AN: So, after getting off my lazy butt, I'm finally back! Laziness is a disease I would rather not have, thank you. Here's the next chapter and finally, the adventure officially starts.

Chapter 7: The Storm

Andie did not remember seeing any signs of an incoming storm.

She sat up in bed as she heard a loud boom followed by a flash of light. Lightning. She rubbed her eyes in irritation and stumbled out of bed. She looked out the window and saw dark clouds and an occasional flash of light. She grumbled under her breath as she grabbed Red and walked out of the room. Can't she get a good night's rest for once? She took out her map and took twists and turns until she finally reached the training room.

There was another boom and the warlord sighed. Maybe this world worked differently, and doesn't show any signs of a storm before it comes. How anyone could live like that, she did not know.

She opened the door and took a peek inside the dark room. Satisfied that no one was really there, she entered and was almost knocked off her feet by something flying past her. She looked up and saw… a ball wearing a mask and a cape. Andie snorted. She frowned as she remembered the one time she underestimated an enemy. The thought made her internally shiver.

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The cage opened and revealed a small baby dragon. Andie raised an eyebrow and released a loud laugh. The dragon looked at her, showing its aggravated expression. "You want me to fight a baby dragon? Come on, do you really think that I'm that weak?" she yelled. The audience around her fidgeted nervously. The host coughed into his hand awkwardly.

"Have you not heard of this beast, milady?" he asked. The warlord cocked her head to the side. She smiled widely and chuckled. She pointed her sword at the dragon, which only made it angrier.

"You consider this a beast?"

Apparently, that was the last straw. The dragon pounced at the warlord with its razor sharp claws and fangs, almost managing to mangle the poor girl.

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That was not fun. It was a miracle itself that Andie managed to overpower the fiend. If Red were not there, she might have not been able to make it this far. She looked at the masked ball and glared at it. She did not like being surprised, especially this early in the morning. It was only 2 am for Pete's sake! She was definitely not a morning person. She stared at its eyes and it stared back.

Andie did not like this feeling. It was severely uncomfortable. Its amber eyes glowed in the dark, almost in an eerie way. The ball turned around and walked away, resuming in its training. Andie gave it one last glance before heading to her own side of the room. She looked around the room curiously, when a sandbag suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Andie jumped back and prepared a battle stance. She stared at the sandbag with narrowed eyes, with it staring right back.

Wait, what?

She realized just then that the sandbag had eyes. The eyes stared at her with no emotion, which only served to unnerve the warlord even more. Slightly relaxing her posture, she started swinging her sword at it. After a couple of jabs and swings, she yelped as the sandbag blinked at her. What the hell? The world just loves to surprise her. She sighed as she resumed her training, attacking the sandbag faster than usual.

She was about to finish the surprisingly durable sandbag when all of the sudden, it disappeared. She tensed as she stopped her sword from coming into contact with the masked ball from earlier. She took a few steps back and growled. "Ugh, what the heck? Get out," she said. She looked at the ball with a pointed look. Much to her dismay, the ball did not move an inch. She then proceeded to glare at it.

Then out of the blue, the masked ball spoke in a voice she did not think masked balls would have.

"Greetings, my name is Meta Knight."

Andie simply stared at it. Its voice sounded male, so it definitely wasn't a woman. He stared at her, as if expecting a reply. The warlord cleared her throat in an awkward manner. She scratched the back of her neck, unsure of what she should say. Do you talk to masked balls in the same way as you talk to people. "Meta Knight, huh? My name is Andrienne," she muttered.

She would have shaken his hand but then she would have to kneel to do that. She did not think that would help with her already uncomfortable situation. He nodded at the warlord and she nodded back uncertainly. Biting her lip, she pushed away the nervousness and asked, "Why are you talking to me?"

That may have not been the right thing to say.

Andie resisted the urge to face palm and offered him an uncomfortable smile. Meta Knight was silent before answering, "To get to know you."

Andie only had time to make a noise of confusion before he turned and walked away. She shrugged and turned around to resume her training when she remembered that the sandbag disappeared. With an annoyed groan, she walked out of the training room and went back to her room. She collapsed on her bed and closed her eyes, immediately falling fast asleep.

She had nightmares, yes, but not anything quite like this one.

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She stood in a field, alone. The sky was a dark shade of gray and thick smoke floated around the air. She looked at the ground and realized with alarm that it was blood red. The air was filled with an unbearable stench and Andie broke into a fit of coughs. She gasped for air and opened her eyes. There was an entity shrouded in shadows before her, grinning at her with sharp, blood stained teeth. Andie almost shivered at the sight.

"It will rain," it said. Droplets of green water fell from the clouds; dousing the warlord and making her feel weak. "It will rain," it repeated. It rained even harder and continued like that for what felt like an eternity. Andie felt weaker, more vulnerable.

"It will rain."

The creature grinned at her as a sharp pain spread throughout her body. The pain was unbearable, there was a burning sensation on her back and her ears were ringing. Andie screamed, but she did not collapse. She refused to. She reached for her sword and growled at the monster. She charged at it, swinging the sword once she was right in front of it. The sword passed right through the monster as if it were mist. Andie rolled back once she reached the ground and almost screamed.

Deep wounds were appearing on her legs and arms, almost making her drop her sword. Not one to give up, she released a war cry as she swung her sword at it, only for it to pass right through. She grunted as she passed right through the beast. She glared at it, realizing that she couldn't even touch it

"You will suffer, your friends will suffer!" it yelled.

A boiling sense of rage grew in her, and she muttered an enchantment under her breath. Her sword burst into white, hot flames. The light was so bright that it lit up the entire field. The monster screeched and covered its eyes. Andie squinted as she realized that it became more solid. She took the chance to strike, slicing the monster in half.

There was silence.

Andie looked up at the sky and noticed that it was a clear blue. Confused, she observed the field around her once more. She was surprised to see that the field was covered in fresh, green grass and a few trees were scattered around. "Andie," a voice said. Andie looked around as she recognized the voice as Red's.

"Red?" she called. She walked around the field, calling out her friend's name when there was no response. She stopped at a tree that stood out from the rest. It had fiery leaves and long branches. The trunk was a strange shade of light orange. The tree, she realized, reminded her of Red. Unsure of why a tree reminded her of a dragon, she sat down and leaned against it.

"Red?"

She was pleased to hear an answer, though she wasn't sure if she expected one like this. "Wake up, warlord," she said. Andie cocked her head to the side. Wake up? With a start, she noticed that the voice was slightly more mature than her friend's. It was also wiser, and lacked the teasing tone. She looked up at the sky, expressionless.

"You're not Red, are you?" she asked. A few minutes of silence and the voice replied.

"I am. Wake up."

Andie knew that engaging in a conversation would not make the voice less vague. She held her breath until she collapsed on the ground, lifeless.

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Andie woke up with a start. She looked around the room and saw Red resting on her bed. With a tired sigh, she lay down on her bed, thinking about her dream. What could it possibly mean? Who was the voice? Was it really Red? She shook her head, clearing her mind. It would not be healthy if she were to think too much. She closed her eyes in another attempt at sleep, and she started to drift away into the comfort of a good night's rest.

AN: So sorry for not updating. I've been really busy lately, so, yeah. Can any of you guess the meaning of the dream? Who was the voice? Take a lucky guess guys! Oh, and who would say "I want to get to know you" then walk away? Meta Knight, duh. I love the way they met, it was just so awkward! I wonder if Meta felt uncomfortable too.