![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Thomas tossed and turned for hours - fretting over events in the nexus. How he suddenly got consumed by the desire for the ring... like a voice had nudged him, told him that it would lead to treasure... treasure enough to outright buy the castle, restore it - make it beautiful, grand.
That Kyon would steal it all from him - he was a terrible manipulative thief who was just friends with him to steal the precious shiny ring, that.... Then it got worse - his very memories were turned against him, to bird-like mockeries, he wasn't a castle master th-that....
He squeezed his eyes and tried to sleep, forgetting that he went as far as to attack his friend. Eventually he went adrift, sinking into the bed.
The world was gray and there was a strangeness that defied explanation - everything is three-dimensional as it normally is, but they somehow also lacked depth, and shadow, and no change to their size no matter how far he moved. His castle... his castle was some alien landscape, he had to run - get out of this place!
As soon as those thoughts entered, he realized he was no longer alone. His friends were there, fully-fleshed out and colored, only to heightened the strange horror of the place.
"Cecile! Kyon!" The young man called out. "Will...? Juan?" Thomas asked as he noticed they were staring at something in their hands.
"Master Thomas," The young girl answered. "It's pretty, isn't it? I want to keep it!"
"Maybe this isn't such a bad thing - sure as hell beats being someone's pack mule." Kyon chuckled wryly as he twirled a golden ring in his hand with hitherto unknown agility, tossing it from hand to hand. "Why would you give it up?"
With every person he turned to, they were all admiring, playing with, or wearing the golden rings. The last person he saw was his own mother, a beautiful, amber-eyed woman who is stringing an entire set into a necklace. She lays her handicraft into her lap, and looked at him with such sad eyes.
"Tommy, why would you let it go? Wouldn't you be much happier with it? You wouldn't have to worry about a thing!" She gestured for him to come closer so she could embrace him. "I just want what's best for you, little one."
"Wha... no! That's not right! Those rings are cursed!" Thomas backed away. "You'll... you won't be hu-Ah! No! St-stop!" The young man called out in alarm as their eyes turned solid black, and shiny like buttons. "Ple...please let go of the rings!"
But they didn't listened as they threw their heads up and laughed... or rather loud, cacophonous croaking caws as their flesh poked and something black slide out from their backs.
One by one, their skins and clothes fall to the ground as large blue-black birds, with malevolent eyes and white markings stepped out. With each one, Thomas could make out the person they were once in before they took off into the white skies.
"St-...stop! Come back... don't leave me here!" He reached up futility as he ran after them, ignoring the feeling of cold metal around his pinky. "Tu...turn back! Please!" Thomas cried as he ran, his feet seem to come across great difficulty in gripping the featureless ground. Without warning, he fell - aware that something is squirming just under his face -
Thomas whimpered as something cool and damp touched his forehead, jerking him abruptly from the nightmare. As the sunlight slowly vanished the night demons, he noticed Sebastian is leaning over him, sleeves rolled up, holding a wadded up washcloth.
"...huuu?" The Castle Master murmured blearily.
"Oh! Thank Goodness you're okay, Master Thomas! We were afraid you were ill!" The man blustered as he realized that the teen was awake.
"Wh...why?" Thomas pushed himself into a sitting position as he rubbed his eyes, and realized he was drenched with sweat.
"You didn't wake up at your normal time, and you were feverish, and refused to stir when I tried to rouse you!" He quickly explained. "It looks like it broke already! But you should rest!"
"Nnnh... no. I'll be fine, uhm, re-really, just tell everyone that I'm s-s-sorry for worrying them." The young man stammered, and then repeated himself. "I'll be down later, just go ahead with business."
With a worried bow, the heavyset butler left Thomas be.
Once alone, he curled up into a ball, whispering 'It's just a nightmare' repeatedly until he could feel like he can get up.
That Kyon would steal it all from him - he was a terrible manipulative thief who was just friends with him to steal the precious shiny ring, that.... Then it got worse - his very memories were turned against him, to bird-like mockeries, he wasn't a castle master th-that....
He squeezed his eyes and tried to sleep, forgetting that he went as far as to attack his friend. Eventually he went adrift, sinking into the bed.
The world was gray and there was a strangeness that defied explanation - everything is three-dimensional as it normally is, but they somehow also lacked depth, and shadow, and no change to their size no matter how far he moved. His castle... his castle was some alien landscape, he had to run - get out of this place!
As soon as those thoughts entered, he realized he was no longer alone. His friends were there, fully-fleshed out and colored, only to heightened the strange horror of the place.
"Cecile! Kyon!" The young man called out. "Will...? Juan?" Thomas asked as he noticed they were staring at something in their hands.
"Master Thomas," The young girl answered. "It's pretty, isn't it? I want to keep it!"
"Maybe this isn't such a bad thing - sure as hell beats being someone's pack mule." Kyon chuckled wryly as he twirled a golden ring in his hand with hitherto unknown agility, tossing it from hand to hand. "Why would you give it up?"
With every person he turned to, they were all admiring, playing with, or wearing the golden rings. The last person he saw was his own mother, a beautiful, amber-eyed woman who is stringing an entire set into a necklace. She lays her handicraft into her lap, and looked at him with such sad eyes.
"Tommy, why would you let it go? Wouldn't you be much happier with it? You wouldn't have to worry about a thing!" She gestured for him to come closer so she could embrace him. "I just want what's best for you, little one."
"Wha... no! That's not right! Those rings are cursed!" Thomas backed away. "You'll... you won't be hu-Ah! No! St-stop!" The young man called out in alarm as their eyes turned solid black, and shiny like buttons. "Ple...please let go of the rings!"
But they didn't listened as they threw their heads up and laughed... or rather loud, cacophonous croaking caws as their flesh poked and something black slide out from their backs.
One by one, their skins and clothes fall to the ground as large blue-black birds, with malevolent eyes and white markings stepped out. With each one, Thomas could make out the person they were once in before they took off into the white skies.
"St-...stop! Come back... don't leave me here!" He reached up futility as he ran after them, ignoring the feeling of cold metal around his pinky. "Tu...turn back! Please!" Thomas cried as he ran, his feet seem to come across great difficulty in gripping the featureless ground. Without warning, he fell - aware that something is squirming just under his face -
Thomas whimpered as something cool and damp touched his forehead, jerking him abruptly from the nightmare. As the sunlight slowly vanished the night demons, he noticed Sebastian is leaning over him, sleeves rolled up, holding a wadded up washcloth.
"...huuu?" The Castle Master murmured blearily.
"Oh! Thank Goodness you're okay, Master Thomas! We were afraid you were ill!" The man blustered as he realized that the teen was awake.
"Wh...why?" Thomas pushed himself into a sitting position as he rubbed his eyes, and realized he was drenched with sweat.
"You didn't wake up at your normal time, and you were feverish, and refused to stir when I tried to rouse you!" He quickly explained. "It looks like it broke already! But you should rest!"
"Nnnh... no. I'll be fine, uhm, re-really, just tell everyone that I'm s-s-sorry for worrying them." The young man stammered, and then repeated himself. "I'll be down later, just go ahead with business."
With a worried bow, the heavyset butler left Thomas be.
Once alone, he curled up into a ball, whispering 'It's just a nightmare' repeatedly until he could feel like he can get up.
