Give me the sight I need
Let me see the dream inside
Shape a world that I might know
Pull the darkness out before me
That I may shine light upon it
And save this mortal soul

It had taken a lot of talking on her part to convince the family that she could help, it always seemed to take a lot of talking when she moved to a new village. Inarael wasn't sure if she was tired of it, or not, but at least she had been given her chance once again.
She spoke those words, the words she had formulated in her heart, that made sense to her, as she felt her soul melt into the mind of the sickly daughter of a pair of farmers. In terms of looks, one could have imagined that she and Inarael were the same age, though perhaps not entirely the case.

Inarael was almost a hundred years old, yet she looked no older than twenty, typical for an elf. But by their standards; she was still young, young and barely experienced int he world. Yet with almost a century and a head full of notions, she set out, to be free of their rules, their concerns.. And their fears..

The Kingdom of Aldfell had suffered in recent years. It seemed small at first, minor accidents at critical locations, occasional monster attacks, orcish rogues wandering the roads and various other manner of creature. However it wasn't until the Nightmare Plague began that the people started to take notice of their misfortunes.
The Nightmare Plague, a disease incurable by healing magics, by alchemical potions and certainly by prayer. It mattered not whom people prayed to, or why, or where, or how, the plague would not leave their victims.

They would perish, writhing their last as whatever dark dreams corrupted their minds consumed their life and left a deadened husk. It was only right to assume that something darker and more terrible was behind it, the coincidence of the monster attacks resulting in this plague gave rise to hunters, But even these brave hunting parties could find no source, only an unsettling truth; many more of the darker creatures were beginning to infest the surrounding lands, preying on villagers and wanderers of the road. Yet with the plague coming from many different creatures, it left their actual source unknown and the hunters scrambling for clues as to which monsters they should hunt the most.

Yet Inarael sought differently. With everyone so focused on the monsters, few really considered the plague itself. Few really wanted to know more about it, other than how to cure it. And she could, after a fashion.

-----------------------------------

The world formed around her, the images of the local village, the memories of static objects, the lamps on the road and the buildings. The fields and farms were cut off form one another, left scarred and torn open. But the world was dark, grey, the sky twisted and warped, unable to take form. Thorn bushes stretched across pathways, keeping those who wished to pass from continuing further.
Inarael stood beneath one of the lamps on the road, it was where she materialized,t he whole world had formed around her, she stood as a nexus for this solidified dream, the once chaotic mind forced into an appearance that could be seen, understood and recognized.

And she heard a cry in the distance, without a doubt the memory of this girl. She was being attacked. in her mind she was reliving the attack, but not only was the memory of her attacker still clear in the mind, her terrors were coming to life, creatures, monsters, much akin to the outside world, in here, the creatures were far more monstrous. Living apparitions, creations of the mind, fear and terror, all prepared to chase, hunt down and eventually kill the girl, through exhaustion and fright.

But with the way these twisted creatures worked, she had to find a way past the blocks in the girl's mind, all attempts to bury herself or hide away from the monsters, they too had to chase her and find their way until they could consume her.
Inarael walked quickly, but softly, with no more than a small harp in hand, her eyes gently seeking through the darkness. She navigated the first maze of thorns quickly and calmly until she came across a clearing that seemed almost like a forest, greater thorns arcing over the area.

Her alertness was rewarded as the apparitions of fear came to life around her, at least, some of the fears. Slender figures, sharp, tooth-filled jaws and raking claws for hands. They shambled towards her swiftly, however this was where the power of a Dreamwalker came to light.
She swung the harp towards one, however it changed form, stretching, shifting, an elongated handle, a lengthy steel blade. The first nightmare she struck was torn apart and she turned to the handful that remained.
In the real world, she could take care of herself well enough, but in the realm of dreams and nightmares; she was powerful.

She kept her poise, smiling broadly even as she struck another of the creatures overhead. His for scattered into dust whilst Inarael gently danced on her feet, thrusting the sword into the next nightmare and cutting clear out of it, again it scattered to dust and ashes whilst she turned towards the remaining few, face still gentle and smiling.
She would stop these nightmares for good and save this girl.

Akio Naichingēru

Nightmares. Such a simple thing, and yet a powerful one as well. One would think that nightmares were merely dreams, things that could not harm people, that would cease once the dawn had come and people woke. Though there were real life nightmares as well, or what people would compare nightmares to. It was all in the way someone perceived things. For a certain kind of person however, the term nightmare meant more. There was a race of beings, who were given such a name long ago. Nightmares, a name given to them by their power. Nightmares were people who were known for their beauty. It was something normal humans referred to as a tempting beauty, a beauty that could twist others to the will of the holder. They were a people who lived their lives around dreams themselves. They fed off of them, able to dive into the mind of a sleeping person, and experience the dream around them.

Nightmares could manipulate the reality of these dreams, even against the will of the dreamer. They could make it feel like reality, to the point of creating mental harm or death to a person. Dreams was where their true power laid. The more dreams they fed off of, the stronger their dream weaving and powers within became. In reality, Nightmares were also weavers of shadows, they could disappear in a black mist that could also put people away, or they could bend shadows to their will to form constructs. The skill within these arts varied with the person, as did the skill within the dream world. For one specific Nightmare however, things were even more complicated. Most darker kingdoms and the world belonging to those who were considered demons and monsters by the humans existed in a place below the human world simply reffered to most often as the Underworld. However, some were braver, or merely foolish enough to place their homes above on the human world.

For the kingdome of Shadowmare, this was just what had been done. It was a kingdom that had been established by a Vampire king, and consisted mainly of such beings. There were others of different races, who happened to come through or call it home. One of which, had indeed been a Nightmare. A woman of beauty, with long raven hair and dark inhuman violet eyes. The vampire lord took a liking to her, and it was not long before the two were madly in love. In time, the woman came to produce an heir for the kingdom, a son, who they came to call Akio Naichingēru, a name meaning Hero Nightingale. He was half Vampire, half Nightmare, which made for a powerful combination. He grew over time, and as he did, his features began to set in as well. Akio’s beauty became well known, for the beauty of a Vampire and Nightmare together was something special indeed. He inherited his parent raven hair, and his mother’s dark violet eyes.

However, in times of intense emotion, or often at night, these eyes would become red. As Akio grew, he began to show skill within his powers from both sides. He developed well, being trained to use his abilities. Though since he was of two races who had to feed on other sources to survive, Akio became plagued by the need to feed on blood as well as the dreams of others. He could sustain himself on one or the other for some time, but eventually the hunger for each would have to be met. Over time, the war between the humans and his kingdom began to boil. The humans wanted them off their surface world. The Vampire king led the army into battle, and the queen assisted by slipping into the dreams of the human soldiers at night to discover secrets, information and to wage mental war. However, by the use of other means, time for the couple in love ran out. It is unclear what happened for sure, the story fading into legends and history.

The adviser to the king took over, as the prince grew. Now at the age of twenty, it is nearing the time for his coordination, and for him to take over as king. Akio did not really believe he was fully ready to became king however, for it would entail remaining at the kingdom and having to be weighed down by many responsibilities. At the moment, he stood by the bed of a girl, who looked around his age. She was being taken by the plagued that seemed to be a problem for many of the people around here. Thankfully his Nightmare half made him stronger to many sleep related threats, and immune to others. Attacking a Nightmare in the dream world was a foolish thing indeed. He sighed, as a light pang of hunger moved through his body. He had not dream fed in awhile now, so this would be a good chance to. He did not particularly wish to dive into a dream like this, but it was the easiest ticket at the moment.

Closing his eyes, his body began to dissolve into a black mist, that moved over the body of the girl. It circled around her for a moment, before falling over her like a blanket. The mist vanished, absorbed by her, as he dove into her mind. The world around him shifted, solidifying into one portrayed by her mind. It seemed that she was indeed having a bad dream, as the signs of monsters around were clear to see. He had no desire of confrontation or trouble, slipping back into the shadows out of sight for the moment. He began to draw in the energy from the world around him, his hand on a tree. The bark began to turn black, the color around him from the dream beginning to drain. It was not something one could easily explain, feeding on a dream. It felt like nothing else he had experienced before. Each dream tasted different so to speak, different with the mind of each person.

He had not been feeding long, before screams and soon the sounds of confrontation caught his attention. He frowned, slowly moving in the direction of the noise. Pausing at the edge of the trees, he saw something he did not believe he would. An elf combating the nightmare beasts. His arms crossed, as he leaned almost casually against the tree he stood by. His eyes remaining on the female, he watched as the beasts turned to ash. The way she moved and attacked, it was indeed easy to see that she was not of this dream. There were certain others who had powers similar to those of a Nightmare being, but they were not in fact of his kind. She seemed to be helping the girl, saving her from these creatures. She was quite light and elegant on her feet, drawing a light smile from him as he watched her. He could not help but wonder what her name was.

