Chapter 10

A Night of Terror

They had a full day exploring the caverns, the underground city, and of course the rest of the palace. The team ran across a few minor hellions, but nothing serious and nothing of any real danger came their way. Sorey and Mikleo spent a lot of time geeking out and talking about history, or arguing over the nuances of the artifacts they found. Sometimes they'd flip open The Celestial Record and compare notes in it to the things they saw.

"No, I'm telling you, you've never known how to read a map correctly Sorey. North is that way. And if that's true than this column of limestone here is the formation known as dragon rock."

"How do you even know that's north? We're in a cave!"

"Because of the landmarks around us in relation to the map. Here look, hold it this way." Mikleo stepped up beside him. Moving in close, he reached his arm around the shepherd's back. Then, putting both hands over Sorey's, he turned the map for him.

"There, see?" Still keeping a gentle hold on Sorey's left hand, he pointed at the map with his right. "Now doesn't it look more like the drawing on page seventy-eight?"

While they had touched a lot of times before, something about Mikleo's closeness right then and there was...different. Now that they were a couple, everything felt better, warmer, and deeper than before. And Sorey could relax into his touch, even when he was busy trying to figure out what on earth Mikleo was talking about.

Sorey peered at the map, looking genuinely dubious as to the spot Mikleo was pointing at, then looked at the area around them, but then... A hot blush reached up to the tips of his ears, past his ear cuffs, and he took in a short breath.

"O-Oh..." he said, embarrassed. "I, um, I see it now. You're right," and he exhaled, leaning back ever so slightly into Mikleo, loving the fact that the seraph's left hand still covered his own. "You're right, and I...well, wasn't." He at least always had the dignity to admit when he was wrong.

Mikleo smiled. As always, Sorey was adorable. And he was especially so at the moment with his red ears and cheeks and humble expression on his face.

"And that's why you should listen to me more often." Already incredibly near to Sorey, it was easy to lean in and plant a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Doofus," he whispered in his ear. Unable to help but tease, Mikleo also found it was impossible not to play a little too. And so, as soon as he kissed him, he then took his hand and pinched him in his side, making the shepherd let out a loud yelp. But just as Sorey turned to retaliate, Mikleo pranced away as gracefully as a deer.

Laughing, he finally got his game of chase that he had so longed for that morning at the breakfast table. And as he ducked behind a stalagmite, he reveled in the thrill he felt at making Sorey run after him. Glancing back and pausing briefly to make sure Sorey was coming behind him, it was clear to everyone there that the game would have been no fun at all if Sorey didn't take the bait.

Edna sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I'm telling you, the price is waaay too steep. Nothing can be worth this sappiness."

"Shush shush!" Lailah waved her hand at the earth seraph. "They're sooo cute in their new, young love. Look at them play!"

Zaveid chuckled.

"We'll have to give them some extra alone time later on, if you know what I mean." And then he waggled his eyebrows, a very distinct grin on his face.

"Ugh! Gross!" Edna cried again. "Do we have to talk about it out loud?!"

Sorey was absolutely delighted. He loved playing chase with Mikleo, and that sense was only heightened since they hadn't been able to play like this earlier on at the inn.

Oblivious to the dirty comment Zaveid had just made, Sorey kept himself occupied by dashing over to one side of the stalagmite, and reaching out for Mikleo to nab him and tickle him, but the seraph was too swift for him. Mikleo gracefully leapt away, and Sorey was content to chase him.

"Hey! You get back here!" he play-demanded, knowing fully good and well that the seraph would never comply.

That's what made the game so much fun.

Chuckling, and feeling lighter than he had in ages, Sorey thanked the heavens and everything in them that he had the opportunity to let off some steam like this. As glad as he was to be the shepherd, so he could help others, he couldn't deny that sometimes it got difficult keeping himself calm and worry-free. But if they could have moments like this...Sorey knew they'd all be alright.

Mikleo laughed outright at Sorey's demand.

"Make me!" He at first ran around the large stalagmite, forcing Sorey to run in a circle around it after him. But then of course Sorey wised up and stopped running, causing Mikleo to almost run into him on his own as he came around. Sorey reached out both arms to grab him, but Mikleo once again performed some evasive moves and leapt away backward.

"Missed me!" He grinned smugly, and teasing mercilessly, he then came forward, poked Sorey in his side, and then leapt off and away all over again. His laughter filled the cavern.

"Oh my God they're like babies," Edna groaned.

