Lavender Snow

Revival

Warmth.

Tommy floated through the absence of existence. The void wrapped around him and he opened his eyes lazily, but could only see purple and black.

Wake up, a voice whispered. Exist.

Tommy took a deep breath, and then he was suddenly aware of the darkness and the lavender. He blinked and looked down. Purple light was leaking from a hole in his stomach.

"Oh," he said, voice echoing. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Unfortunately, that appears to be the case." Tommy yelped and turned. A shadowy figure was floating behind him, dress dissolving into smoke at their feet.

"Who are you?!" Tommy yelled, flinching back. The figure startled, drawing her hand to her chest. Her face was veiled, and Tommy found it physically difficult to look at it without his eyes slipping away.

"Tommy," she said quietly, and then Tommy recognized the voice.

"Mum?"

Kristin sighed in relief, stretching her hands out to him. Smoke spilled from her palms. "Tommy. I was afraid for a moment you had forgotten who I was."

"No, I could never forget," Tommy said. He looked around. "But. . . where are we? How are you here? I thought I died."

Kristin bowed her head. "Tommy. . ."

"You keep saying my name." He tried and failed again to see her face. "What's wrong, Mum?"

Kristin hummed a low note. "This is not death. Not for you, at least."

"What?" Tommy chuckled a little, looking around the emptiness. "Mumza, you're not— you aren't making any sense."

"I died, Toms," Kristin said quietly. "An Elytrian sent by Dream killed me."

Tommy stared at her, then glanced down at his stomach again. "Oh. And then he went and killed me, too."

"I think that must have been how it happened," Kristin said.

They hovered in silence for a minute.

"So if this isn't death but I died," Tommy finally said, "why are we in a dark tunnel?"

"Is that what you see?" Kristin murmured. "That's so strange. . . I think you must be in limbo. Your life was taken, but your magic remains. Perhaps, if you are lucky, you can stay here until it ends and you can come be with me."

"But I am with you," Tommy said, confused. "And I don't want to stay here, it's cold and empty."

Kristin moved forward and cupped his cheek in her palm. It was warm and sent electric tingles running through his skin. "It's best that you stay, love, until he calls you back."

"Who?" Kristin began to fade, and Tommy grabbed at her in desperation. "Wait, Mum, who? Where are you going?!"

"We'll see each other someday," Kristin whispered, planting a kiss on his forehead. "Be brave, my Tommy. I'm proud of you."

"No, wait!" Tommy yelled. "Come back! Mom!"

Kristin dissolved into smoke, leaving Tommy alone.

✿❀✿❀✿❀✿

Black scales coiled around an obsidian pillar. The dragon was climbing, hooking long claws into the glossy stone, flapping its wings now and then to give it a boost upwards.

From the top of the pillar came a burst of purple light. The dragon snorted and pulled itself up in time to see a woman step back from the floating crystal atop the pillar, head bowed.