Soul of the Dynasty: Rebirth

THE DREAM

In the darkness, Shizui stood atop a mound of lifeless bodies, their sightless eyes staring accusingly. A metallic tang filled his nostrils, and he clutched his hand to his chest, where a searing pain pulsed with each ragged breath. Blood seeped from his fingers, staining the intricate carvings on a bone flute clutched in his other hand. As consciousness faded, a deep, raspy voice filled his ears, a desperate plea cutting through the haze – "Stay awake, stay awake!"

Shizui jolted awake with a gasp, the echo of the dream clinging to him like a shroud. Beads of sweat clung to his skin, and his heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He scanned his surroundings. The dying embers of the campfire cast an orange glow across the makeshift campsite, and across from him, Elven lay sprawled on a bed of soft furs, his chest rising and falling with the rhythm of deep sleep. Relief washed over Shizui. It had just been a dream, a cruel trick of his subconscious.

Just a dream, Shizui thought, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, the memory of the dream still vivid.

He glanced at the position of the moon, a sliver hanging low in the inky sky. They had been alternating guard duty, and judging by the moon's position, it must have been his turn to doze off. Shizui sighed, the dream's vivid imagery still swirling in his mind. This wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last. It was a constant, an unchanging loop that had plagued him for as long as he could remember. No matter how hard he focused, the face of the man who dragged him away through the carnage remained shrouded in shadow.

A soft rustle from Elven's bed of soft furs sent a jolt through Shizui. He squinted through the dim light, his heart hammering a frantic lubdub against his ribs. Elven stirred, his brow furrowed in concern. "Shizui? Is something wrong?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

Shizui hesitated. Did he want to burden Elven with the same unsettling dream he'd been having for years? But the concern in Elven's voice was hard to ignore. "Just a nightmare," he finally confessed, his voice rough. "The same one."

Elven sat up fully, his eyes reflecting the flickering firelight. "The one with the bodies?" he asked softly.

Shizui nodded, a shiver running down his spine. "And the strange man... the voice..." He trailed off, unable to articulate the sense of dread that accompanied the dream.

Elven leaned closer, his gaze thoughtful. "You know, Shizui," he began, his voice barely a whisper, "some people believe dreams can be fragments of past lives."

Shizui scoffed a weak attempt to lighten the mood. "Past lives, Elven? Well, in that case, I must have been a champion cat whisperer in a past life! Perhaps the world's first!"

Elven rolled his eyes, a hint of a smile playing on his lips despite the seriousness of the conversation. "We both know you hate cats," he retorted playfully.

The mention of cats, however, did little to dispel the lingering unease in the air. Shizui quickly changed the subject. "Enough about that," he said, forcing a smile. "Tomorrow, we'll finally be in Aaru. Two days of riding deserve a luxurious mattress, wouldn't you say?"

Elven chuckled. "Indeed," he agreed, settling back into his bed of furs. And so, under the watchful gaze of a million stars, the two boys spent the rest of the night talking – about their hopes for Aaru, their anxieties about the training, and anything else that came to mind.

The first rays of dawn painted the sky a fiery orange as Shizui woke to the sound of chirping birds. A sense of anticipation buzzed through him. Aaru is the heart and soul of educational excellence. For generations, the five major clans of the land - the Hearth Clan, the Terra Clan, the Māori Clan, the Biseh Clan, and the Storm Clan (though the latter was now a tragic memory) – had sent their fifteen-year-old youths to Aaru to hone their skills and knowledge for two years. At the end of their training, each student received a spirit animal, a powerful companion and a symbol of their graduation.