Axel's Promise

Prologue

Before Axel became a White Dove, he was just an average man.

It was a typical day at Axel's horrible, dead-end job; he was nearly falling asleep at his desk when his boss barged in and shoved a mountain of papers under his nose.

"Axel, I want those done by seven. Bring them to me once you're finished," The Boss said nothing more and exited Axel's office and left him to finish his assigned task, which Axel didn't have the time or the care to do; his boss mistreated him anyway, and he contemplated on quitting on several occasions.

Axel looked at the clock; five minutes to do all of this? There was just no way. Axel grumbled under his breath before standing up, gathering his things, and leaving the office in a huff. Axel didn't care what his boss thought about this sudden departure; he only cared about getting home on time.

As Axel went down the sidewalk, he was deciding whether or not to cook dinner, as he was too tired to even care about anything at this point. Axel undid his tie and held it in a fist as he approached his apartment. Axel slipped his hand into his pocket, grabbed his key, and opened the door before hanging his key on a dragonfly-shaped hook.

Removing his suit and throwing it haphazardly on the ground, Axel went upstairs and went straight to bed, ignoring the need for a shower or anything of that matter; he just wanted to get this night over with so he could prepare for the reckoning day, which was his boss tearing into him like a shredder.

Axel moseyed over to his bed, pulled the covers back, and climbed under the down comforter. Axel set his alarm to five o'clock before closing his eyes, allowing himself to transcend into dreamland; however, he was unaware that he was about to be transported somewhere else. Somewhere more magical. Somewhere where his efforts will be appreciated. The Giant Realm.

Axel began to dream about a white light; inside the light was a flock of doves, which began to lead him toward a rift within the white veil. A red aura soon appeared, which expanded, then exploded with a bright flash.

Before Axel knew it, he was in a mysterious world full of gigantic trees and monsters; it looked like Alaska or Canada, but it wasn't. Axel looked down and noticed that he had now scored a white tunic decorated with ruby buttons and silver details. Axel also noticed that he wielded some staff. The Ruby Staff.

The environment was as silent as Axel was, a serine stillness. Axel began to walk, admiring everything around him, soaking it all in. A voice soon rang into his head.

"White Dove! You have come! Your adventure awaits!"

Axel was soon transported into The Roost; his alarm went off.

Axel woke up and realized that he was in a completely different room. The bed he lay in had a down comforter and velvet pillows. The window beside his bed gave him a great view of the Red Timber Forest. Axel got out of his bed and stepped into the living room, where he noticed two female figures seated in chairs. One of the women had jet-black hair, while the other had brown hair. The black-haired woman gave Axel a soft smile.

"Welcome to the Giant Realm," The woman said. The woman noticed that Axel looked like he had come out of a trench. "I can tell that you're a new arrival. Here, wash up. The bathroom is over there." The black-haired woman pointed to the bathroom. Axel went inside to shower.

While Axel was in the shower, the two women began to gossip about Axel and other happenings in the Giant Realm. The black-haired woman was talking about how cute she thought Axel was, while the brown-haired one was complaining about being ignored by her female partner.

Once Axel finished showering, he stepped into the living room to explore.

"If you ladies don't mind, I'm going to do some exploring. I need to know my surroundings, and hopefully, I can better understand where I am," Axel said as he laced up his boots. Axel stood up tall. "I'll be back here as soon as possible, alright?"

"Okay! Don't go too far, though," The black-haired lady inquired. "There are a lot of creatures out there that can sense your lack of power."

Axel was about to step outside when the mention of creatures made him stop. "Creatures?" Axel turned around. "What kind of creatures?"

"Oh, you know, things that can swallow you whole," The black-haired woman replied. The black-haired woman gestured toward the door. "Outside, there should be a wolf waiting for you. He has black fur."

"I'll take a look." Axel turned back around and stepped outside before closing the door behind him. Axel looked around for a black wolf. "What was she talking about? A black wolf?"

The sound of heavy footsteps was heard behind Axel. Axel raised an eyebrow and turned around; his face went pale, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw the wolf in question, but it was forty feet tall! Axel put up his hands.

"Hey now, I'm not a chew toy, so stay back!" Axel exclaimed as he began to slowly back away, but the black wolf kept walking toward him; judging by its body language, the wolf wasn't aggressive; it was curious. Axel slowly extended the back of his hand toward the wolf, allowing him to sniff it. The wolf sniffed his hand and began to wag his tail. Axel smiled. "Well, now, I guess we're friends. Well, if we're going to be friends, I should name you."

The wolf lied down in front of Axel and stared at him in wonder; this was the White Dove he was assigned to, and he was happy to be his companion. Axel finally had the perfect name for his new canine companion. "I'll call you...Lobo."

Lobo. Lobo, the giant, black Dove Wolf. Lobo wagged his tail even more before he began to pant happily. A smile grew on Axel's face before he petted Lobo's snout.

"You're such a good boy!" Axel said excitedly. Axel walked to the side of Lobo and decided to climb up onto his back. Axel opened his arms and wrapped them around Lobo's back as best as he could. "You're so soft...."

Lobo soon rose to his feet and began to carry Axel around the area as if showing him around. Axel sat up and watched as Lobo carried him down the Red Timber Forest and toward Xenia's Temple, where the goddess of the realm, Xenia, resides. Lobo stopped near the temple, allowing Axel to admire the sights.

"Wow! This place is amazing! But...am I dreaming?" Axel pinched himself; no, he wasn't dreaming. This was real. Axel allowed Lobo to carry him back toward the Roost to meet back up with the ladies.

In such a beautiful place like this, could anything go wrong? Well, tell me. What do you think could go wrong?

Welcome to the Giant Realm.