Beyond Far Away
Dreams
- Chapter one -
"The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom." (A. Schopenhauer)
Earth
Adriana stumbled out of her bed and barely managed to catch herself before the sheets of doom sent her to the ground. She grumbled in annoyance and ran towards the bathroom, clothes in one hand and socks in the other. The girl was anything but a morning person. As she attempted to tame her dark red hair, which was mostly unusual because it was her natural colour, Adriana's mind wandered back to the dream.
It was not the first time she felt so alive in her own head. Sure, the girl knew it was nothing more than a figment of her over-active imagination, but it seemed so real. The clock beside her table blinked and it was time to go to university before she knew it. Oh, the dreaded lectures, the red-head moaned as her hands clasped a bag. The girl was prepared to rather face the shadow beasts than sit through hours and hours of an old man's or woman's muttering.
Adriana's parents, original people she would add, were an ordinary looking couple. They loved each other quite a lot and they cared for their daughter. Alas, there seemed to be an invincible wall between them no one managed to eradicate. In some way they could sense that Adriana was different, even if Mrs. And Mr. Ellison did not comprehend it.
"Good luck, sweetheart," The woman yelled after her blue-eyed offspring.
Mrs. Ellison had her brown hair down as she prepared breakfast for her husband. Mark was seated behind a table, still clutching a cup of coffee that was meant to prepare him for another plain day.
"Thanks, mom." The girl nodded, before dashing to her car. She wasn't late yet, but had a strange habit of getting everywhere earlier than necessary.
"She had the nightmares again, Laura." The man muttered and stared at the door, deep in thought. They both had heard their little girl shout with fear tonight and they were a bit uneasy.
"I know, but there's nothing we can do."
*****
"I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!" Adriana screeched, subconsciously imitating a banshee.
The woman pulled her sword and started marching towards the domain of the siren, prepared to murder not one, but two supernatural creatures. Or maybe just one, but Michael was definitely going down for this. How arrogant can a man be to go against a siren by himself.
"Those nut sized brains of his! I will choke the bastard, no I will rip him limb from limb and then carry out the strangulation. What sort of a child have I been appointed to anyway. And most importantly why a man for a mission like this?!" Adriana muttered under her breath for an hour with not as much as slowing down to glance around.
Not exactly the smartest move when going to the den of a selkie.
"Such crude words from such a beautiful creature," Reached the huntress' ears.
Muscles tense, Adriana crouched, prepared to take down the gorgeous being as soon as it showed itself. Not that it was likely to happen very soon. The selkie resided near a river, framed by wolframite boulders, which provided perfect hiding spots.
"I've come for the man," Adriana's blue eyes dashed all around her.
"Michael, was it?" The siren laughed and the huntress could hear her moving, but the sound of water drowned any indication as to where she was giggling. "He said you'll come. They all did."
"What did you expect? You broke the rule and have to be neutralized." Adriana was trying to keep the creature talking, not that it needed much encouragement. Sirens were audacious and prone to chatting.
"Oh come on, can't a girl have some fun?"
"Lack of entertainment does not vindicate murder. And nothing justifies taking lives of children." Blue eyes blazed with hatred.
"Feisty, aren't you? Who is your superior? No, let me guess... Xanthus? He usually deals with us naughty, naughty girls."
Adriana flexed her jaw. This was not going anywhere. She couldn't pinpoint the creature's location and was getting more and more agitated. There was no hope in her mind that her 'partner' as Xanthus declared was somewhere underwater. Most selkies were peaceful beings and hurt people only if they posed a threat. This one, on the other hand, was a monstrous being that enjoyed sucking the life out of anyone. She had murdered a dozen of creatures, five of them children no older than 10 years old. That was as low as one could fall.
"What is your name?" The siren suddenly was very close, yet still out of sight. Adriana chose to stay silent and alert. "Hmm, I'll just call you Artemis then." The girl stayed quiet. "My beloved warrior Artemis, do you know why they say I'm most feared of all selkies?" The huntress tried slashing, but the siren already had already placed a venomous kiss on her neck. "I love the flesh of women, just as much as that of a man."
****
The world of Asheron
****
Michael was not a bad student, but the temptation to skip history was exceeding his self-control. He turned to Caitlyn, eyes pleading before even hearing her refusal. She was a petite strawberry blonde, ridiculously beautiful and just as much stubborn. She had a small heart shaped face, big doe eyes and a pointy chin. Caitlyn raised a brow at her best friend and leaned back in her chair. The last period was about to start and the classroom was crowding fast.
