Disclaimer: Magic the Gathering is the trademark of Wizards of the Coast. Any characters from the game are theirs. Any others are my creation.
Nightmares. They haunt those disturbed by past wrongdoings, by guilt, by fears of the unknown. They wrought away all hope, all light, all dreams. They exist to feed, to sap, to rob mortals of everything they hold dear. For some, the nightmares pestered them only in sleep.
But for others, every breath taken was within their nightmarish realm.
Kimi released her eyes from the confines of her eyelids and squinted to adjust to the difference in lighting. The area was barren, her surroundings a living battlefield. Even where she stood, skirmishes raged on. On her left, a samurai clad in regal armor exchanged parries with an Orochi, a snake humanoid with two pair of hands, each equipped with a fiendish scimitar. On her right, A Nezumi warrior cursed at the Kitsune samurai before him. Clumsily, it lunged forward, a mere dagger leading the charge. The kitsune merely sidestepped, letting the nezumi fall before plunging his katana into the back of the hapless rat-folk.
Kimi shrieked at the sight, with blood spluttering out from the wound. However, her call affected no one. Not a single soul responded to the maiden's exclamation. Even the kitsune samurai, whom stood almost within whispering distance, imperviously sheathed his katana, ready to battle a new foe.
Stabilizing herself, Kimi proceed to her quest and started her way across the warring throng. It was difficult, if not nearly impossible, as death was at every turn. An arrow fell short of Kimi, fired from a wayward hankyu. Kimi nearly lost her mind, literally, when a large spear swung overhead, missing her only by inches. It did, however, shorten Kimi's kanzashi, which released her long, flowing hair from the neat bun it was forced to endure whenever Kimi visited Terashi's shrine.
'Kimi-san. Use your ki. You have to focus on detecting the core of the problem.' A voice broke out, drowning the clashing of steel within the battlefield. Kimi nodded to an unseen master and shut her eyes to begin. Slowly, tendrils of energy formed around her. The wind whipped with fury, knocking a couple of nearby warriors to the ground. When it seemed that the energy would engulf Kimi, she threw her palms to each side and a shockwave erupted from where she stood.
Samurai, bushi, ogres, nezumi, kitsune, orochi and other hosts of fighters were flung from the earth like rag dolls, less one, which was the man Kimi had stumbled upon at the shrine. He stood in a meditative pose, his legs crossed and eyes closed. However, his katana and wakizahi were both unsheathed, protruding from their earthly captive. Kimi felt faint when she noticed trails of blood upon the floor. At that precise moment, the blood returned to moist and slowly left the ground in the form of beads. Kimi watched as they converged atop the stranger's head and started to take shape.
The grotesque creature which burst into existence made Kimi retreat slightly. It had the sketchy outline of a squid, except each tentacle was attached to the man's head. Its head, or so Kimi presume, was crooked and misshapen. Its nose was a twisted apparatus, spikes stabbing out from all sides. Its eyes were burning orbs and its teeth held human finger bones.
Just then, a hand tapped on Kimi's shoulder, making her jump in fright. Kisame's stern stare doused Kimi's disconcerted state, and allowed her to regain her composure.
"You've done well, Kimi-san. This youth is troubled by Ukime, the Kami of Lost Memories." With the mention of its name, the bizarre kami lashed out with one of its tentacles. Kisame promptly pushed Kimi aside and rolled away in the other direction. Kimi landed with a bump, though she didn't blame her sensei for the act. Her reaction was slower, and the kami might have latched onto her, making her a victim as well.
"Careful Kimi-san. We are within this man's mind. To be trapped here is not a laughing matter. Come, we must destroy Ukime"
Kimi nodded. She brushed the dust of her kimono. With each sweep, her kimono radiated and transformed. Where once depicted simple patterns, an elaborate design of floral patterns and of beautiful flames took its place. When she was ready, Kisame drew his katana and stepped closer to Ukime.
As earlier, it responded with hostility. Two tentacles released their grasp on its victim and belted onto Kisame's blade. Struggling, the veteran bushi wrestled for control, but age had caught up to him in recent years. With a mighty tug, the kami disarmed Kisame. With the sword disposed, the kami sent forth its remaining tentacles, save one which lingered to ensure continuity of dominance of the mind, and wrapped Kisame in a tight bundle. Hands bound, Kisame cursed as he was drawn closer to the kami, which didn't hide its intend to infect Kisame.
Kimi panicked. Usual protocol was for Kisame to pin the kami down while she propelled her ki as a bullet to disrupt the kami. She had spend her time channeling her energy into an orb, brimming with power, arrested only by Kimi's hands.
"Hmmph...don't bother Kimi-san. Just fire at it. It's better to die than be enslaved by this kami." Kisame's voice, urgently ordering the attack was challenged by the kami's odd call. It was a mixture of wailing and angered chatter. Kimi was hesitant. Her eyes shifted from her sensei to the kami and finally onto the man in the center, still unaware of the ruckus.
Quite suddenly, Kimi dispensed the ki she had amassed. Kisame's shocked cry was anticipated, further more when Kimi herself rushed towards the kami. Despite Kisame's strong protest, she carried on. The kami was equally uncertain to Kimi's actions, or it would have attempted to deter her with its tentacles. Kimi stopped in front of the man, and started shaking him on his shoulder.
"You! Wake up and deal with your own problems! Stop sitting down here like you are some helpless child. You have the power to fight it. You..."
Her words were rudely interrupted by a slap to the face. Ukime struck with great displeasure at Kimi's effort of sabotage. Kimi fell to the floor, clutching her reddened cheek. She had turned back to face the kami and voiced out her anger. Instead, she was to witness the azure eyes of the man staring back at her, a confident smile on his face.
"Thank you Kimi-san. I'm now free." The words were followed by a grapple hold onto Ukime, its tentacles flailing wildly as it acknowledge the loss of control over its host, now a violent enemy. Kisame, now free from suffocation, immediately fetched his katana and stood over both man and kami. Muttering a chant of sorts, Kimi watched as the blade exuded great light. When the katana pierced Ukime, the whole area exploded in a blinding flash.
Kimi's next vision when the brightness subside was Kisame's toothy grin. "We've done it Kimi-san, thanks to that wild intuition of yours." Temporarily hazy by her return to the material realm, Kimi blinked awhile. Kisame merely chuckled. "Still slow, the young ones are." Kimi had only managed to recognize the altar to Terashi when Kisame lifted the unconscious man and proceeded to the exit. She stood, perhaps out of a sense of responsibility, and offered to attend to the stranger, but Kisame turned her down.
"Old Oru wouldn't like the idea of you literally carrying home a groom, despite all his wishes that you are to wed." Kimi blushed at the statement, allowing Kisame to leave without further debate. Instinctively, her hands reached towards her hair, setting it straight before realizing that her hairpin no longer served its purpose. She inspected the instrument, shocked that it was damaged.
She shuddered when she recalled how close she came to losing her life today.