Dimon's Dream -- The Eyes of Dimon - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Isaac staggered... and paused as a drop of sweat formed at his brow from an exhausting battle. Head drooping, he knelt down to reach for his sword. Before he could grasp the handle, a mighty blow from a shadowed creature came crashing down toward Isaac's undefended body. As a last resort, he raised his left arm and caught the creature's blade with his bare hand. Isaac reeled in pain; the drop of sweat finally freed itself to the earth. The creature pulled the blade from Isaac’s slashed appendage and blood rained from his hand, to the sword blade, to the ground…

Ethan instantly awoke in a sweat; his breath came in jagged gasps as he jumped to his feet. His chest was pounding, but the only thing he could think of was to find his brother in the darkness. He made his way across the room and ignited an oil-soaked wick in an old lantern on the table. As the small, comfortable room was illuminated, Ethan looked to the opposite side. There stood the empty bed; it had been empty for three years now…it was just a dream, but his missing brother was not; and that fact had not been able to escape Ethan’s mind since Isaac had gone missing.

Isaac was not just Ethan’s brother; he was his identical twin, and the closest family Ethan had ever known. They could finish each other’s sentences on a whim when they were not fighting or playing tricks on each other. Ethan had truly been tormented by his loss. If that was not bad enough, his father was said to have gone mad -- he had fled shortly after Isaac’s disappearance. Ethan had never known his mother; she died during childbirth. Ethan remembered that he never had a chance to say goodbye -- to anyone he loved.

He still had his cat Loki, a large-framed grey and white cat with great big eyes who walked in a stocky manner. The cat had always been somewhat odd looking, with extra flabby skin in his armpits, and an extra toe on both his front feet. He had been with the family since the birth of the twins and was always there for Ethan to draw comfort from. Tonight was no different from most nights. Loki jumped into Ethan’s arms and presented him with an affectionate ‘meow’. Ethan took the cat and walked through the dimly lit hallway into the study where he found his favorite comfortable chair and sat down with a plop. The room was dark and dreary; there were old relics and family heirlooms on the shelves and old papers on the desk that had yellowed with age. As Ethan petted Loki, he noticed the coals in the fireplace still softly glowing.

“Another dream?” a frail voice came from a withered old face from across the room.

Ethan looked up, half-surprised his caretaker Odin was awake, he went back to petting Loki.

“You know it is not bad to dream about him...” the old caretaker said gently as he ran his long fingers through his silvery-grey hair. Odin got up from his chair. He made his way to the kitchen, put the kettle on, and came back to the study.

“It’s not that…” said Ethan quietly.

“It does not mean you won’t see him again. I am sure that wherever he is, he is thinking of you right now. He could be off somewhere having tea just like us.” He handed Ethan a steaming mug, which he grasped with both hands and breathed in the hot vapors. Loki got up, annoyed, and jumped off the chair; he walked across the floor and curled up by the now smoldering fireplace.

“It would be a nice thought, but somehow I don’t think so,” said Ethan. “I don’t imagine him being the tea type.”

“Oh, I see…,” said the caretaker with a smile. He paused. “I think there is more to dreams than we know.” When Ethan remained silent, Odin scratched his withering grey beard and continued. “No, I do not think he left you… I think he will always remain with you. And, when the time comes, when it really matters, I think you will realize that.”

“You know I feel like I would be letting Isaac down if I didn’t try and find him,” said Ethan in a troubled voice.

The old man smiled and winked at Ethan. He then paused and looked at Ethan with curiosity. “Tell me, what did you see in your dream this evening?”

The room went silent for a few moments. The glow from the fireplace glared off of Ethan’s face as he looked up at Odin. “I saw the creature again,” said Ethan softly. It seemed to satisfy the old man.

Ethan often had recurring dreams about the blurry creature attacking his twin. It was not when Isaac went missing that Ethan started having these dreams, but rather, when his father went missing that they began. He often woke up startled, but lately he seemed to be getting used to them.

Ethan finished drinking his tea, grabbed Loki, and headed back to his bed to recover any sleep that remained while the stars blanketed the sky. He grabbed the covers that had fallen to the floor next to his bed, and gracefully tossed them so they floated downward. Loki curled up at foot of the bed and gave an affectionate meow, and Ethan closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning Ethan felt as refreshed as if he had gotten a full night’s sleep. He rose to his feet and peered out the window. He saw his friend Auren was already outside; Ethan threw his clothes on and ran through the rustic old house and out the front door. He skipped down half of the four wooden stairs, grabbed the railing, and vaulted himself down the remainder of the staircase.

“Heya,” said Ethan, “where are you off to this early?”

“Father sent me off to the store to fetch some things,” replied Auren. “You can run up with me if ya like.” Ethan nodded and the two began to walk to Vincent’s store.

Auren was stockier than Ethan and always tried to impress his friends by showing off his strength. There was no doubt about it; he was indeed strong, and could lift more at the age of thirteen than most grown men. After Isaac disappeared, some of the neighborhood bullies had picked on Ethan until Auren came to his defense one day. “You leave him alone, before I break you in two!” he had shouted. When Auren got mad, it was not taken lightly by anyone; it would not have been the first time Auren broke someone’s nose or arm getting into a scuffle.

None of the village kids really picked on Ethan now, but not many talked to him either. The grown-ups, however, talked with him all the time. “You know Ethan, you are one of my favorites,” said Vincent the storekeeper with a pleased look on his face.

