Fear the Night II

The nightmare’s space was completely plunged into darkness, with only one thing lit up in the center: a sword, Celi’s sword, but ten times bigger.

Iwao and Saya were standing on the hilt of it, looking around with serious eyes.

“I don’t understand the meaning of this. Why is there just her sword?” Iwao thought.

There wasn’t a single sound, only a deafening silence filling the space.

As the seconds ticked by, footsteps echoed as if someone were walking on a metal surface. In the distance, along the sharp edge of the sword, Celi appeared, advancing slowly. She staggered, unsteady and off balance, unable to maintain a proper stance—yet she did not fall.

Saya turned to Iwao, fear in her eyes.

“What do we do now, Iwao? She’s going to fall off this sword? Even if it’s a nightmare, are we just going to let her?” She whispered in a trembling voice.

“I don’t want to eat her nightmare yet. I want to see with my own eyes what Celi’s nightmares are, what she truly fears. Without knowing that, we won’t be able to support her the way she supports us every day.” He replied, his voice heavy with concern.

Iwao started walking along the edge of the sword, Saya following hastily. They moved slowly so as not to catch up with Celi. Careful not to make a sound, they stayed hidden, silent observers within her nightmare.

When Celi reached the tip of the sword, she looked down into the abyssal darkness, staring for what seemed like minutes but were only seconds. Iwao and Saya stopped, waiting for what would happen next.

A deep sigh echoed through the space – it was Celi’s.

Then she let herself fall into the void. Iwao and Saya rushed to the edge to see where she had gone, but there was no trace of her.

The sword began to tremble and spin, throwing Iwao and Saya fall into the void as well. They tried to scream, but no sound left their mouths.

The dark space quickly turned bright. They were in a room with a table set for three people. Celi sat at the table with what seemed to be her parents. But it was impossible to make out their faces – each one was veiled in gray mist.

Iwao instinctively used his invisibility and cast another spell to cloak Saya as they stood near Celi.

“Dumb idea of mine, since she can see what can’t be seen… but as we’re inside her nightmare, it should be fine.” Iwao thought.

The room’s atmosphere was cozy and warm, with bright light and soothing laughter.

But suddenly, the light faded, replaced by darkness. A spotlight lit up, illuminating Celi’s father. Something grabbed him by the neck and lifted him a few centimeters off his chair, strangling him. Yet the thing itself remained unseen.

It released him, and his body slumped back into the chair, head slamming onto the table.

“I remember now… this is what Celi told me about back in Taranios. So that’s how her father died. No wonder why she’s so consumed by vengeance... the images must come back to her again and again.” Iwao thought.

But instead of reacting as she had told Iwao in Taranios, Celi slammed her own head against the table, so violently it split in two, food scattering everywhere. As her body hit the ground, the space was once again swallowed by complete darkness.

Nothing could be seen. The wind howled, mingling with the distant sounds of war – swords clashing, soldiers screaming, and spells that made the ground shake.

Iwao and Saya stood saddened. Above them, the threes moons appeared in the sky, their light finally piercing the gloom just enough for them to see.

“It’s horrible. She’s going through at least three nightmares in one. How can a heart and mind be so strong…?” Saya whispered.

“I don’t know... but it must be why she always tries to help others and why she hides her emotions so much…” Iwao muttered.

They now stood on a vast plain of grass under a blood-red sky, the moons glowing the same color. The wind bet the blades of grass. In the distance, war raged – flames rising, bodies falling – but Iwao and Saya were far from it, standing in the middle of nowhere.

Still cloaked by invisibility, they watched.

Celi stood before another Iwao. She gripped his arm tightly, refusing to let it go, while he struggled to pull away, his back already turned. He neither looked at her nor listened to her pleas, only trying to walk toward the war.

But the hidden Iwao and Saya heard everything. Celi’s voice, heavy with tears, grief, and regret, rang in their ears.

“Don’t go! Please… you won’t make it, I know it. I couldn’t imagine you not being here. You’ve helped me so much, and now you’re leaving. Don’t go! How am I supposed… How am I supposed to carry on without you?” She sobbed, tears streaming abundantly down her face.

The Iwao of the nightmare tore himself free and walked away – without a word, without a glance.

“You’ll die… Please, please, please… listen to me. Don’t use that pendant. Don’t go to that war. If you do, you’ll die. There’s no way back!” She screamed, as his figure disappeared into the distance.

Celi was left alone with her tears, crying for someone who would never return.

Another clash of swords echoed across the plain, and Iwao and Saya were transported again.

“I promise, Saya. This is the last one. After this, I’ll eat the nightmare. Wipe away your tears – we have to go through this, for her.” Iwao whispered.

“You can talk... wipe yours first. They’re still flowing abundantly.” She replied with a sad smile, tears streaming down her cheeks.

They now stood in the final part of the nightmare. But there was nothing – just an expanse of dirt stretching endlessly.

Celi walked slowly, curled in on herself, looking around in terror.

A single beam of light pierced through the black clouds, following her steps. She couldn’t see beyond its narrow glow. The silence was suffocating, weighing on Iwao and Saya too, their fists clenched as if bracing for what would come.

A sudden noise echoed through the emptiness. No one could tell where it came from. Then came another sound – Celi’s sobbing.

