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It was a glorious autumn day in North Park where Nick Monahan was in the middle of a soccer match. The leaves were just beginning to change it bright colors of orange and red. A gentle breeze blew through the branches, sending the leaves spiraling gently to the ground. Nick was spending most of his time watching the leaves. He was on one of the best little league soccer teams in the county, they so good in fact, that when Nick was forced to play goalie, it ended up being a waiting game for him. So he was content to simply watch the leaves, and let his teammates handle the game for him.
Nick was a tall boy for a twelve-year-old, tall enough that he often got mistaken for a high school freshman. He had bright blue eyes, with shaggy black hair covering them half the time. As the game raged on, Nick noticed something out of place. It was a large fluffy cat with brilliant white fur, giving it the appearance of a cloud floating just above the ground. The cat didn’t move except for the tip of its tail swatting back and forth like pendulum. The cat seemed to be staring at Nick. Its large yellow eyes never left the boy, and he stared right back, almost hypnotized by it.
“Nick!” shouted his coach from the sidelines, grounding him back to reality. He suddenly realized the game was still going on and saw two players from the other team running towards him with the ball dribbling between one of them. The player with the ball kicked it into the corner of the goal. Nick reacted as fast as he could and just managed to block the ball with the tips of his fingers. He then grabbed the ball lying in his goalie territory and kicked it into the middle of the field. The game didn’t go on for much longer. Nick’s team had scored another win, and they were all getting ready to leave when Nick noticed the cat from earlier still watching him from the same place. Nick crossed the field and walked towards the edge of the woods towards the cat.
“Hi there, kitty,” Nick said in a gentle voice. He walked slowly towards it, crouched down to not scare it away, and held out his hand. He looked around the cat’s neck for signs of a collar or name tag, but it had none, which Nick found odd. It was a beautiful cat, the kind you would see being in a cat show. Nick doubted it was simply a stray. The cat was unimpressed by Nick’s hand and continued to watch him. He then reached down to pet it, but it effortlessly jumped out of the way, and walked into the woods.
“Come back!” Nick said, following after the cat. The cat was walking slow enough for Nick to follow, but always seemed to stay just out of his reach, almost like it was leading him somewhere. After a few minutes of walking, the cat stopped in front of two odd looking trees standing in the middle of a small clearing in the forest. They were much shorter than the other trees, only about nine feet high, and they were the only ones that didn’t have even one red leaf on them. They’re branched jetted out on all sides, and tangled into each other on one side.
The cat stopped, taking one long look at Nick, then dashed between the two trees and hid behind the left one. Nick followed, but once he was between the trees, he began to feel slightly nauseous. The air itself felt weird, almost like it was thicker, like he could almost touch it, but the sensation disappeared as soon as he stepped out of the area between the trees. He looked around for the cat, but it somehow vanished. As he looked, however, he noticed something peculiar. The trees all had green leaves instead of red or yellow. He then realized he could no longer hear the sounds of people, or the starting of mini vans and SUVs. In fact the only sound he could hear was unlike anything he had heard before. It seemed to be a cross between the noise cicadas gave off and chainsaws. That sound was soon joined by the rustling of bush leaves. Nick turned to look at it, and saw a reptilian head emerge from the bushes.

* * *

Samuel Monahan was running late to pick his son up from soccer practice. He had been trying to snag a particularly difficult new client for his advertising firm. After finishing a stressful presentation, he had persuaded them into choosing his company, but that meant he not only missed his son’s game, but it had already been over for a half hour. Sam felt guilty for being so late, but he was hoping taking Nick out for pizza would be enough to get him on his good side again.
Sam drove into the parking lot that was almost empty except for a few stragglers and the team’s coach. He stepped out of the car, slammed the door shut, then looked around the field for Nick, but the only one there was the team’s coach who was packing away the rest of his gear.
“Where’s Nick?” Sam asked the coached. He looked up from what he was doing.
“I haven’t seen him since the end of the game,” he replied. “I think he went home with Jeff Davis’s family. They did mention something about a sleep over.”
“No, I was supposed to pick him up for dinner, and then drive him to Jeff’s house,” Sam said, but the coach didn’t know what to tell him. Sam pulled out his cell phone and called his son. The phone rang several times with no answer. Sam was getting annoyed. They had specifically given Nick the phone so they could always know where he was, and so far he had always been good about answering it. He tried calling again, and then heard a soft ringing coming from behind him. He looked around, following the source to a lone duffle bag sitting on the benches. Sam opened the bag and saw Nick’s silver phone buzzing. The word Dad flashed on the top screen. Sam closed his phone and looked around, beginning to get worried. Nick wasn’t the type to forget to bring his stuff with him.

