JAWS • DECEMBER 2025 EVENT/TDM

[uruz]

TDM & EVENT: JAWS

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Show Me Those Pretty White Jaws

The dream has been coming in waves for those new to Sleep's touch, as a shoreline that never stays still. As a sky that never remembers to include its stars. Beneath it all, there is a voice. Her voice: silk-sweet, coaxing from just beyond the approaching wave that towers like a moving mountain. She tells you to come home. She promises it won't hurt, even if she never tells you what waits beneath. You see the shape just before the dream ends: a massive black tidal wave, yawning wide and black until it looks like a pair of jaws breaking upon you. You don't have time to resist.

You and your veteran Vessels will awaken in water.

There is no surface. No bottom. No sky. No sound but your own heartbeat and the echoes of water being slashed though, dull and endless in the still, frigid dark. You are suspended, weightless— Some may have difficulty to breathe without inhaling water the first few times, while those aligned with the waves will feel it come like second nature. Once you acclimate yourself, you'll notice that around you drift glowing filaments; thin, pulsing threads that coil like jellyfish tendrils, softly luminescent. They curl and twist through the water, and when you look closer, you realize: they show you things. Memories, maybe. Dreams, maybe. Each one unique to your gaze: a hand reaching for yours in the dark, a goodbye that never finished, a face you haven't seen in years. They are what you think love looks like. What you once needed it to be. And when you touch them, they wrap around you, gently, warmly . . . Hungrily— and begin to pull you down.

To ascend into the next level, you must let go. But not everything that binds you wants to be released. The filaments drifting through the water show you what you think love looks like— what you've built it into. They are gentle at first, beautiful even, but the longer you cling, the more they pull.

There are ways to escape them: You may bind your filament with another's and together speak aloud a shared truth: what you believe love really is. If your hearts align or at the very least come to an agreement, the threads dissolve into light and lift you upward. If your beliefs clash or contradict, the threads knot tighter, and something . . . May take interest in you.

Beneath you, something moves. Huge, silent and almost regal. It glides through the deep like a phantom, almost too large to be real. You feel its presence before you see its flash of pearl white and glowing red eyes, three on each side of its face: a shark.

The shark is here to choose its next meal. It smells grief, fear and seeks out trauma most of all. It is drawn to the most unspoken parts of you, the very parts you thought were buried, roused from the tightened ropes of what you crave in your heart. And when it chooses you, it does not bite immediately. It invites, with its jaws opening like a sanctuary and slow towards you.

Inside is I, whispers Sleep. Allow Me to have you whole, and you will be at peace. Show Me love.

Fight against her, or even with your current partner about what love is, and Sleep will open her maw, spilling tendrils from her throat and begin to stalk you. Best be prepared to fight the possessed Megalodon— She will laugh, amused as you do, like a great cat playing with its food. And if you were to be caught, well. You'll wake in the dream's next level with an undeniable prey drive, whether Token or Offering.

She will do anything to keep you here.

NOTES:

• There is no surface visible at first. Light only comes from the filaments. As characters resist, act, or ascend, a faint stained-glass shimmer begins to pulse upward, hinting at the dream's next layer.
• Sound is muffled— speech emerges as bubbles, but meaning travels regardless. Words feel heavy here. Some phrases may literally change the water (turn to light, birth dream-objects, or ripple with tension). You will do better using The Murmur as a means of communication. Luckily you have your mask on!
• The Shark always circles once it senses trouble within you. Sometimes close, sometimes far, but always felt. If characters listen closely, they can hear the echo of One's voice coming from inside it: pleading with a haunted, at times screaming melody.

TOKEN EFFECTS

• The dream bends subtly around Tokens, especially at the whims of an Aquamancer. Walls of pressure open before them, and filaments shift course as if expecting them. This can make their path easier, unless they start to doubt their purpose.
• Tokens perceive emotional resonance as currents in the water such as subtle flows of energy. These can guide them (or others) toward escape paths, or signal when the shark is near.
• When a Token speaks or acts with strong intent, the dream sometimes translates it into a symbolic structure: A word might become a floating glyph. A gesture might alter the filament's shape. A moment of clarity might reveal a hidden path. Other characters can interact with these dream-objects, but they're fragile, unstable, and prone to distortion by doubt.
• The deeper Tokens go, the more they feel themselves pulling apart and begin to experience dual awareness: one part dreaming, one part watching— some may even see flashes of within the shark's belly, and One's voice much louder. The deeper they go, the more detached they become, and the more they lack the ability to act at all.

