Content Warning: This is a work of fiction. Depicts violence. All characters are 18+.
The Dead Land Night
It was a cold night.
The wind was brutal, and everyone with sense—and not doing something illegal—stayed indoors, huddled under blankets.
It was a night that even the dead could feel.
You could see mist in the air with every breath, yet if you looked around, you would see no one.
Even chimneys were frozen, and no matter how hard you tried to light them—even pouring oil wouldn’t help.
It was a night the locals called The Day the Living Live in the Dead Land—the day the mortal world switched with the spiritual world.
On this night, those who belonged to the Dead Breath Again Coven chose their successor.
This had been going on for a thousand years.
And it was nearly impossible to break the tradition.
Doing so would damn you—and your entire family—for generations.
Mila and the Cold
That night, Mila could feel the biting cold.
She lay under her thin blanket, shivering, her teeth chattering without stop.
She had heard that the night also claimed its victims as sacrifice—those who couldn’t survive the cold were taken.
And in the morning, their families would wail.
She was just ten years old.
She lived with her grandmother.
She was a bit chubby, with a running nose, dark hair, and eyes as dark as midnight.
Her skin was tan, yet no one could remember when she had ever stood under the sun.
Her grandmother had forbidden it.
Apparently, it was tradition—those chosen as successors should not be seen in public after their first year.
Mila could feel her hands freezing.
The cold crept slowly toward her heart.
There was nothing she could do but endure.
She had always been a survivor.
So she lay there waiting counting the hours.
The Warm Hut
She woke up in a hut.
It was dark—but warm.
The cold was gone.
At the far end, a fire roared, with a pot bubbling on top.
The hut was small—like a barn.
A bed.
A chair.
No window.
Just fire.
And silence.
Her breathing quickened.
Something was wrong.
Then—
A scrape.
The chair moved.
Someone was sitting there, hidden in shadow.
She tried to scream.
Nothing came out.
Then a voice.
"Don’t be afraid, Mila. I mean you no harm."
A man’s voice.
Gentle.
She moved backward, eyes searching for escape.
"I’m sorry for how I brought you here," he continued.
"But it is for your safety."
"Who are you?" she stammered.
"I am known as the Dream Thief."
He leaned forward.
Firelight revealed his face.
Plain.
Unremarkable.
Except for his red hair.
A Dangerous Truth
"Why am I here?" she asked.
"To save you," he said, raising an open hand.
"From what?"
"The Dead Breath Again Coven."
"I’ve never heard of it."
"We are in your dream. And we don’t have time. The world will soon switch at the tenth hour."
She frowned.
"I don’t understand."
The man sighed.
"Then I will tell you a story."
The Story of the First One
He moved to the pot and served food.
The smell filled the hut.
Mila’s stomach growled.
"Are you sure this is a dream?" she asked.
He smiled.
"Of course. I am the Dream Thief."
He tasted the food first.
"No poison."
She ate.
It was hot.
Delicious.
"The story?" she asked between bites.
He nodded.
"Long ago, the world was simple. The land provided everything. People only needed to give praise."
"To who?"
"The First One."
He continued.
The First One created the world for entertainment.
There was no sickness.
No death.
No sorrow.
But people wanted more.
They wanted control.
So they betrayed him.
They turned to his opposite.
The reverse.
Together, they formed the Dead Breath Again Coven.
Their first act—
Sacrifice.
Their own firstborn.
The reverse tried to take over the world.
But failed.
Instead, he created imbalance.
Once every year—
The worlds switch.
Living and dead.
Bound together.
-
The Dream Thief’s Identity
"Who are you really?" Mila asked.
"You won’t remember me. Only what I tell you."
"I still want to know."
He hesitated.
Then smiled.
"I am the first servant of the First One."
The Instructions
"What should I do?"
"You are protected now," he said.
Then he froze.
His eyes turned black.
Completely.
Mila gasped.
Then—
They returned to normal.
He stood.
"Our time is up."
His voice became urgent.
"When your grandmother wakes you, say: I BELONG TO THE FIRST ONE.
She will try to feed you meat—the bone of your mother. Eat it. It will turn to water in your mouth."
Mila froze.
"After that, she will be frozen. Run. Go to the outskirts. Find a crossroad. Lie down with your limbs in four directions."
He touched her forehead.
Darkness.
The Woman Who Never Blinks
Mila woke.
Her grandmother stood over her.
Watching.
Unblinking.
She was known as a ruthless woman.
She had sacrificed her own daughter and son-in-law.
For power.
For life.
Her name—
Hannibal.
"Take this," she said, handing Mila a bowl.
The broth looked wrong.
The meat—
Worse.
"Eat."
Mila hesitated.
Then remembered.
She ate.
It turned to cold water.
Just as promised.
I Belong to the First One
Hannibal watched.
Waiting.
Counting.
Then reached for her.
Mila spoke—
"I BELONG TO THE FIRST ONE."
Everything stopped.
Her grandmother froze.
Blood trickled from her nose.
Mila ran.
Out of the house.
Out of the town.
To the crossroad.
She lay down.
Arms and legs stretched.
As instructed.
Though she no longer knew why.
The First Servant’s Watch
The Dream Thief watched from afar.
Satisfied.
Mila had obeyed.
She would become something more.
A weapon.
Against the reverse.
Lightning cracked.
Thunder roared.
The sky darkened.
The cold intensified.
The worlds began to shift.
Spirits emerged.
Angry.
Hungry.
They devoured those marked by sacrifice.
Chaos spread.
Cities fell.
But Mila remained untouched.
At the center.
At the crossroad.
Where power gathered.
The First Servant watched.
And hoped—
That this time…
Balance would return.
Veils of Fire & Ancient Bonds
When the mist parts, it reveals a world that was never meant to be seen by living eyes.
A spiritual shackle that tightens with every moonrise. Some bonds are eternal.
A descent into the infernal where the very air burns with the weight of lost souls.
The final revelation. When the curse speaks, the truth is more terrifying than the lie.
0 Comments
"share your thoughts below"