#hopefully this is coherent enough. its like 80% a solid crosspost so.

[wundrousarts]

Morrigan's Dream

In Chapter 29 of Hollowpox, Morrigan wakes up from a dream:

Morrigan woke the next morning with a start, her heart racing. She’d been dreaming of something strange and awful—broken glass and plumes of black smoke and a distant cry in the dark. Two button-black eyes shining at her from the shadows. A snatch of song she couldn’t quite remember. A feeling of something precious, slipping through her fingers.

There are two prevailing theories on what this dream could mean.

It's related to what happened with Morrigan's mom

It's related to the Courage Square Massacre

I think there's equal evidence for both, I'm going to tackle this from the Courage Square angle and then the mom angle, because why not. Both are very plausible.

Let's take it step by step.

Possible meaning if it's related to the Courage Square Massacre:

broken glass and plumes of black smoke and a distant cry in the dark

Whatever this is, this is clearly a scene of destruction. The broken glass bit is pretty straightforward. The black smoke could be from fires, or it could be from some Squall creations, like the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow or his "army of monsters." The distant cry is also fairly self-explanatory, and could be people crying out as they're killed, or outrage at the betrayal.

Two button-black eyes shining at her from the shadows.

Squall. That's it. Who else has been explicitly stated to have the same "button-black eyes" eyes as Morrigan?

A snatch of song she couldn’t quite remember.

This could be a Wunder-summoning song. From who, is the question– by Squall, or someone opposing him?

A feeling of something precious, slipping through her fingers.

Life and it fading (or also possibly Wunder as well, but also in the context of dying).

Possible meaning if it's related to Mog's mom:

broken glass and plumes of black smoke and a distant cry in the dark

Again, a scene of destruction, with the same possibilities as mentioned above.

Two button-black eyes shining at her from the shadows.

Still likely to be Squall's eyes because of the "shining from the shadows" bit, but I do wonder if Mog gets her eyes from her mom, or if the black eyes are a uniquely Wundersmith thing.

A snatch of song she couldn’t quite remember.

The classic trope of a mother singing a lullaby that the child barely remembers. Maybe, if Squall is here, this is connected to how he recognizes Mog's Nocturne song? (I think that's at least partially due to it sounding like his song, but that's a theory for another post.)

A feeling of something precious, slipping through her fingers.

Mog losing her mom or her mom losing Mog. Or, again, just an abstract way to talk about death/life leaving someone.

Surrounding context in Hollowpox

I think it's interesting to note when in the story this moment takes place. It takes place immediately after people are chanting at Mog once they've found out that she's a Wundersmith, and immediately before Mog wakes up with her Inferno imprint. I feel like, regardless, it's related to her being a Wundersmith.

So, perhaps it's a memory of the Courage Square Massacre, passed down from those who came before her? If this is the route, perhaps she'll uncover more to the moment as she masters more Arts.

Or perhaps it's a memory of what happened to Mog's mom? If this is the route, perhaps it's an early manifestation of Mog's powers. Additionally, though, it raises the question: was Squall there, and if so, why?