Dreamcatcher

by Christian Rosnell

  Lucent glanced over at Lyn before he continued speaking, and the Legend nodded in confirmation, “So, I think I’m right in saying, when Decimader killed his father, he took the Dreamcatcher from him and unleashed the entire pool of the Vuru’s power stored in the netting to unleash the immense collection of dark matter stored in the netting of the Dreamcatcher. He used that technique that Lyn told you about to infuse his spirit with the dark matter and bring the massive force we know as ‘the Dark’ down to mask the new land he was creating with the regular matter power stored in the Dreamcatcher as well. Confusing, right? But when you wrap your mind around it all, you realize it really was a cunning plan – if selfish in nature.”

  Lucent tapped the crystal in his chest, “So you, Lyght and Mikael – we need you two to use your unique spirit as Godra Heirs to activate the Dreamcatcher’s capacity in a similar way to how the Godra used it. In a second, I’ll put the Dreamcatcher over the crystal, and you two will activate it. When you do that, the whole thing should go in reverse. The Dreamcatcher will act as a sort of ‘web’ or ‘net’ which will keep all the dark matter in, and let all the regular matter out. So it will slowly suck in the Dark, trapping it inside the crystal. Over a course of time – we’re not sure how long, but not longer than a year – the Dark will be completely sucked into the Dreamcatcher, and the amount of dark matter is so large that Decimader won’t notice until it is far, far too late. Then, the ‘Dreamscape’ will be connected to the outside world again, and Decimader’s tyrannical reign will finally have fallen. The human race can finally be free again.”

  Lucent looked down at his son, so similar in look to him, a kind of mini-version of himself. Lyght nodded firmly back to him with no hesitation, agreeing to the plan. Butterflies danced in his stomach – Lyght had never anticipated he’d live to see a moment this big. This… world-changing. He held his breath.

  Lucent winked at Lyght and gave him the old smile he used to always carry around on him, “Well, here goes.” Lucent placed the Dreamcatcher over the crystal, then pulled something from his pocket – a dislocated part of a metal breastplate. He sunk the metal into his skin, wincing at the pain, and let go, having placed a protective barrier over the Dreamcatcher and the crystal.

  Lucent pulled his shirt back on and nodded to Lyght and Mikael, “Alright, you two raise your right arms, and point them at the Dreamcatcher under the plate”, Lyght did so, smiling a bit at the nostalgia – remembering the last time his dad had him raise his right arm and try Dreamcasting. Something crazy had happened back then, and Lyght knew something just as wild was about to happen again.

  As he readied himself, Lyght took a sideways glance at Mikael, half-expecting him to have disobeyed the order. He was relieved to see, however, that his friend had his arm up and ready – although he did seem to close his eyes in annoyance. At least he was going to help – according to his dad, both Lyght and Mikael were needed to activate the Dreamcatcher. Lyght still wasn’t sure about all this stuff about being an “Heir” or whatever, but he trusted his dad that this would work. His dad always had been the Dreamcasting expert to Lyght, after all.

  “Alright”, Lucent spoke up, and Lyght looked around in concentration “each of you direct a continuous stream of spirit at the Dreamcatcher…” Lyght instantly did so; knowing Mikael was doing the same to his left. Lyght made sure to focus intensely – this was perhaps the most important thing he had ever done. He had to make sure to do it right – especially when his father and Sky were there, counting on him…

  A long stretch of time passed in silence. Lyght narrowed his eyes and concentrated… one minute... two… still silence. After another minute or so, Lyght was starting to become seriously concerned whether this was going to work. He opened his mouth to say so to Lyn…

  And all of a sudden, a burning electric-blue light shot out from behind the breastplate on Lucent’s chest and abounded across the previously dark room, blinding Lyght enough that he had to squeeze his eyes shut. That still didn’t entirely get rid of the bluish glow. After a few seconds, however, Lyght tentatively reopened his eyes as the adjusted to the weird brightness.

  Lyn raised his voice to congratulate them, “Yes! There we go. It’s activated. Guys, the Dark will begin to be destroyed as of right now. And Lucent will keep that breastplate over his heart to mask the Dreamcatcher and protect it. In not too long now, the Dark will finally disappear from the Dreamscape.”

