Prologue
A sickening feeling of dread crept slowly through pulsing veins. It awoke her almost instantly. Bright acidic eyes surveyed a tortured and obscure battleground. An overwhelming wave of uncertainty was stirring in the pit of her stomach as the young sylvari rose to her feet. Something was amiss. This was most certainly a nightmare, and had an unsettling sense of reality lingering within its strangling thorns. This was nothing like the Dream she knew. A whistling howl from the sky caused her to leap sideways before the ground where she'd stood not moments before bore a gigantic crater. As she regained her footing, her slender hands met with soft woven fabric. Clothes, but unlike the caress of leaves and soft vines, these hugged tight to her features, fanning out around her legs. In her right hand, she held a small ornate axe, gilded in brilliantly shining metals. It felt as if it weighed as much as air itself. She could hear yelling, visions of creatures she'd never seen before zipping by in the blink of an eye. The sight was ghastly, to say the least. Hunting for a reason to this chaos, a familiar face faintly appeared amongst the smoke and insanity plaguing the land. She hurried towards it, the face growing more and more clear as she got closer. A sliver of happiness sparked to life, warming her as she felt some of the effects of the Nightmare slip away from her.
Caithe looked upon the newborn with empathy. She could tell the sapling was just as frightened as she was. Though her connection to the Dream was weakened by the invading poison of the Nightmare, she tried her best to come through as clear as she could for the sake of the other newborn that may be afflicted, including this one. "There's not much time, sapling..I need you to listen carefully. Something terrible is infecting the Dream, follow this path until you get to a bridge of vines, on the other side I'll be waiting..please be careful.." Like a wisp of smoke she'd vanished, her words fading with her.
Despite what had happened, a determined glare locked on the battle-beaten path. These beasts, animal-like but covered in black thorns, littered the path. Red glowing eyes announced their bloodlust in these creatures as she saw them gang up on other creatures unfamiliar to herself. She picked up steam, starting at a jogging pace through the carnage with weapon at the ready. It was almost certain she wasn't going to get through without having to fight off an attack, but she was going to make it a fight worthy of recognition. Before she could react, something knocked her sideways as she slid across a bed of leaves. A blur of black whipped past, circling her vigorously. Jumping to her feet, she held up her axe defensively, ready to swing as soon as she saw it again. It was hunting her. A dark mass lunged at her, jaws clapping together inches away from the tip of her nose. The beast weighed a lot more than she did, as it set its massive bulk on her, forcefully pinning her down. Struggling to break free, another quick blur of green relieved her from the beast, knocking it backward. A snarl erupted from the great verdigris animal as it watched the other run away yelping. Huffing in its direction, it returned to her as if reclaiming its place by her side. Confused but not willing to question it, she returned a smile in consideration for its good deed, nodding down at it. "Good boy."
The duo stopped short of what looked to be a makeshift bridge. It was in great disrepair, enough for her to question if it was safe or not to cross. As she stepped closer, a menacing growl echoed from behind them. Six pairs of glowing eyes were closing in on them, pushing them closer to the rickety structure. As one lunged for her new companion, she preemptively tossed that axe as hard as she could, feeling a bit of satisfaction as the creature fell from its leap, whimpering in pain. Her companion growled at the others, keeping a firm ground between herself and their attackers. As all hope started to flee from her, two loud shots rang out, shattering the stifling silence. Both beasts fell over dead, as a figure emerged from the path they'd just came from. It was another, like her, only taller. A lot taller. Despite some significant differences they almost looked exactly the same.
He sifted a hand through his pale leaves, giving them a light shake. He hadn't seen another yet, besides the ones that lay silent along the path. The truth was he'd been following her, unsure of whether to run or hide. Oddly enough, after collecting these devices he'd found, he didn't seem so scared anymore. Handing out his hand in a friendly gesture, he nodded towards her. "Hi, my name's uh..Tricknaut.." He lowered his hand slowly as she stared at him blankly. He couldn't tell if she was confused or offended. To his surprise, she brought her hand up to his, grabbing his hand. He lightly shook it and grinned at her awkwardly. "I uh..saw two other creatures doing it, so I assumed..I'm not exactly sure...so, what's your name? Do you know what's going on?" He inquired eagerly, getting closer to her.
Her companion didn't seem too pleased at him closing the distance between them, but she figured she'd play along. It was the only other being to interact with her so far besides Caithe, and it was starting to bother her. "Tisira. My name is Tisira." She said simply. This gesture he made. It seemed friendly. Odd, but friendly. He didn't look like the other creatures that had been hunting them. "I'm trying to find Caithe. She came to me and told me to find a bridge, where she said she'd be on the other side waiting.." She explained, turning back to look at the worn-out structure. She took a step forward before feeling fingers wrap around her forearm, tugging her backward.
