Re: Timeless Apocalypse-Chapter 174: Dream
Uriel did not like to sleep.
In the past, it had been because he feared not waking up.
At other times, it had been because he feared waking up and realizing his reality was indeed true and not a dream. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
But all of that was of the past.
Uriel didn’t like to sleep because sleeping meant to dream, and to dream was to open his heart to the skies, letting his sin flourish and tear him apart.
As he fell asleep in his bedroom, the little fox snuggling into the nape of his neck, the unfortunate happened.
He dreamed.
...
[?]
Rain poured down harshly from the grey skies, splattering across the muddy ground of the forest, the fierce wind pushing and pulling the plethora of trees, a primal and ancient song of dancing leaves echoing through the woods.
"Ah!"
Across one of the many winding paths of the forest, a soaked little boy ran, huffing and puffing as he did so, particularly slow for his age.
He was thin and frail, with short white hair and deep golden eyes, wearing torn rags for clothes and holding in his arms a bag he had wrapped with his windbreaker, the only whole piece of clothing he possessed.
The boy didn’t seem to care about getting sick or protecting himself from the rain. All he wanted was to keep the items he carried intact; that was all that mattered.
TAH! TAH! TAH!
His bare feet pressed against the wet soil as he slowly made his way toward his destination, a nervous smile hanging on his youthful face.
Branches slapped against his face, drawing winces from him as he slipped on mud and exposed roots alike, but he didn’t seem to care in the least.
He always stood back up and continued to run, as fast as he could.
’I’m almost there!’
Deep in the verdant and thick forest, a small wooden cabin could be seen.
Amidst the trees and greenery, it could hardly be discerned, so small it could easily be mistaken for the stump of a large tree.
The surroundings were slightly cleared, the ground even from years of regular passage, but the place still looked abandoned, utterly unfit for anyone or anything to live in.
CLACK!
The boy reached the cabin, opening the door before gently closing it behind him as he latched a dozen locks.
Finally safe from the rain, the boy pressed his back against the door and sighed in relief.
’I’m home.’
The cabin’s interior was quite small, the wooden walls humid and soaked, barely providing any insulation whether it be from sound, cold, or water.
The ground seemed to be hardened clay-like mud, and upon that ground, a large mattress took up most of the space, upon which two figures could be seen fast asleep.
One was a young boy, identical to the white-haired one as they seemed to be twins, with the only difference being his dark hair and deep amethyst pupils that peeked through his shut eyes as he shifted in place.
The boy lay flat on his back, his body soaked in sweat as his face remained pale and his breaths labored, his features twisted into a frown of pain even as he slept.
Beside him, a woman could be seen, seemingly just as sick as the boy. Her hair was a deep grey, her skin milky white just like her two sons, and her eyes were hidden beneath a wet cloth covering her face, meant to lessen the effects of the fever tearing through her mind.
The two were deathly sick, their shivering bodies covered by nothing but an old yet large dark brown beast-skin blanket.
"..."
Sensing something, the woman stirred from her fever-induced sleep and reached out, her hand grasping at the air.
"Ciel?"
The white-haired boy gently dropped the bag he’d been carrying across the forest, then rushed to his mother’s side, grabbing her searching hand to reassure her, making sure she knew he was there.
He knelt beside her. "Mom! It’s me, I’m back."
The woman flashed a weakened smile.
"You went to the church again, didn’t you?"
Ciel froze.
"I—... no... I can explain—..."
He sighed, his shoulders dropping.
"I-I did. But I only went there to get food and medication!"
A radiant smile surged across his features.
"They accepted this time! I got enough to get you both back to normal!"
"I even did like you said and got some seeds so maybe we can start a little farm deeper into the forest!"
Excitement overflowed within the boy.
"A-and when dad’s back maybe I can go out hunting with him, so we won’t need to rely on grandmother and the church anymore."
The boy pulled a soaked folded parchment from his torn rags and placed it in his mother’s hands.
"I asked if I could get a map that detailed the surroundings so that I can start scouting for locations dense with—"
The woman listened to her son speak, letting his excitement flow, and the more he did, the tighter her grip on his little hands became.
Her lips pressed tightly together and she felt her heart constrict with every passing moment.
At some point, she squeezed Ciel’s hand so hard he paused, looking at her with worry.
"Mom?!"
He leaned closer, inspecting her to make sure she wasn’t injured, confused by what could suddenly make her so tense.
Her grip was nearly breaking his hand.
"..."
Seeing she didn’t answer, his worry deepened.
"What is it? Is it getting worse? Hold on, I’ll get the pills from the—"
Just as he tried to stand to go get the pills he had brought back, his mother pulled his arm.
"..."
He turned back, looking at her.
"...what did she ask in exchange?"
The boy felt his heart skip a beat, and suddenly his mouth went dry and his arms began to shake, though faintly.
But as faint as the trembling of his arms was, his mother felt it, and it only seemed to fan the deep flames of rage burning in her heart.
Even while utterly sick and bedridden, the woman had a deep and regal disposition to her, like a divine empress whose pride remained whole even when her flesh failed and her soul collapsed.
Her presence pressed deeply into the boy.
"Tell me."
