Chapter 1: The Dream Crests

She felt herself falling... falling... and falling... into a dark, neverending void, drifting in the abyss between realities and dreams. A ten-year old Aiko couldn't explain where she was, or whether this place was real or was only her imagination. Her eyes were closed, and even though she can easily open them, she felt extremely tired, allowing herself to continue plummeting towards the endless void.

"Young weaver of dreams..." A voice rang out softly around her; it sounded distant and gentle, "You, and another, will have a role to play in the world of Lunatea..."

Role...? Aiko opened her eyes slightly upon hearing the word. What.. role...?

A mysterious force angled Aiko's body right side up, allowing her to float down correctly until her feet touched what seemed like solid ground. Upon touching the invisible ground, the void below her began to be filled up with a lighter color, a light emerald gleam. Aiko shielded her eyes, at first blinded by the light, until she lowered her arms to gaze upon the newly lit void around her. Particles were rising from the glowing ground, floating upwards into the air around Aiko. The girl was mesmerized by the sight, staring up into space to look towards where the particles were disappearing to.

She gazed back down to look at the landscape, only to find herself staring at an object that had materialized in front of her. It was a large yellow ring that was decorated with a single emerald jewel, which glowed rhymatically as if it was sensing the girl's presence. Aiko was slightly surprised, inspecting the ring curiously. She reached out to grab it, but it vanished into smaller particles as she closed her fingers on the ring's handle. As she wondered why the ring disappeared, the same voice from before emitted around her, "You will not be alone, for the Traveler of Dreams will accompany you."

Aiko looked around for the source of the voice only to look upon the gleaming landscape and the void that surrounded it.

"Your calling is near... The balance of dreams is at stake...save your world and Lunatea..."

Aiko was still confused. What was the voice talking about? Lunatea? And... her world?

A cold chill suddenly gripped Aiko, causing her to stiffen up. She slowly glanced over her shoulder, and as a result, witnessed a mass of dark energy emerging from behind her. The girl jumped with fright and began stepping back in growing terror as a massive figure rose up from her shadow by itself and started to tower over the girl. Two, large and long arms pulled themselves out of the mass with the assistance of two, clawed hands as it pulled the rest of its body out of the darkness to stand on the floor. Its body was completely covered in shadow, hiding all traces of its appearance. A dark aura poured from the beast's hands, poisoning the coloring of the void's floor, replacing its vivid colors into a sickly dark purple as it expanded around Aiko.

Once the monster was completely standing solid ground, a pair of red slits opened up to reveal large and cat-like, yellow eyes on the figure's massive head, slowly glancing around at its surroundings before laying its evil gaze upon Aiko.

Terrified by the appearance of the creature, Aiko widened her eyes in fear, taking another few steps back as soon as the monster fully took form. She finally reacted by running away from the large behemoth, as it issued a earth-shattering bellow from its jaws at the fleeing girl. From the darkness of the void multiple black streaks flew by the beast and began homing in on Aiko. The girl looked over her shoulder as she ran, giving out a shriek at what she saw.

Behind her, were a horde of black, demonic entities that strongly resembled anthromorphic animals. Their glowing red eyes screamed and snarled, as if angered by the girl and thirsting for her destruction. Aiko turned her head back around to frantically resume fleeing for her life with the horde of angry shadows chasing her.

One of the animal-like shadows was hot on Aiko's heels, and suddenly made a lunge for her, only for the young girl to quickly twist to the side in time to avoid the grab. She ducked down, avoiding another lunge made by another spirit. Aiko, to her growing terror, noticed more and more spirits had caught up to her and were starting to surround her, joining in on the attack. They were surrounding her to prevent Aiko from escaping.

Aiko froze in terror as the dark spirits drew closer and closer to her with each passing second; their chanting and chilling resonance roaring at her ears. She was whimpering, now in absolute danger. As the dark essences of the spirits' bodies start to swirl and engulf her, they suddenly charged at Aiko altogether for the kill-

Aiko jolted up from her blanket covers with a frightened shriek, her eyes wide open, filled with terror. She found herself sitting up in her bed, partly blinded by the sunlight that was softly beaming down on her from her bedroom window, accompanied by the sound of birds singing faintly through the walls of her room. The girl glanced about while panting hoarsely, her eyes falling to her little, eight year old sister, Allie, who was still resting soundly beside her in bed.

