• Closed • Repressed Guilt

[Tristan]

Date: 1st Ymiden, 716
Location: Emea

He opened his eyes, and felt his stomach drop.

Not this dream again.

It had been weeks since he had this one, and he had hoped it had faded like so many others.

Once again, he was trapped inside his own body, unseen chains binding him tightly. The old courtyard was filled with the other servants, his master strutting in front of them. Shock, fear and sorrow could be seen on their faces as his wife was dragged out.

He screamed, but no sound came out. He knew it was a dream, but no matter how he tried to convince himself that it was done, that this was in the past, he couldn't just let her die in his arms again.

No more. This time it's different. I can feel it

He twisted and pulled, muscles straining until blood trickled down his wrists. He didn't stop, yanking hard on his arm until bone shone through the skin. As soon as he looked away, however, the skin was healed, whole. No matter how hard he heaved, the restraints kept him immobilized, helpless. A rock fell in his stomach as he turned back to the scene unfolding in front of him. Tears dripped down his face, but his gaze never wavered from his wife's eyes. A ghost of a smile crossed her face. It was a sad smile, but one that said she was at peace.

Tristan refused to accept that.

She was forced to her knees in front of Tristan, mouthing words he could never quite make out. His master smiled, anger and a fierce joy warring on his face as he tangled his fingers through Tristan's wife's hair. Gripping hard, he pulled back, baring her throat as his other hand brought the glittering blade down.

[Lapis]

“What is this?” Lapis thought to himself as he noticed he was floating just above a crowd of onlookers and not in the cool cerulean ocean he was accustomed to. The dolphin like mer had never seen humans from this vantage point before and while he seemed alarmed no one else took any notice of him.

Suddenly an internal scream of anguish could be briefly felt by the telepathic mer but when Lapis looked in its direction all he was was a simple landspawn male. Lapis could never feel the pain of a landspawn no matter how minor, he could only send them messages. It was odd but lapis assumed it was just the chaotic laws of Emea and tried not to analogize it to much.

Lapis watched in morbid curiously as a women was dragged out into the open by a brutish man with a sadistic face. lapis began to feel glimmers of emotional connection between the bound man and the women. They started out mild but quickly began to sear the inside of Lapis’s mind until he couldn’t take it any longer. He grabbed his spear and swam vigorously down from the sky at the sadistic man aiming the sharp end at the mans throat. With a hard swing the mans head was swiftly thrown clear of his body. It rained a shower of blood that covered lapis and the women still in the clutches of the beheaded body.

Lapis turned to the restrained man and looked at him for a moment with his large alien eyes. “Why did he intend to kill her?” The mer was generally curious how this scenario had come to pass, it seemed like a strange ritual even by mer standards. Lapis would have asked the women but it seemed like this was ocastraited for man.

[Anomaly]

The courtyard fell eerily silent as the head was lopped off the man's shoulders, sailing almost peacefully through the air with several sets of eyes locked upon the space it formerly occupied. The half-expected thud never came, the head staying itself as if caught by invisible hands, suspended several feet above the ground and turning idly where it lay in mid-air.

In spite of her life being saved, the woman's resigned smile never faded and her attention turned---not to her husband, but to the man who'd intended to take her life, body standing upright at her side with the hand still buried in her hair and the blade resting against the skin of her throat, its intent and position unchanged as if the situation was still the same. She awaited her fate, resolve still intact like it had been that day. Alina knew, and had always known---this was freedom, for her and her child---the only freedom she'd ever known, resting at the edge of the blade pressing firmly against her delicate skin.

The scene itself was familiar, etched into memory like a scar upon Tristan's flesh---a wound that would never fully heal. The interference of the Mer wasn't quite the godsend he'd hoped, for the moment that Lapis' attention turned---the startled gasp and consequent splutter behind him may've pulled his attention back before the last word had rolled off his tongue, wet glint of the blood-coated knife flashing into everyone's field of vision as the blade emerged again from Alina's throat.

After all this time, the fact of Alina's death weighed heavily on Tristan's heart and rested intrusively at the forefront of his mind. She'd found freedom at the hands of her master, though her life had been stolen away---a life of servitude, bound in chain to the will of another man whose right it had always been make decisions about her continued existence. Though the decision had been made for her, Alina took her child with her---far away from the chains that had bound her and her husband, stealing it away from the clutches of servitude in a last act of rebellion against a master that would take that freedom away from her child.

In her wake, she left a husband---broken and alone.

Something stirred. A courtyard that should have thrown itself into uproar remained silent, the eyes previously resting on the still airborne head turning instead to Tristan and Lapis---a household worth of servants, men and women of varied ages in ragged clothes with the same deadpan expression on their faces---empty gazes digging into the two men in complete silence. Before they knew it, their surroundings had started to fade as if swallowed by the fog of memory, the bodies of Alina and her executioner the first to disappear, followed quickly by the restraints caging Tristan.

[Tristan]

The slice that he had seen dozens of time before never came. His eyes, locked on hers, didn't notice anything amiss for a couple of trills. When the silence fell across the coutryard, he slowly raised his eyes to meet the stump where his master's head was.

