09-23-2023, 04:14 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-23-2023, 04:16 PM by Adrian Kane.)
The Sandman remained unmoved by the assertions of this mere mortal. He knew full well who held dominion over the realm of dreams. Yet, not once, but twice in recent memory, his authority had been challenged by wandering Dreamers. His crimson eyes gleaming with the light of glowing rubies, narrowed in contemplation. Had the Age changed so much that even a king could be treated with disdain? Perhaps it was time for the Sandman to remind these humans of the sovereign who sat upon the dreamer's throne.
In that moment, the swirling vortex of ash came to a sudden halt, the black flakes cascading like the snowflakes of the damned.
He stretched out his awareness, and as he did, he raised his arms slowly. The enormous wings on his back lifted to leathery points far overhead, while the gleaming jewels that constituted his eyes ignited to fiery embers. He seized hold of the threads that wove through the Dream like a beast seizing its prey, and wrenched.
Suddenly, countless figures materialized all around them — a tapestry of men, women, and children, each unique of size and color. Some stood with age-bowed backs, others with the uncertainty of youth. They gathered in a controlled ring, encircling the Sandman with Nox nearby, and still, he exerted the weight of his influence upon all of them that held them in place.
His wings unfurled to their fullest extent and then pulsed down hard with a powerful force, and the demon lifted from the ground, ten, twenty feet in the air, where he peered down upon all these beings with the guise of monarch on his throne. In perfect unison, they all assumed a posture of deference, bowing as Nox had before.
His voice echoed as he spoke from on high. “I am neither man nor monster. I am the Prince of Night, the Son of Sleep, Shaper of Forms—Morphê, The Oneroi, the Dream Eater, Watcher of the Eyes. The King of Dreams,” he declared with commanding authority.
The flex of his wings released, and he descended to stand before Nox once more. “You, Dreamer, may address me as The Sandman.”
[[See separate PM]]
In that moment, the swirling vortex of ash came to a sudden halt, the black flakes cascading like the snowflakes of the damned.
He stretched out his awareness, and as he did, he raised his arms slowly. The enormous wings on his back lifted to leathery points far overhead, while the gleaming jewels that constituted his eyes ignited to fiery embers. He seized hold of the threads that wove through the Dream like a beast seizing its prey, and wrenched.
Suddenly, countless figures materialized all around them — a tapestry of men, women, and children, each unique of size and color. Some stood with age-bowed backs, others with the uncertainty of youth. They gathered in a controlled ring, encircling the Sandman with Nox nearby, and still, he exerted the weight of his influence upon all of them that held them in place.
His wings unfurled to their fullest extent and then pulsed down hard with a powerful force, and the demon lifted from the ground, ten, twenty feet in the air, where he peered down upon all these beings with the guise of monarch on his throne. In perfect unison, they all assumed a posture of deference, bowing as Nox had before.
His voice echoed as he spoke from on high. “I am neither man nor monster. I am the Prince of Night, the Son of Sleep, Shaper of Forms—Morphê, The Oneroi, the Dream Eater, Watcher of the Eyes. The King of Dreams,” he declared with commanding authority.
The flex of his wings released, and he descended to stand before Nox once more. “You, Dreamer, may address me as The Sandman.”
[[See separate PM]]