4th Trial of Saun, 717 Arc
Neronin’s Dreamscape
The world was a haze of smoke and embers. The ground was dark and unforgiving on his bare feet, the only light an occasional glow from the red, agitated cracks in whatever earth this was. Neronin walked, his fear radiating across his body, making him weak. He stumbled often and was constantly straining to see into the mysterious smoke that seemed to constantly waver above the landscape, obscuring everything farther than a few feet.
Then he saw it, what he had been fearful of. A pair of glowing green embers in the darkness. Neronin knew what it meant and yet he still approached. He always approached, for he could not resist the urge. As he slowly walked forward the glowing embers grew more defined. They radiated from beneath the grey earth. Neronin bent down and stared in horror at them. He was on his hands and knees and the earth was cold, though it glowed with fiery cracks. The chill agitated his skin, but he stayed.
As he watched the green embers resolved into a pair of eyes. Then the eyes seemed to grow a face, like something coming up from the depths of black water. It was a skull, and it was hungry for the flesh of the living. His flesh. As the skull gnawed its way through the surface of the earth Neronin stumbled backwards, his heart full of terror. He though, as he always did in that instance, why had he not run when he had the chance. But he was forever tied to the dead thing. The allure would not be resisted.
The skeleton broke free of the ground and pulled itself out with bony arms. Neronin began to run. He fled with all his strength as the skeleton gave chase. He stumbled and fell, but always continued on. His fear spurred him onward into the dark smoke. As he ran a second pair of green eyes manifested in front of him. This time, like all the rest, he did not stop to investigate. He turned left and ran on, gasping for air and feeling his knees shudder with every step.
When Neronin turned again the first skeleton had grown sickly flesh and hair. A woman. She cried out in pain and hunger. In anger. Her identity was known to him, always.
“Mother!” He gasped in terror. He did not stop running.
As he ran and the undead gave chase, Neronin saw many more eyes appearing in the peripheral of his vision. He kept glancing back at the two forms. The second skeleton had grown flesh also, and was now the undead form of his father.
“Why did you bring him!” Neronin shouted back at the undead manifestation of his mother. He felt a whimper of hateful anger in his voice and hated himself for it. Deep down, he knew they were both long dead. Except for in his mind.
then he saw something entirely different from the normal. A disturbance in the distance. That had never been there before. The mage turned towards it, despite never making such a turn before. He ran on, approaching the oddity but unable to discern it yet. His undead parents ran after him, hungry for his flesh.
Neronin’s Dreamscape
The world was a haze of smoke and embers. The ground was dark and unforgiving on his bare feet, the only light an occasional glow from the red, agitated cracks in whatever earth this was. Neronin walked, his fear radiating across his body, making him weak. He stumbled often and was constantly straining to see into the mysterious smoke that seemed to constantly waver above the landscape, obscuring everything farther than a few feet.
Then he saw it, what he had been fearful of. A pair of glowing green embers in the darkness. Neronin knew what it meant and yet he still approached. He always approached, for he could not resist the urge. As he slowly walked forward the glowing embers grew more defined. They radiated from beneath the grey earth. Neronin bent down and stared in horror at them. He was on his hands and knees and the earth was cold, though it glowed with fiery cracks. The chill agitated his skin, but he stayed.
As he watched the green embers resolved into a pair of eyes. Then the eyes seemed to grow a face, like something coming up from the depths of black water. It was a skull, and it was hungry for the flesh of the living. His flesh. As the skull gnawed its way through the surface of the earth Neronin stumbled backwards, his heart full of terror. He though, as he always did in that instance, why had he not run when he had the chance. But he was forever tied to the dead thing. The allure would not be resisted.
The skeleton broke free of the ground and pulled itself out with bony arms. Neronin began to run. He fled with all his strength as the skeleton gave chase. He stumbled and fell, but always continued on. His fear spurred him onward into the dark smoke. As he ran a second pair of green eyes manifested in front of him. This time, like all the rest, he did not stop to investigate. He turned left and ran on, gasping for air and feeling his knees shudder with every step.
When Neronin turned again the first skeleton had grown sickly flesh and hair. A woman. She cried out in pain and hunger. In anger. Her identity was known to him, always.
“Mother!” He gasped in terror. He did not stop running.
As he ran and the undead gave chase, Neronin saw many more eyes appearing in the peripheral of his vision. He kept glancing back at the two forms. The second skeleton had grown flesh also, and was now the undead form of his father.
“Why did you bring him!” Neronin shouted back at the undead manifestation of his mother. He felt a whimper of hateful anger in his voice and hated himself for it. Deep down, he knew they were both long dead. Except for in his mind.
then he saw something entirely different from the normal. A disturbance in the distance. That had never been there before. The mage turned towards it, despite never making such a turn before. He ran on, approaching the oddity but unable to discern it yet. His undead parents ran after him, hungry for his flesh.
Made by Kovic
Great reading your writing as always, Faith. 
Excellent writing as always.