  Lyn walked over and shook Lyght and Mikael’s hands enthusiastically and smiled hugely, “You realize that what you guys just accomplished took over a thousand years of planning on my part, right? And just like that, it’s done… You guys have my thanks – really. Thank you.” Lyght cut off his spirit flow and shook Lyn’s hand, bemused that it was going to end just like that. After all his struggling back in Kona with deciding whether to try and destroy the Dark or join the Legion, it had all finally ended. The Dark was finally going to be destroyed, and Lyght knew he was about to experience a world unlike the one he’d known all his life. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about it… but he had to admit he was excited.

  Lucent walked over to his son and paced a hand on his shoulder. He had an odd look in his eye, but he smiled and joked as he used to do ten years ago, “There you go, the fate of the world changed just like that. How dramatic, right?”

  Lyght nodded, a smile coming across his face despite himself. He guessed he was just happy to finally be back with his dad again. Everything else aside, that’s all he really cared about now. He was finally home.

  And that’s when it hit.

  A huge BOOM erupted all around, shaking the whole tower with a titanic fury. Lyght fell to his knees, hands clamped over his ears, eyes squeezed shut. The tremoring continued. Lyght tried to get up, but another blast rocked the area, and he fell again. Finally, the tremoring calmed enough for Lyght to rise…

  And see dozens of Legends pouring in from all around.

  They came from a variety of doorways Lyght hadn’t even known were there. Waves and waves of the elite soldiers of Decimader Vuruman, the ones that Lyght had dreamed of becoming one day, before… well, tonight. Tonight had changed everything.

  Lyght spun and whipped the knife out of its sheath on his right hip, tensing in a crouch. Lyght’s eyes shock back and forth in shock as he saw droves and droves of Legends falling on his friends, overwhelming them. Lyght saw Lyn holding his own, powerfully blasting even the elite Dreamcaster Legends to the floor, spinning with his massive greatsword and cutting them down one-by-one. Lyght’s father was faring similarly well, swinging a giant warhammer in a circle with surprising speed and flattening the attacking Legends like ferns in the wind. Seth and Iri were struggling, however, with many times their number, and Sky and Lyaness – the non-Dreamcasters, were nowhere to be seen. Lyght spun around and saw Mikael coming over to him on his right. Lyght nodded to his friend and turned his back to Mikael, intending to fight back-to-back with him in their pre-planned formation in the case of being surrounded by a much greater number of enemies.

  Lyght raised his knife into defensive position as a pair of Legends in gleaming blue armor charged him with swords. Lyght worried that his weapon would do nothing against the much longer swords, and knew he’d have to use Dreamcasting – a problem since the Legends were probably more skilled than him in that, too. Lyght tensed as they came at him, and he had to wonder…

  How did things change so fast?

  Lyght drew himself up, eyes locked in on his enemies, knowing Mikael had his back. He raised his knife, poised to throw it and hopefully take the Legends by surprise… but all of a sudden something hard and heavy slammed into the back of his head with the force of a charging ram, knocking the breath out of him and sending him tumbling to the ground in a sea of red and blackness. As he hit the floor, Lyght could feel a huge warm spot on the back of his head, despite the helm he’d been wearing. A very, very bad wound.

  Blood.

  With effort, Lyght planted his knife into the wo
oden floor and used it as leverage to roll over onto his back and defend himself against whoever hit him. Lyght was not at all prepared to see the face of his enemy, however, with Lyght’s blood dripping from his metal armguard.

  Mikael smiled at his longtime friend on the ground, “Should’ve listened to me, Lyght. The Legion… they are the ones we should be fighting for. Not these other criminals. The Legion is charged with protecting the Dreamscape against its enemies, and that’s my responsibility now as well, now that the King has made me an official Legend”, he spun with a flair to show the Dark blue Legion cloak he suddenly wore, spinning closer to Lyght and crouching down to look him in the eyes.

  “Unlike these other people up here, you’re off the hook because the King wants you and me as Legends. We made it, Lyght! But I’m sorry; I have to do this to you for the time being. I know you’ll come around to common sense eventually. Just… think about what I said, alright?” Mikael stood up and motioned to the two Legends who’d been charging Lyght moments earlier.

