"So, someone finally opened the door, huh? How curious..."
Hindi niya mapigilan ang ngiting gumuhit sa kanyang mga labi. But unlike the generous grin that was often depicted in mortals' statues of him, the ones a few would worship until their dying breath, this smirk held anything but kindness.
No, Morpheus wasn't a god of mercy.
Far from it, actually.
Iminulat niya ang kanyang mga mata, kasabay ng pagsisimula ng daloy ng buhangin sa hourglass. He watched patiently as the gray sand fell, unbothered and unpredictable.
Much like himself.
'Mukhang dumating na ang oras,' isip-isip niya at bumangon sa kanyang trono. Sa mangilan-ngilang pagkakataon, hinahayaan na lang niya ang kanyang mga kapwa-diyos na kumilos para sa kanya. With overlapping dominions, he could've easily passed this under another god's jurisdiction. But with a matter as important as this one, Morpheus wouldn't dare entrust this to any soul, dead or alive.
Not when the Land of Dreams and the Land of Nightmares are concerned.
*
The blinding light only lasted a heartbeat.
'Nasaan na ba kami?'
Nang magmulat ng mga mata si Cornelia, ang malawak na disyerto ang unang bumungad sa kanya. She had to blink, just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Hindi siya makapaniwala sa kanyang nakikita! Sand dunes shaped the landscape before her, an endless horizon of sand and sky. The wind swept her braided hair, attempting to carry it away with the tiniest of particles.
As a result, one of her cornelia flowers broke free from its display and decided to dance with the desert breeze.
"This place is amazing..."
Habang tumatagal siyang nakatitig sa disyerto, para bang kumikinang ang buhangin sa ilalim ng tirik na araw. But if there's something noticeably "odd" about this place, it's the sudden realization that the sand was actually a dull shade of gray.
"Hindi dapat tayo nandito."
Nang marinig niya ang boses ng Dreamcaster, noon lang niya naalalang may iba nga pala siyang kasama rito. It was so easy to get lost in this place, but nonetheless, she turned to the frustrated man beside her.
"At bakit naman? It's just a desert."
Or maybe she was just too prideful to admit that it isn't?
The Dreamcaster frowned, her fears coming true. "This isn't 'just' a desert, Elia. Nasa ibang dimensyon tayo... Ngayon nauunawaan ko na kung bakit ipinagbawal ni Sandman ang pagbukas sa pintong 'yon. It's to keep this place away from everyone, including myself."
'Elia? Wow. At kailan naman siya nagkaroon ng karapatang tawagin ako sa nickname ko?' Cornelia now thinks he's more irritating than attractive.
"Ay. Sorry, ha? Pero kung hindi mo pa alam, first time ko lang talaga mapadpad sa isang mahiwagang disyerto dahil nagbukas ako ng isang mahiwagang pinto." Namaywang pa siya bago idinagdag, "At pwede bang paki-explain muna sa'kin ang lahat? Nasaan ba talaga tayo?"
The Dreamcaster sighed and started shuffling the sand with his now bare feet. Maya-maya pa, may pinulot itong maliit na bato. From the looks of it, it was an opal. Its black surface shone under the light.
"Just keep your eyes on this."
Cornelia obeyed.
Ilang sandali pa, naramdaman na niya ang pagbabago ng paligid. Dumilim ang langit. Para bang binalutan ng makapal na hamog ang paligid. As she stared longer at the stone, Cornelia can feel herself suffocating. 'A-Anong nangyayari sa'kin?' She then heard screams from all around her.
Inhuman screams.
Wailing. Taunting. Begging her.
Blood coated her own hands.
Napasigaw sa takot ang dalaga at napaupo sa buhanginan. She was already breathing heavily, clutching her head in fear.
"A-Ano 'yon?"
She felt him approaching her. The Dreamcaster stopped in front of her, holding out a hand for her to take. Ibinalik na nito ang bato sa kung saan man niya ito nakuha, pero hindi nawala ang babala sa kanyang mga mata.
"That was a glimpse of someone else's nightmare. Tulad ng inaasahan ko, nagkalat ang mga ito rito," paliwanag niya.
"N-Nasaan tayo?"
The Dreamcaster sighed. "We're in place that's been off-limits since the beginning of time. Ito ang kinikilala ninyong 'impyerno' sa mga relihiyon ninyo, but I know this damned place by a different name---the Land of Nightmares."
---
BINABASA MO ANG
✔ Dreamcaster
خيال (فانتازيا)"I am a Dreamcaster." "But you don't have any dreams?" "Does it matter?" He challenged. She glared back. "It does." After his mentor's retirement, tuluyan nang pinandigan ni Dave ang kanyang mga responsibilidad bilang isang Dreamcaster. As someone w...
