During the time, Mother Leanne and Tobias chatted about the nightmarish events from earlier in the night, Loch was dealing with a new nightmare all of his own. Since being unconscious, Loch dreamt like any other would, but everything changed after Mother Leanne fed him what she had called a Hunter's Nightmare potion. The moment the potion entered his body, the very air around Loch began to vibrate and condense, appearing more substantial, like a vague mist. Atmospheric elements converged on Loch's body at two key points. One stream was leading to his forehead and another toward just above his belly button, both in equal volumes. In Loch's inner mind, it felt to him as if he had just awoken from a long dream, but his body on the outside was still fast asleep.
Loch found himself standing on a barren wasteland, all around him was nothing but dried earth as far as the eye could see. He felt no breeze; the world felt stagnant, as if something vital were missing. The very earth seemed to scream, feed us! Looking down, he could see he was in a simple brown cotton shirt and trousers and a pair of boots. The only other object that stood out, besides Loch's skinny threadbare form in this world of nothingness, was a majestic mountain. It's peak rose far into the sky and obscured by a set of dark, thunderous clouds. The rumbling and cracking of the air above dominated the surrounding landscape. Loch stared up at the mountain, his mind fuzzy and thoughts unclear. He couldn't figure out how he got where he was. His grasp on his memories before standing on this barren land, were evasive, and kept disappearing every time he grasped at just the corner of a foreign memory, it was like trying to grab a slippery eel. Even though Loch knew intuitively that it was a problem, he also felt it was somehow right.
With both hands, Loch cradled his head as the more he tried to gather his thoughts, the more it hurt. Giving rise to a thumping headache. His attempts at recollection were interrupted at the sight of his left arm. He waved it back and forth in front of his eyes for several moments. Clenching and unclenching his left fist multiple times, as if he was unused to the feeling. His face was a mask of confusion; his arm movements felt foreign to him, but he couldn't figure out why. Seeing it move around effortlessly in front of him brought an enormous grin to Loch's face. It appeared he would have enjoyed just standing there, moving his left arm around all day. However, a loud peel of thunder broke out from above him. The earth rumbled from the sound and swiftly brought Loch's attention from his arm and back towards the mountain just in front of him.
The more Loch gazed at the mountain before him, the more his mind cleared and a weird sensation began to rise within him. Some instinct within flooded his mind, like an extreme hunger. It pushed all other thoughts away and left him with only one thing in mind. He wanted to, no; he needed to climb that mountain. His body cried out for something, something it was desperately missing, and he knew it was somewhere on that mountain. The feeling grew stronger after every pressing moment, just as Loch was about to step towards the mountain when a loud cry, similar to a bird's caw, came from within those clouds above. Loch recognized the cry instantly; his blood raged as a midnight black bird flashed across his mind's eye. Despite the immense mountain, a carved path seemed to encircle it, leading to the summit. The path looked wide enough for two men to walk abreast.
As a clap of thunder echoed like a starting pistol, Loch started his ascent of the mountain. Although the road appeared man-made, its rough construction, with numerous large stones scattered across it, required climbing to reach the path beyond. Loch didn't find these parts too difficult, with only a few scraped knees and bruises to denote his passing. His first major stop was when he came to a stretch of the mountain path. That was about a quarter of the way. The path looked as if it had been far too weather worn and had collapsed into a rock slide, creating a good fifty feet chasm between Loch and the continued path. "What do I do now?" Loch said, as he gazed at the mountain. Looking to the steep cliff wall to his left, he could make out a couple of possible hand holds on the jagged rock face but had no confidence in using just his own strength to scale it.
Stepping close to the edge of the chasm, Loch kicked a couple of pebbles over the edge and watched them plummet to the ground. His face grew pale at the sight. "Well, at least I know it would be a swift death if I fell." Loch chuckled drily. With a crack ringing out from above, Loch looked up just in time to see a lightning bolt come careening down and slam only twenty feet further down the path he just traversed. It slammed into a decent size boulder that Loch had to climb over previously and pulverized it in a flash of light and dirt. Scattering bits of rock everywhere, with some even hitting Loch, who had covered his face with his hands. Leaving slices in his paper-thin skin. "Soil it, that stings." Loch said with gritted teeth as he took out a small jagged rock that was embedded in his forearm.