"But Edna, they practically are," Lailah defended. "Mikleo's only eighteen and Sorey seventeen. And eighteen for a seraph is practically nothing. You, Zaveid and myself are hundreds or even thousands of years old depending on which one of us we're discussing. You probably can't even remember being that young."

Edna paused to actually think about it, and eventually she conceded.

"You're right, I can't," she said. "And you're also probably right about this being normal behavior then for ones so young."

"All we can do is look after them. Youth is precious."

Across the cavern, Mikleo and Sorey were running down the path getting quite ahead of their friends. And Mikleo still enjoying himself immensely, found a bottleneck area in the passageway ahead. Immediately getting an idea, he waited until he passed through the narrowing. Then he suddenly stopped, spun around and raised both hands.

"Bubble Blast!" Immediately, he created a wall of bubbles that rose up, covering the entire area Sorey would have to run through. And with Sorey right on his heels, there was no way for him to avoid it in time.

The spell, which was so simple it didn't need an incantation, was the first spell Mikleo had ever learned. It was how he had discovered he was a water seraph. And it had almost been exclusively used as a prank against his childhood friend. Sorey had countless memories of getting a face full of bubbles, or bubbles overcoming the stream he was swimming in until he was buried, or even sticking his feet in his shoes to discover them full of bubbles. It had been Mikleo's earliest form of flirting, in the same sense that a boy might pull the pigtails of a girl he likes. And going back to basics now, seemed somehow perfect.

Sorey gleefully chased after Mikleo, hot on his heels. It had been some time since the water seraph had used Bubble Blast against him. As such, he had no preparation for what was about to happen.

Running as fast as he could, the shepherd heard him shout out the spells name, but there was no time to avoid it. And with that, Sorey plastered right into a wall of big, wet bubbles.

"Blagh!" he cried, taking a couple of steps back, the bubbles creeping up his nose and wetting his chocolate colored locks. Flailing his arms, trying to get as many away from him as possible, Sorey must have looked ridiculous.

"Hey! No fair!" he complained, knowing fully good and well it was perfectly fair. Mikleo would always use whatever he could to one-up Sorey. That was just a fact. And despite his protests, the green-eyed youth loved it when the seraph pulled a fast one on him. He just had to keep up appearances, that was all.

Mikleo's laughter rose up much like the bubbles themselves. He stood just after the bubble wall, no longer turning to run since it was much more fun to watch Sorey flail his arms and see the bubbles get stuck to his hair and clothes too. Swinging his hands in arcs, Sorey of course soon popped most of the bubbles, even if it meant getting his clothes a little damp. Passing through the foamy curtain, he came out on the other side, finally meeting Mikleo face to face.

Mikleo hesitated briefly, looking like he was torn about whether to run again or not, but that half second of indecision was all Sorey needed. Lashing out, he grabbed Mikleo by his upper arms, gripping him tightly, just before he turned to run again.

"Gotchya!" He cried. But Mikleo's mischievous grin said otherwise.

"Do you now?" And before Sorey could know what he was thinking, Mikleo pursed his lips as if about to whistle. Then with a brisk blow, a stream of bubbles came out of his mouth and straight into Sorey's face. Mikleo started laughing all over again, his violet eyes squinting shut in delight.

"That's the oldest trick I know!" He said between laughter. "And you fall for it every time!"

"Gaah!" Sorey exclaimed, releasing his grip on the water seraph in a desperate attempt to get the bubbles out of his face.

"That's because I - " and he wiped a bubble off of his cheek. "I never think there's any way you'd do it to me again," he fake-whined. "You know I hate that!"

"No you don't," Mikleo argued as his laughter finally started to settle down. He waited patiently a moment while Sorey cleaned up his face. Then, once he could see again he said,

"Why'd you let me go? I might run again."

"..." Sorey wiped the last bubble off of his forehead, and smiled at the water seraph.

"Because," he stated, then reached out and grabbed Mikleo around the waist. "I thought you might want to be caught," he said, before pulling the seraph up against him and kissed him on the cheek. Then, and only then, did he retaliate and poke him back in the ribs.

Mikleo flinched when poked and instinctively pulled back. But he didn't run again. It was like Sorey had claimed: he'd wanted to be caught. And since he knew he was so much more nimble and swift than his human counterpart, the only time Sorey ever caught him in tag or a game of chase was when he let him. And so, Mikleo had to admit,

"Maybe I did," he said. "But not for a poke in the ribs."

