Thread: Old Storyline 2011-2012

Episode 1: Arrival of the Holy Man



In the shadows of a towering cliff, lies a small village. This, is where our tale begins.

The lands were dry and there had not been rain for longer than anyone could remember. What used to be a prosperous community, was nothing more than a famished village. Over the years, the frequent droughts had done a number on the surrounding land, but nothing could compare to the current drought. The dense greenery was all but gone now. The village had been swallowed up by a desert, stretching as far as the eye could see. Two young men struggled to protect this ailing village. When sickness and hunger took many of the towns folk, two men, by the names of Zebrah and Matte, made a pact. They vowed to do everything they could to resurrect their town to its once prosperous state. They worked hard to protect their people's way of life, but there was little hope without rain. The drought had lasted far too long and the situation had become dire. They had no choice, but to seek help. The last horse had died several months back, so traveling by foot was the only option. Zebrah set out the next morning and left Matte to tend to the village.

Over two months later, there still had been no word from Zebrah. The closest town was but a seven day walk. He could then purchase a horse and should have returned by now. Casualties of the drought were growing more frequent by the day and Matte was running out of options. Late one evening, some excitement started to stir around the entrance to town. Matte maneuvered his way to the front of the crowd. Off in the distance, the silhouette of a horse and rider could be seen. Matte sighed heavily in relief. As the horse drew closer, Matte realized the rider was not Zebrah at all. It was a tall, fully cloaked figure. He also seemed to be carrying some additional cargo. As the horse drew even closer the cargo was revealed. It was Zebrah's body laying across the back of the horse. The cloaked man hopped off his horse and warned the crowd to stand back. He laid Zebrah's body face up on the sand and placed both hands upon his chest. A flash of blue light emitted from the mysterious man's fingertips and pentrated Zebrah's chest. A few coughs later, Zebrah was back on his feet. He wore the same expression as the rest of the towns folk, utter bewilderment. Without a moments hesitation, the man turned toward the desert, threw out his hand, and the environment began to change. Grass began to grow from the sand, trees popped up in clusters, and crystal clear water formed a river that flowed as far as the eye could see. Matte looked on in amazement as Zebrah struggled to speak in his weakend condition, "Look Matte...we finally did it. The town is saved."

For the next few days, talks of the "Holy Man" was running rampant. Zebrah and Matte had offered the man a room in town and he graciously accepted their offer. This traveler went by the name, Alex. He informed Zebrah and Matte that his powers were not exclusive and there were others who harnessed the potential, including the two of them. Matte and Zebrah were both curious of Alex's past, but he responded definitevely, stating he was from a far off land and has been seeking to change the world for the greater good. They didn't dare press him further. Alex was a very mysterious man. He never revealed his face, keeping it hidden beneath a hooded cloak. He didn't speak much of himself, but was an excellent teacher and spoke of his goals quite often. He wished to acquire a group of warriors to help fight for his cause. In return, he would train them to unleash their inner power. Thus, granting them abilities they never thought possible. Alex stayed in town for a little over a week, training Zebrah and Matte in the art known as "Lucidity."

It wasn't until the second to last day of his stay, that Alex revealed a shocking truth.

Alex explained that they were trapped in a world of dreams. He stated that all of the people around them were but a collective illusion of the lucid dreamers' minds. He explained, these DCs were once human themselves, but they had become trapped in the dream state long ago. Their souls were not strong enough to handle this world and were lost in darkness. They are now nothing but expectations, memories, and creations of the lucid bearers around them. A mere shell of their former selves. He asked Zebrah and Matte to leave the village behind and join him on his quest. Zebrah and Matte felt strong feelings of shock, horror, and disbelief. Could this be true? Their families, friends, and neighbors were nothing more than their own creations? They refused to accept this. Alex took them out into the busy street and shouted, "Behold the truths of your reality", as he held his hand into the air. The people around them began to flicker as if they were nothing but a holographic image. After a few moments, they all disappeared completely. Several moments later, they flickered back into existance and appeared as real as ever before. Matte and Zebrah looked around as the villagers carried on with their lives as if nothing unusual had just happened. Alex asked, "Have you not noticed that everyone reacts and speaks in the way you expect them to? When was the last time you were truly surprised?" In shock after this lesson, both retired to their rooms to think things over.

