The Lair of the Endless Dreamer

Chapter 1: Into the Cradle of Madness

I stood on the empty shore, hearing the thundering rumble; that insidious drumming of hellish fiends consuming the corners of my mind. Shiver, as chilling as the winds of most northern lands crawled down my spine. My bloody eyes, widened, wet, stared at the incoming wave of destruction; the dark abyss of water rising, and rising before me. Soon, the horizon drowned, a shadow creeping over the beaches as the enormous wave rushed to meet me, countless feet tall.

But, before I could feel the blast that could wipe cities, I gazed at the black abysmal emptiness. The wall of water turned black like an ink. Like a hole which swallowed me, silencing the chaos in the blink of an eye.

I found myself floating, like a helpless being trapped in an unseen cage, unable to move, to speak or even twitch. My sight became dripped in stars, and comets, and nebulas of burning colors never seen by ordinary men. I felt cold, alone, worthless. And the universe heeded my thoughts.

And reality warped like a swirling vortex, consuming me in realms so terrible that I wished for my everyday nightmares to come back and bother my mind once again.

There was a wall, an endless barrier of a million naked arms, clutching and grabbing as if they were longing for my approach. Then a blast of blinding light and a dark realm of most terrifying proportions. Endless tunnels of asymmetrical patterns, geometrical shapes far stranger for my too primitive mind to comprehend. Dark, colossal drains of slimy matter, engulfed in fog and peculiar lights of color I had never seen. The abyss exploded in a mute, fiery wave, opening itself like a curtain being pulled to reveal the next act of madness. And I saw people. Dozens, maybe hundreds, roaming aimlessly around the streets of Rhode Island. There was something... off about them. Not until I took a few steps further did I realize the terrible truth. Some of them were eyeless, others tearing their eyes out to join their brethren. Screams, moans and growls overwhelmed my ears and I pressed my hands against them. My knees were greeted by the ground as I clutched my teeth, begging for it to end and I felt the liquid flowing like a raging river beneath me. A river of blood and countless eyes floating as they were passing by, almost looking as if staring back at me.

The sight suddenly warped, as if the entire universe was swollen and my ears buzzed with such an intensity that I thought my head would explode. The pain. The agony. Oh, that terrible suffering. It was consuming me. I felt like a helpless pawn in the games of higher beings. I closed my eyes, pressing them hard as if begging myself for all of it to end.

It was then when I felt a warm breeze on my cheek. The screams of people instantly faded away, as if cut by a heavy, vaulted door, leaving only the hum of sea waves clashing against the shore.

Darkened sky, woven with black clouds carrying thunder and flood succumbed the world in shadow. A howl of winds, as if it were a pack of wolves whistled, carrying a strange scent; a miasma of rotten fish, decaying flesh and burning meat.

I stood on the barren ridge, gazing in terror as a cyan light of fell energy devoured the horizon of the raging ocean. It swallowed the sky; a wool of beams cutting through the storm clouds. And before me, on the very edge of the dark rock, stood a man.

He was tall, slim, his long, worn coat wavering like a torn flag against the wind. I could not see his face, for he was too staring at the crippling lights in the distance, his raven hair chaotically dancing with the gushes. Although it was warm, my blood was frozen. I swear I could feel my limbs becoming numb. A hole, some... emptiness was spreading in my guts. My heart was uneasy, thumping like a stampede, punching hard against my chest. Fear. It was devouring me. Unimaginable fear. A parasite clouding every rational thinking. Uncontrollable dread.

As I raised my hand to grab the man's shoulder and turn him to see his face, a sudden pain dashed through me. My vision blurred and I heard my teeth cranking. I wondered if he endures the same agony as me. But, the face that greeted me was one of nightmares.