Crystal Horrors: Stories from Before the Rift | Stevetober Prompts

Day 9 - Nightmare

[Colle's POV]

Another day, another battle... I'm starting to get used to how this world works, at least.

We're all heading into our houses a little after the sun's set. As I open my door, I hear my new friends conversing as they always do.

"Everyone that was injured, take it easy tomorrow. Burn and slash marks sting pretty badly if you don't." The Guardian says. "That means you as well, Ryan."

"Why me?! Hypno's the one that does all the crazier stuff!" Ryan exclaims.

"Hey-!" Hypno starts, but Alex cuts them off.

"Alright you two, cut it out and go to bed." She says. "You're both injured from that fight, so that means both of you need to be more careful than usual tomorrow."

"You act like a mom, Alex." Yellow laughs.

"Not my first time dealing with adult children." Alex retorts. That gets a laugh out of everyone.

We all say our parting words to each other as we head in for the night, and as I walk inside my house I place my gear where I always do.

My scabbard, satchel, coat, and scarf are all hung on their respective hooks that are bolted into the wall, my desk next to them. The window in front of the desk gives me a nice view of the moonlit town, all of the colorful trees giving off a faint glow thanks to the strange lights that form within their branches. The skylight points right at the stars, and when I got here I was happy to realize I recognized a few constellations. A soft ruby-colored rug lies in the middle of the room.

My bed is against the wall, and beside it is a nightstand with the things I brought into this world; The Heart of Genesis within an ornate item frame, and a picture of all my friends back home lies hidden behind the little mirror I put there. The Judge's hammer is propped against the nightstand, the symbol on it glowing a slight red. It's dimmed since I'm not holding it.

I climb into bed, today's antics and fights having taken a lot out of me since I'm not yet used to the high-energy nature of this world. I swear, everyone here has the energy of at least twenty of the Yellow Steves back home. Pretty sure I saw Green Steve jump from the top of that colossal tree once, but I'm not sure. It was early morning, so I mostly think I was just still a bit half-asleep.

As I start to drift off, I notice that the headache from about an hour earlier still hasn't worn off. I mean, I guess it's fair. Professor Red accidentally hit me with the hilt of his sword, and for a Red Steve he hits insanely hard. Maybe all of the Chromatics here have different, but still a little similar abilities than the ones I know...

I soon fall asleep, hoping the headache passes by morning.

—————————————————————————————————————

I jolt awake, an indescribable pain coursing through my body, emanating from my chest.

Shaking and shuddering, I try to get up, but end up just rolling over and out of the bed. My legs get tangled in the covers as I fall, and I try to grab one or something to stop myself, but I only swipe my arm across the top of the nightstand and knock everything off it. The pain from hitting the floor is ignored as whatever is happening just gets worse. It feels as if my flesh is going to rip apart...

While trying to get up from the floor, still writhing in pain, I notice my hands. There's these bright purple veins appearing all over my skin, and my fingers are turning long and sharp... Are... Are my hands turning into claws...?