Somnium

Series Three, Episode One - Hope In The Darkest Dreaming (S3 Premiere)

Series Three, Episode One - Hope in the Darkest Dreaming (August 2, 2013)

​It is late February, 2016. Awoken to gunfire, Juan, Maya and Mina walk out into the street to find military personnel - and a civilian shot dead. Horrified, Maya enquires into their reasoning for the act, and they learn of Torquebit's new policy against magic & Powership - the solider adding that any found harbouring a Power will be killed on site. Anxious, the three return to their apartment to discuss a course of action. Deciding that Nickey and Arianna must be relocated, the three enlist the help of the hostel's owner, Bettey Toules. That night, Maya and Mina speak with more militia in the streets of their work, as Juan and Bettey prepare the basement door for quick coffin entry. The Bandana Man drives to a dense forest nearby, pushing through trees and whispering to himself about being rewarded. Upon coming to a cave, he finds the twins untouched, in glass coffins. Suddenly, Juan is cornered by a soldier. Enquiring into their identities; he is forced into the back of a truck - along with Nickey and Ari.

​Outside the entrance to a train station, Darcy begs for money and food. Receiving a hefty donation of three dollars, the young teen treats himself to a fast food meal. Speaking to the waitress, Darcy talks of being happy to not be eating scraps, disgusting her. As he leaves, the child becomes lost in a sea of people leaving the station, and finds his way onto the footpath. Noticing a large, covered cage in the hand of a stranger, he asks for more information, though the man only tells him that "seeing is believing, and often people won't believe what you hold in front of them," puzzling Darcy as he walks away. Managing to return to the station front, a lack of further kindness leads Darcy to a church. Following a moment of fumbling the half-Power crystal, he prays to the Mother. Declaring her task to be impossible, he shows true heartache over his life and condition. On his evening walk back to the homeless shelter, Darcy watches a magic show in the distance - watching a flame lit eagle rise into the sky from a few miles away.

​Walking home after school, Leah discusses with Laurence her discomfort that Tony hasn't yet found their uncle, though both express deep gratitude for his help. Stopping at the park, the twins get along well with the other kids around them - though the excitement dies down as Tony finds them there on his way home from work. As they are forced into his car, the drive home becomes uncomfortable, as the adult scolds them for not obeying his order to go straight home. Laurence changes and the removal of his shirt reveals gashes and bruises to Leah. She attempts to question him, to no avail. Forcing herself to get up in the middle of the night, Leah finds her twin missing. Hearing noises, she ventures down to the basement, where she is horrified. As Tony welcomes his allies Julie & Sophia into the room, the three perform a ritual to the Mother - greatly abusing Laurence in the process. The adults speak; Julie revealing that this "Mother" has their 'Lost crystal'. Days later, Leah confronts her brother. After small talk, he slaps her - warning her to keep out of his issues.

​His wife now a nurse at Edmund's hospital; Charlie surprises them both by bringing lunch. Talking, the three converse regarding a lack of contact with Maya, Mina, or the twins for nine months, though Vera reveals an instinctive feeling that they are okay. Following lunch, the woman takes a walk, giving Charlie and Edmund time alone together. Distressed, the doctor reveals a new cult that he has found in people's memories, worshipping "the murder of the Fertaine bloodline". The men talk more of it, and the bank teller reveals his fear that it is a second coming of the Sunlight Society - which Edmund agrees it might be. In the surgery alone that night, Edmund is attacked by a masked man. Revealing that "his kind" worships "the crystal's wrath" and not the murder plot, he makes off with many memory samples - the doctor devastated.

​Gleefully asking random citizens about the show the next morning, Darcy is disappointed when he can find no one who went. Visiting the park, all the kids flee upon his arrival, but he finds comfort in speaking to a bird about his dreams. He reveals to himself knowledge of a way to save "twin Powers", though he has no idea where they are. Quickly leaving minutes later, Darcy catches sight of the cage man across the road. As he goes to run, Darcy gives chase, prompting awkward conversation once he catches up. Dragging Darcy harshly into his apartment nearby, the man asks why the child keeps finding him, to which he responds "luck." Giving his name as Vander Ashbel, the man asks him to remain in the apartment. Agreeing, he returns quickly with a drawing of the Mother - knocking Darcy out once he sees his reaction.

​Later into the night; Edmund bursts in the door. Revealing news to the married couple of his attacker, Vera appears confused, forcing them to explain the situation to her. In an intense thought process; Charlie returns to the hospital on his own, where he finds the memory lab smashed. Meeting with the new chief of police, Roman Dugoirne, they are too joined by Edmund and Vera. After much conversation and being forced to wait at the station, a young adult is brought before them in chains - Edmund revealing that he could feel it was the one who attacked him. As he is placed in the cell, Vera drugs the coffee of everyone else with sleeping aids. Conversing harshly with the boy over his actions, Vera finds a sense of her 'old' self, as she warns him to never threaten her family again. Helping him to escape, Vera drinks some of the coffee herself. The next morning, she wakes in her own bed, with breakfast waiting for her.

​Thrown blindfolded into the dirt, Juan is brought before a squad of militia. Realising the time as 12:01am, the Bandana Man uses his single permitted phone call to compel Bettey to help Maya and Mina save him - but her voice from behind him reveals that she is Torquebit's leading anti-magic spy. Suddenly, a 'lone ranger' rescues Juan and the truck, before leaving them on the side of the road to run off again. Driving back, he picks up Maya and Mina, and they discuss an idea of a plan. Mina reveals a nightmare to the group, having had it recur for many nights, of the half-Power crystal being the key to saving the twins. Finding refuge in a shady underground drug district, Juan comments that she is a genius and a Dreamer, and that their primary goal is now somehow returning to Aeternam.

>>Next time on Somnium<<

3.02 - A Child at Heart

Maya learns the horrible truth of why magic is hated in Torquebit, while Darcy faces punishment for his delay. Someone wants Vera's memory to return. In a time past, Tristan must head to London to tell of his father's death.