trying not to lose the fire // nightmares (tw)

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[color=#7E354D]BAI SHI
" my own illusion come to be "

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TW WARNING:: GORE AND YEAH. GORE AND HORROR

sleep hadn't been coming easily, and when it did come, it came on the wings of unwanted memories. the memories pertained to their childhood, shook loose by ninazu's dive into their mind when they were captured by the ardent.

they barely slept these days, far too stressed out by the daily happenings and the resulting loss of a substantial number of eggs from their clutch. the number of eggs had been dropped to half, accredited to stress. the nightmares had begun to crawl into the daytime, little things off to the side of their vision, blood flying across their eyes. there was no escape, nothing they could do to stop it.

as of right now, they were laid up in their den, listening to the faint sparring of npcs in the background, soaking up some heat from the sun, sleep rolling over them like an unwanted lover's touch. it felt like smoke in their throat, consuming them in a tight grip.

lights flashing and blinding, a man's body sprawled across the floor when moments ago, he had been standing, fighting with another man. the hot spray of blood across a child's face and the heavy fall of a body later, the first man lay prone on the floor, his breathing jagged and wet. the whole place reeked of blood and pain. fear was thick in the air, baby blue eyes focused in on the hot glowing knife protruding from the fallen man's chest. his eyes were fixed on them, reaching out before his arm was pulled back by the other with a sick snap.

the child scrambled back further, frightened by the glowing gold of the fallen man's eyes compared to the crown clenched in their hand, their arm holding a baby, tears rolling down their face as they held onto the baby and ran. they screamed as a hand grabbed them by the hair, their teeth flashing in warning to their captor before their teeth sunk into his other arm.

the dragon was twitching and spasming in their sleep, jerking and panting. tears were evident at the corners of their eyes, the sand and ground being torn up under and around them. they were making strangled and startling noises that they shouldn't have been able to, their body thrashing and horns knocking into the wall of their den. the NPCs had long since fled, shouting that something was happening with the nomarch of warfare and it was dangerous to go near them.