TAP. TAP. TAP.
A loud noise woke me up. My eyes were heavy with sleep and my head felt clouded. I pulled the sheets away from me and sat up in bed. Glancing over to my left, I found only empty space. Whipping my gaze to my right revealed another empty spot.
Hailey and Rias were missing.
It's fine. Maybe they're already up.
I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. My heart was racing. I rubbed the dryness away from my eyes. If everyone else was awake already then I'd need to hurry and get ready.
I swung my legs over and pushed myself out of bed. A creaking noise groaned from something wooden beneath my feet. Surprised at the sound I looked down to see what I had stepped on. Hardwood flooring covered the ground.
Wooden flooring where there should have been soft ground was only the start of discrepancies as I was wearing my leather boots, still scuffed and covered in blood from last night. My gaze followed up my legs, noting the torn leggings and torn over coat.
I clutched at my chest. My fingers traced down the deep grooves left behind from the snarling beasts teeth and claws.
The room I was in had a stark difference to the tent I had gone to sleep in. The walls were elegant with a regal flare, but they were showing age and wear as if this place had been abandoned long ago.
It was almost identical to one of the palace chambers in Axio.
Was I back in Axio?
No. That wasn't possible. This must be another one of those psychometric episodes again. But—I hadn't had any weird dreams after that first misplaced memory, so why now?
The sound that woke me up echoed through the chambers once more.
TAP. TAP. TAP.
Somebody was knocking on the door. I twisted around to find a massive metal door between two Doric pillars, overgrown in vines. I crept slowly through the room towards the doorway.
With every step forward, it seemed to move further away...
Was my vision blurred?
No. It was the door that was blurring, a dark mist cascaded down around it. Everything else in the room was in focus. The walls of the room fell away from the darkened ceiling and more black mist fell from above. I raised my arms up to shield my eyes. The mist settled along the floor, blurring my surroundings. The hardwood flooring faded away leaving a cracked stone pathway leading to the large door.
The black mist swayed around threateningly, mocking me.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
I pushed forward through the mist, magickal energy sparked off my skin as I moved. The mist thickened with each step, making it hard to breathe. I choked on it, and had to stop forcing my way. I narrowed my eyes to try to peer through it, though the doorway seemed to be just as far away as when I started. Further away even.
I tried to turn around, but some force pushed back hard against me, keeping me locked in place facing the receding door.
Dark-purple bolts of magick flared through the mist and struck the doorway. Runic sigils formed at the corners, lines formed linking them in an X. The runes pulsed quickly, flashing a rich and eerie violet.
The loud crack of thunder rang out. The pathway shook beneath me and started to collapse. Great chunks of rock split away and tumbled into the darkness. I tried to run away, but the same force pushed against me. I watched in horror as the empty void came ever closer.
The last stone I was standing on began to shake, my footing slipped and I fell to my knees. The stone began its own fall into the void, careening to the left. I grabbed at any break in the rock to keep myself from tumbling down into the dark—my fingers couldn't find purchase, and I fell into the void… Screaming.
I stopped falling, slamming onto a hard floor.
"Oooahh…" I groaned in pain, as my body slumped.
I was in the center of the palace chamber room. Heavy rain pattered against a window and the flash of lightning filled the room.
For a brief moment I caught a demonic visage staring at me from the corner. I stumbled backwards and fell against the bed. In the commotion, the lurking monster stirred. It leaned forwards out of the dark corner, into the lowly lit room.
The demon's head was a massive hammer-shaped wedge, ending in long, sharp pointed ears. Its eye flared with a rich purple glow that flickered like hungry flames.
A twisted sinister grin revealed jagged rows of dark fanged teeth. In its hunched stature, it was quite a few feet taller than an average human.
Then it stood.
Its legs bowed back, like some kind of enormous predatory bird. It came to stand at full height, towering over me at well over fifteen feet.
The looming figure pointed a clawed finger at me and traced out a series of runic-like symbols in the air.
Words hammered against my skull from a voice that seemed to come from inside my own head, "YOU WILL DIE."
Each letter inflicted a searing pain as if they were etched into my mind. Afflicted with incredible shock, from pain or pure terror, I was frozen in place, unable to move a single muscle.
Was this a warning, or a threat?
The demon stared at me, but did not move. If this was a threat it was clear that it was not able to carry it out right now or I would likely be dead already. My gaze drifted down to its hand, still pointed directly at me.
Bony-white claws the size of daggers were protruding from a four-fingered hand. It had a human-like thumb that with the three others, extended out a considerable length. Each appendage with claw was the size of a farming scythe.
I shuddered at the thought of being eviscerated by the terrible beast. It must have sensed my unease, because it traced out another set of runes.
This time though, no words assaulted my brain. Instead the space around us began to fade into a misty shadow.
Even the demon itself faded into the shadows, leaving me left alone in the chamber room with the two runic sigils.
My mind and heart were racing in overdrive.
What in the Aether was that thing? Where am I? This isn't just some nightmare or somebodies memory.
The sigils flickered and the shadows started to grow around me, engulfing all sources of light. At the rate they were spreading, the entire room would descend into darkness in seconds.
The sound of a clock echoed in my mind.
TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK.
TICK. TOCK. TICK. TOCK…
With each 'tick' the shadows danced faster until they engulfed everything. I was left floating in a black void, every direction I turned was the same empty nothingness.
