Chapter 1: Just a dream

The final bell echoed through the hallway. Ethan Peirce slouched in his chair as the teacher reminded everyone to review for next week's exam. He barely heard it. His mind was already racing ahead home, snacks, games, maybe a movie if he felt like it.

By the time he stepped out of the classroom, the sun was already dipping low, painting the sky in that late-afternoon orange that made everything feel nostalgic. He stopped by a convenience store on the way home, grabbed a bag of chips, a soda, and a microwavable dinner. Comfort food.

Back in his room, the door shut and locked, Ethan kicked off his socks, tossed his bag onto the floor, and booted up his PC. He played a little bit before scrolling through social media. He felt tired without taking a bath, so he went to bed.

He fell asleep.

He dreamt of blood.

Screaming. Steel on steel. Screams everywhere, panicked noise. A woman shouting orders. Soldiers breaking ranks.

A boy blonde, younger than Ethan sobbing as he swung a broken sword. Flames. Ash in the air. The taste of iron in his mouth.

The heat of the flames was real too real. It licked at his skin like it meant to burn through him. The smoke poured thick across the battlefield, each breath harder than the last.

It clawed at his throat, filled his lungs. Every scream, every clash of steel was deafening, echoing inside his skull like it wouldn’t stop.

He wasn’t watching it. He was there.

Breathing fast. Chest tight. Hands shaking. Blood on his palms but it wasn’t his.

A man collapsed at his feet, gasping something Ethan couldn’t hear over the roar of fire. Ethan stumbled backward, heart pounding.

Then he saw it.

Not a soldier. Not a monster.

Just... a shadow. A human-shaped silhouette in the middle of the battlefield, completely still. No face. No eyes. Just there.

The figure tilted its head toward him as if staring.

"Kingmaker."

The word didn’t echo. It settled.

And then

Ethan felt a piercing pain explode in his chest.

He looked down.

A blade. Through him.

He was somehow killed in that battle.

The battlefield fell away. The fire. The bodies. The screams. Everything collapsed into a weightless black.

He was falling.

And then

Ethan shot upright in bed, gasping.

The sheets were twisted around him, soaked with sweat. His hands still trembled. His neck ached with tension. His heart thudded in his chest like it was still stuck in the dream.

Just a dream, he told himself. Just a dream.

He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face. But even as he repeated the words, his fingers wouldn’t stop twitching. His body remembered what his mind wanted to forget.

A sharp sting flared on the right side of his neck. He touched it, winced. Maybe he slept on it weird?

In the bathroom mirror, he leaned in. Just beneath his ear, faint lines formed a strange, almost geometric mark. Barely visible. Almost like a birthmark but not one he remembered having.

"Weird" he muttered

Still shaken, he checked his phone. 12:03 AM. Only minutes had passed since he'd collapsed into bed.

No way he could sleep now.

He booted up his PC and scrolled through random videos. Game compilations. Dumb skits. Food reviews. He let the noise fill the silence.

His breath still came in shallow spurts. Every few minutes, a tremor ran through his arms or a phantom pain flared in his chest. His mind replayed the sound of the battlefield,

the look of that shadow, the sensation of dying. He curled his knees up to his chest.

It was more than just a nightmare. It felt real.

Eventually, after nearly two hours of trying to distract himself, his body gave in. At 2:17 AM, he crawled back into bed and passed out.

No dreams followed.

Knock knock knock.

“Eethaaaaan!”

“Wake uuuup! Breakfast time!”

Ethan groaned and buried himself deeper under the blankets.

“Come ooon! We made pancakes!” “No we didn’t,” one of them whispered.

BAM.

The door slammed open.

Two bodies launched onto the bed.

“UP!” “WAKE UP!” “PANCAKES!” “YOU PROMISED CARTOONS!”

“Uughghhh...” Ethan groaned.

Kira started bouncing. “E-than, E-than,” she chanted. Kai poked his side repeatedly.

Ethan sat up, hair a mess, eyes half-open. “Why are you like this...”

He ruffled Kira’s hair but didn’t say much more.

Their mom called from downstairs, “Come on, food’s getting cold!”

The smell of pancakes greeted him downstairs. His mom was flipping the last batch, his dad sipping coffee. The twins were already fighting over syrup.

Ethan sat down and started eating.

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“How’s school?” his mom asked.

“It’s fine. Nothing worth talking about.”

His dad looked up. “You stayed up all night again?”

“Not all night.”

“Sure, you’re still helping me with the car today,” his dad said.

Ethan raised a brow as he chewed. “What are we doing again?”

“Oil change, tire rotation, and we’re checking that noise under the hood.”

“Right. Got it.”

For now, it was a normal morning. A typical Saturday. Ethan appreciated this peace and somewhere in the back of his mind, he hoped it would last forever.

As they finished eating, the twins started pulling on Ethan's shirt.

“Cartoons now?” Kira asked with big pleading eyes.

Ethan smiled tiredly and patted her head. “Maybe next time?”

“Eeehh--!” she whined.

He raised a hand in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. How about this: I promise to bring you some snacks later. You two behave, alright?”

“DEAL!” they said together, instantly cheering up.

Their mom looked over with a half-smile. “You spoil them too much.”

