The Sleeper Series

"That's enough, Charlotte. Let's leave her alone now."

"NO! Mommy has to wake up! She promised!"

"She's gone, sweetheart...I'm sorry."

Charlotte stood on the lawn in the cemetery. It had been two weeks since her mother's death due to cancer. It was over. She said she would fight. She believed her mother, of course, but she still lost in the end. Life is unfair, she thought. They take everything you love right after a brief moment of happiness. It had only been her birthday five months ago. She had turned ten that day, the time she was happiest. Her dad was there, even if he was supposed to be overseas, and her mom looked so strong then.

As she stared at her mother's coffin, she heard a sound. It was a bell. She looked around and saw a woman. She had striking yellow hair, and a beautiful silver dress. She didn't know why she was there. Maybe she was a friend of mom's.

Night fell. It was raining, the world crying with her for her loss. Charlotte quietly climbed over the window of their bungalow house and ran back to the cemetery. She had taken note of what streets they passed and the landmarks, so she remembered the way. When she got there, men were digging up her mother's grave. She suddenly became angry.

"Hey! Get away from my mommy!" She shouted, running toward the men. She was grabbed by the arm before she could get near.

"Lookie here, fellas. Little girlie's mad at us." One of the men said, laughing.

"I know. Let's show her what it feels like to be a dead person."

"Great idea. Can't have anyone telling we were here."

"How about we shove her in the coffin, so she could sleep with mommy."

They dragged her toward her mother's still open coffin. She tried screaming, but the rain drowned the sound, making it just a lost call to the wind.

She heard the bell again. The woman was standing behind the men, staring at her.

"Help...me..." She said, her voice raspy from the previous attempt.

The woman didn't move. Charlotte was pushed into the open coffin, the men closing the lid.

It was silent in there. She found herself crying all of a sudden, hugging the stiff form of her mother.

"Mommy...I'm scared of the dark..."

Air became thinner, making breathing more difficult. Slowly, she was tired and sleepy.

Her chest hurt, but it was okay.

Good night, mommy, she thought, not being able to talk anymore. Her eyelids were heavy, and it was hard to keep them up.

Unable to hold on, she closed her eyes.

=======================================================================

I watched everything; saw it with my own eyes. I couldn't help her. As soon as I touched someone, they would pass my fingers. I felt weak. Why didn't she fight back?

Did I fail again?

"I'm sorry you had to see that."

Startled, I turned around.

"Charlotte? But you were...I mean... Weren't you..."

She nodded toward the coffin. "That was the soul I inhabited."

Soul? Uh, oh.

"You don't mean...you're the Dreamster?"

"Of course not, but I guess I am sort of."

"I think it's time for a history lesson."

She thought about it for a while. "Fine"

She sat down on the grass, rain falling around us. I sat with her, eager to listen to her story.

"Like the Dreamster, I am also a being that is timeless, so to speak. But a long time ago, something happened to the ones who maintained order."

"Such as you and the Dreamster?"

"Yes. Although I am but a servant, I help maintain the peace in this world, the Realm of Dreams."

"So if he's called the Dreamster..."

"I am simply called the Maiden, or The Right Hand."

"I think I get it now, but why get someone that's already dead?"

"Because when they are newly ripened, the souls are best for binding. I sensed she was going to die, so I waited."

"Then why didn't you do anything to save her?"

"It is not our place to meddle in the business of the mortal. It's an unspoken rule. Almost like common sense."

She has a point there

"What about this 'happening'? What happened to you?"

"We were imprisoned in a different dimension. We use souls so we can appear here, in the Realm of Dreams."

"And why were you---"

"Enough. That is all you need to know. Let's go."

I groaned. Why must these things come in segments?

We made our way through the cemetery, passing tombstones covered in moss and stone mausoleums.

"Can we hurry up? This place gives me the chills. And I'm not talking about the rain." I said, eyeing the surroundings.

"In order to do that, we have to find my other half first."

"Your what?!"

She turned to me, eyes burning into my skull.

"This is my dream. Do you hear me? Mine. Nightmares can't just waltz in here if they're not powerful. This is not a joke, Nathan Miller."

I gulped. She was serious on this.

As we were walking, everything started to fade. The trees darkened until they were black splotches, and soon visibility was decreased to a few feet in front of us.

"Quick! Find something to hold on to and don't let go." Charlotte said, putting her hands on a nearby tombstone.

I wrapped my hands around a street lamp and watched as everything became pitch black. Silence engulfed the space around me. Then, nothing. I wasn't sure if I was passed out or still conscious. It was that empty. After a while, the growling started. I didn't know what it was exactly, but I was pretty sure it was a wolf or something. Nothing else could produce a sound like that. My grip on the pole tightened.

