It was said that dreams were a reflection of the inner desires and thoughts of oneself, a myriad of wishes and realities, everyone far more fantastic and incredible than the last. The meaning behind those fleeting visions were always shrouded in mystery, the answer always depending on the eye of the beholder.

Or so her mother said….

But when one had to live between four layers of thin, cracked walls alongside the presence of four other individuals in such small packed place. In Zaun of all places….well, it did not do wonders for her sleeping habits. Or more correctly, where she choose to rest.

No matter how many times Vi or her mother had told her not to lay under nor over wherever she thought fit even if she felt sleepy after been awake for so long there were much better choices…..not that she had followed them through, perhaps she should have. For nothing could have prepared her by the time she opened up her eyes.

Not by a long shot….

It wasn't the long and wide waste disposals, with its green, yellowish fog hanging from every corner of her mind, nor the humid yet cool surfaced busted pipes which had long ran dry after years of disused….or even the small confines of her home, the violet shades of light of the depths going through the windows before they washed over the walls in tide waves. If they were lucky and the light from above managed to peer through the thick veil covering her world.

No, this….this was different.

And she had a vague idea of the reason behind it.

It was a corridor, a slim long one that stretched out endlessly to the horizon, encased between two polished walls from which she could not see the end of them, especially with the poor light that companied her, or the lack of there off.

She was completely in darkness, a thick shadowy curtain that had fallen around her, drowning her little world in a simple, crude monochromatic shade of black that refused to back away…. with the apparent exception of a mysterious luminescent blue flickering light emanating at the very end of the corridor, sometimes more strongly while others more faintly.

A buzzing sound echoing timidly through the hallway, just in tandem with those flickering lights. Like the echoes of a throbbing heart given visual form.

There were no chem-light bulbs attached to its sides, nor there were the vibrant, happy echoes from the buzzing of firelight's. It was as if came from the very door frame she could barely see from her position.

An impossible feat on its own, had she not witnessed with living eyes.

These dark blue energies were the only thing that lighted her way among this strange desolation she had so strangely found herself in, though she could also notice a lighter shade at the very end of it, staining the walls as well.

A silent voice started to knock inside her mind, yet before she could pay it any heed she found herself once again gazing at the end of the corridor.

It felt…. strangely soothing, the way these colours softly mixed with its surroundings. For a moment she found herself unable to pry her eyes off it as she gazed at it. It was not like,

It was just...there.

How curious…..

Only the shudder of her pained legs shook her out of it, not knowing for how long she had remained in that position as she slowly started to caress the sore limbs.

And yet her mind would not rest, it could not….for the reason behind it was simple, though not any less troubling as she had finally understood what she had started feeling since she had woken up in this place.

Unease.

She felt unease from been here, as if her very presence was a mistake. As if she had ventured to somewhere forbidden, never meant to be seen. Like her father's workshop, or the old and barely held together cookie basket her mother always warned them about….

And there were no cookies on this place, she would have sense them a mile away...more or less...

Still, she could not shake that feeling of deja vu, as if she had been here before…..but could not remember why. Her memories were foggy as she tried to peer through them in vane. As she was lost in thought she slowly stood up.

The cobblestones covering the floor greeted her in silence as she stepped on them, a pained gasp leaving her lips soon after as she felt the coldness of their surface leech the warmth from her naked feet.

As if knives were clawing their way into her flesh and bone she could no longer stand and fell to the floor backwards. Curling into a ball while she grasped her freezing feet with her hands in an effort to give them some needed heat.

What now? She dare not step again on the cold surface, she was fine with feeling this once in a lifetime..no need to repeat it.

But she could not just stay here, could she?

``If only there was something to-….´´ Her words come to a halt as her eyes casually landed over a small stripe of cloth laying on the floor.

Her eyes blinked once, then twice….and yet the object before her had no disappeared. In fact, she could swear that it had flickery glowed for an instant before remaining dull on the floor. She still did not move out to grasp it.

That had not been there before..., or at least she thought. But what if she was wrong? It would not be the first time something that stuck out like a sore thumb went by without her taking notice, or something else had drawn her attention like a moth.

It may have been the latter all things considered She thought as she tried to fight off the heat from her cheeks, it wasn't her fault that the only thing worth of notice was a glowing door!

At least the light show Wrighted? Righted? No…. , lighted her path to somewhere else.

She cursed silently at her lack of focus before she tied the soft fabric on her feet before she managed to stand up. A look of pride warping on her face as she contemplated the result of her work, now the only thing left to do was….