The nightmare creatures were wary, but only vaguely, it was not like a nightmare to stop and consider that something was more terrifying itself, or at least that was ho Inarael saw it, for the three remaining creatures were soon on the attack. Unlike a living creature, nightmares were their own type of consciousness, brief existences compared to mortal born beings, like the mayfly. If they had any intelligence at all, it was borrowed from the imagination of the mind it had been born in.

The more knowledgeable or imaginative the mind, the more dangerous it could be to enter, because the creatures Inarael's power solidified for her to deal with reflected these traits, cleverness that made them lethal opponents, abilities or talents reflecting those of real beasts, or even designed by the mind of the dreamer. It wasn't often that it could get worse, but lately, whenever Inarael entered nightmares, some of the creatures she encountered.. They seemed far too unthinkable for the minds of the common villager like this girl.

She leaped back swiftly, her dress flaring a little around her knees as he switched the way she was holding her sword, it changed appearance once more, glowing gently before taking the shape of a bow. She pulled the string, loosing arrows of light in rapid succession. The last three creatures took the arrows to what could have been considered key points their bodies exploding into the same dust as before. The elf stood straight, raising the bow a little but then pulled downward and it evaporated, turning to golden smoke, reforming and reshaping itself into a harp once more that she hung off her hip with a smile.

She took a few steps towards her next destination but then she stopped, she hadn't been looking his way, yet.. Her ears twitched gently, lifting a little before she turned her head, glancing at the young man that she saw some ways to her side. Had he been watching..? It maybe made a little sense. She was curious.. Perhaps a little more than she should be as she instead walked towards him, folding her arms a moment and keeping her eyes locked on him whilst she approached before she was little more than a meter or so away, glancing up at the slghtly taller figure.
Around this young man everything seemed even more devoid of color, yet he had much more color himself. She reached her hand up to her chin, staring at him curiously before she smiled broadly
"Well, you must be a memory of her boyfriend..! She has some-one really nice looking to get back to..!" She blurted out suddenly with a grin, though tilted her head a little, ears shifting once more, drooping a little, "I really wish I could talk to memories though.. The only things you could tell me are what she thinks.." With a slightly defeated sigh,s he turned on her heel and shrugged to herself, "I should stop fooling around.."

The female finished off the beasts, it did not take long in fact for this to happen. Many others would be frozen in place or afraid, but she was not. Then again, many others would not see such things of other's dreams, unless they had this ability as well. Akio shook his head lightly, when he caught the sense that the female had spotted him. She boldly made her way to him, setting her sights upon him. He did not move, admitadly curious himself to see where this would go. If she had figued out who he was, it would not matter. If she attacked, he would defend himself. However, he had little intrest in instigating anything, so he continued to remain calm and relaxed where he stood. When she spoke up, blurting out things, he watched he was a bit surprised at the words that came out.

A dream of this girl's boyfriend? She thought he was a dream? As she turned, he raised an eyebrow. The words were amusing indeed, a light chuckle coming from him. He could not help it, it was quite indeed something to laugh about. She had complimented him within those words as well, calling him good looking. A hand slid up, slender fingers running through his hair. "Forgive me" he said, quieting his laugh, "that was quite cute miss...but I assure you, I am no dream...nor anyone's lover." His eyes remained on her, for the moment taking in her reaction to those words he had spoken. It was something that could be taken as a shock indeed, or something perhaps she might have been expecting such? Testing him, to see if he would openly admit it. He did not fully believe that it was the latter.

Whatever was going through her mind, or her reasoning, it did not change any of this. He was here for the mere reason of feeding, nothing more. His eyes for a moment slid back to where the fight had taken place. She had been skilled enough to take down such bothersome pests, so it was clear that underestimating her would not be a good idea. Dispite this, he turned his back to her without fear. He stepped past the tree he had been standing by, placing a hand upon the trunk once more. "Another who can slip into the world of dreams and other's minds....you should be careful....dreams can be a nasty place to be, if one is not prepared..." his eyes slid closed, as a light breeze passed through in the dream. The world around them had gone oddly silent for the moment. He did not move, making none to advance or turn back to her. The question he had wondered earlier came to mind.

"What is your name?" he asked, breaking the silence once more. She could answer truthfully, or she could lie. It was uncertain if she would willingly give up her name or not, since some believed a name could have power over its owner. There were many different tales like that, anything could be turned into something of power if the right person was in charge of it. Now was not the time for such idle thoughts though, even if he felt no threat from her at the moment, it was better not to let his mind wander to much. They were still after all strangers, he did not know what she was capable of fully. That being said, the same could be said for him with her, so it was best to play this easy and slow, see where things went.

A cold shiver ran up Inarael's spine at first when the memory laughed at her. Her ears lifted in an alert fashion and she half turned to stare at him a moment, about to respond that a memory wouldn't realize that it is a memory and would still act according to the belief of the dreamer's mind, but then she reconsidered it, turning to look at him again. A contemplative look crossed her face, though she puffed her cheeks a little when he warned her to be careful,
"I'll have you know I have been entering dreams for almost eighty years now!" She responded, pouting and putting her hands on her hips, but then she raised one hand, waving it a little in his direction, "Sure there are dangers posed to me but that all depends on the dreamer and the cause, well that and a couple other things.."

At the question of her name, she seemed to freeze dead in place a moment, before her face turned a little red,
"Wh-why would you want to know that? No-one wants to know that. People don't ask me that." She replied, her face appearing rather stumped, "You look human and I'd want to say humans don't care, but looks aren't everything and-" She stopped a moment, her ears shifting and twitching again before she sniffed the air. This prompted her to get even closer to him, practically sniffing at his chest to take the scent in before she practically planted the side of her face against him, her ear up against the area where his heart was supposed to be, at least for a human..

She got off him and reached her hands up to him, pinching a few strands of his hair gently and lifting them, before standing on her tip-toes, face to face with him so she could look into his eyes,
"Well that is strange, you feel like a nightmare, or the result of a nightmare, or the creator of a nightmare, but you aren't the nightmare of this girl, you're completely different. It's no wonder I couldn't feel your presence right away, this nightmare plague is very strong in presence.." She pondered this a moment before frowning a little, "I only want to know if you're here to kill this girl or not."

He did not see her puff out her cheeks, but he heard her words. She said she had been entering dreams for quite some time now. He raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look back at her. She said there were dangers, and such. He frowned slightly, saying nothing with her words. She gave him a look when he asked for a name. She seemed a bit flustered at his words. Was it really that odd for someone to ask a name? He would have thought that someone would have asked a name to begin with, when it was someone they had just met. Then again, things were not always the same all around the world. People had their own rules and views in different lands. She was speaking, but her words were not having much of an affect on him.

Not that he was trying to be rude and ignore her, but he had to admit it, that it was kind of cute to see her acting in this way. She was then moving close, sniffing him. That was a bit odd. Sniffing him, before lowering her head, to his chest. Was she looking for a heart? There would be one, but it would be slower than a human's. Vampires did not have a heartbeat, though they were not fully dead. They kept themselves going, by replenishing their blood with the blood of other living beings. His nightmare side however gave him a heartbeat. When the two sides met, it meant that his beat would come off to those that did not know what he was, like he was dying. Slow and calm. Even when he was in a rush of adrinaline, it would be the same. Made it easier on his body, when he exerted himself. She spoke again, his eyes focusing on her. She did not seem to be sure what he was.

She confirmed he was not a nightmare of this woman, and that she wished to know if he was here to kill this girl or not. He remained silent, watching her for a moment. He then formed a light smile, reaching a hand up to gently brush his fingertips through the slide of her hair. "You are correct" he says, "I am nightmare....but I am not as well." He glanced over in the direction of the scene where she had fought not long ago. "My business here is my own, though I assure you I have no interest in your female friend" he tilted his head lightly, "I am not her...lover...very much single." The last part was a bit of a tease of his own, his body leaning forward so that his face was now mere centimeters from hers. He formed another smile, before slipping past her. "Now then, if you will excuse me, I will continue on my way. If you plan to stop me, I would advise against it....for your best interest" he says.

"Of course I'm correct, I'm excellent at what I do," Inarael replied, folding her arms and smiling confidently. Anyone familiar with Elves would have considered her behavior quite odd, while they were certainly arrogant when encountering other species, she was instead airing a strong personality and belief in her own ability. She stared at him as he then explained, or rather did not explain his business in the girl's mind. She barely seemed fazed by his obvious teasing, instead when he went to leave and walk past her there was a rush of sound and movement as she stepped in front of him again,
"Excuse me, but it is my business so long as I am in her mind." She replied sharply pointing her finger at him almost accusingly, "If you're here to prey on her while she's already suffering the nightmare plague, she may die, which makes it my business and I will have to kill you along with the nightmare that's draining her life. Do you even know what this nightmare plague is and what it does to people? I do." Inarael stepped in further, pressing her pointing finger against his nose, "Second of all, if you kill her by aiding the damage the nightmare plague is causing, it will kill me, too, which makes whatever you are doing my business because I'm actually looking forward to living as many years as I can. Now if you're looking to make yourself useful, you can come along with me and we can kill this nightmare and save her life together,"

She withdrew her hand and placed both hand son her hips calmly, cocking her head to the side as her ears lifted a little, a smile plastered across her face,
"Oh and you wanted to know my name, right? It is Inarael." She added, though she jumped ever slightly as a scream echoed from the distance, concern crossing her face a moment later. She half turned to look int he directions he had been intending to go. She had wasted enough time with this guy already, but knowing what he was, sort of, or at least she hoped she knew, meant she couldn't very well leave him there without perhaps a little assurance that he wouldn't cause trouble for her.

