Like a dying animal trying to hold on to dear life, the creature’s vocal cords were stretched out to, what seemed as, their limits, producing an unbearable thunderous growl. Athan pushed himself away, the sound was driving him insane. In an attempt to cover the noise, he disengaged as further away as possible, yet the sound radious did not appear to change whatsoever. 

  It didn’t take long. 

  He soon succumbed to the furious roar, surrounded by the dark abyss, alone and helpless...

That torturous echo ringing inside his cranium, a voice filled with misery and loss, all of it, a byproduct of some twisted malignant energy.

  The pain he was feeling inside his head, manifested and grew ever larger. His ears bled and his eyes began convulsing. Violent, irregular and involuntary, his body jerked around as if he was a fish out of the sea. A boiling pressure was building up, like a fire approaching a fuse, a ticking bomb. His blood vessels and nerves were clearly visible, shivering, as if they were trying to jump out of his skin.

The ending, already set in stone...

  The cross on his chest remained silent.

Athan was trying not to, but he had to admit it…his protector wouldn’t reach him. As the light soon began to fade, merely for a split second, he caught a glimpse of a place high above the clouds: a seemingly empty space, yet it was nothing like the one he was trapped in. Above it, a clear white sky was caressing the soft terrain, giving out a sense of care and kindness. Scattered around, stood tall wide pillars, not to act as oppressive bars, but simply to portray a sensation of glory and might. Lastly, in the middle of it all, elevated in mid-air, a radiance of pure light was preserving the peace and order of this wondrous haven.

  Athan eyes glistened against the overarching chaos that had swallowed him whole. It might have meant nothing really, but in this minor instance… he was at peace...

The pressure had reached its limits. Athan closed his eyes and willingly embraced the final moment of his being… his head broke open like a shell, erupting into an explosion of pure red, breaking into pieces, his pain gone at last.

Athan awoke.

...

  It was all a nightmare...

  He thuderously turned to look around, realising that he wasn't ACTUALLY dead, his confusion peaking once more -can you really blame him?-. Anyhow, Athan let out a sigh and looked at the, now, night starry sky, leaning onto his furry friend.

  Regardless of the camling peace, he had already gained a whole new emotion... fear.