Friday, March 20, 2015

Part 10: Revealing the Truth

A Note from the author: Finally, a breakthrough! I had a dream in which I drew good art, providing good ground for a prophetic relevance, leading to...? Well, read for yourself.
     
      She read quicker than before, eager to find out which factions we would enter. 

       As they were resting in the room there was finally an announcement for the test. "Please display your best talents." A bored judge announced. And the people did. Some danced, some sang, some did poorly, others did excellent jobs, and when the boy went, he obviously displayed his kung fu style fighting, but it was not that impressive without the monsters or opponents. The judge yawned through each of their performances, a nonchalant face revealing nothing about the performers' results. He asked each of they had other talents, to which they displayed their strange powers: the farmer with his ability to grow life, the woman with her little dress flapping about and transforming into wing-like structure. Our protagonist, of course, chose his elemental bending abilities, which he did with strenuous effort. And still the judge demanded more. He even gave extra supplies and options. "Entertain me." He demanded, still with that boring face, but with eyes that glinted with a hint of slyness. The boy saw a canvas by the side, with a pen and paint brush in a bucket, and was strangely drawn to it. It was almost as it it was calling to him.
      Why...should I go there? I've never drawn before... He thought rationally, but his curiosity got the better of him. He slowly meandered forward while the others looked on. The judge was intrigued and someone could swear they saw a smirk, a smile, some hint of an emotion on the judge's face. The boy sat down in a chair and he started drawing. What started off as wavy lines became more and more complex. Even the boy had no idea what he was drawing, and he was astonished himself by the speed which he worked at, painting blue here and scribbling over there... it felt like hours while in reality it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. He finally finished with a flourish, signing the edge of his paper with his name. It was a beautiful lake scenery with bushes and trees, a dusty black road in the middle, with photo-realism qualities. Everyone stared, wide-eyed and gaped their mouths at the boy's display of talent. Even the judge was impressed. He finally smiled a warm smile, which earned everyone's approval and appraisal of the boy.
     "My boy....what is your name?" He asked.
     "The name....is...." He actually couldn't remember his name! All this time, he had never questioned who he really was. He looked around, unsure of what to do. "Well...I actually don't know my name."
     The judge was surprised. "The prophecy.... it must be true.
    A boy with no name,
    is not of our same... 

    Then, why don't you make a name for yourself?"
    The boy was in deep thought. What was he to be named? He remembered once again the flashes of his memory. "Darius," he decided.
      A boy with no name,
      is not of our same,
      With a demon-like predicament,
      A tragedy that left a ligament,
      He was a missing prince,
      Left from his origin place since 

     The judge repeated the first part of the prophecy in his head over and over. He thought of the strange festival for giving gifts for the "Crowned Prince of Darius", even though few people came to even claim to know about this prince. He asked the boy to come with him into his room. He explained that earlier on "Mastermind" had already sent a letter to him explaining the situation, and that the talent show would only confirm his suspicions. "We have heard these strange prophecies...they always come true, and they most times they concern people who are no our kind, such as chosen heroes, or malicious monsters. I must conclude from this prophecy and the evidence given," the judge states gravely, "that you are the boy from the other dimension; and that your father has hired missionaries.... and if our interpretation is right, he wants to find you, and kidnap you."
       The boy stared at the judge in horror.

        Ellen stared at me in surprise. "So you really ended up in NO faction after all..." She said with a thoughtfulness. "Well, I didn't see that coming. And the prophecy... that gives me the chills."
      I nodded in agreement. "I have to say, I couldn't predict it either. All the crazy things that were happening there.... there was simply no way to quickly or easily adjust to them."
         She took a deep breath, composed herself, then read on with her brows knitted together in concentration, trying to predict the next unexpected plot twist.

Note: in my dreams there was no judge; although there was a talent show and I did indeed draw a masterpiece of a painting; although it is vague exactly what I drew. And obviously there was no prophecy in my dream either (how could my subconscious come up with a thing?)

Monday, March 2, 2015

Part 9: Crash landing in unknown territory!

        She read with great ardor, and was possibly even better than me.

