Rowan was nudged awake by the large snake rubbing against him; the wet sensation on his face pulled him back to reality. He opened his eyes; there was no longer the deathly white, only the rough stone walls and the snake's worried golden eyes.
He tried to move, but felt none of the pain he had imagined; it seemed the pain in the dream did not extend into reality, nor were there any signs of an imminent violent differentiation anymore. It was like a tide that had temporarily receded.
Seeing that he had finally woken up, Owen immediately transformed back into human form and hurriedly helped him up: "Are you alright? You looked like you were having a terrible nightmare, sweating all over, and I couldn't wake you up despite calling for a long time."
"Mm, I had a nightmare about the past." Rowan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and reached up to touch the gland at the back of his neck.
