Chapter 3-

Daydream

“Revenge?” The Ranger parroted, leaning away slightly from the Displacer before him with a scoff. “Who is left for me to want vengeance against? As you can see,” he paused to take a few steps back up towards his throne, “I have already taken my vengeance.”

“Have you, though?” The words caught Drakkon, making his eyes narrow behind his helmet. The lanky Displacer turned his back and started to pace away. “It’s true that you have jumped from one dimension to another in an attempt to hunt down a single man,” he paused to chuckle darkly, “if that’s what you can call him, but you have failed to break away from worlds that are already connected.” The Displacer turned and took several aggressive steps forward. “Even after taking that infernal machine for yourself, you still are no closer to breaching the Void.”

Drakkon forced his flinch down, though he had to admit that the sudden pressure he felt from the being before him was staggering. He looked down at the Displacer, his usual cocky grin replaced by a slight frown that made the Lord want to shudder. “...While you are correct,” the Ranger began, starting to step back down. “I fail to see how my failure to pass to other multi-verses is of any concern here.”

“Because you can’t get to him,” the Displacer answered with a hiss, his frown growing. “I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out for you like a child.” Drakkon’s teeth ground together at that, but he let his guest continue. For now. “The one we both want dead more than anything. The one that threw you into this shit hole in the first place. The one that stands outside your reach.”

Lord Drakkon’s eyes widened at that before a snarl erased any other emotion.

“Soldier.”

Kyle blew a strand of hair from his face as he scrubbed clothing in a bucket of warm water and soapwort. He rolled the garment around in the lathery liquid and stood with the shirt in hand, finding no stains. It had been close to four months since he’d entered Duke Silverline’s home, and in that time, he’d learned quite a bit. Mainly just how far back in the past the pones around him seemed to be.

Everything seemed to be very medieval to the young man, from manners and cooking to combat and laundry. However, he’d stuck to his chores and what little education he was given. Upon finding that he was already literate, all the Duke and his wife had done were teach some grammatics, including the male and female forms of pone, that were accurate to the time period he’d been sent to. That left him more time for combat training, something the blond was thankful for.

If I keep up the pace, he thought to himself as he hung the blouse up to dry. I’ll be a squire in no time. The thought made a smile grow across his face before it quickly faded as a dark thought invaded his mind. The image of his mother’s savage visage tearing into his flesh flashed into his mind, phantom pain erupting from his side in response.

“GAH!” The boy gasped, grabbing at his side and falling to one knee. The commotion drew the attention of another, the Duke’s wife, who had been busy with her own bucket.

“Fawkes!” She cried, auburn hair flowing as she rushed to his side. “Are you alright?”

Kyle clenched his teeth and eyes, mentally beating the image back, forcing it back to black. Then, after a moment, the pain began to fade, and he began to take deep breaths. A moment more and he opened his eyes and looked up at the matronly equan, the worry in her gold eyes making him flinch.

“Sorry, Lady Marigold,” he apologized, getting back to his feet with some help from the orangish Duchess. “Just a nightmare I had.”

The Mageling continued to stare down at him with worry, her attention lingering on the dark circles under his eyes. “Are Father Time’s remedies not working?” She asked, turning her attention to his gaze.

The young man merely shook his head. “They help a little,” he answered, still rubbing his side. “But they only help me get an extra hour or two before the nightmares come back.” He let out an irritated snort. “Better than nothing.”

Marigold seemed as if she were about to say something, only to be interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. “Your Grace,” the servant equan called, drawing the attention of both the Duchess and page. “Dinner is prepared, and His Grace has returned from Everfree.”

“Thank you, Heaven,” the older pone answered, giving a slight bow. “We will be there shortly.”

The servant girl bowed her head and turned, leaving the pair alone once more. Marigold looked down at Kyle, worry once more coming to her features. “I’ll send word to the Father,” she stated, straightening up. “See if there is something more he can do for you. In the meantime,” she began straightening her skirt to follow after Heaven Sent, “let us enjoy our dinner and see what news my husband brings.”

The young man nodded and followed behind, entering the castle of the Duke. It wasn’t long before they entered the great hall, Silverline already at his place at the head table. Numerous others sat around the central firepit, the wood thankfully unlit in the Summer heat. Kyle continued to follow Marigold until they reached the head table, The Duke looking up with a smile as his wife approached, the couple sharing a kiss before the equan sat beside her husband. Kyle sat just one chair away from the Duchess, leaving his hands in his lap as he looked down at that table in front of him.

“What news comes from the Princess?” Marigold questioned curiously, drawing a smile from the blond equon.

