First there was nothing. Then there was darkness. Comprehendable darkness. Zeda walked in the dreamscape, nervously tugging on her nightgown. Nothing was around her, not a sound, not a smell, not a visual, not even a sense of touch. She was in the midst of nothingness.
Then there was a glowing.
She turned to see the figure she knew so well behind her, orange gas radiating out from where he stood. The look in his eye was more deadly than she’d seen in a while.
Quickly, she turned and ran, but the poison closed in on her every move. If she went left, it curved to stop her. If she ran ahead, it was there too. The air became heavy with the stuff, making its way into her lings and settling there, making it harder and harder to breathe. She kept running though. She kept running.
Straight into her demise.
His hissing voice filled her ears as her lungs threatened to stop. It was if she were burning from the inside out. Every cell of her body was on fire, though nothing could be done to stop it. She cried out, but no one heard. She couldn’t even make a sound. She tried to fight back in desperation, but every time she got close, the gas got thicker and she was thrown back harder into the midst of it.
Her eyes stung and prickled, as if she had gotten into a pool with too much chlorine and opened her eyes beneath the surface. Even closing them brought little relief, and perhaps made it worse. Every muscle ached from oxygen deprivation, and her brain was already shutting down. Zeda felt every part of her body shut down from head to toe, and the pain of it all as her own bodily toxins mixed with the outside one.
All was black.
She woke up with tears steaming down her face, and said face buried in a pillow. Her chest heaved with the need for air, and she trembled and shook as if she had been pushed off a cliff. Whimpers filled the room, echoing off the walls. Her lungs craved air. She could get it. Zeda looked out the window.
“He’s out there.” Tears fell again. “He can overpower me easily.” She got up, death gripping anything she could get her hands on to keep steady, then put a hand on the window. “There’s nothing keeping him out.” She quickly backed away from the glass and pulled the curtains shut, barely keeping herself from falling backwards with her wind -- instinctual by now.
Once she could be steady on her feet, she walked down the hall towards her parent’s room, knocking with a specific pattern. Her mother sleepily opened the door and leaned on it.
“Zeda, it’s one in the morning--”
“I don’t feel safe in my room.” Tension rose instantly. Her mother’s eyes hardened and she opened the door wider. Zeda immediately walked closer and hugged her mother tightly.
“They’re back. The nightmares.” Zeda sniffed, eliciting pity from Sora. The mother demon sighed silently and wrapped her arms around her daughter, allowing even her wing energy to wrap around.
“But why are they back? Something like that doesn’t just come back for no reason.”
“... I do--” She hiccuped. “I met him.” Instantly, Sora went on high alert. Her energy became instantly hostile, and her grasp more protective. She had to force back a growl.
“When?” The question came out as more of a command, making Zeda bury her face into her mother’s nightgown. Sora sighed and softened her tone as much as possible before asking again.
“When, baby?”
“A few months ago. But I only figured it out today.” Zeda explained in choked words what had happened during that training, and how the fight had happened. How it went. How it hurt. Then his reveal. His taunting. How she couldn’t defeat him no matter how she tried. This only brought the flames of rage even higher than they were before.
“How dare he hurt my child.” She shook, then took a deep breath and looked at Zeda. Her tear stained face looked back up, a little bit of mucus dripping from her nose. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the bags were already forming, despite only being up for a few minutes. A few cuts laid on her cheeks, scabbed over, already on their path to healing. Sora ran her thumb over one, then kissed Zeda’s forehead.
“Do you want me to ward your room again?” Zeda nodded, refusing to let go. Sora slowly rocked back and fourth, humming a soft but sweet tune. The melody resembled the waves of the sea, gently rocking a small ship on its way to the shore.
“I’m going to need to talk with Iris about this.”
“No! Don’t! She’s hurt enough...” Sora remained quiet, waiting for an exposition. “She let me use her as a practice dummy for soul damage attacks... she’s hurt. ... And that’s why she couldn’t do anything. Don’t get into another fight.” Zeda’s voice was small and weak, almost childlike again.
A few moments of silence passed between them, with only the occasional soft sob of Zeda’s fear echoing through the dark hall. Sora ran her hand through Zeda’s hair, gently combing it. The sensations put a cooling, but warm feeling through Zeda’s body, filling it with a soothing air. Her breathing slowly reverted to a normal rate. Eventually, she looked up, still sniffling.
“Can I sleep with you tonight, Mom?”
“I suppose.”