"I need you to curse me." Michael whispered, lavender eyes boring into her red ones.
"Definitely," She grinned, knowing exactly what he wanted, yet very willing to use such a great opportunity to mock the boy.
"Seriously, Cat, I am going to die here." The man moaned, already feeling the agony, soon to be inflicted by Mrs. Pepper's voice.
"Oh stop being such a drama queen, Michael." Seigmond ruffled his friend's hair and sat by Caitlyn. He was nicely build, and the only person in class with snow-white hair. "No one has died of boredom."
"Yet." Michael pointed out, annoyed.
Caitlyn grinned. "Well, if you really, really wish to skip..." The boy eagerly nodded. "... tell us what have you been dreaming about."
Michael straightened and pressed his lips together. It was very obvious that this made him uncomfortable and was not the topic he wished to discuss. Sadly, it was just as noticeable that those two were determined to find out why he would thrash in his bed and sleep-talk. The dreams had been the cause why at least once a week Seigmond would jump from his bed 2 am and grab his sword. The young man would find no danger, but his friend, who was either shouting orders or calling for help. It had started a year ago and for a few months now Seigmond was pushing – with a little help from Caitlyn – Michael to explain. To his own surprise the black-haired male opened his mouth.
"I'm not really sure myself," He began, cautiously. "It started pretty much as simple experiences of a child, not my own, 'cause it takes place somewhere in the seventh century. Then it turned into something like episodes of my life, but it wasn't really mine... Argh," Michael raked his hand through medium-short hair. "It's very hard to explain. Mainly, I dream of another life."
"Who are you in your dreams?" Cat raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"I'm me, but... Can we continue this later? I'm way too tired to come up with a normal summary."
"Fine, fine." The girl smirked, but relief was evident in her eyes. At least the boy did not have a mind parasite. "You have till I count to three to get ready... One, two, three."
****
There wasn't much time to prepare for enchantress' spell as Michael grew pale and started shaking. By the time the teacher entered the room he was stumbling, drenched in sweat and breathing irregularly. Mrs. Peppers nearly had a panic attack once she laid her eyes on the boy and rushed him to infirmary. Two minutes of agonizing spasms later Michael stretched on a clean bed, peaceful and healthy as a horse. His lavender eyes fluttered closed in the silence and sleep engulfed the frantic mind.
"Why do I get to be her partner? What did I do?" Michael growled in annoyance.
Among most fellow hunters he was respected and admired, but there were the selected few that could not stand him. That woman was one of them. He had not yet met with this Miss Vervloet, but whispers did not depict her as a ray of sunshine. She was one of those arrogant loners that never teamed up and, forced to, still acted without consulting. He had heard that the woman was nice to look at, so there was this one advantage. Adriana Vervloet had proved herself as a huntress at the age of 112, but no one really figured out why one of the Fae would start playing supernatural police. Nevertheless, Michael disliked the thought of working with the woman that left Xanthus and went rogue for fife decades, seemingly without a reason.
"The siren you need to take care of is a handful," Xanthus informed him patiently. "She had killed quite a few and does not seem to discriminate between age or gender. While Miss Vervloet may be somewhat of a recluse, she is extraordinary when it comes to dealing with such creatures."
Michael opened his mouth, prepared to begin an argument, when the female in question strode into the room.
'Well she's definitely something to look at...' the man decided, looking her up and down as the red-head made her way towards his superior.
"No." Adriana slapped an envelope against the wooden table, making Michael slightly flinch, and without another word, face blank strode out.
"Michael, meet Adriana Vervloet." Xanthus sighed and motioned for the man to step closer. "These are the coordinates of her residence. Locate her, complete the mission together," He gave the hunter a glare and pushed a bunch of documents. "And I promise you won't have to form any form of alliance any time soon."
Thinking for a second Michael decided to take the deal in a way and walked out of the study, adjusting his weapon.
'Like that's going to happen. I'll just do it myself.'
****
Michael introduced himself to the huntress with a polite handshake and requested her aid, promising no more disturbances. Adriana listened calmly, nodded once and told him to be ready in 26 hours. Then they simply parted ways, the man going to his own room to prepare for the journey. His plan was in progress – the woman was not going to bother him while he took out the water beast. Weapons ready Michael strolled out of into the night, leaving Adriana unaware of his actions for more than 3 hours.
