dreamcrystals | third dream 🌱 it's rising again

Sender: Zelda
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive Dream Recording
Warnings: Nightmare containing generalized descriptions of violence and death.

--

Zelda's dream begins on the final night of the flower festival. The last hints of sunset colors have faded and the inky sky is bright with stars. Without the light of the moon, the stars seem to shine unnaturally bright. Zelda and a few of her friends—Satan, Mammon, and Link—are sitting on a picnic blanket spread out atop a grassy rise. The group is sipping chilled sake and chatting idly while they wait for the flower fireworks show, which is just about to begin. (Thankfully, they are comfortably dressed in their normal attire instead of their ostentatious festival costumes.)

A spot on the horizon begins to brighten, a soft crimson glow slowly blossoming from the direction where the flowerworks are being prepared. Everyone's attention turns to the source and excited murmurs run through the gathered crowds. The flowerworks are promised to be an incredible spectacle to cap off an unforgettable festival and almost everyone in Reverein has turned out to see.

Before the show can begin, a sour burning smell tickles Zelda's nose, pulling her attention away from the horizon. She looks around for the source, wondering if someone has started a campfire. There's no campfire to be seen. But as she turns back to the horizon, she catches a flash of motion out of the corner of her eye. A single tendril of smoke rises up from the grass a few inches away from the edge of the blanket.

As she turns her attention to it, she catches sight of another one a few feet away, then another and another. Flecks of black ash and smoldering embers materialize out of nowhere, fluttering upwards into the sky as though gravity was suddenly reversed. The crimson glow on the horizon brightens, spreading out over the night sky and dying it in red and orange hues, like a sunset happening in reverse.

She knows what this is. She's seen it before. Her heart begins to beat faster and panic squeezes against her chest like two strong hands. Tension presses in on Zelda from all from all sides.

The air grows thick with smoke, causing Zelda and her friends to start coughing. Unsettled murmurs spread across the hillside as the other dreamwalkers start to notice the smoke and ash in the air. The entire sky has turned shades of red, so bright that the stars can barely shine through it.

Then, on the horizon, a red sun begins to rise again.

The hands squeezing Zelda's chest suddenly clamp down, crushing her heart and lungs in their grip. A choked gasp escapes her lips. No, not a sun.

"The blood moon...!" she rasps, voice hitching.

The red sun crests the horizon and comes fully into view, plain for all to see. It's not a sun, but a full moon, the source of the red glow brightening the night sky, with the same luminosity one would expect from the full moon on a cloudless night. But no one feels a sense of beauty or serenity as they gaze up at it—only a sickening dread curling in the pits of their stomach.

Zelda is the first to react, scrambling to her feet in a panic. She clutches her hands to her chest. Her heart races, thundering in her ears. "No, it can't be. Please, not here! I beg you! Not here, too!!"

A low, fearsome roar reverberates across the field, its source unseen, as if answering Zelda's pleas. She lets out a sob.

Suddenly, monsters materializes across the hillside, exploding into life from a swirl of black smoke and burning embers. The monsters brandish their weapons and howl, answering their master's call.

All around, startled dreamwalkers are leaping to their feet. Link jumps up immediately after Zelda, one hand yanking free the sword from the scabbard strapped to his back. He motions for Zelda to stand behind him, but the fear roots the princess in place. She squeezes her hands together, fingernails biting into her palms.

There's barely a moment to react before the monsters lunge forward to attack the nearest dreamwalkers. The dreamwalkers' screams join the chorus of roars and howls as battle breaks out across the hillside. But it's hardly a battle at all—more of a massacre. The dreamwalkers find themselves defenseless, bereft of weapons and dreamotion magic. They are easily overpowered by Calamity Ganon's hoard, slaughtered without mercy.

Link manages to fight some of the monsters off, but Zelda's group is beset on all sides. Satan and Mammon stand as if to fight as well, but also find themselves unarmed and magicless. A crowd of monsters rushes the group from the rear and a moblin manages to grab the two demons, one in each hand. With a roar, the moblin hefts them by their wrists above its head, boasting its catch. The beast opens its crooked maw, ready to consume them.

"No!" Zelda screams and dashes towards her friends. She throws out her right arm to reach for them, begging her sealing magic to stop the beast before it rips her friends apart.

But nothing happens. Her divine power ignores her pleas, as dormant as the day the Calamity befell Hyrule Castle and she was forced to flee with Link, leaving her father to his death.

"No!!"

The dream ends abruptly before the demon brothers can be violently dismembered and eaten alive. Zelda jerks awake in her own bed as she continues to scream.

--

( ooc: Zelda is having a nightmare of the rising of the blood moon, an event in Breath of the Wild that resurrects slain monsters. Here is a 62-second video of the event, if you want to see the visual effects in motion.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Zelda would be inclined to argue that her role in her friends' and countrymen's deaths is worse than Phantom's, but it's not a competition. Truly, it is the prerogative of survivors to feel guilty for living through fatal disasters. ]

I could not trouble you at this late hour, Phantom. Please accept my sincere apologies for troubling you with my nightmare in the first place.

[ She does actually want to talk, though... ]

[ His reply is swift, yet his handwriting remains as near as ever - years and years of practice have hammered etiquette into his soul. ]

Worry not, you have not disturbed me, for the night is my home, far more than the garish light of day. I will be here for a few more turns of the hour, should you wish for the company, whether in person or in correspondence.

