HALLUCINATE | THE SANDMAN

TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
[ The Father with the Golden Eyes ]
"I can't imagine you come across those
type of eyes typically"

       "AZRAIL, STOP!"

       The Grim Reaper paused, her scythe clutched above her head with its dangerous curve pointed where Rose stood trembling. Her brows furrowed as she watched Lucienne hurry to interrupt, an older woman trailing after her with a small novel clutched tightly to her chest.

        Rose squinted her eyes open nervously. "Unity?"

        Azrail glanced at Morpheus, waiting for his permission to bring the cold touch of death down upon Rose's head, but his attention was focused on the librarian and unexpected visitor. Unity?

          "This is Unity Kincaid," Lucienne explained with a short gesture to the older woman who turned bravely to face the Dream King.

            Despite being nothing but a human, a mere insect to the power Dream of the Endless possessed, she stood tall and confident under Morpheus's sharp glare. "I am Rose's great-grandmother." She held up the novel to reveal a gold title inscribed in its leather cover. "And according to this book, I was meant to be the vortex of this age. But because you were imprisoned and locked out of the Dreaming, that date was handed down to my descendants-."

                "I don't understand," Morpheus said suddenly, his eyes darting between the grandmother and granddaughter with a abrupt flash of panic.

                Unity scoffed. "You're not very bright, are you?" She turned to her granddaughter widening her arms to welcome a hug to Rose. "Come here, Rose."

                Rose hesitated, glancing worriedly to where Azrail's scythe still waited above her head.

                The older woman rolled her eyes. "And put that scythe down, no need for you to overcompensate."

                 A frown fell over Azrail thin face as she reluctantly dropped her scythe, stabbing its curve in the dirt and letting Rose run to her grandmother's tight embrace.

She marched over to Morpheus. "What in the world is happening?" she whispered to him, sparing a glance to her sister who has drifted to stand behind the King cautiously. There was so much uncertainty surrounding the entire situation that Maeve declared her safest option would be behind one of the Endless. Potentially the only thing that could survive if the Vortex exploded.

                "I... I do not know," Morpheus confessed.

                 Unity took hold of Rose's hands gently, holding them in a tight grasp with her thumbs tracing small lines over her dark skin. "I want you to reach down inside yourself and give me whatever it is that makes you the vortex."