  “Take him, guys.”

  Lyght tried to come up on one knee, but a steel kick exploded against the side of his head. Lyght coughed up blood and keeled over, in more pain than he could ever remember in his life. A sudden brightness fell across Lyght’s flashing vision, and the last thing he saw was the swirl of a dark blue cloak as he feel deep, deep down into the darkness.

  Chapter Fifty

  Lyght was the wind.

  He’d never felt this powerful, this… free. He looked down on the mountains below, deep blue rivers rolling lazily through the valleys like alpine veins. Twisting, rushing, falling over cliff sides. Spraying out into the warm summer air, mist dissipating in a flurry of rainbow flashes. In the distance, Lyght could see the tropical sea – a tranquil, foaming turquoise. Flocks of flapping white seagulls rolled over the waves like low clouds, turning and swarming as one, their cries echoing through the mist on this warm summer morning. Lyght felt like he was taking in a constant deep breath of the wind, like it was rushing through his very veins and soul. He moved as one with the wind, as a friend and companion. Southeast, they went. Towards a verdant, conical mountain capped with an odd coal-black rim on top, above the treeline. Lyght soared towards it, getting closer, closer…

  A painted wing, iridescent in the rising sun, wheeled across Lyght’s vision, followed by an earsplitting roar. He looked up, eyes squinting in the sudden brightness. The thing turned its head and looked proudly down at Lyght, the wind, as his equal. Lyght felt his heart rise, and smiled back, raising his fist in the air.

  But the brightness wouldn’t go away. The light intensified, getting brighter, and brighter… until Lyght squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands out, “Hey! Stop!”

  The glaring light faded, and Lyght tentatively mustered the will to open his eyes again. When he did, he found himself not soaring through the air, but flat on his back on the ground. The clothing he was wearing was comfortable enough, and the floor… rolled a bit as he lay there. He groaned, trying to understand his surroundings. His eyes slowly adjusted to the scene, and he bolted up suddenly, looking around.

  He was on a ship.

  Lyght was assailed suddenly by a host of memories – the tower of Triumph, his father, Lyn, the Dreamcatcher… and then suddenly, they were under attack. Lyght remember defending himself, and…

  He remembered.

  Lyght clinched his hand into a fist and slammed it against the deck below as he remembered Mikael’s betrayal. They had finally activated that Dreamcatcher thing to destroy the Dark once and for all, when they had been suddenly attacked by dozens of Legends under the command of King Decimader Vuruman, who Lyght finally understood for the man he had always been. Someone who would do anything to hold onto power – including rallying all the Dreamcasters in his kingdom to join an elite organization that served his purposes exclusively; the Legion.

  Lyght, of course, had been misled the same way – he’d spent most of his life either secretly or openly working towards the day when he would finally be inducted into the Legion. It had been his father’s dream all those years ago, and had become Lyght’s by extension. Well, his father had, unbeknownst to Lyght, ultimately had gotten his wish. What it had cost him, however, was a life watching his son grow up – exchanged for a duty to a King who was essentially a tyrant who’d taken power through killing his family and friends and the application of his signature Dreamcasting power; the manipulation of dark matter. And so Lyght and the others had all finally decided to destroy the Dark, as they should’ve realized they had to do a long time ago. Sky had been on the right track all along. Lyght and Mikael had been on the wrong one.

  Mikael, however, never could be convinced to switch to the right one.

  It was clear now to Lyght what had happened now that he analyzed the events leading up to what had just happened in Triumph. Mikael had always, deep down, wanted to join the Legion. When he finally gave up on the more idealistic path of destroying the Dark – which had been Lyght’s idea from the beginning – he fully embraced the path that he believed would lead him to power and future heroism. Lyght had always known that Mikael had a bit of an ego and a need for recognition, but he’d never thought it would lead his longtime best friend to serve what was clear to Lyght as an unjust – at best – ruler. Lyght had misjudged him; that was painfully clear now.