OFFERING EFFECTS

• The shark is more fascinated by Offerings. It circles them often, sensing kinship— or potential. The more monstrous the Offering, the more the shark "pauses' near them, almost curious.
• Offerings feel "the pull" more clearly, particularly Merrows and other aquatic-based Offerings—they can sense where the surface might be, and where the shark intends to strike next. They may even see pulses in the water that others miss, similar to Spider Man's "spidey senses".
• An Offering may experience rapid body changes submerged. Fins may appear, bones may shift, teeth may lengthen without warning and so on. This makes their movement easier or harder, depending on how much of themselves they're holding back or how apt their monstrous forms are at swimming.
• Some Offerings may feel drawn to the shark— not in fear, but in understanding. They may see themselves in it, and vice versa— One's song in particular is hypnotic, and for split moments you may understand his pain through his words. This might make you more prone to being consumed, though, so hopefully your partner can help you out of it—?.

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Watching Me With Eyes Of A Predator

The surface you breach is not water— it's glass.

You strike it with the force of falling sky. It fractures beneath you in a bloom of painted light. For one weightless moment, the dream hesitates, sputters. Then the world shatters, and you fall with the cascade.

Water pours through the crack in the ceiling, carrying you down in ribbons of color and a shattering splash. Stained glass shards drift like petals through the now collapsing roof, and you eventually land not in sand, but upon a cathedral floor, slick with tide. Around you, the water spreads, pooling across the stone and swallowing the walls in a rising hush as it finds escape through the doors.

The cathedral is vast, impossibly so. Its architecture towers, crooked and immaculate, built more from longing than stone. No altar awaits you. No congregation. Only the sensation of having trespassed into something meant to be private. Veteran Vessels may recognize this cathedral as St. Patrick's— before it was drenched in One's blood sacrifice.

High above and surrounding you, the stained-glass mosaics churn with captured light. f you linger beneath one of the window's rays, your appearance may begin to change under the light. You appear as someone else sees you. Be it a hero. A monster. A disappointment. A god. A weakness. A temptation. Even a burden. That version of you clings to your dream-body like a second skin; uncomfortable, intimate, and undeniable. For some, it may be beautiful. For others, unbearable.

If you and another stand beneath the same window, you may each appear as the other secretly imagines. There is no control and no negotiation. Only truth twisted through the lens of want, resentment, fear, or love. And it doesn't go away until you leave the light.

Eventually, the cathedral doors open by dream's will. Beyond them lies a cloister garden: narrow paths, pale trees, and wild flowers that bloom in stillness. At the far end, behind the overgrowth and ruined arches, you see a hollow.

It is a corridor where the dream collapses inward, twisting, warped, half-swallowed in fog and dread. Its stones pulse faintly beneath a shallow film of water. Black tendrils reach from its depths like roots, veins, twitching toward sound, warmth, and movement. You see them dragging matter into the earth, and between them lie bones, contorted and fresh, half-consumed.

And farther still, a body that still breathes. Glimpsed only briefly, A masked man's form is stretched by the hollow's gravity, arms pinned behind the veil. He does not move, or speak. Or perhaps, he cannot. The hollow does not let him go and will not, should you make your attempts. If you step foot in the hollows that have consumed him, you too will be consumed. A three eyed Tod sits at the hollow's edge, a single bushy tail splitting into three, as its body plays with illusion like smoke put to dance over fire. It says, as its head floats up and its maw splits into a grin too cheshire to ignore: Wearing shoes, yet no feet in sight. You'll hear steps pound in the death of night. What is it that you need, to cross this narrow blight?

It disappears and only leaves you the riddle to chew on.

Nothing living can cross the hollow, you'll soon find. Nothing except . . . The Nightmares.

Just outside the garden's boundary, you'll find horses built from wind and shadow, flickering at the edge of your vision. Their bodies are black— not the color, but the absence, swallowing all light. Some of their craniums cound be seen, others have a jutting horn of bone from their foreheads. Where eyes should be, there are six: three stacked on each side of the skull, glowing dimly red like distant embers beneath ice. Their manes flow like torn fabric, like drifting vapor that trails behind them like the smoke from a snuffed candle. Their maws are too damn wide to be herbivorous, yet they seem to enjoy the act of grazing. They wait, unchained and wild in a herd.

This is the only way forward. Only they can pass through the hollow untouched. But how to ride one—? You may chase them. You may plead, command, kneel. You may offer them all your need and all your love, promises that you will provide if they become your steed. But they were not made to answer it. For every Vessel, there is one single Nightmare that will choose them, and thus you will choose each other. They have their own personalities, some more aggressive or shyer than others. The harder you reach, the faster they vanish or harshed they will attack if unready. Try to mount one through force, and you'll regret ever trying. Try to bind one, and it will break you.

