Weaving Destinies

I dreamed that I was on a double date. Lucas, Madison, Johan and I were all at a go-kart track. At first we all raced each other, but then Madison and I just watched and gossiped as Lucas and Johan tried to impress us. They pulled the go-karts over to the side of the track and climbed out. Madison wrapped her arms around Johan’s neck, but I just winked at Lucas when he tried to kiss me.

“Let me show you what I’ve got,” I smiled flirtatiously, sliding into the go-kart. Madison jumped into the other one, and we took off. We zoomed around corners at break-neck speed, going faster and faster until the guys were just a blur.

Madison pulled ahead. I suddenly felt desperate. I had to win. I had to prove to Lucas that I was the best. I pressed my foot to the pedal, narrowing my eyes in determination. My go-kart sped closer and closer to Madison’s…

I woke up suddenly, my heart racing. I rubbed my eyes, trying to tell myself that it was just a dream. I was tired, sore, and dirty. I was covered in dew, a pretty poor way to start the day.

I only brought one change of clothes for absolute emergencies, and considering everything that could happen to me, this was not an emergency. I brushed some dirt off my jeans, groaning at the thought that they would take forever to dry. I had to wear the clothes from Earth that Julia had packed for me partly because I didn’t want to wear Torman clothes just yet and because they didn’t have anything suitable for adventuring and fighting for girls. They were still stuck in that “women must stay home to sew and cook” stage. I decided to speak to Alec about that once he woke up.

Glancing around, I saw him sleeping peacefully on the ground exactly ten feet away. I rolled up my blanket and stuff it in my backpack before realizing something. I really had to go to the bathroom. I started to walk off to find a secluded spot in the woods and ran into the wall again.

No longer in a sluggish daze, I glanced over at Alec, who was still asleep. I was not going to risk him waking up and catching me peeing. An idea formed in my head.

Stepping back, I ran towards the invisible barrier and pushed against it with all my might. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then the barrier shifted slightly as Alec on the other side was pushed along. I smiled slyly to myself and tried it again. Over and over again I slammed myself against the wall until I was properly behind a tree and some bushes.

Once I was finished, I went over to Alec and nudged him with my foot.

“Get up,” I commanded. “Time to keep moving.” He sighed and opened his eyes to gaze peacefully up at me.

“Good morning, my lovely Faith. I had the most wonderful dream about you last night,” he smiled. I glared at him.

“Okay, two things. One: do not under any circumstances tell me what that dream was. I have a very bad feeling about it. Two: keep me out of your dreams from now on,” I growled. He laughed and stood up. Looking around, he remarked, “Did I really roll this entire way into the forest in my sleep?”

“Not exactly,” I admitted. We walked back to our original spot. Alec dug through his bag and pulled out two small loaves of bread for breakfast.

“No thanks. I’m not hungry,” I shook my head.

“Please eat, my dear. You will need your energy for the journey,” Alec said.

“Seriously, I’m fine,” I insisted. Alec was silent for a few minutes.

All of a sudden, he burst into song.

“My beloved Faith, I would die for one loving look from your eyes,” he sang. “You have brought meaning to my life, and I will do anything to make you my wife!” He had a fairly nice voice, and the melody was actually kind of pretty. Still, I groaned in annoyance, glad that we were alone.

“Alec, stop singing,” I commanded.

“My love for you is unsurpassed, and I will keep singing until you eat breakfast,” he continued. I had to laugh in spite of my frustration.

“Fine, fine!” I grabbed the roll and took a bite. Alec smiled in satisfaction.

After we had finished eating, I grabbed my backpack and turned to scan the campsite and make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.

At last, the two of us set out into the forest. We walked in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the birds singing as the first morning rays sparkled on drops of dew.

Pretty soon, I got bored and decided to start talking to Alec before he began smothering me in compliments like he had yesterday.

“Hey, Alec? I have a question.”

“Yes, my dear?”

“Don’t call me that. Callagroth said that he was the rightful ruler of Torm. Is that really true?”

“No, not at all! That is simply how Callagroth works; he loves to play mind games and twist reality to fit his will. Callagroth was created around the time I was born, which is why even before the predictions and visions of fate-readers, people started to say I was destined to destroy him. Callagroth was created from the remains of a villain called Nayan. Nayan terrorized Torm many years ago until my mother was able to defeat him. My mother found a way to return most of his power to nature, but she left his evil behind. This evil was sealed into a glass vial and locked away. But Callagroth somehow broke free from his prison, as cruel as Nayan himself yet even more so. He is extremely powerful. I am not certain that he can ever truly be destroyed. Although there are those who believe that I am destined to finally defeat him, I believe all we can do is seal him away for a short period of time until we can find something else to do with him,” Alec explained. He looked at the ground.

“They are all expecting me to finally rid Torm of evil. They believe I will create a perfect world once I ascend to the throne,” he gave a small, quiet laugh. I could see that he was pretty torn apart about this. He didn’t think it was possible, but he didn’t want to let his people down.

“One other thing: why the heck do you never use contractions?” I asked. “It’s driving me crazy!”

“Oh, I am sorry! English is not my native tongue! The language of angels is what I speak the most fluently,” he replied.

“The language of… angels?” I repeated dubiously.

“Yes. My father was a prince of the Heqaa Tribe. Therefore, the language I feel most accustomed to speaking, Peit, is very different from English.”

“That must get sort of annoying when you’re talking to me. I hope I don’t use any words you don’t know.”

“Do not worry. My English may sound strange to you, yet your English sounds like Peit to me.”

“What?” I stared at him.

“When you speak English, I can understand you perfectly because it sounds like you are speaking Peit,” Alec explained. “It is the gift of tongues, bestowed upon us both by my aunt. I am actually speaking Peit right now, and the fact that you can understand me means that we are a truly perfect couple.”

“Oh, give me a break. We are not a couple, of true love or anything else! Stop insisting that we are!” I practically shouted. Alec bowed his head in an apology and continued on.

After a few hours of walking, the sun was suddenly hidden by thickening tree branches. It became dark and eerily silent. I couldn’t help but stay close to Alec as my eyes darted around fearfully. My breath seemed caught in my throat as my muscles tensed. I tried to calm myself down.

“There’s nothing here. No need to be afraid,” I told myself.

“Do you sense that?” Alec whispered in my ear, making me jump slightly. Never mind. There was definitely something there.

“If feeling like something really creepy is going to happen is ‘sensing that,’ I’d go ahead and say yeah, I sense that,” I replied quietly.

In the next few moments, everything seemed to slow down. Callagroth was suddenly in front of me, grinning evilly. I screamed as Alec drew his sword. He said something to me, but I was too busy dodging an attack from Callagroth to understand him.

Callagroth’s attack hit Alec in the back of the head, and Alec fell to the ground. I gasped at his still body as Callagroth laughed. He turned towards me, his yellow eyes shining with a strange, inhuman light. I found myself paralyzed, and I collapsed.

I blinked a few times as consciousness slowly slipped away from me, and I disappeared into a black nothingness.