He stood up straight, then immediately fell backwards with a splash. He scrambled in one direction, then another, sending water everywhere. Eventually, as he came to a stop, the sounds of the water stopped and he was left with nothing but the sound of his own rapid, harried breaths.
He looked around. It was pitch black. All he could tell was that he was in a knee-deep pool of water. The only light he could see was a purple light a short distance away from him. He squinted at itHe pulled himself onto his hands and knees and crawled towards them until he saw that the lights were orbs. They were heavy looking wooden beads. Beads in...a necklace.
He realized recognized that necklace.
“…g….” He swallowed. The word died in his throat.
“….grandmother….?”
“Hello, Dimitri.”
“What…what…what happened…N…Nessa and…my…my….” Dimitri looked around. Besides the light coming from the necklace and the water, he couldn’t see anything or anyone.
“There will be time to talk about that later. Rise, Dimitri.” Dimitri was silent for a second. He stared into the darkness without moving, until the voice said a second time, “Rise, Dimitri.”
His eyes fell. He slowly rose to his feet.
“You’re all that’s left, Dimitri.”
His hand came up to his chest, beneath his neck. He stared down. Embedded flat in his chest, he saw a glowing purple shard of glass.
“Your family needs you.”
---
"You're ready."
Lilith held up the list. She folded it and placed it in his breast pocket.
"You need to retrieve everything. Then, return here. Try to do so undetected. But it is more important that you get everything than it is that that you do so without being seen. If need be, we can move to a different place. "
Dimitri heard the instructions, as he had multiple times by now. But he's just staring at his pocket, and the piece of paper in it.
"Grandmother..."
She stops busying herself adjusting his clothes for a moment, then looks at him.
"When I get these materials for you....?"
"We'll start rebuilding our family, Dimitri. Without our Heart, I only had enough Spark to bring you back. When you do this, I'll have enough to bring the others back as well. You'll be able to see Nell and Ben and Fran and Gale again." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "...I've already told you. I won't be able to bring your parents back." Dimitri closed his eyes. "The damage Nessa did to their bodies was too severe."
"....Nessa...."
"You have to stop her, Dimitri," Lilith said quietly. "She stole our Heart and destroyed our family. We can't be whole again until you get it back from. You and your cousins will be able to. I'll teach you how."
"...I can do it myself." Dimitri looked up and met Lilith's eyes.
"Yourself?" She asked.
"You don't need to bring them back." He tried to set his jaw and sound confident. "I'll get the Heart back from her myself and bring it back to you. Teach me how." Lilith regarded him for a second...then slowly shook his head.
"No, Dimitri. It needs to be all of you. Alone, you won't be enough to fight the power the Heart gives he--"
"Please!" He said, more forcefully. His hands made fists at his sides. Lilith raised an eyebrow.
"Dimitri...what are you saying?"
"I can't...." He shut his eyes. "They died years ago...they're at peace, now. I can't force them to come back just to make them fight. Please! Please just let me do it!"
"You can't?" Lilith asked. "Dimitri. You must do this. You must bring them back." Dimitri shook his head, pulled the list from his pocket and dropped it at her feet. Lilith heaved a sigh and closed her eyes briefly. She slowly brought one hand up to her necklace. "Please pick up the list, Dimitri."
"I can't...." Dimitri said weakly. His eyes were tightly shut. Tears were starting to fall from them. He knew what was coming. Lilith sighed again. She picked up two of the beads of her necklace and knocked them against each other. A purple spark of energy traveled from her necklace to Dimitri's chest and the shard embedded in it.
Dimitri's eyes snapped open. He let out a blood curdling scream as his head snapped backwards. It took all of a couple seconds for him to collapse onto his side, grabbing at his chest with both hands.
---
"--mitri!"
You shoot up into a sitting position. Your head and your eyes snap back and forth, looking around wildly as you take in rapid, fearful breaths. It takes you a few seconds to remember the feeling of blankets and sheets on your body and a mattress underneath you. You grope around in the darkness for a few seconds. Your hand eventually finds Puck, curled up next to, like he always is.
You're in bed. You're in your bedroom. You're in your apartment.
Your hands come up to your face, which is covered in sweat. You slowly pull them down.
Still half in a daze, you kick the covers off of your legs and get out of bed. You stumble out of your bedroom and down the hall, to the bathroom. You drink some water, then splash more of it on your face.
You stare at yourself in the mirror for a long few minutes. Your hand eventually reaches at the collar of your nightshirt and tugs it down, exposing the small glass bubble embedded in your chest. It's lit up with a purple glow, hundreds of twinkling lights appearing in its center. Your breath slowly becomes steady as you stare at it.
"Why are you waking up....?" You mutter. You always put it to sleep before you go to bed. Why is it waking up on its own? Two....three? Is it three times, now? Why is it making you have these dreams?
You run your finger over the front of the bubble. For several long moments, your eyes are locked on a series of marks in the glass, where a number of shards are missing. You slowly close your eyes.
