Chapter 60: Darkness and Corruption
Arthur’s sleep was haunted by dreams of the dead. The voices that had assaulted him as he closed his eyes now manifested as shadowy figures in his dreams, reaching for him with gnarled fingers made of withered stems. They whispered promises and threats in equal measure, their words seeping into his subconscious like poison. He stirred restlessly among the dead roses, his body twisting as if trying to escape invisible bonds.
He moaned and groaned, face contorted in distress as the nightmares took hold. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the cool air, his hands clenching and unclenching as he fought enemies only he could see.
Aziel noticed his troubled sleep and moved closer. He began shaking Arthur gently, calling out his name to pierce through the veil of nightmares. "Arthur... Arthur," he repeated, his voice calm but insistent.
Arthur popped up gasping for air, covered in a cold sweat that made his clothes stick to his skin. His eyes were wild, unfocused, still seeing the horrors of his dreams rather than the reality before him. He looked around panicked, head swiveling rapidly before finally landing his eyes on Aziel. Recognition slowly dawned on his face, replacing fear with confusion.
"W-what’s wrong?" he managed to stammer, heart still racing in his chest.
Aziel raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned by Arthur’s distress. The sun was high in the sky now, casting harsh light upon them. "You’ve been asleep for 2 hours. It’s my turn." His matter-of-fact tone suggested that nightmares were simply an expected part of existence in this cursed place.
Arthur gulped, still trying to clear his mind of all its clutter. The remnants of the nightmare clung to him like cobwebs, difficult to brush away completely. "Oh, um, y-yeah. My bad. Go ahead." He wiped the sweat from his brow with a trembling hand, trying to compose himself.
Aziel yawned deeply, the fatigue of days without proper rest evident in the dark circles under his eyes. Without ceremony, he let himself fall into the bed of roses and closed his eyes, apparently unconcerned about the dangers that had so troubled Arthur’s sleep.
Arthur suddenly remembered a worry he had been harboring before going to sleep, and determined it was better to voice it now to be safe rather than sorry. "Hey..." he began hesitantly, "are you gonna be okay falling asleep in the roses?"