Chapter 1: The Dreams

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The ground turned a sickly black as the hooded figure glided over it, and the air seemed to sizzle and burn as air moved past him; Above the ground, in his wake, sat a black mist that swirled around him. He was moving slowly, but gracefully, soaking in the feeling of accomplishment that ravished his mind. The hooded figure stopped outside a tall, dark and ominous building. He tilted his head to take in the grandness of it.

"Finally, after centuries, the seeds have been sown… and Avo has accepted my challenge…" He said in his ominous gravel voice.

Garrett woke from his sleep quite suddenly, drenched to the bone with cold sweat. He had never had a nightmare that strong and life like. Garrett felt as though he could feel the hooded man breathing on him while he spoke. He wiped his brow, , and threw his blanket off to one side. He slowly stood up as his eyes adjusted to the dark. It was still dead of night, and the town of Knothole was still fast asleep.

He walked up the stair case in his house, and emerged on the balcony overlooking the town. The sky was clear, as it was during the middle most part of the summer, and shone bright with thousands of stars, and one giant moon. The town was almost completely still, besides a few guards patrolling around the town, and some patrons of the tavern coming and going.

His straight brown hair was cut in it's usual style, falling right to his brow. He liked having it long, but he decided never to let it grow longer than his sisters. His brown eyes shone in the moonlight, and the soft glows of the street lamps. He stood a tiny bit taller than most of the kids at school, and was stronger than most of them as well.

The balcony was Garrett's safe spot. He could look out at the town and know he was safe no matter what happened. He was the youngest son of the town's mayor, Jophi, and part of a very long bloodline of heroes. His mother, Black Sophie, was one of the stealthiest but most diverse heroes the guild has ever known. She trained under the famous Arrow Dodger himself for a while, and learned much from his teachings. It's because of this, that the guild has wanted Garrett, his sister, and two brothers to come to the guild early. However, both Sophie and Jophi thought it would be best to wait, however.

Garrett's oldest brother, Brain was currently training at the guild. Being about 17, he was close to becoming a full hero, and becoming an adult. The middle brother, Taylor, was 12, and just a few days away from starting his training as well. Garrett, being ten at the time, wasn't able to go yet. His Mother and Father wanted him to wait until he turned 12, just like his brothers.

Alexia was Garrett's younger sister, being only seven. However, there was something remarkable about this little girl. Even being as young as she, her use of the Will was extraordinary. She couldn't do anything too taxing, but her powers manifested in other ways. Mostly, her power comes from dreams, and her ability to sometimes foretell the near future. However, most of these dreams often turned into nightmares for poor Alexia. She was inexperienced, and couldn't control these dreams.

This is why Garrett wasn't surprised when he heard the shuffling of little feet coming up the stairs. He looked back and saw Alexia dabbing at her swollen eyes. She never made any sound when she had nightmares, but she cried every time it happened.

When she got up to the balcony, Garrett could see her golden brown hair tied back in pig tails, and her blue eyes were shimmering from the light and the tears pouring out of them. He kneeled down in front of her, and pulled her in for a hug. They held the embrace for a few moments, and then Garrett let go and looked her straight in the eye.

"Is everything ok now Alex?"

In her soft spoken, little girl speech, she answered, "I think so… I had another nightmare Garrett! It was horrible!" She started crying softly again, so started wiping her tears away.

"It's ok… It's ok. It's all over now. You've been having a lot of nightmares lately. Can I ask what it was about?"

"I guess so…"

With that, he sat down and let her sit on his lap. He put his arms around her, and just let her get the dream off her chest.

"It was really dark. Darker than black! Then I heard this man's voice. It said something about Avo, but I can't remember what it was. He scared me. It felt like he was talking right to me. I'm so scared Garrett…"

Garrett didn't know quite what to say at first, for he was worried himself. While she had been talking, his body clenched up in shock and concern. They had nearly the same nightmare, and he was greatly worried about that. He didn't want to worry his sister though.

Alright, calm yourself down. Everything is going to be ok. You can talk to Dad in the morning.

"Shh…. It's ok. Everything's ok now. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. I have to watch out for you, remember? Once Taylor leaves, it's just going to be you and me. Don't worry."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now you should probably go back to sleep, ok? These next few days are going to be big. I love you little Alex."

"Alright. Love you too big brother. Night."

"Night."

With that, Alex scrambled out of Garrett's lap, and sauntered off back into the house. Garrett was left all alone, so he got to his feet and looked out at the Knothole night. After a few moments, he decided to go back to bed as well.

His dreams were more peaceful, but he tossed and turned throughout the rest of the night.