The river was 10 minutes away from the hunters' residence, but the exact spot, where the selkie would usually hunt was further to the south. The man expected to be ambushed or even to require a lure to bait the being out of water. However, to his surprise, the siren was sitting on a stone, staring at something in the river. Michael swiftly took a bow and sent a flurry of arrows towards her, knowing that the siren would jump to the current. As she did so, he moved closer, feeling the dampness of the air weighting down his hair. Just like any member of merfolk, the siren had inhuman beauty and silver colouring. For a second, Michael stopped, waiting for her to turn around. She did so with a severed head of Robin – a competitive hunter and Michael's friend. The man spared no more time to swing at the wickedly grinning beast. The selkie waited patiently for the hunter to step into the water and begun her retaliation. White fingers caught the blade and at the same time pushed Michael backwards. It was the unanticipated amount of strength that sent the hunter flying.
"Shit," He muttered when the siren dug her teeth into his hand, fingers clawing through his Trapezius.
He felt the beast tearing at rather fine meat, unable to counter because his body was paralysed by the poison. The being took its time to inflict as much as damage as possible without really murdering the man.
"What is your name?"
Michael responded with a grunt. He was still immobilized and in pain.
"The last few came together. They spoke of another pair, Michael and his partner. I assume you're the Michael and you're not alone as well?" The siren hissed into his ear before allowing Michael to slide down. "Is it the woman they spoke of? Is she coming?" The hunter raised his eyes and tensed. How many idiots had come here to take down this thing? "Speak to me, boy." The bloody face had a twinge of excitement and annoyance.
"I came alone."
"Fine. I'll just wait for the rumoured one."
'Me too...' He noted bitterly.
Michael wanted to pout like a child. Maybe he shouldn't have been so self – assured. Xanthus did say that the Vervloet girl had experience and extraordinary skills.
Five hours later, Michael heard the siren return with a limp red-head. The hunter was in pain and bored. This was the worst way to go. He grunted in annoyance as the selkie gently placed Adriana on one of the rocks.
'So much for being extraordinary.'
"The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom." (A. Schopenhauer)
Earth
Adriana stumbled out of her bed and barely managed to catch herself before the sheets of doom sent her to the ground. She grumbled in annoyance and ran towards the bathroom, clothes in one hand and socks in the other. The girl was anything but a morning person. As she attempted to tame her dark red hair, which was mostly unusual because it was her natural colour, Adriana's mind wandered back to the dream.
It was not the first time she felt so alive in her own head. Sure, the girl knew it was nothing more than a figment of her over-active imagination, but it seemed so real. The clock beside her table blinked and it was time to go to university before she knew it. Oh, the dreaded lectures, the red-head moaned as her hands clasped a bag. The girl was prepared to rather face the shadow beasts than sit through hours and hours of an old man's or woman's muttering.
Adriana's parents, original people she would add, were an ordinary looking couple. They loved each other quite a lot and they cared for their daughter. Alas, there seemed to be an invincible wall between them no one managed to eradicate. In some way they could sense that Adriana was different, even if Mrs. And Mr. Ellison did not comprehend it.
"Good luck, sweetheart," The woman yelled after her blue-eyed offspring.
Mrs. Ellison had her brown hair down as she prepared breakfast for her husband. Mark was seated behind a table, still clutching a cup of coffee that was meant to prepare him for another plain day.
"Thanks, mom." The girl nodded, before dashing to her car. She wasn't late yet, but had a strange habit of getting everywhere earlier than necessary.
"She had the nightmares again, Laura." The man muttered and stared at the door, deep in thought. They both had heard their little girl shout with fear tonight and they were a bit uneasy.
"I know, but there's nothing we can do."
*****
"I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!" Adriana screeched, subconsciously imitating a banshee.
The woman pulled her sword and started marching towards the domain of the siren, prepared to murder not one, but two supernatural creatures. Or maybe just one, but Michael was definitely going down for this. How arrogant can a man be to go against a siren by himself.
"Those nut sized brains of his! I will choke the bastard, no I will rip him limb from limb and then carry out the strangulation. What sort of a child have I been appointed to anyway. And most importantly why a man for a mission like this?!" Adriana muttered under her breath for an hour with not as much as slowing down to glance around.