The door.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to make out the details from the distance. It was a door indeed...its surface was polished with great care, in fact, there was not even a single crack or stain of dirt over it as one could expect from anywhere near the Lanes.

A pensive look slowly warped over her face as a thought dawned in her mind.

Her mother had told her that the very air of their home was toxic, and though one could not actually see it, the metallic fog that shielded her eyes from the skies beyond her dark world was enough for her. The grease and grim accumulating around their broken windows and clothes as if it was alive was only an added bonus.

Speaking of which, now that she notice, she did not sense anything. Not at all…., there was not that usual smell of used gunpowder from that usually hanged on the air from the labour of the factory's above..., or the stench of the trash fields that one could easily spot miles away.

Nothing at all.

It was just...gone, as if had never existed…..

Her nose wrung in a mix of disgust and fascination as she rubbed one of her fingers against the cold floor before bringing it to her. She finally realized what was going on. It was clean, spotless, so utterly devoid of her normality to appoint she did not conceive possible. It was so…..weird and new too! Perhaps that could explain her surprise as she could stare at her own reflection from the very stones covering the floor.

The darkness around her obscuring most of her features, but never truly distorting them. A soft, pale little creature laid beyond the world of the reflection, her eyes the same shade of her unkempt mane, a deep shade of purple, gazing with perplexity at her every move.

Her face barely held some of the roundness that it should have at her age, instead it was sharp, painfully so….a thin, almost faint view of the bones beneath, an aspect that was increased by the paleness of her skin after a lifetime in the depths...

Her mother would surely love to have an actual functional mirror, the only one they held in their home covered by shattered webs all over its surface, but she doubted she could muster the strength to pull it out from its position, her fingers clumsily brushing over it, a huff of annoyance leaving her lips as she was unable to get a good grip over it.

It was kind of pointless…

It did not take more than a quick glance at her arms to frown at the apparent lack of muscle. It seemed that it did not matter how many times she climbed, it did not seem to actually change anything. Yep, there was no way she could do that...not in a million years. If only Vi was here…., the pink haired girl seemed so full of energy that she may rip it out of the ground.

A shy grin warped around her lips as she could not avoid the mental image forming inside her mind of the pink haired girl ripping apart the hunk of stone before slamming it over their small dining table and calling it a day.

"There! Where to go next!?"

God, that would be hilarious, especially since she could see it happening.

She did not know what could lay behind that door, or if there was anything at all behind and what stood before her, but at this point she did not care. Perhaps it would be fun, who knew, it may be a gateway to the city above her home!? The possibility of it been real been true was slim….but the curiosity brimming inside her would not be put down so easily.

And so she walked towards it, ready to unravel this strange world. Perhaps, that's where all things started to go wrong…..

She only took seven steps from her original position before a horrendous shriek shook the very walls around her, forcing her to the ground. A metallic, hideous echo ringing stubbornly inside her skull, uncaring of her efforts to plug her fingers inside her ears and block the noise.

She gritted her teeth. It was as if someone or something was scratching the ground with their nails. Very long and sharp nails…..

She immediately turns around, eyes open wide in hopes of finding out the origin of such distressing echo, to give form at what had caused her such undeserved fright as she felt the sporadic throbs of her heart beating strongly within her.

But there was nothing to be seem, no matter how much she tried it was most of the same….and the sound did not stop for a moment. She shook her head I resignation.

Then there was only one way to escape from this….

She saw the ghastly forms of her breath escaping from the confines of her lips, her breathing growing with each passing second that she stepped closer to the end of the line. The emptiness of the corridor finally disappeared as she could feel the air around her growing colder and heavier, mercilessly brushing the naked skin that her poor clothing could not fully cover.

She quickly found herself having to lean against one of the walls to hold herself up, her legs quivering with each step, but she did not let that stop her…..

Not when she could hear the sound of the scratching growing closer, not when she could start hearing a barely audible whisper echo through the hallway between each breath. Her closeness with the door having some sort of the effect as the door if had started to glow brightly.

She was now close enough to see the pommel, a small little thing painted in a soft shade of purple with pink stripes.

An almost like metallic scent emanating from it….

She did not stop to observe the break in the colour scheme, extending her free arm forward. Her fingers. Before a couple of long, slender fingers grasped her shoulder, tightly.

She barely had a few seconds to register their presence before she was pulled back, her body lifted out from the ground with the same ease one would do a plushy before she was slammed hard against the floor.

Her whole body ached, dark spots starting to cover her vision while her body remained crumbled on the floor. A puppet which strings had been cut loose, that did not stop the grim hand from tugging her back, dinging even further on her flesh as it continued to drag her away.

