The Red Dream

(August, 2075)

'I winder what Hell looks like… Would it be flames and brimstone? Or endless torment? Would it be nothing? Or is this it?'

Lavender eyes took in the world around her. It was red. Beautiful landscapes shaded with black shadows, what was supposed to be a sparkling ocean - replaced with the color of the midnight sky.

The world was painted by a blood red moon, hanging high within a pitch black sky. Darkened further by blackened storm clouds heavy with rain.

When the first roar sounded, the earth shook. Mountains crumbled into the blackened ocean that rose to meet and engulf the massive boulders...

'Is this hell?'

***

"Miss Whitman, would you be so kind as to recite the last words of the beast?" Myriah Whitman, an olive skinned, black haired girl yawned quietly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stood. Blinking the odd dream away, she blindly grabbed the unopened book on her desk. With a glance at the whiteboard at the front of the classroom, Myriah flipped to the poem in question.

"Kaṭōkkiṉ nampikkai"

Wide eyes, shielded by black sunglasses stared at the two words that seamed to spell finality for her. 'Should it look like this?' She wondered as she held the book at arms length then brought it back into her line of vision. Checking the board again, she confirmed that she was on the right page. As she was about to read, the teacher spoke up again:

"Please remove your sunglasses." The elder woman asked in gentle tones. With a sigh, Myriah removed her sunglasses to reveal inhuman lavender eyes. Often mistaken as the color of rain.

She blinked as the bright lights of the classroom assaulted her vision. "Please remove the ear buds as well, Miss Whitman." The teacher murmured. Myriahs arms lifted begrudgingly as she slowly removed the buds from her ears to be bombarded with noise. She would dare to say that she could hear everyone in the school moving about.

Myriah would dare to conclude that she was beginning to lose her mind; after all how is it humanly possible to hear so much noise? She stood 5'4", slender and awkwardly beautiful with almond shaped eyes that gave way to a narrowed button nose and shapely lips.

The teenager took a deep breath to center and calm herself. 'Just get through the reading…' she chanted internally. 'But how am I supposed to read such strange looking words? Do I have the right book? Everyone else's books look the same…'

"Are you lost, Miss Whitman?" The teacher asked when moments passed and Myriah had yet to read. Myriah took another deep breath and gathered herself. She willed her heart to slow down lest she pass out, and she prayed that no one could see her shaking hands.

'Such a lack of composure would displease my father…'

Myriah looked at the poem and resolved to read the moving words to the best of her ability.

'I can do this.' She chanted in her head. 'I will do this.'

"No, Ma'am. I apologize for the delay." Myriah murmured in low tones.

The teacher gestured for her to begin.

~

"Kīyōṉi, itu uṉakkāṉa eṉatu kaṭaici paṇi..(Keyonie, this is my last mission to you)." Keyonie took a knee before his master, Zeru. "Nāṉ uṉṉait tōṟkaṭikka māṭṭēṉ, māsṭar (I will not fail you, master)." He promised as he brought a closed fist to his heart. "Āṇai eṅkaḷ vīṭṭu vācalai neruṅkukiṟatu. Akkuḻantaiyai avariṭam oppaṭaippatāka āciriyar āṇaiyiṭṭār (The Order approaches our doorstep. Aciriyar has decreed that you will deliver the babe to him)." Keyonie bowed his head and he nodded. "Eṅkaḷāl muṭinta aḷavu avakācam tarukiṟōm (We will give you as much time as we are able)-"

"Avar tayārā? Eṅkaḷukku atika nēram illai, māsṭar (Is he ready? We haven't much time, master)." Vamir murmured. Keyonie righted himself and started gather his weapons and belongings. Miru clapped Keyonies shoulder and he held fast. Blue met grey and there was a moment of finality before Miru spoke: "Nīṅkaḷ nakarntu koṇṭē iruṅkaḷ, kīyōṉi (You keep moving, Keyonie)." Miru ordered, "Nīṅkaḷ etaik kēṭṭālum, nīṅkaḷ etai uṇarntālum paravāyillai... Mēlum nīṅkaḷ etaip pārttālum paravāyillai (No matter what you hear, no matter what you feel ... And no matter what you see, you keep moving)." Keyonie faltered and Miru roughly shook him by the shoulder he was holding on to. "Eṉakku cattiyam cey (Promise me)." Miru urged, seeing the urgency in his eyes, Keyonie nodded shakily. "Inta paṇi ippōtu uṉṉuṭaiyatu, tampi (This mission is yours now, brother)." Daella murmured tenderly, "Eṅkaḷ paṇi iṅkē uḷḷatu (Our mission is here)." Keyonie felt the tears before they blurred his vision. Daella threw herself into her brothers arms, "Inta jeṉmattil cantikkat tavaṟiṉāl aṭutta piṟaviyil cantippōm, Tampi (If we fail to meet in this life, we will meet in the next, Tampi)." Keyonie held his sister close and he buried his face into her shoulder where he let his tears fall. He nodded. "Nāṉ uṟutiyaḷikkiṟēṉ (I promise)."

~

Myriah took a deep breath and she cleared her throat. She looked at the open book in her hands and started to read:

"Tukkattal alukiratu (grief stricken cries)

Iravu Velariniruttam (strike the night)" The classroom was eerily quite as Myriah read. Her voice resembled honey, smooth and sweet.

Gently paced as she read the first stanza.

"(ena) nalliravu vanattiliruntu ti vilukiratu ((as) fire falls from midnnight skies)

Kopam civappu nira kankalai nukarum (fury consumes crimson red eyes)"

Myriah took a moment to look up from the poem to see the classroom bathed in red. 'Just like my dream...' when she looked at the text again, her breath hitched. Instead of the poem she saw her earlier dream, pitch black skies with tumbling thunder clouds. Crumbling mountains being consumed by midnight waves...

