Whispers of Worlds Beyond: A Series

The next morning, Aiden woke early, though he hadn't gotten much sleep. The weight of both Adrian and Sevan's losses sat heavy on him, but unlike them, he didn't have time to sulk. His duel was today.

He left the dorm quietly, careful not to wake either of them. Not that it mattered- Adrian was sprawled out on his bed, face buried in his pillow, and Sevan had his book open on his chest, barely moving. They'd been in their own heads since yesterday, frustrated with themselves.

Wait.

Wasn't he already at the training hall?

Aiden stopped mid-step on his way to the door, his confusion visible.

He remembered being with Emmeranne. She was training with him, right? And then there were bats. A lot of them.

The bats scratched him.

What happened next? Aiden reeled his mind, trying to remember. Who was it? There was a third person.

Ah yes. It was Lopt.

Aiden looked back at his friends, who was still in the same position they had when he woke up.

That dream was so believable, Aiden thougtht, opening the door of the room and closing it silently.

And he stopped again, piecing two and two together.

He had another dream.

He usually would dream about the tree, the black raven occasionally resting on the tree's gigantic branches. Aiden would then sit beside it, resting his back against the bark.

Now, he had another dream.

Maybe he had snapped out of the dream already? Does this mean the dream he would always get is finally gone? Will he dream normally again?

Aiden was so deep in thought that he walked aimlessly towards the dormitory exit, when he saw Morrigan feeding a dog the size of a wolf some crackers.

He stopped short, blinking.

Morrigan stood there, crouched down, her hands offering crackers to a massive, wolf-like creature. The animal had black shaggy fur that looked as though it shimmered faintly under the dim light, as if it weren't fully solid.

"Why are you up this early?"

Morrigan turned to look at him. She hesitated for a split second before straightening, brushing crumbs off her hands. Based on her mannerisms, she still seemed slightly uncomfortable around him, but it also looked like she was making an effort to push past it.

"I'm feeding Sirius," she said, nodding toward the translucent wolf-dog beside her. "One of my pets."

Sirius? Aiden eyed the creature warily.

The massive wolf lifted its head and turned to face him. Its eyes were eerie, glowing faintly like embers, and as it inhaled deeply,

Sirius sniffed once, then exhaled, its breath curling like mist.

Aiden tensed slightly. "…It's translucent."

Morrigan hummed. "He's not entirely from this realm."

Aiden eyed Sirius warily as the massive wolf-dog finished sniffing him and let out a low huff, its glowing eyes still fixed on him. The creature wasn't entirely solid- its shaggy fur rippled like mist at the edges, flickering between states of existence.

"So… you conjured it?" Aiden asked, glancing back at Morrigan.

She nodded. "I can control animals, but I can also summon them." She reached down, scratching behind Sirius's ears.

"Sirius isn't fully bound to this realm, which is why he looks like that."

"And you're feeding him… crackers?"

Morrigan gave him a flat look. "He likes them."

Sirius thumped his tail, his ghostly form briefly solidifying before flickering again.

Aiden still wasn't sure what to make of the creature. It wasn't exactly threatening, but something about it felt… otherworldly. "Is he dangerous?"

Morrigan tilted her head, as if considering. "Only if I tell him to be."

"Riiiight. So I should be worried if I wake up to him standing over my bed?"

Morrigan smiled slightly, breaking off another piece of the cracker and holding it up. Sirius snapped it up in one bite.

"Depends. Have you done anything to make me want to send him after you?"

No. But considering how you still look like you'd rather be anywhere else when I'm around, I wouldn't put it past you."

Morrigan's smirk faltered just a little, but she quickly covered it up by focusing on Sirius. "I don't dislike you."

"Could've fooled me."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look, it's not personal. You know why I was uncomfortable."

Yeah, I know. Because of my name."

Morrigan nodded, then looked at him properly this time. "But you're… different from what I expected. From what we all expected."

Aiden snorted. "Glad to know I don't completely match the horror stories."

Morrigan rolled her eyes. "I never said horror stories."

"You didn't have to."

She clicked her tongue, tossing another cracker to Sirius. "Fine. Maybe I judged too quickly."

"Maybe?"

She sighed. "Alright, alright. You're not as bad as I thought."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Morrigan huffed but didn't deny it. Instead, she patted Sirius's head, who had been watching the exchange with quiet amusement, if a spectral wolf could even be amused.

"You really brought him out here just to feed him crackers?"

"Do you have a problem with that?"

Aiden raised his hands in surrender. "Not at all. Just making sure you're not planning on unleashing him on me the second I turn my back."

Morrigan chuckled. "Not tonight. Maybe tomorrow."

Aiden rolled his eyes but found himself smirking anyway.

Ammonn arrived just then, and he caught sight of Morrigan and Aiden and grinned, his usual easygoing demeanor present as he walked over.

"You're up early, Chase." His tone was more of an observation than a question.

Aiden stretched his arms and shrugged. "Just happened to wake up."

"You sure? You look like you've been thinking about something for a while."

Since when did you become a mind reader?"

Ammonn laughed but didn't push. Instead, he glanced at Morrigan, then back at Aiden. "Well, since you're already up, do you want to join us for training? Morrigan has a duel today, so we're getting some practice in before breakfast."

Morrigan gave Aiden a sideways glance, as if gauging whether he'd accept or not. Sirius, still lazily resting beside her, flicked his ears but remained silent.

Aiden shook his head. "I'll pass. I was planning to sit by the fire for a bit before my own training."

"Fair enough. Just don't get too comfortable, or you might fall asleep again."

"Not happening."

Morrigan stood, dusting off her clothes before looking at him again. "See you later, then."

Aiden barely lifted his hand in a half-hearted wave before freezing mid-motion. His gaze locked onto Ammonn, who casually placed a hand on Morrigan's back, guiding her outside like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Aiden's brain short-circuited.

What.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he processed what he had just witnessed.

He glanced at Morrigan, expecting her to swat Ammonn's hand away or at least give him a pointed look, but she didn't. She just kept walking, as if it was normal. As if this happened all the time.

Aiden wasn't sure what was more shocking- the fact that Ammonn had done that so effortlessly or that Morrigan let him.

He stood there for a solid moment, blinking at the doorway long after they had disappeared through it.

"…Huh."

That was new.

Aiden shook his head, deciding it wasn't worth thinking about right now. He turned toward the door, ready to step outside and sit by the fire for a bit before training. But just as he reached for the handle, the door swung open, and Emmeranne walked in.

She was sweating. Her long black hair, usually neat, clung to the sides of her face, and her shirt was damp from exertion. She was breathing slightly heavier than usual, but her expression was the same as ever.

Aiden raised a brow. "You look like you just ran across the whole academy."

Emmeranne didn't respond immediately. She merely pulled the hair tie off her wrist and began gathering her hair, tying it up with practiced ease. Then, without looking at him, she said, "Training."

"You train this early?"

"Obviously."

"And here I thought I was the only insane one."

"You still are."

Aiden rolled his eyes but couldn't argue. Instead, he took a step aside, letting her pass. "You done for the morning?"

She walked past him toward the common area, wiping sweat off her brow with the back of her wrist. "Depends. You ask too much."

"Depends on what?" Aiden asked, choosing to ignore her second comment.

"If I feel like training again."

"You don't stop, do you?"

Emmeranne turned her head slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "Do you?"

Fair point.

She continued until she disappeared as she went inside her room, leaving Aiden alone in the common room.

Emmeranne thought she could walk past him without issue, but Aiden's sharp eyes caught something off about her: she was wearing a cloak.

She wasn't training. She was outside.