Nightmare

by DragonblazedNight

Summary:

Ceylan doesn't know why but ever since Quarton, something just didn't sit right with him. His home life was intact, his friendships are still thriving, hell, his academics were pretty up there. So why is it that he's felt uneasy ever since his seventeenth birthday past?

And what's with his back itching all the time?

Chapter 1: Calm before the storm

Summary:

Ceylan just wants peace, is that too much to ask?

---

"If you do this, you will be dead to me."

 

The bluntness that the line was delivered made Ceylan guffaw, it made it so worth it when he killed Toxsa's character and the green haired boy screeched in response. The blue haired teen shrugged his shoulders and winked at his gaming buddy, "Sorry Toxsa, but you gotta remember who the sharpshooter of our friends is." He knew for a fact that he was being cheeky but he couldn't help it when it came to Toxsa. Chooki came into the living room and a hand on his hip, frowning at him, "Ceylan, quit patronizing my boyfriend."

 

The boy brought his hands up but chuckled nonetheless, looking at the time and sighing before standing up, "Thanks for the match pipsqueak, same time next week?" Toxsa grinned and fist pumped him, "You know it Trib."

 

As soon as he left the house, Ceylan nervously fiddled with his hoodie's string, glancing back and forth as he walked a short distance to his car. Once he was in his vehicle he sighed in relief and started the engine, driving off to head to his own home.

 

"I'm home," Ceylan called out, silence greeting him back, guess his parents have another late night shift. Huffing, the teen walked to the fridge and pulled out some leftovers to reheat. While that was happening, he took his school pad out of his bag to begin his homework. Contrary to what others might think, Ceylan was pretty smart, maybe not Gen or Seranah level smart but he was third in finals, his only downfall being history.

 

Grumbling as he chewed on some chicken, Ceylan scribbled down in his notes to share with his group later, the shared document empty besides his portion of the project done. The only time he liked group projects were when he was paired with people who actually did the work, he'll even take working with Beni and they still butt heads even after all these years. What ticked him off the most is the fact that he can see that his group mates are online right now.

 

Going into one of many of his friends' group chats, he settled on "Parfaits Are Better," Ceylan still finding great joy in the name he gave it.

 

Cool_Blue: Does anyone wanna convince my teacher to let me switch groups? (21:28)

DragonGorl: U serious? Again? (21:29)

Bravenwolf: Is everything okay??? (21:29)

 

Always count on his best bud to be worried, good old Guren. But where on earth was...?

 

DragonGorl: We could put a glitter bomb in their locker! (21:32)

Bravenwolf: I don't think the principal can handle you two again after last week. (21:32)

DragonGorl: Aw c'mon Guren, live a little! (21:32)

 

It's amazing how off topic they can get after just one comment, but then again, it did take a good couple hours to get the science teacher down from the ceiling.

 

Cool_Blue: Back to the topic on hand, can I please just join your group? (21:46)

DragonGorl: Sorry Blueberry, different class remember? (21:47)

 

Ceylan sighed, twirling his pen between his fingers as he stared at his tablet, the beginnings of a headache forming. He sighed as he debated on messaging his teacher but in the end didn't since it would effect his grade on the project anyway if he did. A tap on the window made the teen jump and he shot up from the chair, eyes snapping to the panel. He kind of wished he had his practice bow down there with him in the kitchen instead of his room. Taking in the sight of the palm branch hitting the window made Ceylan's shoulders slump in relief, he seriously has been paranoid lately.

 

Washing his dishes, the blue haired teen trudged up to his room and face planted on his bed, hoping that sleep will come quickly tonight.

 

-

 

He was soaring through the sky, the wind blowing in his hair pleasantly as wings beat to keep him aloft. It felt bittersweet to fly in the endless blue world above the clouds, the joy was there but he knew that it would have been better if —— were here.

 

Suddenly a storm raged around him and he moved to dive back to the earth below, a sense of urgency filling his body. He doesn't know why but he knew that he had to get...get where exactly? There was something missing, something important that he should know.

 

"——!"

 

-

 

Ceylan startled awake in a cold sweat, panting as he recalled the feeling of falling before he woke up but the rest was a blur. He groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly, this was the fifth time this week that the teen woke up abruptly with the lingering unpleasantness of falling. Absentmindedly cradling his neck, Ceylan threw off the covers and padded down the stairs for a drink of water.