Another crack of thunder cried out from above, followed swiftly by a lightning bolt. This one struck the rocky path only fifteen feet from Loch. Giving rise to goosebumps all over Loch and making the hairs on his arm rise. "It's not coming closer is it?" Loch asked the sky above him, and as if in answer, another bolt had struck the earth only ten feet from his position.
"Holy shit!" Loch cried as he turned back to the chasm before him and the mountain, searching for a way across, he noticed a small lip that was clearly the last of the trail left, running along the wall's face. It was only about half a foot wide and looked to have some parts where the lip was missing for a foot or two. But it appeared to be Loch's best chance and, as if he felt a phantom whip crack his backside, another peel of thunder rocked the mountain and sent Loch sprinting. A lightning bolt, even thicker than the one before, struck the earth not five feet from Loch, making the pathway rumble and sent the boy stumbling. Reaching the mountain face in a huff, Loch quickly began edging across the chasm, while constantly muttering, "I've got this."
With only enough room for half his foot on the edge, Loch hugged the mountain's wall, while his heels dangled in the air. He began to slide across the edge with slow, careful movements, but the sound of a lightning bolt slamming down right at the edge of the chasm where he was previously standing made him increase his pace dramatically. With half his face sliding along the jagged mountain wall, as he pressed his body against the earth as much as possible, his cheek began to look like someone attacked it with a cheese grater. Leaving a trail of blood behind him. The lightning bolts appeared to have stopped after the last one, but it didn't deter Loch or cause him to slow. The image of his own body turning into a pile of dust, much like the boulder before, made him continue in fierce determination.
After several risky sidesteps over missing parts of the lip, Loch was only a few feet from the other side of the chasm, where the path up the mountain continued. The thunderous boom of multiple peels of thunder above made Loch freeze, his face turning back as he waited anxiously to see where the lightning would strike next, but no lightning came after several seconds. Instead, what fell from the sky was at first a light rain. Loch, even in his current precarious position, took the chance to look at the sky and curse, "You absolute prick!" Once again, as if in answer to Loch, the rain turned from a slight smattering to an outright downpour. The drops hitting him felt as if they were thousands of heavy pebbles slamming into his slight frame.
With his current thin shirt and pants, the rain soaked him to his core within mere moments. The jagged rock face he had his body against was now not just painful and uncomfortable, but also slippery. Realizing his worsening situation, Loch rushed to slide the last few feet to the other side of the chasm but lost his footing in his haste. On instinct, instead of trying to reattach himself to the wall, he used the remaining foot that still had purchase and his arms to give him the extra force and leap towards the chasm edge in front of him. Due to having to twist his body mid jump, Loch only got his left hand to grip the now wet rock edge, with the rest of his body swinging dangerously over the chasm and certain death.
"Arghh!" Loch cried out in pain. With only one arm supporting his dead weight, it felt as if his shoulder was coming out of its socket. Gritting his teeth against the pain and digging his left-hand nails into the slippery surface above. Loch reached his right arm out for the edge, while scrabbling his feet on the rock wall searching for purchase. Snatching one foot on a protruding rock, Loch hastily pushed against it, raising his body that few extra inches to just get his right hand finger tips above the edge. Digging both hands in tightly and using his feet, Loch dragged his thin body over the edge. Rolling onto the now muddy mountain path, he shuffled away from the edge before taking the chance to gather his breath.
Large droplets hitting his uncovered face and running beneath him were the only thing keeping Loch's already tired body and mind from just lying there. After several deep breaths, Loch stood up with a grunt and looked over to the chasm he just passed. Along with a shiver crawling up his back, Loch spat some water that had gathered in his mouth towards the deadly drop. With a flick of his wet sleeve, Loch turned and began making his way up the mountain path once again. That gnawing feeling in his gut still pressing him forward.
