HALLUCINATE | THE SANDMAN

TWENTY ONE

"Jed?" Rose remarked in surprise, and the mere mention of his name made the boy's stance falter.

Shaking off the surprise, Jed glare at Dream. "I am the Guardian of Sleepers," he corrected his older sister. "I am Lord of the Dream Domain. I am the Sandman."

Azrail snickered and Morpheus smirked. "You are the Sandman?" Dream clarified in both bewilderment and amusement. "Is that what she told you?" He took a slow step forward, unfazed by Jed's defensive stance as he prepared to take on the guy he saw only as a super villain. "Where is she? Your master."

                           "Stay back," Jed warned.

                           "Jed, we're not here to hurt you," Rose tried to reason with her brother. For a moment, a flash of recognition faded across the masked eyes of Jed when Gault stepped out of seemingly thin air.

                             Azrail's scythe glistened and her eyes narrowed towards the false form Gault held.

                             "It's me you want. Not him," Gault tried to reason with Dream. She sounded almost empathetic, disappointed and saddened by the end of her little escapade.

                               "Oh, my god. Mum?" Rose exclaimed.

                               Azrail's eyebrow quirked. "Mum?" she repeated bluntly.

                               "No," Morpheus interjected, catching Rose's arm before she could approach the nightmare. "That is not your mother, Rose."

                                  The mention of the girl's name sparked something within Jed. He moved past Gault, tearing his mask from his face as his eyes widened. "Rose?" he called. "Is that you?"

                                   Rose exhaled a trembling breath and nodded. Extending her arms, Jed hurried into the arms of his sister, holding onto her tightly. "I've been looking for you everywhere," Rose stated, cupping her brother's face between her cold hands as if thinking he'd disappear the moment she turned away.

                                     "Mum, it's Rose!" Jed said, glancing back at Gault whom watched with tears stinging her eyes. "She's all grown up."

                                      "That's not your mother, kid," Azrail spoke softly, watching Morpheus remove the illusion with a simple wave of his hand. Stood in the place of Rose and Jed's mother was a figure taking on a more feminine look but lacked any other characteristics other then the body type. Her skin was dark with a cascading shade of colours that reflected that of the cosmo forever moving across her skin. Her sharp glare never lifted from Morpheus.

                            "Mum!" Jed cried out. "What did you do to her?" He pushed past Rose, quickly approaching Morpheus when Azrail stepped between them, using the blunt side of her scythe to push him back.

                              Azrail's brows were permanently furrowed as she remained stunned by the whole scenario. But deep down, even though her instinct told her to take drastic measure and tear Jed's soul out to protect Dream, she knew her sister would despise her if she did such a thing.