She had little trouble saying that she was excellent at what she did. A woman confident in her abilities…or perhaps a bit cocky. He paused as she moved in front of him and began to speak. Her business as long as she was in this female’s mind. She said that she would kill him along with the other nightmares within here if he was here to prey on her. He raised an eyebrow at the obvious threat. She planned to kill him? She pressed her finger on his nose, which caused his body to tense slightly. He did not approve of being touched so carelessly. This woman had little regard for other’s personal space it seemed. She continued on to say that if he killed this girl, he would kill her as well which made this her business as well. She added that he could make himself useful, before pulling her hand away from him.

He continued to hold his frown, watching her as she smiled. Giving her name slightly, before a scream came from them. His eyes flickered in the direction of the scream for a moment, before back to her. “Again” he said, “my business is none of your own, despite whatever circumstances that you use to justify that it is.” He was simple in his words, showing little emotion of how it had all phased him one way or another, except for the frown. “You can try and kill me if you are so worried, I already invited you to do so now” he looked into her eyes, “but I also warned you against making such a foolish move.” He lifted a hand, now moving it to caress one of her ears teasingly. His frown turned into a slight smile of his own. “Better hurry…if you linger here to long, she will die. Then what is the point of worrying about what I am doing at all?” he removed his own hand.

“Time is a precious thing…wouldn’t you agree?” he asked, “so you had better quit wasting it.” He passed by her once more, “I have no intention of leaving this dream immediately, the show and a meal is quite a tempting event indeed, so you have time there as well to decide what you wish to do.” He paused, turning his head to look back at her, “but I would advise you not to waste time there either…who knows when I might get bored and be gone before you could lift a finger.” He was toying with her still, and having fun doing so. What would she do? The choice was hers, but as he had said, all of it would take time…something that she most likely did not have.

"Oh goodness, it seems even men of other races have to be pointlessly complicated." Inarael replied, sighing and shrugging to herself a moment, she didn't pull away when he touched her ear, instead it lifted into his touch a little as if welcoming the motion, though she stayed straight-faced and smiling, "Even the Elven males were this annoying.. I do not know what it is with male insistence on trying to act mysterious, yet some complain that women are just as bad.. I suppose turnabout is fair play." She watched him moving to leave her again and once more she appeared in front of him, a mischievous look on her face as she grinned at him, initially pointing her fist at him, but then she lifted a finger and smiled,
"Well.. Would you look at that..? You're still here..!" She taunted with a wry smile, but then spoke briefly, "Leave this girl's dreams alone, stay and watch if you like, and you can instead feast on me once I am done here. Surely even you can savor a meal.." She offered before turning on her heel, the motion was so sharp and swift that the following dash away from him might not have been caught by a lesser creature.

She disappeared between the bramble-covered pathways, dodging gently between the pieces of the obstacle-filled terrain, the twisting vines that threatened to tear the flesh of passersby with their knife-like thorns, yet she delicately slipped around these dangerous implements, seeking through the dark forest of thorns that continued to writhe across the farmlands and fields. Whenever the path became too covered she would draw her harp again, as a blade, hacking swiftly through only the most important vines so that she could continue to traverse the nightmare.

The next open clearing she could find opened up to a a forest that seemed a little more like a regular one, although vines still weaved between the trees, the center was untouched, all but for a statue of a young man in a suit of armor. Beneath a plated boot was the body of a fallen beast, a orc. Inarael pondered on it a moment, staring at the fallen orc, then up at the statue of the young man. he had short hair, however he didn't seem to represent any human deities or memorials that she knew of. Was he the one that had saved the girl in the first place? A town guard perhaps? This was probably a real memory of the events leading up to her getting the plague..

She reached up to the statue quietly, placing her hand on the weapon arm of the man. He had been wielding an unusual weapon of choice. A flail, its chain elongated like a whip. As she grasped the statue gently, she briefly saw a flash of the moment. The orc had not been alone in its assault, though the eyes of these creatures were.. Beastly.. there were certainly some feral orc clans and just as many that were a little more civilized, but the feral ones weren't known to wear as much in the way of clothing as these ones. They were non-ferals? Strange, they tended to stay away from other races, not hunt them down. But the look in their eyes..
She watched as the young man swung the weapon with surprising ease, nailing the Orcs and beating them back from the injured girl. His motions were fluid, yet surprisingly effective. She drew away from the statue and stared at her hand a moment before looking up at the young man again. A trace of him, his movements, his skill, it was emblazoned in the girls mind, no wonder such a shrine glowed within her. She longed for him, as only a lovestruck young girl could.

Inarael stepped back and grasped the harp. It changed form once again, stretching in her hand, at first whip-like, links forming one after the other until finally the very end became a weighted ball for striking. This would be a powerful weapon within the girl's mind. With soft, fluid motions she rolled the chain around a few times until she held several loops of it in her off-hand and once more proceeded through the nightmare, called once more by the horrified scream that echoed through the mind of the farm girl.

Akio looked at the female as she insisted on moving infront of him once more. She said he was being annoying basically, pointlessly complicated. He chuckled lightly as she then dashed away, she was quite an interesting one indeed. She had offered him herself as a meal, which made his eyes for a moment linger on the direction she had gone off in. He pondered for a moment taking up the offer, what the female elf would taste like. Though he doubted as well, that the chance at a meal like that would be so easy. Once she was done here and the female's mind they were in was safe, there would be nothing stopping her from turning that attention onto him. That meant there would be nothing stopping her from attempting to kill him if she desired.

Unlike many other dream beings, it was not just his mind that entered into another's. It was everything...he was actually here. If he died, he would not leave the mind ever, his body would not be found or return to the living world. At the same time, if he was ever imprisioned, he would be trapped in the host's minds and dreams. But it was a bonus that his power of a Nightmare was indeed strongest in the mind and dream relm. He opened his hand, whisps of black smoke folding over themselves above his open palm. Moments later from them, a pair of red eyes looked back at him. Black wings spread wide, as a black crow perched upon his hand. "Go" he said simply. The crow gave a loud caw, before taking flight.

He did not need to go charging after her in a rush to see what she was doing. As the crow flew through the air, he could see and hear what it did as it scanned the area below. She was looking at a statue, the crow landing on one out of the way nearby. Akio followed the crow at a more casual pace, taking in the scenes he was getting from it. It seemed this girl had found something of intrest. This girl...he supposed he should not think of her as such anymore, since she had given him her name. Inarael. The name lingering on his mind for a moment. He had not met an elf before to be honest, well, not one that was not of darker nature. Perhaps they were similar?

He chuckled, the thought a bit humerous. The crow watched as the girl went off on her way, another scream coming to the crow and even to Akio a bit away from them. It did not sound like this girl would last for much longer. She was being pulled deeper into the nightmare, deeper into the pain of this place. He could feel it, the darkness around him. It was tempting, he could not help but draw some of the energy and the darkness from around him. His eyes closing as he did so. The scene drained a bit of color, as it darkened a bit.

Inarael continued to dash quickly, her legs never felt tired in this place, the realm of dreams felt far greater than the living world, or perhaps it was simply that she had gained the strength of the weapon at her hip. Even if she left this dream, a trace of it would remain with her, along with the memories linked to the tool. It didn't take long for more traces of the nightmare to find their way into Inarael's path. Orcs, like the ones that had assaulted the girl, burly creatures, they far outsized the elf, but she confidently held the weapon at her side.

She dashed towards the closest, however the timing of a rather unfortunate event was linked to Akio's inability to resist. As he drew energy, a ripple occurred around the elf, she came to a halt, almost stumbling off her feet and grasping her head. She palmed the right side of her face, small dark wisps spreading out form her palm before cutting off and scattering to dust.
The orc she had been charging towards instead took the initiative, grasping the elf by the skull and striking her in the gut. needless to say, it hurt, she coughed loudly, feeling her head tugged up by the hand holding her. The other hand drew back and struck the elf again, this time in the face. She tumbled, back, grounded momentarily, however she looked up, wiping a bleeding mouth.

The Orc was running towards her to follow up, however she shot up in response, leaping off the ground and swiftly delivering a crushing knee-blow to his jaw. He stumbled back, dazed, however feeling the cold steel of a chain around his neck, he had enough time to register that she'd looped it around his neck during that brief exchange before she jumped overhead, dropping behind him and swiftly kicked the back of his spine. The power of the weapon allowed it to decapitate the creature, turning it to dust as she stared at the two remaining creatures. They didn't waste time launching themselves at Inarael, but she had enough time to wind up the weapon and spin it in hand.

