"NO!"
Lauri bolted up, the covers falling down to his waist. The intensity of the light in his eyes pulsed along with his rapidly beating heart, his mind ready to summon enough light constructs to rend his entire surroundings into rubble.
A cold sweat ran down Lauri's body as he looked, his heart rate beginning to slow.
He was in his room. Not the small room with a bed and not much else at the very rear of the Rhino, but his room. His bedroom, in his house in the NQSC.
Reaching up with his hand, Lauri wiped his face.
"Wait…"
Pulling the hand away from his face, Lauri stared at it.
"My, my left arm."
Touching his left forearm, his left wrist, his fingers. Lauri took deep, heavy breaths.
"Was it, was it all a dream? Was that nightmare just a normal… A plain old normal Nightmare?"
Taking the covers off himself, Lauri moved toward the curtains and pulled them aside. Bright light streamed into his room, but Lauri was unbothered by the sudden change in brightness, looking out into the street below.
A mother was pushing a stroller, a couple was walking hand in hand, and a couple of PVTs moved across the road.
Letting go of the curtain, it fell back into place, bathing the room in darkness only interrupted by the faint beams of light through the gaps in the curtains. Taking a few steps back, Lauri sat on the foot of his bed, rubbing his left arm.
But before he could do anything more, Lauri heard something downstairs.
Footsteps, voice, something hitting the floor.
Lauri's eyes narrowed; a sword of light snapped into being between his fingers. Opening the door to his room very slowly, he moved on the tips of his toes to try and make as little noise as he could.
The voices were loud, as if they weren't concerned whether they would wake Lauri up or not.
Descending the stairs, he could make out what they were saying. It was a man and two women.
The first woman's words were garbled, sounding as if she was chewing on something as she spoke.
"I'm just sayin', if he didn't want me going through his fridge, he'd put a lock on it."
The second voice was the other woman's; her tone was light.
"There is no lock Lauri could put on his fridge that would keep you out."
The man spoke; his words were accentuated with the sound of something scraping against metal.
"Congrats, you woke him up."
Lauri stepped off the stairs, dismissing the blade as he strolled into the living room, his gaze snapping to the side.
"Savina. Get out of my fridge."
Grumbled the words, he aimed them at the door of the open fridge.
Savina's head popped up from behind the fridge door, half a sandwich sticking out of her mouth.
"Oh, uh, Haig Lauwi, yuw fwidge–"
Shoving the sandwich into her mouth with her fingers, she swallowed it without chewing.
"Your fridge was open; I was worried about all the food going bad."
Lauri rolled his eyes as Savina's head disappeared back into the fridge, turning to look at two people sitting on stools by the kitchen counter.
One was a man around Lauri's age. His sharp grey eyes and silver hair gave him a stern appearance as he focused on his work. He held a sword in one hand and a whetstone in the other, methodically sharpening the blade.
Opposite him sat a woman with unnaturally long, bright green hair tied into a single large braid. She held up a potted plant with a bright smile.
"Got a new plant for you, Lauri. This strain should be able to retain water far longer than the others."
She glanced across the room to the wilting plants sitting on the kitchen windowsill.
Walking up to them, Lauri placed a hand flat on the table. Casting a glance toward Savina, he shook his head.
"Could either of you, I dunno, have done something about her?"
He gestured to the fridge.
Eden rested the potted plant on the table, moving her arms around it like she was hugging it.
"I tried… But you know how she is."
"You have a nice kitchen; I did not want to break anything."
Samuel didn't look up from his sword.
"Did Maeve not come with you guys?"
Lauri subconsciously touched his left arm as he looked around the kitchen. Frowning as Eden shook her head.
"She said she was running a little late, but that was a while ago. Hopefully she'll be here soon."
Sitting beside Samuel, Lauri watched as Savina hauled out half of the contents of his fridge between her arms, planting it in a wide area on the kitchen table.
"Seriously?"
Returning his gaze, Savina shrugged.
"Eh, why not."
As Savina began to chow down. Eden leant forwards, tilting her head to look at Lauri.
"So, how you feeling about Antarctica?"
