"Hui," is all I can manage to say. I open my mouth, but words do not come. My last encounter with Hui Long was so planned — I knew exactly what I wanted to say to her, how I wanted to break her.
But now… I don't even know if this is the real her.
It certainly seems like her as she stalks up the hill, ruining the witch's tea party. Thraevirula glares down at Hui, drawing her own sword now. It screams out the scabbard like some unholy beast wrenching forth from the gloom, iron raw and yearning for the taste of blood.
"Get out," Thraevirula says. Her intonation is slow — no hint of flirtation or playfulness. All business, all menace. "Get out of my dreamscape."
"Let my frie— let him go first," Hui responds. I sniff. She was about to call me her friend. Well, good on her for recognizing the truth.
Stop. She's here to help.
Is she though? Or is she just trying to use you?
How is she here in the first place?
Too many questions, and no answers, as usual. I'm getting off it to be honest. I stand and hold my hands out.
"No," I order. "This is not happening. I need both of you to explain this to me — either that, or back the hell off. And don't get in the way of my mission."
"Sit down Raiten, the adults are talking," Thraevirula says, not even looking at me. Then, her eyes widen, as if realizing she made some type of mistake. She turns to me, all smiles once more: "I didn't mean it like that dear Raiten. What I meant was—"
Before she can answer, the dragon of wind spurs forth from Hui Long's blade and slams into the witch, wrestling her into the sky. I watch with muted disdain as the two are carried off far into the field of giant blades and spears, battling like some ancient primordials.
"Raiten," Hui says, putting her hand on my shoulder. I shrug her off and scramble away, glaring daggers at her. "Raiten I'm here to —"
"How in all the hells are you even here?" I ask. "Is this even the real you? This isn't some… dream-copy of you is it?"
"No, no, it's the real me. My actual body is with Gareth right now, taking a nap in a forest near the pass to the Boar Ranges." She holds her left hand up, palm flat out, as if trying to negotiate with some villain. Of course she sees you like some threat, you idiot. You've only shunned her help, scorned her, mauled her. Why should she treat you any different?
I take a deep breath in.
Forget the past for just a single second.
Focus on the now.
"Thraevirula said this is a dream-scape. So, if my dreams and hers are merging, then how —"
"Look, we don't have much time. I'm here because my affinity with spirits and destiny grants me visions and dreams and other such magickal insights like this. I even saw your fight in the illusion-trap that she set. This is less dangerous than that—your real body won't emanate the damage you take in these dreams. But, you shouldn't stay long regardless. She'll get in your head — affect your psyche. We need to leave," Hui says, talking at a rapid, worried speed.
From her sword, three more dragons are released: the dragon of darkness, the dragon of light — pure white and shimmering like some phantom — and the dragon of aether, blue and somewhat translucent. They swim into the air and trail after their wind dragon brother, no doubt to stall Thraevirula off further.
The revelation shocks me; makes me feel violated, to a degree. She saw me in such a vulnerable state of defeat and I didn't even notice. But I don't have time to be embarrassed or annoyed.
"Alright, how do I get out?" I ask.
"If we were still in your dreamscape, it would be easier. However, now that both your dreamscape and Thraevirula's have merged… I don't know."
"Oh, but I certainly do know," a voice intrudes. Thraevirula lands back in front of us with a sonic boom that rips across the sky. The dragon of darkness hounds after her, but she swats it away with her sword like some fly, making it dissipate. "I've got to say, you surprised me for a moment. But, as impressive as your dragons may be in the mortal plane, here, you're in my world. So both of you are going to play by my rules."
"As if, you child murdering bitch—" Hui begins to say, before she's cut off. At first I think she's been hit or noticed something strange, but when I turn to her, she seems fine. No injuries, no blood.
Only, her mouth is gone.
I stare in horror at Hui as she tries talking, but the voice comes muffled through a flap of skin that replaces the part of her face where her mouth should be.
"Now Raiten, what do you say? Any number of your amulets for an equal number of my cures? You get to save that little girl, rid your conscious of any guilt, and continue on what really matters. Killing every," she vanishes in the blink of an eye, her form phasing out. Then, I hear her voice right next to my ear: "Last." When I turn to the sound, she's gone, this time, breathing down my other ear, speaking slowly, seductively: "One of them. Every last Elder. Masaru, Kai, Daichi, Renji."
