"Since long ago… there was war. A forever lasting blood spilling between two kinds: Monster and Human. Deemed simply "The Eternal War". For its scars stretched into the ancient ages, beyond written history."
"The Monsters were savage. They lived in the wild and gathered in small tribes. Following their barbaric tendencies, they pillaged anything they could, leaving many dead and mutilated. The beasts showed no mercy or restraint and their vicious nature knew no bounds."
"The Humans built sprawling empires with their endless ambition. Expanding far and trampling all that stood in their way, only to collapse again and again. Their hubris would bring them constant suffering, as they would wage war even with themselves."
"Endless massacres committed by these creatures, made humanity view them as an existential threat. All over the world, Humans formed strong multicultural alliances with the goal to free mankind from the curse that was the Monster race."
"The villages, the forests and the vast lands inhabited by Monsters were all destroyed by Humankind. And even though every Monster tribe banded together and fought hard for their survival, it was not enough to defeat the tenacious Human spirit with its creativity for violence."
"The Monsters ran, scattering through the lands, hiding in the valleys and mountains, rivers and lakes, in any crevice they could find. In the end each and every single one of them was hunted and delivered their judgment. "
"Driven far away from home, little of the Monster race remained. Mankind pushed them back into a mountainous cave, down a deep cavern was the Monster's only salvation from humanity's thirst for genocide."
"As the Monsters were thrown down to the depths below the earth, Humans sealed the entrance using divine magic that no Monster could break."
"One by one, each Monster fell. Fleeing death, into a place where no light can reach. Condemned to never see the Sun again."
"And now, perhaps some of them still live, dormant deep under the soil… Waiting for the time when they break free from their sealed tomb and rise from the deepest pits of hell to have their revenge."
…
"Hey! Wait up!" – cries a small voice.
A small creature runs up a hill, its furry body is dressed in a turtleneck sweater, with shorts down to the knees. They quickly shift their tiny legs, as they chase after another figure of nearly identical looks, though lacking the fur. These two children, seemingly playing tag, dash up a hill that is ever so overflowing with yellow flowers.
"You're too slow!" – Shouts the one ahead, peering over their back. Their devious red eyes are accentuated by a horizontal fringe of mushroom shaped hair that reaches their shoulders. Under their petite nose is a teasing smile, aimed at the fluffy one who has begun slowing down to a complete stop. The fluffer gasps for air while slouched over, propping up against the knees. The furless child takes notice of their pursuer's struggle and halts as well.
"You know..." – The distant winner of this chase eases in, talking down below: "Those as slow as you... Don't live very long, up on the surface."
"That's not fair!" – Sprouts up the wooly beast, followed by their puffy ears flopping along gently. "You have longer legs than me!" – The delicate snout utters this sharp response amidst the panting breath. Their discontentment from the heard words was manifest in their furrowed brow, below which were glimmering eyes with peculiar rectangular pupils encased in golden shells.
"It is fair, you're just bad at running." – The offender continues, still smirking with their cross-marked eyes smudged by a gentle shadow.
"No, I'm not!" – Protests the fuzzy cloud while raising their soft fists. A single fang flashes from the upper lip as they shout.
"Yes you are."
"I'm not!"
"You are."
As the argument intensifies, the fluffy fella begins to tear up while the rude one keeps the pressure on: "You can't even catch up to me! You're weak!" – The delivery of such piercing words tip over the cotton childs composure, emotions spilling into tears. Their head hangs down, fists lighten and arms go limp by the sides. The pillow ears curtain their face as droplets begin to fall from the eyes. Then, slowly, the teeth clench, the anger builds… Until: "You're so mean!" – Bursts the furballoon, unable to contain the hurtful pressure of their friend's teasing. "I'm not playing anymore!" – They spin around and grumpily cross their arms, facing away.
Silence steps in while the two remain still. The human child blankly looks down below at their monster friend. No words or gestures are exchanged and only the gentle wind gives motion to this scene. Yes, certainly, these two were friends, one being a Monster and the other… a Human. Yet not just friends, but Brothers, the sons of the Dreemurr Family. After letting the moment pass, the mushroom hair boy begins to move, descending toward his teary friend. He silently sneaks up to this solid pillar of fluffy anger and tries to get a glimpse of the face by leaning around. "Hey..." – He says in hopes of getting its attention, but the fur column turns away again. So he gently places his hand on his friend's shoulder and says: "Don't worry, monsters are stronger than humans. I'm sure you'll beat me some day."
But his friend wasn't very convinced. "Liar!" – He shouted, spinning around and slapping away the reassuring hand of the human boy. "I'm not lying, it's true." – He replies with unwavering confidence. The fluffy child says nothing back. Instead, he thinks for a little, gently turning his body a tid bit away. While in thought, he brings up his squishy paw-like hands to his face, wiping the tears. That's when his expression changes to a more uncertain one. He asks cautiously: "Really?"
