Dreamcatcher

by Christian Rosnell

  Lyght had gone to sleep with an hour and a half worth of power the night before, so he should’ve only needed, theoretically, an hour and a half of sleep to regenerate that – since a Dreamcaster received a twenty minutes of power for every hour they slept, up to six hours. Of course, Lyght found he usually needed near six anyway to function efficiently, as six hours for him felt like eight hours for others. Still, he was supposed to be incapable of sleeping longer than six hours.

  Lyght thought to reach for his Dreamcaster power, to check. As he did so, Lyght experienced an immediate shock.

  It’s not full!

  Frowning, Lyght could see that his spirit level still remained at almost an hour and a half, the same amount he had gone to sleep with. Why hadn’t it recharged? Was that the reason he had slept so late? What had…?

  All of a sudden, the memory of what had happened hit Lyght like a thunderbolt. He straightened immediately and looked around; trying to determine that he was in fact in the present. He thought he remembered experiencing a… memory of some sort. A memory of that night; the night when his dad had been killed. But it had been vivid, far too vivid, to have been some sort of hallucination.

  Had he been, in fact, dreaming? That wasn’t supposed to be possible for him. His ability to manipulate matter in the real world meant that he didn’t dream while he was asleep. Or that’s how he understood it, anyway. There were never any exceptions… except, it seemed, now. Of course, there could have been another explanation, but Lyght just couldn’t see it. It couldn’t be a coincidence that his spirit hadn’t refilled yet, could it?

  And not only that, the experience had also seemed way too vivid, too detailed to even be a dream. It had been as sharp, as real, as the experience itself. From what he understood, most people’s dreams were often confused and fuzzy. It had seemed more like a… vision that anything. A perfect re-creation of the past.

  A past Lyght didn’t want to have to relive.

  Shaking his head, Lyght sat down on the edge of his bed and tried to clear his mind. He was still shaking slightly – it felt like seconds ago that he had watched his father being killed all over again. Lyght tried to steady his breath, and just think. He wanted to understand what had just happened.

  For the past ten years, Lyght’s “rule” was to never think about that night, because the memory was just too painful to even think about. Unsurprisingly, experiencing it again had been even worse. He would probably never find out for sure, but he had gradually come to the conclusion that there was no way his dad’s death had been a coincidence. They had searched eight years for the elite group of Dreamcasters named the Legion, and then as soon as Lyght pulled off some miraculous Dreamcasting feat, an armed group of men appear out of nowhere to attack them. Though he couldn’t see how it was done, Lyght couldn’t see anyone but Dreamcasters being able to just appear like that.

  However, it seemed clear to Lyght that this armed Dreamcaster group that had attacked and killed his father were not the Legion. For one thing, they didn’t have the famous rich navy blue uniforms with the slanted with L insignia. As far as Lyght knew, they always wore those. No, a group wearing all black cloaks who would kill a father in front of their son like that? Only one group, to Lyght’s knowledge, existed who would be low enough to do such a thing. He didn’t know much about them, but he’d heard enough about them to deeply suspect them.

  And if it turned out they had done it… well, Lyght didn’t think he could ever forgive them.

  Not only that, but what the vision (or whatever it was) had for some reason cut out what the men did after killing Lucent. They had converged immediately on Lyght, and stabbed him in the heart as well, in the same way they had done to his father.

  Yes, Lyght had truly thought he would die that night. All he knew was he had blacked out, and a passing family from Kona, traveling back from the capital to their village, found him. By some wild luck, one member of this family just so happened to be a six-year-old girl healing prodigy – Sky. Lyght still couldn’t understand how she’d healed him from being stabbed in the heart. Apparently, she didn’t either – she’d thought for sure he was a goner. She must’ve been good enough, somehow, to save him. That fact had never seemed to amaze him. The disappointing part was that Henre and Janna had said afterward they did not see his father’s body there – the armed group must have taken it for whatever reason.