It released a gentle whistle as she spun it before she let it fly forward, striking the first of the two in the skull, like the first, he simply exploded into dust. The weapon arced through the air and Inarael drew it back, leaping deftly over the last charging orc, the beast clumsily stumbled under her as she landed behind him, getting the weapon into a spin once more before she launched it at him. Not a direct hit, but it made the orc stumble forward. She was getting used to the motion of drawing it back and tossing it again, quickly striking the creature several more times before it crumpled under the blows, perishing like it's former companions.

She wound the weapon back and turned again, reaching up to wipe her mouth again before she stared up accusingly in the direction of the crow, only briefly before she ran on again. Clearly he hadn't been taken her very seriously. Inarael was going to have to expect that to happen again if she wanted to survive this farm girl's mind, but that was going to be an unenviable task if this nightmare was what she thought it to be.. Something worse..

Akio walked along, taking his time as he did so. The bird keeping an eye on the female, as she began to engage within a battle. He could not help but admire her skill once more. She was definitely not someone to take carelessly or lightly, but there was no need to take her as an immediate threat either. He could not help but think about all of this. The reason why she was here. This dream plague…nightmares running ramped through people’s minds. They would be tormented, before they would be taken killed within their own minds. Akio knew that this could be one of the worst ways to die, dying in your own mind. Trapped in your own thoughts and fears, alone most of the time, with no hope of anyone coming to save you. It could, and had, driven people mad.

She looked up at his crow, and a slight smirk tugged at his lips. So she had spotted it. She did not seem too happy, but that was alright. He paused just beyond where they would be, for a moment letting her deal with just the crow for now. It tilted its head, turning it to regard her in an almost playful way. He chuckled, she was amusing, but perhaps it was time to get a little more serious. He could have left, left her to deal with all of this alone, but he was not that kind of man. Despite what people thought about him or his kind, he was not going to just run away and leave her there. At the same time, it would only give her confirmation about him being less than good.

He glanced up at the ‘sky’ of this place. It was darkened, he noted a bit of a coldness setting in. It usually got colder and darker within the mind, the closer one got to death. It was as if signaling the mind was shutting down, turning off. If it did so with them in it… He stepped forward, making his way through the last bit of distance between them. The crow gave a caw, flying down to land on his shoulder. He lifted a hand, gently using his fingertips to caress the feathers upon the crow’s head. His eyes moved over to her, regarding that accusing look of hers, and what would follow it. “It seems you are doing well enough on your own” he mused, “and yet you have not completed your task.”

There were more and more of these creatures appearing, coming to battle her and get rid of her. Thankfully, it did not seem that one could not be affected by this plague within another’s mind. That was confined to reality thankfully. He sighed, before moving over to her. “We could stand around and exchange banter all day, but this female of yours does not have that time” his eyes moved past her for a moment, to take in the scene before them. “I will help you” his eyes return to her, “not for the opportunity to devour you after, merely for the sake of a life.” He stepped past her, “I am not a monster, I will not simply put my own needs and pride above the life of an innocence.”

He turned to look at her again, awaiting to see what she would say. Would she give a quip laced with attitude, or would she put that aside for now as well. There were always exceptions to what he had said, based on the person, as well as the situation. For him and for now however, he was making a choice to remain her and place himself in danger to assist. The crow ruffled its feathers a little, shifting how it was sitting upon his shoulder. It kept her in its sights, watching her, even though he was right there with her. It had a slight awareness and a mind of its own.

"I would complete it faster if you were doing as you were told. I told you that killing her would kill me. Did you have fun with your little test?" She reached up to grab the side of her head again, the dull throbbing remained, a trace of red smeared on her chin, "I have done well enough on my own for over eighty years. No-one ever said I needed your help, but it would expedite the situation." She stared around at the creatures that were growing in number, "Speaking of expediting.. If you are here to help; keep them busy, I am going to uncover the real nightmare. And stop it in its tracks." She stated simply, "Then I'm going to kill it.."

These nightmare shad taken the shape of orcs again, a few of the smaller creatures from before too, but in the end even large numbers could be toppled by a skilled enough fighter. Which, to be perfectly honest, wasn't something she knew about this man, but he was here to assist and he seemed just as confident in his own abilities, so she simply trusted the sheer force of his nerve on the matter,
"Anyway, you lost your privilege to snack on me when you didn't do as I asked. So no meal for you." She paused briefly and smirked at him, "This time." With that she dashed towards the midst of the monsters, however with the intent of plowing right past them. She leaped up into the air and landed, seeming to stamp the ground. The ground shifted and dirt walls rose around her, blocking the incoming creatures and giving her a clear moment to slip past their numbers again. The walls began crumbling soon after but she was already out of range.

The creatures were confused and distracted by the motion, though it wouldn't be long before they turned on the next closest target. Inarael had to chase down the source of the nightmare. The scene she came across was as expected, it was a re-imagining of the attack on her. However with no-one to save her. The farm girl trembled on the ground as an orc loomed over her. Unlike the others, it held a weapon in its hand, what looked like a mace. The orc raised its arm, weapon held high above its head, however as it tried to bring the weapon down, it felt its arm jerk slightly, unable to pull the weapon forward.
The golden chain of the flail was holding it in place. The creature stared at it a moment before looking back at the source. Inarael smiled sheepishly before pulling hard on the chain again, ripping the mace away. It turned its attention, though unlike the other orcs, its face seemed strange, distorted. There was an intelligence in it, a darkness that even Inarael could see,
"Exactly like I thought," She stated, rolling up the chain once more and spinning it once more, "You aren't an orc, but whatever you are; you do not belong here."

The creature grinned as the mace that had left its hand evaporated into black smoke, a new one forming in its place, the orc launched itself at Inarael, though she deftly dodged aside, rolling under the strike and running towards the girl before turning around with the weapon in hand as she prepared to spin it again,
"Wh-who are you?" She questioned, looking up hopefully at the elf. Inarael looked behind herself and smiled,
"I am Inarael, your mother and father sent me to find you," She replied calmly, focus returning to the orc, "I need you to trust me and believe in me, Sherry, I will bring you back to them, okay?" Inarael stated, beginning to spin the weapon once more in preparation to deal with this one. This wasn't going to be as easy as the others.

As he should have expected, her words followed the line of a smartalic quip. His eyes remained on her, as she said it woud have gone faster if he did as he was told. She had no grounds or rights to order him around. He was not required to do anything that she wanted him to do. She did not control him or his actions. Her suggestions at him listening to her were something few would take seriously. Then again, perhaps she was used to simply always getting her way? She asked him about a test, and he raised an eyebrow. He had not really been testing anything, merely watching her. She then said no one said she needed his help, so she was also one of those kind? She gave him another order, before saying that she was going to find and kill the real nightmare. So, she wanted him to remain here and do the pidly work of a distraction, as she ran off once more. Classy.

He remained silent as she said that he had lost his right to use her as a meal when he did not do what she asked. He almost laughed at the arrogance of this girl. She knew little of him, and yet she was already acting as if she had power over him, as if he was a child. Few back home would have dared to do something so bold. He said nothing to her words, as moments later, she was taking off once more. She seemed to have made the choice for him, as if this time, he would simply follow her words. He shook his head, what an odd woman indeed, curious. He reached a hand up, gently running his fingers along the head of the crow. Verywell, might as well get this over with no? The crow gave a slight twitch, as shadows slowly lifted from the ground like a black mist, similar to the ones that had origionally created the crow to begin with. It began twisting and turning, folding around in a black mass, growing in size. It moved from his shoulder to the ground, before it took on a new form.

Large claw like bird feet, the tallons cutting into the earth below. The wings larger now, like those of the fabled dragons that lived off in the mountains. The top ends had a small hook like claw, similar to that of a bat's, which lowered and dug themselves into the ground as well. The body had lengthened a bit and in turn had grown itself. The head more of that of a griffin's now, with large ram like horns spiralling out from it. It would have been an odd creature indeed to see, not one someone might see in reality. But this was not that kind of reality, it was his kind of reality. Anything he could see to think of, he could mold the dream world around him into. Minds were such fragile things, something that could be corrupted and broken, if one knew the right places to act. In reality, his abilities of warping and changing were a bit different. They relied on darkness and shadows, more vulnerable than those here.

The large bird beast opened its mouth, letting out a sound that seemed to be a cross between a roar and a screech. It moved forward, engaging the beasts. Akio for now only watched, there was not really a need to dirty his own hands in the mind of another. Even now, he was relying merely on a small fraction of his power in creating and maintaining the creature that was fighting for him. It moved to avoid the attacks of the other beasts, at times taking hits of its own. These hits caused a slight ripple across Akio's mind, through the connection with the beast that he had. Though it was not enough to stop him for now. He was not going to lose here, to such pathetic and mindless creatures. He frowned slightly, feeling a flicker of darker agression move over him. A hand moved to his head, and he took a slight breath. There were at times a darker side to being the result of a mating between two dark beings. This situation was wasting his time, it was time to finish this here and move on.

