Work Text:
What was this she felt?
One moment Katsum is feeling her body burning, and then the next, she felt nothing but this powerful hunger for something…something that she did not know what it was. For a moment, she thought the world around her had ceased to function and she was left to her thoughts alone. She heard nothing, felt nothing. She could hardly even think any further past this thought of the strange craving she felt.
And then finally, a noise - perhaps a voice - broke the silence and she listened. If it was a voice, maybe she might recognize it and figure out what was happening, but it was so faint, she could hardly even hear it. Then, she felt something touch her arm and she turned to look, feeling like her body was moving much more heavily than before, moving in slow motion. Beside her stood a bright, white light shaped like a person looking up at her, a faint, voice-like noise coming from the being. It looked behind itself and she noticed others standing behind it. There were seven in total, all gathered close to her, all beings of blinding light. The noise grew a little louder, one of them reaching out to the one touching her arm, and they seemed to act like they were having a conversation.
As Katsum watched them, she felt something inside of her stir. It took control of her movements and before she realized, she was reaching out for the one closest to her. The being moved away from her quickly, the others drawing forward to pull it back with them. What was it drawing her forward? These were people she had realized, but she didn’t recognize them. Again, the hunger pushed her. It bid her to reach out further, to stand and give chase when they were out of her reach, and to fight when they fought back. To do whatever it took to catch them. The longer it pushed her, the more she felt her power over her actions slipping away. She was losing all control to this feeling, this craving for something these beings had. But what was it after?
Then it all clicked. The light had overcome her, its corrupted state over coming the pureness of her own light and aether, and now...now she craved other aether. The Scions had been with her; Alphinaud, Alisaie, Urianger, Thancred, Y’shtola, and Ryne...
No…
As she realized, Katsum fought to regain control of herself, her mind fighting her body’s movements. She couldn’t let this happen, she had to fight. She had to protect them! Yet it seemed the more she fought, the further she fell from consciousness.
No, no please! Please let me do something!
“Katsum!”
She could hear them now too, hear their voices as they called out to her, begging her to stop. If only she’d had the strength to stop this, to have control of the light before it had consumed her. Please, by the love of the Savior, please let her stop this, PLEASE.
“Katsum, please wake up. Sweetheart, wake up!”
With a gasp, Katsum awoke to a dark room and someone shaking her, and she grabbed the hand holding her as she felt the cold sweat dripping down her face.
“Run! Just run. Please don’t let me catch you-”
“Love, listen to my voice,” Aymeric’s deep voice caught the Miqo’te woman’s attention and she quieted as her ears perked, “You are safe, the Scions are safe. No one is in danger.”
Katsum’s grip lessened as she listened, feeling his thumb caress her shoulder trying to soothe her, “You are home sleeping in bed with me, and everything is alright. We are safe, Kat.”
She lay still, trying to catch her breath as she tried to see the Elezen’s face in the low light. She could just make out his worried expression, the soft very concerned smile on his face as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. She knew he was used to her nightmares, but ever since she had returned from the First, they had been more frequent. She just needed to remind herself...that everything was ok, that she hadn’t become a Lightwarden, and that she had won and now she was home safe with her beloved Lord Commander, just trying to rid herself of the nightmares. Her breathing quieted and her panic subsided, letting relief and tears take over as she pushed off the covers to reach out and wrap herself around him. He embraced her against him, rubbing her back and laying his head against hers as he whispered sweet things into her ear to help lull her back to sleep. The Miqo’te warrior buried her face in his neck, her tears rolling down her cheeks and soaking his night shirt as he rocked her back and forth gently.
She was still here, there was no voracious hunger for aether, no corruption turning her into a mindless beast. She was home and safe in her loving husband’s arms, and it was all just a bad dream and nothing more.