Dreamwatcher

Chapter Four

Rayven looked at down as she tried to contain herself. Valkion, stop dying, please! She flew down to help Valkion, but he was falling faster than she could fly. Finally, they got to the surface, and Rayven quickly checked for a pulse. It was slow. Really slow. Rayven checked for any revival crystals, and found nothing but a single, small, gold crystal. It might not be enough. Rayven was getting anxious. She took her chances and put the crystal on his forehead, and focused.

The dying light of the crystal was dimming as the blood stopped spilling. Eventually, the crystal faded and the only wounds that remained on Valkion was a scar and the red-purple mark on his neck. What did he do? Rayven decided to find out. She quietly placed a hand on his mark and focused on that memory.

Voices could be heard from every angle. The smell of smoke was on the rise. Rayven watched the memory play out like a dream as Valkion got up, started fighting the mysterious figures coming his way. One after another, Valkion knocked down everyone coming his way... Except for one. This figure held a flame sword and had heavy, black, chain mail armor. Valkion struggled to fight, but he fought the man off with the price of the mark on his neck.

"Rayven! Ugh, um, hello, I'm okay, now!"

Rayven quickly got up, amused. "And you were sooooo worried about me."

Valkion proceeded to get up and look around. "What were you doing? In my memory?" Rayven looked up at him. "You don't tell me anything. I wanted to know what you did to get that mark." She pointed at his neck.
Valkion just realized how painful the mark was. He felt the colored part and pushed into his skin. He grunted and moved his hand from his neck. "The purple is starting to spread." Rayven said.

Valkion din't care at this point. There was no reason to care. The only priority for him right now, was to make sure Rayven was safe. He looked up, gazing into the sky. Everything is okay.

At least, he hoped.

Valkion brought his gaze back down to see Rayven looking at something in the distance. He didn't understand what, but when he focused his gaze, he saw a shadow emerging from a mountain range that was very far from their location.

"That isn't going to find us. It's too far away." Valkion said. I hope.  

Valkion's attention turned to the torn down house they had landed by. The colors were faded and the windows were boarded up. It looked dark inside. He had presumed it was a farm because of the fields behind it. He went to inspect it.

"What's that, a rusty building?" Rayven asked. 

"I don't know. I think it's an old farm. Must have been abandoned." 

As he approached the door, he heard a howl of wind from inside the building. Valkion was cautious about opening the doorknob. Carefully, he opened the door. The room the door had once hid was dark and gloomy, with no signs of life. Slowly, he walked inside, leaving the door open for Rayven, who had started walking to the door.

Cobwebs decorated the inside, along with the faded furniture and banners on the wall. Valkion found the banners interesting and walked to one, inspecting the symbol engraved on it.

"This is a royal symbol. At least, an old one."

Rayven appeared behind me. "It belonged to Leader Willow when she was ruling maybe seventy-five years ago."

Leader Willow. This place must be ancient. Really ancient. Willow was known for strengthening the dreamcatchers magic and banishing shadows of destruction. At the same time, she was very shy. Barely left the palace grounds.

Then why would her symbol be here?

Valkion began to wonder around the building. He tried not to think about anything, but it was ever hard.

Rayven, being hunted by Cirrus, Spirit North, being used by Cirrus to be mysterious, and...

and me.

Why am I here? Why am I in this mess?

Valkion looked at his bruised hands. A small mark on his left hand was bothering him. He looked at it, and was plunged into nothing.

Screams. That and crackling fire was all you could hear. Wood splintered overhead. A child could be seen running, running for his life. The walls of the capital were coming down. The child screeched as he found a wicked creature In front of him. It had large raven wings and carried a dagger with it. The child ran the other direction, away from the monster. Looking around, toward the burning palace was the only place to go. He ran, faster than he ever had. Maybe, just maybe, she was still alive. Maybe, the monsters have not come for her yet. maybe...

"Valkion!"

The fires raged, and as the boy pushed the doors open...

"Valkion!"

Valkion jolted awake. "Rayven... What happened? Actually, I don't want to know. Where's my sword?!"

He had left it outside.

Quickly, Valkion burst through the house and ran outside to find his golden sword still there, intact. He picked it up really fast, clutching onto the hilt as if he just found a lost family member.

"That was quick. Do you need to panic every time you lose the sword?"

Valkion turned and made eye contact with Rayven. "This sword helps me. Kind of how dreamcatchers help people,  but with..." With what, mental problems? Anxiety? Memory issues? By all Lilcia's light, Rayven is not going to know about my problems!

"Um, Valkion?"

"What?"

"What's that?"

Remember the shadow from earlier?

It's back.

And it's not any ordinary shadow.

Valkion gasped before cutting off his screech.