But if you are patient, if you figure out its nature and how to please it— your Nightmare may come closer. One may circle you. It may bow its head. Their snort is warm and real against your palm. If successful, it will lower itself to its knees. If you've got the height, they will simply wait, patiently, for you to get on their backs (Or not; there are plenty of sassy mares out there).

If you accept, you might not be taken somewhere safe, but you will be taken somewhere true, away from here. And if you force your want upon them, if you cannot let go— you will be left with something else.

In the distance, across the flooded cathedral floor, you may see One again. Flashes, glimpses. Always chasing a mare he never reaches, or the opposite— the mare chases after him.

NOTES:

• If a character successfully forms a bond with their Nightmare, it will return with them in the form of a waking world steed, officially introduced in the next event. You're free to give it the personality you wish.
• If a character attempts to force a connection with a Nightmare at any point (tries to catch, mount, command, etc.), the mare will bite or kick, which Vessels will suffer as a persistent dream-mark that will carry into the waking world.

TOKEN EFFECTS

• Light clings unnaturally to Tokens in the cathedral, especially near the stained glass. It bends around their bodies like a false halo, casting them in divine or monstrous outlines depending on who watches.
• If a Token casts or channels any magic within the cathedral or near a Nightmare, the spell does not manifest, but instead, a cold mist escapes their mouth, and the Nightmare turns to look. The dream rejects force.
• When a Nightmare looks directly at a Token, their eyes eclipse, pupils vanishing into rings of shadow. In that moment, a fragmented vision floods the Token's mind . . . not from the Nightmare, but from another character nearby. It shows the Token how that character once dreamed of them, what they feared, needed, or hoped they would become.

OFFERING EFFECTS

• The stained glass causes a subtle change in scent and physical appearance turning into a more grotesque version of this— Offerings begin to smell or look like what others most want from them.
• Offerings may always know where the Nightmares are, even when hidden. But the more they try to act on this knowledge, the harder the Nightmares are to reach.
• An Offering's body will react before they realize it, flinching from lies, bristling in moments of emotional pressure, pulling away from contact, and so on. They may startle even at gentle contact, as if something inside them is as reactive as they are.

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Where The Delicate Stops

As your Nightmare takes you through the misty hollow, you may begin to notice the empty city of Manhattan as veterans remember. There is no warning but the eerie silence that surrounds you like impossible weights. The cathedral once behind you folds inward— wrong, deep and full of pressure. It bursts through the hollow's path, through the city's street, and then— The dream ruptures.

Stone peels backward like paper. Glass liquefies mid-air. The sky above the city pulls itself inside out. Time bends sideways. And from the edges of the dream, something, someone, begins to hunt. Sleep's presence moves like the very shark she chose as a vision of her physical manifestation. She does not speak or rage. But you feel Her, rising like fever beneath the skin of Her world as the hairs at the back of your neck do. She does not want you this deep, and neither does One.

Somewhere within the collapse, you may see them— entwined, shifting, trembling. One's face is turned toward you, screaming something that doesn't reach your ears. Sleep's hands are tangled in his body. She pulls him back with a gentleness that breaks the sky, and he screams, reaching for you with his last breath before consumption. The dream convulses.

The Nightmares bolt with you still on them.

The city rises to meet you from the shadows, but it's not the city you know. Skyscrapers twist at unnatural angles. Streets flood, then dry, then flood again. Tendrils burst from subway grates and gutters, slashing upward like tongues. Streetlights spin like compass needles. Cars levitate, crash, freeze midair. You move through it all at breakneck speed, but the exit keeps shifting— a hole in the world that flickers just beyond reach where you see your body, fast asleep.

Somewhere in the chaos, a few Nightmares are caught. Sleep strikes like lightning— she coils like a viper and tightens like a vice. One touch from Her, and your Nightmare collapses mid-gallop, its body unraveling into smoke and light. No sound. No scream. Just absence. And you fall right off it like a ragdoll.

Others fall beneath impact, too— a wrong turn, a shattered wall, a burst of heat from One's grief. A broken leg. A crash. A wound too deep to ride through. If your steed is lost, you fall. And if no one reaches for you, you stay fallen. Others are near, and their Nightmares still run. All of you have a terrible dread in your bones— if you are caught or left behind, the consequences will be dire. You might not even wake up. So, call out. Cling. Climb. Share. Two Vessels on one mount. Anything to survive and flee as the dreamscape tightens its wrathful grip around you.