Not exactly the smartest move when going to the den of a selkie.
"Such crude words from such a beautiful creature," Reached the huntress' ears.
Muscles tense, Adriana crouched, prepared to take down the gorgeous being as soon as it showed itself. Not that it was likely to happen very soon. The selkie resided near a river, framed by wolframite boulders, which provided perfect hiding spots.
"I've come for the man," Adriana's blue eyes dashed all around her.
"Michael, was it?" The siren laughed and the huntress could hear her moving, but the sound of water drowned any indication as to where she was giggling. "He said you'll come. They all did."
"What did you expect? You broke the rule and have to be neutralized." Adriana was trying to keep the creature talking, not that it needed much encouragement. Sirens were audacious and prone to chatting.
"Oh come on, can't a girl have some fun?"
"Lack of entertainment does not vindicate murder. And nothing justifies taking lives of children." Blue eyes blazed with hatred.
"Feisty, aren't you? Who is your superior? No, let me guess... Xanthus? He usually deals with us naughty, naughty girls."
Adriana flexed her jaw. This was not going anywhere. She couldn't pinpoint the creature's location and was getting more and more agitated. There was no hope in her mind that her 'partner' as Xanthus declared was somewhere underwater. Most selkies were peaceful beings and hurt people only if they posed a threat. This one, on the other hand, was a monstrous being that enjoyed sucking the life out of anyone. She had murdered a dozen of creatures, five of them children no older than 10 years old. That was as low as one could fall.
"What is your name?" The siren suddenly was very close, yet still out of sight. Adriana chose to stay silent and alert. "Hmm, I'll just call you Artemis then." The girl stayed quiet. "My beloved warrior Artemis, do you know why they say I'm most feared of all selkies?" The huntress tried slashing, but the siren already had already placed a venomous kiss on her neck. "I love the flesh of women, just as much as that of a man."
****
The world of Asheron
****
Michael was not a bad student, but the temptation to skip history was exceeding his self-control. He turned to Caitlyn, eyes pleading before even hearing her refusal. She was a petite strawberry blonde, ridiculously beautiful and just as much stubborn. She had a small heart shaped face, big doe eyes and a pointy chin. Caitlyn raised a brow at her best friend and leaned back in her chair. The last period was about to start and the classroom was crowding fast.
"I need you to curse me." Michael whispered, lavender eyes boring into her red ones.
"Definitely," She grinned, knowing exactly what he wanted, yet very willing to use such a great opportunity to mock the boy.
"Seriously, Cat, I am going to die here." The man moaned, already feeling the agony, soon to be inflicted by Mrs. Pepper's voice.
"Oh stop being such a drama queen, Michael." Seigmond ruffled his friend's hair and sat by Caitlyn. He was nicely build, and the only person in class with snow-white hair. "No one has died of boredom."
"Yet." Michael pointed out, annoyed.
Caitlyn grinned. "Well, if you really, really wish to skip..." The boy eagerly nodded. "... tell us what have you been dreaming about."
Michael straightened and pressed his lips together. It was very obvious that this made him uncomfortable and was not the topic he wished to discuss. Sadly, it was just as noticeable that those two were determined to find out why he would thrash in his bed and sleep-talk. The dreams had been the cause why at least once a week Seigmond would jump from his bed 2 am and grab his sword. The young man would find no danger, but his friend, who was either shouting orders or calling for help. It had started a year ago and for a few months now Seigmond was pushing – with a little help from Caitlyn – Michael to explain. To his own surprise the black-haired male opened his mouth.
"I'm not really sure myself," He began, cautiously. "It started pretty much as simple experiences of a child, not my own, 'cause it takes place somewhere in the seventh century. Then it turned into something like episodes of my life, but it wasn't really mine... Argh," Michael raked his hand through medium-short hair. "It's very hard to explain. Mainly, I dream of another life."
"Who are you in your dreams?" Cat raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"I'm me, but... Can we continue this later? I'm way too tired to come up with a normal summary."
"Fine, fine." The girl smirked, but relief was evident in her eyes. At least the boy did not have a mind parasite. "You have till I count to three to get ready... One, two, three."