“Everything… always… it never stops… They’re here… waiting for me, but I can’t see them… I’m scared. Save me, Iwao, please. You’re the only one I trust to save me. I’ve had enough of running in the dark, afraid that something will leap out and kill me because I couldn’t see it hiding there.” Celi’s voice cracked with despair.

Her cry rose into a broken scream so raw that it made Saya burst into tears, Iwao trying to hold his own back.

“With all we’ve lived through, and all we still have to face… I’ve become terrified of the night… Every time, my life is at risk – and yours too. I don’t want to lose you in the night. I fear the night… because I don’t know when it would take you from me…”

The sound returned – clearer now, no longer echoing everywhere but coming from directly ahead. A roar. Something was approaching.

A monster appeared. They all seemed to recognize it – the hydra from the swamp.

Celi froze in terror, collapsing to her knees, trembling, screaming. The hydra’s eleven heads reared back, ready to strike.

“So in reality you found the strength to fight this thing... and all the others too. But inside, you were paralyzed with fear… Sorry for not seeing it sooner, Celi. Let me take this burden from you, at least for tonight.” Iwao thought.

He sank his mouth into the dirt. Power surged through him, his body tensing as his ability activated – stopping the hydra, stopping Celi’s screams. Saya could only watch.

Everything dissolved into pure energy, swallowed by Iwao. Nothing remained – only the emptiness from where all these different nightmares, merged into one, had come. As always, he devoured the rope and returned to the cave with Saya.

******************************

Back in the cave, neither spoke. The light still floated above, and they could see that fear had vanished from Celi’s face.

But Iwao suddenly clutched his head in pain.

“Ugh… always… when I receive the memories and feelings, my head aches. And as always, I don’t receive much. Let me sort through them… I need to see some parts of her life.” He thought, grimacing.

Saya waited, watching him.

“I don’t want to be the first one to speak… Please… say something...” She thought.

As Iwao delved into Celi’s memories, his eyes grew distant. His hands dropped, and his face emptied of expression.

“This poor soul… died exactly like me…” He whispered to no one but himself.

“What… what did you just say, Iwao…?” She stammered, astonished, eyes wide.

Across the cave, someone stirred in their sleeping bag. Iwao and Saya turned to see Celi sitting up, eyes wide open.

“I… heard everything. What do you mean, Iwao?” She asked.

They tried not to wake Lo, still sleeping heavily. Celi’s gaze stayed fixed on Iwao, filled with questions.

“It’s been a while since I noticed... the way you speak, the things you do, or just some things you say, sometimes it’s like you’ve already died, like you’re not from here. At first, I ignored it, afraid of sowing doubt between us over what might have been trivial. But just now, you confirmed my suspicions… and I want to know the truth. At least tell us that much.” Celi said, her voice soft but firm.

Saya nodded in agreement.

“What do I do? It’s not like I never planned to tell them… but is it really useful? The longer I stay here, the less I feel connected to Earth. If one day I stop feeling like someone from another world, it won’t matter. It would just be a useless piece of information…” Iwao thought.

He looked at them one by one, reading the sadness and questions in their eyes.

“But I can’t hide this – not from them, not now. I’m cornered. I can’t escape with a lie this time. I’m pathetic… Thinking about it won’t get me anywhere. I might as well just say it.”

He sat down and gestured for them to do the same. After a deep sigh, he began in a low, steady voice.

“I’m not from this world. I’m from one called Earth, where I was human. One day, I ended up here, in this body. I won’t tell them everything – not about my death or my life there. It may be hard to accept, but that’s the truth. I think that’s why I carry a human essence within me.”

Saya and Celi were speechless, unable to find the words.

Celi cleared her throat to draw attention to herself. They looked at her, waiting.

“Well… you’ve confirmed what Saya and I suspected. And… I’m glad you told us. But I’ve realized something. Since it’s been more than two years since I first saw you, I suppose that’s how long you’ve been here, right?” She asked.

Iwao nodded slowly.

“Since it’s all in the past now, focusing on the fact that you come from another world isn’t the most important thing. Maybe in months or years I’ll ask you questions, once we’ve dealt with all our problems and are in a better position to talk about it. But for now, let’s put that aside. Even if you’re not from this world, you’re still the Iwao we know, and we got to know you like that. Knowing this won’t change what we think of you, and it won’t change the fact that we appreciate you.” Celi said in a soft voice.

Relief softened his face, and he smiled faintly.

“You’re incredible… you always find the right words, you always know what to do with these type of subjects. From the bottom of my heart, I truly thank you.” He murmured.

“Now, let’s try to sleep peacefully, okay? Everyone needs rest, or tomorrow we won’t be able to do anything.” Saya interjected.

They nodded and went to sleep.

All except Iwao, who slipped outside and climbed a tree.

The silence weighed on his thoughts.

“Like them, I fear the night. More than anything in this world. The nightmares, my traumas – they’re all tied to it. How could I not fear it, when everything that destroyed me happened at night? Every time darkness falls, the memories return, cycling endlessly. I pretend to be strong, but I can’t silence these thoughts. I will always fear the night. It’s part of me now. I can’t separate from it.”

Tears ran down his face as moonlight pierced through the branches above.