Event: Beautiful Dreamer

[snowblindmods]

Characters: Anyone participating in the Beautiful Dreamer event
Location Dreams
Date: Morning 117 - Night 119
Summary: Dreaming, and traveling in dreams.
Warnings: Surreality, altered consciousness, reality warping, general horror warnings. Please note in the subject line if your thread has any specific warnings!

NOTE: Make sure to include the IC day your dream is taking place!

Comments

Night 117

[seekthelight]

[The feeling of being underwater is something Sora has experienced before, in a way. Every time he ended up diving into his own heart, he had felt that sensation until finally he'd been able to breath again.

That's where this is different.

His feet touch the ground and light starts to blossom around him before it flickers and disappears--shorting out almost as darkness swamps the area. Sora's breath catches as wisps of shadows spiral upwards before him, sending the young man darting backwards as a figure starts to take shape. He's immediately on the defensive, keyblade appearing in hand as he faces off against...against..

The figure that forms out of the shadows is one he's only glimpsed before briefly, the young man's face so similar to Sora's own. Golden eyes are filled with a dark mirth as he holds his hand out not to the young man standing before him, but to you.]

You're the one that's made your heart a prison, even if you are not the prisoner.

[A sharp cry comes from Sora as his keyblade clatters to the ground, darkness swirling around him as blue eyes shift towards gold, his hands cover his ears as he hits his knees.]

No--stop--stop it!

[The figure starts to laugh then and he turns back towards his double just as his form starts to shift. Black hair turns silver though the golden eyes stay the same and the odd armor he was wearing melts into a long black coat.]

Surrender.

[Sora cries out again as the darkness swallows him, winding around him and engulfing him in darkness as his heart--a heart once so strong--shatters. The silver haired man smirks as the shadows shift and start to reform, crawling out of the swirling mass that the floor had become. The figure that appears hunkers down on all fours, tendrils seeping off it's back as glowing yellow eyes blink to life then focus on you. It looks like Sora, but it's not. That's definitely not the young man who was such a bright light in the dark.

Now all that's left is a shadow of what he once was.]

[heroproceeding]

[ Darkness is far from unfamiliar to him at this point. The nights are long at Norfinbury and even at day, the light of the sun only sticks for so long. It's a dreary place all in all. But he's used to it.

What he's not used to is the sudden light not coming from daybreak but from underfoot. He has to shield his eyes along with that burst, but instinct screams to not let his guard down just then.

Instinct apparently runs too late. Something suffocating accompanies them both, something that makes him too woozy to act immediately but not out of it enough not to realize who it's being done to by those cries. It's that very voice that sparks him to react and to fight through the miasma that fights to capture him, too. But Zack's stubborn if nothing else- or maybe it's simply because he's not their target that's his saving grace. He pushes forward, regardless, trying his hardest to get to him, to reach out to him before- ] Sora!

[ It happens so fast, that dark plume consuming both him and keyblade one moment, and then retreating the next. But he can see the damage has already been done. That he's already possibly an anoma-

No, don't think like that. Not yet.

Very... Very cautiously, Zack steps forward as the darkness recedes, eyes narrowed but not cruel. ] ...Sora?

[seekthelight]

[Sora shifts, movements jerky in an inhuman sort of way as his head tilts one way then the other, eyes locked on Zack the entire time. There's something in the odd yellow gaze, some sort of recognition that can't seem to win out because in the next instant Sora--no, the Heartless has darted over to stand right before Zack. Clawed hands curl and grip at the air as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other, swaying slightly as the tendrils seeping off him seem to reach out to the man standing before him.

A voice would echo through Zack's head then though he wouldn't be able to tell the source. It was like a whisper that only he could hear as, behind the strange shadow form of Sora, three pedestals made themselves visible.]

Power sleeps within you.

[On each pedestal an object would appear, weapons with no distinct shape, at least none that Zack would be able to recognize. Almost as if they were blurred or not even really there.]

If you give it form...

[The heartless jolts then and yellow eyes narrow to thin slits as it lunges towards Zack, swiping at the man with its claws.]

It will give you strength.

[heroproceeding]

[ For a split, it seems like he reaches him as he sees that almost note of recognition... but even that's hard to entirely decipher as being truly what it is. The next second though, there he is, up close and personal with bright yellow eyes aglow with a soulless feeling and Zack instinctively takes a step back from those tendrils that snake out slowly towards him because nope, that's not happening.