I thought about changing into my armor, but that thing would see me if I did. Then again, it wouldn't start growling if it didn't already see me. A brief flash of light occurred as I changed into my armor, and in that short moment, I saw my attacker. True to my hunches, it was a wolf. Its fur was black as the night itself, with two yellow eyes fixed on me, or my throat. Before everything went dark again, I pulled out Incideria with one hand, the other still on the metal street lamp. I had to maintain my position or I won't be able to find my way back in one piece.

Darkness loomed once more. I waited for the wolf to attack first, muscles tensed to dodge it and counterattack at the last second. I felt a sharp sting on my back, the wound gushing blood where I had been scratched. It looks like the thing isn't holding back. I slashed the space in front of me, hoping I caught the wolf while it was lunging. It wasn't, and instead it scratched me again, on my side. All of my desperate attacks failed, but the wolf could obviously see me, since my entire body was covered in scratches and bites. The pain was extraordinary, especially in my left calf where the wolf had taken a huge chunk out of it, leaving myself on the floor. My wounds kept bleeding like there was no tomorrow. If this continued, I'd die of blood loss, and that wasn't acceptable. I may still not understand everything that's happening right now, but one thing was clear.

The world needs me. The Dreamster needs me. I'm not about to let them all down.

I got up again, my left calf protesting. My brain ignored the pain. I had a job to do.

Don't go killing yourself now, kid.

The Dreamster! I almost cried in relief.

Where the hell were you?!

I was...tied up. Sorry.

That doesn't exactly cut it. I'm dying here!

Relax. It's not that bad.

Not that bad?! I'm bleeding from six different wounds, my left leg just got torn apart, and

I can't even see what I'm hitting! You tell me what's not that bad!

You're bleeding...really now?

I looked down at myself, in a way. There wasn't any pain, and I could stand fine now. I sheathed Incideria and touched my wounds. They were gone.

I risked a lot when I took over you before. It was something I did for the first time. You're more than just the Vessel now, a part of me resides in you. You are in short, the Adversary. Think of it as a level up thing, as you say in your videogames.

Wait. The wolf is gone.

The wolf had stopped attacking me now, and the light was finally returning to my eyes. That was a bit weird. Why did it stop?

Hey. What happened to the wolf? Why did it leave?

No answer. I tried again, this time shouting my thoughts out. Still nothing. Something must've come up. I'll have to ask him later about it.

Charlotte was lying down beside me. I approached her and helped her get up.

"C'mon. We have to keep moving."

"I-I'm sorry, mister, but...the other me is gone."

The voice startled me. The authoritative tone she had ever since we met was gone. She was back to the sweet, innocent child she originally was.

That isn't a good thing right now, but boy do I want it to stay like this for a while.

"What happened, Charlotte? Why is she gone?"

"I-I don't know. Usually I'm just watching all these things happen, but now I can control my body again. I know I'm already dead, but I wanna see my mommy?"

Poor girl. The other Charlotte, I mean the Maiden, must've pulled her out right after she died.

"M-Mister Miller? I don't know what's going on here. Was the other me...really me? I'm so confused..."

I couldn't answer her, mainly because I didn't understand everything, either. There was a sudden flash of light, then Charlotte stepped in front of me.

"The nightmare isn't in this plane." She said.

She was back then. Good 'ol Miss Bossy.

"What does that mean now?" I asked in monotone. Doesn't she ever get tired of making me ask these questions?

"It means you're looking in the wrong place."

Oh. That made sense.

"By the way, why did you leave?" I asked. There was a long pause before she answered.

"Complications arose."

I shrugged. No use asking her about it.

"So what about the nightmare? It's your dream right? What is it?"

She concentrated, trying to recall.

"The dark."

"She's afraid of that?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't really help us."

"Unfortunately no."

I thought for a while. So far, the nightmares were able to find their prey because of their fear, but Charlotte here, being taken over by the Maiden, would have no fear in her soul. I suddenly had an idea.

"You said before there should be a twin of you here, right?"

"Right."

"But there's only one Charlotte. So that means..."

"It's this soul, yes. So?"

"Why don't you leave the soul first, and let me take care of the the nightmare?"

"You're planning to use her as bait? And you call me cold."

"Any better ideas?"

"...No. Okay, but hear this. Once I leave a body for a long period of time, it becomes harder the next time. Are you up for that? I can only come in for emergencies."