His eyes flitted across the space, searching for the missing head. His eyes locked on it, the fierce expression still in place. He barely noticed the confused mer, who had somehow spoken to him. He was confused- in all the times he had seen this happen, nothing had ever deviated from the script. It was as if it was a play, with an audience of one.

But no more.

Just as Tristan let himself feel the faint glimmer of hope, he watched in horror as Alina threw herself forward onto the blade. His heart shattered, and he screamed, wordlessly. His body went limp as the tip of the dagger emerged from her throat, sagging in the restraints. His screamed softened as he hung, sobs wracking his frame.

He barely noticed as the surroundings faded. A groan seeped from his lips as the body of his beloved faded into mist. No matter how much it hurt to watch her die night and night again, he would never give up the chance to see her face one more time.

As the restraints caging him vanished, he slumped to the floor, his stare vacant.

[Lapis]

Lapis was relieved as the screams in his head stopped and were replaced with an euphoric sense of relief and joy. He fed off the positive vibes the human was giving him and readied his bloody spear to strike at anyone who decided to retaliate against him. The mer didn’t much care for the gaze of the surrounding humans, They could attack him if they wanted but Lapis wasn’t going to go down with out a fight.

With his back turned to the women in order to eye what he assumed would be his next opponents, lapis had no way of preventing what happened next. The women he had saved moments prior defied Lapis and plunged the knife into her own flesh. The Mer didn’t see the travesty but felt the piercing screams of the chained man rattle his brain and the devastating lack of hope that came after. The landscape faded away and there was only Lapis and the man he had a reluctant connection with.

The pain the man had caused lapis with his eternal sorrow was enough to make lapis consider killing him. Surely the human was in enough pain that he wouldn’t mind having it end and lapis could easily do it for him. Lapis wasn’t as fond of murder as his blood thirsty companion Rend but at that moment he was willing to throw his principles away and skewer the man. Lapis swam through the pitch darkness and lifted his spear above the couching man, ready to thrust it down into him.

Though something stopped the Mer from spilling more blood. Lapis didn’t know where his vile sense of mercy came from but he was simply unable to deliver the blow on the landspawn. Just about any other Mer would have easily plunged their spear into such a pathetic creature without a second thought but Lapis was weak.

“She chose death, so sense in feeling sad for her” Lapis's message came with the feeling of blunt frustration but with a sliver of undeniably genuine sympathy hidden beneath. Lapis did his best to send what little positive feeling and imagery he could muster. Beautiful fish and sparkly undersea wonderers were projected directing into the mans head in hopes of drowning out his sorrow. The pain the man send back made this task a struggle but Lapis fought back viciously with positivity.

[Anomaly]

First the world faded into a glaring white, the courtyard and then everyone in it fading as if swallowed by thick mists, Alina's body barely hitting the floor before the mists enveloped her and carried her into oblivion, Tristan's master's head remaining the longest as it turned in its suspended state, flashing the defeated man a groteque smile before, finally, it was devoured by the darkness that followed. Though everything had faded, the undeniable sense of being watched remained, as if the servants' eyes burrowed into the backs of their heads still from wherever they had gone to, dismbodied murmurs whirling in the endless abyss that threatened to swallow both of them whole...

And yet, there they were. Unharmed, untouched, and together. It gave them pause, if just for a moment, as Lapis extended his mind to the broken excuse for a man in an effort to placate him and bring comfort to fight back his crippling grief and the pain surging through his chest, but... that moment wouldn't last for very long.

"Yes, she did. She chose death."

A voice carried through the darkness, soft and deliberate but seemingly without source. It lacked a direction and identification, swirling about Tristan and Lapis like an intentionally disruptive echo, brushing against their minds intrusively yet very much reaching their physical ears.

"Bold choice. Reckless, but bold. I'd go so far as calling it selfish, but..."

Every word carried itself a little louder than the next, though it remained impossible to pinpoint a source or direction, the voice ringing from all around them simultaneously, evading any attempts at pinpointing its origins or fixing it with a channel for alternate communication. Whoever spoke, Lapis couldn't sense them. Only the man in front of him gave him any sort of telepathic input, and though this new voice impudently pressed up against his mind, Lapis couldn't reach out to it in turn.

"What say you, Tristan?"

!	Message from: Anomaly
	Normal dream rules no longer apply past this point. This thread is now treated as any other thread. You are no longer in control, or at liberty to behave past your character's limits.

[Tristan]

The floor, darkening was the first clue that tonight was different.

Some detached part of him noticed, and found the change intensely interesting.

As his thoughts were touched, he finally turned to see an odd fish-like human hovering as if underwater. The name of it, slowly came to him as it shoved images of fish and breathtaking scenes of the seas into his broken mind.

Mer

The Mer's words filled him with rage, and he made to rise with his newfound energy. But the inexplicable rage deserted him as abrubtly as it came, and he remained on the ground. His sorrow retreated to its place inside of him as he felt the familiar hollowness that would now haunt him for several trials. It was just as he rose, needing to face the Mer head on, that the voice rang out.

The words came from nowhere and everywhere at once, its softness hiding the pain it caused him as the message once again rang through his mind.

