i don't want to be like this

Christian of LUCAH: Born of a Dream Afilliated with Isola Radiale

[w1shmade-blog]

dreamb0rne‌:

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Lucah's voice, their eyes, their wings pointed and ready to strike, dragging Christian into an old nightmare. His heart pounded in his ears as he half-expected their ᴛʀᴀɴsꜰᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ to go even further, for their body to turn jagged and inhuman, but even as Lucah's fingers dug painfully into his hand, he didn't pull away. If Lucah ended it here, then...

... The moment passed. Red gave way to cyan, and although Lucah lowered their wings, their hand remained locked with Christian's. The question came as a surprise, not because Christian wasn't expecting it, but because he realized he could ask the same of Lucah.

     Why didn't you kill me?

... Was this how they had felt? Was this why they had chosen to end things differently? Was their expression now the same as his had been then, full of fear and confusion when faced with an uncertain future?

The answer was there, but Christian struggled to reach it. "Because... I..."

Movement. The moment of respite was over. Christian realized this too late as his gaze snapped from Lucah to the Nightmare behind them, coiled and ready to spring.

"Lᴏᴏᴋ ᴏᴜᴛ--!"

Christian dragged Lucah towards him as he stepped forward, a flash from SOL striking the Nightmare but unable to stop it from similarly finding its mark, slashing the space where Lucah had been moments before, a space now filled by Christian, red spilling from the gash on his shoulder as a beam of blinding light shot out over him and Lucah, tearing through the Nightmare, and Christian glanced up to see Laser floating above them, but any relief he could feel from the sight of his Familiar was drowned by the realization that the Nightmare still stood, ready to strike again--

[w1shmade-blog]

dreamb0rne‌:

     You lead, clear the path, relinquish the pattern for Christian do the same, you follow after, he follows after; ostinato, a repetition in melody. For once, you’re both willing to listen. Your magic becomes your dialogue.

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How long had Christian wanted this?

It wasn't the fighting he enjoyed. The Nightmares here were just as horrid, as deadly and savage as always, and looking at them filled Christian with the same sense of dread. But knowing Lucah was there, seeing the shine of their wings, their Mantra shifting to mirror the gold of Christian's own, it filled him with a confidence he had only known once before. As Lucah faced down their own Nightmare, Christian whirled into a pack of his own, short bursts from SOL tearing through them easily. That's how it's done, Lucah.

But then--

A horrible, familiar sound. The air turned bitter and hot as Christian's breath caught in his chest. He turned, although he already knew what he would see.

He hated seeing Lucah like this, broken, ᴛʀᴀɴsꜰᴏʀᴍᴇᴅ, indistinguishable from the Nightmares they fought. It wasn't because he hated them, as he'd once thought, or because he feared what would happen next. Looking at Lucah now, he saw them from across an abyss, a void of unfathomable suffering of which he had feared so much that he had been willing to sacrifice every part of himself to avoid it. Lucah, Serah, Lilli--they had all faced it, accepted it, let it change them, but Christian had always turned away, telling himself whatever lies he had to. He couldn't possibly understand. He couldn't reach Lucah there.

.

No. That was wrong. He couldn't reach Lucah where their heart was, but there was another way, although he feared it wouldn't be enough, it couldn't be ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, he would ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ, but despite his mind's protests he pushed towards Lucah, through their pain and hate, his hand finding theirs, reaching them where they were here and now, holding on tightly, praying wishing that it would be enough,

[w1shmade-blog]

dreamb0rne·:

     Midnight struck.      The world tore itself to pieces, and you were forsaken onto a blank canvas.

     Shock stilled you as Darkness incarnate spoke to its child of light, and as Ofiuco’s nightmare-red wings blossomed into beautiful shades of gold, dread and panic flooded your heart. You are living a recurring nightmare.      Your seven eyes widened, then blurred, five of them abruptly blinking out as your form was restored to the one you had held in the world before Fantasia. You remembered that world, and the one before… Eerily similar to what you were facing now. It’s hard to breathe.

     Just like then, the Darkness had closed in—here, it had taken on a pure white form, but true to the void you had faced in your world, it was cold, piercing, inescapable, and despite everything…      Despite how strong you felt right now, despite having all of your powers at your disposal, you were…

“…!!”