  Lyght just shook his head and stared at the ground, slowing his breathing and counting to one hundred. He looked up, trying to think. There was something he felt like he should be remembering…

  It him after just a second – he was supposed to have decided by today what he and Mikael were going to do; go to the capital or pursue their original plan. He hadn’t talked to Mikael much about it yet, the idea was that they would each make their own decision independent of the other’s influence, and see where it went from there.

  Lyght sprung up and went over to put a shirt on, dressing as fast as he could considering his odd lethargy. He wasn’t really a morning person, but for some reason he felt way groggier than usual this morning. Checking himself quickly in the mirror and pushing back his dark hair with a hand, Lyght turned and crossed the few steps over to his balcony, opening the folding door and stepping out into the morning sunshine. The air was nice and crisp. Perhaps the weather might actually be cool today in the village. Although the weather didn’t change much with the seasons in Kona, it was actually mid-autumn by. Cool days might hit on occasion, but they were relatively rare in any season.

  Lyght crossed his arms on the balcony, sighing, and looked out towards the ocean, where the yellow sun was already somewhat high over the horizon. He really odd, like he had slept for weeks. Why would two extra hours do that do him?

  “Why the long face?”

  Lyght looked down, pleased but not surprised to find his friend Mikael standing down in the alleyway, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and shorts. He must how been out training – he typically did that in the mornings.

  “Tired”, Lyght said offhandedly, jumping down and using just a touch on gravity to soften his landing. “I see you were off training this morning. How can you stand to do that right now? Don’t you need to be thinking about this big decision we’re supposed to be making, oh I don’t know, today?”

  Mikael raised an eyebrow, “Movement helps me think. You should try it sometimes. You can’t come to a good decision by just sitting around; your head will just run itself in circles. And anyway, if you’re being so critical, I’m assuming you do know what you want to do?”

  Lyght paused, uncertain how to say it. Mikael just laughed and said, “I thought so”.

  Lyght closed his eyes. He hadn’t realized he’d come to a decision, but the way he felt now, he realized that he had. Now that his head had cleared, Lyght felt he had the answer to the question he’d been agonizing over for five days. Where it had come from, he couldn’t say.

  Lyght shook his head, “No, I think I know what I want to do. Really, I’ve known the whole time.”

  Mikael waited patiently, “And?”, he prompted.

  “Well”, Lyght went on, “I want to know what your decision was first. It’s important that we’re both on the same page with what we want to do. If you have a different plan than me, and can give me good reasons why your idea is better, I might consider changing my position. However, I have come to a conclusion about what I think’s best for me. You first, though.”

  Mikael just laughed, shaking his head, “Of course I have to go first”. He went strolling down the alleyway – apparently headed for the beach – motioning for Lyght to follow him. Mikael’s bright white, gold embroidered cloak of choice fluttered softly in the cool breeze for a moment as he was silent. He looked over his shoulder and said “So, I have to bring up my decision first, then? That’s not quite the way I planned it. See, I wanted you to go first, because my earth-shattering and mind-blowing decision is… I’ll go with whatever you choose, Lyght.”

  Lyght was somewhat
shocked; he had expected Mikael to come out with a strong opinion on this – he usually seemed to have strong convictions. Lyght opened his mouth to argue, but Mikael forestalled him with a raised hand. “Look, I’m not saying this as a cop-out. Yes, I did think long and hard about this decision and yes, this is what I came up with. I believe; no, I know that this was a very tough decision for you to make, even more than me. However, the more I thought about it, the more I thought I came to understand what you would say. So, while I’m really good with either option, I believe I know which one you’ll pick, and I think it’s the right one for you. You know what I’m referring to, right?” Lyght was silent, and Mikael urged him on, “C’mon. I’m right, aren’t I?”

  Lyght stepped up in line with Mikael and scanned his face. Yes, he thought, I think he does know what I’m going to say. “Alright then”, Lyght began, “you’re right, I have come to a decision. Funny thing is, I can’t even really think of when I came to this conclusion. Not last night, not when I got up this morning. But I’ve got the idea fully formed in my head now, so here goes…”

  Lyght took a deep breath, “Mikael, I think we should accept the invitation from the Legend. I think we should go to the capital city, give it our best shot, and try to make it into the Legion. And you know what? I think we’re pretty good, and I’m pretty confident that if we try this, we’re going to be successful.”

