Prologue:

Sometimes Dreams Aren't Just Dreams

The moon shone brightly done a blue leaved jungle. All was quiet save for the footsteps of a boy moving through the dense blue undergrowth. He stalked along as silently as possible, his ears aching aside from his soft breathing and rushing blood. He knew this jungle to be a dream, but what made him nervous was that, unlike other nighttime fantasies, he had absolutely no control. He couldn't change the scenery, couldn't create any beings, couldn't gift himself with superman capabilities. All he could do was try to find the reason for him being dragged into the imaginary rainforest.

He walked for what felt like hours before his ears were rewarded for their vigilance, the boy instantly froze, straining to hear the noise. He held his breath and willed his heart to slow its beating so he could hear clearly. The rushing blood pounded in his ears, seemed to disappear the second he heard the noise again. It was just a faint rustling leaves off to his right, but it was first sound he'd heard all night and the only clue he'd found. His eyes scanned the underbrush for any signs of movement, but then the rustling grew louder, as if something was charging towards him. Now he could see the shaking bushes, hiding whatever was heading his way. Unconsciously the boy took a step and when his foot touched the ground...

All was silent.

The boy stayed rooted to the spot, eyes staring at the bush that lay between him and his stalker. The only thing that kept him from running was the fact that this was a dream; he couldn't truly be harmed. Soon he gathered the courage to move and slowly brought his feet together. He stood quietly as hundreds of plans and questions flitted through his mind. He hung his head and let out a sigh before he steeled his features, looked back at the bush, and took one step forward.

Instantly a strong wind whipped through the clearing, ruffling the boy's hair. Its wailing assaulted his hears and formed a twister of sorts with him dead centre. "The greatest journeys begin with a single step" he idly thought as he observed the maelstrom form. His fear slowly disappeared only to return full force when he felt something's eyes on his back. The boy whirled around hoping to see through the wall the wind had created and recoiled when he actually saw something. Three pairs of red slanted eyes stared back at him through the tornado wall. Two of the pairs moved to opposite sides of him before stopping, putting him in the middle of a triangle formation. His eyes danced between the three unknowns as if trying to anticipate the next move. As one, the three entered the twister, finally revealing themselves.

They all wore tattered murky green hooded cloaks that looked a step away from falling apart. Their cowls hid their faces from sight, save for they eyes. Only their hands were visible. The hands were very pale green with slightly hooked nails that did nothing to help settle the boy's nerves. He also noted that all three on them were floating about a metre above the ground. Then he heard their voice; it was very low and guttural, sending shivers down his spine as it rang above the maelstrom.

"The Chosen One is here,

The Chosen One shall spread fear.

Many lives you will lead,

Many times you will bleed.

You have trials that must be endured,

Succeed, and justice shall be ensured.

Choose the shadows of darkness or the light of sun,

For now you walk the path of a demon!"

The words washed over the boy, running through his head over and over again. He couldn't hear the wind raging around him, he only heard the chant. He was loosing his sight, he couldn't smell the exotic jungle flowers, and he no longer felt the wind bite into him and rip away his warmth. He struggled to retain his senses, but the boy soon succumbed to the blackness while the prophecy continued to be repeated.

Sapphire blue eyes snapped open to stare at a white ceiling. The boy quickly sat up, ignoring the shine of sweat across his body and his heaving chest, at sat there trying to slow his thundering heart. Once that was accomplished, he calmly threw his long legs out from under his sheets and of the side of his bed. He stood and quietly made his way across the bedroom to the window and rested his forehead upon the cool glass. He dragged his eyes over the night sky before turning his gaze to the moon. He stared intently at the spacial rock as though it would tell him the answers he sought, but no such knowledge came. After observing the moon for awhile, he turned and placed his back on the glass with a sigh before closing his eyes and scratching his chin in thought.

"Just what the hell was that?" the boy mused, "I'd have to guess that was a prophecy, but it seems to far-fetched. So what was it? He spent almost an hour going over possible explanations for his dream, yet none seemed to fit. Soon he looked at his clock and was a little shocked to see how long he'd been up. He tilted his head enough to look at the moon once more. He studied it for a moment before tearing away his eyes with a jerk of his neck and disinterested look.

"Screw this."

With that said, the teen boy quickly erased the gap between him and his bed, fell onto the soft mattress, tossed the sheets over himself, and promptly fell asleep.