Tumbling
Black, deep, sunken ice. That’s what surrounds Nike, and they try-- really try-- to move, open their mouth or eyes, scream, anything. Their breath quickens, heart racing, everything spinning and spinning and spinning-- they’re falling now. There’s nothing around them, just the deep dark void engulfing them as they tumble. No light, no sounds, nothing to tell them what’s up or down, where they were.
Nothing.
Nike hits their bed, hard, gasping for breath as they shoot upright, clutching at their chest to remind themself that they are, in fact, alive. Another nightmare. Just another nightmare. That’s all. You’re in bed, at Scathe, alive. Breathe. Even as their breathing slows, though, they can’t shake the lingering unease that came with the strange, dark dream. It had come before, more frequently now that they’re at Scathe. Nike was no stranger to nightmares by far-- they’d plagued the young dragonkin for years now, since before they’d even hatched, and yet this one still left them even more unsettled than the rest.
The others often featured a shadowy, hooded figure, lurking at the edges of their vision. No matter how much they ran, or what troubles Nike found themself confronting, the figure was always there. Watching, waiting. It used to talk to Nike, slithering, smoky tendrils reaching out as it tried to converse. They didn’t remember what it had tried to tell them anymore, burying those memories away with the rest of the horrid visions. Now it just watched them, and Nike often has to remind themself that they’d just been dreaming, they must be tired, because that couldn’t possibly be it lurking in Nike’s waking periphery again.
Their eyes flick over anyway. Nothing but a shadowy corner between the dresser and the door to their room greets Nike, and so they sigh, stretching and standing, wobbling on shaking legs to the bathroom to take their medicines and get ready for the day. And when they look in the mirror, they jump at a flash of smoke and red, tripping and hitting their head on the wall behind them. Groaning, the rub the new bruise and stand, only to see their own tired expression looking back at them. “Damn… I guess I really need to talk to someone about this…”
A sharp knocking raps at the door to their dorm room. “Nike? Are you okay in there, I heard a bang, is everything alright?”
Nike sucks in a breath at the voice of a beloved teacher at Scathe, Jessica Scarletspear. She headed the Warlock Sect, and while normally she’d have no reason to bother an Alchemist Sect student like Nike, they’d become good friends with her son, Terence. “I’m fine, give me a moment!” They call back, hoping their voice didn’t give away their inner turmoil.
“Alright then,” Professor Scarletspear replies, “I was just sent to check up on you. Aerious picked up some anomalies around here, dark ones. We’re checking in on all the students in these dorms.”
Nike pulls a sweater and some pants on for the moment, opening the door for the bubbly professor, who frowns with concern when she sees them and the dark circles under Nike’s eyes. They make a gesture to wave it off, forcing a chuckle. “I’m alright, really. If you need to come in, please feel free. Might be a bit messy but--”
Jessica wraps them in a hug, and Nike finds themself engulfed in black and purple fabric. “You look exhausted and feel colder than ice! Kiddo what happened to you?” She pulls back, looking at Nike. “Have you been having strange dreams recently? Seen anything odd? You don’t have to tell me anything too detailed, but I need to know so I can see if it’s a malicious entity that’s been targeting you--”
Nike’s forced smile turns into a wry laugh. “Professor I’ve been hunted for most of my life, I wouldn’t be surprised. Just… I’ll explain. Come in.”
The next hour drags longer and longer as Nike explains, Jessica interjecting with questions every so often. When she hands the student a few tissues, Nike’s surprised; they hadn’t even noticed the tears rolling down their face. After all is said and done, Jessica wraps Nike in another hug. “I’m gonna talk with the Dean, and we’re gonna have you move rooms for a bit. Sounds like you’ve been alone for a little too long, and the stress of everything has made you a vulnerable target for creatures that prey on those emotions.”
Nike nods numbly. “Where will I go? Aren’t all the other dorms full?”
“One of the perks of having my family here means I have a spare room. You can stay with me, if you’d like. I know Terence has been dying to invite you over--”
“You mean it? Really really mean it?”
Jessica looks over to see a hopeful, pleading expression, Nike’s blue eyes shining, pupils dilated. “Of course kiddo!” she replies, ruffling their hair. “You’re welcome any time. C’mon, let’s head over now and I can bake some cookies while we chat.”
Within minutes Jessica is practically skipping down the hall, Nike trailing close behind as they listen to the professor ramble about the quirks of her family. As soon as they stepped out of the room, they felt a little less stifled, a little more like things would work out.
Yeah, they thought, It’s all gonna be okay.
FIN
