They always started like this, he thought, again finding himself in a dark forest. First he was in a forest, or Norende Ravine, or even the inn he was staying at in reality. He would get up, wander around a bit, then return to where he started to see blood everywhere and a message from people he didn't know.
"There aren't enough pigs in Luxendarc to make this work…" Tiz read, picking up the small slip of paper. "Then again… That depends on what you call a pig." It scared him, yet again. He suddenly became aware that he was dreaming, deducing that what was happening couldn't possibly be real-He would've died by now. He took a long breath, attempting to calm himself. It didn't help much. He looked around again, determined to never move from where he was standing until he woke up. Then that noise started. It was a squeal, a pigs squeal, followed by the sound of metal scraping painfully through sheet metal, then flesh, then an agonizing mix of both.
"Hello?" Tiz asked no one in particular. "Uh, me? I would love to wake up now, please…" The end of his sentence was a whimper. His voice echoed, then distorted itself.
"T-Tiz?" The all-too-familiar voice of his brother asked. He replied instantly, despite knowing what happened next.
"Til! Where are you!?"
"It's cold…" The voice replied. "It's so cold…"
"Til, hold on, I'll find you!" He knew he was being daft. Til was… dead, this was a dream. why was he acting this way?
"Right here…" Tiz whirled around to find Til now standing right behind him. The older boy remained silent.
"Why must you associate yourself with pigs?" Til asked. Tiz blinked. That voice was not the one of his brother. But a new one altogether.
"The Fairy is a pig, the Vestal is a pig, the Traitor is a pig, the Philanderer is a pig…" The small boy almost laughed through his sentence.
"Hey!" Tiz exclaimed. "They are more than that!"
"Since you see so fit…" Til continued, seemingly ignoring his brothers outburst. "Now… I'll make a pig out of you!" The small boy's clothing began to tear, giving way to quickly growing muscles. His face became more akin to a swine than a human, and within a minute he was almost twice the size of Tiz. Before he could speak again, the pig-Til ran him through with one clawed arm. Tiz couldn't respond, save for a whimper and coughing up a lot of blood.
This was how it always went, he thought, his vision fading.
"Huh-Ahhh!" The boy awoke with a start, tossing and turning to escape his blankets. It was pitch black in his room, save for the light outside his closed window, and it scared him half to death. Scrambling to his feet, he fled the room quickly, not caring if he woke the others.
"G-Get away from me!" He stumbled out of the inn, frantically trying to get away from that room and that dream. Eventually he came to rest, leaning up against a street light. He waited for his breathing to return to normal.
He stayed like that for a while, listening to the stream not far behind him, just waiting for the fear to go away. As hard as he tried to calm himself, any rustle of the grass or even the sound of people chatting as the walked by unsettled him. So scared was he, that he didn't notice a presence beside him.
"Are you alright, Tiz?" A small voice asked. He jumped.
"Ah-Oh, it's just you, Agnes." Tiz said, trying to appear calm.
"You were so loud before, did something scare you?"
"I'm okay Agnes, really.." The two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence after his statement. They must've sat together under that light for about ten minutes before he spoke again.
"Th-these images… keep coming back in my dreams…" He muttered, just loud enough for her to hear. His hand gradually covered his face; he didn't want to know if she was looking at him or not.
"Oh?" A gentle hand came to lower his own from his face, and the first thing he saw was her giving him a soft smile.
"I'm willing to listen if you feel like talking." The boy blushed.
"Oh, okay." He told her everything, from the dark forest he often began in, to seeing Til, hearing him insult his friends, turning into a half man, half pig creature, and then finally killing him, squealing with joy the entire time.
"I just...don't understand this dream." Tiz muttered, struggling to hold back tears. "I keep having it more and more… I don't get what's causing it." Agnes placed her small hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her, frustration lacing his features.
"Tiz, I may not understand any better than you what is happening, but…" She smiled at him again.
"You can feel free to confide in one of us like this if it bothers you so much." She pulled him into a hug, and he smiled and hugged back. The two stayed like that for a while, each not wanting to leave the other's warmth. Finally, the street-light flickering brought them back to reality.
"It's getting very late…" She said quietly. "Perhaps you can try to get some more rest?" Tiz nodded reluctantly. He stood and offered her a hand.
Not long after, the two of them arrived at the door to Tiz's room. The two stood in complete silence, Waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Agnes released his hand and spoke.
"Well, umm, good night…" Tiz reached to open his door before his horrid memory of being killed went through his head again.
"A-Agnes, wait!" she turned to face him. Tiz twiddled his thumbs.
"I was wondering if you could… stay a little longer?" She gave him a look.
"N-no! I just mean… The nightmare won't come back if you're around…" Agnes hesitated, then nodded and opened the door. She lit a candle on his bedside table and sat in the chair next to his bed. Tiz yawned.
"Agnes, I'm sorry to bother you." He said. "I know this seems daft, but it really does help." She simply smiled in response.
"It is okay with me if it helps you sleep." She replied, but he was already sleeping.