Ashugaren found himself surrounded by a black void. No matter where he turned, he could only see darkness. Light flooded the void. It pierced through his eyelids and when he attempted to cover his face, it shone right through. Blinded by light, he stumbled and he felt himself falling. Down he went.

He fell onto a soft surface. When he regained his sight, he looked where he had landed. It looked quite hard to him. He was lying on the cold stone floor of Kerning City. When he stood up, he tried to teleport, but found that he could not. When he saw a thief, he tried to ask for money to get back to Ellinia as he had no money with him. When the thief did not reply, he tried to tap him on the shoulder, but his hand went right through. It was only then when he looked at his hands. They were no longer the hands of a 7 year old, but the hands of a full grown adult. When he noted his clothes, he knew that he was in the dream world. These clothes are identical to the ones I wore to sleep.

He looked at the thief a second time. He did a double take. The figure was the Dark Lord! When he glanced at what the Dark Lord was looking at, he was shocked. Grendel looked exactly the same, but he was locked in furious combat with a Gate Keeper that somehow managed to escape Ludibrium. Grendel used Holy Arrow. Suddenly, the Gate Keeper spun around and sped for the Dark Lord. He instinctively raised his hands. A star flew from between his hands. It was an Avenger. I see. All the masters of Victoria Island are special in their own way. It is nearly impossible for a thief to use a hermit’s skill.

When Grendel saw the dead body of the Gate Keeper, he smiled at the Dark Lord. He knew what destiny awaited him.

Ash was no longer made of muscle and bone. He was now something ethereal. Water and mist sped through time and space. Ash found himself standing at a cave. A monster made of stone was encased in diamond, while a monster with giant wings was encased in rock. Tears welled up in his eyes. Grendel had taught him compassion, yet he was standing there, casting the spell that would make the monsters trapped in there for centuries. From his studies, he knew that monsters made of stone would not touch diamond, for it burned them and undead monsters would have their power depleted by rock.

He was shocked at what his master and tutor did. Though he knew that there had to be a reason for Grendel doing it, he blocked it out from his mind. He did not want to think about it. His power was so great, that when he woke up, he did not remember what he had dreamt.

***

The plan has worked perfectly. The boy has dreamt.

Yes, brother Zakum. However, the boy has blocked it from his mind.

That is exactly what we want. If he tells Grendel what he saw, our plan will fail. We want him to remember exactly what happened when he is making the choice. Grendel cannot stop him.

Indeed.

***

Ash awoke, his head buzzing. He knew that something had happened in his dreams, but he did not know what. He went out and looked at the scenery. It was then when he realized that he had barely slept at all.

Ten years later…

Ash was seventeen now, and his birthday was nearing. Though Grendel had refused to tell him what happened at his birth, he finally relented enough to tell him when it was. It would be the seventh time he had celebrated his birthday. He lay on his bed thinking what he should do. He decided to practice his magic at the Forest of Wisdom. When he went there, he saw a group of boys crowding around a tree. He teleported there and found they were harassing a boy. He used lightning and they fainted almost instantly. When he stretched out his hand to help the boy up, he blushed. That person was not a boy. She was a girl.

***

He has loved.