The dark corner of his mind wanted to hate her. What gave Alina the right to quit and leave Tristan alone? How could she do that to him?

But he refused to give in to it. To hate was to lose her memory, and no matter what happened he was never going to do that. He'd endure this, as he had so many nights before. No matter what Emea threw at him now, he would last. He had to.

The question rang out and hung in the motionless air, as if daring him to speak his mind. To let the anger flow.

But he refused.

"You're wrong. She knew what was coming, and she chose right. We had no life together, constantly watching over our shoulders, living in fear of our Master. I love her. I love her." The words came from his mouth as if he had never lost his tongue, though he hardly noticed it. The last sentences were almost a chant, the last hope of a defeated man desperately trying to cling onto his past.

[Lapis]

Lapis was startled by the mans abrupt movements and stumbled backwards onto his feet? The Mer looked down in shock to see that his beautiful tail had been replaced by hideous land span legs. His eyes widened and let out a barely audible shriek before stumbling to the ground in distress. lapis frantically inspected his new appendages and they certainly felt like real legs. Lapis was thankful that they at least shared the familiar skin of his tail, after a bit more investigation he breathed another sigh of relief as he felt his gills and the dorsal fin atop his head.

Though he couldn’t fully relax once the disembodied voices crept into his mind and the ominous presence permitted the area. Lapis was used to telepathic messages but it was disorienting not knowing where they originated from, and the hollow emotions that came with them only added to the feeling.

Lapis was happy to see that the human had become more spirited but now it was lapis who was beginning to feel frail. The Mer never really felt as strong as others of his kind but with no legs and an invisible enemy that seemed to surround him, Lapis was sure he would die. He hated landspawn but if ether of them were to survive they would need to work together. If that was to happen the human needed to stop falling for this creatures taunts. Lapis clumsily stumbled over to the man, using his spear as a walking stick.

“I’m sure you’ll see her again…but you know she wouldn’t want you to die here…we have to keep moving.” Lapis stated shakily. Bravery was not coming to him as naturally as usual and his eyes darted back in forth in paranoia, ready to spot incoming danger and strike it down.

[Anomaly]

They had to keep moving, but where would they go?

There was nothing but darkness around them---oppressive, everlasting and seemingly eternal, no ends or beginnings and pressing down upon both of them in all directions... Yet, they could see eachother perfectly, as if hit by daylight, illuminated by an unknown source. The presence around them taunted them from a place unseen, floating beyond their conscious minds yet pressing intrusively against them time and time again as it seemed to circle around them, eyes burrowing into their necks, backs and further still, drilling into their flesh and stripping them bare where they stood.

"And the child?"

The question was followed up by a shrill laughter, echoing around them and ringing in their ears as it seemed to escalate with every dissonant tone it took, breaking into several tones and voices as it continued and rained about the small area they had been contained in. While it lasted only a few moments, in reality, it felt like closer to a break before the cacophony of laughter finally stopped, abruptly, hitting the pair with a silence and emptiness almost as oppressive as the presence itself had been... only, this time, it seemed to have departed, leaving them alone with their thoughts---and eachother.

How long would it last, however?

... Not even a few moments more, was the answer.

They had barely the time to truly recuperate from the intense session of laughter before the silence broke and the presence made itself known once more... A bright light flashed to break up the darkness of the space they occupied, a figure appearing inbetween Tristan and Lapis, standing straight and turning its----her----eyes upon Tristan. The woman whose throat had been slit just moments before... There she stood, hand outstretched to the human man with a mournful smile on her face, bidding that he take it, an unspoken request in her watery eyes... At the edges of their minds, the sense of foreboding still lingered, more pronounced and malignant than before...

[Tristan]

A terrible shriek shattered his trance, and his head flicked up to stare at the Mer beside him. The sea creature had somehow sprouted legs, and was currently crumpled on the floor, staring at them in horror. As he slowly climbed to his feet and stumbled over to him, Tristan simply stared at the creature, nodding at the words. It's right. I need to get a hold of myself. He took a deep breath, calming his heart as he fought to control his emotions.

The presence that spoke in his head gave Tristan the barest hint of hope, despite its intentions.

"She chose right. Our life was no life to bring a child into." The words caught in his throat, and tears welled in his eyes as the words he had never spoken aloud echoed in the chamber, nearly drowned out by the maniacal laughter.

Despite the disembodied voice having known just where to hit hardest, remembering his unborn child bolstered Tristan's resolve. These dreams end tonight.

With a flash his wife appeared between the Mer and himself. His eyes softened at the sight of her, and he reached out to hold her hand...

"No"

The word, spoken so softly it might have been missed, seemed to fill Tristan with strength. He let his hand fall back to his side as he repeated himself, looking at his beautiful wife one more time.

"No. You're gone, and no matter what I do I can never change that."

Tears now filled his eyes again, but they were not those of a broken man. Something had changed- perhaps it was the words of the Mer, perhaps it was voices surrounding them, or maybe it was the thought of his child. Whatever it was, Tristan had had enough. He looked at her through blurry eyes, and whispered a soft goodbye as he turned his back on his wife.