* * *

Nick screamed at the sight of monstrous lizard head in front of him. It had a long snout covered in a grayish-green skin lined with cracks. Its long lips reached past its large eyeballs, its pupils in the shape of long slits like a cat. Tiny needle shaped teeth dotted every inch of its mouth. Nick turned to run, but tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground. Before he could get to his feet, the monster already leaped in front of him, and he could see the creature’s legs. Each foot contained one curved black claw that looked like it could easily slice a man open. Once he got a clear look at it, Nick realized it looked exactly like a tyrannosaurus rex only slightly talker than him. Nick screamed again and tried to crawl out of the monster’s reach.
“Wot’s your problem, brothah?” the monster asked him in a peculiar accent. He cocked his head to the side, as if trying to understand Nick.
“Please don’t eat me!” Nick pleaded to him.
“Why the ‘ell would I wanna do that for? I dun even know wot you are. You’re too short for an elf. You a vampeer or sumfin?”
“No…” Nick replied, still unsure if he would be eaten or not. “I’m a person,” he explained, but the dinosaur looked even more confused. “A human?” Nick said, hoping he would understand.
“I thought those were extinct,” he replied. “Well I’m-a raptor. ‘Name’s Kalden,” He stretched his small arm out and bowed to the boy. “And your name?” Before Nick could answer, the buzzing noise from earlier seem to be getting closer. Nick searched for the sound, but couldn’t see anything. He realized that Kalden had also heard the noise and looked alarmed. “We need to get out o’ ‘ere,” Kalden said. He grabbed Nick’s hand and turned to run, but before he could make one step, two more creatures appeared before them. They were small creatures, only about three feet tall, and they were hovering above the ground. They looked like grayish marionettes with metallic beetle wings on their backs that had produced the buzzing noise. Both of them held a staff that was longer than their bodies.
“What lies in the shadow of the statue?” one of the creatures asked in a bug-like voice. Nick and Kalden looked at each other, confused. Kalden tried to explain the situation, but the beetle creatures had no intention of listening. Instead, they waved their staves in the air. Tendrils of electricity flickered off the tips, building up with each passing moment until finally; two lightning bolts shot out at Nick at the raptor. Nick wasn’t sure what happened next. He tried to block himself with his forearms, but there was a flash of light and he felt something solid appear in his hand. A beam of white light shot up from between Nick’s finger tips, solidifying into a sword. As soon as it appeared, the bolts turned from their intended targets and went towards the sword which then absorbed it.
Nick and Kalden opened their eyes, and all four of them stared in awe and the sword that was now steaming. Kalden was the first to regain a sense of the situation. As fast as he could, he let out a roar and leapt into the air. He slammed both of his feet into the bug creatures and dug his claws in. When they hit the ground, the creatures screamed and dissolved into wisps of smoke.
“What just happened?” Nick asked.
“We need to take you to see the King,” Kalden answered.

* * *

“Nick!” Sam shouted. “Nick! Where are you?!” He was now walking through the dark forest next to the soccer field, with his wife right behind him. It was closing in on three in the morning now. The only light came from their two flashlights and a few stray moonbeams that emerged from the canopy.
Sam had already called Jeffrey Davis’s mother who said she had not seen him, and then went through every contact in Nick’s cell phone, but only got the same results. He then called his wife who came over immediately and the two had been searching ever since. It was beginning to dawn on Sam that something horrible might have happened to their son, and that was something he could not handle. To Sam, Nick was more than his son; his birth had practically saved his life. Thirteen years ago, he and Kate were just dating. He was fresh out of college, and life was good. He spent all his free time going to parties and clubs with Kate, but soon he became addicted to alcohol. It got to the point where he couldn’t function in the morning without a few beers. Then, with the alcohol came the violence. He had been arrested multiple times for bar fighting, and would take his rage out on Kate. She still had scars from his beatings. Finally, Kate left him, but she came back to him a month later with the news that she was pregnant. She gave Sam an ultimatum, if he ever wanted to see his child; he had to get help for his addiction, and promise to never hit her or their child. Sam eventually got his act together and enrolled in Alcoholics Anonymous. By the time Nick would walk, Sam was one year sober and married to Kate.
“I think we should call it a night,” Kate said grudgingly from behind Sam.
“How can you say that?!” Sam yelled.
“I know,” she replied, feeling guilty for suggesting it. “But we’ve been searching these woods for hours. He’s not here, and we can barely see anything anymore. We can start again tomorrow.”
“Just one more half hour,” Sam said.
“Alright,” Kate replied. She stepped closer to him, and held his hand, weaving her fingers in with his, and then walked to search some more.

