Noah was dreaming, finding himself wandering through a dark film of mist that never cleared wherever he wandered.
Opening and closing his hands, he got a sense of control unlike how it would have been for an ordinary dream. Usually, when one realizes they're dreaming, the dreamscape either becomes their oyster, or they abruptly wake up to reality.
This wasn't the case for him.
In the darkness he continued to wander, guided faintly by the dim white glow of the cross adorned on the back of his hands.
Noah felt as if he had an idea about where he was, considering he'd passed out staring at the black eye that had formed in place of the Dark Star.
This mist, this darkness, was it not in the depths of the encroaching dark fog?
Shuddering, Noah composed himself as the light of his palms radiated a soothing warmth, the only beacon in the dim veil.
Wandering through the shadows, a bright light suddenly emerged in the form of a burning bush whose flames were of the purest blue and white.
However fleeting, the darkness vanished at once, clarity returning to the realm and revealing the scene obscured by the dark fog.
A panoramic view of Amaranth emerged.
Familiar streets, places, and even people twisted by blight wandering through the alleys and roads. The towering castle of Everbright, once a monument of confidence in Amaranth, had become a twisted and dilapidated structure.
The fog had found a hold and encroached over one of Aletera's six fortress cities surrounding the border of mankind.
Amaranth had fallen.
And in the darkness, the only light remaining was the light of the cross on Noah's hands, and the whispers of an angel in his ears.
The Lord's grace was ever merciful.
Ever slowly, time began to rewind, revealing a sequence of events that led to tragedy.
/-/
Blearily, Noah opened his eyes, waking up from the dream.
A hand came to press over his face as the deluge of information and visions momentarily clouded his mind.
'...And the angel spoke upon to Joseph, to flee Nazareth.' -Matthew 2:13.
Prophetic dreams and warnings.
Considering his circumstances, he'd be a fool to blindly ignore them. A threat of the black fog would soon befall Amaranth. Whether the dream was meant to be a warning to stay and fight, or flee, it was difficult to say.
Actually, no.
Noah already knew the answer, it was just too hard to believe.
Grunting, he sat up over the soft bed he found himself in, the rustling of his bed sheets alerting the other occupants of the room that he'd roused from unconsciousness.
The scene however, was not what Noah was expecting.
Three children were having a heated standoff at the foot of his bed. The problem was, all of them were related to Noah in some way.
A frustrated Raelyn was glaring at John and Leah while clenching the spear she had in hand. In contrast, John and Leah barred Raelyn from getting any closer to Noah.
Droplets of water were surrounding Leah like rain, and John had even grabbed a table ornament to use as a weapon.
As Noah abruptly sat up and stared at them all, they grew awkward at the flat look on his face.
"What is going on?" He asked, both sides immediately pointing fingers at the other.
Children.
He did not have the time to deal with this.