Both Zebrah and Matte just couldn't forget about the times they had spent in their village, the friends they had made, or their pact between one another. They both remembered the words they spoke that day very distinctly, "We will do everything in our power to save this village. If it means we have to sacrifice our own lives, than so be it." They both couldn't sleep that night and decided to go for a walk through the town. After passing by various locations within the village and recalling memories of their time spent there, they came to a decision.

A few hours later, it was still quite dark outside as they approached Alex. He was on the edge of town making preparations to leave and continue his journey. Both Matte and Zebrah told Alex they had made their decision. Matte and Zebrah spoke, "These people may be DCs, but they are so much more than that. The memories and connections we have made with the villagers is very real. We may have created this reality, but it is still our reality. We made a pact long ago to protect this village with our lives if necessary. We don't intend on breaking that promise." Alex smiled and said, "The two of you truly possess greatness within. Your souls shall remain intact in the depths of any darkness. It was an honour to instruct the two of you and I bid you a very fond, farewell." They watched as their teacher mounted his horse and trotted off toward the horizon.

Only a few minutes had passed when a sudden explosion deafened the lucid bearers. Alex seemed to have heard the explosion as well and immediately turned his horse around. Slamming his heels into the horse's sides, he galloped back toward the village. Explosion after explosion went off in the village. Mushroom clouds of fire and smoke sprang up with each loud, "BOOM!" Alex jumped off his horse and flew up to Matte and Zebrah. They all were racing toward the village with fear in their eyes. They reached the entrance to the village, but the explosions were only growing in number. The entire town was being blown to pieces right before their eyes and there was nothing they could do. Zebrah and Matte raced toward the few standing buildings, ducking under flying debris and flames. However, they all exploded before they could be reached. Alex grabbed the two of them and shouted above the noise, "We have to get out of here! Its too late! They have found you!" Matte shouted, "No we cannot leave them behind!" Alex looked directly into Matte's eyes. Matte, for the first time, could see Alex's eyes. He saw that the kindness in them seemed to be covering up great sorrow and pain. Alex spoke, "We have no choice. Their lives will not be lost in vain. Now come!" Zebrah and Matte reluctantly turned toward the exit of their village. Alongside Alex, they quickly retreated from the burning village.

Moments later, the entire village was lost in a massive explosion that lit up the entire sky. Watching in horror, Alex told them both that he would explain everything once they got out of range, but they needed to move quickly. He suspected that the enemy may have a telepathic specialist nearby. Zebrah and Matte felt a part of themselves die as they road away from their former village. The grass and trees that had brought excitement to so many just days before, began to wither. The river of crystal clear water dried up as the land around them turned back into the desert they had loathed for so long.

written by: KingYoshi
story by: Matte, Shockwave, KingYoshi, Zebrah

Episode 2: Time Flies



Matte, Zebrah, and Alex had ridden for what seemed like a few hours. They found a large, dry cave next to a small pond. It was almost sunset. Alex decided to scan the area to make sure nobody had followed them. Matte was setting up beds where they would sleep. He saw Zebrah staring into the pond.

"Have you ever seen fish that look like this?" Zebrah asked Matte.

Matte walked over to the pond and looked in. There were about 4 fish in the pond. Each had strange markings on them. These markings were glowing in the darkness. The fish themselves were small. Their bodies were a dark blue but the markings were a snowy white.

"No...what kind of fish do you suppose these are? Those markings..I have never seen anything glow quite like that. Maybe Alex knows! Let's ask when he gets back."

Matte and Zebrah sat by the pond and continued to stare at these strange, new fish. The four fish moved slowly and gracefully in the water. The fish seemed to hypnotize them, putting them in some sort of trance. Zebrah wondered if he could touch them. He put his hand in the water and touched the markings of one fish. He felt a strong pulse of energy going through his arm then in his body. Suddenly, the whole pond started to turn snow white. It got brighter and brighter. Light started shooting out of the pond. Alex came running back.

"WHAT DID YOU DO? Oh no..." He yelled.

The light exploded around them.