Sleep calls inside your spine. You can't make out what She says. One answers, the same blur of garbled words in your marrow. And then, just before the dream can take you, just before you reach an exit— you rise.

Your body lifts from the Nightmare as it paddles the air with desperation, it too rising. You're pulled upward, weightless, as if a thread inside your heart has been yanked by a furious god. You float, twist in the air. Your vision glows white.

We've got you.

And then you wake up— mid-air in the waking world.

Your body slams into your bed, floor, street, soil, wherever it was that you had slept. Reality greets you with terrible impact.

NOTES

• If a character does not find a mount in time, they may be caught in the dream collapse. They still wake— but they wake broken. These characters may wake up bruised, disoriented, or emotionally fragmented, and this can be explored in the next waking world event.

TOKEN EFFECTS

• Any Tether they feel becomes unstable—splintered. For brief moments, they feel it breaking and re-forming again and again, with slight differences each time.
• The more emotionally charged they are, the more the dream pulls toward them; tendrils snap faster, debris veers unnaturally close.
• Their body flickers with signs of their own magic—sigils, symbols, runes— burning just beneath the surface of their skin like constellations. These glow brighter as the dream collapses, as if trying to tear free.

OFFERING EFFECTS

• Where Offerings are grazed or injured, they bleed light, not red. It floats up like mist.
• They hear One's heartbeat, not theirs, and it speeds in panic. It affects their own pulse, the mare under them . . .
• The Nightmare no longer follows the Offering's will—it will respond to their fear instead.

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OOC NOTES

➤ Welcome to Somnia's third TDM, which doubles as the month's gamewide event!
➤ This TDM is considered game canon. You are free to have your character remember as many details as possible when they wake up.
➤ Only new characters are free to experiment with the Vessel options, Token or Offering to your liking; this is a dreamscape, so multiple/different situations for you to really test which option you like most is possible. Current characters must remain as their chosen Vessel type unless you requested a switch, which can be done on the Taken page.
➤ All TDMs take place within a dreamscape, meaning characters can interact with the setting without needing to apply. Come have fun with us!
➤ Veteran players, I ask to please refrain from making post-event threads for the time being! We have some important information to take into account in next month's event when characters are slated to "wake up". At the very least, please wait for the information to be offered on the next plotting post. Thank you everyone for your patience!
➤ Please comment on the TDM's INVITE TL if you are a new player interested in joining the game, but don't yet have an invite. Current players or the mod may reach out to extend an invite. Once you've got one, please don't forget to comment on the Invite page so you may properly link it in your reserve and app.
➤ Questions? Please direct them to the designated questions comment linked below!

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[trashblaze]

[ That is certainly someone's hand. Caelus reaches out immediately to grasp the young man's own hand and swiftly pulls, like a gust of wind that steers someone in another direction. But in this case, the direction leads to a temporary safe position behind a gigantic tree that's still intact, somewhat managing against the intense gales around them. But as this dream is collapsing entirely, even this shade will be gone soon enough. ]

You're injured!?

[ Shock comes instantly the moment Caelus notices the deep gash. His hand holding the other's own ends up squeezing it protectively, concern forming across his face. But they don't have time to leisurely treat that here. They have to keep running soon.

As in, a few seconds from now. ]

Sorry, bear with me!

[ So with only that as a warning, Caelus leans down to sweep the other man off his feet, arms secured behind the man's upper back and knees a princess carry, then starts running forward with an impressive agility that's definitely not normal human speed. He's not as fast as a Nightmare, but he's fast enough to be able to keep up and avoid the intense dangers whipping all around them. ]

[perilously]

[ the pull comes so strongly and suddenly that kamui nearly over balances, using one hand to brace against the soon-to-be-history tree. he's got a 'thank you' on the tip of his tongue when the other person beats him to it. so it happens that he catches kamui with his mouth already wide open (inadvisable at the best of times but especially right now, which is closer to the worst of times) only to shut it briefly, obviously rethinking what he was going to say. ]

Well I --

[ is about as far as he gets before the stranger has him in his arms and is running.

?!

explanations fade from kamui's intent for a moment, distracted again by the disaster whirling around and past them, under them even. everything is falling apart in a way that kamui is starting to strongly feel this person would have a better chance of outpacing if...

he lays his hand (the not bleeding one) on the person's shoulder, gently patting just enough to hopefully get his attention. to do this, given the princess carry, kamui twists a little in his hold too, which...hurts. but he lowers his head to hide his expression even as he says, ]

I'm...really grateful for you saving me back there, but you can probably run faster without me? I'll be more careful.