You tap the bubble once with your index finger. It goes dark.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
voidhearts) wrote2023-01-23 07:50 pm
02
He stood up straight, then immediately fell backwards with a splash. He scrambled in one direction, then another, sending water everywhere. Eventually, as he came to a stop, the sounds of the water stopped and he was left with nothing but the sound of his own rapid, harried breaths.
He looked around. It was pitch black. All he could tell was that he was in a knee-deep pool of water. The only light he could see was a purple light a short distance away from him. He squinted at itHe pulled himself onto his hands and knees and crawled towards them until he saw that the lights were orbs. They were heavy looking wooden beads. Beads in...a necklace.
He realized recognized that necklace.
“…g….” He swallowed. The word died in his throat.
“….grandmother….?”
“Hello, Dimitri.”
“What…what…what happened…N…Nessa and…my…my….” Dimitri looked around. Besides the light coming from the necklace and the water, he couldn’t see anything or anyone.
“There will be time to talk about that later. Rise, Dimitri.” Dimitri was silent for a second. He stared into the darkness without moving, until the voice said a second time, “Rise, Dimitri.”
His eyes fell. He slowly rose to his feet.
“You’re all that’s left, Dimitri.”
His hand came up to his chest, beneath his neck. He stared down. Embedded flat in his chest, he saw a glowing purple shard of glass.
“Your family needs you.”
---
"You're ready."
Lilith held up the list. She folded it and placed it in his breast pocket.
"You need to retrieve everything. Then, return here. Try to do so undetected. But it is more important that you get everything than it is that that you do so without being seen. If need be, we can move to a different place. "
Dimitri heard the instructions, as he had multiple times by now. But he's just staring at his pocket, and the piece of paper in it.
"Grandmother..."
She stops busying herself adjusting his clothes for a moment, then looks at him.
"When I get these materials for you....?"
"We'll start rebuilding our family, Dimitri. Without our Heart, I only had enough Spark to bring you back. When you do this, I'll have enough to bring the others back as well. You'll be able to see Nell and Ben and Fran and Gale again." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "...I've already told you. I won't be able to bring your parents back." Dimitri closed his eyes. "The damage Nessa did to their bodies was too severe."
"....Nessa...."
"You have to stop her, Dimitri," Lilith said quietly. "She stole our Heart and destroyed our family. We can't be whole again until you get it back from. You and your cousins will be able to. I'll teach you how."
"...I can do it myself." Dimitri looked up and met Lilith's eyes.
"Yourself?" She asked.
"You don't need to bring them back." He tried to set his jaw and sound confident. "I'll get the Heart back from her myself and bring it back to you. Teach me how." Lilith regarded him for a second...then slowly shook his head.
"No, Dimitri. It needs to be all of you. Alone, you won't be enough to fight the power the Heart gives he--"
"Please!" He said, more forcefully. His hands made fists at his sides. Lilith raised an eyebrow.
"Dimitri...what are you saying?"
"I can't...." He shut his eyes. "They died years ago...they're at peace, now. I can't force them to come back just to make them fight. Please! Please just let me do it!"
"You can't?" Lilith asked. "Dimitri. You must do this. You must bring them back." Dimitri shook his head, pulled the list from his pocket and dropped it at her feet. Lilith heaved a sigh and closed her eyes briefly. She slowly brought one hand up to her necklace. "Please pick up the list, Dimitri."
"I can't...." Dimitri said weakly. His eyes were tightly shut. Tears were starting to fall from them. He knew what was coming. Lilith sighed again. She picked up two of the beads of her necklace and knocked them against each other. A purple spark of energy traveled from her necklace to Dimitri's chest and the shard embedded in it.
Dimitri's eyes snapped open. He let out a blood curdling scream as his head snapped backwards. It took all of a couple seconds for him to collapse onto his side, grabbing at his chest with both hands.
---
"--mitri!"
You shoot up into a sitting position. Your head and your eyes snap back and forth, looking around wildly as you take in rapid, fearful breaths. It takes you a few seconds to remember the feeling of blankets and sheets on your body and a mattress underneath you. You grope around in the darkness for a few seconds. Your hand eventually finds Puck, curled up next to, like he always is.
You're in bed. You're in your bedroom. You're in your apartment.
Your hands come up to your face, which is covered in sweat. You slowly pull them down.
Still half in a daze, you kick the covers off of your legs and get out of bed. You stumble out of your bedroom and down the hall, to the bathroom. You drink some water, then splash more of it on your face.
You stare at yourself in the mirror for a long few minutes. Your hand eventually reaches at the collar of your nightshirt and tugs it down, exposing the small glass bubble embedded in your chest. It's lit up with a purple glow, hundreds of twinkling lights appearing in its center. Your breath slowly becomes steady as you stare at it.
"Why are you waking up....?" You mutter. You always put it to sleep before you go to bed. Why is it waking up on its own? Two....three? Is it three times, now? Why is it making you have these dreams?
You run your finger over the front of the bubble. For several long moments, your eyes are locked on a series of marks in the glass, where a number of shards are missing. You slowly close your eyes.
You tap the bubble once with your index finger. It goes dark.