With a start he awoke, his eyes shooting open, the normally warm green hues of his iris having almost disappeared amid the pitch-black enlarged pupils, his face stuck in silent despair.
The echoing scream of 'Lyon!!!' lingered in his head even as he lay frozen. Stuttering breaths filled the air for a few long moments. Whatever horrors lurked in the boy's mind went back into hiding as he slowly came to.
Ghoulish figures flashed in the depths, and a piercing scream seemed to walk the line between dream and reality. With eyes regaining focus, the boy finally registered that he was no longer in that nightmare.
His gaze roamed along the dark marble ceiling above him. The boy took a moment to gather himself. Once his heart slowed its frantic thumping, he let himself relax into the bed for a moment.
His mind went over the differences. An ocean of blood sat at the end of a barren world, black embers falling from the sky. Chains rattled with an ominous rumble that seemed to make space and time shudder.
The anguished wails of countless lost souls howled in symphony amid a winter wonderland. He saw all things grow and prosper only to be snuffed out one at a time.
He turned over in his bed, infusing a sliver of his energy into the circular port of the clock resting on his nightstand. "5:00... huh" he muttered as he slipped out of his warm bed.
A phantom breeze made him shiver slightly; goosebumps rising on his bare chest. His skin glinted like furnished bronze as he rose to welcome the rising sun.
Sunlight peaked through the royal purple curtains covering most of his room in darkness. His compact muscles popped as he stretched in the crisp morning air.
He had recently started enjoying these early mornings. The crisp morning air calmed him; the quiet beauty of a day not yet ruined helped to clear any lingering tension from his body.
Finishing his stretches while trying to ignore his sore muscles, he had to stifle a loud groan of pleasure as he felt the gentle and cool Kei energy actively coursing through his body.
Now he could fully agree with the elderly people he always saw doing yoga on his early morning runs. If only it didn't take damn near supernatural nightmares waking him up at the crack of dawn.
He shuddered again, this time from trying his best to forget the nightmares that still plagued his mind. "Still the same dream... honestly a couple times can be chalked up to overtraining, but this stuff just doesn't make sense".
Lyon noticed that he was about to get caught up in his own thoughts again. He already knew how to find out what was happening to him.
He also knew that he needed to be stronger to find those answers. He took a deep breath, allowing the cool, slightly charged air to calm him down.
'People say attending the Royal Academy can make new enrollers nervous, maybe I have just been allowing my nerves to get the better of me.'
Lyon thought as he sat down on his cultivation mat, though he couldn't help feeling like there was something important in his dreams that he was missing.
Lyon tried to focus on his morning practice and sent a burst of kei energy into the circuits of the mat.
This version was made specifically to enhance Kei sensing ability. The mat was a true work of technology that made Lyon curious if the dwarves or elves had made it.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on clearing his mind completely. He regulated his breathing, the mysterious rhythm resonating with the Kei around him.
His heart slowed as the chilled energy washed over his restless body. As his breathing stabilized, a ripple seemed to appear out of thin air behind him and began to slowly spread out in the space behind his head.
A faint black shimmering glow with a faint outline of scales that seemed to form the hazy image of a coiling black dragon with wings tucked to its side that started to glow with a piercing purple light.
The dragon shifted, intelligent eyes seeming to focus on him. The ripple settled, and what was left in its place was a door made from the very void. Three feet wide and four feet tall, wrapped in 10 chains that glowed a brilliant silver in the dark room.
Slowly, an outline appeared on one of the four previously unseen orbs embedded in the door. The dim orb began to glow with a purple and black color. As the glow receded, Lyon was no longer alone in the room.
Floating in place of the ominous door was a small orb, barely the size of a fist. It was filled with radiant black lightning that silently crackled with untold might. The light of the orb pulsed to the tune of Lyon's heartbeat.
Entering the room, the orb trembled, stretching out to reveal a being made from living shadows and thunder. Amethyst eyes so dark they glowed nearly black watched the surroundings.
The shadows bubbled quietly, the floating eyes ablaze with an otherworldly splendor shifted, registering the boy sitting unaware on the floor.
The shadows boiled fiercely for a second. They suddenly stilled, paused in time by an unknown force. The creature stepped out of the shadow realm, distorted images faintly visible behind them.
The shadowy spot of wrongness leaked out 4 feet of dripping wet shadows that sparkled like lightning clouds.
It spilled into the air a deep black color. The morning sunlight shining in from the curtains was barely able to disperse the shadows. Only the blazing eyes adorning the figure glittered with reflected light.
As its clawed feet and wings spread open, the creature seemed to find the environment enjoyable. Scaled lips pulled back into a vicious snarl meant to convey enjoyment.