Realizing that the horrifying experience was just a nightmare, Aiko shuddered softly and laid back slightly, feeling sweat trickling down her face. She lowered her head slightly, placing a hand on her forehead, partly wiping off the sweat. "Another one... another nightmare..." She muttered, shaking her head. Aiko sighed softly before gazing her eyes up to her window beside her. She stared off at the snow-covered meadows and hills, hoping it would soothe her uneasiness and help her get ready for the day ahead of her...

00000

Snowflakes drifted slowly from the sky as the cold air of winter gripped the meadow area. The sun was shining partly from the blanket of clouds that showered the land with snow, but was accompanied by the light winds that provided a cold breeze.

Beginning her walk home from school, Aiko was covered in warm clothes complete with a jacket to protect herself from the cold, gripping atmosphere of the winter weather. She glanced over to the playground nearby, seeing the children playing and undergoing a game of snowball fights and other winter activities. Although she would love to join in, Aiko had no time to play, as she was searching for signs of her little sister, Allie, so that they can get home early.

Aiko then caught sight of a pair of boys laughing to each other nearby and noticed somebody else was moving within a lump of snow that looked like the remains of a snow castle. The ten year old walked by the boys, not getting their attention, and proceeded to approach the crumbled snow castle. Aiko stopped in front of the small mount of snow and called out, "Allie." In response, there was movement within the demolished snow castle, and Aiko rolled her eyes and asked whoever was inside, "What did you do this time?"

The face of a small girl sheepishly nosed its way out of the mount of snow, staring up at Aiko. She looked around cautiously, spotting the two boys nearby before turning back to her older sister with pleading eyes, "You gotta help me!" Allie whispered, "Those boys are making fun of me again..."

Aiko rolled her eyes, "That's no surprise there."

"Aww, is baby Allie crying to her sister again?" A voice called over, as both Aiko and Allie glanced over to the boys, who currently have their attention on the two girls.

The other boy grinned to his companion in his bullying of Allie, "That's typical. She's always buttering up to that girl and cries to her daddy." Both boys snorted before they laughed cruelly together.

Aiko glared over at the boys, partly insulted. But she briefly glanced at Alllie, who emerged from her demolished snow castle, partially covered in snow. Aiko sighed, turning around to walk away, "Come on, Allie, they're not worth it." She gently ushered her little sister to follow, and Allie reluctantly did so.

"Yeah, walk away, baby girl!" One of the boys mocked, laughing.

The other boy added with a sneer, "Go back home to daddy!" He began to snicker, only to be suddenly pelted in the face by a snowball, sending him reeling back into the snow.

As the other boy looked over at his companion, he was plastered in the face by another snowball, falling back against the snow beside with his friend, groaning.

Nearby, Aiko was wiping off the loose traces of snow from her gloves, staring at the boys while walking off with Allie, having thrown the snowballs at the bullies to stop them from tormenting her little sister. "Still got it..." Aiko smirked smugly, satisfied at having dealt with the bullies, the non violent way, before turning around and following after Allie. They began walking along the forest path from the school grounds, away from the boys who were left laying in the snow and recovering the snow blows.

As Allie walked a little ahead, Aiko looked over at her somewhat sadly. She began to ponder. This was the latest incident of Allie being harassed by bullies.

Since their mother died, her death had a devastating impact on the girls and their father. Three years had past, and they are undergoing life without their mother, provided by the comfort of their father who struggled to do his job while looking after his two daughters. Sometimes, the girls occassionally were left in the care of their aunt and uncle when their father couldn't keep them whenever he had to work long hours. Luckily, today was Friday, starting the weekend that they would spend time with their father.

Despite still having their father, Allie was still struggling to let her mother's death go. As a result, the eight-year old had low confidence, not to mention she was timid, making her an easy target for the bullies who attend their school. There were several instances of Aiko having to defend Allie from the bullies, even resorting to fighting the tormentors when they escalated their harassment, which earned Aiko a few negative reports on her behavior for simply defending Allie.

Aiko sighed softly; she sometimes wondered if there was some way for Allie to gain the courage to stand up for herself for once. The ten year old knew that she couldn't fight for Allie forever.

