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The dreams about Shadow had started again.
Well, to say that implied they had actually stopped at some point. At best, they had started to get less frequent, replaced by other moments of his adventures in the endless circulation of nightmares. After all, he doubted it was possibly to be a hero and not be plagued by restless dreams from time to time. Still, for a few years he did not have to deal with nightly visions of Shadow fading away in his arms from four different points of view. As much as he craved any reminders of his reflection, waking up in tears every morning was something he did not miss.
He hadn’t been travelling with the other heroes for a full week yet when he had a dream about Shadow again. It was the same as always, him desperately holding onto a fading body while also watching helplessly. As he woke up, a silent cry on his lips, Time glanced over from where he was sitting watch but didn’t say anything. Four appreciated it. He was even more thankful for the quiet company as he sat at the campfire, going over his gear. There was no chance of sleeping any more tonight.
The next time he had a nightmare was different. It was still Shadow, still him dying, except the dream started before Four got to him and it felt like he was seeing it from Shadow’s point of view. He felt cold, the only spot of warmth being the arms holding him when Four finally arrived. Even worse, he could feel himself breaking down, fading away little by little.
He was desperately grateful that the dreams did not appear every night, as he wasn’t sure he could have functioned otherwise. It was bad enough that they seemed more frequent soon after they had passed through a portal, when he was feeling awful anyway. Perhaps his misery was making the dreams appear; it certainly didn’t help the matters.
Some nights he did not even see Shadow, yet the same feeling of helplessness and agony remained. He floated in a dark void, with nothing but cold and impenetrable darkness surrounding him. Worse, the feeling lingered when he woke up, clinging to him like morning mist. It felt familiar, but not in the way his usual nightmares might repeat. This felt like something fresher, something real.
Then they passed through another portal, the dark, swirling void between worlds, and something clicked.
He just needed to be sure. If there was any chance that Shadow might be out there, that any part of him still remained —
He had to be sure.