Inarael and the orc charged at one another, however Inarael remained cautious as she struck first at range witht he chained weapon, it surged towards the orc like an uncoiling viper and landing a solid blow against its chest, the monster stumbled back a step, however it lunged again, swinging its mace at her furiously. Each savage strike, if it connected, could likely have destroyed her, there was a lot of power behind that arm, so much so that she could feel the air around her rushing whilst she deftly dodged back and slipped under his arm, reeling her own weapon back in and preparing for another strike.

She dodged back once more as it tried to knock her head off which a back-hand swipe, though instead the orc found it's face being impacted by the solid metal ball before it was quickly withdrawn again. these movements were familiar to her, yet not her own. She could feel the memory of that man in the girl's mind. She was seeing the fight replayed like a drama on a stage, however an actor had been changed. And in so doing, it filled Inarael with the inspiration to move and fight like that man. the stray memories aided her greatly, but she could also feel the confidence of the girl.

As she and the Orc dueled, it was clear to see who the victor would be, however each strike to the creature's body did not cause the kind of damage one would have expected. Instead the body seemed to be cracking, like a shell. That was all this was int he end, a mask, a shell for the true creature beneath its surface, the contained power of a vile monster unlike anything this girl had ever witnessed.
A strike to the orc's chest released a sound like the crack of thunder, and the world around them warped briefly, the plains they stood upon stretched, the throned bushes that formed their arena were widening. The entrance she had used to find this location seemed to move further away, but Inarael didn't focus on it, she kept her attention on the false creature ass he struck another blow. The shell lost a portion of itself, scattering like it were part of a porcelain doll that had been crushed. Another crack of thunder, the field widened further.
Sherry, whom had been sitting at the edge was now further away also, whilst Inarael and the beast danced around one another in the center. The beast lunged for her once more and she twisted out of the way. Having already prepared the flail; she switched the side she was swinging it on deftly and and pulled it upwards, clocking the monster on the chin. It's head shattered and the body fell backwards, seemingly inert, but Inarael could tell this was not the end.

The nightmare was still alive, or this whole realm would have shattered. Now there was more still to this beast. The crack of thunder came again, louder than before and the arena stretched further again, until there were over a hundred meters in all directions. And then came a howl, deep and guttural, a sound like an animalistic beast in the throes of anger as the body of the orc shifted again, convulsing wildly then flailing its arms, clawing at the several-times-shattered chest and tearing off more of its own shell.
The body flung itself up, forward, landing on its hands as more of its body began to crack and break apart. Inarael taking several steps back and a few more for certainty. The arms exploded into fragments, taking on a new shadowy form, however they changed in shape dramatically, once a pair of strong, orc-like arms, they were instead a pair of muscular legs with clawed toes and they were lengthy, reverse-jointed in order to support a much greater weight.

The legs and body tore apart next, becoming a thicker, more pronounced thorax that the tow legs held up in place, the legs turning into an elongated tail. Then finally something sprouted from the top of the body, snaking up and curving back at first before curling towards Inarael and taking form, a large jaw with a row of pronounced teeth, two forward-facing eyes and a raised snout. The shadowy form began to take on a fleshy appearance, however certainly not the greener hue of an orc, instead a lighter human pink and alabaster. Its jaw dripped, salivating as it savored the meal ahead of it.
Sherry was paralyzed with terror where she sat, however Inarael stared defiantly up at the creature,
"A devourer.." She scoffed half-silently. Devourers were hateful beasts, their only thought int he world of dreams to consume hte mind of their victim, their sanity, any semblance of a soul they once had. They had a wicked intelligence that drove them to these horrific ends, but ultimately they were also easy to direct when influenced by a greater power. This one in particular must have consumed many minds before the farm girl, evident in the sheer dark aura exuding from its grotesque, large form.
There was no way this farm girl could have imagined a creature like this. It was as foreign to her as Akio and Inarael. This creature was the source of her suffering. But what then was the source of this creature..? The greatest difficulty was learning this secret, but the priority was defeating it before it could do any further harm.

The creatures stood little chance, they were weak compaired to a real nightmare. How one could ever compair the two, he would never know. Shaking his head, he sighed, before his head turned in the direction the female had gone. Something was not right. He frowned a bit, the feelinng he was getting was not one good. She had said she could handle herself though. A light chuckle came from him, as slender fingers slipped into the front part of his hair. Women, a force indeed. He gave a light whistle, the large beast that had fought by his side took off in the air. He turned himself, making his way past the place he had been using as a battleground, before following the feeling he was getting from this direction. The closer he got however, the darker the feeling got as well. Something was going on indeed. He heard another scream, and found himself moving faster.

Why? What did it matter if someone was screaming? What did it matter to him if the two of these women died? He sighed, shaking his head a bit. He was not going to allow such thoughts to form in his head. He might have had the blood of a Nightmare and Vampire running through him, two things people might referr to as evil, but he would not allow himself to buy into such steriotypes. He knew better than that. There were some good people, if one knew where to look and how to trust. This included him, or at least, he hoped that it did. He pushed such trival thoughts from his head, before pausing at the source of the dark feeling. He proceeded slowly from there, the creature overhead giving a light screech. It would keep an eye on the skies until needed. He himself, would move in on foot, see what all of this was about.

It did not take long to figure that out however, coming upon the unfolding scene within. The creature that this elf woman had been figting had seemed to take on a new form, one he had seen before in other minds. He frowned, keeping a bit to the shadows. He should be keeping his distance, watching to see how things would play out. He did not believe at the moment, she would be to happy with him coming in to save her. She was stubborn indeed, and would probably merely turn it around as him interfering. A light smile tugged at his lips. Verywell, he would see what this elf had in her. If need be, he would step in to assist as well. He would not let the girl or her die, weather the other appriciated it or not. He did not need other's approval, and he did not need hers. Though it would have been slightly satisfying to take her down a bit, and see her actually thank him.

After their confrentation earlier, he was slightly interested in the challenge. For now, he would watch and wait. It would not be a good idea for them to show their full hand anyways, when not knowing the full extent of how far this beast had wormed its way into power. So, it was best to force its hand a bit, before proceeding to show their own.

Inarael shifted her stance quietly as the creatue continued ot glower at her amoment, though she felt a slight waver. Swiftly she looked back at Sherry,t he girl she was protecting, the one she was determined to save. the girl was terrified, she too could see this beast, it was nothing of the like she'd ever witnessed, but Inarael's shout snapped her back into reality as the elf called to her,
"Sherry! I will save you! Believe in me!" She called, the wide-eyed farm girl stared at her a moment but then nodded nervously. She stared forward at the beast again as it's long neck arched, pulling back a moment, jaws widening further. It's intent was to bite her and swallow her up in one swift move. But that also meant its attack would be direct and easy to predict.

The weapon in her hand shifted form again, it grew smaller, even smaller than the chain, thinner and lighter, it almost seemed like a disadvantaged choice, for it took the form of a rapier, a light weapon, a thin, sharp blade and a pin-like tip. The beast lunged, just as she knew it would, stemping forward rapidly to increase the force and range of its attack, the speed of the approach would have been too much for a human but her reflexes graced her with the ability to dance aside finely.
She made a gentle pirouette as she dodged, catching the rapier's tip along the side of it's face and cleaving a long gash along the neck as it stretched past her, skin tearing rapidly and saving her the effort of putting strength into an attack. She held the blade firmly until the apex of the beast's strike and then re-angled the blade, pointing it inwards and planting it deep into the side of the devourer's neck.

It was understandably enraged by the pain it now felt, it was not enough to defeat the beast, but the long gash bled the dark blood of the creature. It turned on its clawed feet, whipping its large tail toward her in a sweep. Inarael had enough time to leap up and roll over the tail itself, landing on the other side, however she found herself defending as it quickly turned, sweeping its tail int he opposite direction.
She held the rapier overhead, pointing down tot he ground and placed her other arm up defensively. The tail impacted on her and for a moment, she shifted, or rather she seemed to blink. Her appearance changed for the briefest of instances, blonde hair going sheet white, blue eyes instead glowed a deep red and darkened skin was accented by black markings, the image vanished as swiftly as it had appeared and she slid along the ground, dragging dust up in her wake. The tail slipped past her and she took a preparatory stance once more.

The beast howled in her direction once more, but she stood firm, or at least appeared to. She could feel the aches and pains of activity, the sting from the force of that tail striking against her. She needed to make a decisive blow, but she didn't have much strength left to spare. It was finding the right opportunity that was the issue, she'd fought devourers before and they had so few exploitable physical weaknesses that she could strike with so little power remaining. If all else failed,s he could create a new weakness. She certainly had an idea or two..

