Endless Dream

Wailing

Dream clutched Iris close to his chest, their pulse growing fainter. The nightmare had already fled, vanishing into the distance. Dream swore loudly, beads of saliva bursting from his mouth as he cradled Iris. He continued to swear, half out of anger and half out of despair. The sound of wailing and suffering echoed throughout the dreamscape.

He rocked back and forth with Iris in his lap. Snot beaded from Dream's nose; he wiped it with his sleeve and curled his back until his forehead pressed against Iris'. The blade's dull edge peeked from between the split along their face. He ignored the handle that jutted out from the top of their head. He shuddered a breath when he felt Iris' cold skin. 

"Please," he cried softly, still rocking them in his arms. Iris' breath was so shallow that he couldn't feel their chest rise and fall, "Please," he whispered again into their hair.

A loud caw broke the sky, Jessamy's form soaring overhead. The raven was frantic, echoing Lucienne's unease. The bird squawked and roared overhead, calling to Dream. He looked up, parting the swirling clouds so she could land beside him. The bird twisted and plummeted through the air; her wings tucked close to her body. She opened them when she neared the floor, using the upwind to slow her descent and land.

"My lord-" she said, her tiny eyes blinking as they saw Iris' body. Her voice was pleasant, silvery on the ears.

Dream's face trembled, his chin wobbling as he pressed a kiss to their hairline. He brushed the flyaway hairs flattening them against what was left of their skull, and moved them out of the gore that marred their face. He tried to push it behind their ear, the way they usually wore it. It was compulsive, as if fixing their hair would heal them.

"Are they-" Jessamy dared to ask, approaching Dream slowly.

"Almost," he admitted, stifling the tears that stained his cheek.

"Is there anything you can do?" she crooned. He looked at the pied crow and sniffed.

He didn't know if he could do anything. He didn't technically create Iris. He couldn't disperse them or control them as he could his creations. He had gifted them a droplet of power, but even that didn't respond to him anymore.

Iris' chest shuddered loudly, a wheezing gasp shaking them. Their body was fighting to breathe. Dream watch their eye bulge, and the veins around it dilate widely. Jessamy flinched from the sound. Iris' reached out for Dream. They couldn't determine how far away he was, their fingers wandering just short of his face. He guided their hand to his cheek, letting them cup his face. A fresh wet patch of blood oozed from their face. Dream tried not to show his disgust, watching the knife inch deeper into the bone as they strained to touch him. 

He closed his eyes, unable to look at them. As he did, he felt something flicker in their touch. It felt like a dying ember. His face scrunched. What is that, he thought? The light grew dimmer, fainter as their hand slid from his cheek.

"Wait," he said, entwining the hand with his. 

Jessamy squawked, "My lord?"

He reached for the ember, following the thread that connected them. It was like walking along a dark tunnel with only a single candle to guide him. He stepped further into the darkness, squinting at the light ahead. The light flickered and bobbed. The flame was delicate. Dream brushed his fingers along the flame. It was cold, so cold that he shivered. His fingers were chilled by it like he'd put his hands in the snow. Dream touched the flame again. This time it drained him, leeching part of him. The flame grew, flickering stronger and brighter.

Dream's hand was icy, the cold sensation reaching his wrist. He checked the skin, seeing the light red tinge to his pale skin.

Jessamy's disembodied squawk shot down the hallway. She sounded terrified.

Dream swallowed his fear and placed his palm over the flame again. The surface of his hand was covered with a layer of frost. It spread up his arm and made him grit his teeth as his fingers began to burn.

The flame got bigger and bigger the further the frost got.

Jessamy screeched again, the sound more frightened.

"Morpheus!" Another voice called. Dream sharply turned. 

Iris called to him. Their voice was clear, cutting through the roaring of the flame.

The frost had thickened, a layer of ice coating his arm, looping around his shoulder and aiming for his chest.

"MORPHEUS!" they called again, a sense of urgency in their voice.

Dream's eyes felt heavy. His knees wobbled, and his bones felt hollow and empty. Dream's breath was laboured. He staggered from side to side, swaying with the room. 

The light of the flame cast a shadow that bled every colour of the rainbow. 

"Morpheus, please," Iris begged; he could smell their soft scent floating along the walls.

He trembled, pulling his heavy arm away from the fire. His knees buckled. He choked on his salvia, gasping for breath. His neck was tense, and his mouth agape as he crawled across the floor. His hand was outstretched in front of him, his nails scraping the ground. 

"Come back to me, please,"