The desert before her was vast, that much was familiar to Dana, but no matter where she looked, there was no hot sun, or confounding moon, beautiful or otherwise. There was only sand, and sand, and sand, until the sand met the horizon in an incomprehensible mesh of earth and void that did not truly exist. There were stars above her, stars all around her really, but they were not the stars she had learned of from her short time as a Girl Scout. These stars were new and unfamiliar and stunning and she took small joy in trying to form patterns and shapes out of them. Just like she had on the nights when she couldn't sleep, and had lain alone on the roof of her house, staring into the sky. And more recently, not so alone… As she gazed at the new stars though, she could swear they were beginning to move. The patterns she had crafted in her mind had begun to swirl and spin through the void, as if alive. As she stared in wonder, the stars grew larger, almost as if the entire sky were falling towards her. Yet, even as she watched a patch of the heavens break away from the sky and descend to the space before her, she was not afraid. As the stars came close she saw that they were not truly stars at all. They were eyes. Glittering, gleaming eyes filled with more knowledge than a single universe could ever contain. They were a part of some great creature, towering above her and held aloft by wings that were identical in hue to the dark sky above. The air around the figure wavered, as if existence itself were offset by its presence. Dana looked at the being a moment longer, and noted that they did not appear to have anything that was exactly a face. They had many eyes of course, but those were scattered everywhere and she didn't want to offend the other eyes by assuming that any one pair were more important. She knew from experience that faceless being were easily offended sometimes. Instead, she addressed the empty space just above the being's right shoulder.

"Hi," she said, "I'm Dana."

We know.

A surprisingly clear voice resonated through Dana's mind. It was calm, almost reassuring, and did not seem particularly male or female in tone. She had not expected the voice to be so normal.

I am Erika.

Dana smiled; she had thought that might be what the figure said. If she were right, she knew what the figure would say next as well. She remembered hours spent pouring over a forbidden book, filled with magnificent, unknowable beings. She remembered the thrill of turning pages devoid of any censorship marks, for once more eager to read than fearful, because there was someone there to share in the exhilaration with her. Someone who had opened her eyes to a perspective she would never have dared to dream about before. Someone who she had whispered secrets with under a blanket of stars on the roof late at night, trusted dreams with to chase away nightmares, and had shared her deepest fears. Someone who had nurtured her courage and dared her to be. Someone she very much wished was here with her right now.

"You are an…an Angel," she said, testing the word on her tongue. She had never been able to say that before!

Yes. The Angel replied. Dana wasn't sure if she was imaging the tinge of surprise in their tone or not.

"Where am I?" She asked.

Asleep in your bed, dreaming in a desert.

"Oh." She said. She had learned from experience that sometimes it was better to say nothing in hopes of learning something. It was a skill that had proved useful so far as an intern at the radio station. …The radio station. What an amazing segment it would be if she could get an interview with one of the Erikas, they were always so busy that they only directed their messages through Old Woman Josie but here she was now speaking to one first hand and of course Cecil would have to approve the story first and it would be a bit of a struggle since he still adamantly refused to believe in Angels and transcribing dreams was a tricky business but she would find a way and oooooh Vithya would be so excited she could practically see the look on her face now!

I am here to speak to you about your future.

Oh how she wished she could share this with her-

We do not have much time, even by your standards. Erika interjected.

Dana paused, only then processing what the angel had said. "I'm sorry," she said, "My future?"

Yes. There is much to prepare you for, though in time you will remember little. The angel spread their wings, and suddenly Dana was surrounded by eyes and darkness, with only a small space of sky above her. Each of the eyes glowed brighter and brighter, and within them Dana saw…herself. She saw herself at the radio station, researching segments for the show; she saw herself not much older than she was now, lost in a strange place with high walls and signs saying "no dogs allowed"; she saw herself traversing a great desert, filled with strange land formations and a single lighthouse; and she saw herself once again in Night Vale, waging a great battle against invaders. There was more after that, so much more, but she could describe no more of it, as she was completely surrounded by promises of what was to come. Through it all a figure spoke to her of the things she saw. It spoke to her, and she was not afraid. The figure spoke to her of her future, and she began to laugh, because she knew she was destined for great things.

AN: The next chapter follows Vithya's dream.