.:Awakened Dreams:. Chapter I

.:Awakened Dreams:. Chapter I

Sleep. Dreams. Adventure. It all linked together for Hikaru. Dreams were her get away from regular life. The young woman, fifteen in age, would always look to the night sky in a begging way, hoping for a sign of any sort that would bring her on an adventure. No luck. So eccentric and unique she was. Below that strange shell, however, was a reserved and sophisticated young woman, ready to take on the task that was ahead of her… even if she did not yet know it.

Another dream. Another adventure. When morning came it would all be over until the next night. Perhaps this world is but a dream and our dreams were the real life that we live. What a wonderful reality that would be.

Darkness. Pitch black. Where was she? Dark brown eyes searched the endless abyss of darkness for any sign of light. Long, brown hair cascaded down her back and hung over the right side of her face. Around her neck she wore a silver necklace made of tiny chains that connected to each side of a small, silver heart with sparkling crystals embedded on its surface. On top of a pale blue t-shirt that fit her feminine features well, she wore a blue, hooded sweater with short sleeves. The edges were lined with a band of white, its zipper white as well. She wore it unzipped, revealing her t-shirt. Around her wrists she wore blue writs-warmers, in which her thumbs protruded from the inner sides. The stitching was in white and a heart pattern was sewn into the top of each one. She wore straight blue jeans that were a bit baggy. Her shoes were white with its laces tied in zigzag patterns, weaving through tiny silver coloured triangles, sewn to the shoes by dark blue pieces of material. Her build was slender and feminine. She didn’t appear to have any physical strength, which had been traded in for smarts when she was little. She was a pretty young lady, no matter how much she denied the idea.

<I>…Connection complete. Gateway now opened…</I>

Suddenly, soft rays of bluish light fell upon her, causing her to jump. She blinked, looking around. Her breathing was rather quick from being startled, and her eyes were a tad bit wide. Soon she relaxed, only to get startled once more.

“Hello,” sounded a friendly and calm voice from behind her. She gasped and turned with a start, now facing a silhouette. Her near-sighted vision made it difficult to make out the shape of either a female or a male, but her ears told her it was a male. He didn’t appear to be an adult, although he seemed tall. She heard him chuckle and she narrowed her eyes, not seeing the humor. “Relax, I won’t harm you,” he said rather gently. The light wasn’t as strong where he was standing, but enough to reveal a friendly smile on the young man’s face. His voice made her relax again. What was it about him? Had he popped up in her dreams before? “I just wanted to meet you, Hikaru.” With that soft statement, he turned and disappeared into the darkness.

<I>W-wait…</I> She didn’t want him to leave. There was something about him.

<I>Welcome to the realm of dreams, little one.</I>

Hikaru blinked. That voice was in her head, not from anyone who may be hidden within the darkness. It was a different voice from the strange boy’s voice. <I>Who’s there?</I>

<I>Do not worry. I am an ally who is here to prepare you.</I> From the side, a large, serpentine dragon approached her. Hikaru looked over, backing up a bit. She stared in awe. A dragon! It now hit her that this was different from the other dreams she normally had. It was more real. The images were more crisp, as though it were real life. If this was more than a dream, she was now standing in the presence of a magnificent creature. One she had always wanted to find in person. A dragon. It must have been an Asian <I>Lung</I>, she could make out the shapes of stag-like horns, a mane, whiskers, and a feathery tail. She felt herself begin to fill with excitement. It was a dragon, a <I>real</I> dragon! She hoped this was for real.

The dragon stepped toward her and bowed its head. Her hypothesis was correct. Now in the brighter light, she could see it was indeed an Asian <I>Lung</I>. Shortly after it bowed its head and closed its eyes, three spheres of light formed around it with a small flash. One by one, they began to float around Hikaru in a slow circle. The Asian <I>Lung</I> then raised its head and stared down at the smaller human before it.

<I>It seems you possess no physical strength. Is this true?</I> It asked.

“That’s correct,” Hikaru said in a small voice as she stared up at the dragon. “But I’m very intelligent. I can be quite crafty if I want,” she explained. The dragon seemed to consider what he had just heard with great value.

<I>I see… tell me, do you have any dear ones?</I> it now asked.

“Oh, yes!” Hikaru said. “If they ever get in danger I always wish I could protect them. They make it through, but I still wish I was able to…” At this, the dragon nodded.

<I>Than it has been decided. Your weapon for now shall be this staff.</I> The three balls of light slowed to a stop. One fades away into sparkles as the other two merged together. As they did, a solid shape took form. It floated to her right palm and continued to take shape until the light dissipated into sparkling specks, drifting to the ground, leaving a rather long staff with a strange, clear sphere near the tip. Inside was a swirling cloud of purple, blue, blue-violet, and magenta. At each side was a spike. It made a nice weapon, indeed. Nice and sturdy. She looked up from the staff and saw the dragon had disappeared.

<I>The enemy is rapidly approaching. You must hold them off until the Gateway has fully opened. Once it’s open, you must get through…</I> at this she didn’t hear the voice again.

“Wait! What Gateway?” she called. No answer. Nothing but the unwelcoming sound of a low growl was heard. She looked in the direction the growl had come from with a gasp. Soon, a wolfish figure emerged from the shadows. It looked like a mix between a wolf and a wingless European dragon. Large spikes protruded from its back. Long, sharp claws clacked against the ground. Glowing red eyes leered at her. She backed up, fear welling inside her, only to find that she was being surrounded by the strange creatures.
<I>So many… C-can I take them all?</I>

The creatures were all growling, some let out vicious barks. They sounded like angry dogs that wanted to tear at their target. Finally, one broke the slowness of the attack and shot out at her. A few feet away, it jumped into the air with its jagged jaws open to reveal its black, cavernous mouth. She looked up with wide eyes and let out a startled cry as it rapidly approached her, bringing up her weapon in defense.

To Be Continued…?