowered, the dark ribbons seeming to feed the weapon in his hand. A calmness overtook him, an understanding of what must be done. The blade moved in silence as he extended its tip towards her. Zo's eyes focused on the shadowy extension, she forced herself to draw a slow breath. Fear welled up from the pit of her stomach as his burning gaze fixed upon her, his hand slashing the sword through the air. She jumped back, the aura around him had grown dark, dangerous, and part of him failed to understand his actions. The blade stilled, a moment she used to sidestep around it, her eyes trained solely on the weapon. She reached out, her hand touching his, lowering his poise with gentle pressure.

He blinked twice in quick succession, his mind clearing. The weapon dissipated but the darkness refused to release him. Tendrils spiralled up his arm, he retreated, attempting to brush it away but only succeeding in transferring the particles to his other arm where they too began to climb. Screams distorted through the air around them, his face wrought with agony. Zo reached out, placing her trembling hands upon his cheeks, and brought his gaze to meet hers as she whispered his name. With that single act everything became silent, everything was still.

Daniel opened his eyes. He found himself crouched upon a familiar blanket, overlooking the sea from the cliffs to the east of the town. It was a place he and Zo had spent much time, particularly as the sun sank and the stars came into view. They had spent many evenings here, she would tell him the stories of the stars, her words bringing the tales to life upon the ocean's surface. He stared at the sea, listening to its lulling tones as the waves crashed upon the rocks below. He took a slow, deep breath and released it in time with the tide.

Zo was pulled away by Seiken's light, but encouraging touch as they moved to hide in the shelter just outside the dream's borders. When he had first been alerted to the presence of a dreamer, he had been panicked. The wards he had constructed should have denied access to anything, for a dreamer to appear inside was impossible.

Seiken had arrived in time to see the two of them lost in an empty dreamscape, an area being manipulated by the Epiales. He had watched in horror as the dark tendril of their predator had stretched around Daniel, forging a weapon that, without a doubt could kill her, could kill any of them. He had moved quickly, but his legs had failed to respond in time. He could see the dreamscape becoming corrupted before his gaze, the once pure barrier being woven with shadows.

He called her name, his voice desperate to even his own ears. He cried out his unheard warnings as Daniel sliced the air before her. His legs pushed harder than he imagined possible, and still he was too slow, despite the wind at his back aiding his pace. Just as he feared the worst, he saw her move, a grace left over from a time before, a single touch somehow breaking the shadow's form. He watched it dissolve, but its tarnish bound to the dreamer's flesh in an attempt to consume him, to force him into completing its desire. Its efforts were in vain, by the time Seiken reached them a second touch had dissolved the danger, and somehow she had remade the dreamscape, expelling the corruption. He reached out, grasping her arm; everything around them stopped. Daniel stood motionless, his eyes unseeing, birds in flight paused and time itself seemed to freeze. It was a skill that came with great cost considering its short life.