Midan Clan..
Lydaeus quarter...
The clouds were grey and vicious.
As though it was about to rain.
There was no moon and wind was extremely cold.
And there he was.
Surrounded by darkness.
Curled up at the edge of his bed.
Eyes wide open.
Lips pale.
Body shivering.
He couldn't sleep. He dare not.
Those nightmares.
They hunted him again.
And this time, they weren't just nightmares.
They felt real. It felt real.
His mother would arise from her grave
and crawl to him.
Screaming his name.
Trying to pass a message.
But her head was sliced off before she said a word.
Then he saw the princes.
They were laughing at her.
Mocking her.
Mocking his mother!
And he couldn't do anything about it.
They gave him her blood to drink.
He didn't want to.
They forced him to do it.
He watched as her head was tossed into the tiger's den.
He watched how the tiger devoured it.
They made him watch it.
Every time he closed his eyes, he enters the nightmare.
And every time he did, there was a always a witness.
A black figure.
The figure kept on telling him.
Words he couldn't comprehend.
And now, he dare not close his eyes.
Bit by bit.... He was loosing his sanity.
" Lydaeus? Are u alright?"
He knew that voice.
That was the voice of his master.
" Master? Nightmares! They're killing me"
His eyes searched frantically but he saw nothing.
He sensed nothing.
His mind couldn't be playing games with him.
" Master! Help me!"
He scratched his head like a mad man.
" Master! I can't take it anymore!"
His was pulling his hair from his scalp.
A laughter.
He heard a laughter.
Someone was here. Someone was in his room.
Lydaeus grabbed his blanket tightly and covered his body.
His head shaking vigorously.
" Your master cannot save you"
Another voice.
The voice that spoke to him in his nightmares.
The voice felt so clear.
So cold. So displeasing to the ears.
Lydaeus blocked his ears with his hands already stained with blood from his head.
His scalp.
Lydaeus refused to listen to it.
" It's all your fault"
" Your mother died and you couldn't do anything about it"
" You're so shameless"
"So powerless!"
" Join me!"
" Let me fill you with power"
" Join me, Lydaeus"
" Join Me!!!!!!"
" No! "
Lydaeus refused.
His ears began to bleed.
He began to hear voices.
A million of them.
All speaking at the same.
" It's all your fault "
" Liar"
" A forbidden child like you should have died long ago "
" Your existence is a mistake "
" Lydaeus!"
Lydaeus began to scratch his face.
" No! Not my fault! Not my fault!" he screamed.
" My mother didn't die because of me."
The voices still lingered on.
Never stopping.
" You lie!"
"A forbidden child like you should not be alive "
" Let me help you "
" Let me ease your burdens "
" Just accept me! I will kill all your enemies"
"Accept me!!!!"
"No!!!" Tears flowed freely down his eyes.
Lydaeus refused to loose his sanity.
Death was calling him and he wasn't gonna give in.
But his mind couldn't hold any longer.
He's mind couldn't _
" Lydaeus"
His mother called his name.
His mother was here.
Or was she?
For a moment he regained his sanity.
" Mother? Is that really you?"
His mother answered in a soft tone.
" Yes. It's me"
" It's so dark. I can't see you"
" Don't worry. Go to sleep. I'll be here"
She whispered in a soft tone.
" Those nightmares won't trouble you anymore "
Suddenly, his vision became blurry.
He didn't want to sleep.
He tried to keep them open.
But...
His eyelids slowly closed.
And like that, he entered another nightmare.
" Lydaeus!"
Lydaeus eyes shot open at the call of his name.
On a cold platform, he knelt.
His hands chained to two pillars.
The atmosphere was freezing.
And before him was his master.
And on his hand he held a sword.
" Master?"
" No!"
A voice screeched in his ears.
" He's here to kill you."
" Your were never suppose to be born"
"He wants to kill you. So you have to kill him"
" Lydaeus! Snap out of it. Don't let it control you. You can control it!"
That was his master's voice.
" I'm trying!" He shouted.
The chains that held him were rattling.
" Kill him"
" He wants to end us"
" Kill him"
" Kill him!"
Black veins began to pop out of his head.
And they kept growing.
"No!"
The pillars were shaking.
They couldn't hold him for long.
" Lydaeus! Control it ."
It was his master's voice again.
" I can't! I can't! "
The black veins spread to his neck.
" You can't control me"
" I've always been the one in control"
" Can't you see? He wants to end us! You must kill him"
Lydaeus couldn't take anymore.
In pain he forcefully pulled the chains out of the pillars.
The pillars crumbled into pieces.
He fell to the ground.
And blacked out.
Master Draal's residence...
Guest room....
2 months later....
Lydaeus opened his eyes.
His vision... Blurry but became clearer as each second passed.
A pair of brown eyes stared at him.
Those eyes which belongs to a physician dressed in a dark brown robe.
" Master Draal" the physician called in amazement.
" He's alive."
As Lydaeus frowned, a sharp pain shot through his head.
His face was completely stiff.
He placed his hands on his head and realised that his head was bandaged.
He's entire face was bandaged!
Even his hands and legs.
He couldn't sit upright.
Memories of those nightmares came into his vision, causing another wave of pain.
" Don't think too much and don't talk at all."
Draal said as he entered.
" I'm surprised that he didn't die." The physician smiled gratefully.
" Oh" Draal chuckled coldly.
" Were you hoping that death may catch up to him?"
The physician bowed deeply in fear.
" No, master Draal. I... I... I'm just happy that he's alive."
" Good" Draal smiled.
" His presence just saved you from your death."
Draal gave him a blood mark to silence him.
The physician's eyes widened with greed.
" You were never here." Draal told him and he nodded firmly before walking away happily.
Knowing fully well that one Blood mark could feed his family through out the winter season.
Draal turned to his disciple who looked paralyzed.
Seeing him in a such a condition.... Draal laughed.
And his disciple wondered why.
Another pain shot through his head.
Yet he managed to ask.
" How did I end up like this? How did I end up here? I remembered I was in my room_"
"You never entered your room to begin with."
Draal interrupted.
" You were never there. It was a nightmare.
You passed out during the trial. Maybe because I lashed you across the face twice for saying stupid words and your body couldn't take it. It happens a lot. Some of my disciples even died because of that. They were too weak, keeping them alive was useless anyways."
Lydaeus didn't remember that part.
And he didn't know why.
" And from there , you entered a nightmare.
And in that nightmare... you had nightmares."
Draal said calmly as though he had witnessed others.
" Then I was dragged into one of your nightmare. I tried to talking you out of it...but_"
Draal paused for a moment.
" But you couldn't control it."
Lydaeus was confused.
" Control what?"
Draal smiled faintly but didn't answer him.
" By the way, you've been asleep for two months"
Lydaeus widened in surprise.
Two months?
He couldn't believe it.
" Those nightmares weren't just dreams."
Draal whispered.
" They were real. And that's why you have your entire head and face covered with bandage."
" The pulling of hairs and scratching of face were signs that you were loosing your sanity and that was caused by the laws of the heartless you just mastered. It happens to every disciple who learn its ways. Most of them also died because of that."
Draal tilted his head.
" Except. Yours was worse than others, yet you're still alive.You've broken a record."
Lydaeus rolled his eyes.
They felt heavy.
" As for the nightmares, it was created by the VIVAT" Draal said coldly.
He has to tell him now.
They won't be another chance.
" It's time I told you who you really are."