[Apos' Journal]

[Apos]

Entry 1- Day 1, Season of Winter 511 AV "Hmm." Apos growled to himself as he looked down at the blank page wandering how to start it off. It was his however, so he figured it didn't really matter. Apos had a dream the night before that he felt that he needed to record. He didn't remember most dreams when he woke up, because most of the time they were irrelevant or nothing especially important happened in it. But when he awoke this particular morning, he remembered it as if the event actually happened. There were moments in the dream that he knew, because of their abnormality, it couldn't possibly be real, but despite the oddities he couldn't shake it off once he awoke. He opened his mouth once more, talking to himself, a raspy deep voice escaping his mouth. "Dreams feel real when we're in them...its not until one awakes that we realize something was actually strange. Even if the dream itself is strange, the fantasy world can still alter one's perception..." He trailed off and began writing. Like most dreams, I started in a random location, but because it was a dream, at the time I didn't realize it. I looked about and found myself in a grassy, beautiful field. One that seemed different, definitely not apart of Tolaba's land as most of it is a Jungle. I walked for what most of been mere minutes and my eyes fell upon something I did not expect to see. The grass kept going for about a hundred meters until it suddenly turned to black, rocky crags. There seemed a very tangible line where the landscape turned into a very dark and unforgiving terrain of sharp, jagged cliffs, pools of red, molten rock that ran like rivers of flaming blood from an massive volcano which spewed swirling clouds of ominous black smoke into the already darkened sky. "What the...?" I remember saying aloud to my own disbelief. I approached the dark place, stepping slowly, cautiously towards it. Even the blue sky seemed to have a boarder drawn upon it, it's azure grace mangled and deformed into red and black clouds of ash. The parallelled landscapes seemed so extreme. One so peaceful, the other so inhospitable. They looked as if they were from two different locations, or torn from some fantastic imagination, but here they stood, coexisting. I found myself soon standing at the edge of the green grass, looking off into the volcanic wastes that seemed to stretch on forever. I looked back over my shoulder. The rolling green hills appeared just as infinite as the no-man's land before me. As my eyes returned to the gargantuan volcano that dominated the darkened landscape, a warm feeling came over me, one of familiarity. A voice in my head beckoned me not to step further. Danger lay that way. Something in the distance grabbed my attention from the flowing magma however. A figure in the distance was approaching. At first I could hardly make out the woman because of the smoke and smut, but upon further observation I recognized her to be the patron Goddess Myri. Because of her familiarity I wanted to go forward, to her, but the line in front of me, the one that separated safety from danger caused me to hesitate. I had a feeling however, that it was more than a simple means of endangerment. I didn't know the meaning behind it, and for the life of me I couldn't decipher the symbols. I took a step forward, touching the hardened, black landscape with my barefoot, feeling no immediate pain before a voice pinged into my mind. "No." I paused, not out of choice but of shock. I knew it to be Myri's voice, but, unlike most dreams where you can somewhat control things, I could not this time. I saw her, and despite the land, I saw safety and refuge in her company. I took another step forward, and the voice came again. "Arrow." Confused, I said aloud, "Huh?" Seconds later I felt a sharp jar in my chest, immediately followed by staggering pain. A large, red arrow protruded from my chest. I grabbed for it at first, and stopped myself feeling its tip in my heart. I frowned at first, and pulled the arrow out, choosing not to prolong death, as such Dira would frown upon. I still feared it however. The arrow hit the ground, its metal tip making a 'tink', as it hit the hardened lava. I felt the blood rush from my chest and saw my vision blur. When I hit the ground I woke up. I realized the lesson in the vision however. He mouthed it aloud before leaving his tent for the day. "Have faith. No matter the situation, always trust your Gods."