“To the quick as always,” he chuckled before turning to face her properly. “The Princess gathered all of her generals to speak of a possible growing threat in the East. It would appear that the young Lord Tirek has come to power.” A frown crossed his face, and he turned away a moment. “The brute,” he murmured before he shook his head. “We are unsure if we should even be threatened by him at all, but the fact remains of what he did those many years ago.”

Both the Duke and Duchess frowned deeply at that, leaving Kyle in confusion. “What did he do?” He asked, looking between the two as he caught their attention.

Silverline looked at him with wide eyes before a slight laugh shook his shoulders. “Sometimes I forget you are not familiar with our history,” the Duke chortled before straightening up. “Thirty years ago, a pone was kidnapped from our lands by a centaur known as Sendak. He had a student, a prince named Tirek, and together they studied the pone, a Mageling like us, and attempted to steal their magic. The result was anything but subtle, and both Sendak and Tirek were punished, and the pone returned to us.”

“And now this guy is in charge of his kingdom,” Kyle finished, a frown coming to his face. “And considering his curiosity in pone magic, he could be gearing up to come our way.”

A bright smile split Silverline’s face at that, a proud grin if ever the young man had seen one. “Exactly,” the Duke replied, giving a nod. “While the caution is split down the middle amongst myself and the other knights, I believe that Tirek could very well be headed our way. The only question is when and how.”

The young man nodded at that, his mind already racing. His hand slipped behind his back, fingering the buckle that held his morpher in place, the cold feeling of metal comforting him for a time. However, his master shook him from his thoughts as he spoke again.

“As for more exciting news,” the equon continued as servants began to serve their plates. “The Princess seems to actually be thinking of relocating the capital.”

“Really?” His wife questioned, raising a brow. “What has made her change her mind?”

“Can’t an equan change her mind to change her mind?” Silver asked in return, a smirk on his face as his eye twinkled and he reached for his drink.

“Not that aunt of yours,” Marigold replied with a bit of a smirk of her own. “Stars knows she’s as unmoving as they come.”

This drew a laugh from the Duke as he put his goblet back down. “You’re very right,” he agreed, turning back to face her. “There have been some strange occurrences in the forest. The animals seem to be drawing further away from pones, and some are reporting new creatures we’ve never seen. That’s all we have, though, reports, though they are still concerning. One equon even claimed to have been attacked by a tree in the form of a wolf.”

“That is strange,” the orange pone murmured before shaking her head and looking back to her husband. “Where is she thinking of relocating?”

The question made the Duke practically giddy, the grin on his face wide as he swallowed a spoonful of soup. “She’s put great thought into it,” he teased, side-eyeing his wife as he left her in suspense. “And while many areas have caught her eye, she’s thinking of moving to the mountain.”

A gasp left the equan that made Kyle jump a little as the Duchess’s eyes lit up. “Our mountain!?” She questioned, giggling excitedly as Silverline nodded with bright eyes.

“Plans seem to already be in the works,” the silver equon continued, gathering more soup into his spoon. “She’s yet to name it, though.”

“How exciting!” Marigold exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “Soon, we’ll be at the center of the world!”

“Too true, my dearest,” Silver agreed, his eyes coming up to survey the hall. “Soon, pones from all over will travel through here, bringing all sorts of new products and inventions. It will be a renaissance unlike any we’ve seen before.”

Kyle listened to the couple, their excitement growing with each word that passed between. In his mind, he began to think, wondering if this “renaissance” would be as great as the Duke said.

Later that day, as the light faded, Kyle walked the halls of Canter Castle, a book tucked under his arm. While reading had never really been his favorite pass time, he took the time to try and learn all he could about the world around him. The book he’d picked out was the only one he could find in the castle’s library over the countries overseas.

If Tirek is as big a threat as they say he might be, he thought to himself. Then I’d best be ready. I may not be a knight yet, but I’m still a Ranger. His thoughts were interrupted as he came to his room, Silverline standing before the door with a fist raised to knock.

“Kyle,” he greeted in surprise, turning to the young man and putting his hand behind his back. “I was just looking for you.”

“Well, you’re in the right place,” the blond replied, a light smile playing on his face as he stopped before his mentor.

A chuckle left the Duke. “Quite right,” he agreed. “I’ve come to discuss a few things with you if that’s alright.”

“Of course,” Kyle answered, switching the grip on his book to open the door before waving Silverline inside.

The equon gave a bow before entering, the young man following behind him and closing the door. Silver took a seat at the writing desk he’d given to Kyle for his studies as Kyle took the only other seat in the room, the edge of his bed. “I was told by Marigold that you had a bit of an episode today,” the Duke started, weaving his fingers together. “She’s very worried about you. So am I. We’ve written a letter to Father Time requesting his aid, but it could be a week or two before we see his presence.”