* * *

As Nick walked with the Raptor, he tried his best to explain what was going on. Nick no longer was in America. It was a mystical land called Vleks-Kuhl. King Jargen ruled over the land for centuries, and in his time there had been peace. But the last decade or so, an elf called Lord Xiu Reed had risen to power, amassed an army of monsters, and had declared war on Vleks-Kuhl. Kalden explained that he was so astonished to see Nick’s sword, because it was a legendary sword named Galdbarg that had the power to absorb any magic. Prophecies spoke of a human child who would one day wield the sword and use its powers to restore peace to the land.
After walking through the forest for hours, the two of them had emerged in front of a small town that looked like it was from the middle-ages. Every house they passed was made from logs and tar. However, there was one stone building. It was a large place called Hyde Castle that loomed over the rest of the town. As Nick walked, he glanced at all the different people he passed. Most of them looked human, except taller and with longer hair, but every once in a while he saw different creatures mingling in the crowd. Some of them looked like fish men, some of them were giant birds, and some of them Nick couldn’t even begin to describe. Finally, they were outside of the castle.
“State your purpose,” asked a man, completely covered in armor. Kalden explained the situation to him, and showed him the sword that Nick was holding. The armored man walked over to another man dressed identically and whispered to each other for a moment. “Alright, you may pass,” said the man.
It was easier to get an audience with the King then Nick had thought. They had only waited an hour until the two were walking down a red and gold carpet. The audience chamber itself was large, almost the size of a basketball court. The walls were carved from white marble stones, and lined with stained glass windows that stretch to the ceiling. Each window showed an image. Most of them represented various great deeds former kings had accomplished.
King Jargen himself has an old elfish man with a grey straggly beard that reached the floor. He was dressed in blue and silver satin robes and a silver crown on the top of his head. Kalden immediately bowed to the king. Nick watched for a moment before following suit. “Arise,” Jargen said with a wave of his hand, and the two obeyed. “Word tells that are you are the boy of prophecy.”
“That ‘e is, your highness,” Kalden said in Nick’s place.
“And the sword?” the King asked, holding out his hand. Nick, taking his cue, walked up to him and handed him the sword. King Jargen held it up to the light and examined it. He stroked his beard in thought, and then handed the blade back to Nick. “We have much to discuss.”

* * *

It had now been two weeks since Nick went missing. Sam and Kate had gone arduous task of filing a missing person’s report, but the police weren’t much help. However, the couple did receive lots of support from the community. They had rallied behind Sam and Kate, and formed proper search parties. But in two weeks, there was still no sign of their son.
Sam sat in the comfort of a swing set overlooking the soccer field that was the last place anyone had seen Nick. He had been there for hours, hoping any minute Nick would come running out of the wood. Hoping he could scoop the boy up in his arms and never let him go. The sun was starting to set, lighting the sky with beautiful shades of red and purple. The trees were now devoid of leaves. The branches clutched at the sky like skeletal arms.
“I thought you’d be here,” said a calm voice next to him. Kate sat down in the next swing over and offered him a cup of hot chocolate. Sam was silent and unmoving. “Don’t give up hope, Sam. He’s a strong kid. He could still be out there,” she said, but Sam remained silent. She sat there with him, watching the sun set. When it finally did, Kate stood up and grabbed Sam’s hand. “Come on. Its time to go home,” she said. Sam didn’t seem to acknowledge her, but he stood up and followed her towards the car.
The ride home was thick with tension. Turning the radio on was the only thing Kate could do to disrupt the silence. As soon as they turned down their street, Kate noticed it filled with news vans. “Oh, God. They’re back…” Kate sighed. There was already a swarm of journalists camping on their front yard, hoping to get any juicy dirt they could find. Kate despised them. They couldn’t care less about what happened to their son, as long as they got dibs on the story. She had to honk the horn, to get them to move out of her driveway. Once she parked, the van was barraged in a hailstorm of camera flashes and questions.
“Mrs. Monahan! Do you ever think you’ll see your sun again?!” The nearest reporter asked.
“No comment at this time,” she said simply. She used her hand to try and cover her face from cameras and then walked with Sam into their house.