     No.

     You   weren’t   alone.      At the end of all things,

( just like before…! )

     @w1shmade was here with you.

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Everything faded to white.

A familiar feeling tore at Christian's skin, and for a moment he believed that this Dream was ending as well, the cycle ended by the creature in the center of the island. But as he opened his eyes, he saw that wasn't the case; instead, the form of the monster had been stripped away, his wings returned to their normal form, the horrible blinding light gone.

But none of it mattered as he realized who was standing next to him.

"Lucah...!"

Time froze as their two worlds teetered on a knife's edge. Christian couldn't move. He had to move. He had to strike first, before Lucah could--

The shout pulled both of them from that moment and into the next, and though time moved forward as Christian quickly glanced around at the swarming Nightmares, a burning feeling rising in his chest, he still couldn't move. His eyes met Lucah's, so bright, so clear, so unafraid. There was so much he wanted to say to them, but in that instant, they already knew.

“COME ON!!”

At the sound of Lucah's voice, their motion, their wings sharp and ready, the feeling in Christian's chest erupted, and he echoed them, one hand outstretched,

“BRING IT!!”

Lucah leapt forward, mantra smashing into a Nightmare Christian had not even seen, but there was no time to dwell on that--more Nightmares surged from behind, charged by the violence. But they would not reach Lucah, not before SOL crashed into them as Christian's wings, bright and shining, swept out in vast arcs to keep them at bay. One jagged form tried to charge past him, and he brought his foot down, hard, SOL erupting into a burst of light, and the creature collapsed, Christian already moving past it, keeping close to Lucah as they cut their way through the Nightmares.

[w1shmade-blog]

the-wayfarer-song‌:

The Traveler slowly raised their head as that intense light faded, the light behind their own mask flickering to adjust to the sudden change. They stayed on the ground, peering curiously at his back. They made no move to flee, but also none to move closer.

They had been startled, but they were not afraid. The Traveler must have spooked him when they approached so quickly. They didn’t blame him for that. He certainly looked very strange, someone they’d never quite seen before. For some reason, he reminded them of those great terrible Guardians lurking in the darkness.

But unlike the Guardians, he had emotion, and he seemed sad. The Traveler didn’t like being sad. Being sad meant wandering with a hollow feeling deep within your chest, dampening your spirit. Sometimes, being sad meant you were alone. The Traveler knew what it was like to be alone; maybe he was alone, too, and it was hurting him.

Suddenly remembering his request for them to not look, they averted their eyes, instead staring at the weird reflective fog (what was that?) he was sitting beside. Standing up on wobbily legs, almost like a newborn, they took a few steps closer to him, though they kept their distance and eyes on the “fog.”

“You Glow A Lot, Friend Companion,” they warbled, uncharacteristically soft. “You Are Very Bright. I Glow Too. Not As Bright.” They closed the distance, sitting almost directly next to him. They almost looked up at him, but quickly looked back down. Their reflection greeted them (how did it do that?) and the difference from their former appearance startled them. They jolted a little, then settled, quieting down for a moment. Then:

“Are You Lost, Friend Companion?” Their chirp made the reflective surface ripple slightly. “Traveler Lost Too.”

Are you lost?

A memory. The same question asked by a different voice, in a different time. Another person sat next to him, a stranger then, but she had become a friend. Where was she now? Was she alright? Would she still care, if she could see what he had become?

Hands clasped over hands as Christian realized his answer had not changed since then. After everything that had happened, he was still just as lost as before, if not moreso. Nothing had changed. The nightmare repeated as it always had, as it always would. It didn't matter what he did, or what he was...

It didn't matter.

"... ʜᴏᴡ ʟᴏɴɢ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʟᴏsᴛ?"

His voice was jarring to him even as he tried to speak softly, not at all like the traveler's, bright and clear as a bell. He took a deep breath. In...

"ɪᴛ ꜰᴇᴇʟs ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʟᴏsᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀs ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀs ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ. ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ..." ... Out. "ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀ ʟɪᴇ. ᴀɴᴅ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ꜰɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴡ ɪ'ᴍ ʟᴏsᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ."

