Death Echoes in Dreams (circa 2019, never to be completed)

The winters were always the hardest for Cirice. The poor scaffolding of the library she resided in did little to protect her from the hellish chill of night. The air pulsed through her muscles into her bones, wroughting a terrible pain upon her each step she took. Wincing, she decided to indulge herself in reading to distract from this misery that often comes with age. 

She traced her fingers along the bookshelves, evaluating their spines until she came across her favorite, an old dream journal. It was quite worn. Cirice guessed it must have been written shortly after the start of Nimbus, if not earlier. It was odd for her to love such a thing. She did not associate herself with Moon Sorcerers. Nor was she someone who enjoyed exploring the convoluted realm of dreams, but something about it compelled her to cling to every detail.

She immediately opened the book and began to read.

September 18, 2032

As you know, the last few nights have been filled with only short and horrific nightmares. This night was no exception. But I only remember one, and the realness of it frightened me a great deal.

I was lying on subway tracks. I wasn’t in pain, but I could tell that I must’ve been hurt by the blood trailing onto the tracks. I could hear what sounded like yelling  from the ledge above. There were three figures. Two were very similar in appearance: Ginormous dragon-like beasts veiled with shadowy anatomies which drowned out most of their features, except their spiny, red-tipped tails and their faces full of hatred. They stalked towards my body while the third figure, much smaller than the beasts, watched. This figure seemed almost humanoid yet its features were unidentifiable. Soon, I noticed it calling my name…

“Ms. Song!” a voice rang.

Circe jumped, nearly dropping the journal. She let out a sigh and without even turning around said, “Amber, have you any decency?”

“Sorry. Just wanted to let you know I found Azrael.” She wrestled with the mystic feline in her arms. “Krystal should be back soon,”

“She didn’t leave with you?”

“No. Krys went out for her reading session alone this morning. Apparently, I’m ‘a hindrance to her progress,”

Seizing the opportunity, Azrael leaped to his owner and climbed atop her shoulders, resting there like a furry scarf.