The two girls soon reached a small river that laid in their path. Not wanting to get her shoes wet, Aiko looked over at a wooden log that rested nearby that acted as a bridge, and without hesitation, walked over to it. She jumped atop of the log and began steadily making her way across, keeping her balance steady.

Allie was left standing by the river's rocky shore, watching as her sister made her way across atop of the log.

Aiko glanced back to Allie, stopping briefly atop of the log, "Come on, Allie, try walking on this. You don't want to get your shoes wet again right?"

Allie's face turned slightly pale as she looked at the log, then glanced down at the small river below. "Um... maybe next time." She answered, slightly nervous. Allie stepped into the shallow river and walked across instead of taking the way Aiko was taking.

"Don't be such a baby, Allie." Aiko sighed, "It's no wonder the boys harass you."

Feeling insulted, Allie pouted at her older sibling once she had reached the other side of the river, facing Aiko, "I'm not a baby!"

"Seems like it." Aiko retorted, jumping off the other end of the log, joining Allie. They continued their journey back to their house, which laid several feet before them on the outskirts of town. Their eyes lit up when the girls noticed that the lights were on in the house, indicating that their father was home. Allie eagerly ran ahead, leaving Aiko to walk after her.

"Dad, dad!" Allie called, racing towards the house.

Hearing the voice, a tall man wearing a scarf opened the door, and Allie ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Hey!" The father smiled warmly and embraced Allie, before looking over at Aiko, "How you girls been? Was school okay today?"

Aiko nodded with a smile, "Yeah school was fine. But, some bullies were making fun of Allie again."

Her father frowned slightly, "Oh, you didn't get any fights today did you?"

"No." Aiko shook her head, "But I did throw snowballs at the bullies."

Their father chuckled upon hearing this, "Well, that's one way of taking care of those boys. C'mon, girls, let's get out of the cold. You can tell me about your day once we settle in."

Allie cheered good-naturedly, scurrying inside the house with her father following her closely.

As Aiko entered the house, they were unaware of the peculiar high winds that began to sweep over the meadows of the snow-coated plains. And although it didn't frighten Aiko much, she did notice that as night began to close its dreary fingers over the area, the air seemed darker than she had ever seen it...

00000

Later that night, in the late hour of morning, Aiko was laying in bed, wide awake with thoughts filling her mind. Part of her wanted her to stay up to avoid getting another nightmare she had been suffering for days. She glanced sideways, noticing that Allie wasn't in bed with her. Aiko guessed that her little sister went to the restroom, or was simply sneaking into some late night snacks again.

Aiko then glanced over to the other side of the room, looking at her childish toys dangling from the edge of her plastic toy chest. Her eyes looked over to an old drawing she and Allie scribbled together when they were little; the drawing consisted of a blue, rabbit-like creature wearing a green gem-like crest they believed they saw in the past. Aiko looked away from the scribble drawing and gazed upon a family photo of her being together with Allie, their mother and father. She sighed softly, silently missing her mother.

Minutes had passed. Aiko exited out of the bathroom after having just finished her first trip. She began making her way back to the bedroom, where she hoped Allie was tucked in. As Aiko walked past the front door leading outside, she noticed that it was left cracked open as an invisible force blew in from the outdoors. Aiko didn't know what she felt, but she got the feeling that someone had opened the door and went out there.

"Allie, why...?" Aiko began, but shook away that thought. She went over to a nearby closet and grabbed ahold of her father's heavyweight jacket to protect her from the cold along with her pajamas. The ten-year old then hurriedly and quietly exited her way out of the house in her snow shoes, making her way through the snowy meadow with caution. She noticed the wind was blowing fiercely and saw a familiar figure wearing a coat standing near the edge of the hill nearby, gazing at the distance quietly.

"Allie, what are you doing out here?" Aiko called out softly, walking over to her little sister while ignoring the wind, "You know you're not supposed to be outside... Dad will be mad." There was no response. "Allie?"

Allie finally spoke, still staring out into the distance, "But there's something weird out here.."

As soon as Aiko reached Allie, the mysterious force she felt earlier became stronger and stronger. Allie was trembling, and so was Aiko. A feeling of anticipation seized the ten-year old, though of what she had no idea if she was dreaming or if any of this was real.

"Aiko-" Allie whispered hoarsely.