Lauri flinched, suddenly becoming aware of his own heartbeat in his ears; he swallowed a knot in his throat.
"Wh– What do you mean?"
Eden sat back in her seat.
"This whole upcoming crisis, I can't believe they aren't telling people. They should be telling everybody, since everybody deserves to know!"
Sighing, Samuel murmured in an almost silent tone.
"And that, Eden, is why you aren't in charge of anything."
Cutting daggers toward Samuel, Eden held the plant closer to her, its leaves trembling as she did so.
"People should be made aware that the entire world is going to be thrown into disarray, just like it was after North America fell. Except now we're going to lose Antarctica, which will have an even larger impact on the world than North America. People have a right to know... And my Clan is doing perfectly fine, thank you for asking."
She pouted, turning her head away from Samuel.
The whetstone disappeared into blue sparks as Samuel dismissed the Memory. Raising the sword, he tested the edge of the blade with his thumb.
"It is not about what is right, Eden. If the Government decided to make a broadcast and tell the people of the world that everything was about to go downhill. Do you know how much panic there would be? How much chaos? It- can you imagine how bad the situation in Antarctica would be if everyone found out they would have to abandon their homes, lest they be devoured by Nightmare Creatures."
Samuel pulled his thumb back from the sword, a red droplet welling up against his pale skin.
Watching the two converse, Lauri looked to Savina.
"Do you have any thoughts on what's going on?"
Swallowing her most recent mouthful, Savina shrugged.
"I hope there's some powerful Nightmare Creatures. I've been looking to enhance my forms; my offensive form is kinda lacking after I tried to devour that Terror."
"Yeah, the Fallen Terror; I remember how it was kicking your ass before I got there."
She let out a hearty chuckle before returning her attention to the food.
Resting an elbow on the table, Lauri propped his head up with his palm. His gaze drifted from Savina to the pair; their conversation was still ongoing, growing louder in intensity.
Lauri's expression caught somewhere between amusement and exhaustion; the corners of his mouth twitched faintly.
"Lauri."
Eden turned the conversation back in his direction.
"Surely you agree with me that people deserve to know?"
Drumming fingers against his chin, he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Eden. But I have to agree with Samuel. There would be too much chaos if people found out before the government was properly ready to let the world know. Even when people find out, I doubt things will be calm. What with most of the Government's Awakened being sent to Antarctica with the First Evacuation Army, and the rest being sent with the Second Evacuation Army… Speaking of…"
Lauri looked from Samuel to Savina and then back at Samuel.
"You two are going to enlist, right?"
They exchanged glances.
"I am sure we will."
Samuel dismissed the sword.
"I can only imagine the kind of sword Memories that will pop up in the coming months; better to get ahead of the market whilst I can."
Burping, Savina slammed her closed fist against her chest.
"What the sword freak said. All the new tasty Nightmare Creatures with all their different parts, I can't wait to get my jaws on them all."
Running a hand over his face, Lauri whined.
"You guys."
He slammed his palm down onto the table.
"Can't you two at least pretend you're going there with the intention of saving people?"
Again, the sword freak and gluttonous woman exchanged glances.
"No, not really."
"Whatever you say, glowstick."
Before Lauri could offer a response, there was a knocking at the front door.
"Finally, that must be Maeve. She'll talk some sense into you two."
Sliding off the stool, he made his way out of the kitchen. Walking down the hallway, he reached the front door, hesitating for a moment; his hand hovered over the doorknob.
Taking a deep breath, Lauri opened the door and swung it open.
"Hey, Maeve–"
Lauri froze.
Maeve stood on the doorstep, bloodied from a dozen wounds. Her clothes were torn and stained crimson, her left arm clutching her side whilst blood seeped between her fingers. Her right eye was gone, leaving behind an empty, blood-smeared socket; her right hand was so badly mangled that several fingers bent at unnatural angles.
She raised her head to look at Lauri.
"Where were you…"
He staggered backwards, unable to say a word as Maeve took a step toward him. Blood fell heavily on the welcome mat as she crossed the threshold of his home, moving closer towards Lauri. Her arms open, outstretched, reaching towards him.
Tripping on her own foot, Maeve fell into Lauri's arms.