        The hot air balloon was sailing fine, but then an unusual jerk in the winds left it tilting left and right, the passengers narrowly falling outwards. The balloon crashed into the tree, and the passengers fell out, some of them bruised, others barely harmed. The boy was one of the luckier ones. He managed to drag out some of the more heavily harmed passengers, who aided him to lift and support the rest of the crew.
      As they wandered around they saw a guide man. "Ah, yes, I was expecting you all...." He stated, spreading his arms, "...but I wasn't expecting the winds today to be so sinister. That would mean they forebode a shadowy presence...no... that can't be right..." Muttering to himself, he brought the others and told them about the warring and factions within the area. "We are in the green faction, as you can tell from the flag color. This is perhaps the most peaceful faction, which relies more on diplomacy and infiltration in order to make peace or disable the other factions. I didn't want to shock you in case there was a war within another faction. Here's how the history goes: we four factions have warred on for around three centuries since these were formed. We have different beliefs, and we are unique in our own ways."
       "You are in the green faction?" The farmer asked.
       "Ah, no sir. You see, being the guide, I have to be neutral if I want to be able to tour all the four factions. I help them all, I resist them all; I travel all around. I am one of the only people who knows and is well-received by all four rulers of the empires."
        "How do we figure out which faction we belong to and what is unusual about us?" The woman questioned.
        "You will be put in an aptitude test to find out which color is the best for each of you. Be warned, however, that the test is not always one-hundred percent accurate. You can always change your factions, but you have to make your case pretty persuasive. Regardless of your faction, though, you can always seek me in those grey tents if you need my help. There are other agents in the grey field that can help you."
         The four nodded and then went on to the aptitude test, a big building that looked like a stadium located in the center of the four factions--the exact center. They all nervously chatted among each other, wondering whether they would end up in red or green or blue or yellow.
     
          "Which one did you end up in?" She asked curiously,
          I smirked mysteriously in response. "Ah, read on. You'll see in a few pages... you'll see."

NOTE: There was a tour guide in my dream; although he did not explain any sort of history to us. Furthermore, there was war happening in my dream, contrasting against what this story claims. There was of course, also no "aptitude test". That only gives excuse for what is about to happen within another dream, as well as setting up for another different dream.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Part 8: Mysterious territory

    After drinking tea, the boy explains his situation to Mastermind. Mastermind, intrigued by this problem that he couldn't seem to solve, went into his room and pondered for a while, trying to connect the clues together and solve the case. After a long while, he finally exited, and he looked quite disappointed. "Ah, I am afraid...either our laws are wrong, or you...you are not from here...no....you have an unusual energy surrounding you. None of us have as much, or even as strong powers as you do."
      The boy was surprised. "I...do not... belong here?" He sputtered in disbelief.
      Mastermind nodded grimly. "There is a center underground secret territory belonging to four warring factions: red, green, blue, and yellow. They might understand your unusual energy source, they being the center and guard of our power on this planet. Do not tell anyone else I told you this," he lowered his voice to a whisper as he glanced at the trinket, "Just show them the trinket and explain your powers as of your knowledge, and the rest will be up for them. Try not to be surprised if you see unusual creatures joining in on there; they are all attempting to find out who they truly are."
     Nodding, the boy went on. He was eager to find out his origin and how he made it to this world, and how he "did not belong". Thus he entered a secret underground cave after lots of twists and turns, he could not track down the routes nor remember the streets he traveled. It seem to take a very long time before he finally made it to the door of the place, where mastermind explained that it was the furthest he could travel and they boy would have to go on a magical hot air balloon in order to get hot the territories. The boy looked longingly back at the world he lived in; even if he did not belong there, he liked it. He requested that Mastermind tell Nellie that he was going away, and mastermind accepted, even knowing he would have to reword the story and twist the truth along with lots of omissions.
       The boy stood in deep thought on the hot air balloon as it whisked him away. He barely had time to wave to mastermind before the air carried him up and up into the sky. Soon he was just peacefully floating along--and then he remembered that there would be other travelers. They were quite quiet, a big fluffy sheep, a fox, a farmer-looking man, and a woman wearing a white blouse and blue jeans. For the rest of the journey, the boy was quiet too, but among all of them stood an unavoidable tension, as they were all strangers.

            I was quiet for a moment as I recalled what the strangers looked like. "Intriguing," She spoke, "This story is getting more and more exciting! Probably much better if you tried yourself!"
         "Of course, I am not really so much of a storyteller." I grinned, "But I am a discoverer. You'll see later."
         "Come to think of it, why are YOU reading? You already know the outcome of everything! Let me read for once." 
        "Alright, alright." I agreed, handing the book over.

