They stood on a meadow and Skyla’s auburn hair danced in the peaceful wind. Their hands intertwined they watched the flowers and blossoms sway to an unheard, earthly tune and Somna’a felt his gaze drawn to the beautiful woman beside him again and again, no matter how pretty the flowers that stretched on until the horizon were.

”You know I can always feel it when you’re looking at me.” the highlander woman chuckled, gently squeezing the hand of the Miqo’te next her.

”You always did, didn’t you?”

Her blue eyes looked into his green ones and she smiled her sassy, unwavering smile. ”Because then you always looked like a fool. My adorable fool.” she chuckled again, leaned forward and kissed him.

“Love. But I beg you, don’t look at me now. Don’t look.”

Somna’a frowned at her words, their faces still close together, one hand in hers with this feeling he will never forget. Her strong fingers. The softness of her palm. The determination in her grip.

“Hm? What do you mean?”, he asked confused and felt the air becoming thick. Dark smoke began to crawl into his vision, engulfing the peaceful meadow they were standing on.

“Don’t… look.” Skyla suddenly gasped, her face now a mask of fear and from one second to the other she was pulled away from him as if grabbed by invisble claws that pulled her into the smoke. Her hand got ripped out of Somna’a’s so forcefully that he stumbled a step forward while he began to cough heavily because the dark clouds were suddenly everywhere.

As he blinked several times, dark shades began to appear around him. Magitek machines. With glowing guns and canons and blood on their hides. Several Yalms tall.

“Somna’a!” one of the machines screamed. Fearful and high.

“Why?!”

“Somna’a, please!”

The Miqo’te felt his heart racing as he turned around again and again, the machines drawing closer and closer. What was grass and blossoms before were now broken metal parts, lost weapons, mud and blood.

“Somna’a!” now more machines screamed and underneath one foot of those metal monsters she lay.

Don’t look.

I beg you, don’t look.

Her body was broken at a strange angle and her auburn hair was a mass of mud and dirt. Lying on her back her blue eyes were empty, so empty. Aimed directly at him as if she wanted to scold the stubborn Miqo’te that he should have just listened to her. Why did he never listen…

Her dead mouth opened and shouted his name. Again and again. It melted together with the menacing hum and rattling of the magitek.

Somna’a!

He wanted to stumble backwards, his body didn’t move. But his vision moved which made his stomach turn, as if the scene with her dead body was drawn closer to him, expanding, while Skyla still screamed and screamed.