[trashblaze]

[ Normally, Caelus would prefer a more relaxed pace if he had a choice. Because it means he can converse all he wants, truly get to know someone with all the time in the world. But as the ground shakes, splits, and more sharp debris comes thrown their way, he clearly has no time to stop. His agile feet parkour their way across the ruins, leaping from every possible platform that he can propel himself on.

A broken piece of a bridge, half of a truck, wreckage from a rooftop… It all blurs as the trailblazer keeps running onward.

All the while, Caelus is still protectively holding this younger man, keeping him close with a fierce grip to prevent any accidents, such as the ruthless winds taking him away. Whenever he ducks his head to dodge anything, he curls up against the younger one, letting his body shield him. Then, it's back to running. In the far distance, he can see where the dream ends. That must be their only escape.

When the younger man tries to get his attention, Caelus takes a moment to glance down at him, golden eyes gleaming behind the raccoon mask he's wearing. And he smiles radiantly, standing out so well against the destruction all around them. A sign of hope and confidence. ]

What? Are you trying to get rid of me already? We haven't even exchanged names yet.

[ He's still able to place humor even in a situation like this. And he holds him a bit closer, indicating he has no intention of parting yet. ]

I'm Caelus, the Galactic Baseballer. Nice to meet you!

[perilously]

Wha-what? No, I...

[ --baseballer? kamui's reply is cut off by a car somehow wrapped around a tree nearly taking them both out. one of his hands fists in caelus' clothing wherever it's closest.

he finds himself thinking in the middle of the chaos: the raccoon mask is cute and the gold eyes are pretty.

the flying pieces of bridge and truck and who knows what else? not so cute or pretty. but more than all that... the person...is nice. he doesn't know who kamui is either, which means...he doesn't want anything from him???? shockingly good natured and calm in the midst of All Of This, but then kamui maybe should not throw stones in glass houses. or however the saying goes.

in any case, he clings on instinct, curling closer whenever caelus holds him tighter, assuming he's trying to keep both of them from being beheaded by an errant signpost or something. light continues to bleed out of kamui at a rate that would be more alarming if they had the time and place to be alarmed but they don't, and despite not understanding that it comes out as light and not blood, kamui presses his own hand to the gaping wound in his side to try to curb some of it.

when there's another moment where less things are careening past them or the ground remains less tectonic for a few seconds longer, kamui remembers himself and says, belatedly ]

Nice to meet you too...I'm Kamui.

[ a jolt in motion makes the pain ricochet in his body so kamui's breath stalls, but when he lets it out in a thin exhale, he adds, though it might be lost under the chaos, ]

Sorry.

[ for the trouble, for the burden. he wishes he understood this dream more, but even then he's not sure it would help when things are falling apart so hungrily around them, as if desperate for an end. ]

[trashblaze]

Hey, none of that.

[ The tone is friendly, indicating the apology isn't needed. Caelus lightheartedly smiles again for reassurance, while taking a second to recover some of his stamina. Thankfully, he still looks fine. He's ready to bolt at any given time, simply catching his breath whenever possible. Currently, they're behind a building that's still partially unscathed. But like the tree earlier, this area might not be so safe soon enough, so he doesn't put his new friend down yet.

Though Caelus's smile does falter when he witnesses Kamui writhe in pain. His expression turns more serious, and he so wishes he had healing abilities… But there is an alternative that he can do. ]

I'll try to dull out your injury. But it's not going to heal you. It'll just pause the sensation while the spell is active. I hope you can try to hang on a little longer.

[ Then, Caelus places a hand on top of Kamui's, the one pressed against the wound. He immediately casts a time stop spell to activate a soft, pink light that surrounds the affected area. The time stills around the damaged skin, freezing it to halt its burning pain. The pink light continues to hover over the wound, a visual sign that it's active.

After a gentle squeeze on Kamui's hand, Caelus pulls back and adjusts the younger man in his arms, once again keeping him close. ]

Don't push it. It's better to stay still to prevent it from getting worse.

[ Slowly, Caelus lets their foreheads connect as he regains that vibrant smile of his. ]

Just leave everything to me… Kammy!