"Maybe. Will Charlotte still be with me?"

"Of course, but you will have to protect her. She's not like you. Her soul won't heal over time."

I puffed up my chest. '"Sure. I don't have a problem with that."

She stepped closer. "Listen. This nightmare isn't like the others you"ve faced. She's smart; cunning. Be very, very careful. Take too much damage and you're gone. For good."

She? I don't like the sound of this. The wolf wasn't the nightmare...I nodded nervously. "Got it."

"Next. I'll make a special portal for you. This part of her dream is protected by me. By bringing you out in the open, we elevate chances of her finding this soul. Only I can disable this barrier. Just remember, once you arrive there, Charlotte will be vulnerable. It will be your call what to do."

"Okay."

She stepped to the side and made the portal.

"This could be little...tingly. Good luck."

"What do you mea---"

Before I could finish, she already pushed me in.

=======================================================================

The vampire's ears twitched. The girl was close.

Something wasn't right, though. There was another presence with the girl.

That must be the Vessel.

If she could sense the girl, that would mean the troublesome Maiden was gone. Plus, the Vessel was weak without the Dreamster, which was already taken care of.

When the cat is away, the blood-sucking rat will play.

She whistled, making two wolves appear beside her. It was kind of the Weaver to give her the power to manipulate the shadows. At least they weren't as useless anymore.

She smacked her lips together. This was one feast she would never forget.

=======================================================================

We landed in a very Old London style place. Cobblestone paths spread here and there, and old flame lamps lined them.

"Charlotte?" I asked the girl beside me.

"Y-Yes?"

"I think you understand our situation, but don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to you."

"Okay. Thank you."

We walked around the small neighborhood, eyeing the houses carefully. After circling around a few times, we sat down near a tunnel to rest.

"Hey, just asking but what year did you...you know..."

"Oh, that. I think it was around 1981..."

That would explain the old setting, but then that would make her...12 years older than me...wow.

"Sorry I brought it up."

"No, it's okay. I've already accepted it."

Excuse me?"But aren't you mad at the men who killed you?"

"Not really. They did wrong. Instead of me getting mad at them, they should be mad at themselves...but I forgive them."

She was pretty matured for a kid. I wish I were a little like that. The world could use more people like her.

All of a sudden, the street lamp faded beside us, turning into a black void.

"Charlotte! Hold on to my hand and don't let go."

I felt her hand wrap around mine tightly as I pulled out Incideria with my other hand.

Things weren't looking so good. I could sense two wolves now, sniffing the air for my scent. I tried picturing night-vision goggles, but the darkness didn't let up. There had to way to defeat them.

"Remember those old samurai movies Mr. Miller? The one where they were blindfolded?" Charlotte whispered behind me.

Maybe. Using my hearing just might work.

I heightened my hearing, listening to their actions, paws clawing the stone pavement.

One of them stopped somewhere to my right, and I knew it was going to strike. A brief scratch was heard as it used its hind legs to jump at me. A few moments later, I swung out

Incideria. There was a yelp, and the wolf disappeared.

The other set of footsteps hesitated sensing its partner's death, then ran at high speed toward me. I transformed Incideria into a spear, the sudden light momentarily revealing the other wolf's position. I faced it upward toward the oncoming animal. They're not so smart after all. It had jumped straight into the spear, impaling its body. Buildings came into view again as the light returned.

"You okay, Char---"

The grip on my hand was gone. A Weaverling had appeared and was now carrying a screaming Charlotte away.

"Dammit!" I shouted, running after it. I promised nothing bad would happen to her. I intended to keep that promise to the end.

The Weaverling carried her to a castle, almost like in classic horror films. It was even on a cliff. The shadow carried her in, the door closing fast.

I didn't make it.

I slammed on the doors. Too late. I looked around, trying to find a way in. There was a tower balcony above, but I already knew I couldn't fly. The front doors were heavily enchanted, because it even withstood a tank blast from me. None of my tactics worked. I groaned in frustration. Was there no way in?

I tried contacting the Dreamster to help, but he still wouldn't answer. What was happening in that prison?

Wait a second. Prisons are dungeons, and those are usually below the castle. If I can't break in from the front, I'll break in the dungeon walls itself.

I imagined a drilling car in the spy movies and got in. It took a while, but finally I hit the walls. It caved in right away, stone torn apart by the drill.

Surprisingly, there were no guards. The hall seemed mustier without the usual sentries to beat up. I searched the area for a lit cell, and found one on the near end. Before I got to it, noise came from the entrance. They must've heard the drill. I quickly ran to the cell and opened the door. It was locked, but of course, I had Incideria.