Akio remained silent and in his position, watching as events unfolded before him. It was probably not the most gentlemanly thing to do, but it sufficed for now. He watched her movements carefully, as well as the beast's. He remained close enough if he was needed, but out of sight as to not throw her off her game. She seemed to be doing well enough, so there was no need to jump in with no plan for himself. He noted the beast going for her, seeming to hope on bashing her with its tail. As she moved, her appearance shifted. He paused for a moment, a frown tugging at his lips. He had seen it, it had not been a trick of the light or the mind? Not like he could just ask her right now. A sigh escaped him, and he ran a hand through his hair.

He took a breath, the girl who was the center of all of this looked horrified. She was curled up nearly in a ball. It was easy to tell that she obviously wished that she could be anywhere but here. She would not last to much longer indeed. He ignored the elf girl for a moment, she could handle herself. As the creature was distracted with her, he slipped over to the human girl's side. He understood her fear, and did not try to force himself upon her. He gave her a light smile, taking her hand. He brought her attention on him, which was not hard to do most of the time with others. His looks often did that for him, even without his trying. However, right now was a bit of a different situation. He would have to be slow and patient with her. "Hello....My name is Akio, I know this is a difficult situation, quite a nightmare indeed" he worked to keep her focused on him and off of the monster and the elf for now.

"You do not have to worry" he says, "if she says that she will protect you, then she will do so." It was not like he was trying to flatter the other, or to make him seem like he was giving in to her. He was partially being kind to her, it was not completely fair of him to simply write her off. True, he did not have any ties to her at the moment or anything of the nature, but bonds and trust could not be formed unless one was open to branching out. He would believe she could do as she said, and if she needed assistance, he was there as he had planned in order to help her. It was also best for now, if he tried to re-enforce what she was saying to this girl. She needed to have faith, to be strong. That was what would give hopefully even the slightest bit of power back not only to her, but to those who were trying to help her. He took her hand gently, giving it a warm squeeze, "nothing will come to harm you."

Sherry's attention did fall to Akio, perhaps not because of his appearance, but because she had been momentarily surprised by the action, it was a little difficult under these circumstances to fall for good looks, especially given the circumstances, but his words did reach her. She swallowed briefly and nodded, though still terrified and confused. The reaffirming words of the elf mad he stare back at the scene, eyes especially on Inarael.
She had taken to the defensive, evading attacks and fluidly running around the field, trying to spy an opening where she could take the beast down. With so much of its attention focused on her, it could do nothing towards Akio and the girl, it certainly had no time to be feeding off her. Akio spoke again and the girl heard him, nodding towards him, she shook less, instead turning her eyes to the scene again, watching the elf and praying.

The prayers formed around her, taking the light of an aura, a strange thing she had never seen before, it was a portrayal of the inside of her mind after all, but few knew how effective a prayer could be. A belief in something, the spiritual energy of faith as it flowed around her. In light of this, a similar energy surrounded Inarael and she seemed to stop dead as the beast launched its jaws towards her again. She didn't budge, not even as it bore down on her. Instead she spread her hands swiftly, rapier vanishing form her grip and reforming around her hands like a pair of gauntlets. She caught the maw of the devourer by its teeth and held it in place for a brief second before she twisted and slammed the head down into the ground.

The unexpected response stunned the creature, it stumbled back, dazed as Inarael crouched briefly before leaping high into the air. The gauntlets changed form, this time gathering in her left hand as a spear of light. The energy continued to form and gather until it was large and long enough that it looked great enough to pierce this creature too. With a fling of her arm; it sailed down swiftly like an arrow leaping from a bow string and impaled the beast, pinning it to the ground. It was allowed one last unearthly wail before it's body gave out, slumping, head still shifting and twitching.
Inarael landed by its head and thrust her hand immediately into the skull of the beast. It broke apart, piece by piece, but unlike the others it did not simply scatter, it instead flowed as long reams of shadow towards her arm, sinking in and leaving behind strange colors in its wake. The more of the creature was absorbed, the more the darkness of the world around them began to lift. the thorny brambles began to wither and perish as rotted wooden fences began to mend themselves. The swirling, cloud-darkened skies began to come to life with a vibrant blue hue.

The darkened grass below the beaten creature's disappearing body seemed to crack and split, giving way to verdant green grass that overtook it swiftly and, with a flash, the world soon settled. No more darkness or shadows, no more creatures, only the last wisps of the devourer being most-ironically consumed by the elf. The golden spear in front of her dissipated, leaving only her standing at the center of the field, staring quietly into the distance, almost as if ruminating over something, her thoughts delving inwards, to catch what information she could form the creature as it was broken apart inside her, torn asunder by her gift.

Sherry watched the entire scene with awe, mouth falling open a few times but each time it simply shut. With the beast gone, her trembling stopped, in fact the girl had color to her face and a broad smile that seemed akin to the elf's own.
Inarael turned tot he two with a smile of her own, staring at Sherry,
"No more bad dreams. But it's time to wake up now. Okay?" She stated simply, her words carrying across the distance quite well, the girl nodded in response and staring towards Akio as well,
"Thank you." She stated with a grin. The distant edges of the world were beginning to disappear. The dreams were vanishing. The girl would be waking up soon.

Akio remained in place. He kept a hold of the girl's hand, remaining by her side, as his eyes focused upon the elven girl once more. She began to move once more, the actions that followed were those of bringing down the beast. He could not help but give a light smile. Chuckling lightly, at least she was not making him a liar in his words. Though he was also glad she was indeed strong enough to handle such a situation. It would be a shame to lose such a challenge when he had just found it. Though he would not openly admit that to her. No need to give her a big head after all. He gave a gentle squeeze to the farm girl's hand, in reassurance. He remained by her side, as the scene played out around them. Soon, the beast was gone, and the world was returning to what would be normal if you will, for the inside of someone's mind.

The world then began to fade, and his eyes shifted for a moment to the elven girl. He said nothing, before his own body began to disapate once more into a black mist. It pulled away from the girl's body in the real world, before swirling a bit by her bed side. Slowly it began to form his body once more. Thankfully the parents were not within the room at this moment, or they might have thought something else. Trouble he did not need. They had probably gone for something for their daughter, in hopes that she would be waking up soon. The two people within the room would be stirring soon, and he was unsure if confrentation in the real world would be such a good idea at the moment. So instead, he turned away from the scene, moving over to the window within the small room. He paused briefly, before glancing back at the body of the elven girl.

He stayed there for a moment, before exiting the room. He walked slowly away from the home, his mind replaying a few things from the world that had been composed within the mind of that girl. So, this plague was spreading, and it seemed this little elf had the ability to enter minds, as well as to save them. He smiled, before running slender fingers through his hair. A light chuckle escaping from him. Perhaps she would become a hero then? Someone to save the world, and the people within it. Why the thought was so ammusing and interesting, he could not say. But it seemed he had found a little flower to keep an eye on for now.

Inarael continued to smile, even as the white void engulfed her, she barely even watched Akio leave, but she felt his presence vanish. As the scattered images of the dream were drawn away and reality was beginning to set in once more, Inarael sat up first, eyes rolling in her head a moment before she stared at the ground. The first thing she did was cough painfully. Her cheek was swollen and her hand had raised to cover her mouth, however she drew it away to see the blood that was there.

Her first quick move to grab a cloth from her pocket allowed the rest of the pain to settle in. She froze initially as the uncomfortable feeling washed over her body. She grabbed her cloth and quickly wiped her hand. She could hear the sound had alerted her parents. The two rushed up the stairs, having been told the moment they heard sound again it would be over. The elf lurched forward, holding her ribs painfully and grimacing a moment. Now she had to summon up physical strength in the real world. The trouble with her powers was; whatever happened in the dream realm translated to the real world. Which of course meant that death in the dream world spelled death to her real body. Sure she had been severely injured in dreams before, but there had been ways to counteract the effects, especially through healing. Of course she'd had no time for it in Sherry's mind.

"Sherry!" Her mother called as the two parents burst into the room, seeing the hunched over elf, yet scarcely aware of her existence at all next to the girl on the bed. Sherry wasn't awake yet, not completely, however she no longer writhed, she no longer held a face that was pained by the troubled nightmares, she looked at peace. It would have made any mothers heart stop, that mixed moment of hopefulness, as well as the terror that it might be something else. However the latter was not the case as the girl stirred a little, taking a soft breath then sighing as she finally began to awaken.

Inarael was used to being ignored, she knew what would happen as the two rushed over to the bedside, her mother grabbing the girl's arm and sobbing a little. The father stood over her too, hands on the woman's shoulders whilst Inarael got up and hobbled to the door quietly, leaning on it a moment, though she heard the mother behind her,
"Bless you, bless you, thank you so much." She stated, it allowed Inarael to smile a little as she looked back at them, putting on that confident smile again,
"How can we ever repay you?" The father asked, but then Inarael's smile withdrew a little. She didn't mean to say what she said, but the words just came out,
"I don't need anything from you humans." She stated, but then she caught herself, the man gave her a strange look, he heard the less friendly tone, but the elf she smiled again, "Seeing this was enough.. You don't need me here anymore." With that she turned again, though her ears twitched when the girl spoke,
"Thank you, Inarael, and.. Akio too.."

