While Valentine was off visiting Suth, Jakery slept in his bedroom. Moonlight struggled through small cracks on the closed window. It lit his bedsheets in a soothing blue color.
As the little one slept, there was something off about his mind. Despite being at rest, his brain was not. There was a lot of energy built up from Onum Fall.
Several minutes passed after he closed his eyes, that's when he opened them again. Except he was not in his bedroom. There were no signs of any bed, walls, doors, or moonlight.
He glanced down at himself, noticing the pure white snow beneath his feet and the gown he wore to bed every night. A sudden shock took control of his body as screaming and stomping fogged his ears.
Jakery gritted his teeth, looking around for the source of it all. Blurry figures charged at one another. Some came down the mountain while others ran up it, weapons drawn from both sides.
Banners danced carelessly in the skies, rooting for their side to push forward and claim the territory. Despite them dancing so much, Jakery noticed the lack of wind. There was none, only a still frozen battlefield.
Lightning cackled and lava growled. Snake-like figures danced in the skies overhead, selecting landing zones and falling right on them.
Variants screamed in agony before all going silent. Jakery watched in utter terror as one of the snakes, a blue one, lifting itself out of the ground. It took flight once again.
As it weaved through the skies, another flyer rose to challenge them. It was a winged white creature, Jakery automatically assumed it was a Sky Beast.
He watched it try to catch the snake's attention, screeching and getting in its way. Only for it to surround the beast with its massive body.
Just like that, it encased two victims in a death trap. The snake opened its beak, splitting it in four, then engulfing the Sky Beast and its rider inside.
Raw electrical surges shook the entire area, making it difficult for Variants to combat each other as their muscles stiffened. Which included Jakery.
While the beast overhead cackled, there was a furious roar that caught his attention. Jakery turned to face it only to see a grey two-legged monster tower over those around it.
The creature walked hunched over, two massive arms designed to pick and rip hung close to the ground. It slammed one closed fist onto fleeing forces.
Even from where Jakery stood, he could still hear the bones crunch and break under the pressure. The sounds lingered in Jakery's ears, forcing him to close his eyes.
"Vul, hineri amamino..." Jakery said.
Upon hearing himself speak, he jumped in terror. He spoke Bakano, his primary language, but couldn't understand it. Jakery muttered the same sentence to himself again, only to fail in understanding what he said for a second time.
Agonized screaming unlike any he heard on the field caught his attention away from himself. Forcing him to turn his head the opposite direction and spectate what was happening.
There was a figure, a giant corrupted one, that rampaged through the mountain. Its limbs extended to grab warriors by the dozens, then rip them apart on the spot.
Dust would spread to the surrounding forces and area, corrupting them, too. The black substance allowed the creature to wield it as weapons.
Causing more disaster to break lose around it. What made the creature even more terrifying was how Jakery saw it. Because everything he had ever seen on that mountain was blurry.
Except for this creature, the Distorted. It stopped dead in its tracks when it caught gaze of him, the broad figure stood tall. Jakery felt himself get lightheaded.
"Zalaluk, namistad. He'a yeri-otm qarrako!" it screamed.
Jakery tried to scream in terror, but nothing came out his mouth. He wanted to run away from the creature, let something else claim his life before that thing could.
He tried thrashing his arms around, kicking as hard as he could to move out of its path. But nothing happened, he remained in the same spot frozen in fear.
Until the Distorted took several steps closer, breaking him free of his paralysis. Jakery took off sprinting, making his way to the enraged beast from earlier.
It opened its arms, ready to rip Jakery apart. Only for two black tentacles to wrap around both wrists, then pulled hard enough to divide the beast in two.
The corpse fell right before him. Jakery followed it, he fell on his knees while crying uncontrollably. But instead of fighting his end, he turned around to confront it.
A black face stared down at his. Life did not exist in this face, only a mold waiting to take shape. The creature extended a large arm over to Jakery. It latched onto his shoulder and neck.
Utter panic took over from there, Jakery closed his eyes tight. Only to hear something odd.
"Yurnavair!" it said.
Jakery felt the creature gently rock him back and forth, then repeating the phrase again. It sounded odd, the voice. Instead of sounding like a catalyst of destruction, it sounded more playful.
Inviting Jakery to open his eyes slowly. When he did, everything returned to normal. Ether loomed over him, gently shaking his small frame with one hand while hugging him with the other.
"Yurnavair! (Morning!)" Ether repeated.
"Huh?" Jakery's heavy breathing began to slow down. "Y - Yurnavair, Shora."
"Did you have a bad dream?" Ether said while running his fingers through Jakery's soft black hair. "You were like a dying animal. Screaming, crying, kicking and punching. The whole act!"
"I'm so sorry if I woke you up, then. But yeah, I had a horrible dream," Jakery replied.
Ether smiled, getting in rhythm as he comforted Jakery. "Well, what happened, Shojoro?"
Jakery flinched at Ether's touch. "I was on a mountain, Digon, I think. And there was this massive battle. Everything was blurry, I couldn't understand any languages, and flying creatures and enraged creatures and... a Distorted."
"Wh - what..? Distorted?" Ether stopped rubbing his hair. "J - Jakery, I..."
"Is it a bad sign to dream of them?" Jakery whispered.
"N - no, it just means something big and bad is going to happen. Those things mark end times for many and bring it about when they get hungry. That's their nature," Ether answered.
"Okay," Ether continued. "Stick by my side. If you see one of those things, tell me. I'll protect you."