Away from the light of the end of the corridor, away from salvation.

But she could not stop it, she could not even slow it down. With every ounce of will she could muster, she turned her head to the side, it but she went through it. Her reward, getting a brief glimpse of the one doing this to her.

She wished she had not….

For it wasn't a man, or a person that stood before her…..the creature that loomed before her was devoid of any resemble to a human being.

Most of its form was enveloped in a bright light, shielding it from prying eyes that burned if they dare held their gaze for more than a few seconds over the new born sun in these dark mists. She didn't, she would imprint by fire its form inside her mind, tears strolling down her cheeks as she stubbornly held her eyes wide open.

It possessed no legs, nor it seemed that it needed them. Floating in the air like an ethereal ghastly cloud, its arms were thin and crooked, twisted and mangled at different angles that should not have been possible. They were so large that while one of them was holding her the other was being dragged through the floor to her right.

Its torso was thin, its ribs clearly visible under the pale skin, two strangely shaped mounds of flesh coming out from its chest similar to her mothers…. yet whatever feminine features it may have held were thrown out to the wind with its skull like face, two twin lights glaring at her with neither surprise or pity, just coldness. The last thing she saw was how it came to an abrupt halt and grabbed her face with its remaining arm.

Bringing her a mere breath away from its hideous face.

And then she screamed.

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She woke up with silent gasp, her arms wailing to the sides with barely no control as she tried to block the blow that was about to reach her, to end her….….only for it to never come.

That did not put her at ease….

Even with the shot of adrenaline coursing through her body, her mind felt numb and tired, as if she had been awake all night. She remained still, hoping to quell down her panic. The room remained in darkness, an eerie silence filling the large room with only the sound of her ragged breathing and the creaks of her bed being the only things to break the monotony

She could feel cold drops of sweat falling down her forehead, leaving a faint sticky trail on their wake. Her clothes...or what little she had were now completely drenched, glued tightly against her skin.

She would have rose her hands and wipe away the sweat from her forehead while she felt the constant echoing of her beating heart pumping endlessly and erratically inside her chest, threatening to painfully burst through it had she not found something bound to it. A different sort of warm that she had not taken notice under the cover of the dark until she felt something move over her arm.

It was not the fickle tickling of the cockroaches from the surrounding trash fields, a peculiar effect of the way their little legs when walking over one owns skin as they usually did when in search of any source of food. Nor it was the brief yet faint stabs of bed bugs…

No, it instead felt more peaceful, closer even. A soft rubbing of her skin by a pair of small yet warm hands…. and yet, that did not stop her heart from freeze up on the spot when her eyes managed to find through the darkness a certain pink haired girl, a pained gasp barely slipping through her lips as each beat echoed within her like a hammer over steaming metal.

Those grey eyes that had always shined brightly through the daylight now were barely visible, and yet she could picture the worry look over her sisters face. That, and the soft...timid way her lips slowly parted ways before uttering two words. Finally interrupting the silence that had settle through the shroud of darkness of their little room as she stopped rubbing her arm and started caressing her head.

``Another nightmare…..?´´

And then in an instant she was back there in the corridor, back into the crumbling darkness that clogged her vision like a thick curtain, back with that...that thing. She could still hear the screeching in the walls, the way its burning eyes peered through her soul….

She did not know what happened, how long she had been stranded back into that place, but the next thing she notice was how Vi was holding her tight, allowing her head to rest over the pink haired girls chest while she continued to whisper encouraging words into her ears.

It was only when she noticed that she had stopped shaking that she timidly lowered herself to her level, not fully separating herself from her as if fearful she would start having another panic attack. ``Its ok Rose, I am here…, nothing is coming to get you while I am here, right?´´

She tried to speak, but no sound escaped from her lips but a pained whimper. She could feel the way her throat was dry, drowning almost as . That did not stop her from trying.

``There..there was-´´

``You don't have to say it…´´ Whispered Vi, her voice bringing a faint warmth, grey eyes filled with conviction. `` I know that it may not feel like it, but it was just a dream, Rose. What you saw, what happened... it wasn't real…..nothing of it was´´

It wasn't real, the words faintly echoed in her mind as she weakly continued to cling to her sister. It wasn't real, it shol-no it could not be but….why it still felt so awfully...real? Why did she still felt pain from where it had slam her?

She did not know, but before she could lose herself even more deeper in such thoughts she was once again reminded of the presence of her sister as a low soft humming escaped from her lips, like some sort of wordless spell that dissipated the terror still gripping her heart.

