Special 3: Dreams and Nightmares

Frost couldn’t remember the last time she dreamt. Her nights were so rugged and restless that she spent hours gazing up at the stars. The constellations always looked the same. If it weren’t for the Nexus, then she would have believed she was still on Earth, lost somewhere in the great wilderness away from the clamor of civilization.

The lightless world of Elysia allowed the stars to flourish. The moon casted a beautiful light overhead as Frost laid beside Jury on their third night in Wharftow. They were just far enough for the stars to be readily seen, but elsewhere lay an abyss where only the bright humming glows of the city Sectors shone.

She had this one cutout of the universe all to herself as Jury remained asleep by her side on an outdoor couch. Her tail never allowed Frost to leave, and it acted as a blanket as they snuggled close, with Jury muttering her name every so often in her sleep.

“Having a good dream, huh Jury?” Frost whispered soothingly, brushing her lover’s hair away from her face as she stared down at her with a loving smile. “No trips to the Eternal Library as well. I’m happy that you can sleep normally again. Isn’t this a familiar sight?”

She turned back to the stars and recalled a specific memory as she yawned, rubbing her eyes with her coat, which acted as another layer of cover for them both.

“When we first came out of the Black Forest, I wondered what the world outside was like. Nothing could have prepared me for the Anids… Divas Pass, the Dungeons and the Derma Layer.” Frost listed their most notable events as she stroked Jury’s tail. “I don’t think I could’ve done it without you by my side. Hey Jury… This is the first time you’re able to dream normally, right? It was always the Eternal Library. I’m happy. Really happy, that you’re dreaming right now… yeah. Dreams.”

Frost yawned again, struggling to remain awake. Hearing her lover’s ticking heart cast a lulling spell onto her, and the warmth only enticed her to fall asleep. Besides, it was not like she could leave Jury’s side because of her tail.

Certain past events began flashing by Frost’s eyes suddenly. They played like an old film reel, and she ended up smiling with teary eyes as she was brought back to the Black Forest.

* * *

A trembling girl clutched onto her cold body. The feathers that were glued along her bare skin ruffled as she silently sobbed in her sleep. Frost recalled that night. Even though she promised she wouldn’t cry again, she was struck by the nightmare of Iscario’s murder, and the agony of her death.

Jury was still but a child at the time, but her presence kept Frost strong and sane throughout their woes in the Black Forest. A certain, warm presence huddled close to her in the middle of the darkness of the forest, and she was reminded that she wasn’t alone. That there was someone here who was also in pain just like herself.

Frost was ashamed to admit that this helped her cope with the situation. She awoke from her unrestful sleep, staring at only her hand which was half-buried in the blood soaked ground. Clutching it was Jury’s claw, dripping with fresh blood.

She was like her guardian angel. She wondered what she did to deserve Jury’s protection. The nightmare left a restless Frost to drown in endless thoughts of disarray. Then, it all suddenly subsided as Jury uttered something in her sleep.

“Skewer big beast… Run… Run…”

Tears collapsed from Jury’s cheeks.

She was also wracked by a nightmare. Just like herself. And so, Frost held onto Jury’s clawed hand and hushed:

“… I can’t run even if I wanted to. We’re both stuck here… I’m really, really thankful that you saved me. So I won’t run. I promise you… that we’ll get out of here. Together.”

“… Skewer…”

“Maybe then… you can stop having those nightmares. Start dreaming of wonderful things… of real food. A brighter world… I’m sorry… that I can’t help you in there, Jury.” Frost whispered motherly to the child-like Jury, unable to return to sleep as she watched over her only physical companion in this dark world.

* * *

This was not the only time Frost had managed to conjure a dream. Another time was after the defeat of the Heart of Ours. She had a nightmare again, of her being stabbed by Iscario’s stakes. Being judged for wrongs she never committed by the Impuritas, and the countless deaths she witnessed along the way in the Derma Layer.

Her rest was relatively peaceful, and although she never did remember this nightmare afterwards, for some reason it resurfaced as the sound of an old film-camera rattled with a familiar ‘brrr’ sound.

Halfway through her nightmare she became violent, and it turned into a near lucid dream that caused her to wreak havoc on the Impuritas within. There was nothing she wanted more than to eradicate the Impuritas, the Scarlet Logic and Iscario for every crime they committed against not just her, but others as well.

* * *

In another dream following her night spent with Jury, she remembered being stuck in a world filled with giant doughnuts, cupcakes and a whole bunch of confectionary. The vividly pink world was beautiful, and it caused the nearly-asleep Frost to softly smile as her eyelids sealed themselves shut.

The dream left her bewildered as she devoured everything she could find, ridding down slides made from edible chocolate straws, which led her into pools of milkshake, and hang gliders that made entirely from coated bread sticks.

It even rained tasty sprinkles, all of which fell from cotton candy. In this dream, Frost met with Alice who was dressed in a bizarre, maid-like outfit as she chased a bunny-suited Jury, yelling out “Come back White Rabbit!”.

Ignis was found guiding a school of slimes around, showing the wonderful world of tasty snacks, all the while Ber skipped around with a picnic basked, plucking ripe candy apples from low-hanging trees.

Res was found laughing alongside unknown faces, cherishing her time with them. As for Cer?

She didn’t do anything cheeky. Neither was she obnoxious. Rather, she simply sat beneath an old snow-caked oak tree; the only non-candy object in the entire world, watching over everyone with a content grin.

Beside her were two snowmen. One was made in the shape of Raoul, and the other was of a woman, presumably her mother. It was a wonderland of a dream, and it caused Frost to forget about the nightmares of the past as she looked forward to a future filled with all kinds of wonders.

But of course, even this couldn’t blind Frost from what laid ahead. So long as there were Corrupted, then this world would see no rest. But even so, Frost vowed to one day bring this happiness all into reality.

Suddenly, as colorful sprinkles showered them, a photograph of a certain, golden-eyed woman with short and pale-blue hair fell into her hands. This woman was dressed in a formal, gothic-styled dress. It was the same that Snap showed her long ago following the events in Divas Pass.

Why was this photo one of her happiest moments?

She didn’t know. But one day, she wished to find out.

And until then, Frost hoped she could keep dreaming good dreams, all in the company of her lover Jury.

As cruel of a world Elysia was, happiness was not impossible to achieve.

There, the spinning reel stopped as she felt something warm and fuzzy brush beside her. She knew who this was and smothered her face against its cozy fur. This was Snap, and it had somehow shown her a recollection of her memories.

Snap was weird, secretive, a friend, and most of all, cute.

Frost, from the bottom of her heart, was thankful that she could rest normally again.

And through her recollection, she sharpened her hunger for vengeance against Iscario.

One day, it would be his turn to be skewered and judged.

She vowed that she would be the one to end him.

But until then, she wanted to enjoy the moments that mattered the most with her companions. Because without them then Frost was nothing.

She loved them all more than they could begin to imagine… But she could never tell them that, else she wouldn’t hear the end of it from Cer.