Felltree Marsh Thalassa

Hoping for a @Hypnos but all welcome!

Panacea was knee-deep in the marsh when he began to feel very strange. He attributed it to the wetland; to the weather; to weeks of loneliness and depression-induced malnutrition. The significance of it was wholly lost on him.

Rather than acknowledge it, he continued his trudge through the mud and snow. On to the coast, and from there — he didn't know. Maybe he would stake a claim of his own. A lonely claim, most likely, but it would be something to call his. It wasn't like he had anything else.

In some instance or another, he ran from the fire, or he billowed from it like smoke as the world burned. The cold did not penetrate the delusion; everywhere hurt to touch because everywhere wanted to singe away his fur, or melt his skin, and through it Hypnos traveled, lost to this walking nightmare.

Hypnos would have slogged mindlessly through the bog of this place, had there been anything but the solidity of ice and solid mud to meet him. The pounding of his steps did nothing but drum him deeper in to the falsehood of his reality. There, a flash of red! The fire had caught up to him!

He whimpered, whale-eyed, choking on his own confusion. The fire was there! It was set to sweep across him and finally, finally he would meet his family again. Their voices crooned to him in the dreamscape, while around him only the wind howled.

When he tried to run from it, he found it closer, closer, closer; and finally he saw it take the shape of Reverie, who always looked like a living flame to Hypnos. He called to her — in reality the sound was another kind of crooning, almost a begging — and against the fear that gripped him, Hypnos was lured in close.

In reality this was a complete stranger, but to him it was the woman from Hearthwood calling to him!

Time skip or fade with your post? <3

It was the crooning of a man which pulled him from his thoughts; a hazy-eyed stranger. Time slowed to a trickle. The marsh brightened until it all felt surreal. Panacea halted, watching the dark stranger approach.

Part of him wanted to flee. But he didn't.

Instead he crept closer, the distance dwindling between them. An answering whine spilled from his throat. It was all so strange, but he didn't stop to question it. Not even for a moment.

OK!

He was so lured, and it was in the last few moments as Hypnos drew so close he could touch her — he could hold her close, and he didn't burn!

And so he became like smoke, billowing.

Losing himself to the flames.