“He sleeps so soundly don’t you think?”



“I think we have a dreamer on our hands, Lia.”



“I hope so, if he is, he will grow up to be a wonderful boy.” These were the conversations he heard when he was small. His parents, Cyprius and Camilia, thought so much of him. “He needs to be different than the others in Glacian” Camilia was a great sorcerer. She was tall with a gleaming face and black hair. Her favorite color was blue and it showed from the dresses she wore. “I’ll make sure he’s much different than the other dreamers.”



“I don’t mind as long as it’s not the bad kind”



“I would never…. At least not to my own son! We must do it in light not in darkness, though.” She rose her arms and the night sky flashed with light. She took one step towards Caprian and ran her fingers through his thin blonde hair. “You will live to be great, my son.” She said while picking him up and gently rocking him. She kissed him on the forehead and gently laid him back on the silk blanket.



“Lia, There’s smoke coming from the forest”, Cyprius exclaimed.

“How far away?”

“At least a mile” Cyprius was a twin, which meant he was not one in a million in appearance. He was tall with blue eyes and brown hair.

“We must do this quick” said Camilia as she picked Caprian up once more and whispered complicated words from the Otherworld in his ear. “Fii difiret copilul meu.” For a moment there was a sudden pain within Caprian but he did not cry. Caprian didn’t remember much that happened after that. He just was able to remember the constant yelling and beating on the door. After that, the room smelled like smoke. Cyprius and Camilia had decided to surrender. They were sent to destroy them. He remembered the phrase “Spare my child, spare my innocent child” being yelled many times. After that, it was a blur considering that he was knocked out cold by the smoke. His parents died for an offence that wasn’t theirs to begin with.

Caprian was forced to live with his dad’s twin, Damian. Damian was a farmer. He was denied the chance of being a dream keeper, which was why he owned a farm which consisted of a one-roomed house that smelled like goat and a barn full of horses. Caprian liked growing up next to horses, especially giving all of them names because Damian never came around to it. He called his favorite Icefire. She was a white speckled horse with eyes the color of stars. She was the only friend he seemed to have. It was like they understood each other.

He hated having dreams about the day his parents died because it would always bring more detail each time and he had to write the dream down in order to be placed with his future. He tried to avoid the questions that he asked himself after he had dreams about his parents. The first few years of his life were complicated. He had these middle dreams, dreams sort of bad and sort of good, which would give him a better understanding of things. For example, he learned a lot about Damian because of his dreams. Damian was denied a chance at being a dream keeper but ended up marrying a former one. Damian was not very fond with the king and did not stay in touch with Caprian’s father because he was a part of the king’s council. One day, when he was young he had a bad experience, his wife Dvorah died and since he had no children, there was no heir. Damian would always end up thinking about Dvorah.

Since Damian was the closest relative, Caprian was decided to live with him. It was a hard time for him because Damian became cruel as the years went on without Dvorah, but he always restrained from taking it out on Caprian’s brittle body. He treated Caprian as if he was his son and there were times when Caprian accidentally called him father. Then he would go on with a huge speech on how he was Caprian’s uncle not his father and described him in the most horrific ways. Caprian knew that his father was not as Damian described but he knew it would get him nowhere. He grew to be six before Damian was forced to work on the farm. He got used to the strict rules, like get his chores done before three hours after midday and to be in his cot before the nights grew cold.



Sometimes he was tempted to ask Damian where his parents were buried, but he knew they were probably given a Viking funeral and their ashes had probably blown away by the winds of time. He knew where Dvorah was buried, though. She was buried underneath the largest tree in the forest where they got married. In my dreams, Dvorah had red hair, auburn eyes, a sweet smile, and a light personality. They were completely opposite. At their wedding they shared the same feelings, though. Caprian’s dreams matter to him like water matters to a dying plant.

It was a letter, a dreadful letter that changed Caprian’s life forever. It was during the days of warmth after the land became fertile and the country flourished. He was about sixteen, in Glacian when people turn sixteen they choose capable people to become dream keepers according to their dreams. He was hoping that he wouldn’t become a dream keeper but a part of the king’s council. He knew that his uncle would disown him if he did. Damian was the only part of his family he knew so he decided not to count on it. The sixteen year olds here are called dream keepers because they have to write down all the dreams they have until they are sixteen and keep them in a safe place. He had to send his dreams to the king a day after his birthday. The messenger arrived early the next morning with his letter. It was the letter that determined his future. It was rolled up and tied with a piece of elegant cloth. It was also torn in places and the cloth was shredded on the edges. It seemed to Caprian as if the carrier dropped it many times before presenting it to him. He untied the cloth and opened the letter. It was written in golden ink and had the seal of the dreamers at the bottom.

