#spriesting

It was different, Ayu knew this right away.

A dark, swirling mist enveloped her - terrifying not in the sense of darkness, but in the feeling of the unknown. Anything could happen and she knew this. A translucent tendril of mist swirled up and danced along her cheek. The priestess jerked away quickly, eyes lighting up in defiance. Slowly, the mist retreated, leaving her alone in a pitch dark. Had the mist somehow lit up the room with shadows? It made no sense, but it was the only logical explanation.

The abyss was heavy around her. Empty, yet so full of... something. Anticipation? She wasn't sure. Suddenly the mist was back, brushing past her hair and coagulating in front of her, an outline of some sort of figure presenting itself as a brighter shadow in the darkness.

There was no communication, but it felt as though they were speaking. They understood each other on every level. It was terrifying, but so enticing. She put her foot down and denied every advance. The figure was determined, though, and the mental tug-of-war started weighing on the priestess. A few more minutes was all it took before the mist swirled around her again. The shadows were invading, pulling at every recess of her mind, everything felt lighter, and there was so much in the way of new interests...

Ayu woke up on the floor, dazed and very confused. A fuzzy nose nudged at her cheek and she sat up slowly. "Caira, go away."

An indignant purr said otherwise, the saber inching toward her as she worked her way up, determined to act as a crutch. A small smile crossed the priestess' lips before she blacked out again.

If power is what you want, so you shall have.

Cold, so much cold, and suddenly heartbeat is racing

Your family is nothing with you or without you. You are nothing. You need them no more than they need you.

A sense of longing, need, desperation

Funny, isn't it? How these things work. They always come back to you again.

An almost eerily serene vision of the lithe priestess in a corner outside the temple, slowly weaving shadow magic between her fingers, a few small tendrils slithering across the ground

You can't escape.

A breath with no air, choking, scrambling for a lifeline

And then there are tears. So many tears that Ayu isn't sure where her nightmare stopped and consciousness began. After a long while, she managed to pull herself up onto the bed. The entire rest of the house was still asleep, none the wiser for her ordeal.

Her pillow straightened and everything back to the way it was, Ayu curled up and sighed, Caira still nudging at her arm. Not wanting to wake anyone else up, she shoved at the cat until she finally gave up and plopped down at the foot of the bed, staring the priestess down. It was a look that threatened to wake Cena if it happened again. He trained his sabers well. Annoyed, Ayu threw a piece of paper at the cat as a counter-threat and buried her face in her pillow.

Part of her was sure it wouldn't happen again.