The razor-sharp teeth that filled its gums flashed with a silvery brilliance, giving the creature an appearance that showed she was no prey animal.
The creature stretched and extended its wings. The underside of its body was covered in smokey gray patterns. The perfect camouflage for the hunters of stormy nights.
The pattern seemed to move as the light in the room reflected off her wings, revealing a wingspan nearly as wide as he was tall.
Feeling the presence behind him, Lyon opened his forest green eyes to watch the actions of the summoned reptile behind him.
Seeming to finally gather its bearings, the dragon zeroed in on her partner, wings barely moving as she glided straight to her favorite spot, his back.
Her growing wings folded tightly to her side. Her serpentine body loosely wrapped around his waist and neck with a flexibility that many would sooner associate with a snake.
Lyon panicked for a moment, assuming that he was going to be in for another painful session of back aches. That was when the dragon was covered in a purplish black membrane of energy.
In the blink of an eye the human sized dragon was gone and in its place on his back was his Spirit shrunken to only 1/3 her normal size.
Her wings tucked in wrapping around his torso and neck with her head resting on his right shoulder. Seeing the playful glint in the dragon's sparkling amethyst eyes, Lyon patted his partner on her head with a smile greeting her warmly.
"I'm glad to see you have managed to control your size. It would have been a shame if the great Lightning Shadow Dragon Azera was the only Innate Spirit to fall behind on the very first day of class."
Lyon grinned a bit wider as he felt his best friend squeeze his stomach area a bit. He could have sworn he even saw a faint blush on the dragon hatchling's face.
Lyon was happy and at peace for a moment. Despite the creepy repeating dreams and the upcoming orientation for the strongest Academy on the Continent.
He couldn't help but laugh out loud, feeling lighter in his heart knowing that no matter what, at least he would never be alone.
Lyon took one glance at the hatchling that was blowing little purple sparks into the air from embarrassment and felt his nerves settle.
It wouldn't be easy, but he knew that whatever mysteries and dangers may come, they would conquer them together. That was enough for him.
(Lyon's POV)
Roughly an hour later, he opened his eyes once again and exhaled the slightly turbid kei inside him. More awake and ready to face the world, Lyon opened the door to his bedroom and stepped into the hallway of the mansion he called home.
As soon as his door opened, he came face to face with a passing servant. When she saw him she stopped, making her customary greetings.
"Good morning, young master Lyon," the servant girl greeted, bowing slightly in respect. "Good morning, Maria, is my uncle awake yet?" Lyon questioned with a slight concern, knowing his uncle sometimes lost track of time.
"Of course! The sir has been waiting for you in the Den; he even had us make your favorite breakfast. The sir might seem overly casual at times, but he takes your future very seriously and this is the first and most important step of your journey."
Lyon smiled and listened to Maria's rambling, knowing she meant well. It wasn't that he didn't believe her. The problem was, Lyon knew exactly what his uncle was up to.
"I had better get to breakfast. It still feels unreal that this will be the last time I eat at the house for so long." Lyon said, thinking again about his upcoming year at the Royal Academy.
Noticing his reminiscent and slightly sad look the girl panicked slightly and hurriedly tried to cheer him up, "Young master is always welcome back to the manor!" She replied with her eyes beginning to redden.
"No matter what those stuck-up nobodies say or think, know that we all have your back here!" Maria spoke with a passion and fervor that left Lyon wondering at its source.
He waved away her concerns, thanking Maria and continued on his way to the kitchen. Walking down the halls, Lyon wished he didn't have to follow these stupid customs.
He was born in the Duke Sable household. As a distant relative of the Royal Family, they had no choice but to stay in Aserx.
Thanks to his bloodline and his frankly terrifying talent, Lyon found himself being forced into the Royal Academy. Though he had to admit, he wasn't against spending the next few years learning the ways of Kei Masters
Thinking about all the rumors and urban legends surrounding the Royal Academy gave Lyon a strange sense of anticipation. 'If half of the rumors are true then I might be able to get closer to my goal.' Lyon thought, ignoring the tight feeling in his gut.
He blinked, only to realize he had already walked down the stairs and all the way to the kitchen and thankfully some food. He entered and saw the only other person living there that wasn't a servant.
"Good morning, uncle," Lyon spoke. His uncle jerked slightly, slowly turning his silver head towards Lyon. A faint scent of alcohol hit Lyon's nose as his uncle's murky brown eyes started to clear in recognition.
"Ah… Lyon, my young strategist, good morning to you as well," he replies with the same dry tone Lyon had heard his whole life. His uncle moved slowly, casually taking some toast and eggs onto his plate and moving towards the dining table on the other side of the room.