The macabre burning appearance of the apparition quickly fading away as she focused on the more lively and kinder figure standing just right next to her. Pulling herself far closer to her sister.

Vi did not seem to mind, merely waiting until she stopped shaking, humming that simple melody as she rocked her back and forth.

``Thanks´´ She managed to mumble from a hoarse throat, still finding some difficulty to

``Do you feel better?´´

``Define..better´´

The pink haired girl could not help but snort, a shy smile warping around her features. ``If you can make quips then you must be feeling better alright, you surely bounce faster than most...my little rose´´

She groaned, why did she had to remind her of that…? ``Very funny…thought of that joke all by yourself?´´ She should have known that her sister would not be deter by her words, not at all given that sly grin warping around her lips.

``Mmphf….one day you will grow up to appreciate them, bet on it...´´

``I hate you...´´

``I love you too...´´

After that the two remained silent for a while, giving them the much needed time to put their thoughts in order with the thrilling echoes of the wind outside brushing the windows of their home.

``Sorry…´´

``For what?´´ Vi asked puzzle, cocking her head to the side as her eyes furrowed in the darkness.

``For waking you, it must have been hard, to be awoken by….this when you could be resting peacefully….´´

``It was nothing, why are sister for?´´

``Still...´´ Her words died out in her throat as her sister shook her head, a regretful expression warping now in her eyes.

``Actually, it wasn't I who notice it, Rose…..´´

Her head perked up at that, curiosity growing as she wondered why she meant. ``Oh? If it wasn't not you... then wh—´´

``Sis was sreepy on the bed like daddy when he plays with his bottles...´´ Said a young and rather cheerful voice somehow very close to them, it did not took long to find out the owner of such voice. A small, rather meek looking child. A set of blue sparky blue eyes gazing at them from the very edge of the mattress the same way a grown up cat would do while looking at something they considered interesting.

If such things were a bunch of children speaking under the cover of the night that is. Vi was the first to react at the new found presence.

``Pow! That is not nice to say, what is Roserade going to think of her big sister now? Besides is sleepy...you have to say it right´´

``But I said it right...no? You said it yourself ´´

``I was joking´´

``Nah, you weren't´´

``I was...´´

``Knowing you...I bet she is right...´´ She said, cutting in the conversation between the two, earning the triumphant look from Powder who rose her frail arms in the air in victory while Vi glared at her horrified.

``How dare you!? Is this how you repay my kindness….., with treachery!?´´ She exclaimed in a hushed tone, a fake sound of hurt in her voice as she glared at the two of them with annoyance.

She paid it no heed, instead rather focusing on the diminutive blue haired girl. Deciding to move away from her comfy place before bringing the blue haired girl right next to her in a tight embrace.

``So it was you who came to my rescue, Blue bird...´´

``Yep, I did it…..´´ She exclaimed, her voice booming with pride, as it was the greatest thing that there could ever be. ``I tried to wake you...but you were doing these weird noises….so I brought sreepy over here´´

``Now I am sreepy!?´´ Said Vi in outrage.

She decided to pay her sister no mind as she focused on the blue haired bird. Stroking her cheek slowly with both hands before patting her head, strands of unkept hair tangling on her fingers.

``You are such a good girl….what I would do without you?´´

``Keep sreeping?´´

``Sleeping...right´´ She corrected though her voice was barely a whisper so that her little Pow would not take notice, it was so fascination how the girls spam of attention could be so little, speaking of which….she noticed that her little sister was no longer looking at her direction.

Following her gaze she was met with a pair of furrowed grey eyes. ``What...?´´

``You don't like me patting your head, but you like patting hers?´´

``You want one too?´´ Had she known the complete look of bafflement that it would appear in her sisters features for such question she would have done it far sooner. Honestly, even in a room shrouded in darkness Vi really managed to make such funny faces. That pink haired rapscallion would never hear the end of it.

``What! I w- you know what? Forget it...´´

A wicked grin warped around her lips. ``Good, because you are not getting one. You are a big girl after all´´ She put a special emphasis on that word, getting back for the previous banter.

Vi pinched the bridge of her nose before she slumped down the bed a tired sigh leaving her lips. ``Sometimes I don't know how I deal with you…..´´

``You will find out….eventually´´ Probably….

``I have the feeling that you did not said that with good intentions...´´

``Maybe….?´´

``You are impossible….., so about the nightmare…., was it the same one? You know...you can tell me right?´´

``It was….but there was...a thing´´

``A monster?´´ Vi inquired, she meekly nodded at her.