He and Sorey exchanged a meaningful look for just a second. But that was when they heard footsteps come running down the pathway.

"Hey you guys!" Came the call from back down the cavern. "Slow down will you! Some of us aren't as young and spry as you!"

"Speak for yourself you old man!"

"Old man!? Ouch!"

Mikleo smiled Sorey's way, putting a hand on his hip.

"Next time then?"

The team was forced to end their exploring since the day was getting late. Exiting out of the caverns, they ventured out into the dying sun of late afternoon. Luckily, for a certain heat-sensitive seraphim, this meant the day was already greatly cooler than it had been that morning. And so, traveling back to Lowgrin was easy and didn't take them as long. They reached the walls only a few minutes after dark.

Sorey, of course, was starving, so they all headed to the dining tent before doing anything else. Relaxing over a table of food and drinks felt wonderful and it was exactly what they all needed. Joking, laughing, and filling their bellies, the shepherd and his team rejuvenated their spirits before facing the next day, which they all knew would be based on getting back down to business.

Afterward, they all headed back over to the inn. And as they all changed and took part in their nightly routines, Mikleo felt a huge sense of relief wash over him. Now that he'd made everything so clear to Sorey, and now that everything had been spoken about out in the open, there was no reason to sleep alone. And sleeping next to Sorey had become so natural and habitual that the one night without him before had been almost painful. But now they could go back to what they had been doing before.

Once in his night clothes, and once Sorey was in his, Mikleo didn't even hesitate; he walked right over to the last bed where Sorey had slept the night before. And before anyone else had even laid down, he crawled in, pulling the covers up to his hips.

"Uhh…what are you doing?" Edna asked as she removed her hair band. Mikleo sighed, already frustrated at the simple question.

"What does it look like?"

"Well it looks like your crawling into your new boyfriend's bed on the first night."

Mikleo sighed all over again.

"Edna please, we've been sharing the same bed this entire trip. Why should it matter now?"

"Because before you were just friends and there were never enough beds for someone NOT to share. And I was usually in the second room. And now you're dating."

"Geeze, Edna do you even hear yourself? All we're doing is sharing a bed. You know, for sleeping. You have nothing to worry about." He let out a dissatisfied grumble. "Like we'd do anything in a tent full of other people. Ridiculous." He rolled over onto his side so that his back was to the earth seraph. But this didn't seem satisfactory enough, for then he barked out,

"And for your information, Sorey and I have never been just friends!"

From across the room it was Zaveid that let out a perverted guffaw.

Sorey sat down on his side of the bed too, looking at the others as he spoke.

"He's right. We never have been just friends," he agreed. "We've had feelings for each other since...well, forever. I...don't remember a time when we didn't. And he's right about another thing," and Sorey pouted, looking directly to Edna then.

"We're using the bed for sleep. Nothing more. And with everyone else here, I would never..." But he didn't finish his sentence, he just frowned some more, and then swung his own legs over the bed and under the covers.

"Anyway. Goodnight, guys. We'll see you in the morning." And that was that. Sorey wasn't going to let anyone keep him from curling up with Mikleo. There was nothing perverted or gross or weird about it. This was exactly where he belonged, and he felt that way as soon as his head hit the pillow. Mikleo was right there. He could feel him, smell him, see him. And the weight of another person in the bed with him was reassuring, so much more than it had been last night. And so Sorey took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

"They'll get used to it," he whispered to Mikleo. "And I will do my best to not steal the covers," he teased with a smile.

No matter what kind of a mood Mikleo was in, he had to smile when Sorey was nearby. And he especially had to do so after he said something like that to him. Besides, they were laying side by side, and Sorey's green eyes were looking at him, and that always brought him a feeling of home, comfort and safety.

"If you do, I'll freeze you with my ice feet," he playfully threatened.

The other three settled into their beds too and someone blew out the lanterns. And as soon as it was dark and Mikleo knew no one could see them that well, he scooched in closer. Sleeping the way they always had, he rested his head of snow-white hair right in that place where Sorey's shoulder met his neck. Sorey's scent was always strongest here, and his unique aroma was soothing. Mikleo also took the liberty of resting an arm on top of his chest. And as soon as he did, he sighed with contentment.

Sorey was warm, his heart beat rhythmically from within his chest, and he smelt as human as always. There was no way Mikleo couldn't feel good. He felt himself starting to drift off in an instant. But before he did, he made sure to whisper,

"Don't forget…I told you I love you."