  Silence. Mikael just kept walking along, on the forested beach path now, eyes towards the sky. He was being unusually quiet, it seemed. A group of seabirds fluttered by, and Mikael watched them go, all the way out of sight. Finally, Lyght spoke up again, a bit defensively, “Well? Is that what you thought I’d say? Probably not, right? Sounds too selfish, you could say. Like I’m ditching all our plans. Well, I’m not. Honestly, I have a hard time explaining why I think we should do this, even to myself. I just feel like it’s the right thing to do. I tried to make my decision based on what I thought was right. Really.”

  They were almost on the beach now; Lyght could see the beach path open up just ahead and the ocean rolling off the yellow sands – high tide. He could make out the Legend standing proud in his armor, back to them, looking out at the sea in the same place as before. As they came out onto the beach, Mikael turned, putting his hands on Lyght’s shoulders and looking him in the eyes, “Understand now, Lyght? I was coming down here because this was where the Legend said he would be when we made our decision. Obviously, since I brought you down to see him; I knew this would be your answer. I knew you’d pick the right thing for you, like I said, and I believe this is it.”

  “How did you know?”, Lyght asked, frowning. “I can’t say I totally knew myself before you asked me, it’s just like… the realization suddenly came upon me.”

  “I know”, Mikael said confidently, taking a step back “because I know you. We both know where we stand on this, don’t we?” Lyght frowned, “What do you mean?”

  Mikael laughed, “Well, let’s be honest, I originally wanted to join the Legion because of the power, glory, and respect it would bring, which is a selfish reason. You wanted to join the Legion for the right reason, I’ll be honest, because your father died trying and because you won’t be satisfied until you try to do the same. You wanted to go fight the Dark to help protect everyone in the village, but to be honest, that was kind of naïve. Neither you nor I know what the Dark is, or where it’s “source” is – if there even is one – or even if it is something that can be destroyed. I really only supported this plan because it felt good to be doing something, but you have to admit now the situation has changed dramatically. We have to adapt to it. In light of the new opportunity we have here, I was hoping you would stay true to yourself enough to go through with this.”

  The Legend was listening. He turned, a slight smile on his face for the first time, and said in his oddly solemn voice, “So I take it I have your answer then? You are willing to accompany me to the capital city Glory to enroll in the Legion Academy, in the hopes of joining our sacred order?”

  “Well, when you put it like that”, Mikael put in, grinning, “it sounds pretty damn cool. Oh yeah, we’re in alright – for better or worse.”

  Lyght spoke up as well, “I’m not going to lie, I’m not entirely sure what we’re trying to accomplish here, since you won’t tell us what the Legion does. However, I think I’m going to take you at your word that it is something very important. I really do want to join the Legion, but I also want to feel assured that I’m working for something worthwhile, something that will mean something to accomplish. I believe that the Legion, even if it isn’t clear to me now, if the best place to pursue that goal.”

  The Legend nodded firmly, long mane of gold hair flying in the wind on this unusually crisp morning. “You are right. The Legion is the best place to be for any Dreamcaster. We hate to see potential recruits turn away from us, or fall through the cracks. The King will be happy to have you.”

  Lyght frowned. Fall through the cracks, he said. What does that mean?

  Before he could reflect further on the odd comment however, the Legend spoke in a commanding voice, “Follow me now, recruits, and make sure to keep up. From here, we go to the village north entrance, where you have agreed to meet your families to say farewell.” Lyght frowned again, how did he know that? Lyght and Mikael had indeed planned to meet their families at the north entrance that morning, since either decision they made involved them leaving.

  The Legend continued, “We will not stop at your places of residence for any supplies or personal items; your bodies, minds, and will are all that is needed from this point on out. Alright? Follow me.”

