[open] 🔶 more nightmares? that's just life

[noblegarnet]

Who: Ferran, his dreamscape & you!
Which: interactive dream
What: Ferran dreams of his last moments before arriving in Reverein.
Warnings: blood, unhealthy relationships?? (I'll match format!)

A penthouse balcony looks over a lit city late at night, the roar of the freezing wind almost drowning out the distant sound of traffic. But any observers would only have a brief moment to appreciate it before the sudden appearance of two figures in a flash of glittering light: a dark man in a cape, and a teenager in a torn costume with apparent shackles, bleeding heavily from injuries to his shoulder and side. The former, already holding the latter in a tight grip, places a clawed gauntlet over one of the wounds where a faint light begins to glow.

After a few moments, the young man's expression seems to relax from his grimacing, orange eyes staring dully at the night sky as the bleeding slows and eventually stops.

"Why," the man hisses at his ward, his expression tight and brow furrowed deeply behind his eye mask as he continues his healing. Ferran lets out a weak chuckle, apparently unmoved by the sharp tone and look.

"It's funny," he responds with hardly more than a whisper. "I should hate you. I even fantasized about... taking you with me, once."

There's a faint smile on his face, despite the lingering pain and the gravity of his words. The dark markings on his jaw spread further out onto his face, as if to mirror some underlying fracture as he speaks.

"I can't anymore. The thought of you being hurt... I can't stand it..."

He turns his gaze to Onyx, whose expression has changed in an almost unreadible way—but behind the intensity of the clear displeasure, there's shock in the slight widening of his golden eyes.

"I guess you're upset, though. Sorr—"

With a loud crack, Ferran suddenly slumps in his guardian's arms with his eyes open, and his fantastical costume disappears, returning him to his normal appearance in a pair of bloodstained pajamas anyone who met him when he first came to Reverein might recognize.

Still carrying the young man, Onyx gets to his feet, apparently unbothered by any dreamwalkers who may have appeared nearby. When his glowing gaze turns to them, it's barely an acknowledgement.

Comments

[fatedmahou]

[Sir... She really doesn't like you... But she's behaving herself. Instead of pushing the cracks, she focused on what he said after that instead.]

C-corruption?! What corruption ails his soul then? What is the cause of it? Is there any way to fix it?

[noblegarnet]

[There's an almost disgusted turn to the man's mouth when Mirai continues her interrogation, and he heads into the warmth of the dark penthouse apartment. Dismissively, he replies:]

Before I answer any of your pointless questions, let go of whatever hope you may have about saving him.

[If the man wasn't displeased by the fact that his weapon hadn't broken itself, he might have laughed at her. At least, that's the idea Ferran has.]

He needed a push in order to augment his power. It would have been sustainable for much longer, but I suppose I overestimated his ability to withstand it.

[fatedmahou]

[Following him along, she's not going to let off until she gets what she wants.]

Never. I will find a way to save him, one way or another. You have my word on that.

[Her tone was resolute and unshaken.]

So you would go so far as to push a person to their limits and well past it for power that you need? Tell me. Have you ever cared about him past thinking of him as a weapon? have you ever thought about how he feels about the matter or his needs?

I don't know what this power is that you speak of well enough yet, but I do know something about pushing yourself too hard and the adverse effects it has on a person. My situation is not the same as anyone else's, but Overdrive can give you an incredible burst of power at the cost of your life or magic.

It's not worth tapping into. So I reiterate. What do you think pushing him this far will accomplish? I will never give up on him. That's a promise.

[Any glass around them started to crack under the emotions' power.]

[noblegarnet]

[It's clear that the man is almost on the verge of laughter for a moment. Her impassioned speech merely seems to amuse him, rather than move him towards any sympathy.]

Though I've paid attention to his feelings for the last year out of necessity, of course I don't care about him past his usefulness—though I will say my acting in the past has been convincing. So much so that he apparently wants to delude himself into thinking I do, if his behavior and admission just now are any indication.

[There's a sharpness to his yellow gaze, slit pupils narrowed. There's something other than just amusement there—displeasure, perhaps, that said behavior has made things more complicated. At least before the young man was awake when out of his magical persona, rather than completely catatonic as he is now, staring at the ceiling unblinking.]

As far as what I want with him, he's retrieving the magic of his friends for me. But we're nowhere near finished, so I have no intentions of letting him deteriorate fully until then... although I am afraid reversing the damage is outside the realm of possibility. You're merely setting yourself up to fail, girl.