He raised his eyes to the tree in the distance. He was supposed to be the strong one, and yet... "ʜᴏᴡ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ɢᴏɪɴɢ? ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs..."

[w1shmade-blog]

the-wayfarer-song‌:

That same tree beckoned the Traveler closer, towering over everything. It was as though it pulled them towards it with a purpose, similar to the call of the mountain. They were so, so confused, and they were in a body that felt both natural and foreign at the same time. Unsteady on their limbs and with a strange new sense of balance, they wandered onward, following the pull they felt deep within their chest. 

The tree was still a towering line in the distance when the Traveler found another soul. They paused, perking up; it had been long since they’d encountered another (potential, highly potential) friend, and they longed for a companion. Maybe he could help them. Maybe he needed help, too; as they observed him crouched beside a strange reflective surface, they crept closer, stumbling on their gangly new limbs.

“Hello!” they chirruped, and they were surprised at the change in their voice. It sounded more distinct and angelic, like the chorus of voices of the Ancestors. The stranger by the water seemed to curl in discomfort, and they softened their voice. Sometimes they were too loud! “Hello Friend Companion. Why Do You–”

The light from his back suddenly bore into their eyes, blinding them; startled, they staggered to a halt, lowering their head and mask away from it. While they were usually used to the sun, this light was intense and focused directly on them. Unbalanced in their new body, they fell to the ground, letting out a cry of pain as they crumpled. 

(Burning burning burning–)

“Won’t Look Won’t See!” the Traveler desperately chirped. “Traveler Means No Hurt For Companion! No Fear No Pain! Don’t Hurt Traveler!”

The voice was unfamiliar. It wasn't them.

Cautiously, Christian raised his head, peering at the other from behind the discs of his mantra. Their aura was a strange, dusty color, their face hidden, turned away from Christian and his terrible brilliance. Quickly he shifted his mantra, but although he could hide it somewhat behind him, he couldn't make it any less horrible to see.

"ɪ-ɪ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ..."

God, even his voice was harsh. Christian clenched his teeth. The other was a stranger; he had no reason to hurt them, and yet he'd done so anyway, without even thinking, like the monster he was. He turned away as guilt weighed on him, crushing him, stifling his thoughts. He didn’t want the other to be there, to have to see him like this, but at the same time, he was afraid for them to leave. But he needed them to leave. He had to be alone. He ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ to be

"ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ--ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ. ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ."

[w1shmade-blog]

@the-wayfarer-song

The tree towered in the distance, ever present over the unfamiliar landscape. Maybe it reminded Christian of the radio tower, a beacon, a promise of a way out of this nightmare. In his heart, he knew it meant nothing; at best, it would be another lie. There was no escape from this.

Yet, as he wandered, the tree grew ever nearer.

It was a long time before he finally stopped, lost and alone, by the edge of a murky pond. He refused to look at the water, afraid to see what would look back in the reflection as he sat. Hands covered his face, hands clasped in his lap, tightly, but he couldn't pray, since he already knew there was no God that would want to save him now.

Someone was coming.

Fear washed over Christian. He had wanted to leave everyone else behind and be alone, and yet someone was coming. Was it...? They would see him. There was no ignoring it. His distorted mantra burned too brightly, the light of several suns radiating from his back. They were getting closer.

"ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ..."

Christian curled inward, the discs on his back shifting to shield him from the approaching figure, obscuring him, blinding them.

"ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ᴍᴇ...!"

[w1shmade-blog]

The Null Sun.

A shadowed hand, reaching, grasping.

A voice. Their voice.

Everything disappearing, crumbling into dust.

The cycle repeating as the world faded to black.

.

.

. . .

His entire body felt horribly wrong.

Christian opened his eyes to a place he did not recognize, a darkened, filthy mire with squat houses huddled along a narrow pathway. Shadowy figures with barely human shapes walked the shoddy stone path, and Christian recoiled in horror as a skeletal figure looked up at him with sunken, rotting eyes. He turned and ran, racing past the figures, the buildings, the street twisting and turning, but the darkness did not fade, the nightmarish denizens remained, and Christian's breath began to grow ragged and short as he continued desperately, stopped only when the doorway to a building swung open without warning and Christian crashed into it, stumbling backwards as the world spun out from beneath him.