Grabbing the shoulders with a firm grip, the human turns the softie toward him. "Yes. Really." – He affirms with the wind caressing his brown hair, while staring straight into the monster's glowing eyes. Glaring with cross-marked pupils, his expression was unchangingly still and emotionless, perhaps only a slight hint of a smile may be imagined. The monster is stunned, frozen by the warmth of such strong reassurance, eventually melting away and uttering: "Okay." – His face smiling and looking back just as deeply into the human boy's soul as well. They stand locked by each other's gaze.
"But not today!" - Exclaims the human, surprising the deceived monster as he topples him to the ground. The trickster takes off, leaving the poor boy behind in a comfy embrace of the flowery field. "Last one to the tree is a dead rat!" – He teases once again, heading toward the top of the hill that had a big old oak. The furry creature, discombobulated by such a devious attack, takes a moment to comprehend what just happened while laying amidst the beautiful blossoms. As soon as it hits him, he springs up, reaches out his hand and yells: "Hey! Wait!".
And so, they run off.
…
Light pours below, through a false sky of fractured stone. In the shape of sparkling blades it pierces deep below the earth, cutting through the darkness and shedding an ambient impression on the surrounding rugged rock. It unexplainably, as if through a miracle, casts down its golden presence here, allowing for a blooming canvas to prosper. Quietly, the wind howls its lullaby, carrying humid air through a cave of floral fields. It animates them with its lukewarm touch, sending lazy wave patterns throughout. An ancient wood creaks along with its fluttering leaves, standing on the largest hill and reaching high above all. All this creates a symphony of sound and sight, smell and touch that brings a sense of breathtaking serenity. Among the beauty, two children rest in the shade of the towering trunk.
"Are you afraid of being alone?"
"Alone?" – The monster boy ponders, taken aback by such a spontaneous question from his human friend.
"Yes. Alone. Without a single heart to beat with yours, not a single soul to grace you with its warmth."
"Uhh... Wha-a-at? Are you teasing me again!?" – The fluff frowns, hesitant to answer such a weird question.
"N-no I'm just interested in what you'll say." – The mischievous one replies. Though stuttering, he ends his words with a creeping smile which the naive boy notices.
"So, you are teasing me again!" – The furchild recoils with so much frustration from the thought of more jeering that he falls backward, sinking into the petal cushioned floor. This gives the human boy a jolt of giggles, being barely able to hide it under his small elegant hand. As he regains his typical aura, turning to look at his prone friend, he reiterates: "So... Are you?"
"Nope!" – He sharply responds, shooting back up and launching some flowers along with him.
"Oh? Why's that?" – A toothy grin emerges, showing eager fangs.
"Cus I have you! And we'll be together forever! Right?" – The puffy cloud leans in, desperately awaiting comforting words.
A burst of laughter exits the mushroom head boy. This angers the fluff and immediately
compels him to ask "What's so funny?!" – With an aggravated face, as aggravated as an adorable creature could be.
"You are... endearing." – Replies the chuckling boy, slowly winding down his laughter.
"Huh? What does THAT mean?" – Says the monster child with a confused but still visibly mad expression. The human then swiftly grabs the puff cloud's tender paws, gently lifting them up. "It means you are right." – says the human, looking at the wooly boy.
With a long gasp the monster explodes with excitement: "Really? You'll never leave me?!"
"Yeah."
"Do you promise?"
…
…
…
"I promise."
Black. All black. Only a penetrating glare contrasts the pitch-dark canvas and just as quickly as it appears, it ceases the suffocating presence and gives room to a foreboding scene. A cloaked dark figure with a looming scythe, stands ever tall over a child. A boy in a turtleneck sweater, wearing shorts with mushroom shaped hair… These memories... What do these ancient letters from the past hold? Do they serve a purpose more than to simply dust away in the mental library, cluttering our thoughts? Occasionally tugging at our souls and burdening our hearts, sometimes even manifesting as false realities when we drift in our sleep. Are they even worth preserving, or do they have nothing to hold on to? Perhaps they hold wisdom that awaits discovery, or maybe they simply need to be forgotten… Must we let our dreaming hearts dream on or face the nightmarish truth, even if it breaks them? This... is a Journey. Of Love and Hate. Of Vengeance and Forgiveness. Of Life and Death! This is the story of "DREAMER HEARTS" – A Bizarre Adventure of Virtuous Souls!
…
Distant memories echo in one's mind, never leaving them to rest in peace… Distant footsteps echo through a courtyard of a decrepit castle from a bygone era, giving no relief to a scruffy pile of rags. While huddled up against the castle's thick wooden entrance gate, the beast within the tattered robes is pulled from its drowsy domain by the reverberating beat. From beneath its large hood, tired eyes glisten with excitement, being the only thing that shines brightly amidst the wretched ruins. Even brighter than the glowing moss that illuminates its figure, for the skies are a blackest black with no sun or moon that could share their graceful light with these empty lands…
- To Be Continued…
In the next Chapter:
A wasteland of hopes and dreams pleads for salvation from the merciless void. Answering the desperate call, two heroes step forward along with a prince who welcomes them into this lightless world. When suddenly an unusual enemy attacks, awakening something bizarre in one of the hero's souls! Will they manage to overcome their first obstacle on their fated path of struggle?
~Thank you for reading my work, your attention is appreciated~
