Dream ♠ o1o 「Recurring」
Warnings: Mentions of dead bodies.
Dream Effects: [Optional] Hollowness, loneliness, and some shock, with an undercurrent of despair--before being hit with overwhelming grief at the end.
He's just a child, staring blankly at the world that lies before him in ruins. The air smells of smoke and, faintly, blood.
Not his blood, though, but everyone else's--
It hurts. Something in his chest is tight, and sometimes he feels like he can't even breathe. Otherwise, he simply feels empty.
There are scrapes over his body as well, but they don't hurt nearly as much--
He trips over an arm. It's still attached to the body, partially hidden underneath the remains of a wrecked building. He's lost count of how many corpses he's seen by now.
He wasn't counting to begin with, because he doesn't even want to know--
His legs are sore, but he keeps on walking. There's nothing left to do. It's as if there's a haze over his mind. He remembers everything, but it hasn't quite hit him yet.
Why he's walking like this, why he's alone--
He pours his money out of his bag and into his hand--stiffly, like he's not focusing. A few coins slip out of his palm and onto the ground, the sound ringing clearly through the silence.
Maybe he's the only one who's still alive--
"Ah..." he says, but makes no effort to retrieve them and instead continues moving forward. Eventually, he opts for leaving the entire bag behind. It's not like he had that much money to begin with. Besides, his hand was tired, as is the rest of his body.
What use is money now, anyway--
He can't find any other survivors. Ultimately, he stops in what can barely be called a clearing. Only a foot away from him is the corpse of a soldier, buried under yet another destroyed building.
Structures that are still standing are far rarer, in any case--
Even now, his face is devoid of emotion, as he wonders if this is how he'll die. At this point, he doesn't know how he's even going to live.
It's not like he has anything left--
"Hey there." A voice startles him, but his reaction is still fairly calm as he turns around. In front of him is a man, dressed in a dark military uniform.
"Would you like to come with me?" the man continues. "I will show you a righteous world--"
Nothing matters to him anymore--
"--where events like these will never happen again."
Dominic glances at his surroundings. Destruction, death--everything's gone wrong. His parents are dead. At this rate, he'll die with the rest of them.
What does he have to lose--
In the end, he accepts the man's offer. To himself, he promises one thing: to change this world. And then, his grief takes a hold of him--like he's been pushing it down, but now it's fighting back just as hard. He can't stay empty forever.
A righteous world--
He begins to cry, and he can't bring himself to stop.
---
[A pained look passes through Dominic's face as he opens his eyes, before he closes them again and turns to the side. He doesn't want to think about any of this.]
Dream Effects: [Optional] Hollowness, loneliness, and some shock, with an undercurrent of despair--before being hit with overwhelming grief at the end.
He's just a child, staring blankly at the world that lies before him in ruins. The air smells of smoke and, faintly, blood.
Not his blood, though, but everyone else's--
It hurts. Something in his chest is tight, and sometimes he feels like he can't even breathe. Otherwise, he simply feels empty.
There are scrapes over his body as well, but they don't hurt nearly as much--
He trips over an arm. It's still attached to the body, partially hidden underneath the remains of a wrecked building. He's lost count of how many corpses he's seen by now.
He wasn't counting to begin with, because he doesn't even want to know--
His legs are sore, but he keeps on walking. There's nothing left to do. It's as if there's a haze over his mind. He remembers everything, but it hasn't quite hit him yet.
Why he's walking like this, why he's alone--
He pours his money out of his bag and into his hand--stiffly, like he's not focusing. A few coins slip out of his palm and onto the ground, the sound ringing clearly through the silence.
Maybe he's the only one who's still alive--
"Ah..." he says, but makes no effort to retrieve them and instead continues moving forward. Eventually, he opts for leaving the entire bag behind. It's not like he had that much money to begin with. Besides, his hand was tired, as is the rest of his body.
What use is money now, anyway--
He can't find any other survivors. Ultimately, he stops in what can barely be called a clearing. Only a foot away from him is the corpse of a soldier, buried under yet another destroyed building.
Structures that are still standing are far rarer, in any case--
Even now, his face is devoid of emotion, as he wonders if this is how he'll die. At this point, he doesn't know how he's even going to live.
It's not like he has anything left--
"Hey there." A voice startles him, but his reaction is still fairly calm as he turns around. In front of him is a man, dressed in a dark military uniform.
"Would you like to come with me?" the man continues. "I will show you a righteous world--"
Nothing matters to him anymore--
"--where events like these will never happen again."
Dominic glances at his surroundings. Destruction, death--everything's gone wrong. His parents are dead. At this rate, he'll die with the rest of them.
What does he have to lose--
In the end, he accepts the man's offer. To himself, he promises one thing: to change this world. And then, his grief takes a hold of him--like he's been pushing it down, but now it's fighting back just as hard. He can't stay empty forever.
A righteous world--
He begins to cry, and he can't bring himself to stop.
---
[A pained look passes through Dominic's face as he opens his eyes, before he closes them again and turns to the side. He doesn't want to think about any of this.]