Strange Journey

It's night, I am from a whole day's job and I just can't sleep. I am laying on my bed, just waiting for sleep to claim me. All the failures of the day's job still haunts me, echoing in my mind are words spoken harshly, memories of faces showing contempt, mocking and laughing. However, it is not really the day's failures that haunts me, it is the reality. The reality that I am a failure, the reality that no matter how I try, I always end up failing. The reality that I am insufficient and I just can't hold things right in my life. I feel hopeless, I feel so hopeless. I want to escape this reality, to be somewhere else, away from this place, this nightmare, this dark abyss.

It was not too long before I finally fell asleep. I dreamed. There I was with a young man, about my age, and a lion. It was strange how suddenly I become familiar with this place, given the fact that I've never been here, or have I? It feels that I've been here or I WAS here for a long time already. It feels that I knew who this young man and this lion that accompanied him.

I looked around, it appears we're inside a ruined building, its walls were destroyed and withered, moss and small grass grew on the wall surface showing its age. I also noticed that where the roof should be is the large expanse of morning sky, for there is no roof. On the center were burned logs with smoke rising from it. We've used to warm ourselves last night while we're resting our weary souls from our perilous pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage.. I remembered our quest to redeem this broken world. I suddenly reached to my pocket and brought out a red crimson stone. The strange feeling of both surprise and familiarity again filled my senses. Was this stone in my pocket all this time? Surges of feelings and memories filled my senses, we are on a quest to destroy this stone. For some reason, I am the only one who can touch this stone. This stone is the very heart of evil and it can only be destroyed by the fire of the Mighty Dragon of the north who saved the world from evil thousand of years ago, as I've been told. There is an ancient evil that is chasing us, we only known him as "the enemy", for to invoke his true name is to calls forth the enemy himself and to behold his appearance means an instant death. We can only flee from him and reach the Dragon of the north and destroy the stone, his very life. If the enemy take hold of the stone, it will be the end.

We've waited a few more minutes when the lion growled and raised its head, as if smelling or feeling someone or something approaching. Ready to rise up from its laying position to confront any adversary.

"What's wrong, Kuda?" The young man asked the lion as if its a person, and yes, it is a person for this lion is not an ordinary lion. The young man scanned the surroundings, his face suddenly became sober as he felt a strong magical force approaching. "He is here, the enemy is here", he said. "We need to get out of here, we cannot contend with him." I felt the strong presence too, it's fast approaching. Kuda is suddenly engulfed with magical light then is transformed into a young lady, Kuda's true form.

"Now is the time to use your gift, Flick". Kuda said to the young man.

Flick gestured a symbol by his hands and three gigantic balloons emerged from nowhere. The two of them entered the balloons, one balloon for each of them, it's as if the balloons were going to burst but appears to just wobble as the two pass through its walls and goes inside.

They looked at me through those transparent balloon walls they're in, surprised. "What are you waiting for?" Flick said to me. Surprisingly, sound can pass through those balloon walls. "You must enter now!" I closed my eyes and entered the last balloon, not sure if it's my first time to do it or not. I felt small tingles all over my body as I passed through its outer wall. Inside is quite comfortable and cool, contrary to what I expected. I saw Flick raised his right hand and I noticed that we are floating.

It might've been an hour flying in the air. Inside a transparent balloon that's operated by Flick's will, we're now close to the clouds. It's a weird feeling, why am I not surprised on what's happening? Or maybe I AM surprised to the fact that I am not surprised. The wind just flew past our balloons causing them to wobble, looking at them almost feel like they're going to burst anytime leaving us falling to the earth below. "I have a very bad feeling about this.." Flick whispered as he pointed to the clouds just few feet above us. Dark clouds gathered suddenly, pouring rain on us. "The clouds has joined the enemy! They've conspired with him to thwart our quest!" Kuda shouted in panic as lightning began to flash back and forth. A flash of lightning almost blinded the three of us, I saw Flick's face with the look of panic just before a lightning almost struck our balloons. Our balloons began to fly uncontrollably being carried by the strong wind, Flick's will is replaced with fear. Our balloons burst one by one and I felt the strong wind blew up to my face as we fell, "now we're done", I thought to myself. I closed my eyes and screamed, I'm still hearing the strong wind into my ears and then -