“Grand Caprian, I am pleased to inform you of the great tidings ahead-” He admired the handwriting. The print looked as if it was made thousands of years before. “I know you have waited your childhood for this letter to come. You have had an unusual combination of dreams. Believe in them and they will get you far. Always remember that your destiny will be with you throughout your journey as a-” He could not read the bold print yet, he wanted his uncle to read it with him.

“What’s this? Are you trying to deceive me with such trickery?”

“Don’t you see it Uncle?”

“Yes, I see a piece of crumpled parchment before my eyes. It’s blank and foolish!”

“No, it’s not blank. Don’t you see the bold print? Almost as clear as a crack in the temple of mirrors, it is.”

“There is nothing, therefore you have wasted my valuable time.”

He glanced back at the paper and read the last two words, “Miracle seeker.” They looked as if they were pinned against their will on the parchment. The words would change colors at every glance.



After that he put it away, under his pillow, and watched the warmth of the day and the cold of the night appear. The stars came out and the cold grew. He went inside and slipped into his cot. He drifted off to sleep, where he met her for the first time.

She had eyes the color of sky crystals and blond flowing hair that looked transparent, as if part of the wind. Her smile was her greatest feature. Her teeth gleamed like pearls reflecting the star’s light. She was dressed in white robes and jewelry that even the richest of Glacian would be jealous of. He stared at her for minutes until, finally, He asked in amazement “who are you?”

“I am many things, both old and new, both present and future, but you can call me Ariella for now”

“Ariella, that’s a peculiar name.”

“That is but one name of the thousands the gods provided me. Only to you I am known as this.”

“What is this place?”

“It is the dream world, where you will train you to be a miracle seeker.”

“But isn’t time limited here? My dreams feel like minutes and tomorrow I am expected at the seekers guild.”

“Time is not a problem here. What used to feel like minutes will feel like hours now. It will stay this way until you are finished with your training. Now that we’re acquainted, let’s begin.”

The first lesson felt like two hours. He learned the basics to miracle pursuing, like summoning certain items and animals to perform a task that is desperately needed to be done.

“You have to think of the word from your past life in order to do this.”

“What word?”

“Well, what word feels right?”

“Vronxihua”, Caprian said chuckling. He thought it was funny until it actually worked. Two crows were conjured out of thin air.

“That doesn’t seem like a good sign”

“Why?”

“The crow signifies death and during these sessions your dreams won’t let you summon anything unless it means something.”

“So what you’re trying to say is someone or something will die soon.”

“I’m sorry to say this, but yes. This is the end of the lesson. See you on your carriage ride” Ariella said. As soon as she did he woke up with a headache.

After he woke up, he walked outside and ran to Nightshade Bluff, his favorite place in Glacian. He could just look over the trees and see everything. His mind kept creeping to the thought of Ariella. What was she? He also was confused on which death was going to take place and whose life would be taken.

He suddenly heard the sound of galloping. He ran as fast as he could to his uncle’s farm. His uncle was sitting on the front steps sobbing.



“Why so sad uncle?” His uncle didn’t respond. “Uncle?” His uncle still didn’t answer him.



A man approached on horse. He was wearing a black outfit. He came up to Damian.

“What time did he pass?”

“I’m guessing one after midnight?”

“I know he was like a son to you.”

“He….. He felt like a brother.”

“Who uncle?” Caprian asked. Still no one answered.

His uncle was crying. It was the first time he had ever seen him like that. He walked inside disregarding his sad uncle who didn’t tell him anything. He walked to the center of the room and suddenly froze. He dropped to his knees and rubbed his eyes. He glanced again.

“It can’t be…. It just can’t!” He started to become nervous. He ran outside to his uncle.

“At least he passed while doing what he loved, dreaming…” Damian said.

Caprian couldn’t believe it. He was the one who died, it was him all along. Ariella was a messenger withholding the news of his death. Ariella was an angel of death. He fell to the ground, tears in his eyes. He went back to Nightshade Bluff and looked at the world he was once a part of. He walked off the bluff and stairs appeared. He saw his parents very high up and walked up the steps slowly hoping he would wake up. He never woke up that was why he was in this position. He was on the twentieth step when he looked back having his last look at the world he would never see again. He grabbed his mother’s hand and found his destiny.