As the world came back into focus, he saw a figure crouching over him, and quickly he scrambled backwards, staggering to his feet.

"Woah, hey, are you alright?" the figure said, reaching out a clawed hand. "Take it easy, kid--"

"sᴛᴀʏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴍᴇ!!"

Instinctively, Christian lashed out--but it wasn't his wings that knocked the demonic woman onto her back. It was a different magic, a feeling Christian didn't recognize, a sharp bolt of light accompanied by a rush of energy and a hollowness as the light vanished. Christian froze. He stared at his hands.

All four of them.

Slowly, Christian turned his head, staring at his reflection in the window of the building from which the woman had come.

A monster stared back. A horrid thing with horns curling upward, an aura grown and twisted into rings of scalding light, eyes blazing with an unnatural glow.

Christian moved. The monster mimicked him.

Next to him, someone spoke, but the meaning of their words was lost on Christian as he flinched, panic rising within him again, and he fled, a hollow heart pounding in his ears, the guilt burning through him as he realized that no matter how far he ran, no matter where he went, he would never be able to escape.

[isolaradiale]

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[w1shmade-blog]

courageousguise‌:

He looked grumpy, but he wasn’t trying to start a fight or anything, so that was good! Link crouched down beside the other, looking at the ground as well. It’d been a little while since he’d done something like this, but he considered himself pretty good at finding insects and such.

‘I’ll help.’ Link started poking around as well, watching as various bugs crawled around. Some of them would crawl onto his hands, but he didn’t mind much. It kinda tickled a little, actually. ‘Do you like snails? Is that why you’re looking for them? They’re cool.’

A beetle clung to the back of the kid’s hand as he signed. He didn’t even seem to notice. Christian subconsciously ran his own hands over each other.

“I guess. Kaho said I should find something I like. But it isn’t that easy.”

Christian sat down, his legs crossed, hands folded tightly into each other. “It doesn’t matter what I do. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been here. It still feels like the Dream, like they could appear any second... and then it would all start over again. That’s the only way this ends.”

[w1shmade-blog]

courageousguise‌:

After a few moments, Link flipped down to the forest floor. From there, he realized that he recognized the kid- this kid had tried to get in a fight with another once before, and Link had stepped in. A cautious frown set onto his face, unsure how exactly to continue.

‘What are you looking for?’

Maybe they just… wouldn’t need to get into another fight? That would be good, Link would like that. He didn’t like having to fight people, it was just a fact of life sometimes. He could hope for better, though. He could always hope.

Christian crouched, reaching down and poking around a decaying branch which sat deep in the debris on the forest floor. Creatures with too many legs scuttled through the dirt, and Christian quickly withdrew his arm in disgust. He glanced up when he saw the golden kid’s hands move, but looked back down before he noticed the strange expression on the kid’s face.

“Why do you care?” he mumbled. “Why does anyone care? It’s not like it changes anything. It’s not like it matters...”

He sighed heavily.

“... I’m looking for snails.”

[w1shmade-blog]

courageousguise‌:

@w1shmade

Link liked wandering the forest, it was always a place that would remind him of home. Plus, it was away from the crowds of people in the city. And that was a positive on any day of the week, he still found himself getting overwhelmed so easily sometimes.

Today, he found himself running into someone else in the wood. Or, well- a better way to put it might’ve been ‘dropping in’ on someone else. He’d been in the middle of climbing a tree when he noticed a kid below him, deciding to get a closer look, suspended from the tree by his legs.

‘What’re you doing?’

As focused as Christian was on spotting minute details within the chaos of the forest floor, he still easily spotted the other kid; his golden aura shone so brightly that it almost hurt to look at. Like Otus, he spoke with his hands, and Christian was less surprised this time to find that he understood him perfectly.

“Looking for something.”

Although he had a feeling that such a short answer wouldn’t satisfy the other kid, he was embarrassed to admit that he was searching for snails. Still, he looked back down at the ground, trying to pick up his search where he had left off.

[w1shmade-blog]

✓ ✖ give me the good christian memes

Inbox Memes

✓ - How do they react to praise?

Good question! I’ll get back to you on that one once someone praises him.

