Requiem for an Aberrant Chapter 9: Chapter 9- A Dream in a Harsh Reality

Read chapter 9 of Requiem for an Aberrant by TheJestersGambit on NovelPedia.

Before long, sleep had claimed Cole In his dream, he found himself walking along a beach. Each step left faint footprints in the greyed out sand, the gritty texture making his bare feet cringe. He was no longer used to the sensation, but he didn’t stop walking. The last time he had this dream, there had been a figure in the distance. A person, or so it seemed. No matter how fast Cole walked, he could never close the gap. The gentle crash of waves grew louder, their deep blue depths now carrying something toward the shore. He squinted, trying to make out what the water brought, but before he could see, a voice echoed faintly in the background. “Wa—” He looked around, searching for its source, but the sound was devoured by the increasing roar of the waves. Suddenly, something solid bumped against his foot. Cole looked down and froze. It was a head, a human head, still attached to a lifeless body. Then another body washed up onto the shore. And another. His stomach twisted whilst the tide delivered corpse after corpse, forming a sickening pile. At the top of the mound lay his brother’s and his own body, limp and lifeless. Seagulls circled overhead in the greyed out sky, their cries cutting through the salty wind. The grey sand was streaked with crimson, the vivid stains of death staining the calm beauty of the shoreline. Cole turned away, only to find himself face-to-face with the figure he’d seen in the distance. It mirrored his movements, as if it were a reflection. But it wasn’t him. The black, shadowy figure had no eyes. Slowly, it raised a bony finger and pointed to Cole’s eyes, then gestured toward the pile of bodies. Cole felt a chill creep through him, confusion evident in his expression. The figure began to laugh, as it covered its crooked mouth with one hand, a hoarse, grating sound escaping its throat. “Wake up!” Ariana’s loud whispers cut through the dream, her hands shaking Cole awake. It was the voice from before. The bodies, the figure, and everything dissolved into the wind, leaving Cole walking again. But now, each step he took left a streak of blood trailing behind him, which he failed to notice. [Trait Interaction: Guilt] [Another Stain Accepted] [Essentia Increased: 750 > 800] Cole blinked the lethargia away, shaking off the remnants of the dream. The scars on his neck itched again, an annoying, constant sensation. He winced. "What is it?" Ariana knelt back, forming a slight distance between them. “We’re moving deeper.” Cole rolled over to his other side, getting even more comfortable on the rock-hard floor. “Already?” he mumbled, barely having the energy to enunciate his words. Aegis finished stomping out the campfire. “Yes,” he replied. “It won't take long before they notice I’m gone.” Cole sighed. “Alright, just give me a minute.” Stretching, he forced his mind awake. The dream still replayed itself, though he knew what it was: a dreamscape trial. Every Essentia user faced them now and then. In sleep, they were pulled inward, made to confront the deepest parts of themselves. Only by enduring those trials could they begin to awaken their Forced Reality. But even after completing the dreamscape trial, only a rare few ever truly succeeded to manifest such an imposing construct. But that shadowy figure… ‘ What was it? ’ Cole thought, the memory of those eyeless sockets sending another shiver down his spine. He stabilised his shaking hands, forcing himself to get up from the floor. Cole moved to open his pack, before stopping himself. “Can we eat before going?” Aegis coughed swiftly, barely managing to conceal the truth. “We’ve already eaten, but please, go ahead.” Cole widened his eyes at the pair of them, slightly in disbelief. ‘ Is that how it is? ’ he silently accused, even though it wasn’t too big of a deal. He pulled out some canned beans from his pack and a bottle of water. At first, he ate slowly, but before realising it, he had devoured the can within seconds. Ariana watched him with a disturbed smile,