Author's Note

Hello everyone! I'm adricarra, but you can call me Adri. I have to say, it's been a loooong time since I wrote my last fanfic (I only have one published here though), but after I started reading fanfics again, I got inspired! So let's hope it isn't too bad, haha :'D

I must say that you may find some mistakes, since English isn't my first language D: I tried my best though! If you can point out any you see, it would be great so I can edit it later!

I hope you like the story!

Prologue: Strange Dreams

You are doing a great job, Ness.

You have come a long way, but it's not over yet. You must fulfill your duty. You are the only one who can do this, you are the Chosen one.

I count on you, Ness. Only you can help me.

Ness opened his eyes. He could see a gentle light entering through the window.

Oh… That weird dream again…

He has been having these strange dreams for some weeks already. All he could see during them was himself surrounded by an eerie darkness, which made he feel extremely uneasy from the start. And then there was that voice. He couldn't really remember everything, but that… person? was talking to him. I'm doing a great job? He remembered. Will he be referring to me saving the world? Even though that voice seemed to praise him, its deep and dark tone disturbed him. Ness yawned. He slept in one sitting all the night, but he felt absolutely restless. The dark circles under his blue eyes proved it.

Ness got up, and then remembered where he was. He and his friends just recorded into the Sound Stone the melody from the fifth "Your Sanctuary", which was located at Magnet Hill, found in Fourside. They then traveled to Summers and met their new friend Poo, and right away they went to the city's hotel to get some rest. Yes, that's it. Ness could tell it was Summers' hotel just by the sight of all the luxury materials and objects. It was like he was in a palace. They had to pay quite a lot to stay the night there though, but they were so drained at the moment they didn't mind. Ness still had plenty of money left in his bank account thanks to his father, so staying there one single night wasn't really a problem.

I wonder if the others are awake already. He thought, while picking his clothes. Well, I don't think I'll be able to sleep anymore, so I better go and see.

Once he was ready, Ness stepped out of his room. He headed to the lounge, where they decided to meet during the morning. Surprisingly, all his friends where there already, talking between them. Was it that late?

"Ness!" Jeff exclaimed. "You're finally awake, we have been waiting for you for so long."

"Oh…" Ness rubbed the back of his neck, his voice in a fatigued tone. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't notice."

"Ness… are you alright?" Paula's concerned look seemed to suggest she noticed the lack of energy in Ness' voice, and probably the huge dark circles under his eyes as well. "Don't tell me… did you have that dream again?"

"… Yeah…" He couldn't lie to Paula. She always noticed so fast when something was off. Their expressions turned into worried ones.

"Ness, you can't keep on like this. You need to rest." Paula said.

"Yeah, what if you suddenly collapse during a fight!?" Jeff asked.

That could really be a problem… Ness thought. My PSI powers could also be affected because of my lack of energy.

"Wait, has that happened to him before?" Poo asked. Since he just joined them, it was understandable that he wasn't informed.

"Yeah…" Jeff answered. "He was been having those strange dreams for two weeks already, and they don't let him rest properly."

"That's not good…" Poo said.

"Do you know what could those dreams mean…?" Paula asked. "Could they be premonitory dreams like mine?"

"I'm… not sure." Ness said. "They don't really seem to tell me anything special…" He was the first one worried about those dreams, but he didn't have a lot to work with in the first place. If I knew at least who that voice belongs to… But I have no idea, I'm sure I didn't heard it before.

"Should we take him to a doctor?" Poo asked.

"I don't really think that will help Ness…" Paula answered. "I'm sure that dreams are related to his PSI powers. I don't think a doctor could do much."

"I'm ok, guys. Really." Ness tried to look energetic. He really didn't want to worry them. "I'll be way better after eating something!"

"Well, eating sounds good." Poo said.

"Yeah, Paula insisted on waiting for you to have breakfast." Jeff said. "I'm starving!"

Ness laughed a little. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting. You guys could have called me."

"Don't worry. We knew what you have been through during these weeks, and we wanted you to rest a bit." Paula offered a warm smile. "But it seems this night has been the same as the others…"

"I'm alright, Paula. Don't worry about me." Ness insisted. "Let's eat for now, today is going to be a tough day."

Yes, everything's going to be alright, Ness thought. There's just three "Your Sanctuary" locations left, I just have to hold on till then. It won't be that bad… right?

Nonetheless, Ness wasn't only feeling tired this time. He… didn't really know how to explain it, but he started feeling… strange. As if something was happening inside him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he decided to ignore it for now. He would probably go back to normal in no time.

They arrived to the hotel's cafeteria. Each of them took a tray and filled it with different types of food and drinks. You could perfectly identify each person's tray just by seeing what they filled it with. The most distinguishable one was Poo's, you could see a bottle of water and a bowl of rice gruel. His diet was the one which differed the most from the others. Paula's tray showed a couple of toasts and some orange juice, and Jeff's showed some pancakes with maple syrup and a glass of milk. As for Ness', he got a bowl of cereal, and orange juice too, same as Paula. Once they finished choosing their meals, they sat on a nearby table.

"So" Poo started. "What are we going to do today?"

"It seems we have to go to Scaraba" Jeff said. "But… there's a little problem."

"What is it?"

I'm sure those dreams must mean something, Ness thought.

"It seems that there's… some kind of sea monster out there." Jeff explained. "And the sailors are way too scared to sail."

"Oh… then how are we supposed to get there?"

And for some reason, I can't stop thinking about them. It's as if… they were calling me.

"I'm not sure… If we could still use the Sky Runner… " Jeff mourned. "But when we arrived Summers, it broke… again."

"So it isn't the first time it happens, huh…"

"Ness." Paula called, almost in a whisper.

"O-oh" Ness got back to reality. "… What is it?"

"Ness, are you really ok?" Paula asked, while Jeff and Poo kept talking. "You're a bit… distant today. I know you are tired because of that dreams, but you didn't seem that distant the rest of the days. I'm… a bit worried."

Ness showed a little smile. "Yeah, I was just thinking…"

"About those dreams?" Paula asked.

"Yeah…" Ness answered. "I'm sure those must mean something, but… I don't know what."

"Well… if you need someone to help you, or even just talk, you can count on me." She smiled. "And of course, also on Jeff and Poo."

"Yes, I know." Ness said. "Thank you, Paula. I really appreciate your support. But I really am ok."

"That's nice to hear," she said. "I won't ask about it anymore, I'm sure you just want to disperse it from your mind now."

"Yeah, you're right. I have to focus," Ness said. "We've got to keep the searching of the sanctuaries. We have to give our best!"

Paula smiled. "You're right."

Once they finished eating, they took all their belongings and left the hotel. Even though everyone seemed to be afraid of that sea monster - Kraken they called it – they had to find a way to get to Scaraba. They tried to convince lots of people, but all of them refused to take them there. Just when their hopes were starting to fade, they found a man who was willing to take them there! He said something about her wife stopping talking, and that he was really grateful… They didn't really know what he meant, but now they finally could travel to Scaraba! Ok, that was one problem less, but… would that "Kraken" really appear? Was it that scary? Was it that huge? Ness couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy, but they had already surpassed lots of other difficult challenges before! This was just going to be another obstacle on their way.

However, this time Ness had a really bad feeling.