"Maeve…"
A tremble interrupted Lauri's words, forcing him to clear his throat before he could speak again.
"What happened to you? What did this?"
Maeve didn't say a word.
"Please, Maeve, talk to me, what–"
The sound of the ground trembling brought Lauri's focus to the street outside, his arms wrapped defensively around Maeve. His eyes lit up, mind shifting gears, gauging the situation, the potential causes behind Maeve's current situation,
'Maeve's hurt; I need to get her to a healer as soon as possible. With all the blood she is losing, even for an Ascended, it's too much. What did this to her? A Nightmare Gate? No, we would have received an alert. An Awakened gone rogue? No, Maeve wouldn't lose to an Awakened; did an Ascended crack under pressure? It's not unlikely.'
The course of the trembling was getting closer with each passing second, forcing Lauri to stand. He held his arms under Maeve's, trying to get her to her feet. Lauri's attempts to hold Maeve were slow to take effect as she had gone limp.
Holding Maeve close to his body, Lauri began slowly moving back.
'I just need to get Savina, Samuel and Eden's attention; with them, we can take out any Ascended.'
Lauri instantly spotted the source of the noise as it crossed into view beyond the doorway.
Dull armour, a cloak of mist trailing down from its shoulders, its sword dragging along the pavement, leaving a groove in its wake.
Heaving Maeve up into his arms, Lauri doubled his efforts, sprinting back toward the kitchen. Putting distance between himself and the front door, blades of light filled the wide hallway. Each aimed toward the Whispering King. The front of Lauri's home was turned to rubble as the blades shot forward: alloy, concrete and the decorative bricks were eviscerated as the weapons tore forward.
'The Whispering King? This doesn't make any sense; how could it possibly be here!?'
Finding the kitchen door had closed, Lauri chose the fastest method of opening it. Dropping his shoulder on the side of his body, he wasn't holding Maeve and rammed into the door, breaking through with ease.
And then he was falling.
Crashing into the ground, Lauri felt the wind knocked out of him.
Taking in deep breaths to fill his lungs, Lauri's fingers switched on the ground. He felt a cold, uneven surface, but before his mind had the chance to fully process his own confusion at what was happening, he realised something.
"Maeve!"
Picking himself up, a blade of light appeared in Lauri's hand – although unlike usual, it took a few seconds to appear. Lauri looked down at the sword, his eyes narrowing.
'What…'
He raised his head.
He was standing in the middle of a street. Taking in more of his surroundings, Lauri slowly walked backwards until he felt one of the buildings press against his back. The street was lined by brick-built buildings on either side; windows reflected a crimson light, and each window held parts of a mosaic. Lauri could make out a leg in one, leaves of a blossoming flower in another, but none of the windows showed the full image.
Each mosaic was shattered, the shards missing, long since cleared up.
'This street… I'm in– this is the City of Spires… From my time as an Awakened, going from before Antarctica to now. What an odd dream.'
Lauri wasn't bothered by this realisation; after all, it was only a dream. Why would anyone be worried about dreams…
Raising his head, Lauri saw a single pale moon hanging above him. So large it looked like he could jump up and reach it – bringing his hand up, Lauri spread his fingers out wide until he covered the pale disc. Closing his fingers, he twisted his hand as if he caught a fly.
"To think, I haven't been here since before my Second Nightmare; I never thought I'd be back, although… I guess I'm technically not back. Probably doesn't count."
Stepping away from the wall, Lauri caught a glimpse of his appearance in one of the larger mosaics. Looking into the glass, Lauri touched his face – a slight chuckle coming from his lips.
'I look so young, or well, not that old. How long ago was this…'
His hand dropped back to his side as he heard something. A faint skittering, the rustle of cloth, and an eager chittering. A smile spread across Lauri's lips as he turned toward one of the broken mosaics.
A figure emerged from the darkness.
It stood a head shorter than him, its slight frame almost entirely concealed beneath layered black robes that pooled around its feet and swayed as it dropped to the ground. Beneath the oversized hood, only fragments of its face were visible – a polished chitinous shell the same obsidian colour as its robes, two glossy black mandibles that clicked softly together, and a cluster of tiny emerald eyes that glimmered from the shadows. Thin, jointed fingers protruded from the robe's sleeves, ending in delicate hooked claws better suited to climbing than fighting.