[ With that said, Caelus straightens up and continues their escape. The sound of his feet rushing against the gravel echoes against what remains of the dreamscape. The end of the dream is still a slight distance away, but he should be able to make it. His pace and form are full of energy, unwavering, and brave. ]

[perilously]

[ gaze canted downward, kamui's brows raise at the spell. he's not familiar with this kind of magic. it feels intrinsically different, something other that he hasn't got the words for but knows there must be a meaning for. true to caelus' word, the pain does in fact dull, and while kamui has dealt with worse there's something to be said for the grace of not having to for a little while. a thank-you is on the tip of his tongue as caelus squeezes his hand, only for it to falter when their foreheads touch. kamui's face warms a bit, but he doesn't flinch or pull back, just letting it happen and feeling that inarticulate fondness typical of a heart hardwired to be open.

unsettling: the everythingness and nothingness of the surroundings, the sense that there is an 'end' but also...not.

amusing: kamui's unprecedented entry into the pantheon labeled nicknames.

the smile that startles itself out of kamui is so surprising he doesn't know it's happening until it is, a soft laugh that would hurt if not for caelus' spell, and with that open sound buried under the falling dream, further trust. the fingers that were curled softer in caelus' shirt, tighten as they take off again. as caelus runs, kamui cannot quite process everything he sees not knowing what it all is still -- everything from the nightmares to the collapse itself which feels simultaneously like a premonition and a memory, though he does not know why.

it's not the best time to have a conversation, and when kamui speaks it's the way one does almost to oneself, not realizing he did so out loud. ]

What...is this place?

[ and even softer, as he thinks better on it... ]

...whose?

[ not expecting an answer, because he thinks that all was in his own head, kamui bites his lower lip, thinking. if it's someone's...if it's indicative of the waking world...his mind spirals a bit, trying to go in too many hypothetical directions at once. the calm slow string of that which knows it cannot become panic even if it is naturally inclined to be.

unrelated to all of that, or in the midst of it regardless, kamui has the background thought: caelus feels like the stars, though he doesn't know why. certainly not a feeling one associates with the title of baseballer but kamui still isn't sure he heard him right, or even knows what that means, if it's literal...or if it isn't. actually he isn't sure which would be more surprising at this point! ]

[trashblaze]

[ Before Caelus straightened up earlier, he luckily caught sight of that precious little expression that Kamui released close to him— warmly colored cheeks, such an adorable sight it was. The trailblazer responded with a stunning smile right before he parted their heads, an attempt to match the fondness that he's managed to receive. Seeing such cherished moments is what makes trailblazing so worthwhile to him, regardless of the perils surrounding his paths.

That's why Caelus is so unfazed throughout all this. In order to survive and continue his journeys, he must get through this collapsing nightmare. He's beyond fear when his determination is set. And of course, not alone— with Kamui in his arms, he'll ensure that the two of them will receive a chance to experience a bright future. Whether it is together, that's sadly up to Sleep's discretion, but while Kamui is right here with him, Caelus will make sure to treasure each second.

Such as remembering that cute pair of cheeks that flushed so pink. Those lovely, large pair of flower-like eyes. The angelic smile, with an equally gentle laugh. Kamui is quite a charming blossom, and Caelus will be so thrilled if he receives the chance to get to know him better. The trailblazer can already tell he must have a good heart. But Caelus dares not ask for more— while it's sad to part, he wouldn't mind if it means not subjecting Kamui to the horrors happening in Sleep's reality, that ruined world beyond this dream. ]

This is… Sleep's dream. Or what remains of it. But it wasn't the first time, and won't be the last.

[ She will dream again in the future. And once again, lure more people into her world, just like this. ]

She's a god who has been seeking Vessels who can withstand her blessings. People like… me. Perhaps you, if she decides it.

[ Another large debris comes flying, but this time Caelus spares more of his magic to cast a shield of fire— bright orange and yellow, like the sunset. It deflects the debris quite easily, and then he swings his arm to parry it all away using the same shield, to remove the obstacle from their path forward. Then, he goes again, sprinting unhesitantly across a fallen tree that leads him onto a rooftop. The ground is already gone from this point onwards, so he's using everything he can as a bridge. ]

But you have somewhere you have to be, right? I hope that you'll awaken back home. Though, in the chance that you find yourself in Sleep's reality… I promise to find you once more, Kammy.

[perilously]

Sleep.

[ he echoes, a slight hum to his tone.

each time he asks someone they give the same answer so it must be 'true' insofar as this realm dignifies that word. kamui can only work with what he's given at the moment, so from one space to the next he tries to amass what information he can. or has done. though now it almost seems pointless when the entirety of the place is coming down around their ears; sand in an hourglass fracturing from every curve.

maybe it is caelus' warmth. maybe it is kamui's intimate familiarity with time limits that are both urgent but too nebulous. maybe it is the realization as caelus creates a kind of shield that looks like fire, as caelus says I hope that you'll awaken back home that while kamui also hopes this it isn't because it's better.

it's because he has many things he must still see through, whatever their outcome.

somewhere to be, indeed.

at some point kamui's arms end up around caelus' neck instead because it's easier to hold on this way as he jumps from piece of building to branch of tree to anything else as a makeshift stepping stone towards a destination kamui cannot quite make heads nor tails of. thanks to caelus' spell, even the way kamui has to slightly twist his body to do this doesn't hurt. all the while, mindful that if it appears like it would be better for caelus if kamui let him go, kamui himself would make that call if he could. he's tired of people getting hurt or suffering for him.

caelus will feel his hold tighten though briefly at that promise. ]

Yeah...if that happens...I hope I see you again too, I -- !