He only pauses when he hears that voice suddenly- both familiar and yet unfamiliar. A young lady... 'Will I... see you again?' There's a brief ache in his heart, but it's there and gone as his attention flits back to the words, themselves... To the pedestals that arise... He doesn't really get it, but he's weaponless and feeling far too open and he's got to do something about that or else he's pretty sure he's-

It's Sora's hollow form throwing itself at him that gives him more than enough reason to move. He rolls neatly out of the way before running to the first pedestal he comes across, something telling him to try and nab whatever's on it. He doesn't know if it'll work, but he's gotta try something! ]

[seekthelight]

[The heartless scrambles to follow, claws making a horrid noise against the ground before it's darting after Zack. It's much faster than Sora himself normally is and it doesn't take long for it to catch up to the human, lunging at him just as he reaches out to the pedestal--

Zack's hand closes around the staff that materializes as he makes a grab for it. As soon as he has it in his grasp a bright light suddenly bursts from the end of it, sweeping across the shadows spread over the ground and grasping at the heartless itself.

The Sora-like being struggles and stumbles backwards, swiping at the light as if it can do harm to it and attempting to get back to the shadows that it came from. And, if Zack's paying close enough attention, he may notice the way the shadows seem to bleed off the figure when the light hits it, revealing the familiar colors of Sora's jacket underneath.]

[heroproceeding]

[ It really doesn't take much to put two and two together what that light's doing to him, especially when the shadow form starts retreating if not without protest. It's the spot of color revealed here and there that is the final push for Zack to move forward with that staff held high above him like a beacon in the dark. ]

Come on! [ Maybe... Just maybe this'll work! ]

[seekthelight]

[The brightness of the light only seems to increase as Zack holds the staff up and it becomes blinding. The heartless hits the ground on it's knees, the tendrils disappearing in wisps as the blackness that was it's body disappears completely.

What's left when the light finally settles and the shadows disappear is a much younger version of the Sora that Zack has spoken to, the young boy staring down at a broken trinket, tears welling in his eyes.]

[heroproceeding]

[ Zack holds to his stance as best as he can, but eventually the light does get to be too much and he's forced to shield his eyes. In retrospect? Probably not a good idea. But what's done is done.

When the light starts to fade off, his focus does quickly shift back to what's in front of him, muscles tense. He's ready to spring into action if need be- and really, he expects it. He... doesn't expect to see the boy before him, looking... odd, he looks like he's shaved off a few years. But that detail seems minor compared to the way he suddenly appears upset.

Zack's stance slowly relaxes and while he doesn't draw away the staff entirely, he does step forward a few paces. Enough to hold out a hand just in range as he cautiously if not softly murmurs: ] Hey...

[seekthelight]

[Sora startles and looks up, his hands curling around the broken pieces of his Wayfinder.]

Who..who are you?

[There's a fear in the young boy's voice that isn't normally there, that Sora usually doesn't allow others to hear. The normally friendly individual is so terrified right now and he just wants..he just...]

Where am I? Where..where are Riku and Kairi?

[despiteeverything]

[Truthfully they don't get a lot of that first part. Well... the dark doppelganger, who doesn't seem nearly as friendly? That, they kinda get. But the rest of it is a bit beyond them. All they can see is someone in trouble, and someone who seems to be causing it. Whoever this silver-haired person is... it doesn't matter.

They spring forward, planting themselves between Sora and the silver-haired man. They spread their arms wide, face determined.]

Hey, leave him alone! Can't you see it's hurting him?

[seekthelight]

[The silver haired young man smiles cruelly at the person so intent on protecting the shadow, arms folding over his chest. For a moment, his form shifts and he looks slightly older then he's young again, golden eyes narrowing.]

I'm just helping him accept his destiny.

[Shadow-y tendrils find their way around Frisk's wrists and ankles as the heartless that was once Sora is suddenly right behind him, movements jerky and unnatural as the tendrils tighten.]

Everyone has darkness in their core.

[despiteeverything]

[As soon as Frisk feels the tendrils they jerk, trying to keep at least their wrists free. Darkness isn't something they're scared of, nor the shadowy being that was Sora, but being bound? That unnerved them more than a bit. They can't dodge if they can't move.]

Destiny is something you choose. It doesn't look like he chose that. It looked like you were making him.

[seekthelight]

[The heartless jerked back as Frisk fought back against being bound, glowing eyes narrowing as it dropped to all fours and started to slink around the child.]

Making him? That boy is destined to be a vessel for darkness. That's been his role from the beginning.

[The silver haired young man chuckled darkly and slowly held a hand out. The heartless shuddered then man to lunge at Frisk, swiping with both sets of claws.]

[despiteeverything]

But did he choose?

[You never answered their question, freaky dude.

Of course, Frisk doesn't have the chance to follow up. Red light bursts from their chest - a vibrant, glowing red heart. But it doesn't mean their death. Quite the opposite. And they realize what it means, and skip back back arms lifting up - one to shield their face, the other to shield their soul.

The stumble on the landing, dropping their arms so they can see if there's any followup.]

