Dreamweaver: Initium (OLD MANUSCRIPT)

Chapter Six.

Dream feels himself gently land into Essence's library as he falls deep into his slumber. He takes a deep breath and steps forward into the dimly lit center. Essence stares at him and nods, leaning on one of the nearby tables for support. Dream smiles for a moment, but realizes the look of confusion on Essence's face.

“What's wrong, Professor?” Dream quips. “You seem a little down in the dumps.”

“I don't know if I should applaud or just yell at you,” Essence replies.

“What did I do wrong now?”

“You disobeyed your father's orders! You did the exact opposite of staying low. Now you're going to be in the middle of a war!”

“Didn't you disobey my dad's orders? Isn’t that how we met?”

“That's beside the point, Dream. This is serious. That Jelani character can track you easily now since you're bound to be on the news at this rate.”

“I'm not gonna be pushed around my whole life," Dream says. "I can't do it. I'm reserved, but I won't watch anyone I care about be disrespected like that.”

“I understand,” Essence says with a sigh. “I knew this day would come. It’s just that your father and I hoped it would be a lot later down the line. The odds are against us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you remember a few months ago when Jelani attacked you? He was one of the first people convinced that you are an enemy to the world.”

“But why? I have a completely clean record and I help everyone I can at all times. What could anyone have against me to convince someone that I'm a bad guy?”

“You should know the answer to that question.”

Dream looks at the back of his hand and sees the tattoo of the seal illuminating with a deep magenta glow. He nods and feels the power of the ancient seal flood through his body.

“The Cursed Seal,” Dream mumbles, “my gift.”

“Yes. This is your scarlet letter. Any person who knows of the Dreamweaver will see that seal and know your destiny.”

“I don't even fully know my destiny yet, that's not even fair.”

“If you want fair, then leave now. ‘Cause I can guarantee you that your life as the Dreamweaver will be far from fair."

“I'm not leaving," Dream says firmly. “I get it. I'm marked. So what now?”

“You need to learn about the mistakes of the last person who was marked. It is his fault that other people can be easily persuaded against you.”

“More lectures? I need to get more fighting lessons. These people aren't attacking me with a history test!”

“Knowledge is your greatest weapon, Dream. You need to remember that.”

“Fine. Wasn't the last person that was marked the one that I’m reincarnated from?”

“No. The divine ones made a slight mistake. They thought the wrong person was the reincarnate and gave him the power of the seal...he did well using it, but it complicated things.”

“What was his name?” Dream inquires, getting curious.

“Yabu Kokoro,” she replies. “The son of a Majestic blacksmith.”

“So these Majestics, you said they were celestial beings in my last lesson. So, even though they're higher up, they didn't know who the right reincarnate was?”