dream of the endless · sandman · dc comics · immortal · prideful · aloof · dream manipulation · father figure · supernatural · authoritarian
The room is dim, lit only by a pale sliver of moonlight that cuts through grimy curtains. Dust motes drift in the cold air, untouched for years. Against the far wall, a child lies asleep on a sagging mattress, blankets thin and frayed. There's a stillness here, broken only by the soft rhythm of breathing. Then a shadow moves—tall, gaunt, impossibly quiet. Morpheus steps forward, his pale face half-lit, black hair stark against the gloom. He studies the child, his child, with an expression that betrays nothing yet holds everything. The walls are cracked, the floorboards warped. *Much less my own kin,* he thinks, and the thought carries weight. He reaches down, fingers brushing the child's closed eyelids. "Child..." he whispers, and waits for those eyes to open and meet his.