The lush green forest was dark, with the sound of the leaves rustling around them filling the stormy night air. Thunder shuddered overhead, with lightning flashing in the distance. Magic beasts of different shapes and sizes could be seen scittering away in the flashes of lightning, trying to get away from the oncoming storm. And, the five individuals in golden armor, walking through the forest.

  The dense soil and moss on the ground muffled the sound of their armored footsteps as they trudged through the thick forest. The canopy overhead was just thin enough to see the cloudy sky and lightning above them, barely. Another flash of lightning, followed by a thunder a moment later, flashed overhead. Then, just like someone activating a magic object, a heavy downpour of rain suddenly engulfed the area.

  The five individuals stopped, and they all looked up as they were showered by the cool night rain. The sound of the water hitting their thick armor added to the sound around them, giving a clink sound to the natural ambiance.

  The individual in the rear of the formation let out a long sigh, "Well, this sucks."

  "It could be worse, Chadar," The individual in front of them said. They looked over their shoulder, "It could be scorching hot with the sun overhead."

  Chadar nodded, "That's true."

  The individual at the front of the formation looked around, taking in the dense forest area around them. With the rain coming down as thick as it was, it was difficult to hear if anyone or anything was approaching.

  Chadar looked around at the individual standing at the front, "Senrick! You see anything?"

  Senrick looked around for a few more moments before they shook their head and looked back, "No. I can't see anything in these conditions."

  The female mage standing in the center of the group raised her staff. "I can help with that."

  A bright orb or white light formed above them, immediately illuminating the area around them. Senrick looked around, seeing that he could easily see his surroundings now.

  Senrick nodded, "Thank you, Kaliope."

  Kaliope nodded, "Don't mention it."

  The individual standing in front of Chadar looked at Senrick, "Senrick, how much farther until we get to the place you scouted?"

  Senrick looked around, getting his bearings, "Not far. We're almost there."

  "Thank the divine," the individual standing behind Senrick exclaimed, as they sidestepped. "This rain is dripping down into my armor and giving me a weggie."

  Kaliope chuckled, "Thank you for that information, Veanor."

  Veanor looked at Kaliope, "Don't you have like an anti-weggie spell?"

  Kaliope was silent for a moment before she let out a sigh, "An anti-weggie spell?"

  Veanor nodded, "Yeah, you know, to—"

  "I get the meaning behind the request," Kaliope said. "But no, I don't have a specific spell for... anti-weggie's."

  Veanor let out a sigh, "That's unfortunate."

  The individual standing in front of Chadar said, "We need to keep moving. There is no time to delay."

  "Hadlein is right," Senrick said, and looked at the others. "Let's move."

  Without waiting for the others to respond, Senrick continued to walk forward, and the others followed. All the while, Veanor would step awkwardly, trying to fix his weggie.

  "You should really come up with that spell," Veanor said, as they continued forward.

  Kaliope chuckled, "I'll get right on that, once we return to Sanctuary."

  Veanor pointed at her, "I'll be holding you to that, you know."

  "We're here," Senrick called out.

  Everyone looked forward, watching as Senrick walked to the base of the mountain. He approached a thick area of foliage and pushed it out of the way, revealing a well-hidden small cave.

  Hadlein stepped forward, "This will be perfect. Well done, Senrick."

  Chadar looked at Senrick, "Did you already clear the inside?"

  Senrick shook his head, "No. I hadn't gone inside yet. I was waiting for you."

  Veanor let out a sigh, "So the inside is an unknown. Great, now there is a chance I might have to fight with a weggie."

  "Veanor," Hadlein scolded.

  "What?" Veanor shrugged.

  "This is not the time for fooling around," Hadlein stated firmly.

  Veanor looked down, "Yeah. I know."

  "Everyone needs to be mindful of their surroundings when we enter," Kaliope said, looking at the other members in the group. "We don't know what we will encounter. Stick together, and watch each other's backs. Got it?"

  Everyone nodded in response.

  Kaliope looked at Senrick, "Lead the way."

  ***

  Elianna's eyes shot up, and she quickly looked around, noticing she was lying on her back in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her body was tense, as she felt that same familiar pull that slowly faded away.

  Her eyes narrowed, with curiosity and confusion washing over her. This was the second time Elianna had dreamt of these individuals in golden armor, but she couldn't help but feel they were more than just mere dreams. Looking to her right, her gaze peered through the curtains and out the windows, admiring the beautiful sparkling blue ocean outside, with the clear sky overhead.

  Elianna's mind lingered for a few moments, trying to remember every aspect of the strange dream. Her thoughts lingered on their shimmering golden armor and white cloaks, thinking that she had seen something similar to their design before, but she just couldn't place where.

  As she was thinking, she heard what sounded like pots clanking in the distance. Elianna looked toward her door, hearing the faint sound of laughter. She smiled, thinking that some, if not all, of the others were awake, and the memory of the dream faded as she excitedly got out of bed. She quickly threw on a bra and pajama pants, since she only slept in her t-shirt and underwear, and exited her room.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Making her way down the hallway, Elianna descended the staircase, where she could hear several voices.

