Submission (#6514) Approved

The gentle splashing of a shallow waterfall could be heard, along with the distant chirping of birds. Nico had set up a temporary shelter for the two in the outer areas of the oasis. He would have preferred to bring Mary back to safer grounds, but he didn't know where the nearest safe place was. And here in the oasis he had at least access to fresh water, fish, and various herbs that he could process into medicine.

He cast restless glances at Mary repeatedly, as if to reassure himself that the elder was still there. Two days had passed since Mary collapsed, and since then, he hadn't woken up - a fact that made Nico increasingly anxious. He had placed a damp cloth on Marys’ forehead; the other had developed a fever last night, and Nico decided to take the risk and comb through the oasis again to search for a specific root he needed for medicine. Marys’ Pomu rested close to Mary and dutifully changed the cloth every hour, dipping it in fresh, cool water.

"I'm leaving him in your care," Nico said softly as he stood up, nudging Marys’ Pomu, which chirped softly in return, before snuggling back against the unconscious elnin. With one last worried glance at his loved one, Nico set off.

Meanwhile, Mary was trapped in nightmares. The elder tossed and turned restlessly on his makeshift bed, his long hair tangled among leaves and roots. Whatever he did, he couldn't seem to wake up. The air around him seemed to thicken with an unsettling aura, a residue of the corrupted locations he had recently visited. Paranoia crept into his subconscious, giving rise to vivid and terrifying visions.

It started innocently enough - a memory from his past, scenes from a long-forgotten life played out in his mind.
That in itself was already nightmare material for Mary, since he hated his past. It was not something he looked back fondly on. If he could, he would erase his memories, but they were seared into his mind. He couldn’t escape his sins that easily.
An endless loop of memories played in his head, but with each loop, something got more contorted.
At first, Mary couldn’t tell what was happening. Just an eerie feeling that crept up on him. Little things that felt off at first and eventually escalated - fake smiles, twisted faces, faces hidden behind masks - masks with no faces behind them. Black tar dripping from empty holes where faces should have been. Mary turned away, frantic and unsure of what was happening. In his head, all this felt real and he was horrified.

Bit by bit the landscape of the dream shifted. It warped into a nightmarish canvas, distorted by signs of corruption he had witnessed in the waking world. The once serene surroundings now bore twisted echoes of the corrupted place, with shadows elongating into grotesque shapes and the air pulsating with an unnatural energy. Stars fell from the sky, which flashed with northern lights in blue and purple and black… and shattered into a million pieces and where they pierced the ground, ice crystals filled with miasma formed rapidly and Mary had to run in order to avoid getting skewered alive.

He found shelter in an old house, but as soon as he closed the door, he knew something was wrong. Panic swept through him as he spun around and for a moment he forgot how to breathe. The room was exactly like the one he grew up in - back when he was still with his old family. And in the middle of the room was his old mentor, grinning at him and slowly coming closer. Mary started to hyperventilate.
“NO-!” He pressed himself against the wooden door, unable to move, as fear held him in place. Something was happening. The body of his mentor started to contort and twist and Mary could only look in horror, while something broke free and his mentor was left an empty shell on the ground. The room began to vibrate and flicker, and a darkness seeped through the ceiling. In the shifting shadows, the daeva materialized in the middle of the room, its form a surreal amalgamation of dark violet energy and non-solid, pure mana. Blackened plates adorned parts of its body, resembling scaling that glistened with an eerie glow. The air around the creature seemed charged and toxic, glowing halos - some black, some white - encircled segments of its mysterious form.

Marys’ imagination ran wild as he grappled with the manifestation of the daeva. He didn’t know what he was looking at, as sharp teeth formed in the darkness and claws sprung from its..arms? Did it have arms? The elnin didn’t question anything anymore. The creatures’ presence exuded an overwhelming aura and everything in his mind recoiled at the sight of this imagined terror, while hollow white eyes searched for him. The walls of the room came crashing down and the sky was warped with black and white spirals. The dreamlike landscape twisted and contorted, mirroring the corrupted pocket dimension he had witnessed, as if the very fabric of reality succumbed to the malevolent influence of the daeva. Suddenly, a tail with thorns tried to grab Mary by the hind paws and he shrieked, before finally bolting.

Please, gods…someone… anyone. He needed all this to end.

Desperate for a place to hide, Mary kept on running, but to no avail. The whispers of fellow elnin, sharing their vague descriptions of daevas, had woven together in his subconscious, creating a creature that embodied the fears and uncertainties born from the corruption. The nightmare unfolded against a backdrop of distorted shadows, echoing the ominous signs that lingered in the corners of his memory. He could feel the Daeva right behind him, looming over him in an ever growing presence, until it felt like it covered the whole sky.
Not only that, but more past-nightmares joined in.
While he was running, Mary started to pass more and more people he had hurt in the past. They lined his path, an ever growing wave of faceless elnin, grabbing at him, trying to slow him down, drowning him. He could feel the claws of the daeva on his back. More and more he kept losing bits and pieces of himself to the darkness, until he could feel himself fizzling into nothingness.