****
There wasn't much time to prepare for enchantress' spell as Michael grew pale and started shaking. By the time the teacher entered the room he was stumbling, drenched in sweat and breathing irregularly. Mrs. Peppers nearly had a panic attack once she laid her eyes on the boy and rushed him to infirmary. Two minutes of agonizing spasms later Michael stretched on a clean bed, peaceful and healthy as a horse. His lavender eyes fluttered closed in the silence and sleep engulfed the frantic mind.
"Why do I get to be her partner? What did I do?" Michael growled in annoyance.
Among most fellow hunters he was respected and admired, but there were the selected few that could not stand him. That woman was one of them. He had not yet met with this Miss Vervloet, but whispers did not depict her as a ray of sunshine. She was one of those arrogant loners that never teamed up and, forced to, still acted without consulting. He had heard that the woman was nice to look at, so there was this one advantage. Adriana Vervloet had proved herself as a huntress at the age of 112, but no one really figured out why one of the Fae would start playing supernatural police. Nevertheless, Michael disliked the thought of working with the woman that left Xanthus and went rogue for fife decades, seemingly without a reason.
"The siren you need to take care of is a handful," Xanthus informed him patiently. "She had killed quite a few and does not seem to discriminate between age or gender. While Miss Vervloet may be somewhat of a recluse, she is extraordinary when it comes to dealing with such creatures."
Michael opened his mouth, prepared to begin an argument, when the female in question strode into the room.
'Well she's definitely something to look at...' the man decided, looking her up and down as the red-head made her way towards his superior.
"No." Adriana slapped an envelope against the wooden table, making Michael slightly flinch, and without another word, face blank strode out.
"Michael, meet Adriana Vervloet." Xanthus sighed and motioned for the man to step closer. "These are the coordinates of her residence. Locate her, complete the mission together," He gave the hunter a glare and pushed a bunch of documents. "And I promise you won't have to form any form of alliance any time soon."
Thinking for a second Michael decided to take the deal in a way and walked out of the study, adjusting his weapon.
'Like that's going to happen. I'll just do it myself.'
****
Michael introduced himself to the huntress with a polite handshake and requested her aid, promising no more disturbances. Adriana listened calmly, nodded once and told him to be ready in 26 hours. Then they simply parted ways, the man going to his own room to prepare for the journey. His plan was in progress – the woman was not going to bother him while he took out the water beast. Weapons ready Michael strolled out of into the night, leaving Adriana unaware of his actions for more than 3 hours.
The river was 10 minutes away from the hunters' residence, but the exact spot, where the selkie would usually hunt was further to the south. The man expected to be ambushed or even to require a lure to bait the being out of water. However, to his surprise, the siren was sitting on a stone, staring at something in the river. Michael swiftly took a bow and sent a flurry of arrows towards her, knowing that the siren would jump to the current. As she did so, he moved closer, feeling the dampness of the air weighting down his hair. Just like any member of merfolk, the siren had inhuman beauty and silver colouring. For a second, Michael stopped, waiting for her to turn around. She did so with a severed head of Robin – a competitive hunter and Michael's friend. The man spared no more time to swing at the wickedly grinning beast. The selkie waited patiently for the hunter to step into the water and begun her retaliation. White fingers caught the blade and at the same time pushed Michael backwards. It was the unanticipated amount of strength that sent the hunter flying.
"Shit," He muttered when the siren dug her teeth into his hand, fingers clawing through his Trapezius.
He felt the beast tearing at rather fine meat, unable to counter because his body was paralysed by the poison. The being took its time to inflict as much as damage as possible without really murdering the man.
"What is your name?"
Michael responded with a grunt. He was still immobilized and in pain.
"The last few came together. They spoke of another pair, Michael and his partner. I assume you're the Michael and you're not alone as well?" The siren hissed into his ear before allowing Michael to slide down. "Is it the woman they spoke of? Is she coming?" The hunter raised his eyes and tensed. How many idiots had come here to take down this thing? "Speak to me, boy." The bloody face had a twinge of excitement and annoyance.
"I came alone."
"Fine. I'll just wait for the rumoured one."
'Me too...' He noted bitterly.
Michael wanted to pout like a child. Maybe he shouldn't have been so self – assured. Xanthus did say that the Vervloet girl had experience and extraordinary skills.
Five hours later, Michael heard the siren return with a limp red-head. The hunter was in pain and bored. This was the worst way to go. He grunted in annoyance as the selkie gently placed Adriana on one of the rocks.
'So much for being extraordinary.'