Submission (#6515) Approved

It took Mary all day to calm down enough before the two could even think about moving on. Nico still didn’t really understand what had happened; Mary was suspiciously quiet about the topic and he didn’t want to talk about it. He deflected every question Nico asked. It still felt like he was trapped somewhere, like not every part of him came back from the pocket dimension or the nightmare. Reality didn’t feel real and he didn’t know how to describe the sinking feeling that haunted him every waking moment, the feeling like parts of him were missing and still slipping away, and the empty space was filled with darkness, seeping into every nook and cranny of his mind.
Mary barely ate anything, and only after a lot of sweet talk from Nico accepted the medicine. But he refused to lay down again. The fear of having new nightmares was too present in his head. Instead, he spent the afternoon in the shallow water of the oasis, watching fish dart by and dragonflies dance in the sunlight.

During the evening, Nico joined him and gently placed his head on Marys’ back.

The truth was - they were a bit lost.
In all kinds of ways.

Chasing after Mary had Nico all turned around, and he had no idea where they were now. The overwild border was still visible from the oasis and it made them both uneasy. He really wanted to get Mary to the city now, where they could rest in peace and maybe visit a healer and get charms against nightmares.
Mary on the other hand felt like years had passed and everything was just so far away and unreal. He didn’t even think about getting to the city until Nico carefully bought it up. With nightfall this close, it would be smart to make the best of it and travel by night, so they could avoid the heat of the day.
Mary reluctantly agreed, and they started to prepare everything and pack things up. Nico had been busy collecting fruits and fish for their journey and was in the middle of filling their water bottles, when he started to notice Mary was watching something in the distance.

“What is it, love?”, he asked quietly.

The sun was just dipping below the horizon and the desert around them started to change.
Mary shook his head, as if lost in thought.

“Nothing.. I thought I saw.. nevermind… “

Mary couldn’t tell Nico that his nightmares started to spill into reality and Mary thought the shadows around them were moving and twisting. He didn’t want to burden the younger one any further, and decided to keep one more secret.
“I’m ready now~”, he said instead and joined Nico, before they both headed into the night.

[...]

Mary and Nico wandered through the nighttime desert, their steps softened by the warm sand beneath their paws. The crescent moon cast a gentle glow over the landscape, painting the dunes and rocky outcrops in shades of silver and blue. The air was fresh and the only sounds were the occasional rustle of the wind and the distant chirping of nocturnal creatures.
Mary could feel Nico worrying, even if the younger one didn’t say anything. But the glances and little sighs were noticeable, even for him in his current condition. The issue was that he had no idea how to tell Nico that everything was okay - because it wasn’t. Even if he would try to lie about it, the younger one would see right through it.

They took a few breaks during the night, Nico made sure of that and he gently nudged Mary to eat something as well.
They were resting in a rocky valley, where the wind was stronger and dead trees sat on top of cracked stones. Mary felt restless, something about this area didn’t sit right with him, the issue was that he couldn’t tell if it was his paranoia or if there was actually a reason. The rugged terrain stretched out like a labyrinth of shadows before them and massive rock formations loomed like ancient sentinels over them, their silhouettes etched against the starlit sky. It wasn’t until they wanted to move on, that he saw something out in the corner of his eye. But once again, he tried to ignore it.

As they finally ventured deeper into the valley, they stumbled upon an eerie spectacle – trails of dark violet anima splinters thrusting erratically from the rocky ground, splitting the sand wide open and leaving a trail into the mountains around them. The splinters seemed to absorb the light. Bits and pieces of these splinters had glowing halos in either black or white around them and hung in the air, casting an almost hypnotic aura over their surroundings. The air was heavy, the wind was gone and the silence was deeply unsettling.
Mary stopped dead in his tracks when he saw all this and panic started to rise, while his infernal gaze activated automatically, whenever he felt threatened.
“No-”, he whispered, and forgot how to breathe.
The scene in front of him reminded him of his nightmare. He had seen these halos before - on the Daeva creature in his dreams. “No no no-”

Suddenly his nightmares were colliding with reality and Mary did not handle that very well.

Nico was next to him, deeply worried, and then on high alert when he saw how Mary reacted. “What’s wrong-?” he asked, quietly, like he didn’t dare to raise his voice, not wanting to alarm whatever might be lurking nearby.

“I’ve- … I’ve seen this before- in … in my dreams- I know it sounds insane-”, Mary didn’t know what to do but he had to try. “I need you to trust me and believe me when I say we are in danger- we need to leave, immediately.”
“I believe you”, Nico instantly reassured his partner. “But- what… what is going on?”

