A Tale of Sorcery - Ryder's POV

The Dream

Hi guys! Welcome back!

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter of the story!

Happy reading!

As I said earlier, it all started with a dream.

I was in a grey field filled with white trees. The land had a smooth surface and all the trees had clocks ticking on the branches. Curious, I walked around the field. All the clocks were moving at different speeds - some faster, some slower. Some even stopped ticking. It was all very hypnotising for me.

As I walked, I noticed that there were names engraved on each tree. I saw some names like Ashley, Miranda, John and Marcus. There were plenty of trees without any clocks on them. Others had less than a dozen. I didn't know what the watches meant, but it made me sad to see so little on trees.

Eventually, I came across a ginormous tree with thousands of watches on the branches. Again, all the watches were moving at different speeds, but all of them were still ticking away.

When I looked at the base of the tree, I saw that the tree stopped ticking at 3:33. When I looked up further, I saw a name.

"Brystal," I read, saying the name like an enchantment. It sure felt like one. To me, the name was humble but powerful at the same time. I hadn't met this Brystal, but from all the clocks ticking, I could tell that she must be a good person. How, I didn't know.

"She shouldn't be here," a woman's voice said. "Her purpose has only just begun."

The voice came so unexpectedly that I visibly jumped. A woman was speaking on the other side of the tree. Although I knew this was a dream, I didn't dare to make a sound. I didn't want her to see me.

I saw the shadow of a man floating. I had to hold my arm to stop it from shaking.

"You need her alive as much as the world does," the voice persisted. "Dead is an essential part of life - it's what makes people appreciate living - but you forget that life is an essential part of you. If you don't send her back to earth, the Righteous Army of the Dead will destroy so many lives, you'll become irrelevant."

The conversation sounded awfully ominous. It felt wrong for me to intrude, even if this was a dream. I silently willed myself to leave, but of course, nothing happened.

"I made a mistake," the woman said. "Someone used my emotions to play me like a fiddle, and I gave them everything they wanted. But if memory serves me correctly, you made a very similar mistake once. Someone blinded you with desire and tricked you into giving them something you regret very much - something that still haunts you to this day. Perhaps if you send Brystal back to earth, she can fix both of our mistakes."

So this Brystal had died, I realised. I looked at the clock again. It had stopped at 3:33. Was that the time she died? Curiousity got the better of me, and I couldn't stand it anymore. As sneakily as I could, I looked out from behind the tree. There were three people standing there. The first was a woman with pale skin. She had red lips, wide, dark eyes and long black hair. I assumed that she was the one that had been talking earlier.

The second was a 10-foot-tall man. His face and body were hidden under a pitch-black cloak. He looked threatening to me, but I didn't feel scared. Instead, I felt curious. He looked wise and ancient, like a mentor.

The third was the girl I assumed was Brystal. She had large blue eyes and brown hair braided down her shoulder, decorated with flowers. Her expression was a mixture of scared, confused and accepting. I was instantly drawn to her.

"If you send her back, I'll take her place," the first lady said. The man stopped and he looked at her with a scathing glare, and he received one in return. To me, it looked like they were communicating telepathically. After what seemed like forever, the lady nodded, like they'd reached an agreement.

"Very well," she said.

"What's happening?" Brystal asked.

"He's made us a counteroffer," the lady explained. "If I take your place, my father will send you back to earth on one condition - you must fix his greatest regret."

"What kind of regret?" Brystal asked. Good question.

"Many centuries ago, my father was deceived by a woman," the lady said. Wait, she was his daughter? I'm not sure if I was more confused or disturbed than before. 

"The woman claimed she could kill me with an enchantment from an ancient spell book," the lady continued. "The enchantment was as old as the earth, and Death had forgotten such a thing existed. In return for her help, the woman asked my father for immortality. By then my father was so desperate to have me back he accepted her proposal with no questions asked. Unfortunately, the moment he granted the woman immortality, she disappeared without a trace and never fulfilled her end of the bargain. This woman - this immortal - still roams the earth, making a mockery of everything life and death stand for. If you agree to find and terminate the Immortal, my father will send you back to earth."

"But how do I kill the Immortal?" Brystal asked. Also a good question.

"With the same enchantment she intended for me," the lady said. "My father will give you one year to locate and kill the Immortal. But if you haven't completed the task by then, the agreement will expire and your life will end."

Brystal suddenly went quiet. I assumed that she was thinking it over. If I was her, I'd do the same thing. There's no point trying to complete a task that you can't. She could only really accept the agreement if she thought she could do it.

"This enchantment - if it's powerful enough to kill the Immortal, could it destroy the Army of the Dead, too?" Brystal asked. I didn't have a clue what she was talking about. I don't really get out much.

The woman turned to her father, and he slowly nodded.

"All right then," Brystal said. "I agree."

Those two words seemed to make the air colder. At that point, I realised just how serious this all was.

"Then it's settled," the lady said. "Congratulations, Miss Evergreen, you've just made a deal with Death."

Time skip!!

I woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for air. I looked at my surroundings, just to make sure that I wasn't still in that field. Thankfully, I was back in my bed, at home, safe and sound.

I stumbled out of bed and put on my armour. Ever since I was a little kid, I've never been any good at sleeping once I woke up. I find morning flights much better. And a lot easier to do.

As I walked out of my house, I looked around the Dragon Keys. At night time, the place looked both mysterious and majestic at the same time. I've never been anywhere else, but I assume that not all places can look like this.

When I found Kitty, she was sleeping peacefully next to lava. I should mention it now - Kitty's my dragon. I did mention that I was a dragon rider, didn't I?

Anyway, when I found her, I whistled only loud enough for her to hear. When she opened her eyes and saw me waiting for her, she bolted upright, ready for anything.

"Hey Kitty," I whispered. "How did you sleep?"

Of course, I can't understand dragon that well, but based on how alert Kitty was, I'd say that Kitty had a pretty good night's sleep.

"Fancy a ride?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

As soon as I mounted Kitty, she zoomed into the sky like there was no tomorrow. She showed off several times, doing barrel rolls and sharp turns. I'd like to say that this was her easy maneuvers, but I know that she only does that when she wants treats.

Of course, I didn't give her any. Instead, I focused on riding and enjoying the scenery. The Keys were remarkably beautiful at dawn. Even though I've seen it many times, I was instantly mesmerised.

Besides, I welcomed the distraction. It helped me take my mind off a question that I didn't really want answered:

Who is Brystal Evergreen?

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

Let me know what you all think about it!

- Chloe :)