In Dreams

In the deep and dark tunnels of The Underground, light was scarce, and agents of The Silence were even more scarce. This was the world beneath the world, where whispers moved like smoke and secrets went to die. It was the bedrock of The Revolution. It was where Azag’s tavern was hidden away. It was where Sayane’s consciousness was now leaving her.

Hours of torment and confusion had left her mind and body shell-shocked. In the near pitch black void of the tunnel system, her thoughts began to fade and fatigue pulled her into the abyss to protect her mind from breaking. Thus, sleep consumed her, and the last thing she saw and heard was the faint glow of the machine’s monolens and the heavy splashing thuds of each mechanical step.

Dreams were merely flashing images and screams. Twitches shook her body every few minutes, causing her fuzzy companion to sit against her in an effort to provide as much comfort as possible.

In time, they reached their destination. Sets of unfamiliar hands carried Sayane’s body from the machine’s grasp and into unknown hallways. Soon, amidst hushed exclamations and nervous questions asked by shocked voices, Sayane was laid into a large bed and covered with a tattered silken sheet. Slumber became heavier, and true sleep overtook Sayane for the first time since her death.

Day became night, which became day, which became night again. Groups of soft footsteps echoed and stopped in inquisition just beyond her bed, with more unseen voices asking if she was safe and would respond awake. All the while, a single, silent figure stayed in the room with her.

Eventually, Sayane’s eyes opened. Her lips parted and a sigh exhaled out before becoming a groan of pain. At the edge of the bed, several beings awoke and turned to her. As Sayane’s eyes focused on the strange room she found herself in, she looked at her guests and let out a scream of disappointed fear.

“No, no, no, no! I wanted it to be a dream! I don’t want this!” Sayane cried out as she covered her eyes.

“It is okay, songstress! It is okay! You are safe here!” said a catlike creature as it softly touched the bed beside Sayane’s leg.

“I don’t want to be here. I want to wake! I want so badly to wake!” Sayane cried as the foreign eyes of her bedside attendants stared at her in the low light.

“Give her some breathing room,” said a gravelly, deep voice from the corner.

All of the attendants paused and stepped away from Sayane’s bed. Behind them, the figure stood and awkwardly stepped forward. Sayane could hear mechanical gears and metal ends whirring and clanking in the ground. The figure entered the soft light and Sayane found herself afraid.

The figure was nearly seven feet tall, hooded and masked, with a blueish-gray metal faceplate that was damaged and weathered. Three glowing eyes peered from the triangulated holes along its upper half. Gloved hands, made up of three large fingers, were holding onto metal bracings for walking support. Its legs were double-hinged, like those of an animal, with large, damaged paws providing its bent body with some form of support. Tired, heavy breaths sighed from its mask every few seconds.

“My name is Azag,” said the voice.

“You are a guest in my tavern. You may rest as long as you need, songstress,” said Azag as he turned to leave.

Something moved Sayane to sit up.

“Wait!” she called.

Azag paused and looked over his shoulder.

“You’re the one who saved us? Thank you,” Sayane said as she looked at Azag’s walking supports.

“Esca did most of the work. I just piloted. But you’re welcome,” was all he said as he limped out the door.

Before Sayane could add anything else, her fuzzy companion burst into the room as Azag took his leave.

“Sayane! You’re awake! Thank The Ether!” said the fuzzy mouth as it leapt onto the bed beside her.

Its short, puffy tail wagged behind it as it sat at her feet.

“Fuzzy…” she whispered in slight relief.

“Yes, I’m here! And we were concerned you wouldn’t be here for long, as much as you were sleeping,” he explained.

“How long was I asleep?” she asked.

“About two days. How are you feeling?” asked Fuzzy.

“Two days? I… I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know what’s going on, or why I’m here. I was killed in my world, then I woke up here, and now I don’t know what is happening, or what this place even is… I want to go home… I want to wake up…” she cried once more.

Seeing Fuzzy did bring Sayane a small bit of relief. Beyond the being known as Azag, Fuzzy was the only familiar thing in this chaos she had been plunged into. As she wept, the other beings began to murmur to one another nervously. Scaled hands covered fanged mouths. Drifting smoky tendrils leaned towards ashen stones that were somehow alive. Finally, one of the beings spoke.

“ She-she is not from this realm?” it asked.

All of them leaned forward for an answer. Fuzzy looked around and sighed as she glanced at Sayane, who was quietly sobbing to herself as she pulled her arms close for comfort.