Charlotte was inside. She was about to speak when I held my hand up, putting a finger on my lips. I led her back into the shadows as the voices drew closer.

"You idiots! I thought you put sentries here!"

"W-We s-sent for them, m-milady, but the arrival was too unexpected."

"I should have you all punished for this. Find them!?"

The woman was a beautiful creature. She had azure hair that ran straight to her shoulders, golden eyes that probed in every direction, and red armor...blood red. This was

my first time seeing a vampire, and already I was shivering.

Her gold eyes looked straight at me, her smile revealing those trademark fangs.

"I'll be waiting for you at the top of the tower, Adversary. Don't be late, and try not to escape, either. It will be...more painful for you if you do."

I broke in a cold sweat. She knew where I was all along. The other Charlotte said she was smart but this is ridiculous! How am I supposed to fight that woman?

"I-I'm scared Mr. Miller."

"It'll be okay. I'll take care of this."

"Are you sure? The other me says you'd die for sure, and that I should just run for it."

Even from her thoughts I can feel her icy glare...and the stab of her insults.

"Look, just stay here and try not to be seen. I'll be right back.?

"Promise?"

"Promise." Or then again...

I snuck upstairs, avoiding the Weaverlings along the way. Four sets of stairs were in the main hall. I took the winding narrow one, since they always led to the tower. At the top, there was a wooden door with a message:

"Enter at your own will, for at once you will encounter the night itself...darkness of souls"

At the bottom, my name was scratched on the door. I didn't wonder how she knew, I just thought the door would look nice at my funeral. I clutched at my necklace, and opened the door.

Beyond it was the vampire herself. The roof actually extended to the entire castle, making the top completely flat. There were no railings, so those who stepped too close would fall to their certain death.

"Welcome, Nathan Miller." The vampire said in a very Dracula voice.

"Uh...hi?"

She laughed. "Would you care to dance?"

This is it! I pulled out my knife and faced her.

"Surely you don't plan on killing me with a toothpick, do you Vessel?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Will garlic work? And FYI, I'm the Adversary now. Remember it"

She laughed even harder. "You are very funny. Too bad I have to kill you"

Not if I can help it. I rushed at her, careful not to overdo it. She took the bait, and quickly slid to the side. At the same time, I threw my spare knife at her, cutting her arm and completely surprising her.

The vampire stopped and licked her wound. It closed quickly, and soon it looked the same as it did before. She clucked her tongue at me.

"That wasn't very nice." She said.

"So is killing me."

"Touché."

She slashed at me with her claws, missing me only by a hair. I threw a few knives at her, but this time she was ready, avoiding all my attacks.

This is getting nowhere. She obviously has better stamina than me. I can feel it draining away. Got to think...

I looked up. The sky was red, like it is during a nightmare, but that wasn't what I was thinking.

The sun.

If I could get the sun out, I'd win for sure. I pictured it in my head, shining bright on a hot day. Above, the clouds began to shift, the red slowly losing color. There was hissing from the vampire as the sun began to shine again, white against the dimming red. She shielded her eyes and spoke with pure hatred.

"You have the Power, even if you're alone?! Then...you truly must be the Adversary now. I will not forget this Nathan Miller." The vampire said, jumping off the rooftop and into the land below.

I felt tired instantly, falling to the ground. I had never done something this big before, and it totally exhausted me.

When I awoke, the sun was shining again, the red completely gone. I stood up, remembering Charlotte. How long was I out?

I ran down the stairs and into the dungeon.

She was there, exactly where I left her, sleeping in the dark corner. I approached her, and she instantly woke up, startled.

"Oh. It's you. The other me said you were an idiot."

They really were watching me. Maybe I should gouge my eyes out. Then again they'd probably heal back anyway. I wonder why they had time to watch me but not to respond to my questions.

"Tell her thanks. Now c'mon, let's go."

"Where?"

"Hold on a sec."

I closed my eyes and scanned for anything out of the ordinary. I felt one, and concentrated on it, making a portal.

"There."

We stepped in.

=======================================================================

The vampire walked into the throne room, smiling to her master.

"The plan worked, my lord. The Maiden no longer resides in the girl. There is a new problem now, unfortunately. The boy has the Power alone, without the aid of the Dreamster. He calls himself the Adversary now."

"That could be a problem. How about your other assignment?"

"She has been found wandering dreams. We are getting ready to intercept her."

"Exellent. And the prisoners?"

She shook her head.

"No matter. Proceed with your operation."

The vampire bowed, smiling even wider as she left the room.