He’s in that state of not-quite-awake, with eyes rolled back and chest heaving. His nightclothes are soaked through with sweat.
Talon will feel a strike, then another, then another, as certain as through someone had flogged him. Vlad’s powers, lashing out, imprinting pain - remembered pain? Reflexive strikes? - but then the hemomancer himself throws himself to sit, his claws slashing the air, his hair plastered to his skin, a wild, wide-eyed mess. He pants, and shudders, and for a moment he almost starts to sob.
It takes a moment, a long moment, where he finally accepts he is in his bedroom, that he is awake, that he was merely dreaming. Then he slowly turns, and fixes a gaze on Talon that is horrified.
He’s been seen. His nightmares are known. He chokes on the foul taste of shame and presses his lips together, expression shifting to fury and incredulity.
Pain. Pain. The familiar slicing agony of a whip striking over his back, sending his body lurching forwards. The manacles bite into his wrists with each lash, toes scraping against the stone to leave bloody smears behind. He can’t breathe for the scream swelling up in his throat, can’t scream for the blood in his mouth that’ll chokes him with every gasped breath--
“You’re safe,” Talon says, fingers curling over the carved foot of the bed. He’s talking to Vlad, or himself, he isn’t sure. He isn’t in Demacia, he’s in Noxus, he’s safe. He isn’t -- whatever’s happening, he isn’t in Demacia. If Vlad is angry, he can deal with that. He’s safe.
And so is Vlad.
His eyes fix on Vlad but they aren’t quite seeing him. Not yet. He swallows hard, knuckles white from how tightly he’s holding the wood. He breathes and this time. he tastes air instead of blood.
“You’re safe,” he says again, and this time his words are a little steadier, as close to gentle as Talon can be. “You’re safe, Vladimir. Whatever’s happened is over.”