Beyond the Iris

Darkness of Flight

A dark man, with wings of dark gray fire, flew through my dreams. The world was alight with scarlet and gold fire, burning everything in sight.

A scream built in my throat when the man dropped a figure through the sky. The figure landed with a horrible thump at my feet. Trevor, his sunset wings spread wide, stared up at me with sightless blue eyes, their ocean pupils losing their glow.

Laughter echoed around me, bleeding into my ears, my heart, my mind. Even as I clutched my hands over my ears, trying to drown out the noise, it still sang in my blood.

“Sionic Corporation will be the end of you. Just as it was the beginning,” a voice whispered in my head. I screamed, and the world faded back into black.

I jerked awake, arms flailing and heart pounding.

I looked around the room, thankful for my dark sight. But even though I couldn’t see the terrified and worried look on Trevor’s face, I could still sense the roiling emotions inside of him.

Opening my mouth to talk brought a sharp jab of pain, however. As my mind woke up, it registered pain everywhere, mainly in my stomach. I tried to speak, but then I felt bile rise in my throat, and I quickly shut my mouth to swallow it.

Trevor seemed to know what’s happening, as he’s out of bed and in the bathroom before I could blink. The next instant, he’s beside me, holding a trash can.

I tried to talk once more, but the bile rose even faster, and came out before I could think of shutting my mouth.

It went on for eons, though I was grateful that Trevor was beside me, keeping me calm and focused by talking. I can’t precisely recall what he said, but the tone of his voice was soothing, and that soothed me.

Finally, the puking ceased. I leaned against Trevor, exhausted and sore. My head was pounding even more furiously, and my stomach felt like it was trying to eat itself.

Sara came crashing through the door, and I startled. Trevor stood, shielding me with his wide wings. A moment later, he recognized his mother, and folded his wings back to his sides.

Sara immediately looked at me, and said, ”I thought we had more time. I thought she would process it like a normal human. I guess having blue pupils changes your body’s functions.”

I didn’t understand half of what Sara said. My mind was wreathed in pain and horror. The dark man with dark wings flashed before my eyes, and I had the overwhelming sense that he was getting closer to the house.

I heard Sara giving Trevor directions, though my mind had blocked them out, picking a memory to focus on instead.

The memory of the dream visit with Trevor flashed through my mind. The words written on the board seared into my brain, traced in fiery lines. The darkness of flight is coming, and only the jade beast can defeat it.

My mind rambled nonsense as my body reacted of its own accord. I remember running past Sara and Trevor, out the door, down the stairs, out of the house, and down to the middle of the driveway. There, I stopped, and stared at the sky.

The wind had whistled across the ground, bringing a chill to my bare skin. I didn’t feel the cold, not then, even though I was naked and out in the middle of a field in the winter.

A sense of fear was entering my bones, freezing my muscles, clutching my heart. I waited, staring at the sky. Then, I sensed it: a dark energy flying high above me, and circling closer.

Power surged through me, and warmth flooded my skin. The dark energy landed before me, hesitant and watchful.

“Who are you? Why are you on my land?” the dark man asked, folding his black and gray wings to his back. I didn’t answer, and that seemed to make the man angry.