Darkness clunged to Ammon's senses like a thick fog. He opened his eyes- or perhaps he thought he did. There was no light, no ground, only the distant laughter that scraped his chest like a knife. The laughter was familiar.
His father's.
"You were never meant for greatness", the voice taunted. "You are a stain to the family name".
Ammon's breath came unevenly, as the shadows around him twisted into shapes; his mother turning her face away, his peers mocking and laughing. Every word struck him like harder than a blade. He tried to shout but his voice was covered by the dark.
Somewhere far away, Ayden body shivered. He too was trapped but in a different nightmare. Flame roared across the walls of his dream, painting his world crimson. A younger version of himself stood before a burning village, the mark of a messenger glowing brightly in his arm. Faces from his past begged for help, but his legs refused to move. He watched them vanished into fire and ash, powerless to stop it.
"This is what your gift brought you". Said a disembodied voice. You were born to carry words,not to wield them. You always be nothing more than a servant of fate.
Ayden falls to his knees clutching his chest. His usual cold composure turned to agony.
Outside the dreamscape, Elara entered to the clearing. Her emerald eyes widened as she saw two men lying motionless, their face contorted with silent pain. Around them, the whispers of beasts rustled through the trees. The ground trembled, something massive was approaching.
"They are cursed", she muttered. No placed under the"mind snare".
Without hesitation, she mummured an ancient incantation. Blue runes shivered underneath her feet as she dragged both men towards a hidden entrance camouflage by moss and vines. The cave swallowed them whole, concealing them just as the growl erupted outside.
Inside the air was thick, filled with the scent of ancient stones and glowing crystals.
In the dream realm, Ammon struggled to his feet. The sneering faces vanished into smoke, leaving him in silence. He clutched his chest not from fear but from the realization that he couldn't run from the truth, in reality powerlessness was his weakness but here it became something else- something that kept him standing when strength failed.
He turned, hearing faint sobs echoing through the void." Ayden?, his voice cracked but having conviction."If this is your torment then we face it together".
Meanwhile, in the waking world, the cave quaked again. Elara pressed her ears to the stone-monsters had surrounded the outer walls. The air was thick with snarls scraping claws. She frowned. "They've found us".
Ammon stirred faintly, his body drenched with sweat. Ayden beside twitched as if fighting invisible chains.
"You are awake", Elara said. Voice low and melodic.
Ammon's gaze darted across the cave, "where are we?"
"In my refuge", Elara replied.
He sat up slowly, his body weak. Ayden still lay unconscious, his hands twitching. Then Ammon's eyes caught something- a bundle of letters beneath a pile of stone. Their seal was strange, marked with symbols he didn't understand. He brushed the dust away, heart pondering as curiosity stirred.
"Best not to touch those", Elara Warned sharply.
Ammon froze, then nodded pretending to heed her warning . But his eyes lingered a moment longer. Something about the letters called him as if whispering truth, he didn't want to hear.
By the time, Ayden woke up, the cave was silent. Shadows flickered across the walls as the low hum of magic filled the air.
Ayden rubbed his temples, "what happened?"
"You were both under a dream curse". Elara said with her voice calm but edged with exhaustion.
Ammon exchanged a glance with Ayden, for a moment, silence stretched between them, until Ayden spoke, softer than he spoke before.
"You fought the beast to save her", nodding towards Elara. Why.
Ammon looked at him eyes distant. Because no one deserves to be left behind.
Ayden said nothing, his usual coldness softened but only slightly.
The guardian interrupted, pointing towards a blue light. "If we move now, we might be able to find a safer path through the caverns".
Ammon nodded.
As they stepped into the deep tunnels, the whispers of unseen watchers filled the dark.