Aiko turned to Allie and saw that the eight year old's eyes were shining with a soft, blue light of their own. A shimmering green crest was glowing on her chest, shining along with her eyes, shimmering and piercing through the darkness. Aiko then noticed that a strange symbol was glowing on her sister's forehead, almost resembling two cojoined crescent moons with a pearl hanging over each of its edges. The ten year old wondered if her own eyes and forehead looked the same. She glanced down, and to her surprise, she also had a crest glowing on her chest. This frightened her.

"Allie, let's head back." Aiko instructed, feeling nervous on what was happening to her and Allie.

Blinking out of her stare, Allie turned to face Aiko, but suddenly, a large portal materiallized behind her, emitting an eerie, howling bellow. Aiko let out a shriek of surprise at the sight, and before she could react, a pair of large claws suddenly emerged from the depths of the void and seized hold of Allie in its grip.

Eyes wide with shock, Aiko issued a frightened scream, "ALLIE!" She immediately raced towards Allie, who let out a cry of fear before she was pulled into the void by whatever had grabbed her. Aiko, although hesitant at first, jumped into the void and found herself soaring through a portal at unimaginable speed. Despite the turbulence, the girl was able to see and comprehend what was happening around her. The tunnel she was in was eerily iridiscent, and particles were soaring by her as she was pulled through. Due to the unstability of the vortex, Aiko found herself trying to right herself up to avoid spinning around uncontrollably.

Glancing around, Aiko spotted a large shape within the tunnel. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of a large, batlike creature hovering ahead of her inside the tunnel, allowing itself to be pulled along with the turbulence whilst holding onto something struggling in its claws. Aiko widened her eyes when she saw Allie writhing in the grip of the monster, shrieking in pure terror and struggling to try and free herself. The beast looked somewhat amused by Allie's squirming, before opening its mouth, revealing a pair of fangs and rows of sharp teeth, accompanied with small strands of saliva that stretched between the side of its toothy jaws.

"No!" Aiko screamed, shrieking at the top of her voice as it broke. Although having no complete control over the turbulence of the portal, she aimlessly dove towards Allie and the monster that was about to devour her. Aiko neared Allie, and managed to grab hold of her in a futile attempt to pull her little sister free from the monster's approaching jaws that threatened to consume them both. The two girls both shrieked in growing terror, gazing upon the distorted, rippling void that laid beyond the monster's jaws that was set to be their doom. At that moment, a miraculous thing happened.

The green crests that were gleaming on the girls' chests began glowing in an emerald color before blasting forth a surge of blinding energy that expanded around them, painfully sending the bat-like beast reeling and causing it to release its grip on Allie. The monster snapped its jaws shut as it was blinded by the strange energy, resulting with the beast being blown back from the girls, disappearing into the depths of the vortex.

With the threat gone, both Aiko and Allie turned their attention back to each other and held onto each other's hands as best as they could, fighting against the force of the ethereal tunnel that pulled them further and further into who knows where. As the girls started to feel disoriented from the force of the vortex, they began seeing glimpses of each other shifting into blue, humanoid creatures; the mysterious occurence appeared distorted the more the girls felt themselves being pulled apart. Neither could tell if everything happening around them was real or a dream.

"Hold...on...Allie...!" Aiko moaned, struggling to keep her grip on her sister's hand as she tried in vain to stay conscious and avoid getting separated. However, the force of the tunnel was proving to be too much for them. Little by little, their hands began slipping from each other's grasp, until they were forcefully yanked apart, separating them both.

"Aiko...!" Allie screamed, her hand still left outstretched towards her sister before she was forcefully pulled back towards the abyss of the tunnel. As this happened, the green crest around her chest gleamed forth, and Allie's body was engulfed in an emerald glow before she was jettisoned into the tunnel's depths, vanishing out of sight.

Aiko shrieked in utter disbelief and terror, "Allie...!" She herself was unaware that the same emerald light had coated her body, generated by her green crest. Gasping in disbelief of losing Allie, Aiko couldn't explain what happened next. She felt herself shrinking and her body changing. And what's worse she was losing consciousness from the force of the tunnel as it transported her to wherever it took her. As soon as the glowing and shrinking form of Aiko vanished deeper into the vortex, immediately, her senses failed and everything went black...