  "So do you want waffles or pancakes with breakfast?" Josephine was heard asking.

  "Let's do pancakes," Nicholas answered.

  "Should we wake Celine and Elianna to ask them which one they would prefer?" Josephine asked.

  "Celine won't care," Freya was heard answering. "She likes both of them."

  "What about Elianna?" Josephine asked.

  "Pancakes," Nicholas said, without hesitation.

  Joesphine asked, "You sure?"

  "Oh, yeah, pancakes are her favorite, hands down," Nicholas said.

  Elianna's lips curled, as he was right.

  Josphine chuckled, "You know her favorite breakfast food, huh?"

  "There is very little that Nicholas doesn't know about Elianna," Freya chimmed in.

  "Aunt Freya," Nicholas sighed.

  "Am I wrong?" Freya teased.

  "I mean... no," Nicholas admitted.

  "Really?" Joesphine asked, then hummed. "Can you tell me what her favorite color is?"

  "Pink."

  Elianna nodded, as he was right. She leaned against the wall of the staircase as she listened with a smile.

  "What does she like to do in her free time?" Josephine asked.

  "She likes to practice magic."

  Elianna nodded, as he was mostly right. While she did like to practice magic in her free time, the thing she liked to do most was—

  "But she likes hanging out with you more, Nicholas," Freya chuckled

  Elianna smiled, as she was correct.

  "From what I hear, you two hang out a lot," Josephine said.

  "Yeah, I guess," Nicholas responded.

  Josephine hummed, "And, you two are just friends?"

  Elianna's smile faded, and her face started to feel warm.

  A silence fell over the kitchen for a moment, with Elianna's eyes darting around, waiting for an answer.

  "I mean, yeah," Nicholas said.

  "I see. I see," Josephine hummed. "And, how do you feel about that?"

  Nicholas could be heard clearing his throat, "What do you mean?"

  "What I mean is, do you want to be more than friends with her?" Josephine asked.

  Elianna's lips went agape, with her face feeling hot at the question. Her heart was beginning to beat faster, with her stomach fluttering.

  "Um..." Nicholas began.

  Elianna stood up from the wall, leaning forward to try to listen.

  "I uh..."

  Elianna's heart began to beat fast, practically demanding that Nicholas answer already. She leaned forward more, with her patience wearing thin.

  Nicholas sighed, "I—"

  Elianna yelped and went wide-eyed as she lost her footing on the step and fell forward. She managed to quickly catch herself and stumble forward down a few steps. Her eyes were shut tight, and her lips were pressed into a thin line as she scolded herself for losing her footing and making noise.

  "Lia?" Nicholas called out. "Is that you?"

  "Damn," Elianna whispered to herself. She straightened and called out, "Yeah!"

  Elianna descended the stairs, seeing Freya sitting on one of the stools at the hightop, while Josephine and Nicholas were in the kitchen area. Different sets of pans were laid out, with ingredients scattered along the counter.

  When Elianna looked at Nicholas, she could see his cheeks were a little red.

  Freya looked at Elianna, noticing her reddened cheeks. Her lips curled slightly, and she bit her lips between her teeth.

  "Good morning, Dear," Joshephine greeted with a kind smile. "Are you okay? We heard a loud sound."

  "Yeah, I'm fine," Elianna shrugged. "I stumbled a little down the stairs."

  Nicholas' eyes looked her up and down, "Did you just wake up?"

  Elianna looked at him, seeing the nervousness in his eyes. She could tell he was probing to see if she had heard what they were talking about earlier.

  Elianna smiled and nodded, "Yeah." She brushed her hair out of her eyes, realizing she had forgotten to tie it back, and it was flowing freely. She chuckled, "I must've still been tired if I lost my balance on the stairs."

  Nicholas relaxed slightly and chortled as he shook his head, "You goof."

  "Here," Freya said, pulling out the stool beside her. "Come sit beside me."

  Elianna nodded, walked over to Freya, and sat on the stool she pulled out. "So, what are you doing?"

  Nicholas smiled as he continued to crack a few eggs into a mixing bowl, "We're cooking breakfast."

  Elianna's brows raised, and she smiled at Nicholas, "Wait, you're helping Josephine cook?"

  Nicholas cracked another egg, then looked at Elianna, "Yeah? Why?"

  Elianna shrugged, "Oh, nothing. I just didn't know you knew how to cook."

  Josephine snorted as she looked to the side, trying to hide a smile.

  Freya also looked away, trying not to laugh.

  Nicholas' eyes narrowed playfully on Elianna, "I can cook." He looked to the side and shrugged, "Somewhat."

  "Oh?" Elianna grinned, "And what does somewhat mean?"

  Nicholas raised his chin, "It means I can make toast."

