The air was cold and crisp during the ride on the Snake Train; it was entirely cloudless and all the stars shone like tiny diamonds. The full moon behind them was as silver and bright as platinum. It loomed over the land as if it was guarding our brave heroes from the sinister darkness that hunted them like hungry wolves. Felix was looking out the window and having thoughts about the adventure he was now risking his life for. He was quite excited inside…and a little scared. The quest of finding Dreamscape…it was nothing he had ever done before. It was as if he had stepped into a fantasy novel like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, but he knew that those were only books…and THIS was real life.
Felix looked over to his left side. Thimbleleena was sound asleep along with Shaylee and Jared, with Jared being the loudest and talking in his sleep. Felix slowly stepped out from his seat, hopping not to wake anyone up. As quiet as the wind, Felix went out to the balcony and stared at the ever dark sky. He always liked the stars at night. They almost seemed welcoming and felt like they were protecting them with light. He appeared to stare at them endlessly until a noise behind him drew his attention.
"Oh, sorry Felix," said Shaylee "I saw you walk out and wanted to see if anything was wrong."
"No, nothings wrong," replied Felix with a smile "but thanks for the concern.
Shaylee stood beside Felix as she started admiring the star filled night. Felix noticed she had a depressed look of sadness smeared on her face when he asked, "About the Tower…was it your home?"
Shaylee glanced at Felix and sighed, "Yeah, well…it was my adopted home. I was an orphan when the Grand Sage took me in. He said I was very kind, generous, and sweet, but also very strong. He taught me how to defend myself and told me the secrets of archery. It wasn't until I was 10 when I met Jared." Shaylee rubbed her arm and continued. "He wasn't always so gruff and serious, he used to be kind and always smile a lot. But when Serith attacked he just hasn't been the same…and I miss the old Jared."
Felix felt sorry for Shaylee after her story. "Oh, listen, I'm sorry for asking. I didn't know how much it hurt you."
"It's OK Felix…I guess you can't change the past…but you can change the future."
Suddenly, a large explosion came from the side of the train that almost tilted them off the platform. The Snake Train's head hissed in pain and almost wobbled a bit. Felix and Shaylee ran inside to see Jared and Thimbleleena struggling to get to their feet.
"Shaylee, Felix, what's going on" shouted Thimbleleena over the sound of explosions.
"Nightmare-bombs," said Shaylee preparing her bow "and that must mean Dream-Eaters are not far behind."
How right she was. Thousands of rampaging Dream-Eaters were racing towards them like bolts of lightning. Each one had a sinister smile on their face that made them look insane. Five of them jumped onto the roof and gnashed a gigantic hole so they could jump right in. Jared used his sword to slice the head off one of them, but once he vaporized, another one took its place. With quick strategy, Jared flung a chair at them. As the Dream-Eaters destroyed the projectile, Jared used it as a distraction and cut them all into black mist.
Thimbleleena flew straight at them with the speed of a blazing comet. Each of the Dream-Eaters tried to run from her, but the fairy was too quick. Then one of the black Dream-Eaters grabbed her leg with its tail and smashed her against the floor. The force was so hard it made an indent on the metal floor. The Dream-Eaters were about to pounce on her, but Shaylee fired a couple of arrows and made them dissipate from existence. "You all right" asked Shaylee while preparing another arrow.
"Oh…I'll be fine" responded Thimbleleena, getting up, "just a few bruises and a great big pain in my back."
Felix was on the roof, fighting Dream-Eaters from left to right with his Bag of Tricks. Using his bag/sword, Dream-Eaters were vanishing like ghosts. One of them charged at him like an angry rhino. But Felix dodged it, causing it to trip and fall of the train. Felix then thought about what to do with the next batch that was coming ever so closer. When many surrounded him, Jared leaped from the hole and sliced them into ribbons of black sand. Felix sighed in relief, "boy, thanks."
"No time for thanks," shouted Jared "we've got to get off this train!"
Felix knew what he was saying, for looking behind himself he saw that the Serpent Express was running out of track…
And fast.
Quick as a fox, Felix warned Thimbleleena and Shaylee about the upcoming obstacle and both of the girls climbed to the roof. As soon as the train got closest to the edge, all four of them jumped off at the nick of time. Behind them, the Serpent Express rode off the ledge and into the bottomless pit below. Looking back at what just happened, the four warriors gazed upon the Serpent Express at it hissed in vain.
