Kingdom Come

Chapter One

Elijah woke up in a cold sweat. They'd been having the same nightmare over and over again, each night. They'd gotten barely a wink of sleep because of it. The bedroll Elijah had slept on barely covered the rough terrain they'd fallen asleep on.

Elijah sat up, groggy from their slumber, which had been disturbed by their recurring nightmare. They still hadn't figured out what it meant. Why did it keep happening? And why did it keep them awake at night? It wouldn't do well to dwell on it, their grandmother had said to them, but it had been all they could think about for the past few weeks since the dreams had started. It was rare for Elijah to remember their dreams, so the fact they remembered every vivid detail confused them, and made them think there was something important about them.

A scuffle to their left made them jump out of their mind, and back to reality. The dream was no longer a cause of concern, for the moment at least. The new concern was what had made the noise. Not many people passed through this alleyway, due to the fact not two meters away from the alleyway were public toilets that stunk out this part of town. However Elijah had dealt with the smell as they'd fallen asleep there, and it didn't bother them as much as it should've.

Elijah quickly learned the source of the noise was a mousy looking brown-haired girl. And Elijah meant mousy. Two large mouse ears stuck out from the top of her head. It wasn't rare to see people like this, after all, one of Elijah's old friend had had a beak, but this was their first time encountering a mouse. Mice people didn't tend to be on the surface, as they preferred the dark of the sewers, so they wouldn't be noticed or ridiculed like other creatures were.

"What are you gawking at?" The girl stood, hands on hips and a glare in her eyes.

"Huh- nothing?" Elijah's hands went up in defense.

"Well, if you aren't looking at anything, you must be blind." Her posture changed, no longer hostile and seemingly more friendly.

"If I was blind, I couldn't see you." Elijah scoffed, slightly hurt after the girl mocked their choice of words.

"That's how I like it, usually. People never realise what they're missing when they don't realise someone has been there." Elijah was silent as the girl spoke, and rummaged through their belongings, right in front of Elijah.

"Hey wait!" Elijah broke out of their stunned silence as the mouse-girl picked up a silver locket.

"You shouldn't steal from other people, not ones who are hard on their luck at least." Elijah snatched the locket out of her hands and clipped it back around their neck, where it belonged.

"Well maybe they shouldn't leave things where they can be taken." Elijah couldn't really argue with her logic. Not that they agreed, but it seemed like she was set in her ways, and Elijah could tell a lecture from a stranger would't do anything but further cement her ideas. Silence settled between them, as Elijah couldn't figure out what to say next. Something was compelling them to talk to her as they looked over the girl. She was short, despite the ears that added to her height, along with her short stature, she was very petite. er size probably helped with her thievery.

"Anyway if you aren't going to say anything, or give me anything of value, I'm gonna run off." Elijah shrugged at her in response.

"I don't have anything I can offer you." And upon that, the mousy girl made to scamper off.

"Before you leave, though," Elijah said, which stopped her in her tracks, "can I get your name?"

"Oh of course, it's Sayle." She answered happily and winked, as she continued on her way, and left Elijah in stunned silence.

After Elijah had recovered from the encounter, they began to pack away their limited belongings. They needed to find a new area to sleep, because someone had spotted them here.

"I'd keep an eye on that girl if I were you." Came a voice from behind them. This caused Elijah to jump slightly, and they spun around to face the intrusion, and nearly fell with the speed they turned.

"Hoho, did I startle you?" The old man chuckled, his body moved with him as he laughed. His beard shook with the movement, and Elijah could see a twinkle in the man's eyes as his expression changed to a smile.

"My apologies, Elijah," He continued speaking before Elijah could react to the fact the man knew their name. "Oh, that's a non-issue, Elijah, just heed this advice. Sayle will prove to be very important to you destiny. In your future. You can feel it too, right? I know you've been having dreams you can't explain. I won't get into why now but just know that the fate of the world will rest upon your shoulders, and the fate of of your friend, Sayle." The old man spoke, a solemn tome to his voice. He left the pair of them in silence, Elijah still processing what the man had said. Elijah's brain struggled to grasp what he meant by the fate of the world depending on them. Why would it? They were just a homeless twenty something. Nothing about them was important.

"Oh I wouldn't say that, Elijah. You're more influential than you think," the old man shrugged. "You don't have to believe me, but you will come to realise it, sooner rather than later-"

"Will you quit reading my mind?" Elijah snapped slightly, "that's my private place, as you can probably tell, there's no privacy on the streets."

"Well of course, I'll be leaving soon anyway. I'll show up again in times you need me, or if you're feeling lonely and want a chat. Sayle went towards the abandoned pub. I'm sure you know where that is, it seems she's made it into her base of sorts." The old man seceded, and moved to the side.

"Well hurry on then, you don't want to miss out. This could be a great adventure for you." Elijah nodded in response, still bewildered, and continued to pack away their things. Once they finished, they stood and nodded, again, at the old man, completely aware of the fact they didn't know his name. Elijah then brushed past him, and began to head in the direction of the old pub. As they walked, a familiar voice appeared in their head.

"Ah before either you or I forget, my name is Nelrim, I hope this information proves fruitful to you in the future, Elijah." Elijah didn't know why they had felt compelled to follow the advice of this mysterious old stranger, though he wasn't really a stranger anymore. After all, Elijah knew the bearded man's name.

However Elijah brushed this thought away as they came upon a dilapidated old building. From the exterior it would seem that the building hadn't been touched in years. Maybe at least 30, much longer than Elijah had even been alive. The wooden doors creaked as Elijah put a hand to them, and pushed. Elijah walked in, unaware of what they would find, nor of the adventure that was laid before them.