My Mom sat with my siblings. It was the evening of Sunday. The same Sunday I'd told Ciella about the Dream World and left to commence my training. Moments later, we heard a knock on the door.
"Looks like they're here" Keiran said and rushed to open the door to the living room that led outside the house.
Outside the door stood the Kenyahs and Asantes. For the Kenyahs, Face, Victoria and Concordia were present. For the Asantes, Prince, Ai and Mitsuki were present.
"Good evening" our visitors greeted.
"Good evening. We've been expecting you. Everyone's waiting in the living room" Keiran greeted and escorted our visitors to the living room.
A moment later, my Dad appeared amongst them.
"Dad, you're back!" my siblings exclaimed excitedly.
"We received messages hinting at a meeting amongst our three families" Face said.
A moment later, there was another knock on the door. This time, Saito rushed to open the door. Behind the door stood Arlene.
"Actually, I invited the Sabrefangs as well" my Dad said.
"Unfortunately, my grandparents couldn't make it. I'm here to represent our family" Arlene said.
"Is Gramps Ryuuji coming as well?" Keiran asked.
"No, he's working on reinforcing the Dream World's defences with Arlene's grandparents" my Dad said.
"So what's this meeting about?" Face asked.
"We'll be reviewing the recent occurrences in an attempt to uncover patterns" my Dad explained.
"Why is that? Do you think the recent attacks may be coordinated somehow?" Keiran asked.
"At the very least I can say for certain that the rampage of the Nightmares that occurred during the Solar Eclipse was not coordinated. Then there's the issue of the Armoured Tank San toppled into Bloody Cape. Since Zanböngfar's defeat, the Nightmares acting under him have become less organized. Most of the tasks we've had to deal with as Dream Knights have been focused on suppressing rogue Nightmares as well as containing possible potential outbreaks of chaos their activities could trigger so for the most parts we've been acting as more of a clean-up crew. Thankfully, Zanböngfar's rampage all those years ago, as unfortunate as it was also served as a kind of deterrent and people have become less violent since. This has in a sense also limited how much damage Zanfar's Nightmares can inflict in the World Of Reality" my Dad explained.
"That's true. It's like Ai said all those years ago. By containing various potential outbreaks of chaos through peaceful negotiations and treaties on the part of humans and sealing rogue Nightmares while simultaneously severing their influence on the part of Dream Knights, we've been able to prevent isolated incidences of trouble from converging into the proverbial inferno Ai spoke about years ago" Victoria said.
"But something still bothers me. It's true, Zanfar has lost the ability to coordinate the rogue Nightmares however there is one pattern that disturbs me. Of late beginning with the Armoured Tank, most of the incidents we've had to deal with particularly those San was involved in occurred in Central Dream City. Arlene also reported during the Solar Eclipse that the vast majority of invasions occurred around the coastal regions. I hope it's just coincidence that San happened to be involved in those two incidents. If not, for one thing, he might have been targeted by the Armoured Tank and for another, the rampage that occurred during the Solar Eclipse may have provided the perfect smokescreen for something more sinister" my Dad said.
"What do you mean by that?" Ai asked.
"This is just a guess but that event was the largest outbreak of Nightmare activity leaving out the Battle Of Black Water Bridge and Zanböngfar's rampage. It took the combined forces of the Dream Knights and Gamma Knightmares to suppress it. We were more or less all occupied. I hope it's just my imagination but that could have also created the perfect opening for a rogue Nightmare unaffected by the eclipse to cause damage to areas our attention was not drawn to" my Dad said seriously.
"And why would they do that?" Face asked.
"One possibility perhaps is to unseal Zanfar" my Dad said seriously.
"If they wanted to do this, they'd need the Seven Elemental Stones Of Virtue" Ai said seriously.
"I've been wondering though Zan. Could there be another reason why your family is attacked more than any other party of Dream Knights by the rogue Nightmares?" Face asked.
"Aside from the fact that the rogue Nightmares bear a grudge against me for sealing Zanfar, the only other reason is simply because I am a Dreamweaver. Zanfar's intention was to fuse with a Dreamweaver and utilize our ability to merge Dreams with Reality to turn both the Dream World and Real World into a perpetual Nightmare. He also intended to wipe out all of humanity and seemed to believe that the key to fulfilling his plans lay within my Dreams" my Dad said seriously.
"I see, if the rogue Nightmares also believe that fact, it's no wonder you've been continuously targeted" Face said.
"So what's the plan?" Ai asked.
"San and my Dad successfully sealed all the pathways of infiltration linking the Dream World to the Real World during the Solar Eclipse however, the repeated appearance of Nightmares in Central Dream City and the fact that the coastal regions were the largest points of infiltration indirectly suggest that the veil linking the coastal regions of Dream City to the Dream World has thinned significantly. It is possible that we may be dealing with more invasions from now on. As a precautionary measure, I was thinking of having Mitsuki, Arlene, Concordia and my own kids enroll in Great Dreamers' Academy. Arlene's Christopher should help her detect any outbreaks that occur. Concordia's Kraken Andromeda allows her to defend vast areas and if things get too difficult, Mitsuki should be able to immobilize any adversaries. Saito, Keiran and Ariel are very useful in battle as well. Their Dreamweaving abilities, Keiran's command over multiple elements, Saito's leadership skills and Ariel's ability to nullify curses should come in handy as well" my Dad said.
"Cool! We finally get to see what school is like! Don't get me wrong, I totally enjoy our private sessions at home" Ariel said excitedly.