The creature moved with an unnerving mixture of graceful gliding and abrupt, twitching motions, each step accompanied by the faint tapping of hidden legs beneath the robes, while its antennae peeked from beneath the hood before curling back out of sight.
"Oh, one of the bugs from the Revered faction has come to meet me. I feel honoured."
It advanced, but Lauri didn't move. Instead, he raised a finger to his lips.
"What was your name again, Apostle? No… It was something dumb, Apostle Acolyte? You aren't one of the fighters, are you? The Apostle Reverent."
The Apostle Acolyte stabbed forward with one of its hooked claws, the edge glinting in the pale moonlight. Lauri ducked around the blow, his hand outstretched as he summoned a sword of light. Grabbing the Apostle Acolyte's outstretched limb with one hand, he pulled himself closer, driving the sword between the plates in its chitin.
But something was different; it seemed in this dream Lauri had taken on the characteristics of his younger self. He was an Awakened, which meant [Light's Edge], the ability that allowed Lauri to create constructs of light, was weaker; the shapes he created did not appear instantaneously. The sword that had begun to form dissipated as it touched the Apostle Mantis' body; Lauri's closed fist slammed into the side of the Apostle Mantis' body.
'Oh-'
Before Lauri could recover, the Nightmare Creature lashed out. A claw caught Lauri's wrist; pain tore through his being, forcing him to release his hold on the Apostle Acotyle's arm.
Lauri tensed.
'What the Spell was that?!'
The pain was still rolling through his mind; it felt as if his entire being had been plunged into a pit of fire. It was such an unmistakable pain – yet for that exact reason it took Lauri a couple of moments to truly comprehend what had just happened.
The Apostle Acolyte lashed out at Lauri – Lauri was still falling, still reeling from the claw that left a trail of blood along his wrist. Reaching out with his uninjured arm, Lauri touched the ground; he pushed off, changing his momentum. He pushed himself toward the attacking insect and turned into light.
Only keeping [Light Dash] active for a split second, Lauri's being flowed around the Apostle Acolyte. The flash of light washed over its robes, revealing dark stains hidden within the black cloth. For an instant, the fabric glistened with the dull sheen of dried blood, so old and so deeply soaked into the robes that it had become almost indistinguishable from the garment itself.
Lauri cancelled [Light Dash].
He appeared beside the Apostle Acolyte's head, one arm hooked around its throat. Already off balance as it had lunged toward Lauri, he easily pulled it backwards using his body weight as he fell the short drop to his feet. Using essence to enhance his body, Lauri wrenched the Acolyte's head, bending it backwards. With his other hand, the one that had been injured, he put his fingers into the Acolyte's mouth, past its chittering mandibles – another point of leverage.
Driving his knee into the back of the Apostle Acolyte's neck, he felt a burning pain run through his body from where his knee came into contact with the Acolyte's armoured body. But at the same time, he heard a loud crack as the chitin on the Acolyte's neck shattered under the force.
It went limp in his arms.
Dropping the dead Nightmare Creature, Lauri raised his head – not to look at anything in particular because he wasn't looking; he was listening.
The sound of wind moving through the broken mosaics.
The sound of a distant fight.
The sound of more of the Apostles approaching him.
But there was one sound missing; it felt so unnatural.
'The Spell, it didn't announce my kill… So this is definitely a dream, but then, if this is a dream…'
Raising his injured hand, Lauri stared at the wound the Apostle had inflicted on his wrist. The cut.
'Why did that hurt so much? It felt like soul damage, but that couldn't be possible. How could I possibly feel soul damage in a dream...'
Light began to flow around Lauri, taking shape over the clothes he was wearing. Armour of light to protect himself from the coming fight. A blade began to form between the fingers of his uninjured hand.
'This was a normal dream; it was a memory my mind was replaying to me. Of the last time I saw my friends before leaving for Antarctica, a completely normal dream until… The Whispering King entered my dream…'