  He jumped powerfully into the air without awaiting a response, clearing the yellow sand beach and the first dozen or so palm trees before presumably landing on the beach path.

  How can he can do that in all that armor? Shouldn’t it weight him down?

  Lyght had no time for thought, however, and he began running and jumping, using all his speed, power, ingenuity, and even touches of Dreamcasting just to keep within sight of this flying Legend. And yet, Lyght got the sense he was slowing himself somewhat for their benefit. If he really wanted to leave them in the dust, he could in a second. Of course, he was beholden to the same Dreamcasting laws as Lyght and Mikael, but he was enormous – bigger even than Mikael, giving him a larger degree of strength when multiplied. Furthermore, his sense of the Third Law dwarfed even Lyght’s skill in the area – he pulled off absurd run-jump combos without even changing his environment. He could manipulate his body perfectly to the point of maximum speed and strength. If he manipulated the environment in the same way, which he seemed to simply be choosing not to do right now, there was no doubt in Lyght’s mind he would be similarly awe-inspiring.

  At the blistering pace they were going, they soon reached the wide cobblestone street that marked the village’s northern entrance. Indeed, Lyght’s and Mikael’s families and a few close friends milled around the empty street, waiting to say goodbye to the kids – now men – they’d known and loved for the past ten years. The thing was, they didn’t yet know where Lyght and Mikael were going.

  Well, they were about to find out.

  Lyght noticed that some people below looked shocked by the reappearance of the Legend with them, but others didn’t look surprised at all. They landed on the north side of the small group, and Lyght turned his back to the open road to face the friends and family who had raised him. As he turned, opening his mouth, he was cut short as someone thudded into him, driving his breath out in a short burst.

  He looked down, half-annoyed, half-amused, to see Sky embracing him in a tight hug. Close as the “siblings” were, she didn’t usually show open affection like this. Lyght supposed they were both too prideful for that sort of thing. Not today.

  When a measure of his breath had returned, Lyght managed to get out, “OK, Sky, OK. Thanks. You can get off me now, I can’t breathe.” She did so, blushing slightly, as Henre, Janna, and Milton came up to Lyght
in a much more measured fashion. Mikael’s own family began speaking with him as well.

  “So?”, Henre asked, “Are we allowed to know where you’re going with this… distinguished companion?” He chuckled at his own understatement. “Really though, it has to be something ridiculously cool. Come on; take a page out of Mikael’s book if you like. Brag. Or if that’s too blunt a way to put it, just ‘fill us in’, if you would.”

  Lyght turned to glance back toward the open road, then back at the couple who raised him, his sister, and his friend and mentor, even, Milton. He felt a sudden, unexpected emotional upwelling at the sudden moment of goodbye. The sadness and sense of loss were, however, tempered by a feeling of pride and accomplishment. Nostalgia and anticipation rebounded within him as he drew himself up to look his loved ones in the eye and say with conviction.

  “I’ve finally decided to own up to myself – I’m chasing my own dream, and my father’s before me. I’m going to become a Legend in my own right; and in doing so I’ll bring honor and pride to Kona as a newly-ordained man of the village. Mikael and I are going to the capital city of Glory to enroll in the Legion Academy, where we will train under the Legend here, and we will pass the selection process to join the Legion. If… no, when we are successful, we will be the first Legends in the Hope Domain’s history.”

  Lyght took a deep breath, looking back and forth at them, “We won’t let you down, I promise. I won’t come back until I’ve given everything I have to pay back what you guys have given me this past ten years.” Raising a hand to the back of his neck a little awkwardly, Lyght continued, “Honestly, I’m not the best at saying this kind of stuff, but you guys have given me a sense a pride in myself, and a sense of duty. That means the world to me, and I finally get it now; what you’ve been trying to tell me all along. I’ve got to use my talents for something, or they don’t mean anything. But it’s not just for something, it’s for someone, and that’s you guys. Making the Legion isn’t just for me – it’s for you. A thank you for pouring into me all these years, and raising me into the man I am today.”