To Sleep, To Connect

Lucille would be sitting peacefully at family dinner, enjoying fresh veggies from her farm with her mother and father. They talk about mundane things, asking her about her grades at school, what book she was reading now, and other stuff like that. It was quiet, normal, familiar. She was filled with a sense of nostalgia and longing, but she couldn't understand why. It was like she missed this, but it's always been like this... Right?

But her normalcy would be shattered when from out of nowhere a large, inky black void opens up directly behind her parents. It spreads wider, opening up like the maw of a hungry beast as shadowy hands reach out and grab her parents. Lucille's eyes widen. "Mom! Dad!" She exclaims, standing from her seat. Her parents are dragged into the portal, but before it can close she runs after them and jumps in.

She is surrounded by darkness, with the only lights being her mother and father getting dragged away. She runs after them as fast as she can, but they only seem to get further and further. She gasps and pants, before stumbling over something and falling to her knees. She reaches out with a hand, tears streaming down her face. "Don't leave me!" But it was too late. Her parents disappear into the shadows, and she's all alone. She curls up into a ball, sobbing to herself. "Not again..." She says, becoming partially lucid as she realizes why this is all familiar. This is a nightmare she's had multiple times at this point, and yet no matter how many times it happens she is no less devastated.

Lucille would sit there in her sorrow for a few moments before being shaken by the cold feeling of the stained glass. Opening her eyes, she glances around at the curious sight. A sense of foreboding falls over her as she stands, spotting the faces of various people she knows. She uses a hand to rub away some of her tears as she shivers. This entire place feels... Off. This isn't a regular dream. What is this place?

The sound of a man echoes out, causing her to crouch into a ready stance as she rapidly looks around for the source of the voice. "Wh-who are you?" She calls out. Out of habit she reaches for her sword, but it isn't there. Crap. Trying not to let her growing fear show, she straightens up and calls out again. "What do you want?"

Lucille would continue to look around herself as she tries to track the footsteps, keeping herself ready for something to attack her at a moment's notice. She may not have her sword but she can at least throw a fist sized ice ball at someone in a pinch!

Finally the walking would stop, and the voice would... Clarify wouldn't quite be the correct word, because she was left with more questions than answers. She had multiple things she wanted to ask this mysterious no-named person... Or not-person, whatever they, or it, is. She eventually settles on one question to ask. "...Why? What's in it for you?"

Lucille waits expectantly for the response, but yelps as a bunch of symbols arranged in an incomprehensible manner circle around the windows. What the heck-

But just as soon as they came, they were gone. Was that some kind of attack?! What is... She perks up as she listens to the person's response. Her look of suspicion softens. "Contact... Have you... Been in this void... By yourself?" She asks, her eyes becoming sympathetic. "You must be incredibly lonely..."

Lucille listens with slowly widening eyes as the being further clarifies on things. Her sympathy once more turns to trepidation as she realizes this being is something truly alien to her. Their words make sense on a surface level and yet feel incomprehensible to her, like she's looking at a coin but can't see either of the faces. Finally the enigmatic being appears within the stained glass and she gasps. They look...

"...Awesome!" She exclaims, approaching the glass with a smile. "So you're some kind of dream creature? I-" She fidgets. "I'm not exactly in the know on a lot of things. For most of my life I was just a farmgirl; I didn't even know other worlds existed until recently. Oh and what do you mean by 'something I've yet to fully comprehend'? Do I have some kind of hidden secret power waiting to be unleashed?" She asks with clear curiosity.

As the man steps through the glass she backs up a little, having to crane her head up to look at them. "O-oh... You're a tall one aren't you?" She says, feeling a little chill go up her spine as the being seems to know the aspects of her life. Is it reading her mind? Or her heart? Or maybe he's just inferring from the glass windows.

She would listen closely as he then clarifies that, technically, everyone has a secret power. Well, everyone with a Heart anyways. His question gives her pause as she hesitates, looking around. "Uhhh... I mean you said this was a place between light and dark and between dreams and reality and all that. So this is a kind of... Place between places?" She glances to the windows. "But I'm guessing it's deeper than that. Is this like my soul or something?" She feels a pang of worry. If this IS her soul then she basically just invited some unknown being into it. Is she going to get possessed and become a walking husk or something? She really hopes not.

As he answers she snaps her fingers in mild frustration. "Aww dang it! That was gonna be my second guess..." She says. As the strange person explains further she listens with rapt attention, eyeing the different parts of her 'heart' and what they mean. She is especially intrigued as two slits that almost look like eyes make her shudder.

Then the Shadows come, and as she grows more concerned something the person says makes her eyes shrink to pinpricks. Deep down she always figured there was some sort of method behind the attack at her farmhouse, but she thought they were just trying to get Cal. If what this person is implying is true...

She looks down to her shaking hands. Why? For what purpose? As more and more Shadows pile on and close in her breath becomes visible, cold power swirling around her as she channels her ice magic. She fuels it with her enmity and grief, turning it into a roaring gale that knocks away the first Shadows about to reach her. Her hands close into fists. How dare they... How DARE they?!