* * *

It had now been two weeks since Nick had come to Vleks-Kuhl. Nick spent much of that time with King Jargen, who explained to him all the death and destruction he had spread throughout his empire, and that Galdbarg was the only weapon that stood against his powerful magics. It didn’t take much convincing for Nick to realize he was needed here. Jargen was overjoyed with his readiness to help, and they soon decided Nick needed to find a swordsman to teach him the ways of the blade.
Nick had been journeying for a week now. Along with his new friend, Kalden, King Jargen requested two of his finest knights to escort them on their journey. The journey itself had been a hard one for Nick, but they were now standing in front of their destination. The building was a red pagoda overlooking a small koi fish pond. A small gravel pathway led from the entrance to where they were standing. A wooden archway loomed overhead, welcoming travelers. Nick walked down the path, opened the door to the temple and went in. The inside consisted of one large room with polished wooden floors. It was practically empty except for a sword rack in one corner and a few scrolls pinned to the wall decorated with paintings of different animals.
“Take your shoes off,” said a voice from the corner. A girl not much older than Nick sat Indian style on the floor, sipping a glass of tea. She had a pale face with long black hair that stretched on down onto the floor. She wore a snow white kimono with a red sash giving her the appearance of a ghost. Nick did as he was asked and placed his shoes neatly on the floor.
“Are you Ana Lucia?” Nick asked, approaching her.
“That I am. And you?”
“My name is Nick. King Jargen sent me to learn to swordfight.
“I see…” the girl said calmly, not bothering to look at the boy. She placed her cup down, and stood up. “Attack me,” She commanded.
“What?” Nick questioned.
“A swordsman never shows the slightest hesitation,” Ana Lucia explained. “If they do, they die. Now if you truly want my instruction attack me as if you were trying to kill me.”
Nick looked at her as if she were crazy, but decided he might as well humor her. He withdrew Galdbarg from its sheath, and then swung at her slowly. With lightning speed, Ana Lucia had dodged the blow. With her left hand, she grabbed Nick’s wrist and dug into his pressure points until the pain forced him to drop the sword. With her right hand she grabbed the handle of Galdbarg before it fell. Then in one fluid motion Ana Lucia struck her elbow into Nick’s chest, and swept foot out from under him with her own. As Nick fell to the ground, Ana Lucia followed, driving her knee onto his chest to pin him. Then with a quick strike, she dug the sword a fraction of an in away from Nick’s throat and into the floorboards. Once Lucia was on top of him, Nick could clearly see the fire burning in her eyes. “If you ever hesitate with me again, you will die, child!”
Ana Lucia let go of the sword, got off of Nick and walked towards her drink. “I cannot teach you,” she said casually as she sat down. Nick got to his feet and glanced at the girl.
“But you have to!” he exclaimed. “I’m the only one who can defeat Xiu Reed!” Ana Lucia’s eyes flared up again at the sound of his name.
“There is no chance of someone with your skills defeating him,” she said dryly.
“Yes, I can!” Nick shouted in defiance. “I have Galdbarg. I just need your help.”
Ana Lucia examined him for a moment, then took another drawn out sip of her drink. “Very well,” she said.