He'd been near half asleep himself when Mikleo said that. And Sorey smiled, knowing exactly what he needed to say in response.

Very quietly, in a whisper to match the seraph's, the shepherd responded in like,

"I love you too Mikleo. And I don't think I can ever forget that." And he nuzzled his face into his love's oh-so-silky hair, inhaling the seraph's own unique scent, feeling more content and more at peace then he could remember in a long time.

Today had been a good day. And that night, he knew, would be a good one too. He'd chase away Mikleo's nightmares. There wouldn't be any more now that he was there with him, now that they had each other. And if for some reason the seraph did have one, Sorey would be there to hold him and comfort him. Now that he knew what was going on with his love, he could do that. He'd do anything for Mikleo.

And it was with those thoughts that Sorey drifted off to sleep, feeling warm and happy, and cozy and loved, the best things anyone could feel while drifting off into dreamland.

The night was still and silent. The sky outside deep and purple, there were only a few stars peeking out in between a rare spotted covering of clouds. All the residence of Lowgrin were asleep in their own tents, not a soul left to stir in the darkness. Even the inn keeper had gone to bed long ago.

The shepherd and his crew were peaceful in their slumber. And like the night before, and for many nights before that, ever since Glaivend Basin, Mikleo seemed perfectly content for the first few hours of the evening. In fact, he was so happy, that even in his sleep a small smile was on his face, his arm still lain casually over Sorey's chest.

But then a shadow appeared, and it moved slowly and purposefully around the outside of the tent. It moved until it came to the end, where the shepherd's bed rested, and then it stopped. For just a second or two, everything was still, but then a very faint purple light swirled just in front of the shadow.

Lailah stirred, but before she was roused by the sense of malevolence, the purple light faded away and was ended, but not before Mikleo's pale brow began to furrow in his sleep. The shadow outside the tent then quickly moved away, vanishing from whence it came.

Inside the tent, Mikleo's face contorted. His lips twisted into a grimace, and he immediately became restless. His muscles tightening, he fidgeted in his sleep. The hand on top of Sorey's chest twitched, and a second later, the water seraph let out a quiet, almost inaudible groan. His heart picking up pace from within his chest, he broke out into a rare sweat. And as the minutes ticked by, he seemed to only become more and more distressed.

His face twisted, and his groans became louder. And his twitching became more of a spasm as he clearly went through something horrible in his dreams. And as it all intensified, his groans became words,

"…n…no…no…Sorey…" he mumbled. And then, alarmingly, tears started to leak out from the corners of his eyes. "…I…m…right here. D…don't…don't!"

His voice was getting louder now. And even as Sorey and a few of the others started to stir at it, it grew more extreme. And if they weren't waking up before, they certainly were now, for Mikleo suddenly let out a gasp, and then started to thrash and scream from within his bed.

"No…NO…NOOO!" He shrieked. It would have been loud enough to wake up all of Lowgrin if anyone else had been able to hear him except his friends. But as it was, no one made a peep outside, even as all three seraphim plus a shepherd sat up in their beds in shock.

"What the hell?!" Edna cried throwing her hands over her ears.

"He's having another nightmare!" Zaveid shouted.

Edna gaped, "More like a night terror!"

"What? But how?" Lailah exclaimed "We've confronted his fears about the malevolence and confessing to Sorey!"

But Mikleo still wasn't awake, even with his friends shouting, and as his nightmare sunk its claws deeply into him, he let out another heart wrenching scream, his face twisting and warping in anguish.

"SOREY! SOREY! SOREY!"

Sorey, his heart pounding in his chest at the sight of his tortured boyfriend, didn't know what else to do but pull Mikleo closer to him, then tried to get the seraph to wake up and open his eyes.

"I'm right here! Mikleo!" Sorey shouted, turning his love's face towards his own, desperate to try and wake the terrified seraph up from his nightmare. "I'm right here!" he repeated, shaking him by the shoulders firmly. "I'm right here with you! It's okay!"

Oh god, Sorey thought. I know exactly what this is about. It's just like the battle at the Basin. And knowing what his love was dreaming about was heart wrenching. Their conversation in the ruins had, after all, been more than just a confession of love. He'd told Sorey the truth about what was bothering him. And now, the only thing Sorey could do was keep Mikleo close, and repeat himself, trying to wake him from the horrors that plagued the seraph's subconscious.