[ it's instinct when a renegade piece of debris -- metal of some kind -- comes careening towards them in the middle of one of caelus' leaps: kamui flings a hand out to bat it away. cat-like. a faint hiss but for most people that would have taken their hand clean off at the wrist. for kamui, somehow he gets out of it with another impressive slash and radiating pain. but it isn't even broken, so at least there's that. and he asks, eyes dilated and a bit panicked because he wasn't thinking, ]

-- ah are you okay?!

[trashblaze]

[ As Kamui curls up against him with arms around his neck, Caelus allows it. It's easier to move like this because Kamui is more secure, and also easier to protect him at the same time. Caelus adjusts his own arms to hold the younger man even closer, eliminating the remaining distance between their bodies as he continues to speed through what remains of this fallen city. They're almost there, to the end of the dream.

"Yeah...if that happens...I hope I see you again too, I --"

Before Kamui can finish his words and Caelus can react to them, the metal debris appears out of seemingly nowhere and shocks the two. The trailblazer is about to adjust at once, but Kamui beats him to it, and he couldn't do anything but witness the scene. Right after his feet land, he couldn't hide his immediate concern. He really isn't the sort of person who can talk, considering his own recklessness, but the adrenaline is flowing through him at the moment. He couldn't hold back from yelling on reflex. ]

Wh— what are you doing!? Your hand—!

[ They're in another temporarily sheltered area, so Caelus takes advantage of the short lull to move his own hand to take Kamui's, observing it right away for any serious injuries. He sees its terrible state, and his eyes grow wide; his heart sinks, especially when he's the one asked if he's all right. He's not the one who almost lost a hand.

Casting another time stop, the same spell once again envelops the younger boy, but this time on the badly affected parts of that delicate hand within his. He squeezes it protectively, the worry on his expression still very much evident. ]

I told you to leave it to me… This is a dream, but you'll still feel the impact when you awaken.

[perilously]

[ instinctively kamui means to raise his hands to wave off the worry, to say that he's fine, but then caelus has his hand in his own and the automatic response gives away to something more rueful. he understands, he really does, in his own way the discomfort and pain of watching other people get hurt. at the same time, it is wholly because of this he did not want to just let that errant piece of metal or whatever it was, risk hitting this person who has already helped him so much. a dream or not. real or not. the spell helps his hand as it has his side and kamui can only softly smile at him. ]

I'm sorry. I ...I just didn't want it to hit you. I'm sure I'll be okay.

[ quite the statement for someone who knows nothing of this 'place' or its rules, but there exists in kamui a near imperative need to believe such a thing, or something adjacent. because if he doesn't, then it's all over; then what's the point of literally anything? harbored beneath the beating heart of Sleep, which goes too fast and too all encompassing for kamui to feel his own, his own is there, a failed pinpoint of light. what's left but to keep trying? whether in this collapsing dream or the waking nightmare of his own devastated tokyo?

cracks of light spindle from kamui's hand reminiscent of shattered glass. it rises out of the cuts like mist, glimmering. a stark contrast to the grays and blacks of a city in self ruin. he tucks the hand against himself so it's not as in sight, not wanting caelus to focus on it more than he already has.

-- but you'll still feel the impact when you awaken.

he blinks, a soft hum lost under the cacophony around them. ]

How do we...wake up?

[ their little shelter interrupts his question sort of, falling apart the way paper torn would but with more weight behind it, and kamui curls again close to caelus, put off kilter by a fear not his own and an anxiety that very much is. ]

[trashblaze]

[ Kamui's soft smile is met with a gentle sigh. Caelus slowly smiles back, resigning for now. He supposes this is karma, considering all the times he was reckless himself. He always tries his best not to worry others, but sometimes… sometimes, it just can't be helped. So, he understands Kamui's desire to act despite the risks. All too well.

When Kamui apologizes, Caelus responds by leaning in and gingerly placing a kiss on his forehead, letting him know that it's okay. Because Caelus will make it all right from now on— he will protect him without a doubt and keep the pain away as much as he's able to. They're almost to the end now. ]

I'm just… I'm not telling you not to act entirely, but since you're already hurt, I didn't… want you to be in further danger, that's all. I can tell that you're strong, Kammy. You don't need to prove anything to me, because I see it in your eyes. And I like them.

