On stop of a cliffside, a tall man gazes out towards the dark sea, the surrounding winds whip into a frenzy. His overshadowed face remains hidden but his body stands straight and firm. A distance away, Axel Reyes, twenty-four years old, blocks his face against the harsh gusts. Thunder echoes from above, reverberating through his body.
“Hey, who are you?!” Axel tries to scream out.
The wind drowns out his attempts of shouting. Out in the darkness, past the figure, several ships face each other. Bells chime to signal both ships to prepare for battle. Rain pours from the sky, pelting Axel’s face when he tries to push himself forward.
“What’s going on?!” Each wind gust drives his momentum backwards, causing his feet to slide across the damp grass. Unable to get his bearings, Axel squints his eyes with his right hand above them trying to deflect the rain.
Another figure shimmers into view with a sword drawn above his head. The figure lunges at the first shadow man, brining the sword into a deep swing downward. A loud metallic sound rings out over the wind. The shadow man counters with his own sword, driving back his attacker. Right in front of Axel’s eyes, the battle between the two grows fiercer. Each side delivering blows of equal power. A sudden shift in the shadow man’s stance gives an opening for the attacker to kick them off balance, right onto their back. A sense of urgency overtakes Axel. He redoubles his efforts to try to make it towards the two figures. However, the wind keeps holding him back from any progress.
The attacker approaches with the sword raised over his head. He proceeds to bring it down, knocking the shadow man’s weapon away from him. A drop of rain hits the sword’s metal blade, its tip a few inches away from the shadow man’s throat.
“Stop it!” A sense of desperation fills Axel’s mind.
Pass both individuals, cannon fire erupts from the ships out over the ocean. A sea of flames rises between both sides consuming everything around it. Above in the sky two deep red animalistic eyes glare down at the destruction.
Pressure forces Axel to his knees. In front of him both figures shimmer, frozen in place for a moment, then melt away into the darkness. A deep growl is carried in the wind but Axel tries to reach out again.
“Waaaaiiitttt!” He screams.
Loud bird chirps rise from outside a bay window, early sun rays leak through a partially open curtain. Axel’s eyes snap open, his body reflex bolts him upright in bed. Through his labored breath, his eyes dart around the room trying to take in his surroundings. Sweat runs down the sides of his face, dripping onto his blanket. Taking a moment to collect himself, Axel takes in a deep breath then exhales to calm his racing heart.
"A dream?” he wipes the sweat from his forward, turning his gaze up to the ceiling. “This annoys me.” He falls backwards, closing his eyes again.
A tan striped cat jumps onto his bed, rubbing her body against his side, purring. Axel pets her.
“Morning Sera,” he stops petting Sera, and she leaves the bed.
Axel shakes his head to clear any unwanted thoughts. Freshly motivated, he slides out of bed, almost falling over a stray cat toy. Not missing a beat, he changes into a set of loose blue pants with a clean white shirt. Twisting his back in both directions, the routine of stretches helps to loosen the tight muscles all over Axel’s body. Lastly, he stretches both arms over his head to build up the flexibility.
Before leaving his room, Axel pulls a light blue jacket from the back of his desk chair. He throws it over his shoulder, while striding down a dimly light hallway. On the left side table by the stairs sits a picture from of a five-year-old Axel. Behind him an older man kneels down with his head placed on top of the child’s head. The man smiles warmly, but young Axel wears a pouty scowl face.
In a brief moment, Axel glances at the picture in silence. Without saying a word, he continues down the stairs and out the front door.
Waves crash against the shoreline before retreating back into the choppy ocean. Axel pushes himself through bush and tall grass, stumbling into a small opening with a few thick fallen branches. A slight breeze rustles leaves, snapping some of the smaller branches. He lowers himself to the ground, grasps a branch, aligning himself with a nearby tree truck. Sliding his feet to the left, Axel lunges forward striking the tree with alterative hits. Left. Right. Left. Left. Right. From above, leaves enter his field of vision. Axel switches postures, with a jump, he tries to life himself upwards at the lowest leaf. Behind him, a medium size bird lands on a nearby branch.
A loud squawk echoes, breaking the moment of Axel’s concentration. Losing balance, he misses his step, crashing back down onto the ground. Pain shoots through his body up into his head.
“You again? You haven’t learned your lesson.” Axel struggles to his elbows and twists around to stare at the bird. The hawk-like bird with a scar above its left eye stares at him. Squawk. Squawk. Its wings spread in a mocking manner.
“Grrrrrr.” He jumps up, swinging the stick right at the bird. It takes off into the air, sending the branch right into Axel’s face.
The force throws Axel back into a stumble. He clutches his nose with tears filling the corner of his eyes. A short distance away the same hawk lands on a higher branch. Cawwwwww. Without thinking, Axel takes off at the same time as the bird takes to flight again. The cat and mouse chase ensues. Moments later, Axel’s feet meet the sand line of the beach. In front the bird uses the sun as cover, disappearing into air. From the rays, Axel becomes momentarily blinded. He moves his hand over both eyes to get a clearer view of the beach. His eyes scan the sand, however they notice a small figure in the distance.
“What the...” He whispers to himself.
Approaching, the small figure turns into the shape of an unconscious man. Axel runs up to his side, trying to catch his breath. Ryo lays motionless. His clothes are in tatters, shredded in multiple places. A few scratches cover his face, arms and legs. Blood streams from open deep cuts on the bottom of his feet, and forearm. Over the cuts, burns also cover moves of his neck, left arm and ankles. His face turns a pale cover. Axel knees down, shaking his shoulder.
“Hey, are you alive?” He asks.
A huge wave washes over Ryo’s body, pushing him up the shore then pulling it back into the sea. Taking a chance, Axel grabs Ryo around his armpits with strong efforts to pull him further up away from the water. “I really hope you aren’t dead. How do I explain a random dead body to the village and mayor?” Axel groans with each short pull.
Able to get him a safe distance, Axel checks on him again. From his wrist, Axel feels a weak pulse, fading. Ryo’s chest barely rises and falls and no fresh air intake. Quickly, Axel begins chest compressions trying to keep Ryo breathing. After mere moments, Ryo jolts to his side, coughing up a lot of water. Color slowly returns to his face. Intense pain overtakes Ryo’s sense, temporarily paralyzing him from moving. Through each pulse of pain, his consciousness wanes in and out.
“Fire…des…troy.” Ryo gasps to take fresh air.
“Fire?” Axel leans over. “What was that? What fire?”
Ryo’s head slumps to the side, his consciousness fading away again.
“What in the world?” Axel surveys his surroundings. An empty beach gives no sign of any other presence besides them. He looks at Ryo’s injures, bringing his hand through his hair.
“First that dream, now this?” Axel thinks to himself. Mustering up all of his strength, Axel shifts Ryo’s left arm around his neck. He hoists Ryo up to his feet, proceeding to drag him back to his house.
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