All the while, Loch travelled further up the mountain, and the rain continued, causing large streams of water to run down the mountain's face and along its path. The rushing water swept up dislodged rocks and dirt. Several times over the next fifteen minutes of hiking, Loch had to dodge boulders the size of himself and cover his head when smaller rocks came pelting down in a deluge, while he hugged the rock wall for purchase. Leaving the thin boy not just freezing cold, but also battered and bruised. He felt his energy flailing, looking up the mountain and seeing how much more he needed to travel. A sense of worry about whether he could make it to the top began to fill his skull. Several times when he felt he should just take a moment to sit and rest in one of the drier parts of the mountain path, some unknown feeling in his gut twisted, giving rise to a sudden feeling of dread. It was like a part of him knew that if he stopped or even slowed down, it would not just be a huge regretful mistake, but also lead to something far more perilous.
Right after Loch gauged, he was halfway up the mountain, the path suddenly came to an unexpected dead end of sorts. Instead of it ringing the mountain, it instead led him towards a large opening in the mountain wall. The opening appeared more naturally formed than man made, like a crack in the mountain that was wide enough to drive a wagon through. The entrance was pitch black and no light from outside seemed to be able to penetrate within. Loch stood in front of the crack, with a heavy frown, attempting his best to peer within. Although half of him was excited to escape the rain, the dark, silent entrance made him weary. A part of his heart whispered that there was something inside he was reluctant to confront, not fear but a deep sadness, like he was about to part with a piece of himself forever once he stepped in.
As Loch glanced back at the mountain wall near the entrance, debating the risk of scaling it, thunder roared and a lightning bolt struck mere feet from Loch. This time Loch didn't even flinch and instead sneered towards the sky, swinging one fist towards the clouds while saying, "Damn you! Give me a moment, would ya! You stupid rain cloud!" This time there was no answer. Everything went silent, even the rain stopped for a moment as if someone had turned the tap off. This made his previously anger-filled face turn pale, as he put on a shaky smile, while another type of liquid, instead of rain, began to run down his forehead.
"Ah sorry mister rain cloud. I'm going. I'm going." Loch said as he turned his fist into an awkward wave and hurried towards the dark of the cave before him. The darkness of the cave felt as if it had swallowed him. Besides the feeling of the rock covered floor beneath his feet, Loch has lost all senses. Complete silence accompanied him, as he tread forwards, arms extended to catch anything he couldn't see. After what could have been almost half an hour but was closer to ten minutes of trudging, Loch eventually made contact with something in front of him. The sudden feeling of touching something after walking in the silent darkness made Loch jump back with a very girly scream echoing in his ears. Even though no one could see it, Loch felt his cheeks redden as he regathered himself and once again extended his hand out in front.
Using just his fingertips, Loch felt the solid object before him and was surprised not to feel the hard rock of the mountain but what he thought was smooth wood. With more confidence Loch used both hands to travel along the surface and eventually felt what he guessed was an outline of a door, even managing to put one hand on an apparent door knob. Avoiding overthinking, Loch turned the knob. A flash of light blinded him, sending his mind reeling and making him cry out as he fell forward.
The feeling of soft grass running through his fingers made Loch open his tightly shut and burning eyes with a start. On all fours, Loch sat there stupefied as he found himself in a grass field. Whipping his head back so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, Loch saw nothing but more grass and a clear blue sky. The door in the mountain cave had disappeared along with the mountain itself. "What is going on?" Loch muttered, as he rose to his feet. "Loch! Come inside, my dear! It's time for dinner!" A woman's voice crying out behind Loch made him spin around. Across the grass lawn before him sat a large house, ringed by a well-kept flower-filled garden. Standing just before a set of open double doors, alongside two armour-plated guards wielding dangerous-looking halberds, was a middle-aged woman dressed in a plain but well-made blue dress. Her smile was as bright as the night sky and her eyes sparkled with affection as she called out his name again. The sight of the woman brought tears to Loch's eyes, as he choked out, "Mother?"
Just as he took an involuntary step towards that most familiar but foreign figure, a childish voice sprang up from one of the flowerbeds before the mansion. "Awww. But mum, I'm playing Knights and Fiends!" A curly mop of sandy blonde hair popped up behind a set of knee-high flowers. A childish face that was even more familiar to Loch than the woman calling out his name presented itself before him. "What in the holy hell is going on?" Loch couldn't help but cry out.