  Although he had tried to bring Lyght with him, all the way to the end…

  Exhaling, Lyght mustered the energy to sit up. He was in what he recognized as the cabin of a ship. Presumably, he’d been captured by the Legion. Where they were taking him, however, he had no idea. The sudden brightness that had woken Lyght up had come streaming through a window behind the bed he lay in. He looked out, and saw light dancing over the clear blue water. So the sun had risen, and they were heading east.

  Lyght hopped off his bed and began to move slowly and a bit clumsily towards the door. He knocked over a lamp on his nightstand as he slid off his bed, multiple wounds protesting heavily at his sudden movement. The worst one was his head – he had a screaming headache like none other he’d had before. He’d been hit in the back of the head by Mikael, and then kicked in the forehead by a Legend’s steel boot. Lyght reached up now and felt a layer of bandages across his forehead, and underneath them a nasty gash, stitched up and obviously deep. Lyght wished he had a mirror to look at it. He didn’t have the chance to look for one, however, for at that moment his door opened, and someone walked in who Lyght had least expected to see.

  Lyaness hurried over to him, “So you’re finally up! It’s been three days, you know, that you’ve been out. Lyn was starting to get really worried, and I…” Lyaness shook her head, “Well, you’re alright now, right? How do you feel? You don’t feel… confused?” Lyght shook his head, “No I remember everything that happened before I got knocked out.” Lyaness nodded, “Good, then somehow you avoided a concussion. Very lucky considering the circumstances. You –”

  Lyght had to interrupt; he couldn’t hold it back any longer, “Hey, Lyaness? Didn’t we get captured by the Legion? Why are you allowed to just walk around freely like this?”

  Lyaness shook her head, a look of amusement on her face. Lyght was bemused but unsurprised to see the hood still up over her face, as always. He’d always wondered why she did that. That would have to wait until another time however, as there were more important matters to get to now.

  “I thought for sure we’d get captured”, Lyaness said. “I can put up a good fight – better than you might imagine – but I’m no Dreamcaster, and even if I was I wouldn’t be able to fight off Legends that outnumbered us ten to one. No, I was surrounded and pinned against the wall by a group of Legends in under a minute, and they spirit-chained my hands, legs, arms, everything. They were clearly planning to arrest us, I think. After you were knocked out, apparently, was when Lyn did something amazing. All of a sudden, he glowed this brilliant white-gold color, and transformed somehow into part human, part beast… part god even. He f
ell upon the ranks and ranks of Legends like some unstoppable fire, and within a minute had them all unconscious or dead on the floor. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s really hard for me to describe it even, you had to see it… but you know what this means, right?” Lyght nodded, “Yeah…”

  Lyaness continued, “This confirms to me that he’s exactly who he said he was. One of these Godra, or whatever.” Lyght glanced out the window at the rolling sea and pondered that for himself, “Yeah… that’s what it sounds like to me too.” Lyght hesitated, not sure what he wanted to do next.

  Well first, I need to thank Lyn for saving my life.

  Lyght looked back at Lyaness, “We got away from the Legion… so where are we headed on this ship? Can I talk to Lyn about it?” Lyaness nodded, “Best to let him explain everything. Come on, he’ll be up on the deck.” The pair made their way out of the cabin and into the hallway, up a few flights of stairs, before emerging out onto the suddenly-bright deck of a ship that Lyght didn’t recognize. The sun must’ve risen not fifteen minutes ago, about the same time Lyght had woken up. Lyght shielded his eyes, seeing how the warm orange glow reflected off the waves, and took a deep breath of the salty air. It was mild out – not as warm as the South, but warm enough for the central Dreamscape this time of year, where Lyght still assumed they were. In fact, if the large land masses ahead and behind were any indication, they were sailing out of the channel – away from the Pride domain, and toward the island of Apathy.

  Lyaness and Lyght climbed another flight of stairs at the aft the led up to the wheel of the ship, manned by a tan veteran-looking sailor with a salty gray beard and eyes to match. The man was talking to Lyn as he gently twiddled the wheel, plotting their course. It was a pretty large ship, a multi-decker, although from what Lyght saw the deck was largely empty. A few sailors wandered below, but that’s all Lyght could see. As he and Lyaness approached, Lyn noticed them and turned in their direction, “Aha, awake at last, Lyght! It’s been three days you were out, you know. How are you feeling?”