NOTE: There was a hot air balloon; however, there were no woman, man, or fox. [The woman is just for the story, and the man and fox are to prepare and build the grounds for the next part of the story].

There is also no scene where I speak to Ellen about being a discoverer.

Part 7: Escape from the Adviser

     The girl yawned out of boredom, stretching her arms. "Wow, this has been quite tiring. Perhaps we should go rest a while before we continue reading."
      "I suppose I must agree. Let us go then--lunch is on me." So we strolled, hand in hand, casually around the block to the famous restaurant. Today's theme was beach, so the restaurant was decorated with fake sand beneath our feet, palm trees swaying a little by the side, and the smell of the ocean all around.  "Hey, it's you, nice to meet you man!" The cashier spoke, high-fiving me. "Brought Ellen in again?" The cashier asked, eyeing us.
         I answered yes, to which he responded with a nod of approval, then I ordered a special drink for the both of us, and some hamburgers.     
            "Ah, this is nice." She spoke as sweet guitar music played through the room, while she was munching on the hamburgers.
       "I agree, this is one of the best restaurants available."
        Soon enough we were finished with our lunch, and I paid the bill, then we ambled back home.
        "Ah, now that we've had a hearty lunch, we can continue." I spoke. "You ready?"
          She nodded. I continued to read from the place I had left over from....

     The boy's father was low on options, as he was quite ambitious and wished to get back his son as quickly as possible. He thus appointed his adviser and asked him to explore possible options. His adviser revealed a hidden, but run-down portal, he had found some time ago, and told him that with enough energy and resources (that would be very costly), the portal could run. The father hesitated for a while, but boosted forth by the prospect of attaining incredible power, he agreed, and even told the adviser that he could drain his son's powers if it was necessary in order to kidnap him.
      The adviser quickly entered the portal with his best men, and went along to track down the boy. He used multiple power trackers, also asking the people about the possibilities and whereabouts of the boy. After days and days of searching, he finally managed to pinpoint the area where the boy was running about. It turns out the boy was trying to figure out somebody else to help him; and the people pointed him to the infamous "Mastermind", who claimed he knew all and could solve any problem, at a very hefty price. The adviser was quite surprised that he had not found this potential helpful resource before, and so went on, attempting to find "Mastermind" before the boy. He was quick and efficient, he knew the methods necessary to reach Mastermind, and unfortunately they did make it to mastermind before the boy did. The adviser, knowing that nobody could truly know everything, slyly smooth-talked to the mastermind, convincing him of the boy's meanness. In the same time the boy was about to arrive to mastermind. There were no other possibilities. And so the boy was chased down by the adviser and his friends.
        They had finally caught him--whether due to the advantage of surprise, or the advantage of knowledge, they had the boys in their hands. They bound him together with magical rope that prevented the use of magic or teleportation and threw him inside a massive factory, with crushing machines and gigantic moving parts that could easily hurt anyone who touched them. The boy rolled back and forth, left and right, narrowly dodging the parts, while the adviser and his men left, filled with confidence that the boy was doomed.
         The boy did not have much time left--ahead of him was an unavoidable roller. He was forced to the side as more crushers came above, and his teeth clenched in agony as he formed his body into a painful position. He attempted to squirm away from the roller, but the moving machine was too fast for him. Within just a few seconds he was going to die-- but then, just before he touched the roller, the machine stopped. The man known as "Mastermind" stood before the machine switches, and the boy barely breathed as he undid the ropes and led him out silently. He told him to hide behind the bushes, watching the adviser and his men walk away victoriously, then invited him inside the house.
       "Oh thank you, sir mastermind! You are so kind! But--why did you let them get away?" The boy asked. 
          Mastermind smirked in response, but this quickly turned into a serious frown. "Firstly, let me say that they had attempted to hire me to give them advice. But of course, I knew something was wrong when I saw their badges and style of clothing. It was especially their weapons that brought great suspicion. I thus manipulated them, telling them that you would have no chance. It would be true of course, these ropes truly are magic proof, and the factory was indeed fully functioning. Fortunately I stopped them in time. It was all part of my plan. I do not know what they are doing here--the rumors are wrong, I am not truly omnipotent-- but I can deduce that their leader will not be happy if they failed. Let us hope their leader punishes them enough so that they will not come back again. In the mean time, why don't you come here to have some tea."
     Hearing the man's response, the boy gaped his mouth at the man's logical deduction and planning skills. He was even more astonished that the man was not truly omnipotent and that he had lied. But too shocked from his incident and these new revealings, the boy forced himself to sit down and drink whatever Mastermind offered him.

