Time enough for love (lumity AU)

Sleepover part 2

Amity POV
I was standing in the familiar crushing darkness, only this time the book was not in my hands. Instead I stood at the top of a staircase. The demonic red glow emanating from the bottom. Dread filled my body and my mind was telling me to run, but my body... I stopped down the first step.

I woke up in a cold sweat and let out a loud gasp before immediately wincing hoping I hadn't woken anyone up. I glanced over at everyone, Gus was spread out on his sleeping bag, willow was still sound asleep. Zoe was shuffling a little but she seemed undisturbed. And Luz... oh Luz she looked so cute when asleep. I smiled and a small blush grew on my face as she snores quietly. I go to brush some hair out of her face but I stop as my hand hovers in the air. "What in Titan do you think you're doing?" I hear the familiar mocking voice of my own consciousness. "She already rejected you once you really want that again." I clutch my head as tears fill my eyes. "All you're going to do is make her hate you, she doesn't feel that way about you, get over it!" I run out of the bedroom tears now falling down my face.

I sat up on top of the roof, letting the cold night air clear my mind. "That's three times now." I thought to myself. The same type of dream had occurred three times. Every time i was in crushing darkness and every time I was drawn to the demonic glow of the book. Why was I dreaming this? Is there even have a reason?

I hear footsteps behind me. I spin around the see Nick walking towards me, fully dressed. "Hey kid" he said "can't sleep?"
I shook my head and he sat down next to me. "Can't get to sleep or woken up?" He asks.
"Nightmare." I respond.
"Wanna talk about it?" He asks genuinely.
I shrug my shoulders "I don't know what there is to talk about, the dreams don't make sense." I respond.
"Dreams?" He asks "plural?"
I nod my head "over the past couple of days I keep having this recurring dream." I begin "I'm in a void of darkness, there's always this book with a demonic looking symbol on it that burns a glowing red. It fills me with dread whenever I look at it but at the same time I'm drawn to it. In the first dream when I reached out to pick up the book I woke up, the second time when I went to open the book I woke up and this most recent one I was at a staircase and the glow was coming from the bottom and when I went to walk down it I woke up."
I turn to see what Nick's reaction to all this was. He has a serious expression on his face, there's a moment of silence before he finally says "that's pretty weird."
I roll my eyes "that's all you got."
"Well dream analysis isn't exactly my forte" he explains "have you seen this symbol anywhere before?"
I shake my head "no I don't recognise it but it feels somewhat familiar."
Nick runs his hand across his 5 o'clock shadow "well it's possible that you've seen it before and your brain ha just dumping on you this old stored stimuli." He explains "you're in a very stressful place in your life so it could be in this chaotic time your subconscious is just conjuring an odd narrative for you too follow." He gives me a caring smile "try not to dwell on it too much, it's probably nothing serious but if it keeps bothering you then you can always talk to me or any of the others."
I smile softly "thanks."
"Do you wanna talk about something else? Help get your mind of it?"
I nod my head "sure."

I look at the small metallic rectangles hanging from his neck "what're those?" I ask.
He gives a sad smile "they're dog tags."
The name rings a bell, they're a human tradition I believe but I cannot remember the purpose. "I think Gus has mentioned something like that before." I say.
He nods "likely that's where you would've heard it, it's mainly a human thing."
"What're they for?"
"They represent soldiers who lost their lives at war."

My eyes widen "you went to war in the human world?"
"Yeah" he answers "served six years, left about 5 years ago and that's when I last visited the boiling isles."
"What were you fighting a war in the human world?" I ask.
"That is a bit of a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?"
I nod my head and Nick takes a deep breath.