~

Keyonie strapped his bow to his back and the quiver to his waist. He was in the process of tucking throwing knives into his wrist plates when Zeru tapped his shoulder.

"Kīyōṉi, itaiyum uṅkaḷukku vaḻaṅkukiṟēṉ (Keyonie, I bestow this to you as well)." The master murmured as he offered a sheathed midnight sword. "Itu āciriyāriṉ mutal māṇavaṉiṉ vāḷ. Itu turikkum kuḻantaik kāppāḷaruṭaiyatu (This is the sword of Aciriyar's first student. It belongs to the guardian of Turikum Kulantai)." Keyonie's breath hitched as he admired the sword, midnight black with elvish incantations neatly engraved down the length. The sheath was sheer white a thin white metal that only the elves could craft.

"Nāṉ perumaippaṭukiṟēṉ, māsṭar (I am honored, master)." Keyonie murmured as he strapped the sword to his waist. The remaining three students bowed their heads to offer Keyonie a farewell prayer.

"Turikum Kulantai." Daella murmured as she gathered the baby into her arms and offered her to Keyonie. The blue eyed man gently took the bundle and strapped it to his back.

"Ippōtu pō (Now go)." Zeru commanded.

~

Lost in the vision of her dream, Myriah blindly continued to read:

"Kopam en eluttu urivait turitiyatu (anger fueled by writhing mewls)

Tavarana vakkurutikal palivankum nakaikalai uruvakkukinrana

(Mistaken promises make vengeful jewels)

Tavarana nampikkaiyai verukkattakka kumattai celavitukiratu

(Mislead trust coats hateful lust)

Civappu nira karikal katalikka mutiyatavai... (Crimson red eyes unyielding to love)"

Silent tears slid down Myriahs cheeks as she concluded the second stanza, silently praying it all came together. The words, though complex looking were unusually easy to read. Perhaps all of those years of linguistic tutoring is paying off... The playful thought was forced to the side by the images - countless death and needless bloodshed... The sight made Myriahs chest clench painfully, but she paid it no mind. She wasn't in private. However one thought did keep plaguing her:

'There is something oddly familiar about this poem...'

~

Keyonie stood, sword drawn. He had since run out of arrows. He glanced at the steed bestowed upon him by his comrades, it laid sprawled out, lifeless, having sacrificed itself for his protection. His comrades were since slaughtered, the ache of their cries were imprinted on his throbbing heart. Keyonies' ice blue eyes glared at the hooded figures that surrounded him. He spared a glance to the quiet babe that was strapped to his back.

'Eppōtum amaitiyāṉa kuṭṭi (Ever quiet little one)...'

"Give us the child and we will spare your life." A hooded figure commanded as he pointed a sword to young mans throat.

The man's answer was to glare as he slowly untied the baby from his back and cradled it to his chest. He held the babe close to his lips and kissed the tiny forehead. 'Ciṟuvaṉē nī viḻittukkoḷḷum nāḷaik kāṇpēṉ eṉṟu nampiṉēṉ (I hoped to see the day that you would awaken, little one)...' Keyonie had been prepared to die for this child ever since 'Teacher' came to him and his comrades and delivered the mission to guard and watch over the child until the "Viḻippu (awakening)".

'Ippōtaikku nām piriyum iṭam itu pōl terikiṟatu kuṭṭi (It looks like this is where we part ways for now, little one).'

He was entrusted with the child's safety, and so he would ensure it ...beyond the span of his own life. The hooded figure grinned, dropping his sword to reach for the baby.

"Pātukāppāka amaitiyāka iruṅkaḷ. Valuvāka iruṅkaḷ, tūymaiyāka iruṅkaḷ. Mīṇṭum cantippōm

(Be safe silent one. Be strong, and remain pure. We shall meet again)." Keyonie whispered an incantation and the sleeping baby disappeared.

'Eṉṉai maṉṉittuviṭu Aciriyar (Forgive me, Aciriyar).'

~

"Appavi alaku. Kaivitappatta irattam (innocent beauty. Forsaken blood)

capikkappatta - Mele vanam (cursed be - the heavens above)

Mutal muccukku mun tirutappatta valkkai (stolen life before first breath)

Kirimcan civappu kankal mmaranankalai cariceyya piccai ketkinrana

(Crimson red eyes beg deaths mend) ... "

If anything else was on the text, it was lost to Myriah who stood shell shocked.

She felt a ghost of a caress on her forehead. 'There is no one in front of me…' Slowly, hesitantly, she dared to lift her head from the book in her hands, 'why would I feel anything on my head?' The book fell from her trembling hands as a startled gasp escaped her lips.

Lavender eyes were wide in terror as golden eyes glared into hers.

'Are you the devil…?' She wondered as she stared into the golden irises. 'Has the devil come for me?'

The blood red pupils seamed to bathe the classroom in red with midnight colored shadows... 'just like my dream…'

Myriah though as dread kept her frozen in place. 'Am I dreaming still? Will I wake up?'

She dared to wonder as those angry golden eyes glared into her own. Seeing, knowing… Calling…

'Such anger and hurt, it even hurts to breathe….' Memories blurred about her as her world started to tilt and spin.

'W-what am I seeing?'

Myriah could see the black beginning to coat her vision as the monsters breath seamed to burn and suffocate her.

"W - no - I-I-I-it's-" Her words were lost to her as the monsters' eyes seamed to consume her whole visual field. A growl rumbled from the creature, and silver smoke seamed to dance around Myriahs trembling form..

"Eluntiru ilainane." The monster growled in a deep rumbling voice.

And Myriahs world went black.