PFTSTA Veni, Vidi, Scripsi | Page 9

The flames were all consuming. They continued burning long past when they should’ve died. They burned everything in their path, leaving not even ash to remain. All that was left was a fiery void.

“Let the flames engulf you, don’t fight them.” The voice came from afar, from the deepest regions of every being's subconscious, speaking to them all at once, telling them not to fear the flames. “They mean no harm, only to recreate what must be destroyed.” She knew it was a lie. You could tell it in her voice. It was the sweetest ever heard, yet sad nonetheless. She knew the flames meant to create nothing, yet she also knew she couldn’t stop them.

Yet they listened. All living creatures still remaining became eerily calm. In the back of their minds they knew she was lying. The flames had no intention of recreating all that was lost. Yet, they couldn’t help but to believe her. They had no way to stop the flames, so either they burned peacefully or they fought their destruction. And with that all the creatures of Earth were gone.

The Flames continued. They spread to the ground, and split the Earth asunder. The Flames continued spreading, lapping at the Earth’s mantle, turning molten rock into gas before destroying even that. There was nothing that could be done, the planet below him was doomed. He had the power of a god and he could still do nothing. He watched in horror as his home was destroyed, as the planet turned to ash. He stood speechless as the flames transcended his own dimension, moving through the Rift as if they were an entity and destroying the gateways as they went.

And then he woke up, and the universe was whole again.

Fire Dreams

Gerald Blank