As in a Dream, Part 38

Sorry this is late--I haven't been at a computer for a couple days unless I was working on Juries. Anyway here it is.


"Shit Shit Shit Shit," I said, looking at what was left of Birmingham. There were still fires burning, demons crawling around. There were people here too, though. Some of them were fighting. Good folks, I guess. Brave. I was sad to see the town I'd grown up in turned to rubble, waste, and even though I knew I needed to beat the dregs of the demons here I didn't really see the point--what was there that was left to say? But the voice in my head that I'd started to recognize as my uncle was telling me to attack, and so I did.

I focused on a group of three demons that were tormenting a group of men that had tried to attack them. I pulled my sword and charged, moving so fast that it looked like I just teleported next to them. before they noticed I was there two of them were dead, and the third didn't have much longer. The rest of the day went similarly. I cleaned up the whole city. It took a long time, though, and when I was done the town was busy trying to rebuild itself. I went back to Alex's place to rest.

"There you are," Adrienne said when I walked in.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm tired as hell. God." My bones felt heavy.

"Well you should probably sleep," she said, smiling.

I did. Sleep came very fast, but my dreams were strange. Everything was blurry, but it all started with what looked like an angel standing before me. I was in the shape of a griffon, just like Harx.

"You're allegience shall change, shall be rearranged. Everything you think you know is wrong. Do not follow your heart--it will lead to the end of things. Beware of the man in purple armor."

His voice was like smoke poured over ice, whatever that was like, and my ears burned a little from it. Then he was gone, and another man rose in his place. I knew immediately that this was my uncle, the owner of this sword. I changed from a griffon into myself and faced him. He looked just like me, which was odd. He stared in my face, and I voiced something that had been on my mind for a long time.

"I don't want to do this anymore," I said. "I don't want to be this man, I don't want to be you--ever since I've got this sword I've changed, and I won't have it anymore."

My uncle only frowned a little. "I didn't want to do it either. I was forced, similar to you. But as I was told that sometimes it's not what we want that matters but what is neccessary. What the world demands us to do."

He sounded like me too.

"I need you to be brave, boy. I need you to be strong." And he was gone.

The next vision was that of Adrienne. Behind her was Alex, Stewart and Zach. Adrienne was crying. Zach was holding a sword to Stewart's throat, and Stewart was smiling, his red eye gleaming. Alex looked lost, but there was a weak smile on his face like all this didn't matter. I felt the sword in my hand--my uncle's sword. It was vibrating faster and faster. It suddenly shattered, tearing my hand apart. There were only three fingers left on my left hand--the thumb, fore and middle finger. Stewart laughed at me, but it wasn't Stewart who laughed--it was Ser. A chill went down my spine.

I was shaken awake by Adrienne, who looked frantic. "What the fuck happened?" she said.

I looked down at my hand, where my pinky and rind finger were now missing. The sword was in pieces, shattered on the ground. Blood was everywhere. "I... I don't know..."



-The Knight