A firm shaking seemed to be the thing Mikleo needed. For as soon as he was grabbed and jostled, he woke up with a terrible gasp, his purple eyes flying open in terror. For a second, he seemed wild and confused, but Sorey was holding him with a firm grip, and so luckily Sorey was the first thing he saw.

Mikleo gaped up at his love, his usually calm and stoic face now harrowed and full of fear. Gasping for breath, it took him several seconds to even register that he was awake. His eyes still huge, he fixated them on the shepherd.

"Y-you…y-you're…you're looking at me…" he stuttered, his voice quaking. And then, as soon as he said it Sorey watched in horror as the seraphim's face twisted and the glimmering of even more tears filled his eyes. And then, Mikleo threw himself forward, allowing himself to collapse into Sorey's chest. Lifting his arms, he wrapped them tightly around his love, squeezing him in a frightfully desperate way. And then, against the pride the others knew he had, he started to openly cry.

Sorey was dumbfounded, and so worried he didn't know what else to do but to wrap his own arms around Mikleo, holding him tight against his torso.

"Shhh, it's okay," Sorey said softly, trying to stave off his own tears. Seeing Mikleo like this, who was normally so in control and held together, was heart wrenchingly painful. He lifted a hand to stroke the back of Mikleo's head in a calming manner, or at least what he hoped was a calming manner. Then he just rocked the seraph a little bit, helping him get readjusted.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. I'm here, I've been here the whole time. It's okay," he reassured, hoping that those words would do the trick. If he knew that Sorey could've seen him the whole time, then...then maybe that would help.

He shot Lailah a worried glance, wordlessly trying to express how confused he was feeling. Wasn't this a worse nightmare than the others? None of the other ones had been this bad. Then...why tonight? Sorey didn't understand.

Lailah met the shepherd's eyes, and her own expression was also filled with worry. Nightmares every now and then was one thing, but Mikleo's had been every night since the battle, and they seemed to be growing increasingly intense. And what made even less sense was this evening. Mikleo had opened himself up and had spoken not only to Sorey about his fears, but to Lailah too. That was a lot for the usually very private water seraph. And with his confession to Sorey that day, his boost in confidence and magical ability, his new spell, and how happy he'd been, a nightmare like this made little sense. Especially for a seraph.

Seraphim had the natural ability to ward off malevolence, which was the usual cause of nightmares. Most seraphim never experienced nightmares, and when they did, it was rare and a result of their own natural fear. Mikleo, a normally well put together individual, should not have been having them to this degree. Something was wrong.

Lailah frowned, her worried expression becoming something harsher. She was starting to get a distinct feeling that something else was going on, something other than Mikleo's natural fears. She'd thought she'd felt a brief, weak, fleeting bit of malevolence in her sleep the past several nights. She'd chalked it up to the bad dreams, or the evils that could take place outside their tent or inn. But now she wondered.

She shifted her turquoise eyes to the sobbing seraph in Sorey's arms. With one glance she knew the discussion would need to wait until the morning. For now, what Mikleo needed was to be comforted and a moment to calm back down. He didn't need Lailah introducing new fears. At least not right now.

"Come on," Lailah said calmly to the other two seraphim in the room. "Let's give him a few moments." Zaveid and Edna were openly staring, and Lailah knew Mikleo didn't need that either. The three wordlessly turned away from the scene and ducked out into the desert night.

Alone in the tent now, Mikleo seemed to hold onto Sorey even more tightly. He trembled terribly in his arms, and his tears soaked into his clothes.

Sorey flashed Lailah a grateful glance, then refocused on his Mikleo. Shudders wracked his lithe body, and Sorey did the best he could to quell whatever fears lingered in the water seraph's mind. His hands gently rubbed across Mikleo's back, moving in slow circles, as he continued to rock him back and forth.

"It's okay," he repeated softly, the sweetness of his voice stronger now that they didn't have prying eyes.

"I've got you, and I'll hold you for as long as you need. So let it out. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." Maybe that's what he needed, Sorey mused. Maybe he needed to know it was okay to be scared for a while. Sorey tried to give off as much calming and gentle energy as possible, and just focused on being as soft and as sweet as he could be for his trembling love.

But it was hard not to be frightened by Mikleo's condition. Sorey wasn't sure if he'd ever seen him so frightened, and the twisted look on his usually sweet face pierced his heart. His fresh water tears didn't seem to be stopping, and he held onto Sorey so tightly that his fingers almost hurt as they dug into his back. Shivering in the shepherd's arms, he seemed as if he was just too terrified to let him go.