Guardians of the Hidden Realms

Chapter One: A Hero's Doubt

The classroom was filled with the monotonous drone of the teacher's lecture, but Aiden's mind was somewhere else, trapped in a nightmare that felt all too real. The scent of gasoline filled his nostrils—acrid and overpowering—and he could feel the suffocating cold seeping into his bones. Smoke curled around him, thick and choking, making it impossible to breathe. His vision blurred as he struggled to make sense of his surroundings.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard a voice—faint yet frantic. The sound cut through the haze of his dream, pulling him back to reality.

"Aiden! Aiden!" The voice grew more distinct now, panicked and desperate. "Aiden!!!"

He jolted awake, blinking rapidly as the classroom came into focus. His heart pounded in his chest, the remnants of the nightmare still clinging to his mind. For a moment, he felt disoriented, unsure of where he was.

"Aiden," the voice called again, this time with an edge of annoyance. It was his teacher, Mr. Hasan, standing at the front of the classroom with arms crossed, his expression a mix of concern and frustration. "You fell asleep in my class again. This is the fourth time it's happened. You need more sleep."

Aiden rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the lingering fear from the dream. "Sorry, Mr. Hasan," he muttered, still slightly dazed. What was that? he wondered. The vividness of the dream unsettled him. It had felt too real.

Mr. Hasan sighed and shook his head. "Now, because of that, everyone is getting homework—and it counts as a grade. So, you'll have to do it."

The class groaned in unison, their displeasure palpable.

"Aw, what?" one student grumbled. "That's wild. Booo, you suck, Aiden!" another jeered, drawing laughter from a few others as the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

As Aiden gathered his things, he felt a sharp shove from behind.

"Thanks, Aiden," a classmate said sarcastically as they passed by in the hallway.

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Aiden," another added in a mocking tone.

Aiden sighed, brushing off the remarks as he made his way to his locker. Just as he was about to open it, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Dang, dude, they hate you," said Marcus, his deep voice laced with humor. "That's the price of being a hero," he added with an exaggerated, theatrical tone.

Aiden couldn't help but chuckle. "Whatever, Marcus," he replied, shaking his head. "Are you still going to be there with me and Eve for the test flight?"

"Of course, dude! Why would I miss your hero origin story?" Marcus grinned widely. "And I'll bring some pizza from Tony's."

"No way, Tony's? Let's go!" Aiden's mood instantly lifted at the thought. "Okay, don't forget—tomorrow at 5:30, cool?"

"Cool," Marcus agreed. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he asked, "Ooo so, can we do the old Batman-style scene change?"

Aiden laughed. "Okay, but we do it at the same time."

The two friends counted down together, their voices in unison. "One... Two..." And then, mimicking the iconic scene transition from the old Batman series, they both made a whooshing sound and gestured dramatically, laughing as they did so.

The day passed in a blur, the anticipation of the upcoming test flight simmering beneath the surface of Aiden's thoughts. He couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him since the nightmare, but he pushed it aside, focusing instead on the excitement of what was to come. Tomorrow would be a big day—a day that could change everything.