You don't have to listen to him! You can choose for yourself, I promise!

[seekthelight]

[The only answer you're going to get is a smirk, Frisk, before the man seems to disappear in a swirl of shadows.

The heartless is momentarily distracted by the appearance of the glowing heart. It's claws flex then it reaches out to try and grab the heart, stretching it's arms out in it's attempts.

But then the being the heart came from is talking and the heartless jerks backwards, drawing it's arms back in and staring at the being. How? How? Choose..choose what? The heartless twitches, head going one way then the other before it hops closer to Frisk and for a moment, for a quick moment, those yellow eyes flicker blue.]

[despiteeverything]

[Ugh, what a jerk. Frisk... actually spares half a second for an eyeroll before returning their thoughts to the fight at hand.

Just in time that they see that. They see that. The brief flicker of confusion, reluctance. And there's confidence now, it's cautious, almost reluctant after having been absent for so long. But this is something they know how to do.

They lift their hands slowly, keeping their palms out and open.]

You don't want to fight me, right? You didn't want to. That's what that guy told you to do, right?

It's okay.

[seekthelight]

[The heartless drops to all fours again, sinking low to the ground as it peers at the young being. It hears those words, it's obviously listening but--

Fight. Fight. Need hearts.

It's the driving force of what the heartless is and it's hard to fight the urges. It's entire body twitches and then it shudders. Shudders and starts to dissolve into the shadows making up the floor. The glow of it's eyes is the last thing visible before that light disappears as well, leaving Frisk in a fading darkness...

And then it's warm. And there's no longer a hard surface under their feet but sand. Warm sand and cool water lapping at the shore.

Several feet away Sora rests on his knees, the young man hunched over with his forehead pressed against the sand.]

[spoileralert]

[ Steph has no idea what's going on. She opens her mouth to answer the man holding a hand out to her, but closes it. What is she supposed to say to that?

Then Sora is hurting somehow, and as far as she can tell the guy in the trenchcoat isn't really doing anything, so she freezes in indecision.

The creature that was once Sora now looks at her with glowing eyes that just seem wrong, and she turns on the silver-haired man. ]

What did you do?

[seekthelight]

Helped him become what he was always meant to be.

[The silver haired man waves his hand absently, form shifting between a young man then a slightly older, slightly taller version. And then, for a fleeting moment, there's someone much older. Someone not in a dark cloak with an arm tucked behind his back.

The three forms shift from one to the next as he takes a few steps closer to Steph, the heartless that was Sora skittering backwards as it's tendrils snap about.]

Darkness always lurked in his heart.

[spoileralert]

[ She huffs at him, crossing her arms and standing her ground. None of this means anything to her. ]

You know that doesn't explain anything at all, right? And stop changing people all the time. I'm pretty sure it's rude. Pick a shape and stick to it.

[seekthelight]

[A trio of laughs melt together before the man finally settles on one form, the older version with a the cruel smile. He tucks his arms behind his back, hunched over just slightly as he looks her over.]

It explains everything, my dear. You just haven't seen enough to understand.

[The heartless shudders and, with narrowed eyes, it lunges at Steph, attempting to thrust it's hand into her chest.]

[spoileralert]

That's not a--

[ real answer, she was going to say, but now she's got a shadow Sora to deal with. She lets out a yelp, trying to hold his hands back with her own. ]

Hey now, no need to get handsy, Sora!

[seekthelight]

[The heartless struggles now that it finds itself momentarily trapped, claws flexing in an attempt to grab her or scratch her--anything that will get her hands off him.

Behind the heartless, the old man smirks and fades away into the shadows pooling all over the platform they stand on, several smaller shadow like creatures starting to appear out of the moving mass and moving towards Steph and the Sora-heartless.]

--there's a light that never--

[Sora's voice echoes around them, disjointed and broken, sounding like himself and so much younger at the same time.]

--Riku! Kairi!

[The shadow heartless start to swarm them and the Sora-heartless shudders, grappling weakly for a hold on Steph.]

--is any of this real?

[spoileralert]

[ He gets a few scratches in, but she works hard to keep a hold of him. The other man isn't a concern anymore, though she does notice the other shadow creatures. Crap. With her hands full she's wide open to an attack from any other side.

She starts to panic, and seizes the opening when she gets it. ]

No! I don't know. It's a dream, you're just dreaming!

[seekthelight]

A dream? A dream--

[The heartless stops struggling, staring at Steph with wide yellow eyes as the air suddenly becomes colder. Too cold.]

A far off memory that's like--that's like--

a scattered dream.

[Yellow eyes start to melt into blue and the shadows start to fade, more definition appearing in the figure Steph's holding as he takes a gasping breath.]

Am I....dreaming?