* * *

It had now been exactly a month since Nick had disappeared. The search parties had given up a few days ago, and now it was just on Sam and Kate’s shoulders to find their son. Sam pulled into the parking lot of North Park. He opened the door of his car, got out, and shut it, revealing the word “murderer freshly scratched into the car’s side paneling.
Instead of taking a path through the woods, today Sam followed down the jogger’s sidewalk that wrapped around the parks perimeter. As Sam walked, he kept his eyes focused on the line where the woods start, and only took his eyes off to glance and a jogger or bicyclist passing by.
Two middle aged women walked on the other side of the path, each with a young child nearby. The woman farthest away glared daggers at Sam, and turned to her friend. “Didn’t you hear? That’s the man who murdered his son,” she whispered to her, but she purposefully said it loud enough for Sam to hear. The second woman glanced at him too, and then pulled her little girl closer to her in case Sam tried something. Sam wanted to scream at them, to tell them he would never do anything to Nick, but he didn’t bother. Nothing he could say would convince them something they heard on the news was a lie. However, it was true that the police were now looking into Nick’s missing persons case as a possible murder, and that the prime suspect was Sam. They had brought him into the station a week ago, and spent hours asking him absurd questions, but there was no evidence against him. And as soon as the media heard about this, they went into a feeding frenzy. Almost every station had done a story portraying him as a murderer.
As Sam continued to walk, he realized he reached the edge of the park, and looked around. There was a strip mall directly across the street with a Laundromat, a bar, and a few convenience stores. Having nothing else better to do, Sam crossed the street and entered the bar. It was the definition of a dive, peeling drywall, a broken jukebox and almost no lighting, but just the smell and the atmosphere to Sam felt like an old friend greeting him. He grabbed a seat closest to the door. It was empty except for one other guy, and an older man with graying hair who was washing glasses behind the bar. Once he finished, he came up to Sam.
“What can I get ya?” The man asked.
“Shot of Jack Daniels,” Sam said to him, not bothering to look at the man. He grabbed an empty glass and fixed Sam’s drink. Sam looked down into the glass through his bloodshot eyes.
“Say, you look really familiar…” The old man said.
“I just have one of those faces,” Sam replied, then he chugged his drink in one big gulp. “Keep them coming,” he said.

* * *

Exactly a month’s time had past since Nick came to the magical land of Vleks-Kuhl. The past two weeks had been the most exhausting and intense experience of his life. Ana Lucia had been training him hard, switching his constantly between sword training and strength building. Sleeping had not been a problem for him. Each night he was grateful for the opportunity to sit down and relax.
Nick was now standing before Ana Lucia. He was covered in sweat. Each breathe came out as a gasp. Galdbarg was clasped tightly in his hands. He rushed Ana Lucia, jumped into the air, and swung his blade down. Lucia held her ground with an upward block. The clang of steel on steel echoed in the empty room of the pagoda. Lucia whipped her sword to the right, flinging Nick of balance. He regained it in time to deflect a blow to his side, and quickly thrust his sword at Lucia’s head. She narrowly dodged it, but then recoiled from Nick’s reach. A small cut extended from the side of her cheek. Lucia caressed it with two fingers, and analyzed the blood. She then looked at Nick with an expression of both resentment and pride.
“Maybe you’re not so hopeless after all,” she said, then dashed after Nick with sword in hand, ready to strike.

* * *

Five weeks had passed now since Nick vanished. Sam was sitting in his recliner, watching CNN. They were doing a piece on Nick. A picture of him smiling was displayed in the upper right corner. Sam stared at the picture. The reporter’s words were nothing but buzzing in Sam’s ears.
“What the ******** is this, Sam?!” came a screaming voice from behind. He turned around to see Kate, her face lit up in a rage that Sam had never seen before. In her hand, she was holding a half empty bottle of vodka. “I found this in your sock drawer. Care to explain how it got there?!” she said in a huff.
“What?” Sam replied, trying to dismiss it. “It’s… It’s nothing…”
“What do you mean ‘it’s nothing’?” she asked. Kate looked into Sam’s eyes and gasped. “You’re drunk now, aren’t you?!”
“Look, I just needed something to take the edge off, okay?” Sam responded, trying to defend himself.
“Yeah, well, it’s going down the drain,” she said, then stormed off towards the kitchen. Sam sat up and sped after her
“Stop it!” he yelled as he watched her poor the vodka into the sink. Once the bottle was empty, Kate turned to Sam with a victorious expression. Out of pure reflex, Sam reached his hand up and slapped her hard across the face. Kate’s head shot back, and then slowly turned towards Sam. She rubbed her cheek and glared at him like he had violated her. Sam stared at his hand in pure shock of what he had done. “I’m so sorry!” Sam said in a weak voice, tears welling up in his eyes. Kate said nothing and walked out of the kitchen.
“Kate, wait!” Sam shouted, following after her. She dashed up the staircase and into their bedroom. She then opened her closet, pulled out a suitcase, and laid it on the bed. “Kate, where are you going?!” Sam asked.
“I am staying in a hotel tonight,” she said calmly, not looking at Sam. Kate walked over to her dresser and pulled the top rows out and dumped them into the suitcase.
“Wait! Can’t we talk about this?” Sam asked as he followed her around the room. “You can’t leave me.” Kate zipped up the suitcase and headed for the door. Not sure what to do, Sam grabbed Kate’s wrist. Kate quickly whipped her hand out of Sam’s reach.
“If you ever touch me again, I will put you in the hospital,” Kate said, glaring at Sam. She walked down the stairs and towards the door, with Sam begging her to stay right behind. Sam didn’t give up until Kate had gotten into her car and sped out of the driveway.

