Falling petals

A Nightmare or a Prophecy

"How is Gabriel!?"
 
The first thing Mihkael asked when the last of the three men enter was how his sworn brother was.
 
Uriel smiled gently toward Mihkael but the smile quickly turn to concern when he looked at Mihkael.
 
Ariel quickly noticed and was relieved that Uriel notices the issues as well.
 
'I should expect nothing else from Uriel. Years of being a healer and watching over how normal doctors care for their patients. He is someone who has better instincts than me when it comes to catching an unwell patient.’
 
Mihkael quickly noticed the gaze he received and ended up cursing at himself when seeing those concern eyes look at him.
 
'Shit. I was too anxious to check on Gabriel. I forgot whenever I have this I make sure never to appear in Uriel's presence. He always had that sixth sense to catch any of us being unwell.'
 
"Mihka-"
 
"I'm fine. Just a bit tired from last night and with the recent information Sakura revealed to us a few hours ago."
 
"..."
 
His furrowed brows deepened when looking at Mihkael's attempt to push his question aside. He remained quiet when he can see how much Mihkael wants to avoid the topic but with his eyes he made sure Mihkael can see that after this, he will ask what is wrong.
 
Mihkael can only smile warily at his friend who is so much like a mother hen when it comes to those he cares for.
 
"Gabriel is getting better. He is starting to breathe evenly and his pale appearance is beginning to go back to his usual tone. However he still hasn't waken up."
 
Uriel sighs and lightly dabs away the few strands of sweat that was on Gabriel's face. He was much more relaxed seeing his old friends health improve to the point it just appears as if he was taking a nap.
 
"Mmn-"
 
"Gabriel!"
 
"How are you feeling?!"
 
"Uriel...? Guys..? Why is everyone huddled up here?"
 
He tries to sit up but was quickly pushed back down by the others.
 
"You just got better, stay in bed and don't overexert yourself!"
 
"Better? I'm fine though?"
 
"You fainted after throwing up whatever you had left in your stomach. Then you just ended up physically weakening to the point we thought we had to take you to some type of specialist, . Does that sound like you're fine?"
 
"Really...?"
 
Gabriel was awake but he did look like he was still processing whatever happened, then a look of realization came over him and he grabbed his head as if in pain.
 
"Gabriel!?"
 
"I remember.... I was having a horrible nightmare; or something I hope was a nightmare."
 
"A nightmare?"
 
"Would a nightmare effect someone to the point of getting sick?"
 
Ariel spoke in disbelief but Raphael and Mihkael shared a glance when they heard Gabriel's words.
 
"I think the news you recieved from Sakura this morning may have caused a great shock to you, then it may have effected your dream as well."
 
Raphael spoke with his concern laced in his words, Gabriel just shakes his head and begins to explain why this dream was a horrible terror type dream.
 
"I dreamt of the moment of Sapphire and Adaline's death; I held my wife's corpse in a broken carriage, deep splashing wounds appeared through her skin; it revealed to me that she was slashed multiple times to death. Her eyes lifeless, not even a spark of light in them. Her hand was clutching a doll, one that Adaline would carry with her all the time before she met Sakura. Then it moved to a scene of me searching and finally finding Adaline, only to find out I was too late. It was worse than a usual nightmare..... it was so real... the small streams of light that enter through the top of the cave over Adeline's dead and lifeless body, her hands stretched for help toward me as if calling for her father to save her... how her eyes disappeared through darkness and dry black tears covered her cheeks... it was in repeat again and again and again-! And each time I reached out for her and never made it!!!"
 
Gabriel clenched his hands and covered his face while tears fell. His voice strained while trying to hold in the hiccups of the traumatizing dream.
 
Everyone there remained quiet while listening to him recall his dream, however no one noticed how Mihkael seemed to have paled even more when listening to Gabriel's recollection of what he dreamt.
 
"But that wasn't all..."
 
A sense of something breaking appeared in his voice and a few hiccups fell through his speech.
 
"I will turn around and then appear in a battlefield. There so much bloodshed and fighting, one side a group of all races, humans and non humans: the other corrupted hordes of creatures."
 
Everyone widen their eyes in surprise to learn that his nightmares didn't end with just his daughter's death, but continued to even a frightening side.
 
"We fought through a path of corrupted creatures; leading us was a girl with a hair of a light rosy pink, with hints of blond streaks, but it was hard to remember her face; yet she went on with a sense of desperation... purifying anything she can to add to our side or to lessen the enemies allies. I remember hearing Mihkael speak to her."
 
"Me?"
 
"Yeah: you told her 'don't overexert yourself, we can't have you fainting ---- in enemy line and you need to save ------. Please,  I want to make sure ---- my --------- remain safe through this all.' Through your words there where moments of it being cut off so I couldn't here the whole thing. The purification mage that was with us assured you she was fine and that she'll save enough energy to heal "her." But at that time I didn't know who "her" was."
 
Everyone just silently listened to his words, but they all held frowns when listening to the detailed "dream."
 
"We arrived to the center of where those corrupted creatures appeared. Two teleportation portals were held open side by side; corrupt magic leaked out of those portals with those creatures and what appeared.... was a beautiful and heartwrenching appearance of a platinum blond haired young women."
 
"!?"
 
"Mihkael!?"
 