  Elianna blinked before she laughed. Nicholas smiled and joined her laughter a moment later.

  "Oh yes, what a fine toast chef you must make," Elianna chuckled.

  "Here, toast chef," Josephine said, handing Nicholas a loaf of bread. "Cut that up into slices."

  Nicholas nodded as he grabbed the loaf and began to cut it.

  Josephine grabbed the mixing bowl of eggs and added a few more ingredients before she mixed them together.

  "Freya," Josephine said, and looked at her. "The batter is ready. Can you start on the pancakes?"

  Freya smiled and nodded, "Sure."

  Freya stood up and walked to the kitchen, where she prepared the stove. Once the pan was hot, she began to pour batter into it to make the pancakes.

  Elianna smiled as the delectable smell of breakfast being made filled the air.

  As Nicholas was cutting the bread, he looked at Elianna and said, "So, how did you sleep?"

  Elianna's smile faltered slightly as her gaze flicked to the counter. Her brows furrowed as she remembered her strange dream.

  Nicholas stopped slicing the bread and looked at Elianna curiously, noticing her expression, "Lia?"

  Elianna looked back at Nicholas and smiled, "I slept fine."

  The sound of sizzling gained Elianna's attention, and she looked at the stove, seeing that Josephine had begun to cook slices of bacon.

  "What about you?" Elianna asked, looking back at Nicholas.

  "I must've been tired, because I slept like a log," Nicholas chuckled.

  Elianna nodded, then she pursed her lips, as she curiously asked, "Whatcha dream about?"

  Nicholas's hand froze mid-slice, and his cheeks turned slightly red. "Oh, uh..." He cleared his throat. "Nothing really. Just me surfing."

  Elianna raised a brow, wondering why he reacted that way to her question. But it also let her know that he wasn't having strange dreams like she was.

  Nicholas continued to slice the bread, "What about you?"

  Elianna shrugged, "I dreamt about the forest." Which wasn't necessarily a lie.

  Nicholas chuckled, "Sounds like a boring dream."

  "Pancakes are almost done," Freya said.

  "So is the bacon," Josephine stated. "I'll start on the eggs," Josephine said, grabbing the mixing bowl. She readied another pan and poured the eggs in.

  "How's the bread coming along?" Freya asked, looking at Nicholas over his shoulder.

  Nicholas gestured to the freshly cut slices, "All ready to be toasted."

  Freya nodded, "Good. Go ahead and toast it. The toaster is—"

  Nicholas snapped his fingers, and fire magic quickly flashed over the pieces of bread, turning them crisp and brown.

  Freya chuckled, "Or do that."

  "Breakfast is almost ready," Josephine said, and looked at Nicholas. "Can you go wake Celine, please?"

  Elianna sat up, "I can do it."

  A mischievous grin formed on Nicholas' face, "No, I got it!"

  Elianna raised a brow, "You sure?"

  But Nicholas was already out of the room, heading up the stairs.

  Josephine began to pull the bacon off the stove and looked at Elianna with a smile, "So, Elianna. How do you like the beach house so far?"

  Elianna smiled, "I love it. It's so nice and peaceful."

  Josephine nodded, "That it is. Being here gives us a chance to be calm and rela—"

  "NICK YOU LITTLE SHIT!!"

  A loud crash and bang followed Celine's yell.

  Freya sighed, then looked toward the stairs, as the sound of running could be heard above.

  Elianna raised a brow, hearing Nicholas laughing hysterically as he came running down the stairs.

  "Nick! Get back here!" Celine yelled as she ran down the stairs after him.

  Elianna's brows raised as she saw that she was completely drenched, with her shirt and pajama pants clinging to her.

  "Nick!" Elianna yelled, smiling and covering her mouth. "You didn't!"

  Nicholas laughed as he ran around the couches, avoiding Celine. Nicholas managed to run to one side of the couch, while Celine was on the other, trying to get around to him.

  "I hope you know I'm going to get you back for this!" Celine yelled, glaring at Nicholas as she wiped the wet hair that clung to her face out of her eyes.

  Nicholas smirked, "I was just helping you freshen up."

  Celine narrowed her eyes, then she gave a wicked smile, "Fine." She raised her hand, and water magic began to swirl in her palm. "Allow me to return the favor."

  Nicholas chuckled as wind magic began to swirl around him, "Let's see if you can catch me."

  "Not now," Freya said, placing the pancakes onto the high top. "Breakfast is ready."

  Celine and Nicholas looked at the pancakes, then back at each other.

  "Truce until after breakfast," Celine said, her eyes narrowed.

  Nicholas hummed, then nodded, "Agreed."

  They both nodded and dispelled their magic. Celine snapped her fingers, and an emerald energy washed over her, drying her off instantly.

  "Alright, everyone," Freya said, and snapped her fingers. All the plates on which the breakfast food was served levitated and moved toward the kitchen table before settling on it.

  Freya smiled, "Let's eat."