A scraping noise stung my ears, and I saw a glow out of the corner of my eyes. I craned my neck to see more runic sigils coming to life.
"I WILL CONSUME YOU.", the words burned, even stronger than before, as they appeared in my mind.
"Arghhh! Celestials above!"
The unbearable pain left me doubled over, senses barely functioning. I forced my eyes open just in time to see a gaping maw of demonic fangs envelope me from the void below.
I cried out in terror—though my voice made no sound as I was swallowed whole…
-✵-
"AAAAAAAAAAA—"
I shot upright, crying out in terror. The shirt I had went to bed in clung to my skin, it was drenched in sweat. My whole body trembled in fear. It took more than a moment to realize that Rias was clenched tightly around my right arm. Hailey looked up at me from the foot of the bed. Both of their faces were a mix of worry and panic.
Rias wrapped herself around me. I felt some of the panic reside and my nerves calmed. Now it was her body that was trembling.
"Y-you wouldn't wake up…" She whispered in my ear. "We weren't sure what to do."
Hailey pointed behind me, "I thought maybe he would know what to do."
I twisted around to see the 'him' she was talking about, slumped over in a chair, snoring loudly.
Julius.
"We both tried everything we could think of to wake you up. But you just wouldn't open your eyes. You kept calling out and your body kept shaking."
Rias squeezed harder for a moment and then relaxed her grip around me. Looking at her face was heartbreaking. Her bloodshot eyes swelled as tears fell down her face. I was able to rasp two words from my throat.
"I-I'm s-sorry…"
She took my face in her hands and leaned in close. Her forehead came to rest on mine.
Hailey crept up onto the bed laid down beside us, her head coming in to rest against Rias' and mine.
"I'm going to keep you safe."
Her words were calming. The tension in my body released and my eyes stung as my own tears swelled. I leaned into her, burying my head into her lap.
My words scratched against my throat as I spoke, "It was a Terror Demon, I think. It attacked me—" I looked down at myself, notably unharmed, "Well, not physically, it's more like it attacked my own thoughts…"
I told Hailey and Rias every detail of my nightmare. Afterwards, Hailey placed her hands on my shoulders.
"I think… I think that we don't tell anyone about this."
"I agree with Hailey."
Before I could respond, Hailey jumped off the bed and gave Julius' chair a kick. He jolted awake, startled, he reached for a sword that wasn't there. He looked from Hailey, to Rias, to me—and seeing I was awake, he relaxed.
"Finally up from your nap, your highness?" he snickered.
A nod is all I managed to give him as a response. From the battle and from sweating all night, I was dehydrated and weak.
Julius had already picked up on that, and handed me his water canteen. I started with a few small sips. The refreshing touch against my dry throat was more than my mind could handle, I threw moderation to the wind, and was gulping down the water in a moment.
"Here."
Julius startled me, his arm was outstretched towards me holding something. With a death-glare I turned towards him, but my expression softened as I saw what he was trying to thrust at my face.
Upon a small plate sat a little muffin-cake topped with fresh berries and—was that cream!?
"Take it. Happy birthday, or whatever."
I could read him like a book. Even though he wore a scowl on his face, I knew he was actually embarrassed about his awkward presentation of the cake.
"Thanks, Julius. I really appreciate it."
My lips were still dry, and the wide smile that took hold on my face was painful as the skin cracked.
I shared the cake with the three of them. The sweet cream and the sour berries gave the fluffy cake a bright taste that energized my mood.
Today was the twentieth of Capri'æni Ix. The month under the sign of Capricorn, ♑︎. It was my birth anniversary.
The only three people here who would know that were sitting next me—and after the short panic that we all experienced, birthday wishes were the furthest thing from our minds.
It was also the midpoint of the month. If you believed in the Celestial Faith, today would be the day where Capricorn's power and influence over this world was at its greatest. Back in Axio, there would be a festival and a night of drinking and dancing—well, there would have been. Probably not anymore.
Hailey managed to find a new uniform for me to wear, replacing the torn mess I had stripped off last night.
Rias gave me a tight squeeze after I had fastened the last of my uniform's straps. Her quiet voice lightened my mood a little, and I was ready for the day.
"Happy birthday big sister! Stay safe out there today, okay?"
Outside, the air was chilly and damp. Puddles of mud were the landscape of our campsite now. Ominous gray clouds threatened us overhead.
The mood was mixed. About half of the guardsmen were cheerful. They were recounting last night's battle, embellishing the number of enemies slain into the thousands. The other half looked like they were ready to break if someone looked at them wrong. Maybe the stress from battle was getting to them.
Or maybe it was something else... It's possible I wasn't the only one to suffer a nightmare last night.
We ran into Luke and Hanna at the field kitchen, they were leaving and gave us a warning. The ration this morning was over-salted hardtack and questionable looking 'meat'.
Leftover field marmot…
We found a table and I poked at my meal while absentmindedly surveying the room. The same mixed-emotions were obvious here as well. Some tables were full of laughter. Others looked like ours, with their occupants sitting silently and barely eating.
Hailey nudged me, bringing my attention back to our table.
"Let's check in with Dori after this. Hopefully she was able to take a look at your shoulderplates."
"Yeah, good idea." I ran my hands over my shoulders. "Feels like I'm walking around with myself exposed without them."
Julius choked on a bite of his biscuit.
Hailey goaded him, "Were you just imaging our Commander exposed, Julius?"