Work Text:
Contents of a previously unseen letter found on a students corpse in the Jade Mountain Healing Center
It was three weeks into my stay at the academy when I first felt the presence. I had been transferred to the Jade Mountain Academy as a new NightWing student, ready to make a good first impression on my teachers. And for the first couple of weeks things did go well. Made a few friends and got good grades and whatnot. But on the third week is when things first started. It was late at night when just as I was about to fall asleep on my sleeping ledge I felt something curl up next to me. I assumed it was another dragon, a fellow clawmate, but looking over to where the pressure was being put upon by body I found nothing. The sleeping cave was dim, so just to make sure, I gingerly put a claw into the space were I assumed the dragon was. Still nothing, and after I did the pressure against my side left me. I assumed I was hallucinating, I knew that a hypnagogic state could often lead to hallucinations, and assumed as such. But then after a normal day of classes, I once more settled into my ledge, and started to doze off. But as I did I felt that presence manifest next to me again. This time I was far to tired to investigate why I was feeling such a thing and I fell asleep. I remember my dream quite vividly; I found my self right where I had fallen asleep. I looked to my side to see what was still causing that persistent feeling. Staring back at me with a warm smile was another dragon, she bore scales of dark-royal purple and of odd sliver. She spoke,
“Hello Voidgatherer.” Under the pretense that this was merely a lucid dream I spoke back with no awe or fear.
“Hello, who are you?” She tilted her head slightly.
“I’m Somn.”
“Strange name.”
“For you.”
“Why have I dreamt you up?” She chuckled at my question.
“You did no such thing, I was here before you even curled up.”
“Oh really? I have to doubt that, your nothing more than something conjured up by my mind. In truth, I don’t even know why I am arguing with you.”
“I’ll prove it to you.”
“How?”
“After you wake you’ll feel two taps on your jaw and one on the tip of your tail.” I snorted at this,
“I can’t believe it, my own mind telling me to get less sleep.” With a jolt I awoke myself back into the sleeping cave of the waking world. I heard no stirring from my clawmates; it was still night time. Then I felt two taps on my jaw and one on my tail, the source of these taps could not be seen. I froze disbelieving what had just happened.
“No that’s...impossible.” I whispered the words in the dark cave. Shaking my head at what I was doing I whispered aloud. “Touch the top of my head if your truly there.” I felt a little tap on the top of my head. I felt a flurry of confusing emotions assail me in response. I slowed my heart with careful breaths and curled up again to fall asleep once more. I awoke in the land of dreams to find her smiling at me.
“Believe me now?”
“Yes but…”
“You found you way here, into The Dreaming.”
“The Dreaming? What are you?”
“Just a local from around here.”
“What is The Dreaming?”
“Just another place is all. Not many find their way here, but those who do usually like it here.”
“What’s here? Whatever is in my mind?” She laughed at this.
“No silly! Your not in you mind! Your mind is just someplace else.” She stood up and pulled me up to my feet. “Come with me.” I followed her out of the cave and into a sudden flash of bright daylight. Suddenly we were both in the sky, flying through pink clouds in a sky of a setting sun. We were flying over a vast body of water, on the horizon lay a far off land, a gleam reflected of light came from it. I was awestruck, the air felt healthy, the water looked beautiful, and the foreign sun shone with comforting warm that soothed my scales. I flew over to her,
“This is wonderful!” I had to raise my voice over the warm air whooshing past us. She agreed, we talked for while as we flew in the warm air. We sometimes would fly around each other in a dance, other times we would calmly glide and talk. We were in the middle of speaking to each other when I suddenly awoke, back in the slightly cold dark sleeping cave. I slowly came to and stretched out. I sighed to myself, wondering if it all had truly been a dream. The day soon started and ended, throughout it my mind was fixed on the events of that night. Had it been a dream? Had I been fooled by my mind? My doubts were soon ended, as when I was perfectly lucid, I felt a hug from an unseeable force as I walked to my sleeping cave.