[ With another reassuring smile, Caelus readjusts his hold on Kamui, and once again keeps him as close as possible to get ready to go. ]

We'll surely wake up once we pass that opening there. If you don't make it home and instead find yourself in an unfamiliar city, then wait for me. I'll be able to find you eventually. I'll keep that promise, for sure. Otherwise…

[ Otherwise, if Kamui doesn't wake up in Sleep's world… Caelus supposes that this will be their goodbye. ]

Then, maybe… one day in a far future, we'll meet again elsewhere.

[perilously]

[ one day in a far future.

somehow it is those words that leave kamui speechless. they turn over and over in his head.

one day in a far future.

he's thrown back into that moment of not-quite drowning, and then another moment not even here pinned to crumbling city like a still living butterfly, and still more: blind but overwrought in voices it was foreordained.

unconsciously he holds on a bit tighter to caelus, which if he was more coherent would be one thousand percent embarrassing and also something he would view as he should not be doing, but caelus is warm and kind and reminds kamui of someone back home; someone whose heart he couldn't protect, not the lives of those around him either.

so, finally, words come, tucked into caelus' shoulder, ]

...just...keep yourself safe. I really would...like to see you again, if that was possible. And...if it wouldn't mean more danger for you.

[ caelus called him strong, but kamui isn't sure that's true. though all he can do is try to make it so. ]

[trashblaze]

[ When Kamui holds him tighter, Caelus's tender expression warms further. He takes a moment, even as he runs forward, to slide a hand to the younger one's cheek. Fond. It's a shame their current time together… is ending soon. Not even Caelus's time spells would be enough to stop this moment from ending.

But that's what makes it even more precious.

Finally, Caelus's feet land on the ground one last time, only steps away from the open, gigantic rift in the dream. Though he takes this time to pause first, lowering a single knee so he can set Kamui down. Not to let the younger man go— it's to set his other arm free, in order to be able to embrace him properly. If only he could keep him in his arms like this… But time is running out. ]

I will. You'll see me again.

[ Because even without Sleep's influence, Caelus has the means to do so back in his universe. His confidence is solid, unhesitant as he says it. He really means that. He leans in, their foreheads once again pressing as their eyes lock on. ]

You're not a danger to me or anyone. After all, you protected me just now, didn't you? Stay strong, just as you are now. I'm sure you'll continue to have wonderful experiences ahead.

[ Because Caelus will make sure that is the case, when they meet again. ]

[perilously]

[ you're not a danger to me or anyone.

there's no time to explain to caelus how untrue that is, nor to find forgiveness for the whys of it. this dream that mystifies kamui at nearly every turn, has also shown him warmth. caelus had used fire earlier and maybe that's suiting, though kamui considers the feeling to be more akin to sun. almost unconsciously he tightens his arms around him as well, the embrace returned in full. they're so close with their foreheads touching that kamui almost is cross-eyed, so intent on meeting caelus' gaze as he is.

i am, he thinks and it hurts. yes, there's no time. but... ]

Will--

[ will you be okay?

a half a thought away from the rift. less than a breath.

but kamui has been closer to other goals and ripped away from them just the same.

maybe it shouldn't be surprising how the dream opens its maw beneath kamui's feet. it happens all at once: the fall, the alarmingly huge slab of concrete careening towards caelus, how kamui remembers to throw both of his hands out -- the one still gentled by caelus' time spell -- and send a responding blow to the bludgeoning stone. it explodes, and maybe some of it still hits caelus; kamui cannot see either way.

he falls.

or the world tilts?

what was up is sideways, what was down is backwards.

it's as if he falls through something, like hitting the surface of water and sinking. ]

[trashblaze]

Kamui!

[ Stunned, Caelus is swift to react and reach out, but their fingers still slip. He manages to grab the younger boy, but the impact of gravity is too harsh. The grip fails, and Kamui disappears into the fissure of the dream. ]

Kamui—!!

[ Perhaps his voice will echo past the dream, desperate and seeking. He doesn't know if he's heard, but he'll nevertheless continue speaking. Because to the very end, he wants to reach out a strong, warm reassurance to that lonely heart he's encountered. His voice is clear, unhesitant.

Not even Sleep will stop his spirit from surging through that void. ]

We will meet again! I will… find you!!

[ Because he promised. He never breaks his promises. He stays right where he is, staring down the endless fissure. Soon enough, the rift next to Caelus bursts open, swallowing him next. Only time separates these two now. Someday, they will meet once more. ]