"Hey, wait! You couldn't possibly be thinking of crossing that, look at it!" Tricknaut exclaimed, backing away from the structure with uncertainty. As he pulled her back, the massive emerald beast barked loudly, letting out a defensive growl. He immediately let go, looking back at her in disbelief. "No way.."
"Something's calling me across this bridge, I can feel it.." Her eyes glossed over, as if peering into the future. A groan snapped her from her daydream. It came from the other side. From the sound of it, something or someone was in a great amount of pain. A huge, hulking figure stumbled into view, heaving a heavy moan before falling over in a heap across the ground. The thump echoed across to them, making her even more curious, and anxious. "Come on, they need help!" She bounded off, only to have him grab her again.
"You don;t know what that is over there, what if it's another one of these weird black monsters than keep popping up? You have no idea what's on the other side of that bridge!" He narrowed his eyes at her blind and naive trust in the unknown.
Tisira reared back, slapping his hand away. "Friend or foe we won't know until we cross. Are you with me or not because I'm going!" That determined glare returned, burning in the acidic radiance of her eyes.
The uncertain young male wanted to discourage her from venturing into whatever was sending her that direction, only because he could sense the darkness getting stronger as they stood at the edge of this bridge. Whatever was on the other side was far worse than what they've encountered so far, but seeing the assurance in her eyes, he had to give it to her that she managed to get this far on her own. Hesitantly, he raised his hand out to her in agreement. "Alright..but I'm not letting you go alone.."
Taken aback by his sudden change of heart, she nodded, a light smile returning to her soft pale green face. Holding out her hand, she pulled him on to the structure with her as her companion leaded the way across. She could feel the fear emanating from him. She was scared as well, but in this case, fear wasn't going to solve anything. "Hey..it's gonna be okay..okay?" She whispered softly, giving his hand a firm shake before letting go. "We're gonna be okay."
The hulking thing stirred, still groaning in agony. It was trying hard to stand up. As they came closer, it towered over both of them, being almost twice as tall as Tricknaut. Its horns curved, and were as sharp as cactus needles. Two of its four ears flicked at the sound of them approaching, at which time it rose to its feet, engulfing them in a massive shadow. Rearing its head, it pulled back to let out a ferocious roar that shook the earth under their feet. Losing strength quickly, it met the ground again with a loud thud, groaning once more.
Tisira rushed over, slowing her steps before she met with it as to not startle it. Friend or foe, she needed enough of a gap to get away if things went awry. "A-are you alright?" Her voice was trembling, even when she tried to remain firm. Tricknaut stood a few feet away from her, shaking like an autumn leaf, as did her companion. They were both uncertain of what to think about this creature. They all shook violently at the booming voice that ruptured the unsettling anxiety of the situation.
"If you're gonna kill me just go ahead and get it over with..don't just stand there and mess with me, ya damn freak.." A pair of fierce pale feline eyes peered up at Tisira, as if daring her to make the first move. A long thin tail clapped the ground anxiously as it he let out another growl. "Well? I'm waiting."
"I'm not going to hurt you..in fact, I wanted to try to help you.." Tisira extended her hands in comfort, only to jump back in an instant as he spoke again.
A low growl lingered along his words at her offer. "Is that right? And how do you suppose you're gonna do that?" He snarled, flapping his tail against the ground repeatedly and with more force, as if he were getting agitated.
Tisira looked down at him, a small blotch of crimson stained his war-weathered armor. In all honestly, she wasn't exactly sure how she could help him, or if she could. Something inside of her was pushing her to try at least, as if she'd forgotten all about Caithe. She sighed, her eyes floating down to meet the ground. "I..I'm not sure..but I'll do everything I can." She said, kneeling down next to him and courageously placing a hand upon an extremely large paw. "But I'm not leaving you here to die.." Her eyes matched his own, the same intensity reflecting back.
Skeptical, the beast remained wary of this being, even though the delicate touch of her hands was as benign as a newborn cub. The feeling she radiated, a sense of willful fortitude he'd only seen in very few individuals. He gave in, trying to pick himself up as she fought to help him. She wasn't like those things that attacked him. Nothing about her seemed threatening, other than her willpower. As they limped together, hiding his wincing, he quickly pulled out a small bow from his side, handing it to her. "Here, you're crazy being on your own without a weapon at all times. You'll do best to remember, danger lurks everywhere..you gotta be ready to fend for your life.." He tried to force a grin, as close to a grin as his fuzzy muzzle would allow.