She would have to tell that man she said thank you, if she ever saw him again. Maybe even clobber him one and give him a talking-to immediately afterward, because that girl had no idea Akio could have killed them both. The parents were giving their daughter odd looks, far as they knew, only Inarael had been in the room, but also that she knew the elf's name, was it proof she had done as she'd said? She really entered their daughters mind and freed her from the curse? That would all certainly be awkward to explain, but she knew they had something more important to worry about; a living daughter, no longer tainted by the nightmare plague. Inarael clambered down the stairs quietly and emerged from the home, ears hanging low as she limped towards the distant church silently, eyes focused on the ground and keeping her footing.


"How strange." Whispered a voice most-familiar to Akio spoke out behind him, a red cloak hung in the air at first before a man stepped out from it. It was Laneras. He held the hem as a cap that soon swung down and hung behind his shoulders, lifting a sword and resting it upon his shoulder as he stared over at the half-cast prince, a smile on his face, "I come this way, drawn to the scent of death, yet suddenly, the failing life is restored, fate blinks its eye and changes its mind. And here you are, young lord, walking in the opposite direction. Curious.." He pondered aloud, tapping a finger on his chin with a wry smile, "You know; it is getting difficult to keep track of you," He added, pointing the sword down to the ground and leaning on it almost like a cane, "I'd be proud of you for it, if it did not overly distress the more.. Paranoid of our people.." He was of course referring to those who would wail and shriek about the dangers of leaving the confines of the underbelly of their world.
Laneras was a death-seer, a knight-protector of Akio's family, older than Akio, charged at one time with the protection of the prince. His kind were outcast by humans for their gifts, like most of the unnatural creatures that resembled humans. The death-seers were drawn to death, the scattering of lost souls, they could harness the knowledge of the fallen, consume the lost spirits and, in some cases, even raise the dead and command them to fight. This final practice was abhorred by Laneras, always proud of his own abilities. He had cultivated an unusual moral outlook that couldn't allow him to use the bodies of the dead in such a way that meant defiling what they once were,
"To think fate would change its mind.. I missed something interesting, did I not? Why must you have all the fun..?"

Justin

Entering the church, the male made his way quickly back towards the changing rooms. He was already late as it was, if the high priest caught him, he would be in even more trouble than before. He paused long enough in the room to change from his everyday clothing, into his robes for the day. Letting out a breath, he allowed himself to relax a bit for a moment. “There you are Justin” came a voice from behind him. He turned, to see an elder man, with white hair and deep gray eyes looking over him for a moment. “Is everything alright?” the man raised an eyebrow. He was known as Father Simon, the head priest of the church where the two stood. Placing one hand over his heart, Justin gave a light bow to his superior. “Yes father…forgive me for being late, there was a disturbance in the town and I…” he paused for a moment, his eyes casted down.

Simon’s eyes warmed a bit, and he placed a hand on top of the boy’s head. “You have a good heart, no one could be upset at you for that. But if you hope to take over this church someday, you need to not neglect your studies either.” Closing his eyes, Justin gave another slow nod. He was a mystery, nothing known about him other than his name. He had woken up one day as a child in the town, after a horrible storm. Father Simon had taken him in, and had become more of a father to him than just from his position inside the church. Justin was not a normal human, though he looked it from the outside. It was not clear what he was fully, since few had ever tried to figure it out. Some believed he was blessed by god, or that he had angel blood running through him. He had a light touch, one that could heal those he desired, or purify things that had been touched by darkness.

Even imbue other objects with this light energy, making them powerful against those of dark origin. The extents of his power were still a mystery, and he did not push himself to advance in them much…or at least he used to not. Since the rise of the plague, Justin had felt more helpless, not able to do much but stand around. Since then, he had begun training. Now, he discovered he could release scythe like blades from the sides of his fore arm, that were composed of the same light energy that rested within his body. He never used his ability to hurt anyone, instead, he did all he could to help them. But from here, it was hard to do. Justin was to take over the church one day, which upset a few. They saw him as a weapon, believing that his powers were also a curse, rather than just a blessing.

That if left unchecked, he would fall into darkness. They believed pushing him towards a position of power would be a dangerous thing. But father Simon had always thought the best of him, defending him and telling him the light within him would burn bright as long as he continued to believe in himself and god. So that was how Justin had chosen to live his life, trying to move forward, instead of looking back on his past. Although, that did not stop him from having a few questions of where he came from, who he was. But those for now could wait, he was happy here with the church.



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Akio paused when he heard the voice. He had been going on his way, before this person came to him. It was not a threat, he knew the man who now spoke to him. He chuckled a bit, as the other confessed his thoughts and his feelings. He knew not to take it all to heart, the other playful in his words at the time. He leaned for a moment back against a nearby tree. “There was a coming death, but things change” he glanced up at the sky. “There was an elven female there….she seems to be able to make her way into the minds of others, the dream world. I could not pass up such an opportunity.” His eyes once more returned to the other, his head tilting for a moment. “Since when do you care for the thoughts of others?” he teased a bit himself, a slight coy smile playing on his lips. He stepped away from the tree, moving past him for a moment.

“I will have to deal with the council when we get back then…” he sighed. The thought of having the council stand before him and complain about his actions was not something that he was looking forward to. He shook his head, before turning back to look at him. “If you would like to have some fun, then perhaps you would like to accompany me next time” he smiled. “I have no intentions of letting something like this slip by, especially with the presence of this plague going on around us” he frowned for a moment then, “I will figure out as well what is going on with all of this. It is a threat to our kind….it only succeeds in darkening the already black view on us, and could lead to an uprising or war if one was not careful.” He ran a hand through his hair, “who knows if in time, beings besides humans will not be affected by this still."

"Perhaps it will be all of us falling prey to death next" he chuckled, “would you have a field day then?” his eyes sliding over to the man, “to see those you could do without pushed out of life into the gates of hell?” His words were a bit playful, but they also had a serious and darker meaning behind them. This was nothing overall to laugh about, and he knew it. But being serious all the time only succeeded in making people give into the darkness, and to push themselves away from others. So one needed balance, which is how he tried to approach the topic.

Inarael took slow steps towards the church, still nursing a pained arm and sore ribs, head kept down. Blonde hair spilled forward before her face for the most part, but she managed to see what she was doing at least. Even in her state, honed senses gave her balance, she could feel her environment, hear things around her. She tried to drown out the whispers. The villagers had seen her a few times, they knew her for what she was, but this was the first time she had approached a home and to see her in the current state she was in only lead to rumor-mongering.
Even among it all she could hear the worse things, small comments, slight insults by those who cared to notice and mutter the words under their breath. Humans were petty creatures sometimes. But she had witnessed as many good things as she had bad.

She finally reached the steps leading in to the church, stopping at the broad archway and the hefty doors. What she hoped to be a simple, long breath was instead a pained, sharp intake of air. There was brief pause at first, then she forced herself to draw a further breath against the pain she felt, before letting out a shaky sigh. Inarael often wondered to herself why she chose the church as the place to go to when she needed to rest. She didn't share their faith, nor did she have any interest in a god, she had certainly never uttered what could have been considered a prayer, yet the church always felt like the right place to go.

Entering the church too a moment as she pulled the door open, slipping in awkwardly then pulling the door closed again before she hobbled down the center aisle. It wasn't a huge church, but it had enough seats to house the entire village with spare room. It took quite a few half-silent steps to reach the front, bathed in the various colored rays of light shining through the stained glass. Perhaps that was it? Those beautiful colors created by something so simple. She eased herself into sitting on the oak bench, staring up at the glass. Her body would need a little time to recover, she needed to meditate too. But right then, she simply felt like staring, lost in her own little world.

============================================

"An Elf you say.. That enters the dreams of others..?" He questioned at first, raising a brow curiously at the thought. By rights it was not a common concept, in fact, it was extremely uncommon. He'd heard about such a thing maybe a few times in his life, but to hear it again from his charge. Though the quip about him caring of the thoughts of others made the seer smirk a little,
"Oh, that's right.. I don't.." He mused in response with a chuckle, though his thoughts were a little bent towards the idea of an Elf in a human village. Two unusual concepts at once was rather bizarre, but even more believable than either alone. Though he turned his gaze to the prince a moment and simply smirked in response for a while, he allowed the jokes to subside then turned his eye towards the village again,
"There was a plague akin to this many years ago, indeed over a century past. Your father found and dealt with its source before it became so widespread, a demon, a devourer of incredible power that had managed to manifest itself. Yet it was the crusades of humans that dwindled our numbers, the activity of dark creatures and that devourer lead holy knights of the humans to many of our doorsteps. Does some-one wish to re-enact those days.? Torture and antagonize humans? Alert them to our kind again?" He pondered, perhaps it was just coincidence, old magics could often be found and summoned again, unfortunately some did not know the powers they toyed with.

