This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Ashiel fell quiet and looked out at the entrance of the den where the snow continued to fall at a furious pace, nearly blending into a solid sheet of white before his vision. He'd been having terrible dreams of late, many he feared might be visions but he'd never had the chance to really work through those with Serene. Abraxas had not spoken to him in any of these dreams or visions and so he had no idea what to make of them. Perhaps they really were just his fears and insecurities made manifest and plaguing him over and over. Perhaps it was guilt over leaving Risen.

However, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Something bad, here. Ashiel felt his family was in trouble though Pyralis seemed to be doing quite well. In his dreams everything was dark and very cold and there was blood frozen into the ground all around him. Malleus was dead. Pyralis was dead. Archon, Aureus, Apollo and more than he was able to recognize before he too was taken by something nameless in the dark.

Ashiel turned to face his mother and spoke, telling her of his dreams, of his nightmares, of… what he hoped would not be portents of things to come.

"Talk"