plot The Cosmic Battle to Save the Thread

[BringerofShadows she/her]

"Trust me... I know." Heather whispered.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember wished she could better express her emotional turmoil. Her fingers shook slightly and she regarded Heather with intensity. Unable to express her sorrow in words, she expanded into Heather's mind to help her understand the sympathy she felt. 

[BringerofShadows she/her]

 That seemed to calm her down. "Thanks Ember..." Heather trailed off.She suddenly felt exhausted mentally, emotionally, and physically. The spikes still hurt, but she could at least try and ignore the pain. 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember smiled slightly, the corners of her lips upturning in a natural way. "Would you like to go back to Star?" Ember asked. 

[BringerofShadows she/her]

"No, I think they're busy. We can wait."

Edited January 30, 2020 by BringerofShadows
Why is English so complicated?

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember nodded. "That is all right." She suddenly felt awkward with her arms around Heather and scooted backwards a bit, sitting on her knees. 

[BringerofShadows she/her]

Heather sighed, rubbing her temples. I need a nap. "Ember, I am going to take a nap."

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember blinked. She did not need sleep herself and so found the human need to odd. She cocked her head. "Do you... need help?"

[BringerofShadows she/her]

"As in...?" Heather said while standing up.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember thought for a moment. "I do not know," she confessed. "Star instructed me to be with you, but sleep is stasis of a sort. I would not know what to do during that time."

[BringerofShadows she/her]

"Do you have any hobbies?" Heather asked awkwardly.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember paused. "No," she whispered. "My purpose is to follow my Directive." Her eyebrows shot up. "I know! I will tell Star that you are taking a nap so that she may tell me what I am to do." Star, she thought, reaching out, Heather is feeling much better. She requires sleep and has requested to take a nap. What shall I do during her period of stasis?

Ember's voice came into Star's head clearly, staring her message. Star's face lit up. Oh, that's wonderful, she said. I'm proud of you, Ember. It's good that she wants to take a nap; Inquisitors require far more sleep than normal. You can do whatever you want, just make sure she has access to you in case she needs anything, okay?

I will do that. 

"Star says that I may do whatever I want." She shrugged, then got up to her feet. "She instructed me to make sure you have access to me if you need anything. I will wait wherever you want me to."

"Pheo," Star said, smiling brightly. "Ember just told me that Heather's doing much better. She'll be okay." Star sighed, then repeated it, almost as if to reassure herself. "She'll be okay..."

Edited January 30, 2020 by Shard of Thought

[BringerofShadows she/her]

"Okay." Heather walked out of the supply room, looking for a bed. She found one, unsurprisingly. The Inquisitor then got ready for bed, finally laying down and pulling the sheets close. Crap, how do I shut my 'eyes'? Heather just decided to stare at the wall, until sleep finally came. 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Quote

Inquisitor problems: Crap, how do I shut my eyes? 

Ember sat down in the hallway, burning away the parts of her armor that she didn't need anymore. She'd never liked having her shell on. It wasn't uncomfortable, it just felt... wrong. She looked down and traced the lines in the wood with her finger, pondering on her master, Pheo, and Heather. 

[BringerofShadows she/her]

Quote

I original wrote it “And she finally shut her eyes” but that obviously wouldn’t work. So I was like, how does and Inquisitor shut their eyes?

But Heather could never find peace. As she fell asleep, nightmares raged inside her head, making her toss and turn and mumble to herself. “No…I didn’t kill him…” She said over and over. Her movements became more violent, and the mumbling more frequent. It ended with her sitting up straight and screaming, but she cut off immediately as she realized it was only just a nightmare. 

Edited January 30, 2020 by BringerofShadows

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember's back straightened and she physically flinched at Heather's scream. Fear crept into her heart and she stood immediately, sprinting into Heather's room. She looked around for a visible threat and gave Heather a look when she did not see one. "Are you all right?" she said.

[BringerofShadows she/her]

She sighed. “Yeah, just nightmares.”

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Nightmares?" Ember asked. She shook her head. "Sleep is odd. I am glad I do not need it."

[BringerofShadows she/her]

“Lucky.” She grumbled. 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember shrugged. "I suppose. I do not really know what I am missing." 

[BringerofShadows she/her]

"Nothing, really... Ember, could you ask Star how I should fall asleep without nightmares?" 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Ember nodded. Star, Heather would like to know how she may sleep without nightmares. 

Quote

I'm going to wait on Star's answer just because I'm not sure how long she was asleep, so I'm not sure how far the timelines are unaligned. 

 

[Jaywalk he/him]

Quote

Hey, guys, Jaywalk will enter the story soon, but I’m having trouble remembering the context of him crossing over. The World of Dreams or something like that?

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Quote

Yes. Presumably Jay entered the World of Dreams to find Max, but ended up stumbling into the Nightmare side. He is now trapped there. If you need me to explain anything further, just ask, but keep in mind I only have a baseline. You can basically do whatever you want, very little about the Land of Dreams is known. 

 

[Jaywalk he/him]

Quote

Alright then. Here we go...

A black throne.

A figure, cloaked in blue, slumped in the obsidian chair—the only trace of darkness in the stark white space. Jaywalk knelt before it, wrists tied behind his back. The azure veins on his arms had gone dim, for the Void had little governance here.

A woman stepped out from behind the throne. She had empty eyes, but the spite in them was all too apparent. Astral lifted the chin of the figure on the throne with a delicate finger, then smirked.

Max opened his eyes, gazing at her. She leaned down, planting a kiss on his mouth.

Jaywalk grimaced. “This isn’t real,” he repeated. “None of it is real.”

When Astral pulled away, Max was breathless. And it was staying that way. He clutched the throne with one hand, the other at his throat, gasping for air. But relief did not come.

Astral dragged her nails over Max’s forehead, tearing a gash in his skin. Blood gushed from the wound, painting crimson streaks down his face.

”Max!” Jaywalk cried.

Max lurched forward, slamming onto the ground. Robes pooled around him, he clawed at his eyes mercilessly, while Astral kicked her leg onto the throne, cackling.

A glass of champagne materialized in her hand. She turned her eyes on Jaywalk as she took a sip, and whispered a single word, though he heard it louder than any whisper he’d heard before.

”Remember.”

When Max found his breath again, it was to scream—an agonized cry that carried the pain of a thousand deaths in its sound. And as the scream emerged, it brought with it a terrifying creature. A withergeist clawed its way out of Max’s mouth, tearing his face apart in the process.

Jaywalk struggled against his bonds, desperate to run to his godson. “It’s not real...it’s not real...” But it felt real.

Finally, the scene began to fade. Astral and the throne dissipated into nothingness, and the white room fell into darkness. The cords tying Jaywalk’s wrists were suddenly gone. Max’s eviscerated body sunk into the floor.

Jaywalk stared at the withergeist, and the withergeist stared back, its aura of death flickering. And then it faded away, leaving Jaywalk alone in his misery.

To await the next nightmare.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Jaywalk
Fixed a typo