AN: Chapter 2 is here! I have officially picked my big five main characters, BUT that doesn't mean you still can't submit. If you want a character in this story and are completely fine with them being side characters, then send em' in! (Note: With side characters, there are no age or rank restrictions, so go nuts!)

Enough of that now. My five will be listed down at the bottom of the chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 2:

Nightmare

Devin found herself standing in a silent darkness, one with no walls and an invisible floor. Not a thing stirred within. There was not a sound, not a sight, not a feeling in the world. It simply held an ambiance of depression and vengeance, something so deep not even the purest tongue and heart in the world could save it.

The Necromancer herself was not afraid of the dark, but she feared what lingered beyond. She feared the despondent feeling that dominated the atmosphere. What could be the cause if it? Whose emotions possibly could have invaded her mind? Was it, perhaps, her own?

Devin's breath became rather labored. The coral color of her eyes shone like a bright beacon, but the light of them could not penetrate the emptiness around her. It was strange. Such dreams never came upon her.

Suddenly, there was a scream. A caterwaul of pain.

Devin tried to spark a spell, but her feet were glued to the nonexistent floor, and her hands stapled to her sides. The scream echoed again, this time louder. Her whole body grew tense as she sensed the presence of someone - or something - passing by her. It went to the right, the front, the left, and behind her.

The dread she felt was unbearable.

When the figure showed and she saw the stark white face of her old professor, standing in front of a burning tower, it was her that screamed.

"Devin? Hey, wake up!"

A strong hand and a concerned voice snapped her away from her dream. Devin gasped and shot up, muscles tense and sweat glistening like water on her tanned skin. Duncan kneeled in front of her, pale gray eyes concerned, and he was dressed in nothing but his sweatpants.

Apparently, her nap was much longer than she anticipated. It was already nighttime, Duncan having already gone to bed when he heard light murmurs and whimpers from his friend.

Devin rubbed her eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to both think on the dream and chase it away. Duncan, who knew she had nightmares on occasion, took her hand worriedly in his own and asked, "You alright?"

The girl wordlessly nodded, sitting up slowly and hugging her stomach as a wave of nausea hit her. She said nothing just yet, and knowing she needed some time to process what she saw Duncan stood and went to prepare some tea. He sparked a fire in the fireplace and hung a kettle of water over it. It was the routine at this point. Even when she was younger and spent the night at his family's home she would need a cup of hot tea after experiencing a nightmare.

When the water was nice and hot, he poured it in a cup that had a tea bag of peppermint and lemongrass already inside. He gently blew on it before sitting beside his friend and handing her the cup.

Devin stared at the swirling clouds of steam before finally taking a few small sips of it. She seemed to relax quite a bit, the smell and warmth welcoming as the hot liquid streamed down her throat. Sighing she leaned back against the couch. "Duncan...do you ever have dreams that feel so real and so possible they might actually happen?"

"Can't say that I have," Duncan confessed, looking at her in both curiosity and worry. He had vivid dreams before, but nothing that made him believe it was, or could be, real. Devin frowned and nodded slowly, sipping more at her tea before continuing.

"I saw Malistaire standing in front of a burning tower...before that, there was a presence I couldn't see and a scream of a...a girl, I think. A young one. And darkness. A lot of darkness…"

Duncan frowned a bit, turning his gaze away from her and looking to the fire, hands clasped in front of him. When he could think of nothing that might explain what it was besides a very bad nightmare, he sighed and rested a hand on her knee, giving it a squeeze. "It probably means nothing, Dev...you miss him, and with how bad everyone thinks of him now, it all might just be getting to you."

Devin sighed and nodded, pressing the rim of her mug to her lips and partially closing her eyes. "I hope it's that simple."

Duncan felt helpless. Looking at her, he knew she was disturbed, even more so than with the past nightmares . He left to his bedroom a moment and came back with one of his nighttime shirts and some shorts. He laid them on the arm of the couch. "You're welcome to stay the night, Dev. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. Take the guest bedroom. I have afternoon classes tomorrow so I'll make breakfast for us. How's that sound?"

Devin looked at her best friend and forced a smile. "Great. Thanks, Duncan."

Duncan smiled and nodded, ruffling her short poof of a faux hawk before starting back to his own room. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me up, 'kay?"

When he got his second nod of confirmation, he went into his room and for just-in-case reasons left his door cracked open. Devin remained by the fire for a while longer, about an hour to be precise, just drinking her tea and relaxing as best she could. When the tea was gone, she went to the aforementioned guest room, changed into the black-colored clothes of Duncan's - which were oversized but very comfortable - and fell onto the old twin bed.

It took a while for her to fall asleep, but thankfully when she did, it was a dreamless slumber.

The smell of bacon, naturally, woke her up the following morning, the savory scent of the meat filling her nostrils. She stretched in the bed and yawned before slowly opening her eyes. The window was curtainless, so the rising sun shone through without any restriction, blinding her a moment, and groaning she shielded her eyes with an arm.

When her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, she sat up and for the first time looked around the room, realizing she had never stayed in Duncan's house before. The family house, certainly, and even his dorm on a few occasions, but never his own home.

The room itself was small, made more for an office than a bedroom really, and was overall bare of decoratives. There was an old, worn down dresser that had definitely seen better days, a desk with a chair that hardly looked stable, and the bed which she sat on. The only thing to really give the room a bit of character was a death banner that hung on the door. Devin rolled her eyes. She should've expected her friend to be lazy with decorating.

When she went out into the living room, it had a few more things to look at. A vase with a nightshade in it, some old pictures, and furniture. Overall, it was still very bland.