✖ - Who is someone they just cannot stand?

Oh, you know. He doesn’t know many people, but there is a certain someone with a blue Mantra who always makes him feel a certain way. That’s right, it’s Lilli. He and Lilli did nothing but rag on each other constantly, and while I’m sure Lilli was having a great time, Christian was not.

[w1shmade-blog]

☮ - Do they have an idol or someone they look up to?

Inbox Memes

Even though they’re all long gone, Christian still idolizes Father and the acolytes of the Sanctum, even if it was all just a Dream. He’s starting to realize that they might not have had his best interests in mind, though it’ll take him a bit to really accept and internalize that. In the meantime, Kaho’s starting to slowly edge her way into that same role, although it’ll take Christian a bit to also accept and internalize that she does, truly, want to help him.

[oztheblackrabbit-deactivated201]

♥ - What does ‘love’ mean to them? 

♠ - What are they afraid of?

♦ - What is one thing about them that they are most proud of?

♣ - What is one thing that they find embarrassing? (About them, others, things in general)

★ - Do they prefer daytime or nighttime and why?

☾- Are they prone to nightmares or dreamless sleep?

☼ - Something that/Someone who makes them happy.

☁ - If they’re caught out in the rain how do they react?

♪ - Are they musically inclined? 

♫ - What kind of music do they enjoy?

✓ - How do they react to praise?

✕ - How do they handle rejection?

☺ - Do they prefer sour or sweet treats?

❄ -  Favourite season and why?

☮ - Do they have an idol or someone they look up to?

❤ - Do they have a love interest?

✖ - Who is someone they just cannot stand?

♔ - Do they value loyalty?

♕ - Do they trust easily?

☠ - How do they react to death?

[w1shmade-blog]

sacrificialpriestess‌:

You look to Christian, not wanting to seem pitying, but still expressing your empathy. “I am sorry to hear that, Christian. Hopefully, though, things will be looking up again soon!” …and as if karma is listening, you watch as he takes a big gulp of the scalding hot tea, wincing in pain as it burnt his tongue.

This candle shop seems like it’s been here for a long while, but you’ve only recently begun to patronize it. There is something so calming to you about all the various scents on display… a gentle summer breeze, the smell of freshly laundered clothes, an apple pie bursting with cinnamon and sweetness. It’s certainly not the kind of place you’d find in Karst or Lun, but it feels homely.

Christian briefly hesitates before making his way in, and you follow shortly behind. The front of the store greets you with a collection of spring-themed candles, almost overwhelming in their arrangement and numbers. “I was uncertain if you would like this place, but I figured we could walk around outside more if not.”

One candle in particular catches your eye, off to the side. With its bluish-cyan hue, it glimmers gently in the lighting of the store, and you pick it up to give it a smell before lowering it down for Christian.

“This one is called Summer Moonlight. What do you think?”

Christian stayed close to Kaho, uncertain of what to do as he tried to take in his surroundings. Everything was so bright, so colorful, so overbearing; as accustomed to the city as he had become, he had not yet experienced a place like this. It was a welcome change from his previous surroundings outside of the city, and yet, for reasons he could not explain, he felt more anxious there, surrounded by people and warmth, than he had in the forest of ghosts.

Kaho's question pulled him from his thoughts, and he turned to face her--and froze. Stared down at the candle, its color, its name. Raised his eyes to meet Kaho's expectant look. It was impossible that this was purely coincidence. Still, he took the candle, holding it too tightly in both hands.

"It reminds me of someone."

Slowly, he placed the candle back into the empty spot on the shelf from whence it had come. He hadn't even smelled it.

[w1shmade-blog]

hatkidofficial‌:

the-owl-boy‌:

Panicking, Otus couldn’t help but stumble over his feet as he felt Christian shoving him off the platform. He paid but a terrified look to the shadowy denizen - oh dear lord, why did it have human teeth?! - before running alongside Christian, as fast as his legs could carry him. His dreams never had hostile versions of shadowy people- that thing isn’t even someone he knows! He doesn’t even know who Christian is! Is this a dream?!

Two quick breaths, and he unfolded his wings, following the Marked close by until noticing that he took a sharp turn. Otus skidded to a halt in the air and, praying that his reflexes had grown stronger, spun himself.