"Also, the fact that you'll all be at the same place should allow you to mobilize more quickly when an attack occurs. Face, Vikki, Ai, Prince and I will investigate a bit more" my Dad said.
About an hour later, Mitsuki, Concordia, Arlene and my siblings were seated in one of the many gardens in our residence.
"Enroll in Great Dreamers' High huh?" Concordia said.
"If most of the recent dangers have been occurring in Central Dream City, this is actually a prudent precautionary measure" Saito said.
"What do you guys think? Do you really think San is being targeted by some sinister force?" Mitsuki asked.
"For now, we can't say for sure however it is true that Zanfar has always been after the power of a Dreamweaver. He has already been beaten once by Mom and Dad so in his eyes, they'd be first class threats to his plans. It's unlikely he'd come after them again. Keiran, Ariel and I are also Dream Knights. We may not be as strong as Mom and Dad but during most Dream Knight Missions, Mom and Dad are always monitoring our movements along with the Dream Knights, Dream and Nightmare Kings. If he came after us, he'd meet overwhelming resistance. If I were Zanfar, I'd go after the one amongst us who appears to be the most vulnerable. It's well known amongst Dream Knights that San has so far been unable to summon a sigil and does not participate in Dream Knight duties. Even if he has not manifested abilities yet, he is still a Dreamweaver. The perfect time to attempt capturing San is while all of us were busy dealing with an outbreak. The Armoured Tank intercepted San on his way to school. It may have been coincidence and the Armoured Tank may not have been targeting anyone in particular. But if San was indeed being targeted, the implication is that the Armoured Tank was somehow aware of his movements and the routes he usually takes" Saito said seriously.
"What are you trying to say Saito?" Ariel asked.
"I'm trying to say we're being monitored…well that's if San is indeed being targeted" Saito said seriously.
"For now San should be safe training under the Nightmare King. I'm certain Zanfar fears the Nightmare King even more than he fears your Dad. If San is indeed being targeted, there should be less outbreaks as well while he remains in the Dream World at least in the World Of Reality…but that is assuming that San is indeed the target. We can't know that for certain just yet" Concordia reasoned.
It was Monday. In her house, Ciella awakened from sleep. She walked down the stairs and greeted her parents.
"How is that friend of yours?" Mrs Solstice asked.
"He's fine" Ciella replied.
"I didn't know you'd made any friends yet since moving to this city" Mr Solstice said.
"Well, we first met at the park shortly before I began classes" Ciella explained. "Coincidentally, he's also a classmate" Ciella said.
"He? This friend of yours is a boy?" Ciella's mother asked suspiciously.
Ciella nodded.
"There's no reason to worry though. We're just friends" Ciella said.
"If you'd told us earlier that he was a boy, there's no way we would have allowed you to spend two nights in his home" Mr Solstice said seriously.
"I told you earlier on that he had suddenly fallen ill" Ciella said.
"How did that happen?" Mr Solstice asked.
"Well, we were at the field of Lunar Flowers and he said he'd be taking a little nap. When I tried to wake him later so that we could leave he remained unconscious so I had to call his family. Of course I'd be concerned enough to stay with them until he recovered" Ciella said.
"What was his diagnosis?" Mr Solstice asked.
"I don't know. He was simply in a coma for two days" Ciella said.
"Well, we're glad you're safe. With all the recent mob activity we're just concerned about you" Mr Solstice said.
"I'm heading for school" Ciella said after finishing her breakfast and clearing the table.
"We'll be driving you to school from now on until we're certain the streets are much safer" Mrs Solstice said.
Ciella didn't argue. She knew that the streets of Dream City were indeed quite dangerous after her encounters with the Armoured Tank and the invading Nightmares. She also knew she'd be much safer being driven to school by her parents than walking to school.
Her parents dropped her off at Great Dreamers' High's Gate. Ciella walked into her classroom and sat at her desk. She looked at the desk I'd been sitting at and sighed sadly.
"I hope you return soon San" she said.
When the clock struck eight o'clock on the dot, our teacher walked in.
"Goodmorning Students" he greeted.
"Goodmorning to you too Sir" my mates replied.
"I'm certain you are all aware of the recent spike in mob activity particularly of the events that occurred during the recent Solar Eclipse that took place last Friday. It has raised concerns amongst various authorities in Dream City. We on our part will do our best to ensure that you remain safe. For that reason, we've been working with your diligent Student Council body to acquire a number of buses to make your journey to and from school easier and safer. For those of you who still insist on walking to school and walking back home, I would advise you to walk in groups. You'll be less likely to be attacked as a group than as individuals. That's it for the precautionary measures. Now for some good news, we'll be having three transfer students joining in our class activities from now on" our teacher said.
"Come in" he called.
The door to the classroom opened and in walked three girls. They were Mitsuki, Concordia and Arlene.
"I'm Mitsuki Asante" Mitsuki introduced herself.
"Concordia Kenyah, what's up?" Concordia greeted.
"I'm Aileen Arlene Atlas Sabrefang. Pleased to meet you" Arlene greeted.
"Pleased to meet you too" the class greeted politely.
"Find yourselves some seats and make yourselves comfortable" our teacher said.
Ciella stared at Concordia as Concordia and Arlene approached her. Concordia and Arlene took their seats at either side of Ciella while Mitsuki took an empty seat right in front of them.
"Hello Ciella" Concordia greeted.
"You…You're Concordia Kenyah. We met at San's gramps' gaming studio" Ciella said in surprise.
"You do remember me after all" Concordia smiled.
"Could she be a Dream Knight?" Ciella wondered.