Phoenix: The nuruk beast.

Chapter Twenty: The Kingdom in the mountain

 Aldrich found himself in yet another forest, except this one was shrouded in darkness. The darkness began to surround him like a mist blocking out every bit of sunlight that shone above him. Soon after, the mist began to engulf him. As the darkness touched his legs, he lost control over them and fell backwards. He then felt an emptiness in his stomach as the mist covered it and soon after, he stopped breathing as the darkness had gone all the way under his chin. Just before he entered what looked like an eternal darkness to him, Aldrich jolted up from his bed with sweat dripping from every part of his body, his heart raced so fast it felt like it wasn't a dream to begin with. He got out of bed with a severe pain in his head, he closed his eyes and gave a long sigh as he got out of bed.

"Good morning" Aldrich said to his father who was cooking in their kitchen.

"Good mor--" Archer noticed the way his son was sweating and the pale look in his eyes, "You had that dream again?" he said with a worried look. Aldrich answered his father with a slight nod. He poured himself a glass of water and took a seat in the den.

"It has gotten worse." Aldrich complained to Archer,

"How so?"

"I don't know for sure but recently it feels more real, more life-threatening than a normal nightmare."

"Perhaps it's time you met a physician."

Aldrich got up and began to put on his gear, "I don't have time for that now." He said as he put on his leather armour.

"Why?"

"I'll be leaving Dameran for a while with Lydia and Evelyn."

"When will you be going?"

"Now." He strapped his sword behind him and began to leave,

"Without breakfast?" Aldrich came back and took a loaf of bread in his right hand and a wad of cheese in the other,

"Thank you." he muffled through the bread in his mouth right before he closed the door behind him.

Lydia readied the horses with Evelyn and three more knights at the castles gate, the rising sun reflected her unnaturally crimson hair in a way that had the other knights wondering what it was that made it that way. She wore her usual sleeveless tunic and red leather armour on her arms with daggers concealed in various parts of her body.

"Where is Slage?" she asked Evelyn who was fastening the saddle of a horse,

"He should be here any time now."

"Are you sure he got your message?"

"When has sharp snout ever failed us?" Lydia looked back at her horse and said,

"It does seem to hate Slage."

They both stood by their horses with their eyes ahead of the castle hoping to see Aldrich come. A few moments later, Lydia spotted Aldrich approaching them with bread crumbs on his tunic and cheese stains on his right arm bracelet.

"Sorry." he said to them as he checked his horses' saddle,

"What happened?" Lydia asked.

"I... err...Overslept." Evelyn chuckled slightly and muttered,

"Doesn't sound like something you'd do a year ago." Lydia's brows furrowed as she noticed something on Aldrich, she held up his hand and asked,

"Were you always this hairy?"

He gently pulled his hand away unsure how to answer the question, he inspected his arm but couldn't see what she was talking about.

One of the knights came riding on his horse and said to Lydia, "We have a day's ride ahead of us, I think we should leave now."