The startled groan from the now-stunned denizen was a relief to hear. The owl dived back towards the ground, just barely avoiding a blind swipe from the claws before heading inside the narrow entrance of the building. Otus headed for Christian - even almost slammed into him. He let out a panicked chirp and stared at him for a moment in silence, swallowing the lump in his throat; they were presumably trapped and only had a limited amount of time before the creature would find them in here.

Immediately, Otus knew what to do. Reaching for his teleporter, he pressed the button and summoned Hat Kid before spreading his arms out wide and grinning as if to say tadaa! amidst all the chaos.

To be honest, I totally forgot about Otus’s teleporter button thingy, and how he seemed to be able to use it to teleport me, specifically, from anywhere on Radial Island to wherever he was. Which was a neat little gadget, and I kinda wanted to know more about it!

But what I really wanted to know more about was what the peck was going on!!

All I knew was that we were somewhere indoors, but it was pretty murky, and it smelled like mud, and Otus was grinning at me, and–was that Christian? What was HE doing there? And as dark as it was it suddenly got darker, because the only source of light was one doorway, and there was someone standing in it. Or, uh, someTHING. Something with a really long arm, and claws, and it was reaching into the room and why did Otus bring me here what was going on I wanted to go home!!!!!!!

There wasn’t anywhere to hide so I hid behind Otus, he teleported me in here, couldn’t he teleport us out???

So Otus was there, along with... another kid? Where had she come from?

It was a question to be answered later as the shadow's spindly arm stretched into the room, clawed hand groping around in the darkness. Christian reached out with one wing, stepping in front of Otus and the kid as the dark hand drew nearer. There had to be something he could do to fight back, something, anything--

An answer to his prayer, the tiniest glimmer in the dark from a pile of refuse on the other side of the room. Christian darted forward, and his sudden movement attracted the attention of the monster, its hand close behind him as he reached out, his own hand closing around the blade in the debris, and in one fluid motion he whirled around, wings leading but hitting nothing as he struck out with the knife. Something wet and dark spilled from the creature’s hand as it groaned in surprise, withdrawing its arm slightly. Was it finished?

No--its hesitation was only temporary, and now it reached back in the direction of Otus and the kid, swiping at them.

[w1shmade-blog]

the-owl-boy‌:

Christian. Otus tilted his head at him, examining his shining, yet gloomy look. It felt like he was a million miles away at any given moment, looking out into the empty clearing like that … is that what Asio saw whenever he zoned out? He smiled for a moment until the Marked looked back to the circle of buildings, following suit and looking into the darkness himself.

He couldn’t help but shiver, clutching the corners of his cloak and pulling them over his front before shuffling a step back. Cold and creepy; it didn’t help that Christian prompted the thought that they weren’t alone. Otus turned towards him and simply gave him an discomforted grimace.

I’m not sure.

His fingers slowed, eyes locking on something over Christian’s shoulder. Probably another swirl of the darkness-

[…] I think it’s-

…?

Otus’s tufts knitted together as he kept staring and his motions ceased.

Those were definitely claws. The owlboy’s eyes went wide and he immediately lunged forward, intending to pull Christian away.

Christian tensed as Otus’s expression changed. Something was wrong.

He turned slowly to see what it was that the owl was staring at, his stomach dropping at the sight of the claws, the shadow starting to peer into the shelter, something inhuman with too many rows of human teeth, and as Otus grabbed Christian’s arm and pulled him away, he didn’t resist, but rather turned and similarly grabbed Otus, practically shoving the owl back off the platform--

“Go! Run!!”

Christian already knew there was little he could do as he and Otus sprinted down the street. His powers were so weak here; he had no hope of fighting back against the creature, and it didn’t occur to him that Otus may be capable of holding it off himself. There had to be something they could do, somewhere they could go to get away from (what was it? Christian glanced over his shoulder as the thing--not a nightmare--made a low chattering noise at the boys’ retreat) where could they go to get away from it?

One of the buildings in the circle offered a low empty doorway, large enough for Christian and Otus, but surely too small for the shadowy monster behind them. Christian abruptly changed directions, darting into the building, glancing around--had Otus followed him?