[ Translation: he's pretty much nocturnal. ]

Edited 2022-05-06 16:59 (UTC)

[ Being nocturnal seems to be a running trend with Zelda's friends. The princess, who comes from a racially diverse kingdom, finds nothing unusual about this.

The instinct to be excruciatingly polite and insist that she doesn't want to impose on him is countered by a very real need not to be alone right now. ]

I am about to brew some tea. Would you care for some? You are welcome to bring Miss Christine as well.

I would be honoured to come.

The lady and I will be with you shortly.

[ True to his word, she would hear him knock on her residence door, dressed in his usual formal attire and with Miss Christine on his shoulder. There is a light gold scarf tied around her neck this time, as if to match Phantom's clothes. ]

[ Zelda uses the time before his arrival to change from her nightgown into a simple cream colored dress and drag a brush through her tangled hair. Presentable enough, given the hour and the circumstances.

She hears the knock at the door just as she is pulling cups down from the kitchen cupboard. Zelda sets them on the table and opens the door. ]

Good evening, Phantom. Thank you for joining me.

[ She gives him a polite, if clearly tired, smile. ]

It is my pleasure to join you for tea.

[ He seems more comfortable at night, a certain clarity in his demeanour that is often masked by sombrerity during daylight hours. Miss Christine jumps off his shoulder and rubs against Zelda's leg in a proclamation of friendship. As for Phantom himself, he doesn't take a seat yet. ]

Could I assist you with anything? [ Such as setting the table, perhaps? ]

[ Zelda notices the difference in Phantom's demeanor compared to when they met at the flower festival. She's relieved to see that he doesn't look overly tired or put out at joining her for tea in the middle of the night.

Zelda glances down at Miss Christine as she feels the cat's weight brush against her leg. The princess smiles and bends down, offering her hand for the cat to sniff and decide whether or not she would like to be pet. ]

Please, that would be lovely. [ She replies without looking up. ] The jars of tea leaves are on the shelf next to the sink. Would you find the chamomile and lemongrass? The other tea accoutrements should be in the cabinet to the left of there.

[ Phantom does not sleep very much, in part due to his training as an assassin, and in part due to the nightmares that plague him without fail every time he does go to sleep. Eventually, he adapted sufficiently to not need it very much, and the conspicuous absence of the sun at night made him feel more at ease with himself. ]

Of course.

[ He moves to the shelf as requested and begins to retrieve the necessary items before bringing them to the table. As for Miss Christine, she remains where she is, nudging Zelda's hand with her head. Zelda is free to pet her if she wants to. ]

[ Zelda brightens when Miss Christine accepts the proffered hand. The princess kneels down on the floor beside the cat, running her hand lightly over the soft black fur. Some of the stress in Zelda's visage melts away as she strokes the cat, soothed by the repetitive motion and the soft vibrations of Miss Christine's purrs.

A minute or two passes this way, princess on the floor with the cat, until the kettle on the hearth reaches a boil and begins to whistle. Zelda pushes herself to her feet and goes to remove the iron kettle from the hearth. Donning protective gloves, she tries to lift it, but it doesn't budge. Grunting, she tries again, but to the same result. Her strength is failing her tonight.]

Phantom, would you be so kind? [ She asks apologetically, indicating the kettle. ] I believe I've overfilled it.

[ Miss Christine follows Zelda once she stands up, before jumping onto the table and making herself comfortable within arm's length of Zelda's seat. Phantom remained standing next to his seat, though he moves to assist once he is addressed. ]

Of course.

[ If she does not pass him the gloves, it's fine; he could use his shadow Arts to insulate himself from it. He lifts the kettle with apparent ease before bringing it to the table and carefully filling the teapot. ]

[ Zelda does remember to hand him the gloves before he handles the kettle. She also notices that he doesn't appear to struggle at all to lift the kettle; he must be a lot stronger than his lithe figure suggests.

As Phantom takes care of the teapot, Zelda slides into her seat at the kitchen table. Her kitchen is small and rustic: a brick and mud fireplace created with dreamotion by one of her neighbors, neat wooden cupboards and shelves carved out of light-colored pine, and a deep metal sink basin for scrubbing dishes. The tree she makes her home inside has kindly adjusted itself to allow several glass windows to be set into its trunk and Zelda has stitched homey cream-colored curtains to hang in front of each. ]

Thank you. [ She watches him work and waits for the tea to steep, enjoying what she feels is a comfortable silence. ] I hope you don't think me impolite for making my guest heft the kettle. I don't quite have my usual strength tonight.

[ Phantom's strength stems not only from his training, but from his race. The Terran races are a lot stronger physically than humans from other worlds, but their strength comes at a cost; one that Phantom is paying for with his life. ]

Worry not, I am glad to assist.

[ It is not only impolite but somewhat cruel to expect a person recovering from traumatic dreams to over-exert themselves. He knew all too keenly the difficulty of picking himself up after an episode, and he would not wish it on anyone.

Miss Christine stays where she is, close enough for her to place her tails next to Zelda's hand. ]

We need not speak of your dreams if you do not wish to, [ Phantom says after a while. Keeping the silence is perfectly fine with him. ]

third dream 🌱 it's rising again

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