This story was created based off of a tabletop roleplay game known as MAGE. This RPG is based in present time where magic is far from dead.

This is the first book in a series of nine that I am writing and hope to someday publish. Advanced critique would be very helpful, however I will ignore anyone that outright flames me or my work.

DISCLAIMER: I own the character James Williams and the dimension he lives in, my brother, Geno, owns the character Tom Williams, and my friend, Biggy, owns the character Lore. The idea of this type of magic and the roleplay gameare respectfully owned by Whitewolf.

Chapter One: Dreaming

James had been stirring all night. A reoccurring dream that had haunted him for the past few years had woken him much earlier than he had planned on. James thought about this dream as he prepared breakfast. He sat the two plates on either side of the table and sat down to eat. The breakfast consisted of processed eggs, synthetic meat, and clean water. James was thankful they could have such a luxurious meal in these dark times, especially with the sun barley visible. James looked up for a moment then brought his eyes back to his plate. "Seems Tom's awake." Footsteps were heard coming from the hallway. Tom appeared from around the corner to find his plate set and a chair pulled out for him at the table. Tom looked at James for a moment and sat at the table.

"What are you doing up so early?" Tom grabbed his fork and began to eat.

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I would make breakfast." Tom took another bite of his eggs.

"Same dream?" James nodded. There was a small pause. "Look, I'm sure everything is going to be fine. I'm going to talk with Master Lore about it tomorrow when he returns." James finished his breakfast and stood from the table to clean his plate. "James." The younger brother turned around as he placed the dish in the sink. "Try not to think about it. Just get some rest. I'll try to bring you something from work today." Tom stood from the table and faced James. After a moment he smiled and turned toward the door. Tom grabbed his cloak and sword from the side rack and left. James walked to the table and grabbed his bother's plate. After washing the plates, James headed to the door, grabbed his leather jacket, and walked outside.

The morning wasn't as bad as night, but still rather dark. It was rare to get any light, even as the sun was rising from the horizon, so the streetlights were always on. James locked the door and began to walk toward the market. Everything in the city was metal. Even the few trees that remained in the area were covered in metal and lived off of life support systems built into the frame. James walked around the corner and into the market building. Inside, there were several people bundled up in torn clothes trying to make a deal with the merchants. Most of the people selling goods were from neighboring cities, pushed out by their competition. James joined the long line in front of the fruits stand, watching the groups ahead of him fight over the last organic apple. The officers took them all away when one of them pulled a gun on the other. The apple was rubbed off and placed back on the stand to be fought over again. Knives were taken out and two males were about to start the battle with blood. A crowd formed around them as James proceeded to the now clear dairy and meat stand. "Hey, James! What can I get you?"

"Mark, you're still here? I thought you were going home today." James grabbed up a few eggs and some milk that was more like white water and placed them in a bag.

"I still am, I'm just trying to make some last minute sales before my train arrives." Mark grabbed money from James' hands and placed it in his pocket. "Have a good weekend, James. I'll see you again next week. Oh, and say hi to Tom for me!"

"I will. Later, Mark." James walked back to the fruit stand as the crowd chased after someone trying to steal the apple. He walked up, bought some fruit, and proceeded home. On the way, James decided to make a stop to see how Tom was doing. Today he was working in a tower Lore had built specifically for training. Tom was getting a personal session with him today. The training never made much sense to James, but Tom always seemed more confident every time he came home, and would always have more money to get them through the week. The pay wasn't much, but it was all they had. James walked into the tower and found it empty. There were a few doors here and there and a staircase leading up. James looked at the doors. Not noticing any tags on them, he decided to head up first before checking any rooms. It was a constant staircase to the top of the tower, pausing briefly at each floor. James reached the tenth floor to find the staircase stop and only one door. The door was open a crack and James could hear Tom's voice on the other side.

"I don't see why you can't make him an apprentice. You know what his dreams are." James could hear another voice talking, but it was too quite for him to make out. "If he has a strong avatar, why not make him an apprentice? If I'm getting in the way, I can learn on my own." James sat down next to the door and set his bags down in front of him. "How can he be too old to be awakened? He's only eleven... I see... Yes, Master, I understand." The other man made a final remark and footsteps were heading towards the door. James stood and grabbed his bags as Tom walked through the door. Tom looked at his brother surprised and looked toward the floor in front of him. "How long have you been here?" There was a small pause of silence between them.

"Long enough..." James lowered his head as well. Tom nodded and began to walk toward the stairs. James followed, still thinking about Lore's decision. The walk down didn't seem nearly as long as James stared off into space. On their way home, they stopped at the same place they always ate at, Moonlight Café. It had a certain appeal to Tom and always made him feel comfortable after work. Neither of them had been talking since they left Lore's Tower. "So... I've been sleeping..." It took a minute for Tom to understand the statement. But he just lowered his head again and continued eating. "How could that be...?" James had barely touched his food, too busy thinking about his question. Tom set down his fork and sighed heavily.

