Chapter 8: Returning Visions

Baromosa's Dream world:

Baro found himself walking down a strangely familiar stone hallway that was well lit with torches. Windows in the room up ahead made it seem cozier and a place he wanted to be. After passing into the room, furniture became apparent and Baro saw Crystal sitting on a loveseat holding a baby in swaddling cloth. She smiled up at him and waved the babies hand in his direction.

This whole scene seemed hazy to him, almost like slow motion. He walked around and laughed with her like there was not a care in the world. Suddenly he felt the urge to continue to move and he walked away from her into the next hallway.

A battlefield on distant grassy plains emerged next and disappeared was the hall he had just left. A blood red sky harbored black clouds of war above him, and war drums beat like menaces from afar but still close by. Baro looked down to see a solider at his feet, reaching a hand up to him. This time it was not hazy or even carefree, he could hear the man moaning for his life but Baro walked away to his amazement. He struggled to go over to help the man but it was like he was watching a movie inside his own body. He continued to walk away and felt the man's tortured soul weigh heavier on his heart. Armed fighters now charged down the hill ahead and one of them sliced an axe into Baro's forehead.

Now Baro was laying on a bed with the softest silk sheets he ever felt. He wasn't wearing a shirt so all of the muscles in his back fell like pudding against the cool bedding. His breath exhaled calmly and Baro rolled over on his side before opening his eyes. No one was next to him, but the bed was large enough for two people. This felt odd to him though he didn't knew why and he got up to look around as if he had woken up early morning or late night restlessly.

There was a picture of his father in full armor and a lady in a white gown on the table. They were under some sort of flowered archway and wore smiles that expressed an unimaginable happiness. This made him feel happy for a moment but with an uneasy feeling of a regretful memory in hiding. Baro kept looking around the room and found a letter that had been torn open and had wet spots all over it. Picking it up with a shaky hand he read the notice. It was addressed from the King's service, and said that it regretted to inform him of the death of his wife….

Baro dropped the notice in shock and looked up into the near by dressers mirror. First he saw his fathers face and jumped back away from the reflection. Then the room transformed to a slightly different castle and his face returned. A sigh of relief settled Baro and he sat down on an equally comfortable bed. Shaking his head he turned to his nightstand to see a similar picture… Of him and Crystal…

Blackness surrounded Baro and red flames encircled him briefly before a figure stepped forward. I was an old woman, hunched and wrinkled, hooded in dark gray robes. He face was of Mrs. Wanto, but it was far more serious then any face Baro had seen her wear.

"You are strong indeed to have seen as much as you have." She said plainly as if none of this interested her. "This was always possible, but we never did know if it was in you."

"Can you explain all this?" Asked Baro weakly. The flames around him and those in Mrs. Wanto's eyes rose slightly but then returned to where they were.

"For one in your life would you use that brain of your how it was meant to be used? All of the pieces are here, all you must do is put the puzzle together." She said with hints of irritation in her voice.

Baro thought for a few moments but didn't want to speak any more. Fear gripped his throat and kept him from speaking until a thought occurred to him that never before. The fire around him, it represented something. Energy, energy being consumed.

"Very good." Smiled Mrs. Wanto. She took off her hood and light flooded the room, dowsing the flames and drowned all shadow. "What else are you thinking about?"

"I'm using magic, that's the energy I am consuming." Baro finally said. It felt good to hear him say it aloud, almost if it was a secret that never before he reveal. The image of Mrs. Wanto laughed at him.

"Ha! You think you can use magic now like that female you travel with now! She is beyond you…. At the moment. You have stepped through the door and onto the road but there is much road left. Tell me what you plan to do next when you awaken?"

Baro starred at her confused and came to a second realization. He was asleep.

"Yes, you are asleep. You fell asleep some time ago talking to that teenage girl you talk to constantly. She put you too bed before she herself succumbed to nights tiring pull." Mrs. Wanto seemed amused.

"How do you know all of this? You never leave you house!" Baro exclaimed.

"I still remember the generals orders, I follow them still." She said simply. "Now sleep young warrior, sleep. You can ask me more when we meet again, but for now just listen to my voice and sleep…" With those last words Baro allowed himself to sit back quietly and listen to the old witches warnings.

'When you enter your dreaming state, do not awaken yourself prematurely. This is risky during your early training, as you have not controlled the mana within you.'

These words washed over him like the ocean's waves on the shore, they seemed to become louder and closer, only to retract and soften and then re-expand over him.

'Your teacher will meet you on the road to the capitol.' These words now echoed against the others and ran through the currents of Baro's mind. He struggled to ask something to her but he felt too tired…too much energy had been consumed…

'This connection will end soon so there is one last thing you should know. Do not attach yourself to those you travel with…they are liabilities to your survival. You must be prepared to sacrifice them." Words now hissed within him until he finally slipped out of this dream like consciousness.

"Baro." Whispered Crystal over Baro's ear. He opened his eyes and saw her face back-lighted by the morning sun. "Sleep well?" she giggled.

"Yes, very well. How about you? Last night was so… relaxing." Baro sighed and sat up in the bed.

"Hum. I know what you mean." She said and sat down with him. Shadow immediately jumped up on the bed as well and laid down between them. "Ready for breakfast? Or should I say lunch? I think you slept through most of the morning."

Baro just starred out the window and to the skyline of the city from their second story apartment.

"What's wrong?" asked Crystal concerned.

"Huh?"

"You seemed distracted, worried about something." Crystal moved in closer to him and made Baro blush remembering his dreams. "Tell me."

Baro looked over into her blue eyes. They starred back at him with worry and concern, but of a friendly sort, much more emotional then Mrs. Wanto's stoic expressions. He looked away from them before he could say anything.

"I had another dream last night. I think I was dreaming into the future. Or maybe it was the past… I can't tell." He grabbed her hand softly now and looked back at her. "I need to talk with you."

Alleys of Glodin Falls – Merchant Quarter

Baro's stalker now prowled around the merchant square with a bad attitude. For the last six hours his target was sleeping with some girl and had offered little of the information his clients were up in arms about. The day before he almost gets himself killed by a two-bit thug. Nice.

He sighed and scratched his face again. 'I really need to shave.' He thought to himself. He'd been on this stakeout for two days now and was growing tired of it. 'Babysitting, that's all it is. Some brat goes and gets himself the attention of dangerous people, and they think he's important. Mean while I have to bust my ass tracking this prick so he can lay around with a tribal floozy."

Next to him a very large man browsed through a trader's knife collection, leaving his money pouch exposed on his back left side. It only had a small string holding it on his belt, so when the stalker expertly knocked himself 'accidentally' into the man he palmed the pouch without so much as a suspicion. By the time the victim would notice he'd be long gone.

'Well at least it wasn't a complete waste of time.' At least if this kid turned out to be nothing like he though, he's getting paid. Sometimes thieving seemed wrong and he secretly stayed up in the hours of the night thinking of its moral implications, but moral implications didn't pay the bills. Only his targets did, and now that it was mid day it was about time to head back to his targets apartment.