This is something I actually hope to complete. It has a rather generic premise, but I'm more focused on a few things: characters and getting to the end. Or maybe I'm just confused, I dunno.
Anyway, more activity for the sub-forum!
NEVERMIND: It's just for self-masturbation.
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Dreamt of Lethe - 1
A figure clad in hulking metal armour, black as the night, stabbed his behemoth sword into the dirt.
"Find her alive. Return empty-handed, and you'll be relieved of your hands," a voice growled from within the helmet. The voice reminded one of glistening corpses and deathly sicknesses. The grass upon which the knight stood withered.
Following his command, four apparitions burst forth violently from the ground, gliding outwards and defiling the earth beneath them, each one appearing as a cloud of black smoke with a multitude of searching hands protruding from within the dark centres, scratching the air as if they belonged to a blind madman.
Four voices joined in disharmonious chorus, hissing, "YESSSS."
The wraiths set out in the four directions, while the knight began to inscribe a pentagram within the earth. When he was complete, he unleashed a terrible growl: "Come forth, my steed!"
As if to mount a horse, the knight swung his leg over an invisible beast, but found purchase upon yet another shadowy apparition, this one appearing like a half-decayed, half-dismembered horse, bleeding incessantly from numerous pores, its eyes removed and in their place, orbs of seething flames. It cried out in sheer agony before setting off, racing as though death itself were on its rotting heels.
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Dreamt of Lethe - 2
That was when I awoke, bathed in cold sweat. Clammy and with a parched mouth, I got up from my bed shakily, the voice of the dark knight still fresh in my mind, almost as if I had witnessed the scene in person. The nightmare was far too realistic for the comfort of my bed to ward away. Instead of trying to resume my sleep, I decided to get a glass of water, dress myself, and take a walk around my apartment complex despite the hour. Fortunately, my part of the city was normally quiet, safe, and secure.
The outside air was cool and peaceful. A full moon lit the paths around the complex sufficiently so as to render the sidewalk lamps redundant. My heart quickly reasserted its normal pace before becoming slower in light of the relaxing atmosphere.
Perhaps I became a little too relaxed, for when my mind began to wander once more, I seemed to suffer a fainting spell. I managed to stay on my feet long enough to reach a bench, but by then, I was overcome with exhaustion. I thought to close my eyes for a moment to recover. It was then that I had another nightmare, or rather, dream.
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Dreamt of Lethe - 3
Within this dream, my vision was filled with the face of a young girl, whose eyes were a frosty blue. I then beheld her surroundings; a forest illumniated by a full moon. I saw the girl, of slender figure and delicate build, run through the trees, her raven-black hair upon the wind. She frantically looked over her shoulders; it was clear to me that she was fleeing from something or someone. I saw her slow down and stop, then, fall to her knees, apparently fatigued. However, she did not stop there. She crawled into the the deceptively low roots of a particularly large tree and surprised me when she completely disappeared into its shadows.
The girl, in her distress, evoked some feeling of sympathy within me, and I continued to watch. Her eyes gazed up at the moon and she seemed to kneel in prayer - perhaps in hopes of invoking help from some sort of god? I continued to watch her say something, then looking up to the moon earnestly once more.
Intrigued, I sought to reach out to her, though for what reason exactly, I cannot say. Perhaps to give her a sympathetic pat on the back, to ask her why she was alone in the forest, or perhaps to aid her somehow... I knew not why exactly. At that point, she suddenly recoiled, alarmed, as if retreating from something in my direction. I turned around to observe what she was so surprised by, but seeing nothing in particular, I curiously returned my gaze to her.
She then said something, something that sounded like "What are you!?" It was difficult to tell though, as her voice sounded as if we were communicating whilst underwater.
I replied by reflex, "What?"
As she spoke again, it felt as if my senses were suddenly attuning to her world, and her voice rapidly began to come through clearer. "I asked, what are you? A ghost?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, as I looked down at myself to confirm my appearance. It was then I saw that my form was translucent and faded - like a ghost. Suddenly, panicked, I exclaimed, "Holy! Did I die!?"
"SHHHH! I'm being chased by a bad man, keep it down!" she hissed. "Get down, or you'll be seen!" She shoved herself into the deepest pockets of darkness provided by the great tree's roots and then she patted the ground beside herself, offering a seat.
I settled down beside her and then asked quietly, "What's going on? Where are we? And who exactly is chasing you?"
The girl answered in a hushed tone, "I'm being chased by a dark warrior. He's... He's after my soul. Well, not mine in particular, but..." She sighed. "He just wants people's souls. I'm not sure why, but he just does. We're in the Nazren forest, though I'm not sure how that helps someone like you... Oh, look! You're not so ghost-like anymore!"
"Eh? Indeed, I'm no longer translucent. Although, having heard of your situation, I think I'd very much rather be a ghost right now."
"Yeah, I wish I was a ghost too..."
Utter silence then enveloped us for the next few minutes, left unbroken even by the wind and the fauna. But then, we heard it; it, a terrible shriek that strangled the air from our lungs and left the air dead and devoid of moisture, leaving the burning fire of fear that sets one running. Should I have followed my instincts, I would have flown in terror immediately, probably revealing both of us. However, I sat still through a sheer force of will, and so did my acquaintence, although we were both trembling and frightened like helpless kittens. When we heard the horrid howl again a minute or so later, it was a mere echo of an echo and we relaxed somewhat, although the sound itself was only marginally more bearable, like faint whispers of a madman scraping a steel blade against a whetting stone.
When at last I my confidence returned, I asked in a hushed voice, "What was that?"
"It was some sort of familiar that the dark warrior summons. They're his servants and they're dangerous. That's all I know."
After giving it some thought, I realized that somehow I had seen the dark warrior and his subservient horrors in my nightmare earlier. I was chilled by that thought as I came to another revelation; I had wound up in some sort of alternate reality.
My curiosity piqued, I asked, "Where are we again, exactly?"
"The Nazren forest. Although I think you're about as foreign one can be; we're in the lands of King Olvorn. Still, I'm not sure if it helps..."
I groaned, for such information was indeed incomprehensible to me. I said, "More importantly, who are you and do you perhaps know how I came to be in this nightmare?"
"I'm just... a girl. My name is Illia. As for how you got here, I have no idea... at least, I sort of... have no idea..."
"What do you mean?"
"I think... I might have... accidentally, perhaps... summoned you. I prayed that the spirits would have mercy and send me aid, but I didn't actually expect anything to come of it!"
True, I did remember that earlier in my dream, she had appeared to be praying. But, for me to actually be here... was I hallucinating or still dreaming?..