``I see…..´´ Muttered the pink haired girl slowly, a pensative look on her face as thoughts crossed her mind before an idea dawned inside her. ``Then that little prick is lucky that I did not catch him or I will stomp him into a little can´´

``W-what?´´

``No you are right, I would have first to throw it at the deepest hole in the world before throwing what little remains at the furnace´´

``I don't think monsters can be cooked...´´

``That's because no one has tried, in the blink of an eye your sister would have a piece of monster ready to serve´´

``Just like that?´´

``Just like that..´´

She would never admit it, especially not to that brute of a girl, but she really had been considering the veracity of such idea. Her sisters determination was very convincing... even if she was defending the most idiotic of things.

``Sometimes I don't think I understand you….´´

``Don't worry, you are still to young for that...´´

Guess I should have see that coming…. ``So…., what now?´´

``Now….you rest, tomorrow will be a long day´´

``Why not play create/chase the monsters?´´ Cut in Powder, a glint of hope on those eyes that did not seem to close anytime soon as they glared at both of them with vivid anticipation, fidgeting with her fingers.

``Pow! We are in the middle of the night..we are suppose to be asleep´´

``We are already up...so why not?´´ Vi immediately glared back at her, a certain pleading look in her eyes as she tried to keep blue bird from jumping over the mattress. Normally she would have helped Vi on such task, but this was too good to allow to pass.

``Don't look at me…, she asked you´´ She said, feigning ignorance, beaming a smile to the ever growing annoyance of the pink haired girl, who could do nothing but glare at her, eyes twiching.

``Why y-´´

``Vi..why don't you want us to play?´´ Came out the meek sweet voice of Powder, her little hands tugging one of her eldest sisters sleeves, drawing her attention. Whatever wrath would have been unleashed by the eldest was completely disarmed as those grey eyes met the most and evil weapon blue bird could ever unleash onto ones own soul.

Puppy eyes…..

Vi recoiled visibly even in the darkness, trying her best to avert her gaze from such mortal assault, failing miserably on such endeavour. ``Pow….is just, you have to rest...´´

``Please ….pretty please?´´ Replied the little girl as she pressed herself closer to Vi, never breaking eye contact as she did.

``But..its just... too late..´´

``You don't want us?´´

She did not know whether it was by genuine feelings of dejection or the wickedness of a five year old child but Powder words seemed to held some sort of secret power. Finally cracked whatever faltering resistance Vi was desperately trying to put forth.

With a sigh of dejection and a look of embarrassment Vi nodded at them, much to both of their delights. ``Urgh….the things one must have to do for their family. Alright, but nothing too crazy ok? The last thing I need is for mom to come down here and berate us for making a ruckus...´´

``You said that because she only holds you responsible...´´ She said with a guffaw, earning a bewildered look from her sister, eyes rolling.

``And isn't that reason enough?´´

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/Few minutes later/

``Blegh, blegh, blegh! I am a spaghetti-crab monster! I will chop chop you with my pincers until I make bread with you!´´ Exclaimed the youngest of them all, wailing her arms into the air as if they were deadly limbs. Spottering strange sounds as she moved around, a motion quickly followed by the poor remnants of her blanket as some sort of cape.

She could not help but smirk at the show, grabbing her little blue bird by the arm pits, earning her a shy shriek before pulling her to her eye level. ``But Pow...doesn't crabs move backwards?´´

``Why would the monster move away when trying to look for its prey?´´Exclaimed the little girl, still oblivious of the absurdity of her statement as she tried to wail her way out of her embrace. There would be no time to ponder much about it as the two were sent towards the ground when they were struck dead centre by two large pillows.

The culprit behind it not even bothering to hide itself as she stood out over the bed with a triumphant smirk, another two battered and patched pillows in her hands as if they were huge fists. Vi may have tried to keep things calm at first, but now she seemed no longer held back by such thoughts. She did not mind though, as the three continued wrecking havoc in their little room.

``Ha! Your spaghetti monster will be squashed into a stain by! See how there is no escape for you´´.

She did seem to be enjoying it, perhaps a bit too much. Still, two could play that game as she rapidly approached the pink haired girl

``Fools! You are no match for the Nightmarish Stalker, metal claws instead of fingers that will slice you in sight´´

It was almost surprising to consider that no so long ago she had been shaking in fear like a lost lamb.

Little did she notice under the ruckus the strange red markings forming around her shoulder beneath her cloths. A series of marks with the form of fingers...