Venator : Devil's Moon

PROLOGUE

Dreams. Dreams are such a common thing. We all have dreams; some are as good as heaven while some scare the hell out of us. But even the mistake we do is common. We forget them. We ignore them.

Now, you might argue what's so imprudent in forgetting nasty nightmares. Well, calling the ignorance of a sign, a sign to the beginning of a perilous journey as a wise sane act might actually be true for most of us. Not every dream is a premonition.

But sometimes, just sometimes, we may get a hint, a sign of what's closing in on us. Our nightmare might just resonate with what's coming. We ignore them and most probably the cost we might pay later may not be huge. But sometimes, this very nightmare can affect a chain of lives. And that's when believing in our nightmares truly becomes wise. That's because that one decision will change everything. It will determine the fates of a zillion heads snoring in this existence, you and me both being parts of it. Yes, my friend, you heard it right. All depends on just one choice - you believe it or not.

Not convinced? Fine. Let me take you to the interesting journey of Laura who first ignored her nightmare, like most sanes like us do, only to find out her entire life had turned into one living hell.

And if she hadn't had paid heed later, I wonder what would have happened. Right, I wouldn't be there sitting at my desk, sipping coffee and thinking about this wonderful tale any longer. There would have been a zillion minus one heads on earth, probably less, much less, a zillion less.

[ Laura ]

I stood in a balcony, sad and confused, as cool soothing wind washed over me, caressing my teared cheeks and playing with my long blond hair. The sky was dark. Only a fading streak of clouds tainted its limitless stretch. Tall and wide mountains veiled by a blanket of trees rose all around me. However the beauty and the soothing of nature was not what I desired currently.

A wide garden of yellow flowers bloomed majestically before me. At the center of this myriad of flowers, an artistic marble tomb stood proudly. Though the beauty and the grandeur of this priceless structure kept my attention captivated and alleviated my solemn heart, it wasn't long when a strange feeling of dread grew stronger in my heart.

The source of this gloom was not the tomb as I'd first suspected. The dead always saddened me. Instead, it was the lively flowers that stole my heart of its warmth. The way the flowers were grown in formed a peculiar mark. Never had I seen such a pattern before and yet the mark felt very familiar to me. The Summoning Mark.

Confused and stunned the knowledge of the Mark left me. How could I possibly know of such a thing?

Soon I was released of my fear for a moment at least. I was no longer staring at the Mark. My vision had changed. Instead, I was at the heart of the Mark. As frightening as the dark tomb was, to add to more fear, I was looming over a grave. The grave of Lady Gabrielle III shone in the pale moonlight.

Surprised and shocked, I quickly stepped away from the tombstone only to find myself now stuck in a cold narrow passage built of marble. The vision had shifted yet again. And though my immediate surroundings made me quite uncomfortable, my small solace was that whatever dread I was going to face now, it wasn't going to last long. It never took more than a moment to rise from the climax of these nightmares I had been having ever since my seventeenth birthday.

Wondering where I was, I went where the passage took me and emerged at a wide entrance of a spacious artistically built marble room. It's grandeur held my breath.

Five huge metallic doors were carved in the brilliant white marble walls which formed a pentagonal structure. The beauty of the walls lay in its simple carvings whereas the intricately designed roof was a sight of another unparalleled splendor.