Jared told the others to move on as they continued their perilous journey.
Meanwhile, in a lone castle on top of a hunching mountain, a large throne room was barley lit by two torches lit by sapphire flames. The walls seemed old and cracking as hours went by and they sounded like the pitiful cries of doom and despair. At the backside of the room, two ruby red eyes pierced the darkness, giving off an eerie sense of danger. The two giant doors at the front of the room busted open as a red colored Dream-Eater rushed in and kneeled to its master.
"Speak" said the red eyes in a voice that sounded soulless and faint.
The red Dream-Eater howled and suddenly, without warning, it erupted in a burst of purple flame. The Dream-Eater was gone…and what was left was a sort of handsome man with black silky hair, noticeable red eyes, and a scar running from his left eye to his chin. He wore a black suit of armor with a black trench coat covered in purple markings, a pair of black fur boots, and on his back was a scythe as long as a support beam.
"Lord Serith, King of Nightmares," said the man with a voice that sounded both kind AND deadly, "we have just destroyed the Serpent Express, unfortunately, the heroes made it safely."
A large sharp toothed smile of fear appeared under the red eyes. "No, that's wonderful news. Now that means they will be slowed down, and WE will get to Dreamscape faster. Those meddlesome warriors will fall under the strength of nightmares."
With a sudden hissing sound, the whole room was lit with blue flame. Serith stood tall above the man, with looks that could kill with fright. His red eyes shone like stars and were pulsing with energy. He wore a long, elegant cloak that was as red as fresh blood. His face was still that of a wild boar and his horns rose from his head like redwood trees. His hands and fingers were long, sharp, and bony, almost like he could make a clean swipe through human flesh.
"My, my," said the black clad man, "you certainly know haw to make an appearance."
The King of Nightmares stood there with a mouth filled with extremely sharp teeth.
"It's how a king should be…"
Back with our heroes, they had decided to camp out behind a few rocks for the night and were already fast asleep. Jared slept to the left of Shaylee while Felix was quietly resting next to the fire place. Felix's ear twitched, indicating that he had heard something. Felix woke up as quickly as he could and turned his Magic Bag into a mallet. He sneaked ever so slowly to the other side of the rock, sweat rushing down from his forehead. He took a little peak and was instantly confused.
There sat Thimbleleena, trying to smash her golden wristbands to pieces. But no matter how hard she tried, they still looked unscratched. She then growled in rage and landed on the ground, crying to herself with small yet sorrowful tears.
"Thimbleleena?" asked Felix in question.
Thimbleleena glanced at him and sighed. "Oh, hey Felix, you here to just watch me cry until my eyes go red?"
"What? No. I just want to know what's wrong."
Thimbleleena looked at him and showed him her golden bracelets. "You see these? These bands are what keep me alive. The thing is…I'm an artificial fairy, a fake, crafted by people to help in tasks or to learn things. I may look, sound, and feel like a fairy, but I have my limits. If I fly too fast, I burn to ashes. If I soar too high, I'll shrivel and shrink. And I can't even touch real water without turning to sand."
She starts to float a little and stares into the silver moon.
"Oh how awesome it would be to be a real fairy… to fly, swim, and speed with no limit. I want to be real…but sadly, the only way to make me real is to magically wish me real, and everyone in the Dream Realm knows that it's impossible."
Thimbleleena gently floated down and sat near the boulder with her legs close to her face. Felix was full of pity for the young fairy. In a strange way, he knew that deep down he knew what she was going through. He didn't know WHY he felt artificial inside of him, but I guess it was just a feeling that was sort of like a bad aftertaste when you're done eating.
"At least YOU'RE real," she said looking up at him, "you get to walk where ever you want, see what you want to see…but for me, that will never happen."
Felix looked away for a moment, and then he smiled and went bright eyed. "You know what…even though you said it's impossible, I'll find a way to make you real."
Thimbleleena looked at him with surprise. "You would do that…for some one you just met?"
"Of course, you're my friend; it's the least I could do."
Thimbleleena laid down on the soft, grassy ground and stared into the stars. "Thanks Felix…you're a true friend."