        Ellen gaped her mouth at me as well. "Wow, how could anyone be so smart!"
         I shook my head. "I have no idea, but he's in an alternative dimension, so that might have explained it."

Note: In the former dream, the "restaurant" was actually just a bar at a beach-like place. It was my sister and I who visited the bar (NOT my love interest and I). The exact things I ordered were hamburgers and "El Ultimo Agua" (spanish for The Ultimate Water). The water tasted like coconut water, and it was good enough for guitar music to play in the background while I drank it. The cashier did not say anything to me in my dreams, other than, "what would you like to order?"

In my other dreams, the prince's adviser and "Mastermind" were different dreams. It must also be noted that "mastermind" had faked my death while I was lucid in that other dream. It is also very unclear who "mastermind" really is; since he claims in my dreams, "I faked my own death", either pretending falsely to be me, or really being me (but somehow in a different state).

Part 6: Seeking the truth

The boy punched at the witch, but his blows only glanced uselessly off of her. The witch did not even fight back, just cackled gleefully as the boy slowly lost hope. Finally, as all seemed loss, and the witch went on to strike a deadly spell on the boy--the boy got an idea in his head, and, climbing onto the seats, narrowly avoided the first blast, then, did a flip in the air as the second blast hit the light bulb above, dropping it onto the witch. The witch screamed in agony and terror as the electric shock coursed through her body, and the magic faded away. The boy was back in the wooden cottage, safe and sound.

But now, the boy was confused. Why had so many more monsters attacked him than anyone else? It couldn't simply be a coincidence. Seeking the monks, they explained that they did not know, but perhaps someone at the "town center" located miles away might know. They were giving gifts to find the lost "Crowned Prince of Darius". Thus, they gave the boy a backpack, with a box of moon cakes, some other items, a map, along with a trinket they found (unbeknownst to the fact that this trinket actually belonged to the crowned prince of Darius himself. After embracing Nellie, who was just glad to have a new home and was left to be taken care of with the monks, the boy walked the long route to the convention.

         "Ohhh... embraced....how do these guys know about your private life?"
        I blushed in embarrassment. "I can't be too sure, but I'm also surprised at the amount of information they put down. I couldn't have done better."

Within the convention, it turns out the people were competing for the best gift for the crowned prince of Darius. The Boy received some hazy flashbacks of his old life as he examined the trinket. As the crowned prince of Darius, he had been entertained by a creepy joker, and his room being disturbed by a giant creature (who had conversed with his father)... But dismissing them, he read the inscription on the trinket, finding it to be indeed, belonging to the crowned prince. As a person who examined everyone passed by to find out what gifts everyone brought, the boy didn't really want to reveal his true gift, and fumbled around with his box of moon cakes. The man looked on, disappointed, while writing something down on his piece of paper.

The time for giving gifts had come, and the boy gave his precious trinket in order to fill the people with hope. But nobody knew. A little girl asked: "What did you give?" And he responded: "The best gift of all, hope!" But the girl merely looked confused.
 As he looked at the rankings for the best gift, the best gift was not decided to be his trinket. He questioned the host, who merely frowned in reply: "Why, you gave a box of moon cakes." As he attempted to explain that the moon cake written down by the man was not really his final gift, he was hushed out. The boy was alone once more, and gained the least bit of enlightenment through his journey. On the other hand, his father was only closer and closer to attaining the boy's power--the man who wrote down the moon cakes knew that the boy had the trinket, and revealed to his father that this boy had the prince's trinket. It was fortunate that the spy had no idea that this boy was the prince himself.

             "That's such a shame." She spoke thoughtfully, "Well, I hope you at least enjoyed the moon cakes."
            I sighed. "Well, at least those were delicious."

*********************************************************************
Note that; in my dreams of course the witch and the crowned prince of Darius were not connected. And not to mention that witch dream was a cliff hanger and I had no idea what would happen after I attempt to hit back her rebounds of my paralyzing touches!