Ethan shrugged. “Cheaper than paying for silence.”

Later that morning, Ethan was crouched beside the car with his dad in the driveway.

A cool breeze rolled in, rustling the trees.

He handed over a wrench, though his grip felt a little off.

“You’re holding that backwards,” his dad said.

Ethan blinked, looked at his hand, and flipped it. “Oh. My bad.”

“You sure you’re awake?”

“Didn’t sleep much” Ethan said

His dad glanced up but didn’t push. “Get that cap off, we’ll drain the oil next.”

They worked in relative silence for a few minutes, the kind of quiet that only came with routine. Then Ethan spoke up.

“Hey... dad, have you ever had a dream that felt too real?”

His dad paused, wiped his hands on a rag. “Like a nightmare?”

“Yeah. But not just scary like, your body still remembers it after you wake up.”

There was a thoughtful pause.

“Once or twice,” his dad said. “Usually when I’m stressed. Your brain’s got a weird way of dealing with things.”

Ethan nodded, focusing on the bolt in front of him. “This one felt like I was really there. Like I died in it.”

That made his dad stop.

“You okay?”

“I think so,” Ethan said quickly. “Just... stuck with me, is all.”

His dad nodded slowly, then gave a half-smile. “Maybe lay off the gas station snacks before bed.”

Ethan snorted. “That’s probably it.”

But the way his fingers trembled again said otherwise.

And the mark on his neck still faintly pulsed beneath his collar.

His dad looked at him again longer this time. Not with suspicion, but concern. Then he gave Ethan a gentle nudge with his elbow.

“Listen, maybe you should step out for a bit. Get some fresh air. Take a break from the screen and the doom-scrollin’. Might help clear your head.”

Ethan blinked. “You sure? I mean, I can still help with the tires.”

His dad waved him off. “I’ve got it. Go grab those snacks you promised the little gremlins before they start a riot.”

Ethan gave a tired smile. “Alright. I’ll make the peace offering.”

“Atta boy,” his dad said, already reaching for the next tool. “Get some sun while you’re at it.”

Before heading out, Ethan’s mom popped her head from the kitchen and called, “Oh, and grab some fish sauce while you’re out, will you?”

“Got it,” Ethan called back, slipping on his sneakers.

“You better hurry!” Kira shouted from the couch.

“We want snacks now!” Kai added.

“I’m going, I’m going!” Ethan laughed, waving as he left.

He headed down the familiar road to the nearby convenience store, earbuds in, the weather nice and breezy. On the way, he ran into a few classmates.

“Yo, Ethan!” one of them called. “We’re heading to the NetZone. Wanna come?”

Ethan checked his phone. He had time. “I just gotta grab a few things, but I’ll swing by.”

They gave him a thumbs up. “We’ll save you a seat!”

Inside the store, Ethan quickly picked out a couple of snack packs, juice boxes, and the requested bottle of fish sauce. Once done, he made his way to the internet café.

Sure enough, his friends had saved him a spot.

“Come on, man. It’s already booted up!”

“I’m just here to hang out,” Ethan said, holding up the bag. “No games for me.”

“Seriously?”

“Just chillin’. Thirty minutes, tops.”

Laughter, jokes, mindless memes, and old inside jokes followed. Ethan found himself smiling more than he expected. For a while, he forgot all about the dream.

But time passed faster than he realized.

“Crap,” he said, checking his phone. “My bad! I gotta go!”

“Tell the gremlins we said hi!” one of them laughed.

Back home, the twins cheered as he handed them the snacks.

“YESSSS!”

“Kai, gimme the chips!”

“No way! You got the gummies!”

Ethan handed the fish sauce to his mom, who was stirring something on the stove.

“Thanks, hon,” she said.

The twins tugged on his sleeves. “Watch with us!”

He tried to resist but one look at their grins and he sighed in defeat.

“Fine, scoot over.”

Hours passed.

Eventually, their mom peeked in. “Alright, you three. Time for a little nap before dinner.”

“Awwww!” the twins groaned.

Ethan stood and helped shepherd them upstairs.

Once they were tucked in, he returned to his room, collapsed onto the bed, and scrolled through his phone for a while just mindless browsing.

Then sleepiness hit. He let the phone drop to his chest.

And closed his eyes.

The dream came again.

Same battlefield.

Same chaos.

Same heat.

But this time the shadow was closer.

Right in front of him.

That blank, faceless silhouette loomed with presence alone.

Its head tilted.

"Kingmaker??" the voice grumbled more annoyed than curious.

A scoff. A click of the tongue.

"Pathetic."

Ethan’s eyes snapped open.

He wasn’t safe.

His neck

It burned.

He screamed.

The mark flared white-hot beneath his skin. His vision blurred.

“AAAHHH WHAT IS THIS!?”

He clawed at his neck. His body trembled. Was he dying? Was he hallucinating?

And then

He heard her.

“I, Ceris Valen Duskmere, a King Candidate heed my call! My Kingmaker!”

The voice was distant, yet thunderous.

The pain intensified.

The mark glowed.

Ethan’s scream hit a new pitch and then, a brilliant light burst from his body, blinding him in every direction.

And the world... fell away.