“I’m not sure-” Mary had only read about this very briefly, a long time ago. “But … these halos.. I think.. a Daeva passed through here, and not very long ago either.” Mary and Nico exchanged wary glances, sensing the residual energy that lingered in the air. The evidence of the Daevas’ recent presence was undeniable, and the implication that the creature might still be nearby sent shivers down their spines.
“We need to hurry-”

Nico bit his tongue; he couldn’t believe this was happening. How unlucky could they be? He needed to get Mary out of here. He could see the other one shivering and Nico started to slowly get a sense of what happened in Marys’ nightmares.
The desert, usually a familiar place for both of them, now harbored an eerie beauty tainted by the remnants of the dark force that had passed through.
The elnins proceeded with caution, navigating the rocky valley under the watchful gaze of the moon, vigilant for any signs that the daeva might still be lurking in the shadows.

[...]

It wasn’t long after the unsettling encounter of Daeva evidence that they made a much more gruesome discovery.
Mary had been suspicious of a certain shimmer and glittening between the rocks; something was reflecting the moonlight. Something that didn’t belong in the desert. He couldn’t make sense of it from a distance, maybe his mind was trying to protect him.
But eventually he was close enough to determine the source of the reflection.
And when he finally realized what he was looking at, he screamed in horror, stumbling backwards. The world around him started to spin and he felt his knees giving in.
In the moonlit desert a ghastly sight greeted him – a once-living elnin, now transformed into a grotesque display of anima and splinters. The elnins body appeared frozen, as if time itself had come to a standstill, and the splinters jutted out from its form like macabre, crystalline tendrils.

Nico was instantly alarmed, all muscles tense and ears perked up. He feared the worst and ran to Mary without hesitation. As soon as he was next to the smaller one, he growled quietly and laid his ears flat on his back, before stepping in front of Mary, blocking the vision of the older one and gently pushing him back.

“Breathe, love-.... don’t look. This is not gonna happen to you, okay? I won’t allow it. Just look at me. We’re gonna get out of here.”

But despite Nicos quick thinking, the image was seared into Marys’ mind and his thoughts were racing. Marys’ heart pounded in his chest as they stood a few feet away from this harrowing discovery. The fear that he might share the same fate as the corrupted elnin gripped him tightly. His eyes widened, fixated on the horrifying spectacle before him as he glanced over Nico, and his thoughts spiraled into a vortex of anxiety. Would he go insane and would he stumble through the desert until he ran into these living nightmares? Would his whole body contort at the sight of them as well?

Mary heard Nicos’ voice but he didn’t understand the words the younger one was saying. Despite Nicos’ attempts to calm him, his anxiety continued to escalate. The haunting image of the corrupted elnin lingered in his mind, casting shadows over his thoughts and he eventually collapsed to the ground, unable to say or do anything.
Nico just huddled closer, pressing himself against the older one, trying to anchor Mary in the present, emphasizing the importance of not losing hope, no matter what.

But Mary could feel he was reaching a breaking point. Everything was too much. Things just seem to escalate more and more and he didn’t want to know where it would end. He was scared for himself - and for Nico. They were in real danger out here, and they were all by themselves, miles and miles away from the next safe haven. He was close to losing his mind and buried his face in Nicos shoulder, who was still trying to calm him down.

“...we’re doomed-”, Mary whispered, eyes shut, losing hope. This was something beyond his control, a force he couldn’t outrun. Mary could deal with other elnins, but he was helpless against the nightmares of nature and it scared him.

“Hey now... We’re not…and I won’t let you give up now. We will get through this, together. Come on. The sun will rise soon. We need to move.” The younger one kept nudging Mary, gently, but with a purpose. He needed to get up. “I’m not leaving here without you.”, which finally seemed to get through to the older one.
Mary looked up in despair.
He didn’t want to put Nico in any more danger - but this place wasn’t safe. This valley was a death trap and the thought of losing Nico was unbearable. If he wanted to protect Nico, he needed to get it together.

“Damn you-”, the smaller one cursed softly, before finally getting up.

“That’s right. I will get you home, no matter what.”

“..Since when are you so stubborn?”

“Well, I learned from the best, dear.”

Mary looked at Nico, still feeling uncertain and his gaze was met with fierce determination. Nico was not willing to let anyone else dictate their fate, and he smiled softly when he noticed Mary looking at him.
“I’ve got you, love. Now and forever. So don’t give up. We will go home.”