Aeron tossed restlessly in his sleep. The voices had returned again, louder and louder in his head, louder than before. Faces of people he couldn't save flashed before him, their cries filled his head as there was nothing else he could hear other than them. He clenched his fists as he was sweating profusely, and kept shaking his head as though he could escape the nightmare.
"Aeron… Aeron…"
The voice calling his name broke the noise in his mind. It was as if it pulled him out of the horrible dream. He opened his eyes immediately and sat up suddenly, gasping for breath. His body was fully drenched with sweat.
His mother, Elarya, was standing by his bed, her face full of worry.
"You've been like this for weeks now," she said softly. "The same terrible dream, night after night. What is it, Aeron? What do you see?"
Aeron let his head fall back onto the pillow. His chest rose and fell heavily as he muttered, "Nothing."
