Steel kissed and screamed over the crackle of flames. Heat obscured the face of his enemy, but he could feel the throbbing of a heartbeat in both ears. His hands both shook, and the weight of his weapon seemed to multiply.
Their blades clashed again, and the faceless foe leaned forward. Whispered words seized him by the chest, and Arik staggered backward. But what had he heard?
He was falling now, flailing as he dropped from within his own body into the I'm material. His screams echoed until they drowned in silence and his voice was spent. Arik fell until there was nothing.
Until he was nothing.
His eyes bugged as he jolted upright. He clutched the sheets tighter with every desperate, heavy breath. "Again?" he asked the mirror as it stared back at him. "The same dream..."
He glanced toward the clock. "Wait," he leaned forward and strained to make sure he had seen properly. "Did my alarm not go off!?"
Arik was out of bed in an instant, pulling his pants up and hurrying toward the door. "Oh no," he huffed as he threw it open and buttoned up, then locked the door and ran. "I'm late!"
They had welcomed him formally several days before and given him time to acclimate to his peers, but Arik had stayed close to the dorm. The administration assigned him a student guide to help, and even made an appointment for the two to meet up. He managed to screw up the sole thing they had asked of him so far. "I hope she's still there," he worried as he ran toward the meeting place.
What a great start to the day.
@Schrodinger's Cat