“Somn!” I blurted out my words and quickly looked around to make sure none had heard me, none did. I felt the invisible body giggle and start to gently guide me back to my sleeping ledge. I curled up on it and felt her gently caress the back of my neck as I drifted off. I awoke to find her humming gently as she smiled at me.
“Welcome back.” Her voice was a balm to my wake addled mind.
“Oh I’m glad to be.” She nuzzled me,
“I’m glad your glad, now lets see if we can get you to the city before you wake.” She pulled me up again and we left the cave in a flash of light and were flying again. We flew over the same body of water with the same setting sun. She flew next to me and spoke. “That gleam over on the land on the horizon, that is the city of Voea, and the land is the Isles of Piato.”
“Is it a nice place?”
“Oh very much so. The buildings are of warm sliver, yellow jade, and beautiful dark wood. And of course the many different dragon tribes that live there.” My curiosity had been peaked.
“Such as?”
“SolarWings, AuroraWings, SpiritWings, and many more.”
“What are you?”
“A SpiritWing, we are the only ones that can interact with the land of the waking.”
“So I...dreamt myself here?”
“Very much so.” We talked for a long while more. But then, In a break of the conversation, in small moment I stared into her eyes and felt my face blush. In my foolhardiness I slowly leaned in for a kiss, then with a jolt I woke up in the dark and cold sleeping cave. I stopped my self from crying out her name as I awoke. That day was a slough, my heart ached to go back to The Dreaming, to that warm and mirthful land, and that wonderful dragon. The waking world seemed more dreary now. The grays of the cave walls seemed more potent, the mumbling of the teachers seemed more present, and my classmates seemed more annoying and abhorrent. A week went by with no further dreaming, there was only a sparce amount of times that I could feel her cuddle next to me in my dreamless slumbers. I often spoke to her when I thought she was there, about homework, the academy, and what was going on in the waking life. But soon I did dream once more. It was at close of day when, as I was finishing up homework in my sleeping cave I was suddenly and forcefully pulled onto my sleeping ledge. With a sudden flash of purple from behind my eyes I fell instantly to sleep. I awoke not in the cave but in a dimly but warmly lit domed building, it was illuminated by sunlight that trickled in through high windows. I was looking up at the domed roof as I lay on a table in the center of the building. Then Somn leaned over into my field of view, she gave me a warm playful grin right before she kissed me. It was a truly love filed kiss, I felt my heart flutter for this bizarre stranger who had made their way into my life. She pulled away and let me sit up.
“Sorry I couldn’t reach out to you. A lot of my time was going into this.” She gestured to the marble table I lay on. Through out it ran weird runes and strange markings that glowed a faint pale purple. Still blushing from the kiss I asked,
“What is it?”
“Its a grounding table. Let me tell what it does before you do anything. If you get off of it you will be permanently in here, The Dreaming, leaving the land of the waking behind. You may also choose not to, just wake up right now and continue as you have.” Without a second thought I got off of the table and embraced her. She seemed stunned at my instant decision, faint tears started to well up in her eyes and she hugged me back. I spoke,
“Why me?” She spoke back, her voice just slightly shaky.
“I’ll start from the beginning. I would often explore what I could of the Waking Lands out of interest. But in doing so I forfeited all other connections here in The Dreaming. I was left by myself. But then, in my explorations, I found you. I was alone and I latched on to you. I was seeking warmth, connection. I thought maybe you could provide that. But as time went on, and as we talked and spent time together, I began to see you as more than that, I saw you as...you. And that is when I truly fell in love with you.” It was after that, that I hugged her tighter. We now both live in a small house just outside of Voea, where the tall verdant grass grows and where the fireflies dance. I’m hoping this letter makes its way back to my body. To whoever finds or reads this letter know that we are always open to guests.
-Voidgatherer
P.S. sorry about the body.