† Of dreams and nightmares

[stillsomehope]

You've finally come.

Gah!

[a man in his mid-twenties suddenly bolts upright. A hand clutching his chest, he takes a moment to collect his bearings before wincing in pain. The Snake and Holly pattern was still on his body, but he was alive.

He was aliveBut this... There was something strange about where he woke up; somehow, the hearth room

Comments

[eternalritual]

[A lone crimson butterfly appears by the doorway on the other side of the room. When did it get in here? It's fluttering its glowing wings just enough to stay in the air, its movement slow, as if waiting for someone to notice it.]

[stillsomehope]

[any colour in this lonely environment was enough to draw his attention. Even more so when he realized that this was like the butterfly that Mio was following. This one-]

??

[turning his flashlight onto the butterfly before walking towards it]

[eternalritual]

[Noticed! The butterfly flutters excitedly when the beam of light is shined on it. Hovering closer to the door's handle now, it still waits patiently, but the creature is glad that it has Kei's attention.]

[stillsomehope]

...

[walks ever so slowly, why can't we run in these games? over to where the butterfly is. Can't help but stare at it in confusion before murmuring something under his breath. It had saved him before... It wouldn't hurt to try following it again]

[reaches out, first to try and touch the butterfly before he reconsiders and just grabs the handle]

Through here?

[strangledkirie]

[This wasn't the manor]

[There was much that the yurei was clueless about but she knew one thing about this place: It was not the manor.]

[She couldn't feel the gate. The feeling she felt was different]

[As such, she did the one thing that she 'felt' was logicalno feelings failures dont get to feel rope maidens dont get to feel anything]

[She floated through the Manor of Sleep, trying to find her way BACK]

[stillsomehope]

[he suddenly freezes mid-step. Turning sharply, Kei begins shining the flashlight over the room, trying to figure out the direction from which this horrible sense of dread was coming from.

The Tattoo on his body didn't pain him, so it must not have been the Priestess, but nonetheless... Such a foreboding feeling could not be from any passing spirit]

[taking a cautious step backward and towards a door, he continues to shine the flashlight in all directions, praying that the doors were opened like before]

[if they weren't...]

[strangledkirie]

[She felt it before she saw it]

[life]

[Something she was never given. Not life, not hope, not love, not peace not happiness not purpose notwomanhood notsafetynotlustnotchoicenoteventoseehimONELASTTIME!!!!]

[To say the least, Kirie did not like the living. Her envy of them bordered on the genocidal side of jealousy. She slowly began to head towards the feeling of life she felt, going through walls, doors and anything else that stood in her way]

[stillsomehope]

["I'll never let you go"?]

[he had to get away]

[It wasn't a question of how, he just needed to get away. Turning around, he forces the door open before breaking into a run. A Purifying Candle, the Camera Obscura, there had to be something that would ward off this menacing energy!]

[lunar_song]

[A flashlight beam traces the floor as yet another passerby comes around the corner, looking curiously around. She pauses as she catches sight of him, apprehensive.

And then, she speaks:]

Hello?

[stillsomehope]

[he ceases his search when he hears someone and realizes it's not Kyouka Directing his flashlight towards the voice, he blinks in confusion before replying]

Hello.

[He's... never seen anyone else in his dreams other than Mio. Just what happened when he lost consciousness in the Chamber of Thorns?]

This isn't a safe place. [she had no tattoos] You should wake up...

[lingeringscent]

[She has to find Mayu. She knows this, knows well what could happen if she doesn't and even if she does...but she can't think of that. She doesn't have time to consider that--what she finds in the next room stops her dead in her tracks. It was someone so familiar, someone that she'd seen only hours (days?) ago, and yet it feels like it's been an eternity.]

...Kei...? [Her voice is softer and far less certain than she would have liked. She approaches him uneasily, hesitating after a couple steps, as though he might disappear if she were to get too close, as though his presence might be as fleeting as any ghosts.]

[stillsomehope]

[he spins around upon hearing the familiar voice]

Mio...?! [Kei had none of Mio's apprehension. After so long trying to figure out what was causing his niece such grief... To see that she was okay (or at least aware of him) brought the man a huge wave of relief. He hurries over to where she stands before placing a hand on her shoulder] Mio, you're okay!

[she had no tattoos!] Thank goodness.

[lingeringscent]

Kei... [She wants to say something more, anything more, but she can't seem to find the words. There's an odd mixture of emotions welling up inside her--a definite relief and horror, but also a kind of sinking feeling, a sense of dread and disorientation that she can't quite explain.

And what he's saying...] Yeah... [There's a moment's silence, and then she speaks again, seeming to try confirm it for both of them,] You're..here.

[stillsomehope]

I've... been here for a while now. [following you, trying to make sure the Tattoo curse didn't spirit you away too] This is the first time you've noticed that I was here. I'm a bit relieved.

[but this reunion wouldn't mean anything if they were still stuck in this dream... Lowering his hand, he turns to look around once more, all the while hoping that she can no longer see the tattoos that covered him.

There had to be a way out of this dream]