The Day of Thunder

[Ryoshun Nao]

The heat was first. It wasn't painful. Not yet. But, it was uncomfortable and oppressive. She could feel the air clinging to her and pulling her down, like a cloud of boiled syrup resting on top of her. The smell was of charred flesh and burning fat, accompanied by the taste of ash. She had caught the sent of it once, on a few meido spirits. Her father said they had died by fire. She heard screams in the distance. The voices sounded like they might be familiar, but nothing they shouted sounded like speech. They were cries of anguish and pain.

Carefully, Nao rose to her feet and opened her eyes.

The screams were coming from distant islands sinking into a sea of molten obsidian, licked by sickly green flame. Looking around, shecould see that her own island was quickly slipping beneath the rising tide. Like the others, she would soon be consumed by the flames of corruption. But, the young Ryoshun did not feel panicked. She suppressed her fear and remained calm.

She was dreaming. This was a representation of Yume Do falling to corruption. She expected to find the Harbinger behind her, prepared to gloat. Nao would die moments later. That's how the story would go. However, when she turned to look behind her, she found nothing. There was a looming darkness waiting to envelope her. It would remove her from the danger surrounding her, but the idea brought Nao no comfort.

This wasn't how the story should go. She'd have to change that. She focused her thoughts and meditated on what she could change. Her eyes were closed when the hellscape faded away. The obsidian sea was replaced by Dragon Lake. The burning islands became the sandy beaches that dotted the shore. And, a cool, pleasant breeze carried music and laughter across the water. She smiled and laid back in the sweet smelling grass, content to drift off into a deeper sleep, forgetting the waiting darkness.

- - -
Day 4 Sleep Event: Lucid Dreaming, Willpower/Etiquette, VP for +1k1 | 5k4 ⇒ 29 (TN: 25)

Day 4 Sleep Event: Lucid Dreaming, Perform: Storyteling/Awareness, VP for +1k1 | 7k4 ⇒ 30 (TN: 25)

Day 4 Sleep Event: Lucid Dreaming, Meditation/Void, FR to Reduce TN, VP for +1k1 | 8k5 ⇒ 41 (TN: 35)