As I drifted off to sleep, I had a dream.
Memories of the past, twisted into a terrible nightmare. I was back in my old home, my parents stood in the doorway, their eyes glowing with a dark power that I did not understand, it was almost as if their souls were trapped and their power's were being used for evil.
I tried to reach out to them, but they were consumed by a swirling vortex of darkness, their screams echoed so loud through the empty space.
All of a sudden, still in the dream I was transported to another place.
I was back in the city, I could feel the presence of the hunters a few miles away from me, all of them were coming towards my direction in their thousands, they felt more powerful than they did before.
I was alone. There was no Soren, no Thane. The streets were silent.
And then, a hunter appeared.
In the dream, the hunter was tall and dark, his face a mere shadow in the moonlight, I couldn't really see his facial features. He advanced towards me, his footsteps echoed through the street's
"You've been running for a long time," he said, his voice deep and cruel. "But you can't run forever.
My heart pounded in my chest, as I gasped for breath. But instead of cowering in fear, I tried to summon my powers, a shimmering light surrounded me like a halo.
"I may have been running," I replied, I tried to keep my voice steady despite the trembling of my hands. "But I'm not running anymore. I'm fighting. For myself, for my people, for the world."
The hunter's face twisted into a sneer, but i didn't flinch. Instead, I channeled my powers, a blinding light erupted from my body, about to defeat the hunter, but suddenly.
My mother
My sweet mum appeared in his hand's, a knife to her neck,
Mummmmmmmmm, I screamed letting my defenses down.
Can't do anything again can you Arlie Archer, the Hunter said to me with a smirk, his voice getting deeper.
It's me you want, let her go and take me please!...I begged desperate to save my mother
But she was quiet, her eyes were all black, like she no longer had a soul, I couldn't feel her, her energy,her powers, like she didn't exist.
I was so mad.... My powers began to build up again
As soon as the hunter saw that, he smiled devilishly at me and all of a sudden he was gone.
That bastard was gone! With my mother!!!!!!!
I stood alone in the streets, panting and trembling,
My heart pounded in my chest, I was immediately sent into a state of panic and my powers began to stir vigorously, it rippled through my body like a current.
In my room, the objects around me began to shake, the windows rattled as if an earthquake was occurring within the walls.
My powers shook the school from its root's to the roof
The other students at Eleftheria aroused from their slumber, some alarmed, some intrigued, most of them came out of their rooms into the hallway.
The school continued to shake violently, the destruction grew stronger and more persistent.
Master thane heard the commotion and rushed towards Arlie's room.
"Return to your rooms, everyone," master Thane said in a calm, yet firm voice as he walked through the halls. "This is nothing to concern yourselves with. Please, go back to bed." The students obeyed, though a few cast curious glances.
"Arlie? Master thane said knocking gently on arlie's door. Are you alright?"
I was still deep in my nightmare, unaware of thane's presence.
He didn't get a response so he reached for the doorknob of Arlie's room. The door opened revealing a chaotic scene. The room was thrumming with energy, the bed shaking violently, the sheets tangled around Arlie as she tossed and turned, squealing in her sleep.
Thane stepped cautiously into the room, his fingers twitched as he wrestled with the volatile energy saturating the air. In all his years at Eleftheria, he'd never felt such strong power before, this power he felt was unique, raw, and formidable.
He flicked his wrist and placed two fingers over arlie's head and tried to pull her out of the realm she was in, he grunted in pain as blood trickled down his nose due to the strong power in the room.
After a while, Arlie's breathing steadied and the nightmare began to slip away.
Thane approached Arlie's bedside, his eyes soft with concern. "Arlie," he whispered, his hand hovering over her forehead. "Arlie, it's time to wake up."
I stirred in my sleep, as my eyes fluttered open. I blinked several times, disoriented and frightened. "thane?" i said with a hoarse voice.
"Yes, child," he replied, his tone gentle. "You were having a dream."
"No, no it wasn't just a dream"
It was, thane said dismissively
It felt sooo real,
I could feel so much death, I saw my mother! I said to Thane visibly scared, as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
"Arlie," he said, his voice as steady as a rock. "your mind is the most powerful I've ever seen, The power you wield within you is truly extraordinary. It will take time, but you will learn to control it, and when you do, you will have nothing to fear, you will see your powers as a gift."
You don't know what it's like to feel trapped inside your own mind, to have completely no power over something that exists within you " I whispered, my eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I don't want it.
Always know that your power is a gift Arlie, you have the strength to overcome it, to master it, to lead it not it leading you. Trust yourself, Arlie."
I took a deep breath and thought about what Thane Just said, "You're right," I said, my voice gaining strength. "I'll learn to control it. I'll master it."
Thane smiled, a hint of pride evident in his eyes. "That's the spirit, child," he said and patted me gently on my shoulder. "Now, get some rest. We'll start fresh in the morning."
Thane walked out of arlie's room still mesmerized and shocked at the Great display of power he had just witnessed
He was intrigued by the events of the night,
He walked straight to his office to seek the opinion of Celeste.
A fair-haired woman, his trusted assistant about what just happened.
He walked into the office to see Celeste staring out the window deep in thought.
"Celeste," he began, furrowing his brows in thought. "Have you ever heard of the "Anima"?
Celeste paused, while widening her eyes in suprise . "Anima?" she said, "I thought that kind of power had been stolen from our people by the Hunters generations ago."
Thane nodded, deep in thought.
"We know that the Anima power was stolen," he began with a gentle voice, "but I wonder if some traces remained, dormant for generations, only to resurface now. If that's true, then Arlie's powers are even more remarkable than we initially thought."
Celeste nodded in agreement, her mind swirled with possibilities.
No wonder!
The power she has displayed since she got here was like none I'd ever felt before, like what she did to marcus,his burns weren't ordinary And how she was able to save herself and that little girl from the hunters, locating this place alone! And to crown it all, everything that happened here this night scared even me, she shook this school from its very roots, this school was built with strong magic over a thousands years ago, not even the strongest earthquake should be able to crack it's brick.
But Arlie
She did all that while asleep, her powers truly aren't ordinary
"Do you think the Hunters know about this?"
Maybe they're trying to send her a message? she asked thane, a hint of concern creeping into her voice.
Thane hesitated, his gaze turning grave. "If the Hunters are aware of this, Arlie's life could be in danger." He sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. "We need to be cautious. Arlie's safety and those of all the students here comes first, if they find Arlie, they've found us all."
Celeste's expression turned serious, "Do you think we should tell Arlie about this?
Maybe it's time for her to know the truth behind her parents deaths" she asked, her voice was steady despite the gravity of the situation.
Let's not scare her because even we aren't sure it's the Anima yet, but if it truly is the we have a great chance at defeating the hunters and reclaiming all they stole, but that also means so much attention would be on her.
Let's keep it a secret for now Celeste, let's monitor her.
I'm sure by now she knows within herself that her powers aren't ordinary.
Yes Master thane, Celeste replied
Go get some sleep, we'll talk in the morning
Thane said and dismissed Celeste, he could barely get any sleep that night due to endless thoughts.