 

Ocean blue eyes watched the cup he had fill with water and lazily gazed outside where the sun was starting to rise in the horizon. Sighing, the teen opened the fridge and blinked at the wrapped sandwiches his mother seemed to have made for him to eat for breakfast. Guess that answers his question of if his parents were at work. Communicator chiming, Ceylan brought his wrist up and read the notification.

 

Pure_Boi: Hey Ceylan, you okay? Kinda stopped responding in the group chat last night. (05:20)

 

Ah yes, he almost forgot that he changed Guren's name on there, oh well it brings a grin and Ceylan counted down from five with a shit eating grin.

 

Pure_Boi: Wait... (05:20)

Pure_Boi: DID YOU MESS WITH MY COM AGAIN?! (05:21)

ParfaitKing.TM: Mayhaps ;3c (05:21)

Pure_Boi: CEYLAN JONES!!! (05:21)

 

Snickering to himself, the blue haired teen watched as his messages got spammed with angry texts from his best friend in amusement. He paused when he locked gazes with a crow outside the window, just to be sure that the bird actually was looking at him Ceylan moved to the side, the birds head followed his movements. Swallowing nervously, the teen carefully made his way to his room to change, trying to ignore the bird's eerie gaze on his back.

 

---

 

Ceylan's eyes frantically looked all over while hiding behind Guren and Seranah, the female giving him a look, "Okay seriously Ceylan, what is up with you today? You're so...jumpy." The teen in question simply ignored her and flinched when he heard a cough but relaxed sheepishly. Guren furrowed his brows in worry, "Is everything okay Ceylan? Is it stress?"

 

Seranah sighed and shook her head, "If he were stressed then he'd be chugging obnoxious amounts of coffee and mumbling study facts under his breath." Ceylan merely slumped against his best friend in defeat and tiredly turned his head toward the brunette, "Promise not to laugh as much as you normally would at me?" A blank stare was given, "Fair enough," the blue haired teen sighed, "I've been followed by a crow since this morning."

 

Silence persisted for all but a second before Seranah bust out laughing, a few snorts escaping as she crouched down holding her stomach, wheezing for oxygen between guffaws. Even Guren snorted once before turning his head away as he covered his mouth but his shoulders were shaking in repressed laughter. Traitor. Ceylan supposes that he earned it, it did sound stupid. Regardless, he stared at them with a straight face and they stopped when they noticed.

 

"Wait you serious?" Seranah asked, her whole demeanor changing, "In what way is it bothering you?" Averting his gaze, Ceylan opened his mouth to say something when a loud screech sounded, causing the three to cover their ears. The brunette growled harshly in her throat and her eyes were red when they glared at the direction the noise was coming from. Ceylan only heard the growl since he was next to her but suddenly his vision went black and the feeling of his limbs being tied began suddenly.

 

Muffled shouts sounded and he could've sworn that he heard Seranah snarl something with Guren unnaturally angry as well. What was going on?! The question remained unanswered as Ceylan felt sharp pain to the back of his head and lost consciousness.

Notes:

Apparently peace IS too much to ask for Ce-Ce.

Chapter 2: Attempted Escape

Summary:

Nothing like a healthy dose of nausea.

Notes:

A/N: I just want to say: I'm so sorry. TW ahead :D

Ceylan slowly woke up, his body aching and head pounding like he got hit by Seranah's gorilla strength arms. Groaning in pain, the teen squinted his eyes as they tried to focus, only to see unblinking eyes staring at him. He yelped and scrambled back until he hit something and he turned his head to see metal bars. His heart pounded in his chest and he felt his blood freeze when he took in the sight of bodies lying in the cage. Ceylan snapped his head to try to find an exit, zeroing in on a lock.

Bringing a hand up to his mouth, the blue haired male uncomfortably swallowed the bile traveling up his throat. Focus, he has to focus. Slowly maneuvering around the corpses, Ceylan examined the lock as well as he could in the dark. Actually now that he thought about it, what time is it and just where was he? Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts for now, he stuck his tongue out in concentration. He tried not to think too much about the decay around him as he cupped the lock in his hands. Frost began forming on the metal and the teen narrowed his eyes to focus solely on the object between his palms. Ceylan perked up when he heard a crack and slowly opened the door as carefully as he could when the lock fell.

