— WHEN THE DARK DRESSES LIGHTLY
PART V — HUNTER
Vampire! Dream of The Endless x Van Helsing! Reader (I) (II) (III) (IV) (V)
Warnings: None
Gif creds to @/leighanne ! You can find the playlist for this fic here! Likes, reblogs, and comments are always welcome! Thanks for reading!
Notes: Hello, my loves! A shorter chapter than usual, I know, but it’s all just set-up for the next chapter! Things are getting interesting, so don’t go anywhere!
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When you woke up, you were alone.
You ached deliciously all over, and you stretched as you sat up, your joints popping with a satisfying sound before you rolled your shoulders back, your bleary eyes searching the room.
Morpheus was nowhere to be found.
You weren’t necessarily surprised— he was Endless, after all. Surely he had many things to tend to in his realm, and by the looks of it, it was well past what you assumed was morning in The Dreaming.
So, you decided there was no use in moping about, and rose to your feet to find something suitable to wear in your closet. You couldn’t help but smile when you noticed that all your favorite pieces were in the closet— of course, Morpheus had the foresight to make sure you had your favorites with you.
Once you dressed and fixed your hair, making sure you looked somewhat presentable, you left your bedroom and made your way down the hallway, trying to remember the way to the main hall.
You were certain you remembered the way quite well… so, how the hell did you end up in the library?
“Excuse me.” A voice from behind you called softly.
You turned your head to find a bespectacled woman with peculiar pointed ears standing right before you, a quizzical expression on her face, and two large tomes held in her arms. “May I help you?”
“Oh, um…” You began, your cheeks heating up as you bowed your head slightly in apology. “No, I… I confess, I’m not even sure where I am right now…” You admitted to the woman, smoothing down your clothes with a small, nervous laugh.
But the woman simply tipped her head at you for a few moments, regarding you in silence before speaking. “You’re Van Helsing, are you not?” She asked.
You grimaced— it seemed that not even The Dreaming could protect you from your family’s reputation.
“Please, call me (name),” you told her softly.
Seeming to sense your discomfort, she gave a little nod. “Of course. Please, accept my apologies,” she said, bowing her head as well. “My name is Lucienne, and I am the head librarian of The Dreaming.”
“Lucienne…” You repeated softly, a little smile on your lips. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My apologies for asking, but… is Morpheus— er, Lord Morpheus, around?” You asked, fidgeting with the sleeve of your top.
That gave her pause, and Lucienne frowned slightly, her brows furrowing in confusion. “As a matter of fact, I haven’t…” She said, folding her arms over her chest. “I’d assumed he was with you.”
If possible, your face got redder. “He, uh… he was,” you said. “But when I woke up, he was gone.”
“Lord Morpheus?”
Suddenly, you were met with a talking raven, which had perched itself upon the librarian’s desk. You’d seen this raven flying around on the night of the ball, going from perch to perch, always watching.
“It… appears so, yes,” Lucienne said, turning to the raven with a concerned expression on her features. “Jessamy, will you ask Mervyn, Abel and Cain if they’ve seen Lord Morpheus at all today?”
The raven, who you knew now to be Jessamy, gave a little nod. “Of course I will, Lucienne,” she said before turning to look at you. “Lady (name), no? You were the person Lord Morpheus was dancing with last night?” She asked you, a teasing lilt to her tone. “You two looked cozy.”
Lucienne cleared her throat, and Jessamy squawked before taking flight and leaving the library.
You turned to Lucienne then, a little frown on your lips. You were concerned now.
“Do you think he’s missing?” You asked Lucienne, who sighed and looked at you, placing the tomes she’d been holding onto her desk.
“It’s not unusual of Lord Morpheus to disappear for some time,” Lucienne told you before taking a seat behind her desk. “But he scarcely ever does it without letting someone know. This is… unusual.”
The only thing you could do was agree.
—
Three days.
Three days passed in The Dreaming.
For three days, you, Lucienne, Jessamy, Cain and Abel, and Mervyn searched The Dreaming for any sign of the Prince of Stories— but he never turned up.
Lucienne had thought about reaching out to the other Endless, but scrapped the thought. She knew well how fickle Dream’s relationship with his siblings was.
For the third night in a row, you returned to your room, only to find it empty. The fire in the hearth had gone out, the constellations at your door no longer twinkling with life.
The bed was cold as you sat down, fingers brushing over the unmade bedsheets as you exhaled softly. In Morpheus’ absence, you’d been unable to find sleep. It eluded you, as did dreams.
You were restless, you were weary.
You missed him.
The thought alone made you scoff lightly, and you kicked off your shoes before you let yourself fall flat onto your back on the mattress, which creaked slightly. Staring up at the ceiling, you sighed and threw your arm over your eyes.
It was then you felt it.
Something sticking to your feet— something chalky, powdery.
You grimaced and sat up again, bringing your foot up to rest over your knee to brush whatever was on your arch away. Your hands came away smudged black.
You looked down at the floor, and found ash on the carpet.
How strange…
Slowly, you sank to your knees on the carpet, fingers collecting some of the fine powder and smudging it between your fingers in thought.
There was something coarser than ash mixed in with what you’ve found, something you deduced was most likely sand.
Why would there be sand in ash?
It was then that it dawned on you, the worry settling deep in your very being and making you exhale shakily.
He’d been taken.
Dream of The Endless had been taken.
You rose to your feet, foregoing your footwear, and ran all the way from your bedroom to the library, skidding to a halt to avoid running right into Lucienne, who’d just been coming out from between the bookshelves, and who regarded you with worry.
“My lady?” She asked, taking in your… frazzled appearance. “Is something wrong?”
“He’s been taken…” You panted softly, lifting your head to meet Lucienne’s gaze. “I… I must return to the waking world. I have to find him.”
You didn’t really wait for Lucienne’s response before you turned to march right back to your bedroom.
“Wait— how will you find him?”
That made you stop dead in your tracks, wracking your head for an answer.
How would you find him?
Her face flashed through your mind, and you smiled before looking at Lucienne over your shoulder.
“There’s an old friend I’ll have to pay a visit to.”
You returned to your chambers and dressed in something appropriate before heading for the portal. On your way there, you felt a weight on your shoulder, and looked up to find Jessamy perched on your shoulder.
“Jessamy?” You questioned, stopping just before the gates of horn and ivory. “What are you doing?”
“I’m coming with you.” The raven said in a matter-of-factly manner. “You can’t hope to find him on your own. Besides, I have very good eyes.”
You smiled, and relented without much effort. “Thank you, Jessamy.”
As the gates opened, Jessamy asked you.
“So… where to, first?”
“First, I’ll need to return home. I have a feeling this job will require a bit more gear,” you said, stepping through the gates and standing in front of the glimmering portal to the waking world.
“And then?” She asked, flapping her wings to steady herself.
You exhaled.
“Greece. There’s someone I must speak to.”
With those words, you slipped into the portal with Jessamy, colors swirling around you.
Until all you saw was black.
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