Submission (#6728) Approved

Niyari had found their way back out of the pocket dimension and made it back into safe territory but now had to look for another way. They took out their maps and tried to search for the nearest safe route which seemed… almost impossible. Bellmoril was at least pretty even grounded in their forests so Niyari maybe would have to just cut right through the trees and make their own way. Niyari sighed, already tired of the journey they just had. But there was no other way. Well, no safe way at least. Niyari sighed again and took out their compass, getting ready for the trek through the trees. There was no more time to waste.

Niyari made it into the next village when it was dark already. At least that meant noone saw them coming from this path. They were sure that there would be a flyer in this village as well that warned of the dangers lurking on that road and advising Elnin not to take it. They really didn't want to answer any questions, they just needed a preferably hot meal like a soup and then some rest. Throw in some bath water and the night would be perfect.
Niyari checked into a tavern with rooms and got the soup they were hoping for before going to their room. Sadly no warm bath water for today but the warm bed would be almost as good. Niyari put down all their luggage and checked that everything was still there and that nothing had gone missing during the hectic jumping around inside of the pocket dimension. Luckily everything was still in place and Niyari could relax. Despite it being dark outside it was still a bit earlier than they would usually try to sleep but there was no chance that Niyari could find the peace to continue reading or doing anything else that involved having their eyes open. They really deserved some rest after this eventful day. Jut two more days of travel and Niyari would finally be at their goal.

Sleep came fast. There was no tossing and turning this night, no laying awake with worries and scenarios. It should be something to be grateful for. Though despite the sleep coming fast it wasn't restful. Niyaris body had given out from exhaustion, their mind was still working. This time the anxious thoughts weren't playing out while Niyari was still awake, they were playing out in form of a dream.
Niyari was high up in a tree and had to anchor themself against the big trunk while balancing on the branch. They seemed to be waiting. Maybe for another ambush? Niyari looked down but they couldn't see a road underneath. Strange. Normally Niyari would wait at the least busiest place of the road to get their target alone - or alone as possible depending on how many Elnins were travelling together. This didn't seem to be the case. So what else was happening here? Was Niyari hiding from something? Someone? They weren't wearing their usual clothes, this gear was more reminiscent of teir younger days, way before they met Lune.

Niyari couldn't hear anything and just thinking about climbing down, it felt quiet and empty here and there didn't seem to be some imminent danger. It was pretty dark but even then there didn't seem to be anyone around. The tree was pretty high, Niyari definitely couldn't just jump down to the ground, they would have to go from branch to branch. They began scouting out a route and made their way down the tree. While making the final jump towards the ground Niyari suddenly saw their own reflection on the dark surface. With no way to catch themself their paws hit the false ground and Niyari sank in. Their whole body was soon engulfed and Niyari felt thick water around them, almost as bad as slime or dough. It was too hard to swim through and Niyari didn't even try to open their eyes as they desperately tried to claw their way back up. Niyari didn't know if they made any progress or not, maybe they breached the surface but there was still a layer above their face, making it impossible to breathe. Niyari did their best to keep calm and not to panic, they couldn't waste their energy on that. Still, they had no idea what was up or down, what was forward or not. Their oxygen was getting lower and lower and then it felt as if Niyari was given a push and their face broke free. Niyari took a deep breath and tried to find some solid ground underneath their feet. They had to blink away some of the substance that didn't feel like water before being able to open their eyes. What Niyari saw felt so unreal that they had to blink a few more times. The water or swamp they were floating in seemed to be endless and instead of the murky grey color it was white. There were trees at the edges of the horizon, really small and far away but they were white as well. Niyari looked in all directions but this puddle or sea or whatever it was went on for miles. At least they felt somewhat steady floating in it now and weren't being dragged down.

The sky was white as well but it wasn't white like on a snowy day, it felt as if the sky was emitting light... And instead of a sun or moon Niyari saw a black orb. The orb was getting bigger, getting closer? Niyari didn't know what this weird reality was but they kept on clinging to the earlier feeling of it being a dream. Somehow that wasn't reassuring. Mybe this was a vision. Or a warning. The orb was getting closer and then the edges of it split off like the rings around a planet. The rings were swirling around the orb and then it shifted. Horn and legs were emerging, two pair of wings and five tails that feathered out before the rings - no, halos? - settled on top of the creatures head. Niyari remembered the dream they had back in Bellmoril. Although the creature before them now was nothing like the last one, it had that same energy and the black halos... Was this a Daeva as well? Niyari wanted to run away but they were still stuck in this endless lake. Would they get back to the other reality if they tried to dive back?
The thoughts were rapidly racing through Niyaris mind but they felt frozen and couldn't take their eyes off of the creature. The supposed Daeva then opened it's mouth and presented some impressive fangs. It was still coming closer, closer, like a dark shooting star, like a preying eagle, ready to pluck Niyari out and eat them whole. There was a sound emitting from the creatures mouth, Niyari couldn't hear it yet but could see the sound waves in the air, getting closer and closer. Niyari was scared but just sitting idle and not doing anything would not be the way they would ever behave and give up. Some action was better than nothing, even if the result would be worse. Without anything else they could do, Niyari took a deep breath and dove back into the water.