Night Terror

~~~~~~Kyra's Dream~~~~

Smoke...gray and thick, so thick I can barely see ahead of me. The world around me is consumed by it, a choking haze. My eyes are itchy and watering, and my throat is sore and scratchy. 

The smoke claws at my lungs and stings my eyes. My breath is ragged and shallow, the acrid smell of burning wood and charred earth filling my nostrils.

My vision is a blur of shifting shadows, and no matter where I turn, the smoke only seems to grow thicker, obscuring everything.

'How long have I been stuck in the mist of all this smoke? And where did it all come from?'

Attempting a step forward proves to be a bad idea. The air around me feels alive, oppressive, pressing down me like a living thing, it makes every movement heavier, every step sluggish.

My heart pounds anxiously within my chest, panic quickly builds up as I struggle to make sense of my surroundings. There was neither light to serve as a guide or even a flicker of flame to indicate the source of the fire.

Other than my frantic breaths, it is completely silent. A heavy, almost unnatural silence.

And then, the silence is broken and I hear it: a voice, faint and distant calls my name.

"Kyra..."

It drifts to me from somewhere in the smoke, indistinct yet eerily familiar. I turn towards the sound, squinting my eyes in hopes of seeing better. "Who's there?" My voice trembles.

There is no response to my call, but that distant voice comes again, this time louder and closer.

"Kyra!"

A second voice joined the first this time, both voices blended together, sharp and accusing, laced with malice. And then a third voice, and another until the air is alive with faint murmurs, distant whispers and ear-piercing shrieks, all calling my name.

The cacophony is suffocating in its intensity, my hands move to cover my ears but the voices only grow louder, like they are inside my head.

"Show yourself!" I scream out, my voice breaking.

My skin prickles, the hair on the back of my neck rises. Someone is behind me and I turn slowly, warily...

'Mikos!' I stumble back at the familiar face, tripping over my own feet, my back hits the ground.

And now, Mikos is standing over me, glaring down at me, eyes burning with rage and hate.

"Kyra!...I am coming for you!" He hissed maliciously.

I shake my head desperately and attempt to make a run for it but a chilling cold skeletal grip takes hold of my shoulders, pulling me beneath the surface of the earth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awaken with a gasp, my hand claws at my throat as I scramble off my bed, urgently feeling about for the light switch.

"Silver Tech, turn on lights." 

The voice catches me off guard, I bite back a scream, and relief dawns when the lights come on to reveal Top standing by my door.

He stares at me in quiet contemplation and a measure of suspicion, having witnessed the aftermath of my nightmare. I quickly compose myself, clearing my throat lightly.

"The tight security of Silver Tower considered, did you not learn basic self preservation tactics like locking your doors?" Top finally breaks the silence.

His words answer my unspoken question as to how he got into my room while I slept. I forgot to lock the doors, between living in the cafe with a faulty lock and in the holding cells, I did not have to lock doors myself often.

It was more likely someone else did the locking, right after shoving me inside.

"I... it's midnight. What are you doing here?" I ignore Top's question.

"The Supreme...his symptoms have grown worrisome tonight. We cannot get through to him. Get yourself ready and go to him." Top instructs.

My brows furrow at that. "I think I am the last person he wants to see now, besides we agreed..."

Top cuts of my protest with a firm order, bellying a snarl. "Go, Kyra! Do not make me repeat myself!"

My heart shrivels up and I take a step back from Top, sensing the presence of his wolf right on the surface... Top is on edge, which can only mean Alaric's condition was really concerning.

"I... I understand." 

Top takes his leave and I slump down to the ground, the terror from my nightmare and Top's outburst taking the strength out of my muscles.

It takes a short moment but I quickly compose myself and hop in the shower, washing off the sweat from the night terror.

Back in my room, I find a dress is already laid out on my bed for me which tells me either Sera or Gemma have been here.

And the fact that whoever it was did not wait to see me confirms that the mood in the silver tower is not what it usually is.

The dress is not as modest as the one I chose myself, but it is not a pair of sultry undergarments too and so it will have to do.

I put it on, foregoing the idea of undergarments. One because I am certain Alaric will not be any more receptive than he was before, on the other hand, my nightmare still weighs on my mind and somewhere deep within, I hope he will be.

Top said it once, that whatever hunted me will be unable to get to me here in Silver Tower. That was proven wrong when Alaric nearly delivered me to Mikos.

But in that moment, there was one unmistakable fact. Mikos bowed to Alaric, a full bow, and Alaric took me so close because he is certain Mikos dares not question him, even if Mikos had picked up my scent.

Alaric is Supreme... superior to Mikos in all regards. If there is anyone that can protect me from Mikos, it is only Alaric.

Top is wrong, the Silver Tower cannot save me... Alaric can.

'Alaric's claim...with it, it would not matter if Mikos finds me.' The thought is impossible to prevent and I wince visibly, recalling the word Alaric had used on me.

'An opportunist...'

For my own survival, I truly am just that.