"I'll explain later, James. But we can't talk about it here." James looked at his older brother questioningly but attempted to finish his lunch. Tom seemed to have lost his appetite as he sat there watching James. The waitress took their plates and Tom left a tip on the table as they began their walk home. The streets were nearly empty at this time of day, and those that did wander the streets were either coming home from work or lived on the streets. It's here that Tom decided to speak. "You are a sleeper." James looked up at his brother. "But you're not alone." Tom continued to walk as James hurried to catch up after the initial shock. "Look around you. Everyone you see is a sleeper." James started to look around. "The bums living in boxes, the business men coming from the office, even the world leaders are all sleepers." They were close to home and now saw the steel fence surrounding their moderate property of only one tenth of an acre. "Sleepers are those that are not aware of Magic and its effect on everyday life."

"But, I know how magic effects me. You say it all the time." Tom smiled for a second and stopped walking just before opening the door to their three-room house.

"You know of Magic. You've heard what I've told you. And you believe me... to a point." Tom opened the door and walked in. "What you don't know, is what you don't see." Tom set his cloak and sword next to the door and James removed his jacket. "Your jacket keeps you warm, right?" James was holding onto his jacket and looked at it for a minute.

"It does good when the wind starts to blow." James set the topic of discussion on the rack and continued to look at it.

"What makes it warmer inside this jacket than when you're not wearing it?" Tom sat down at the table with his chair facing the door and James. His younger brother turned his head toward him and began to explain.

"It's made of different things that keep you warm and just it being there can stop the wind from hitting you. Everyone knows that."

"Exactly." Tom lifted his hand with one finger in the air. "Everyone knows that this jacket will keep them warmer than if they didn't have it." Tom was standing now and picked up the jacket in question. "Everyone knows that this jacket is made up of different cloths and fibers that are meant to insolate them from the chilled winds." Tom felt the inside of the jacket and handed it back to James. "What if everyone knew that the jacket would make them feel cooler in the summer rather than warmer in the winter? What if everyone knew that this jacket was only made up of plastic and just meant to keep the sun off of them to prevent sunburn?" James was having trouble understanding and set his jacket back on the rack. "Seems ridiculous, doesn't it?" Tom waked back to their makeshift kitchen and looked out their only window. "It seems ridiculous to you, because you are a sleeper. You've known these things all your life." James walked slowly and confusingly toward his brother. "Do you ever wonder what the world would be like if it wasn't how it is now? If we didn't have to breathe to survive, if food was infinite, if technology wasn't needed to help run our world? Magic makes those dreams a reality, one of many." James gabbed a chair and sat down as Tom looked back toward him with a wider smile on his face, as if this was his favorite topic in the world.

"But, if magic lets you change how things like a jacket works... why isn't everything different?" Tom sat his elbows on the divider and began again.

"Because mages aren't the only ones with magic. Sleepers use it as well, along with every living and non-living thing in this universe. Every atom has magic that keeps it together based on belief. In order to change how things work, you must have a stronger belief than everything in the universe that believes otherwise." Tom started to walk around the room as if giving a lecture to an audience. "You are a sleeper. One amongst the infinity. I am awakened." Tom placed his hand on the table. "What do you see here?" James looked at the table and considered his answer based on what he's heard.

"I see a table made up of magic and belief..." Tom gave a small laugh and shook his head.

"Don't tell me what I've told you. Tell me what you see." James looked closer at the table, squinted and concentrated.

"I see a wooden table... Rather old... I see your hand touching it..." James shook his head and looked back at Tom who was still looking down at the table.

"I too see the wooden table. But I also see the magic within it. I see the life it had before it became this table. I see the pace at which magic flows to keep it together, in its current form. There is a very strong belief that this is a table, and nothing more." Tom gave another small laugh and removed his hand from the table. "So you see, everything has magic, and that magic is what tells it what it is, based on beliefs. Everyone believes something different with different things. But it's the common beliefs that hold this world and the next together." James looked back at the table and lifted his hand to his head, a small headache starting to form. "Otherwise, everyone would have their own reality brought to life and made true." Tom walked behind James and tapped on his shoulder, on hand reaching into his pocket. "Here." Tom handed James a marble and a chain with a round case on its end. "I promised you something from work."

"What is it?" James placed the marble in the case and looked at his gift, letting it hang from his fingertips.

"It's a charm I picked up. It'll protect you." James looked at Tom in a strange way. "Try it on." James took the gift in his hands and placed it around his neck. The marble didn't glow or move, but James thought he felt a kind of warmth coming from it for an instant, and it faded before he had time to really notice it. Tom walked up and patted him on the head before walking toward his room. "I'm heading to bed. Later." James glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only five o'clock.

"So soon? You just got home." James looked toward his brother, puzzled.

"Master Lore wants me up tonight for more training. Less people to interfere." Tom walked off and left his little brother at the table still attempting to grasp even the smallest detail of what he was trying to say. It all seemed foreign to him, yet made sense at the same time. James decided to let it go for now and started to make Tom's dinner for his training.

So, what do you all think? I will add the second chapter as soon as it is written, with or without feedback, so I'd apreciate any comments you may have about my work.

Please review.