Head shaking. Body shivering. Sweat rolling down his forehead. This nightmare was worse than any he had ever experienced. A demonic creature rushed toward him with hatred and fury, its knife ready to plunge into his skull.
"NO!!!"
Landon jerked awake, sprawled on the old mattress he shared with the woman he called his mother. Darkness surrounded him. He sat up fast, breath trembling.
A loud crash echoed from the kitchen. A flicker of candlelight moved closer. He let out a shaky sigh. It was his mother. She had not been lying next to him, so she must have been awake.
Landon rubbed his eyes and wiped the sweat from his face. This wasn't the first time. Not the third either. These nightmares always felt real.
Tears formed as the woman rushed into the room. Her rough blonde hair was messy, and her once-white dress was dirty from days of survival. She dropped the candle and threw her arms around him, holding him tight.
Morgan was used to Landon waking in terror. More than once, she had even summoned a talisman to understand what was happening to him. But he never remembered anything. His mind erased every detail the moment he opened his eyes.
She stroked his hair gently, trying to calm him. Then she looked at his face and saw again the resemblance he carried. The same eyes as his real mother. Her closest friend. The woman who died giving birth to him fifteen years ago.
Ten years of living in endless darkness. Ten years surviving hunger, fear, and the screams outside. Creatures lurked everywhere, feeding on human flesh. Morgan only stayed alive because of the magical charm given to her by her friend. The same charm that protected Landon, the boy she raised as her own.
One day, she would have to tell him the truth. That she wasn't his real mother. That his mother was hunted by the palace guards, killed in the woods. Her head displayed on a spike with the accusation of threatening the king.
Sixteen years ago, Gwen discovered she carried the king's child. The king had been furious. He didn't want anyone to know he slept with the city's visionary. So he tried to have her killed.
She refused the poison he gave her and ran when he stepped away.
Fifteen years ago.
Morgan had been in the market when she spotted Gwen running across the street, guards chasing her. She dropped everything and followed through another path. She found Gwen hiding behind a barn, terrified.
"He tried to kill me, Morgan," she cried. "I thought he loved me."
Her water broke. The future heir of Elenador was coming, while the real queen still remained barren.
Present day.
"You'll be alright," Morgan whispered as Landon clung to her arm.
"It was terrible, Mother," he cried. "They tried to attack me. I see them everywhere. Deadly and…" He pressed his hands to his head. The memory faded again. Morgan sighed. The same forgotten dream.
'Is he like his mother? A visionary? Seeing the future?' she wondered.
She held his hand and smiled softly. "Shh… it's okay. One day we'll understand it. But for now, you need to eat. We never know when it's day or night anymore. It's always dark."
She pulled him up. "I made some pottage. The last of what we have."
Morgan used the charm to sneak into a hidden store for food. Only the bravest dared go there.
Landon followed her, still dazed.
They sat at the small wooden table. Morgan set down two plates of thick, pale soup. She began to eat, chewing the plain taste. Landon only stared at his plate, appetite gone.
"Landon," she called gently. He looked up.
"Your food is getting cold. I know we've eaten this so many times already, but it's what keeps us alive."
He tried to lift the spoon, but it slipped from his trembling hand.
"I don't understand why this is happening," he whispered. "I grew up seeing daylight. What happened to Elenador? Why can't anyone explain it?"
Morgan swallowed her food hard. Her heart ached. She wanted the answers too.
"The truth always runs away just when you think you're close," she said. She had once overheard that the king made a pact with the devil. But no one knew why.
Still, she managed a hopeful tone. "One day, Elenador will be bright and happy again. I promise. But for now, eat."
Landon forced a few spoons down. As he stood to fetch water, a sudden chill shot through him. His gaze went to the door.
Then the banging began.
Snarls. Claws. The monsters that ruled the darkness were outside. The walls shook. The door rattled as if it would explode inward.
Terrified, Landon ran into Morgan's arms.
The Kingdom of Hades
Pluto, god of the Netherworld, sat on his tall throne, legs crossed, glaring ahead. Twelve dark prophets in black robes stood before him, trying to read the floating Book of Prophecy. Magic sparked from their hands but nothing worked.
Pluto leaned back with an impatient sigh.
"Useless," he growled. "We need the identity of the divine one mentioned in the prophecy. The one destined to destroy darkness. And you give me nothing!"
He slammed his clawed hand against the throne. The skull carved at the top rattled as the sound echoed through the chamber.
He rose. His long, thick tail dragged across the floor. His sharp wings twitched with anger.
"We must act. Elenador must fall. The future must be ours!"
He pointed his claws at the book. "Find that child. Rip the truth from the pages!"
The prophets exchanged worried glances. They linked hands and chanted around the floating book.
Dark enchantment filled the air.
A blinding light burst from the pages.
Pluto hissed and shielded his face. Light was the only thing he feared.
"Show his face!" a prophet shouted, struggling to hold the spell.
"We can't!" they cried. "He owns the future!"
Pluto froze. Those words terrified him.
"Stop!" he roared.
The prophets collapsed, panting.
Pluto thought for a moment. Then a wicked smile curled on his lips.
"I know how we'll find him. His dreams." His voice dropped low. "Invade them. Follow them. Break his mind."
The prophets nodded weakly.
Pluto walked toward a tall, dim mirror. The surface rippled like black water.
"Dark Knight," he called. "Come forth!"
A distorted figure appeared, armored head to toe.
"Pluto," the voice echoed. "Always a problem. Light ruins everything."
"We must find the royal child," Pluto said, pacing. "The one from the prophecy."
"I have seen him," the Dark Knight replied. "In the realm of dreams. He is royalty."
"Royalty? I wiped out the royal family ten years ago," Pluto muttered.
"Not all of them," the Knight said, voice booming. "Let me rise. Free me, and we will rule the world!"
The mirror turned dark again.
Pluto called, "Fiend!"
A small dark toad jumped onto his shoulder.
"Go to Elenador. Watch. Listen. Bring me the one I seek."
A prophet cleared his throat.
"Why not ask King Malik?" he suggested. "His soul is still trapped. He may know more."
Pluto's eyes narrowed with interest.
Without a word, he turned and headed into the chamber of lost souls.