She touches a freezing finger to my neck, making my skin crawl and tingle. I stumble forward and turn to her smiling form. And once more, she extends the white gloved hand.
"I'll even help you kill them — an added bonus for your purchase. So, what do you say?"
I look at her hand, considering. It's tempting to be sure. But rather than the offer, only one thing she said echoes through my mind right now:
'If you're trying to control your dreamscape, I'm afraid it doesn't quite work like that. You aren't exactly a lucid dreamer Raiten — I can tell.'
So, if her mindscape and mine are merging, and she's able to bat away Hui Long's all-powerful dragons like they're some bugs, then…
I don't even realize I'm laughing until Thraevirula's own grin falters slightly.
"Is that a yes Raiten?" she asks.
I stride up to her, ignoring the muted, horrified protests of Hui Long.
"You were right Thraevirula," I begin, extending my hand. "I'm a simple man."
Her confidence surges with that. She knows she has me, just as Pamela knew she had me when she mentioned Masaru.
So I reach my hand out to hers…
And slither past her grasp, instead snatching her wrist. Her smile falters, and she tries pulling her hand back.
"What are you—"
"I'm a simple man, Thraevirula," I begin, cutting her off. "I can't dream lucidly like you do — can't make myself a Primordial within my own dreamscape."
She eventually gives up on wrenching her hand away and instead presses her blade into my chest, drawing blood. I shrug, then step into the blade, feeling the pain blossom.
She looks at me as if I'm mad.
I gasp the raw metal with my other hand, pulling it deeper, pulling her closer to me.
"Do you know," I begin to whisper. "Why immortality is a curse?"
"Are you — what is this?" she asks.
My grip on her hand tightens. "You think you know everything about me, don't you? I don't blame you. You've no doubt perused my memories, my past, my visions. What, with all your magicks and dreamscape violations, you must think you have me figured out. But Thraevirula, can you even begin to fathom what immortality truly means?"
There's a flicker of something in her eyes. Fear. She doesn't know what I'm talking about, doesn't know what I'm about to do. She tries backing away, tries escaping. My grip is too tight — I'm learning the twisted logic of this dreamscape as well. As long subconsciously, I believe I'm stronger than her, than in this merging of our minds, I am stronger than her.
"Let me go!" she hisses.
"Answer the question."
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Then, allow me to demonstrate." Suddenly, the darkness encroaches upon the glades. A complete and utter void black colonizes the giant swords, the spears, the grass, the little scones splayed about the broken table — until all is consumed, except for Thraevirula, Hui, and I. I glance back to Hui, and see the look of shock in her eyes. She's not trying to speak anymore through that flap of skin — I can't willfully undo it and I don't try to. I just want her to watch.
Because none of what I'm doing is lucid. Deliberate.
I'm just letting go.
"You see, oh mighty witch of plagues, I may not be able to dream lucidly. But for ten years, the only company I had in the dark were my nightmares."
From the crevices of black come forth daemons and djinn, half giants and eldritch wolves, war monkeys and wyvern. Even Baroth flies high above, as if commanding the beasts from my past.
"For ten years, from boy to manhood, I fought monsters. Was ripped apart by daemons, had my guts feasted upon by wolves, had my limbs crushed by half-giants and devs — now, witness my retinue of horror."
Thraevirula's eyes go from beast to beast, monster to monster. Her mouth hangs agape.
"You shouldn't be able to do this. You're not skilled in dream magicks," she mutters, as if trying to cope with what she's seeing.
"Of course I'm not. This is just the only way I know how to dream. Now, Thraevirula, answer the question: do you know why immortality is a curse?"
"You bastard Raiten, we could've had a deal," she spits. Finally, she is able to twist her hand away and pull her sword from my chest. She stumbles back, waving the blade around. "I won't let you free of this dreamscape. I swear."
"That's the wrong answer Thraevirula." The monsters come forth now, drawing their attention not to me, but to the witch. They can smell her fear in here.
"Stay away!" she yells. She tries holding her hand out, and for a moment, the darkness of this realm retreats. However, it comes back just as quick and she's left staring at her hand, wondering how my dreamscape overpowers hers.
"The answer, Thraevirula, is pain. Now, let's see if you can handle even a fraction of what I endured over the past ten years." With that, I snap my fingers: "Hunt."
There's a cacophony of roars, screeching, and screaming hell before every single monster of my past hounds after the Witch of Plagues.
I smile just as she begins to scream.