[fatedmahou]

[Him finding this amusing has no effect on her. She knows that it's like talking to a brick wall with what little interaction she's had with Onyx so far. It was better to not let that settle under her skin.]

And what would you do with that magic once you have it? Will you just discard him like trash once it's all said and done?

I have dealt with far worse things before. I don't care if you think this is a fool's errand. I will never give up on him because I actually care about his well-being. That's more than could be said about you.

[noblegarnet]

[Before he responds, Onyx steps over to the couch in the living room of the penthouse, placing the unresponsive Ferran there. In silence, he retrieves the young man's necklace, then tucks it away before turning his gaze back to the girl and responding with something nearing disappointment.]

Ah, Mirai. This entire world... [He gestures with a slow sweep of his armored hand, as if to indicate.] ... is nothing but waste, begging to be disposed of.

[There's the slightest edge of hate beneath the man's smile, though it's barely noticeable.]

I'll be doing him a favor by removing him from it before I get to the rest. As for you... if you prefer to spend your efforts on a hopeless cause, I can't stop you. Remember when you realize that truth that I tried to warn you, won't you?

[fatedmahou]

['This entire world is nothing but waste, begging to be disposed of.' That naturally did not sit right with her, but that was hardly a surprise, given who it was coming from. It hit home too closely and triggered a defensive trigger in her.]

... All life... The world around you... It's worth fighting for. Just because you think it's not worth your time, it doesn't mean that's a matter of fact. And by removing him from it... Who's to say that's the better alternative? It's a matter of where you plan on taking him that determines that.

[Ignoring whatever he may do, she walked over towards where the unconscious Ferran now lied. Gently pushing the bangs out of his eyes as if that mattered.]

... I'll find a way to make it better. To make both of our homes better. To bring happiness and joy back somehow. I don't care how many people tell me how foolish it is or impossible it is... [Looking back to Ferran.] He deserves to be happy.

[noblegarnet]

[Onyx's smile fades as he watches the girl, but he makes no moves to prevent her from approaching. The paleness of Ferran's face is all the more apparent from up close; he looks drained and exhausted, even aside from the black fractures, the sweat and blood from the prior events still in the process of drying.

A few moments of silence pass before the man speaks again.]

I pity you.

[The way he says it seems sincere—and though the eye mask and the darkness of the apartment makes it difficult to see, there's something almost genuine in his expression. But would that be the man's true reaction, or is it simply wishful thinking on the dreamer's part?]

Trapped in a hopeless situation with no true escape. Even though you know the truth, you can't help but cling to your hopes. After all... they're all you have left. To let go would mean to acknowledge that there is nothing to live for.

[He gestures towards Ferran with the same movement of his hand.]

People don't get what they deserve.

[fatedmahou]

[She did a quick healing spell to ease any other pain or bruises that Onyx had missed as she took closer note of the fractures. His words hit too close to home. More than she'd like to admit. No, she refused to admit it. Especially not to him of all people.]

I have faith that things will eventually work out so long as I keep working tirelessly for my goals. No matter how hard it may be. The only thing I can do is move forward. I'd rather not focus on the negative things in life when there are so many to drag you down.

I stand by my words.

[noblegarnet]

[For all his crimes, Onyx had apparently healed Ferran as much as was capable; blood loss and the underlying spiritual damage are unfortunately not something that can be remedied so easily. And if nothing else, the young man apparently isn't awake enough to be aware of any pain. The ever-present cracks on his face and his wrists remain unaffected, so dark it's impossible to even tell what they might be made of.

Onyx lets out a hmph.]

If you're lucky, the cruelty of the world will wear you down eventually. But if you're foolish enough to continue denying the reality, you'll simply break, just as he has. That is what happens when you place your faith in the impossible.

[He takes a step closer, his silver heel heavy against the floor.]

Well, then. If all you intend to do is bore me with further idealism, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave.

[fatedmahou]

I have dealt with enough stuff in my life to know that fate can be cruel. However, it's better to hope for a better future than to give into despair. Nothing is impossible. There will always be another way, regardless of how difficult it might be to find another alternative. Where there is a will, there is a way.

[Not bothering to move away from Ferran, but rising to her feet.]

I'm not leaving without him.

[noblegarnet]

[Onyx simply laughs, as if the idea is absurd.]

You can't remove him from his own mind, no matter how hard you try. Even if you could, I doubt it would do what you're hoping for.