Utopia

He woke up certain that his foot was gone. It sent a thrill of panic through his body as he clutched at the sheets and blankets. Hands grabbed at his arms and he could vaguely hear voices calling to him. He ignored them struggling to see to know. The terror in him was too much to ignore. Darkness began clouding his vision and the hands released him, the world going silent. He froze and whimpered softly. Out of the darkness before him came a face, one he knew very well. It was the pirate who came to sit across from him. They were in a cocoon of darkness with silence as their companion.

"I do believe you were looking for that," Raven said softly pointing down. Stephen looked down to see that his feet, both feet, had come untangled from the bedding. He hadn't lost anything. Stephen's breath came in ragged gasps as his head feel into his hands. A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. "Having a body changes everything doesn't it? It reminds us of our old fears. The first time I woke up in a real body again, I screamed because I was certain that I could feel a blade slipping under my rib cage for my heart. It is nothing. Those things are the past, dead. What happened to our bodies then has been undone so that we may do something that is greater than we could have ever thought before Stephen. Remember that and it makes the nightmares more bearable."

Raven stood up and the darkness seemed to start dissipating. Before it was gone completely Stephen looked up and grabbed Raven's arm. "Do the nightmares ever go away?"

The smile that tugged at Raven's face was sad and slightly forced. "For you they probably will," he assured the young angel before turning and leaving. Stephen watched as Raven left taking the darkness with him. Stephen's eyes widened with the realization of what had just happened. A guardian angel that wielded darkness was not supposed to be possible. They were of the light. Perhaps some of them might wield light as a counter to their sorcerer or sorceress, but never would they wield darkness. Or at least none had until the day that he met Raven.

Stephen shook his head and stood up looking at his roommates who were watching him sympathetically. "We've all been through it," Magnus assured him with a little crooked smile. "They'll get better as you get used to your body and do training. Cole and Raven are beasts when it comes to working us so I hope you got your rest Brit."

"Speak for yourself Magnus," Theo scoffed throwing on a pair of jeans. "The workouts Cole and Raven give us are nothing compared to what we went through to become soldiers in Sparta." The Greek pulled on a nylon shirt over toned muscle and both Magnus and Stephen rolled their eyes.

The two younger guardian angels exchanged glances and then grins. "Alright Theo, how about a wager. Spartan military training against British naval training eh?" Stephen suggested arching an eyebrow.

Theo's smirk turned into a genuine grin. "I like the way you think Brit. I'll make sure we're sparing partners. Have to set you two louts straight after all."