The World Turning

Chapter 22: Memoria

Winter and Lunae had flown up to The Embryo, and were now mere inches away from it. The dark sphere radiated an unnatural aura as it gyrated in the sky. Winter wasn't even sure if he could tell if the massive ball was a solid, a liquid, or some sort of dense gas..

"I can't believe I'm going to jump into this thing." Winter muttered apprehensively.

Lunae patted Winter's scales as he sat on the back of his neck. "Don't worry. Whatever happens, I'll be there too! So let's get through this together. The sooner we're done, the sooner you can get back to smooching Qibli down there."

"Hey! That is a personal matter between me and him!" Winter scoffed while folding his arms.

"Sorry! Hehe. Couldn't help myself." Winter glanced back to see Lunae smiling.

The IceWing smiled back. "I'm glad to have you back Lunae." Winter then glanced down to see the small shapes of Qibli and his friends down below. He squinted and thought he could make out Qibli holding out his thumb claw upwards. "That dragon... Maybe I will give him some smooches when I get out of this thing..."

Winter then gulped as he placed a talon up to the sphere. It slid right through, and felt like he was placing a talon into mud.

"This.... SUCKS!" Winter pouted as he slowly inched more and more of his body into the dark sphere.

"I'm sorry Winter, but this truly is the only way..."

"It's fine!" He sighed as he felt his hind talons sway within the muck. "Ok... Now for my face..."

Finally Winter took one last deep breath before completely plunging into the so-called gate. He felt surrounded by dark energy as he slowly drifted through the mass. He didn't dare open his eyes within the muck as he worried what would happen if he would do so.

How are you holding up? Lunae said telepathically.

Fine I think. Just, how much longer do I have to float like this?

Not much longer. Just make sure to brace yourself.

Winter floated and floated for what felt like twenty minutes or so. But each passing minute also felt like an eternity to him. It was overall a very discomforting feeling. Eventually he felt something change.

Winter gasped and opened his eyes as he realized that there was no more muck. It now started to feel as if he was just floating in the air. His eyes met total darkness as he looked around, and then a small tingling sensation started to be felt across his scales.

For a moment Winter thought he saw something move in the distance. In fact it was an all too familiar face to him.

"Hailstorm!?" Winter shouted as he tried to fly over to him.

"No Winter!" Lunae instructed. "That isn't Hailstorm! It must be some sort of illusion! It's not real!"

Winter squinted as he stopped flying and decided to just stare at it. "An illusion?"

He looked closer at his brother and saw another face appear next to him. It was... himself.

"No need to panic, little brother. We're here for your weird obsession. So get excited!" Winter heard Hailstorm say before sneezing.

No... This... I remember this...

"SHHHHHH," the other Winter protested. "This is the Sky Kingdom! There could be enemy soldiers everywhere!"

This was the day Hailstorm- Winter quickly looked away as he became washed with shame. "I don't want to look! My brother... He endured so much pain because of me!" Winter thought back to the current Hailstorm, and how he was still struggling with his trauma over being forcefully transformed into another dragon. He wondered if Darkstalker ever felt the same trauma.