Duncan looked over and seeing his friend with the bed head and oversized PJs, he waved a lazy good morning to her as he prepared two plates of the grub he'd made. Bacon, sausage, eggs, and biscuits. Nothing grand, but Devin found herself appreciating it nonetheless, especially considering who made it. Duncan actually making food was kind of a funny thought.

"Did Miss Wizard City sleep alright?" Duncan asked as he handed her a plate. Devin rolled her eyes, pulling a tall bar stool to the counter and deciding to eat there instead of the table.

"I don't see Miss Wizard City here," Devin commented idly, taking a bite of the crispy bacon.

Duncan chuckled, sitting across from his friend and picking at his eggs. "I don't either. I see a green-haired monster wearing my clothes and looking like she tumbled down a mountain."

"Ouch," Devin tried to pretend she was hurt, but she just ended up smiling. "No wonder you don't have a girlfriend."

"All the attractive ones are Storm or Fire, and those schools are, well, dumb."

"Charming," Devin chuckled and shook her head, setting her fork down to rub her face a bit as another yawn took her. "To answer your question though, I slept okay...tired as a gobbler who just had seventy pounds of turkey though. What time did I wake last night?"

"About midnight," Duncan's smile softened into a sympathetic grin. "I imagine you didn't go to sleep right away either. Want some coffee?"

"No, thanks. You already ruined breakfast. Don't want you ruining my favorite drink too." In response to that, Duncan threw a bit of bacon at her, at which both of them started to laugh. Their playful banter and friendly conversation went on throughout breakfast. It was how they were, and how Duncan knew she needed to be treated. Despite her laughter and smile, he knew she hadn't forgotten the nightmare, and knew it was in the best interest for both of them to forget it.

When the meal was just about done, there was a knock at the door. Duncan wiped his mouth and not caring he was shirtless went to see who it was. There was no one, though there was the Ravenwood Bulletin at his feet. He sighed and with a slight shrug decided to take it in for once. He sat back down at the counter and looked at the main heading, nibbling on his last piece of bacon.

"I guess orientation is this weekend," he commented idly. That surprised Devin, and she looked up with an eyebrow quirked and a disbelieving frown in her face.

"So soon? Thought they'd have held it off until a new death professor came along. Don't get me wrong, Malorn's doing great with the younger class, but still. He's no professor."

"I guess Ambrose didn't want to make it seem like Ravenwood was failing," Duncan responded with a shrug as he read on. Seeing nothing else of note he threw the paper out and collected their plates. "You gonna go to it, see what the fresh meat has to offer?"

"Only if you come along with me," Devin said as she followed him into the kitchen. She grabbed a towel as though to say she was going to dry the dishes no matter what he said. Duncan smirked and nodded.

"Deal."

The two friends fell silent as they cleaned up the dishes, splashing each other with water on occasion and laughing like they were newlyweds who found joy in absolutely everything. They were both fine with that. After last night and the past weeks of madness, they needed a good laugh.

They just hoped that now, things would start getting back to normal.

The weekend of orientation came by quicker than Devin thought it would.

Two full days of ten year olds running around trying to find the coolest schools and making fun of each other.

Devin didn't know why she agreed to go to it.

She sighed a bit, examining herself in the mirror. She was no representative, but she wanted to show off her school to the best of her ability. Maybe talk to a few kids. Sure, she might be getting expelled the following week, but she wanted to ensure Death didn't lose its respectability.

The tunic she wore was black, with a belt wrapped loosely around the waist. The stitching along the rims was silver in color, and the pants she wore were made of a light cloth and dyed in a matching color scheme. Her boots were leather and, of course, black, with silver armored toes. The cape she wore matched the dark scheme and was attached to her tunic by a silver skull.

It wasn't the most flattering apparel, but she couldn't deny she looked impressive. Even her hair was brushed into a neat, poofy quiff. Content, she walked out of her dorm and into Ravenwood, where she saw Duncan waiting for her by the tunnel leading to the Commons. Upon seeing her, his lips quirked into a grin.

"It's just orientation, not a date," he joked teasingly. Devin jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow.

"Like you can even get one," she teased back before starting to walk on. "Nah, just wanted to show the kids what a real Necro looks like. I bet ten golden coins Malorn is dressed to impress the girls."

"Not making that bet 'cause I know you'll win that one," Duncan replied with a chuckle. He was wearing an outfit similar to her own by coincidence, but Devin didn't care as they walked through the bustling commons and into the central area for orientation: Golem Court.

Surrounding the tower was an ocean of brightly-colored students, most wearing the official novice uniform, walking around and talking and laughing. It was enough to make Devin want to scowl.

Duncan looked around a moment, finding a few darker-clothed kids gathered around Vergil Darkstar. For once he had removed the skeletal mask, perhaps at the bidding of Ambrose to not scare away the students, and was dressed in his normal, intimidating attire. Devin herself had no fondness for the black-haired Necromancer - he seemed to underestimate her despite never having seen her skill - but she didn't argue as Duncan started to lead the way over.

However, before they could even reach the Necromancer group, there was a sudden shaking of the earth below them, so vigorous that Devin nearly lost her balance. A chill ran down her spine, and dark clouds suddenly shrouded the initially clear skies above.

She and Duncan exchanged a glance. The newcomers were rushing around, trying to find friends and family, most dazed or thrown into a panic.

White lightning struck the surface of the ground, and from the crags of broken stone and earth came forth beings of the undead.

My complete five mains are as follows:

Molly Hawkflame (RidersofRohan)

Vergil Darkstar (Stigma13)

Bradley Angleblossom (Mystical Mosaic)

Chris Roseblood (Nefertam)

Marissa Lifeblood (BlueJPanda)

To everyone else, don't worry! I intend to put your characters to good use in this story, hopefully as more than a brief cameo. Hope you enjoyed! Drop a review if you did, and I'll see you all next chapter.