Raphael's concerned voice caught the attention of the others and they turn only to witness Mihkael using Raphael for support; beads of sweat appears through his skin and his eyes where clenched as if he was in pain.
 
"Mihkael!? Wha-"
 
"Let Gabriel continue."
 
"What?"
 
"Let him continue what he was saying."
 
Mihkael opened his eyes and he looked like he wouldn't seek help unless Gabriel finished what he has to say.
 
"..... The girls eyes were pitch black. Her veins were visible through her pale skin. It was like spiderwebs through her skin and she was just standing there, keeping those portals open while sneering at us in humor..."
 
Gabriel calmed himself before saying the next words while looking at Mihkael.
 
"You called out to her....."
 
"Don't stop there. What did I call out."
 
"... Sakura."
 
"!?"
 
"Haha. What the hell?"
 
"Sakura..."
 
Each one had a different reaction to what he just revealed, but they all already had an inkling to the persons identity when Gabriel spoke of her appearance.
 
"From that scene it cuts off to me staring face to face to that corrupt version of Sakura; however her eyes held her usual clear eyes rather that just pitch black. She appeared to be chained to a broken throne and she looked at me without speaking. We remained staring at each other for how long and then she began to speak."
***
"You have dreamt of something you shouldn't have."
 
"!? Why?"
 
"Because your soul should have been cleansed. Only "I" should receive them because the soul is tarnished and broken."
 
"Cleansed?  And what do you mean by you having a broken soul!?"
 
"You have seen too much of just one past. And it has caused you mental and physical issues in this life. Your soul can be effected by it if you see anymore. That is why those bastards seal or cleanse away those memories. It is best to forget and do not try to dig deeper into it."
 
"I don't understand what you are saying! What is happening!? Why do you call it something of a past when it feels more like it's the future!"
 
"Dreams are not meant to be understood.  Right now I am just a dream for you. So take it as a painful haunting dream and do not try to do anything by questioning this dream."
 
"A dream? Then you, are you just a dream of my subconscious mind? Is what you saying just me making something out of this nightmare?"
 
"Take it as so if it will help you to lessen the pain you feel."
 
"...Sakura."
 
The women who sat in the broken throne held no expression throughout their conversation, however when hearing her name being called by him, she squinted in pain and the chains visibly tightened around her.
 
"Sakura!?"
 
"Do not step any closer. You will suffer if you step too close."
 
"If this is just a dream, then why would I be in danger?"
 
".... please, do not question it anymore. What you seen was something you shouldn't have been able to. I beg you to not think of it anymore. For your own safety. Please. Already too many are seeing, yet you were the second to see too much rather than a little. So please, do not think too deeply about it."
 
The more she spoke the tighter the chains appear, however the chains that were a silvery gray seem to darken and let out an ominous tone.
 
"Why are you like this? Chained up? In pain, all... broken?"
 
She didn't answer him and looked up instead, as if listening to someone's command.
 
"I was only allowed to come and speak to you for a while so I have to leave. But before that."
 
She turns to him and smiled at him.
 
"I know you will tell the rest of those men this peculiar "dream" of yours. Take it as a type of prophecy if you wish to take it as anything else other than a dream. Make sure not to speak of this encounter with me to your Sakura; she is already having a battle by what "prophetic" dreams she received by the gods."
 
While she was fading away she said one last thing
 
"It was good seeing you Uncle Gabriel. I am glad that your family members lived this life."
 
And like that. Gabriel awoke in a daze.
***
 
"Seriously, does that seem like just a dream? That adult Sakura really wants to make you into an idiot if she thinks we would just take it as one."
 
"Maybe it was a being that wasn't Sakura? Maybe a being that works for the gods and is a messenger?"
 
"Then what he has seen must be the future Sakura has seen of Sapphire's and Adaline's death, while Sakura being controlled by the corrupted being is our future?"
 
"But there are still to many questionable issues to what she said to him! Too many factors that make me question: is it really a messenger foretelling the future to us?"
 
Uriel was an orphan just like Azazel was, they both were taken care by a church in the empire that didn't worship the goddess of light, bit rather the god of death. He remembered the telling of prophecies that saints and saintesses would recieved through history, or how the gods will speak to them of what's to come; however this appeared different to what he has heard. Especially of them taking the appearance; may it be the adult form or the child form of an acquaintance or how they will tell them not to think to much of it.
 
"Why was she so adamant of you forgetting about it? If it was a prophecy, then why did she tell us not too think too much of it?"
 
"Maybe it wasn't meant for us?"
 
Ariel held an unusual serious look while he said that.
 
"What you mean?"
 
"Sakura has been having many types of prophecies from what we can see. And the way it told us not to tell her about it, then maybe it is because Sakura knows who it is."
 
"Oh!"
 
"That does sound the most plausible."
 
"What if because she has such a strong affiliation to the gods, that when she receives a prophecy, those around her receives a glimpse of it as well. That was why it may have said you shouldn't have seen it or that it is something that can break your soul, because you weren't chosen by the gods to see any further than the present."
 
When Ariel spoke his thoughts all those around him seem to understand what he meant and found it to be the most plausible explanation to it's weird actions.
 
And for Mihkael and Raphael, it explains something they had hidden for so long from the rest; that Mihkael has had glimpses of Sakura being consumed by the corruption and dying in his arms.