He had to cover his nose, the stench of rotting flesh filled the air along with whatever death surrounded him. A quick glance at his wrist showed that he didn't have his communicator anymore, just great, Ceylan thought bitterly. From what he can gather is that he's in a forest of some kind, trees looming ominously with a dense fog in the air. Trying to calm his pounding heart, the blue haired teen slowly crept away from the cage, sticking close to the trees. Looking at every stump and rock for moss, the boy nearly cried in relief when a stone with vegetation came into view. However, as he took a closer look, it looked like a stone arch for a building, a doorway maybe? Shaking his head, Ceylan walked in the direction the moss was growing.

He flinched heavily when a chirp sounded and his eyes snapped up to see a blue jay singing on a branch. Relaxing as he listened to its tweets, he startled when it took flight and he had the urge to run after it. The blue jay lead him further into the forest, the dense fog withering away the further he went. Bursting through some bushes, Ceylan was met with the most beautiful scenery he's ever seen. Valleys and mountains filled with lush greenery and life, rivers and lakes reflecting the sunshine majestically. If he didn't know better, Ceylan would think that a civilization would prosper here, perhaps even a kingdom.

But, he frowned, he has no idea where this is. For all he knows, Ceylan could be in a different country all together. He can only hope that the others have a way of finding him.

Slowly making his way down to the stream just ahead, Ceylan sighed in relief when the cool water trickled down his throat. Wiping his mouth, the teen took another look around, squinting as the sunshine got in his eyes. Alright, he has no idea where he is, nothing but the clothes on his back, and his power over ice - honestly not as bad it could be. Buzzing his lips, Ceylan wracked his brain for any helpful information Toxsa may have told him about the land and whatnot. The pipsqueak really got into studying the earth when he found out about his affinity to, well, terraforming.

Hell, Rosaline had them all study up on plants as...well... Wait. Plants! There's always particular plants in any region, why didn't he think of that sooner?!

"God I'm a dumbass," Ceylan grumbled to himself, searching for anything that wasn't a normal fern he'd seen so far. He furrowed his brows when a boysenberry bush caught his eye; stomach rumbling, the teen sighed and slowly foraged some of the berry. Somberly, the male glanced at the sky, a sudden sadness and longing filling him the more he stared at the blue horizon. Shaking his head, he hesitantly popped a berry in his mouth, shrugging at the taste. Well at least it ain't poisonous.

"There you are ———! Oh dear, what did I tell you about getting the juice on your feathers?"

Huh? Where...who? Ceylan groaned and cradled his head, the throbbing unpleasant. This has been occurring too often to be a coincidence, though it's more of a bother when it happened. A frown settled on his lips, there has to be a reason for these weird...visions.

The beating of wings drew his attention and he looked up to see...was that a person?! They were coming straight towards him; Ceylan yelped and bolted, his instincts screaming at him to run. Frost surrounded him as he tapped into his Energy, the world becoming a blur as he sprinted through the forest.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins, heart pounding as he swiped fern out of his way as he ran. There was something ominous about that sound of wings beating, something that just screeched ill omens. Ceylan heard faint shouting, but instead of feeling relief of there being other people, dread washed over him. There's many things that the blue haired teen had seen: robots with elemental powers, weapons that shot out energy, a dragon, a bloody werewolf even! Sorry, he's drawing the line on avians! Too many mythological creatures that are now confirmed to be real for him, thank you.

Leaping over a river, trying to minimize his trail by avoiding leaving ice on the water, Ceylan just barely caught sight of an arm stretched out to try to stop him. Everything felt like it slowed down as he dropped to his knees, using the momentum to continue forward and froze the person's feet to the ground while he had the opportunity. Stumbling a bit to regain his footing, the young adult yelped when another arm swung at him. Ice responded to him subconsciously and shot at the arm, impaling the flesh; Ceylan flinched at the howl of pain as he began to run away again. Fighting and harming robots is completely different than human beings, the bots could always come back for one thing!

