OOC: The First Dream
Darkness surrounded and engulfed him, choked and suffocated him. He felt as if he were in a deep, dark ocean, with nothing for support except the crushing weight of the blackness around him. He felt as if he were being smothered. He reached his arms out for something, anything to grasp onto, to cling to for help. He needed help. He needed help.
But then, a sound filled his ears. It was fire, fire crackling and burning and licking away at something. He spun himself around in the darkness; The fire was near, but he couldn’t see anything. He was blinded by the presence of the weight that threatened to strangle him earlier. A feeling started to well in his chest: panic, fear, terror… excitement? Adrenaline. Fire surrounded him with no hope to escape, no way to see for an opening.
Quite suddenly, the fire rushed up around him and caused the darkness to flee and him to shield his face with his arms. Light shone in his weak eyes, and even as he lowered his guard, they stung and watered, forcing him to blink the tears away. He was surprised to find that the darkness had left him standing on a rooftop and overlooking a city encased in flames. He tried to move, tried to reach out and help the faceless people who were fleeing, but his feet stayed firmly planted on the shingles. It was as if they were holding him in place, taunting him, teasing him with the notion that he couldn't save the people who were screaming in pain and fear below him. The frustration of the situation caused him to clench his fists and shout out angrily.
The roof disappeared, leaving him hanging in the air until the wind rushed up against his face. He was falling. The flames were going to swallow him whole and he was falling down and still couldn't move and his heart thudded against his-
But then, everything disappeared and was replaced with a bright light. His descent was slowed until he was almost floating in the air. As soon as his feet touched the shapeless ground, voices surrounded him of faceless men and women. "Save us!" "Help us, please!" "You're our only hope… please! Save us!"
Darkness swallowed the light, and the voices were different. "Don't let him escape!" "Catch that kid in red!" "I hate you!"
The darkness, the fire, the light, the voices… It was all too much for him to take. He gripped his hair in his hands and fell to his knees, calling out to the voices and demanding, "Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!" And they did. They left him in the darkness, weakness clawing at him as he kept on his knees and planted his hands firmly into the black floor beneath him.
From the darkness rose eight figures, all of them faceless except for their eyes. Loving blue, proud auburn, friendly brown, all of them held a positive emotion that he latched onto. One of the smaller figures, the one with the blue eyes, stepped forward and offered a hand for him to take. Once he was on his feet, voices surrounded him again, this time coming from the faceless people around him.
"No one should have to think that he has to sacrifice his own life."
"I cannot run from the sins of my past."
"We shall make a new promise to the new world."
"It's okay for us to be here, in this world."
"In order to change the world, I must first… change myself."
"A traitor like me has value?"
"We're gonna win… for all of you who believed in a coward like me."
"Punishment is living with one's crime and working to atone for it."
The eight figures disappeared, and then a small child, again without a face, appeared before him. There was another light that lit up the area with green and blue, purple and yellow, and when he looked for the source of it, he noticed two giant wings extending from his back. They seemed to be made from light itself, and they just barely fluttered in the wind of darkness and light.
The child before him held out a piece of paper, a drawing of him standing on top of the world with a large crack in the middle, yet they were still joined together. On one side was a smiley face directed up at the drawing of him, and the other held an unpleasant frown. It reminded him of the trials he had to face earlier, with people shouting their praises and loathing for him. Everything that he had wanted to run away from.
He took the drawing. He accepted his fate. The child smiled - even without lips, he could feel him smile.
"Thank you."
Everything turned to white.
But then, a sound filled his ears. It was fire, fire crackling and burning and licking away at something. He spun himself around in the darkness; The fire was near, but he couldn’t see anything. He was blinded by the presence of the weight that threatened to strangle him earlier. A feeling started to well in his chest: panic, fear, terror… excitement? Adrenaline. Fire surrounded him with no hope to escape, no way to see for an opening.
Quite suddenly, the fire rushed up around him and caused the darkness to flee and him to shield his face with his arms. Light shone in his weak eyes, and even as he lowered his guard, they stung and watered, forcing him to blink the tears away. He was surprised to find that the darkness had left him standing on a rooftop and overlooking a city encased in flames. He tried to move, tried to reach out and help the faceless people who were fleeing, but his feet stayed firmly planted on the shingles. It was as if they were holding him in place, taunting him, teasing him with the notion that he couldn't save the people who were screaming in pain and fear below him. The frustration of the situation caused him to clench his fists and shout out angrily.
The roof disappeared, leaving him hanging in the air until the wind rushed up against his face. He was falling. The flames were going to swallow him whole and he was falling down and still couldn't move and his heart thudded against his-
But then, everything disappeared and was replaced with a bright light. His descent was slowed until he was almost floating in the air. As soon as his feet touched the shapeless ground, voices surrounded him of faceless men and women. "Save us!" "Help us, please!" "You're our only hope… please! Save us!"
Darkness swallowed the light, and the voices were different. "Don't let him escape!" "Catch that kid in red!" "I hate you!"
The darkness, the fire, the light, the voices… It was all too much for him to take. He gripped his hair in his hands and fell to his knees, calling out to the voices and demanding, "Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!" And they did. They left him in the darkness, weakness clawing at him as he kept on his knees and planted his hands firmly into the black floor beneath him.
From the darkness rose eight figures, all of them faceless except for their eyes. Loving blue, proud auburn, friendly brown, all of them held a positive emotion that he latched onto. One of the smaller figures, the one with the blue eyes, stepped forward and offered a hand for him to take. Once he was on his feet, voices surrounded him again, this time coming from the faceless people around him.
"No one should have to think that he has to sacrifice his own life."
"I cannot run from the sins of my past."
"We shall make a new promise to the new world."
"It's okay for us to be here, in this world."
"In order to change the world, I must first… change myself."
"A traitor like me has value?"
"We're gonna win… for all of you who believed in a coward like me."
"Punishment is living with one's crime and working to atone for it."
The eight figures disappeared, and then a small child, again without a face, appeared before him. There was another light that lit up the area with green and blue, purple and yellow, and when he looked for the source of it, he noticed two giant wings extending from his back. They seemed to be made from light itself, and they just barely fluttered in the wind of darkness and light.
The child before him held out a piece of paper, a drawing of him standing on top of the world with a large crack in the middle, yet they were still joined together. On one side was a smiley face directed up at the drawing of him, and the other held an unpleasant frown. It reminded him of the trials he had to face earlier, with people shouting their praises and loathing for him. Everything that he had wanted to run away from.
He took the drawing. He accepted his fate. The child smiled - even without lips, he could feel him smile.
"Thank you."
Everything turned to white.