Why the ground, both sidewalk and street, suddenly had cracks that seemed to creep apart; why the buildings were slowly decaying from the thin, black fog that covered both city and sky; why the canals in the Water Sector were black and gave no reflection; and why there seemed to be no one else around was simple enough.
The archway led to the Dreaming. Except Dante wasn’t the first one to walk through it.
No one else being the kedan that populated Keeliai. There was movement in the gloom and it was a black mass that was cross hatched with shadows moving in random directions, each changing size from thin to wide. Humanoid shape, flat and looking as if it was hand drawn onto reality itself, the mass was actually moving closer to Dante. The only times that it paused is when the darkness was lit from within by a dull orange light. Like coals atop an ember.
Before it could get within thirty feet of him, the light came again and a section of the mass was pushed outwards until the shadows were punctured and a bright orange flame shot out into the black fog. A gloved hand reached through and grabbed the edge of the tear, a girl’s face barely able to appear. Her cheek was cut and bleeding and her brown hair was frayed from however long she had been there.
Wild blue eyes that stood out against the darkness darted about before finding Dante. She frantically yelled at him as another orange light dimly illuminated the roaming shadows she was trapped in.
"The city's already evacuated, go to the others! There's more of them here! Run whi-" but her hoarse voice was cut off as thousands of tiny black tethers latched onto her face, covered her eyes and mouth to pull her back in.
Her declaration of there being more was like a call, and parts of the black fog coalesced into being. Shadows that had sketches of faces briefly pass over them, unfamiliar ones to Dante, were different shapes and sizes, all looking to do to him what they had done to her. Formless hands took shape and formed pointed fingers, razor sharps claws.
Be careful. The Dreaming isn't safe when you're not the only dreamer.
3
Why the ground, both sidewalk and street, suddenly had cracks that seemed to creep apart; why the buildings were slowly decaying from the thin, black fog that covered both city and sky; why the canals in the Water Sector were black and gave no reflection; and why there seemed to be no one else around was simple enough.
The archway led to the Dreaming. Except Dante wasn’t the first one to walk through it.
No one else being the kedan that populated Keeliai. There was movement in the gloom and it was a black mass that was cross hatched with shadows moving in random directions, each changing size from thin to wide. Humanoid shape, flat and looking as if it was hand drawn onto reality itself, the mass was actually moving closer to Dante. The only times that it paused is when the darkness was lit from within by a dull orange light. Like coals atop an ember.
Before it could get within thirty feet of him, the light came again and a section of the mass was pushed outwards until the shadows were punctured and a bright orange flame shot out into the black fog. A gloved hand reached through and grabbed the edge of the tear, a girl’s face barely able to appear. Her cheek was cut and bleeding and her brown hair was frayed from however long she had been there.
Wild blue eyes that stood out against the darkness darted about before finding Dante. She frantically yelled at him as another orange light dimly illuminated the roaming shadows she was trapped in.
"The city's already evacuated, go to the others! There's more of them here! Run whi-" but her hoarse voice was cut off as thousands of tiny black tethers latched onto her face, covered her eyes and mouth to pull her back in.
Her declaration of there being more was like a call, and parts of the black fog coalesced into being. Shadows that had sketches of faces briefly pass over them, unfamiliar ones to Dante, were different shapes and sizes, all looking to do to him what they had done to her. Formless hands took shape and formed pointed fingers, razor sharps claws.
Be careful. The Dreaming isn't safe when you're not the only dreamer.