God, sometimes he misses Quarton. At least there he could leave whenever he wanted and was protected by his Tenkai Knight armor and suit. Here, he's completely vulnerable.

Ceylan panted as quietly as he could, even covering his mouth with a hand as more of those strange avians flew by. He was lucky enough to stumble across a tree that had an opening that he could fit in, but he still has to worry about these things, if they're adept at hunting or not. His mind goes to the corpses in the cage he woke up in, nausea hitting him like a freight train. No, don't think about that, Ceylan berated himself, uncomfortably swallowing the bile in his throat.

The rustling of leaves made him stiffen, he'd had the foresight to use the surrounding bushes to cover the entrance to his hiding place, but that still didn't take away the fear he felt when feet came in sight. Ceylan's heartbeat roared in his ears and he prayed to the guardians that he would not be found by them. His prayers were unanswered, a hand shot in and grabbed his arm, terror seized the teen and his Energy responded in kind. Ice and frost exploded from him, shouts of panic sounded from the avians outside and Ceylan squeezed his eyes shut as he heard ice claim them in a frigid tomb.

He tried to calm his breathing as he stared at the frozen hand gripping his arm, steeling himself as he wretched it free and watched as the cold limb shattered. Nausea crawled up his throat rapidly and he scrambled out of the den, throwing up as soon as he saw the frosty carnage in front of him. Ceylan heaved and trembled, his body refusing to respond to him.

"No, you idiot!"

Instinctively rolling away, Ceylan barely had time to register the arrow landing beside him before he flung an ice lance in the direction it came in. He watched in horror as the lance impaled an avian in the sky, eyes following the corpse as it fell before shooting up to the one who yelled. The other avian was staring at him, hazel eyes never leaving his as he landed directly in front of him. A whimper escaped Ceylan's lips, tears forming, "I- I didn't mean to."

The man glanced around the frost bitten area, his black wings ruffled a bit before he looked at the blue haired teen again, "So it seems." He reached out and grabbed Ceylan's shirt, "Apologies little one," he murmured before delivering a swift strike, knocking him out.

---

Blearily opening his eyes, Ceylan jolted when faces were above him; he felt his arms and legs bound to the table he was on and began to panic. He spotted one of the faces give a sadistic grin as they saw this and nodded to the others. The sound of metal made him almost freeze, the sight of a scalpel caused him to thrash violently. Ceylan screamed, he managed to headbutt one of the operators but in turn the same guy cackled as he cut just below the boy's left eye. Another decided to cut his brow just to hear him howl in pain, the smiles on their faces scaring him more than anything.

"No," he sobbed as he felt his chest being cut open, "no," searing pain shot through him as they broke his ribs, "NO!"

At last his Energy responded to his cries, though it felt different. His ears rung and everything was muffled, he looked on with fuzzy vision as the operators covered their ears, mouths open for some reason. He could've sworn that ones ears were bleeding while another dropped to the floor; regardless, they scrambled and covered his mouth, yelling at each other as he struggled under them. The next thing he knew a needle was piercing his mouth and dawning realization hit him, they were sewing his mouth shut. His screams were muffled as they stitched the last part of his mouth closed and they turned him over after doing the same to his chest.

How long it took for them to tear into his skin he had no idea, all he could feel was searing pain.

"Get them ready," the avian with a broken nose that Ceylan headbutted earlier chirped with a crazed grin, he leaned down to meet Ceylan's gaze, "I'm going to enjoy this, little bird."

Immediately, they ruthlessly tore into his back, seeming to relish in his pain as he squirmed. The feeling of something big was shoved into his back directly between his shoulder blades. Ceylan felt his throat tighten, a silent scream even though he could no longer open his mouth; it felt like his back was being ripped open to accommodate whatever they were forcing on him. Tears burned down his cheeks, the feeling of them sewing even that weight to his skin hurt like he'd never known before. And throughout it all was cackling. Crazed, sadistic laughter. His blood was everywhere, his vision fading, pain burning in his soul. Ceylan only heard one last sentence before he passed out.

"The Crow is now ready to awaken."

 

Notes:

Sorry for the wait! I'm honestly surprised that people liked this, thank you all so much, you're fantastic!!!