Nightmares

Zaiden played with a dreamcatcher between his fingers. He was in full black attire, a black fedora, and a black cane resting on his lap.

"Do you believe in catching dreams?" Zaiden smiled

The woman playing the zither in front smiled, "No, sir. I believe dreams can't be lost."

"But they can be destroyed so painfully." Zaiden grinned

"I agree with that." she smiled

"Yuki....your song is enchanting as ever. Can it do more than that?" The creator chuckled

Yuki's finger amours rings gleamed in the moonlight as she smiled towards Zaiden. She snapped her strings and the windows shattered. A shard cut her face and blood dripped from her cheek.

"Do not worry. This servant shall provide entertainment as this servant has always done." She told

"I knew I could count on you." Zaiden beamed "Yuki is the best indeed."

Yuki picked her zither, the strings reformed and she prepared to leave.

"You may meet Yua and Yuri," Zaiden told

Yuki smiled, "Then I shall prove, this younger sister is truly more skilled in the arts. Please watch, this Yuki shall provide adequate terrors."

Yuki walked out with an oni mask on the side of her hair and played a soft tune to herself. People looked at her enchanted by the melody and her pink eyes looked firmly in front of her.

"Hello...." she greeted

Skyler was taken aback by the woman in a beautiful kimono until his body instinctively moved backward. Blood trailed down his neck and the smile of the woman widened.

"This girl is Yuki. Zaiden sends his regards...." she introduced

She moved forward, her pulling forward her silver rings, and scratched Skyler's cheek. Fire engulfed the wound and healed it.

"A phoenix?" Yuki smiled "My luck is good today it would seem."

Skyler was shocked as strings cut into his right blood and blood sprayed everywhere. The people panicked and ran in all directions. Skyler pushed back, Yuki followed and struck her zither. The sound waves put out his flames.

Zaiden spun a dream catcher between his fingers, the circular object was mirrored in his eyes and-

crack

His surroundings shattered around him and he turned to Lucian. She was holding a younger Zaiden, Zander, and Zyder in her arms and was visually shocked.

"Were you having a nice dream, mother?" Zaiden smiled

The young children in her arms melted away and her breathing quickened.

"Why...why?" Lucian frowned "Why do you torture me even in my dreams!!"

Zaiden smiled, "No reason. Does it look like torture?"

Zaiden was surprised as flames engulfed his left shoulder and his mother advanced towards him. A sword appeared in her hand, he pulled backward and she hit the ground strongly. The surroundings started to shake like rippling water.

"GET OUT OF MY DREAMS!" She frowned

Zaiden smirked, "Sadly...this is our dream...."

A shed, trees, and bushes appeared and a younger Zaiden and Zander stood in front of her with tears in their eyes. The life in their purple eyes was gone and they looked at her.

"Mum...where were you, we were waiting." young Zander cried

Lucian wavered seeing the bruised, skinny bodies and the ground underneath was cracking. As she tried to catch them, Zaiden came from behind with a scythe and Lucian sharply turned.

The blades clashed, Lucian's head tilted to the left and the tip of his scythe pointed to the skin beside her eye. For the first time, Lucian looked at Zaiden's face from up close and she widen her eyes.

"I'm handsome, right?" Zaiden laughed pulling his scythe back

Zaiden rose his right leg upwards, Lucian guarded against it with her arm and thrust her sword forward. Her son grabbed the blade with his bare hands as the surrounding changed and they were inside the shed now.

Young Zaiden frowned looking at the window, " They aren't coming....we're forgotten."

Lucian made fire encircle her blade but Zaiden didn't let go and aimed his scythe toward her neck. The hero pulled the sword out of his grip, fell backward, and bashed out the shed walls. She stood on a crust of some sort and saw the twins in solidified lava with flames entering the molds.

Tears mixed with blood ran down their cheeks as they yelled about pain and cursed to the unknown. Zaiden swiped at her, and his mother jumped upwards and slashed upward on his face on the cheek.

Zaiden pulled back before losing sight in his right eye and advanced again. Lucian saw the scene change when the twins stopped to cry...Zaiden cut at her torso. Lucian held down the scream in her throat, the young twins broke out of their stone-like prison and Zaiden aimed at her head.

The twins looked up, "We'll be free...if we reach up there?"

Lucian tackled Zaiden and her sword stabbed his chest strongly. They fell on the floor of the Strong Family's old house and Zaiden's blood flowed everywhere creating words. The young Zaiden was ridiculed by guests and she, in the dream did nothing. Lucian watched herself not helping the young twins and a cold gaze over their eyes.

"ARE YOU STILL WAITING, ZAIDEN?" Lucian asked holding tears

Zaiden was taken aback and gave her a heart-breaking smile. He touched her cheek with a bloodied hand and tears fell from his mother's face.

"I hate fighting in dreams..." Zaiden went and turned into purple petals "See you around, hero."

They both woke up. Zaiden found himself in bed and a man with some white hair coming in with chamomile tea.

"A nightmare, sir?" he smiled

Zaiden took the cup with a grumbling look and the man let out a laugh like thunder.

"After all these years, you're still a teen to me. I wish you, one-day of peaceful sleep."

"Eli...I'm glad, it's been a while since I had a dream...even a nightmare." Zaiden sighed sipping the tea as Eli hung up a white dream catcher

Lucian woke up with cold sweats and gripped a black dreamcatcher in her hand.

"I was....in Zaiden's dream." she went