Matte and Zebrah woke up by a school in the middle of a busy town. Children were out playing. Parents were walking from their homes to come get their kids. It looked like it was the end of a school day. Zebrah and Matte were laying on a soft bed of grass.

"What, what happened.." Matte said, "..and where is Alex? Where are we?"

It was all starting the come back to them. Their village had been destroyed, the trance the fish put both of them in, and the bright light that filled the air around them. They had no clue where in the world they were. They both got up and starting walking around the town.

They approuched a nice old lady.

"Excuse me, do you have any idea where we are? What time is it?" Zebrah asked the old lady.

"You must be travelers! How exciting! This town is called Blackberry River. It is 6:43 P.M. of August 5th, 1312." she replied.

Zebrah and Matte looked at eachother in shock. It had been eleven months since the fish accident. They were about to thank the lady, when her skin started to bubble up. After a few seconds she had tranformed into Alex.

"ALEX! What in the world happened? What were those fish? Where did you go? Who attacked our village? You told us you would explain.." Matte and Zebrah were both asking too many questions.

"Calm down! Come, let's discuss this over some drinks. I promise to explain everything." Alex exclaimed.

Alex put his hands on both of their shoulders and in an instant they were transported to a small room. This room was small and cozy. It had a plush, red couch, many paintings on the walls, and the carpet was the softest they ever felt. Alex walked to a long coffee table and made 5 drinks appear. Two other people were sitting at the table. Alex said that they were friends who's name were Erii and Mancon. They were a little younger than Zebrah but seemed wise none the less. Alex told them to sit. Matte picked up his drink. Dark blue steam was rising from it. He cautiously tasted it. Instantly, his whole body and mind was calm. It tasted like water but there was a bit of a minty aftertaste.

"With you guys discovering the truth about the dream world, strange things are bound to happen. Things that you have once believed to be true... are not. You guys think it has been a little under a year since that light explosion. In reality, it has only been a few moments. Time doesn't exist in dreams. Not really. It's an illusion. Those fish you touched were called Jayfins. They're the first lucid dreamers and the first creatures to ever exist in the dream world. They carry great dream power. They alter things within the world. When you touched them, a massive ammount of power was realeased and you were transported to another part of the dream world. I resisted it and found you as fast as I could. You guys are fairly easy to find. I didn't think I would be able to find you but your auras are very bright." Alex explained.

"..Okay. That makes sense. It's just hard getting used to the idea that this is a dream. What about the people that destroyed our village? Who are they? What happened? Are they lucid dreamers?" Matte said.

"Yes. They are very powerful lucid dreamers. They form a government that controls the whole dream world. They are called the Oneironauts. They discovered the powers of lucidity after the Jayfins. A big war is coming. They do not want any of us to find out about lucidity. The Oneironauts only want power and control. If every person had the power of lucidity, the Oneironauts would not be in control. I managed to discover the truth and master lucidity myself. I have been going around teaching people, opening their eyes. Mancon and Erii were one of the first pupils I taught. The Oneironauts discovered this and are trying everything to stop me. They do not want anyone but them to know about the dream world. I would say that there are thousands of them. They have a secret HQ somewhere. I am working on finding it but it is extremely hard to locate. Right now, I am recruiting as many people as I can and teaching them the powers of lucidity. The Oneironauts will soon start an all out war against us. In the meantimee have to be sneaky and careful. We actually have a HQ ourselves where you can train. I'll take you to it later!" Alex said.

"So if they are called the Oneironauts what are you guys called?" Zebrah asked.

"We are called The Awakened." Alex replied.

They sat around and talked a bit more, getting to know eachother. Alex said he had recruited about 90 people so far. Each person gets their own room in The Awakened's headquarters. Alex said they would continue training there. It was time to go.

Alex got up and we gathered around him. He said we were going to go to the base now. There was a big flash of bright light and in an instant, they were there. Standing outside the Awakened's base. It was one of the best things Matte or Zebrah had ever seen. The building was fantastic. Five large towers surrounded a very large building. The material was something they had never seen. It was a dark color and the texture was a bit spongy. Something about the entire place just drew them in.

"Ready to see the inside?" Alex grinned.

Written by Mancon, edited by Matte87