"But that aside, I'm more curious about this elf. Elven-folk aren't greatly welcomed by humans, referred to as knife-ears by some, Elf-kind are unfriendly and unwelcoming to humans in kind. It ultimately has been pointless back and forth disagreements between them for many a year. How they have not gone to war in all this time surprises me." The knight mused again, raising a hand to his chin curiously, "And you say she walks the dreams of others? A power like that among their culture, while they nurture and develop many fantastic abilities, to invade the minds and dreams of others? Intruding on dreams? The building blocks of dreams are ones own thoughts, memories and imagination. Such a power was developed by the darker of their brethren and seen as a malevolent practice quite along time ago. Even humans might find such a power.. Difficult to fathom and more so to accept.. The things she could learn of any person.. Their secrets.." He frowned a little then sighed and shrugged his shoulders, it didn't matter too much to him, but clearly it was of interest to the Prince, at the very least he could voice his knowledge of such things. He turned towards Akio, resting a hand on his hip as he did so,
"Well, to the more formal questions; did anyone notice you? Did anyone see?" These were standard fare questions, the best answer was always no, at least if one was being truthful. Because it meant they wouldn't be noticed and their people wouldn't be threatened. If Akio were to say no, then Laneras could deal with the council, perhaps even convince them of something else behind Akio's actions. He took a little pleasure in lying to them and confusing them, given the opportunity.

Father Simon continued to watch Justin for a moment, before he gave a soft smile and a nod. He walked out of the room, leaving Justine to his own. Standing there for a moment, Justin took a slow breath of his own, before turning to head out to begin his chores. He did not mind doing work around the church, it was the least he could do in some cases. As he passed through into the main branch though, he paused. Up by the front altar, stood someone that he had come to know slightly. Not on a highly personal level or anything, but he had seen her and spoke to her a few times here or there when she came. An elf, he knew the tense relations between humans and their kind. He shared no such feelings, like Father Simon. Everyone was welcome here, which though expected, did not always please some.

He felt no ill will towards her, who was he to be judgmental anyways? He was not exactly human or overly loved himself. He shook his head, he should not be wasting time with such trivial thoughts. The girl was injured from the looks of things. He moved over to her, careful not to approach in a way that would threaten or worry her. He was not trying to intrude either, she seemed to be in thoughts of her own. “It is nice to see you back” he said kindly, giving a light and kind smile as well. “Though it seems it could have been under better circumstances…” his eyes wandered to her wounds. He gently reached out, giving her ample time to pull away if she wished to. If she did not, he would lead her carefully to the benches, sitting her down. He sat next to her, lifting a hand, to which a light golden light would lightly appear. A warmth would be felt over her body, slowly spreading through her and easing the pain.

Though if she were to rather pull away, he would make no advances to force her. He did not wish to frighten or harm her further, and she had a right to choose to be healed or not if she liked. He hoped that she would allow it though, not wishing to see her in any kind of pain such as this. Either way, his next words would be the same. “What happened to bring about this?” he asked, “I do not wish to pry, and you do not have to answer if you do not wish to.” A light sigh would escape him, before his eyes would meet hers for a moment. He would simply watch her for a moment, as if wishing to say something more, but holding back. He did not wish to press such a situation into something more, possibly causing trouble for a person coming here to seek help or shelter. Father Simon would not be happy with him for that.

He always said one should show kindness and patience with those who came seeking something from this place. Whether it be holy or otherwise, they were to be shown respect and given the chance of trust. So he held his tongue for now, waiting to see what she would do and say.

-------------------

Akio kept his eyes on the other, watching as he spoke and looked to the village. When the subject of his father was brought up, a slight frown came to Akio’s features. He knew many stories and history of his father, as others told him. His own past with the man a little…less than what many would have probably liked. Though pushing such notions aside, he focused more on the aspects behind the words of the other before him. So, something like this had happened before? His own eyes moved on from this man towards the village as well. The other speaking of elves, only succeeded in pulling his thoughts back to the woman before. A massive pain as she had been, he still could not help a small smile from forming on his lips. He chuckled a bit under his breath, before turning his attention back to the other as he was asked questions he was familiar with. Akio gave a light shrug, before turning once more in the direction of the trees.

“Being seen….Such things would make many sick” he said, “the thought of us, hiding and worrying about being discovered by the likes of mere humans?” He smiled a bit then, such words he could practically hear coming from many back in the kingdom. “The elf engaged me….she originally thought that I was a memory though…perhaps a figment of the dreamer’s imagination” he paused in his stride, “though she came to realize I was not, she knows nothing about me. And as for the human girl, I might as well been a dream to her as well, part of the nightmare.” It was sort of a yes and a no to the question, the other could take it as he willed, god knew the council would take it as they wanted. Most likely in ill thought. Many of the stuffy old demons and creatures on the council were not happy with Akio coming into power.

They believed he was young and still inexperienced. He was constantly compared to his father, which in many ways made him hate the man, even though he should not have. Such dealings with the council were not actively sought after by anyone. They were there as a guide and just that, a council, to the king and if need be the people. They could handle smaller tasks if allowed, but when it came down to it, main power belonged to the king. Since Akio was still a young man, and only beginning his path to becoming a king though, the council had little trouble in attempting to ‘expand’ their levels of power. Akio was no stranger to them attempting to out rule or out rank him. He was also no stranger to having them talk down to him and treat him as a common child.

Such things annoyed him, and were quick to cross him. He took pleasure in at times simply doing things to upset them, or to cross them. They could not do anything to him, laying a hand on him to harm him would be treason. They could attempt to overthrow him and to appoint a new ruler, if they could gain enough support to deem him as unfit. However, most adored him for one reason or another within the kingdom, so such circumstances were highly unlikely. Akio turned back to the other, his eyes meeting his. He asked a question of his own, possibly random within the situation. “Would you ever betray me? Abandon me if it came down to killing me or overthrowing me from the kingdom?” he asked.

It was indeed true that for a moment, the elf had been in a world of her own, however even Justin's approach was heard, Inarael's ears perked a little at the approach, but she continued to stare at the glass for the time being from where she sat. She responded when he first spoke, ears lifting a little more, gaze turning to him only briefly, but she didn't say much. Inarael knew what he was referring to when he spoke of circumstances, but she kept a little tight-lipped, eyes casting down to the stone floor briefly.

She didn't retreat at the healing, only a fool would flee form that kind of feeling. the pain in her cheek was already vanishing as the bruise slowly vanished. The feeling in her ribs, the pain and tenderness vanishing, even her arm began to feel better as she shifted it a little. After a moment of consideration, she smiled at him,
"We have the same problem." She replied simply, aware of the slight enigmatic tinge it held, "Where we see hurting, we want to heal, but that means involving ourselves in the business of others.. It is not always without pain." She stared up at the colorful glass once more, ears lowering a little but then lifting again as she simply smiled up at the patterns,
"Though, it is a way to find meaning.."

She rested her hands on her knees, leaning back in the chair and staring aside to Justin again, blue eyes catching his at a glance before she looked away again,
"You and the father are kind to me. Far kinder than most humans. But to sit around.. To take advantage of this sanctuary and do nothing more where I could.. It would be simpler to be dead."

============================================

"Betray you?" Laneras stared, almost dumbfounded at Akio before mockingly clutching a clawed metal gauntlet over his chest, "You wound me, boy!" The seer chuckled, dropping his hand and resting his arm across the hilt of his sword, staring at the young leader with a smile, "I have served your family for generations and many more, your father asked me the same question, I'll tell you the same thing I told him; I would betray only your most embarrassing secrets, should the situation call for jest. I would abandon you to only your folly but would be there for you should you realize it. And as for ruling the kingdom? You can keep it, boy, having to balance those the council and rule an entire kingdom, ensuring it remains in the shadows for equilibrium to match the world above, is not something I would do all too well. I have neither the temperament nor will for it," He paused briefly thinking on it, "Ah yes, I forget two things.. The first; if our kind were doomed to annihilation as a result of your folly, if I were to find absolute proof that your foolishness were the death of our people, I would kill you before the end."

He grinned at Akio quite broadly then, brimming with confidence on the matter before his smile relaxed a bit,
"And secondly, I see the good qualities of your father in you, and the good qualities of your mother. I do not believe in my heart that the first will ever apply." He shrugged just a little, half turning and raising his hand to his chin again, "The council are fools, but they are old, insecure or traditionalists most of all, some have lived too long, some fear their end. The longer you live, the more you understand that someday, one day, it might simply end. But many of our kind understand balance must be kept, our kingdom below that of the humans sprung up because we are all touched by evil, but it does not rule us.. Humans don't always understand that.. Our relationship with them is even worse than that of the elf-kind."

He turned his thoughts to the elf again and frowned at Akio a moment, a slightly wry look crossing his face as he stared at his charge,
"You are sure she didn't know more about you? An Elf has a keen mind and sharper senses than you might give credit," He questioned, call it experience, perhaps a little cautiousness, more so than he typically showed. But if there was anything that Lanreas enjoyed, it was something unusual. Like a child with a puzzle box, he loved to understand new things, this certainly could have been classified as such.