“Well that’s just fine, what about me?” asked Auren with a look of rejection. Ethan laughed.

Vincent’s shop was at least as old as Ethan; he knew that Vincent had been there since before he was born because Ethan's father had talked with him often. It was a small log shop with a large storage area in the back. It was nothing short of basic, but it had everything one needed from groceries to farming tools to weaponry. The shop was also rather convenient as Ethan and Auren would meet often by some empty oak barrels at the back of the building.

Auren had an assignment to get mint tealeaves, a bag of flour, and tobacco. “I think I’ll just get some of this licorice root for the road,” said Auren.

“Oh, I think I’ll join you, fine sir,” said Ethan with a sly grin on his face.

"I suppose you two are entered in the youth sword competition tomorrow," said Vincent as he handed Auren some change. "I would think you two have a good chance to win this year, even with that pesky Katiage boy. What was his name?"

"Marcus Grenwise," spouted Auren while clenching his fists. "Man that guy ticks me off!"

"Well at least you'll be in there to teach him whose town is best, won't you?" asked Vincent.

"No, actually." answered Auren.

"What do you mean, no?" asked Vincent.

"Well father says I am too big this year and he doesn't want to risk me killing one of the other kids," said Auren with a chuckle.

"But aren't you 13 now? This is the last year you can enter," stated Vincent. "Well what about you Ethan? Surely you will enter."

"Nah, I was never very good with a sword," replied Ethan quietly.

"Well your father was quite a good swordsman Ethan -- hard to believe that some of his skill didn't rub off on you," said Vincent with a blank expression.

"Father always told Isaac and I that we would have to use our natural ability in the youth contests, he said it would be a better learning experience," answered Ethan while avoiding eye contact.

A short moment of silence passed by while Vincent continued to display his blank expression. "Well say hello to Odin for me, and Auren tell your father to reconsider, if anyone can defeat Marcus -- well I think you have a good shot."

The two boys headed out of the store with their licorice root and other items Auren was instructed to get. Ethan thought about the last time he fought in the youth sword competition. He had entered the competition three years ago with his brother Isaac and Ethan had barely made it to the second round of the competition, and then lost immediately. Isaac however, made it to the final match and then lost to Marcus Grenwise. That was the last night Ethan had ever seen his brother -- he had always wondered if Isaac losing was the reason he left.

Ethan started chewing on his licorice root as he walked. Auren started kicking a small rock; he would kick it up about ten paces and then kick it again while trying not to lose his pace. He kicked it again and it went to the left in front of Ethan. Ethan was just about to continue the game when he overheard a familiar voice around the corner. It was Odin. He gave Auren a look, and they both knew they were going to be sneaky and listen in.

“In my opinion, the General is a disgrace and in no way should he be leading their armies, let alone help run that disorganized place they call a city,” said an unknown voice sternly.

“Well, you could be right. At any rate, we should see what he is up to,” said Odin calmly. Odin had his cloak on and his two hands tucked in the front. Ethan would see him walking through town in no other way, for Odin was old and his hands were partially crippled.

“I know I am right, I have been watching him for years. He is no better than that father of his; always going on about his investments, or how much wealth their family has accumulated, or how no other is more successful than he and his precious son,” rambled the strange man. He looked somewhat annoyed that Odin did not seem as perturbed as he was.

“Yes, indeed,” smiled Odin. “I am more concerned that he may have a new friend that takes an interest in alchemy, much like our own Wegnel on the east side of town -- most curious,” said Odin with a raised brow.

“Wegnel?” said the strange man, “I would not go within one hundred feet of that lunatic.”

Odin smiled gracefully. “Wegnel is as harmless as you or I.” Odin looked down and with a chuckle. “He can get a bit strange of course, but he’s harmless just the same.”

“Well, I am going to see what I can find out anyhow,” said the strange man.

He bowed slightly to Odin and put his hand atop Odin’s covered hands, turned and departed. The boys began to duck back behind the building, but it was too late; they had been spotted.

“Ahh boys,” smiled Odin. “And what are we up to on this fine morning?”

“Oh…nothing...” lied Ethan, “just bringing back Auren’s shop list for his father.”

“Yes Sir, just picking some stuff up for my father,” repeated Auren.

“Ahh,” smiled Odin, “Carry on then young masters.” Odin continued to walk toward home.

“What do you think he meant by a loony alchemist on the east side?” asked Auren quietly, fearing Odin was still listening even from so great a distance.

“I don’t know,” said Ethan. “I have never heard of him speak of any kind of loony man, especially not a witch.”

“Not a witch -- an alchemist -- they’re into metals and herbal stuff. My father has spoken of Wegnel, but I have never seen him,” said Auren.

“Well, whatever he is -- we should go check him out,” Ethan said with a devious smile.

“Are you mad?” replied Auren in a loud voice. “That’s all I need is for my father to find out I’m up to no good again -- just got off the hook for that toad incident.” He was of course speaking of when they were able to collect forty-two toads and set them free in little Margret Tanbe's house.

“Well you can stay here if you want, but I’m going,” said Ethan defiantly.

“Fine, I’ll go, but let’s at least wait until nightfall; it would be bad enough if we got caught, but sneaking around in the daytime is just stupid,” replied Auren.

“Well then, I will meet you behind the store at nightfall,” said Ethan.