As soon as he closed his eyes beside his lover, the darkness behind his lids swirled and thickened, pulling him under. Another dream. Another journey.
He found himself standing on a plateau, the ground soft and spongy beneath his feet. Muddy puddles dotted the land, their surfaces still trembling as if the rain had only just stopped. The air was heavy, thick with the scent of wet earth and something older—something like forgotten time. Bits of greenery pushed through the soil here and there, fragile shoots that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. Old trees surrounded the plateau, their branches so long they curved downward, brushing the ground like the tentacles of ancient, sleeping beasts. Their bark was dark, slick with moisture, and their leaves whispered without wind.