A monstrous roar echoed through the darkening forest landscape, rattling them all. It came from the direction they were headed. The mixture of fog and darkness was making it hard to see, but in the faint distance, Tisira could see a clearing just at the end of the path. She was almost there. They were almost there. It was almost over. This Nightmare needed to end.
As they approached the end of the path, the cat-like beast stopped them abruptly, his ears and snout twitching wildly. Tisira looked up at him curiously, unsure of what was going on. She went to question him but was met with a harsh whisper to remain silent. As he settled in on a target, he pointed a talon towards the disturbance. Their eyes widened at the sight.
Much bigger than the others they had previously fought, this one easily met mass with their new wounded friend, in strength and stature. It paced back and forth across the path, with six or seven following close to it. A whole pack. They surely didn't have enough force to take them head-on, and the forest was too dense to go around. There had to be a way to that clearing. There was no other option but to go through. Setting their new friend down, Tisira drew her bow, as if she'd done it a million times, and aimed for the head of the pack. The arrow pierced the air as she let it fly, awaiting the impact and the riot coming shortly afterward, only to be amazed as it stopped in mid air. The arrow floated backward and stopped a few inches short of their position, as if being handed back to her. Cautiously, Tisira snatched the arrow back, taking a step backward. Not knowing what to think, she went to question it, only to feel warmth press against her lips.
"Shh!" There was still no face to this phenomena, if one even existed. Another step back, to feel the warmth pull away from her mouth. It was a bit creepy, to say the least. Upon taking another step, the crack of a twig snapping cracked the silence, and soon they had the whole pack looking their way.
"Uh..run!" Tisira screamed, straining to pick the large feline up and around her shoulder so they could get a good start, only to be snatched by the invisible force and held in place.
"Wait.." An amiable tone spoke from behind her, almost as silent as the gentle flap of a dove's wing. Before she knew it, a weird flash appeared. Everything still looked the same, but now there was another being with them. Hating to cut the new meeting short, the beasts were still running towards them. They were too close to run away, and closing in fast. It was safe to say this was over. They were about to get torn to shreds. Hope fleeted from her, preparing for the worst, when suddenly..
Upon opening her eyes, she was staring a beast in the face, it's snout ever so eager to reclaim its scent. They weren't attacking. As if they couldn't see them at all. Tisira, now wide-eyed, gazed at the blonde figure that seemed to hold an uncomfortably happy disposition, especially at a time like this.
"Follow me!" She whispered, inching away from the small group of confused beasts and towards the clearing.
She couldn't believe it. They were almost there, completely unharmed and unscathed. As they broke the threshold of the clearing, Tisira felt an overwhelming sign of relief. She'd almost forgotten why she had come, just happy to see the light of the sun. As she turned to give her gratitude for the help, she noticed something wrong. They were gone. All of them. The friends she'd made along the way. They had vanished without a trace. Undeterred by the sense of abandonment, she could still feel the bonds. They were still there. She could feel them, even if she couldn't see them. As she turned back around, she spotted Caithe halfway across the clearing, watching her closely. Running over to her, Tisira stopped short of her.
Caithe put on a gentle smile. "So you made it. I can feel the bonds you made with them. They are very strong. But can they fuel your courage to overcome fear in its purest essence?" She asked calmly, as if it were a discussion.
Before she had time to answer, the ground rumbled and shook beneath he feet. The violent tremors grew worse as something began to climb out of the ground. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. It yanked itself from its dirt prison, shaking its roots and limbs before stretching out two very large skeletal wings. Tree infused with moss and vine alike clumped this colossus together seamlessly, and vibrated as it roared, stomping the ground. It was bigger than any tree she'd ever seen, than any thing she'd ever seen. She slowly took a step back from it, trying to gather her courage. "I can do this..I'm not alone..I'm never alone now..now that I have my friends!"
"Let's go, valiant!" Caithe called to Tisira, with her daggers at the ready.
Tisira nodded to her, drawing her bow once more, but this time to end this Nightmare and start a journey. With this arrow, as she let it fly from her fingers, she would set forth the making of her destiny. According to her Dream, this journey was going to be long, arduous, and possibly deadly. A she remembered each bond she'd made with the beings she'd met, they burned forcefully in her sap, coursing through her veins like a wild fire. With their strength, she could overcome anything. They could overcome anything. It was time to end this Nightmare, and start a journey.