“It… would seem so,” was all he said.

All of the guests gasped in excitement. Sayane noticed and looked up as she wiped her eyes.

“I- I was from somewhere called Tokyo, Japan. I don’t even think this is my world… I’m so lost,” she exhaled.

Everyone in the room beyond her and Fuzzy let out a sigh of wondrous surprise.

“You’re an Ethereal. It’s been decades since there have been any of those… What wonder!” said a long-snouted creature who had soft amber eyes.

“An Ethereal?” Sayane asked.

Fuzzy cleared his throat.

“So it seems. In Illarios, our realm, the Ether is the force that surrounds us. It is the great mystery of what is beyond this world. It gave life to magic and brought color to the world. Occasionally, random individuals from other realms will be transported here. We call them Ethereals.”

“There are others like me?” Sayane asked.

This sparked the tiniest bit of positivity in her mind. Maybe she wasn’t the only one like this. Maybe there were answers. Perhaps she could be sent home. Fuzzy’s pause dashed that positivity away in an instant.

“There have been numerous known Ethereals, and I imagine plenty that are unknown. Perhaps they hide and live in obscurity, perhaps they die, but I’m not aware of any other Ethereals currently alive. It is quite rare. Maybe one or two a generation.”

Sayane sighed. Still, the fact that her situation was not absolutely unheard of gave her some peace. With that, she calmed her heart with slow breaths before formally sitting up and facing her attendees.

Looking at her bedding, she saw she was in an enormous bed, with simple, soft fabric draped over her body. She was still in her stage costume. Being surrounded by these fantastical creatures in a room full of strange, ancient contraptions and haphazard banners hanging on walls adorned with neon, pulsing stone, all while wearing a frilly skirt and pigtails, Sayane felt quite ridiculous. Still, she felt gratitude for the mystical creatures who stood before her in quiet wonder.

“Where am I?” Sayane asked as she looked around.

“You’re in The Underground. This is Azag’s tavern,” said the amber-eyed creature.

“Is it true you were a songstress in your world?” asked another small creature.

Sayane nodded with a sad smile.

“I was. Fuzzy, sorry, Attis told me music was banned here?” Sayane asked.

“Banned, destroyed, and wiped from existence. All songstresses were hunted down and either murdered or had their song stolen from their souls. Now, the Silence keeps the world muted and grey,” said another.

“I’m, I’m sorry to hear that,” was all Sayane could say.

“Could you… Could you sing for us?” asked the small creature.

All the room nodded in excitement and leaned forward. Something felt wrong in Sayane’s heart as she looked back at them. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she had no desire to sing. There was no music in her soul, and no joy in her heart. She was lost and overwhelmed. Once more, when she thought of music and its impact on her life, all she could feel was pain. The Silence didn’t need to steal her song. Life had already done that.

Sayane could only shake her head in soft disagreement. The creatures and beings all sighed in somber acceptance.

“I’m sorry. I truly am. I do not think I can sing right now,” she said with a slight bow.

There was a moment of hesitation in the room, but Fuzzy finally spoke as he patted Sayane’s leg.

“It’s okay, child. You have been through a great deal. Perhaps we shouldn't have asked for something so grand so soon. Please, rest.”

The others all agreed, and the energy in the room dissipated. With that, it was quietly decided that Sayane should rest more. One by one, the attendees left her room, including Fluffy. Soon, Sayane was alone once more. Rest was all she could aspire to at that point, so she resigned herself to sleep until her mind could tolerate waking.

Thus, the following days were spent in a state of only slight presence, as memories and nightmares blended in a chaotic symphony of dreams.

Through it all, Sayane would occasionally find herself waking in the dark of the night and sensing the presence of someone watching over her. Though she could only make out a shadowy figure leaning against the wall in the corner, she knew someone was there. Feeling their presence did not cause her body to react in fear. Instead, without saying anything to the spectre that stood watch, she would merely inhale deep, steady breaths as she called in peace to her soul, and silently thanked the figure for staying with her and giving her a feeling of safety.

Only once did she see a sign that gave her a hint of who it was. One night, as she tossed and turned between horrifying nightmares of being crushed beneath towers of metal, she opened her eyes for respite. There in the darkness, three triangulated eyes dimly glowed from behind an opaque mask. They looked at her intently before slowly turning away.

“Azag…” Sayane quietly murmured to herself as she pulled the covers over her shoulder.