Kyle was silent for a moment before he let out a sigh and sat his book on the bed beside him. “I’m honestly not sure that was necessary,” he murmured, looking towards the floor. “The medicine he gave me works well enough to get me a few hours of restful sleep a night, and the nightmares don’t wake me up for several hours after. Besides that, I’m not sure there’s much else the Father can do for me. He was hesitant to use any magic to help me sleep. He was worried about what effect magic might have on me, considering I have no magic of my own.”

The knight sat silently beside him as he listened, allowing the boy to say his piece before speaking up again. “...Nevertheless,” he spoke up. “It is worth a shot, and it is our only shot. I can tell just by looking at your eyes how these nightmares are affecting you, and something must be done about them.” The pone stopped to take in a breath, letting his shoulders relax. “Especially considering that I’ll be starting your training as a squire tomorrow.”

Blue eyes widened at that, and Kyle looked up to see Silverline smiling a little. “You’re serious,” the young man stated, a smile starting to spread over his face.

“I am,” Silver confirmed, grin broadening. “Marigold and I both discussed it, and we believe you were probably ready to be a squire when you first stepped foot inside the castle, but we had to be sure. That and…,” the equon trailed off a moment, his gaze drifting, “with Tirek taking his throne, I fear we may require fighters sooner than the others think.”

The confession put a damper on Kyle’s mood, his features falling. He followed his teacher’s gaze to the book sitting beside him. A myriad of thoughts ran through his mind before he took a deep breath. “I’ll be ready,” he said, drawing Silverline’s attention to his stern features. “You, Marigold, Father Time, and the Princess have all done so much for me in the short time I’ve been here. It’s about time I started giving back.”

The Duke seemed a little surprised for a moment before that bright, proud smile from dinner returned to his features. “I’m sure you’ll do just that,” he replied, giving the young man a firm pat on the leg. “Tomorrow, your training begins,” the equon stated as he stood up, Kyle following suit as he headed for the door. “Get some rest. You’ll be needing it.”

Kyle thundered down the road, easily avoiding any obstacle thrown his way. Of course, it was always the same obstacles anyway. As he drew near his home, he lowered his shoulder. At the speed he was going, it was no wonder the door came loose as he connected with it, though he never stopped.

He continued his momentum by diving over the couch as his father smashed into the wall next to the open door. Kyle snatched up his blade from the fireplace, jumping to the side next as the couch was thrown his way. The young man turned to face his father, black ooze leaking from his every orifice and from under his fingernails.

The blond didn’t hesitate as the figure rushed him again. He slashed horizontally, cleaving through flesh with ease. As his father hit the floor in two pieces, he turned and ran once more, crashing through the kitchen door before Kira could let out her scream.

Kyle continued to run, faster and faster, trying with all his might to drown out the scratching that faded but never died. He took corner after corner, trying to change it up from his last run, yet knowing he’d still end up there. He came skidding around the final turn, his legs aching as he still ran.

His mother opened her eyes, her features forming somewhere between a snarl and an insane grin. “MONSTER!” She screamed, the high-pitched screech detonating in Kyle’s ears.

Still, he ran, his ears bleeding alongside the cut in his throat as he held his sword at his side. “Diiie!” He screamed out, lunging at his mother as black tendrils shot from her back. He dodged easily before striking out. His mother hissed as he cut through her tentacles, the visage jumping back to avoid his swing. Kyle pushed on, avoiding every stab of the oozing limbs while taking every opportunity to strike back.

The battle was constant, each taking a few shallow wounds from the other. All the while, the scratching in Kyle’s head grew louder, the young man knowing that it was drawing closer and that he was running out of time. His distraction proved to be his downfall, though, as a tendril shot forward and skewered his foot. A cry of agony ripped from his chest before a sludge-covered hand slammed over his mouth and nose.

His eyes widened as his mother dragged him into the air, her lips oozing as they split into a sharp-toothed grin. He could see the darkness closing in around them, though there was still some distance away. His attention was yanked back as he was shaken roughly, his eyes looking back down. “You should let it take you,” she hissed, shaking him again. “Monsters like you deserve to be in the dark.” Kyle’s eyes widened as the tendrils of her back reared back. Her grin gave one last twitch at the fear in his eyes before she lunged.

Author's Note

Kyle has begun to settle into House Silverline, learning their customs, traditions, and language. All the while, the nightmares persist, causing him pain even in the waking world.

Trying to correct last month's mistake which I know is just as frustrating for all of you as it is for me. For that I apologize but come next month, all will be well and we'll be right back on track. However, if you simply don't want to wait, check out my LinkTree, which will lead you to all of my social media and publishing sites, including DeviantArt, where you can find the full-sized images from this and other chapters, and my Patreon, where you can get all my content several months in advance along with some other content that is exclusive to Patreon. And with all that, I hope you guys enjoy, and I'll you in the next one!