But the ordeal didn’t stop.

He fell into an endless void, entwining him in a surreal dance of terror. Sharp pain shot through his whole body as he suddenly slammed into the ground. Everything was pitch black except for the snowstorm around him; and he was gasping for air, while trying to get back onto his feet. The cold silence was overwhelming and only once in a while pierced by a blood curdling scream from far beyond. Marys’ mind started to reach a breaking point, and he just wanted to get away. He didn't know how to defend himself against any of this.

Somewhere in the dark, far away in the distance, he discovered the glow of a soft light.
A shining beacon, like a lighthouse on a stormy night.

He would recognize that light anywhere.

“Nico!”, he cried out and for the first time in days, hope filled his heart. Maybe there was a way out; maybe not everything was lost…!

He ran towards the other one, relieved to see his partner, knowing things would get better now. “Nico-!” The darkness seemed to make way for the shining light of the other elnin and Nico seemed to welcome him as Mary fled into the arms of the other.

“Mary…” His soft voice sounded too charming, too deep, but Mary didn’t notice. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, my love. Where have you been?”

“I don’t know- Everything…everything is so confusing. Nico- I can’t… it never ends. Please. Please help me-”

“But darling~” Nico gently pushed him away, leaving Mary confused.
“Don’t you know? It will never end. This is your life. This is what you’ve become. Just a desperate little worm, haunted by his past, unable to fight, unable to do anything about it… again. So just let it happen. Let us in.” Nicos grin became too wide, his eyes empty, and Mary recoiled in horror, but the younger one held him firmly in place, and his words were like acid for Marys’ heart.
“You’re so pathetic. A disgrace for all the elnin. You’d be better off staying here, where you belong. Who could ever love you? You’re just gonna end up hurting me. Killing me… just like all the others. Will I be another part of your bloody puzzle? Is that what you want? I don’t want to die for you. You should be the one. Why don’t you just perish? Let the darkness take you, Mary. We want to devour you. Let us in. Let us in. Let. Us. IN-” His voice became unbearable, getting louder and louder with every word, demanding, a dark rumble that resonated all throughout Marys’ body, who was paralyzed with fear and heartbreak.
And then Nico suddenly lunged at him, his teeth and mouth rapidly growing, his whole body contorting and shifting, turning into a Daeva, ready to rip into Mary, ready to tear him to pieces-

Mary screamed. He screamed and he screamed, and finally woke up screaming.

“Mary-!”

His heart was pounding and there wasn’t enough air in his lungs. The dark elnin was shaking uncontrollably and absolutely beside himself, and didn’t even notice Nico next to him.

The younger one had returned ten minutes ago, and noticed that Marys’ dreams turned more violent. The elder tossed around on the bed, but no matter what Nico did, he couldn’t wake him and he was worried Mary would end up hurting himself by accident. But suddenly Mary jumped awake, but he didn’t seem to know where he was.

“Mary, hey, it’s me- It’s all right, you’re safe. Please, listen to me~ It’s all right now…”

Mary heard the soft voice, and looked up, only to scream again as he discovered Nico nearby. The experience of the nightmare was still too fresh in his mind, the images of Nico attacking him- …those words… It was the most bizarre feeling and it tore Mary apart; he wanted to be near Nico, hide from the world in his arms, every fiber of his being longed for the younger one, but his confused instincts told him to stay away, and that the other one was dangerous. Fear was overriding any rational thoughts and Mary tried to get up, tried to get away but he was too weak and fell back onto the bed, frightened.

Nico flinched when Mary screamed at his sight, and it broke his heart seeing the older so panicked. He wanted to reach out to him, help him settle, but Nico stopped midair when he saw the fear in Marys’ eyes and he backed away a bit.

“It’s alright- I’m not gonna do anything. See? Please. Mary. You were having a nightmare. You’re safe now. Please, you’ve got to remember.” He kept talking, kept reassuring Mary that his nightmare was over, and most of all, he kept his distance so he wouldn’t stress his partner any further.

“Nico…-” Mary cried out suddenly, voice breaking, with tears in his eyes. “I’m- I’m scared-” His voice was shaking, as was his whole body, and he finally reached his arms out towards Nico, who sighed in relief, before getting close to Mary and pulling him into his arms.

“It’s okay… you’ll be okay… it was just a dream…I’ve got you…” Nico kept stroking Marys’ hair  and pulled him even tighter, with Mary instantly responding and pressing himself against the younger one, terrified of the demons in his head, softly shaking his head.
“It felt too real-...” His voice cracked and he pressed his eyes shut, trying to shut the world out.

To no avail.