Watching his uncle move past him, Lyon couldn't help silently sighing with a complicated light in his eyes. The withdrawn drunk Lyon had grown up with looked very different from the man he had once been.
Mark Sable was and always would be an imposing man. His dark brown skin was covered in scars, while his eyes held an endless indifference for most. With his silver-streaked black hair and 6ft 4in (1.93m) frame, he was quite intimidating.
He could still crush a 4th realm Kei Master with one punch. He still trained his fighting skills and combos every day. Many people would assume that the taciturn man was the model warrior.
Lyon could tell though, while the man in front of him might be physically stronger than his younger self, his aura had changed. Before, he felt like a giant mountain that would hold up the Heavens themselves if needed.
Now though he appeared more like a rusted war machine that had been decommissioned for years. In comparison, while Lyon also had a decent frame for a 15 year old he was only 5 foot 3 (1.6m).
Unlike him, however, Lyon had pure silver hair that spiked outwards from the top of his head to his neck. He honestly hated his exotic looks, they only made it even harder to go unnoticed in a crowd.
His eyes were forest greens that flashed emerald when the sun hit them. Together with his dark caramel brown skin, he had heard that he looked like the perfect mix between his parents.
Leaving his heritage alone for the moment, he moved towards the food the cooks had prepared and grabbed some juice, eggs and toast before heading to the table to eat.
After a couple of minutes of silent eating, Lyon's uncle decided to speak up. He sat up in his chair and cleared his throat to gain his attention.
"Nephew you must remember that when you are at the Academy you can't take the dangers there lightly. Just because the teachers will be there doesn't mean you will be safe.
Not to mention the school missions after your first year, once you are assigned a class you will essentially be on your own. Considering your circumstances, you must be extra careful and if possible, team up with others."
At this point he paused, his murky brown eyes moving up from his plate for the first time since sitting down. Lyon could barely stop himself from jumping away in shock at his uncle's sudden change.
His usual murky eyes were gone, now glowing with an almost otherworldly subtle but intense brown color that tended towards black. It gave off the illusion that he was looking into a deep cavern where a slumbering beast was waking up.
"But, above all else do not do anything that will get you killed" he said with such seriousness that for a second it seemed that the very air around them was compressed from his will alone.
Lyon was shaken for a moment before he reacted. He hurriedly nodded, he had only seen and felt a similar situation two times in his life. That was enough for him to understand things were finally starting.
After seeing Lyon nod his head, Mark seemed to calm down. Feeling that he had nothing else to say, Mark sighed, slumping back in his chair.
His eyes returned to normal, only they now flashed with undecipherable thoughts and emotions. Lyon just sighed and continued to eat while thinking about his uncle's warnings.
He could understand his concerns. Ever since the massacre, Lyon's uncle had kept him as safe as humanly possible.
It was no surprise then that his uncle would be so stressed about his enrollment. The Royal Academy was notoriously dangerous, and it was only made worse by the rules they followed.
Lyon soon finished eating only to feel a pull on his mind, looking down to see Azera. His mischievous dragon appeared before him with some raw bacon in her mouth and crumbs falling.
Upon seeing him she squealed in joy, though the sound was muffled by the kei beast meat in her mouth. Sighing again at how different his partner acted in public and private, he sent her his thoughts to let her know of their departure.
He stood, waited for Azera to settle in her spot and made his way back towards the stairs with his uncle following silently next to him. As he passed the stairs, he could see the servants watching him with concern clear on their faces.
He walked through the foyer and towards the beginning of a life Lyon could never have imagined given a hundred more prophetic dreams.
Pausing before officially leaving the mansion, Lyon looked back at his uncle. He stood at the entrance watching him off. His muddy brown eyes shook slightly as they met Lyon's.
"Uncle, I will excel at the academy and become a World Master and find all those who hurt our family", hearing Lyon's words his face twitched, his eyes shaking more before turning into a calm expanse of brown that gazed at him calmly.
"Stay safe before you think about that, you can't do anything if you're dead. Plus, I would have no way to explain to your parents when my time comes." Uncle Mark said before he began to head back upstairs.
Lyon watched him leave, only to see him pause and look back, a strange feeling appearing in Lyon's heart. He somehow got the feeling that he wouldn't be seeing his uncle for a very long time.
"Remember to follow your heart, and don't ever forget there is family here who loves you Lyon" and with that he ascended the stairs back to his bedroom.
Standing there, he let the foreboding feelings pass through him for a moment. After collecting himself, he checked the table to his side and grabbed the letter of acceptance the Academy sent, clenching the gold embroidered packet it came with.
Noticing the time reflected off a nearby clock, Lyon left the mansion, walking towards uncertainty. Looking back, perhaps his life would have been easier had Lyon just listened to his uncle, but that is a story for the future.