The Second Master of Wind

Dawning Trust

Aeria's POV

As I slept, I could feel the fear flooding my brain, then my body, but, asleep, I couldn't hide it or, at least, try to control it.

Looking around, I saw the empty lifeless forest that I found myself in every single night. The same ear-piercing shriek from every night sounded right before the dark fog started towards me and I started to run.

I don't know what I was running from, but I didn't want to find out, so every night I ran and ran and ran until I woke up, but tonight something felt different as I fell to the ground and continued running after seeing the darkness get closer. Suddenly, a warm feeling spread through me and it was like the darkness around me lifted just a tiny bit. For the first time in years, I stopped running and looked around me as color started to return to the area around me, strangely green was coming back more noticeable.

"Huh? Look at that..." I looked down at my feet to see a flower, a purple iris, blooming up from the ground, the first sign of life I'd ever seen in this dream. I was bending down to pick it when it shriveled up just before I could touch it and the darkness seemed to come back, even darker and more destructive than before.

"No no no no..." I fell to my knees and grasped my head as the icy feeling began to crawl its way into me.

"Yeeeesssss, let me into your heart..." A raspy voice sounded from all around me, but I shook my head and was about to start running again when I felt something cold and sharp pierce my back, keeping me trapped in place.

"You cannot deny your fate!"

"No!" I screamed before feeling like all the fight was being sucked out of me before I leaned forward to fall to the ground.

I sharply sat upright clutching my shirt over my pounding heart while drops of sweat beaded on my forehead despite the cool morning air hitting my face.

When I realized it was only a dream, albeit an extremely realistic dream, I took big, slow breaths of air to calm down before deciding to sit up against the wall. I looked over to the nightstand next to the bed and saw a small plate with some puffy potstickers, broccoli beef, and a fortune cookie on it.

Should I risk it...? I thought to myself before resolving to eat the cold, and slightly soggy, puffy potstickers.

When I was about to eat the broccoli, I hesitated hearing the voices of my younger self with my brother again,

Hey, at least now we have some food...

I don't know sis, most people judge us based on how we look and we look-

Dirty.

When I finished them, I cracked the fortune cookie open to reveal that my fortune was 'Someone special will change your life', but I just scoffed, crumpled it up, and tossed it back on the plate before checking a clock that was on the wall opposite to where I was sitting and read that it was 4:48 in the morning.

"Time to start the day, I guess." I told myself and I put my hair up in a ponytail using an elastic band I kept on my wrist all the time, leaving my bangs in front of my left eye. I hesitated to open the door, thinking I might still be locked in this room like a wild animal the ninja were trying to contain, but, to my surprise, the door opened. I didn't hear anyone so I decided to look around to make sure the coast was clear before leaving the room.

These ninja must have some kind of training equipment, right?

I thought to myself as I wandered the halls as quietly as a shadow, shivering at that metaphor being used in my mind.