* * *

Two and a half months ago Nicholas Monahan was just a normal boy. He went to soccer practice, went to school, and did his homework every night. But now he had seen and done things no other kid could hope do to. And now he stood overlooking a valley, dressed head to toe in polished armor, Galdbarg ready at his side. Behind him was an army in the hundreds waiting for his command. Before long, the valley erupted in the sounds of buzzing.
“They’re ‘ere,” Kalden said from Nick’s side. He too was wearing a polished suit of armor. “Whenever you’re ready.”
Nick unsheathed his sword, and raised it high in the air. “For Vleks-Kuhl!” he shouted. The army behind him burst into cheers and yells of triumph. Kalden crouched down in front of Nick so he could get on his back. Once he did, the two of them and their army rushed onto the battle field like a tidal wave.

* * *

Two and a half months ago, Samuel Monahan had everything, a beautiful son, a loving wife, and a great job. But now his son was missing and his boss had given him a forced vacation to help deal with the grief. And now he was sitting in his chair, a shrine of empty beer bottles decorating each side, and he was holding in his hand a set of divorce papers delivered to him this morning by Kate’s lawyer. Sam had tried to talk to her, but she wouldn’t hear it. She ignored every one of her calls and e-mails, and kept switching hotels so Sam couldn’t track her down. He attempted to read through them, but flecks of teardrops kept falling on the paper, making the letters smear. He decided he could wait until the morning to sign them.
Sam tossed the papers onto the coffee table, and picked up an opened bottle of scotch. He swallowed as much as he could in one gulp and took in a deep breath. The warm, almost burning sensation he felt as the alcohol slide down his throat was the closest thing to happiness he had felt in weeks.
Sam stood up, and walked down the hallway, stumbling along the way. He stopped finally at Nick’s room and turned the lights on. His room was exactly how he had left it. Pictures of athletes and cartoon characters decorated the walls. A few stray toys and socks lay on the floor. His computer screen was still turned on. The image of a skateboarding website was blocked by a black screen and a beach ball that bounced around and changed forms randomly. Sam walked into the room and looked around. He went towards Nick’s dresser and picked up a picture frame. It was a picture of the three of them smiling with the Disneyland castle in the background. It struck him just how happy they looked, and he wished he was back there with them.

* * *

Two hours later, the battle was still raging on. There were mass amounts of casualties on both sides, but neither side seemed to be losing determination. Nick could see Kalden fighting off in the distance. Before he could even see his opponent, he heard the crackle of thunder from behind him, which immediately was absorbed by Galdbarg’s blade. He spun on his heels to see another one of Xiu Reed’s beetle minions attacking him. Nick slashed his sword at it, knocking the staff from its hand before it could conjure any more magic. He then used the momentum of the swing to spin the blade around and thrust it into the creature’s chest. It groaned then dissipated it a puff of smoke, revealing Xiu Reed standing before him.
Lord Xiu Reed was a tall man with tan skin and piercing eyes like a falcon. He had a thin white beard that reached his waist. The rest of his hair was held in a tight bun behind his head. Reed crouched down into a fighting stance and conjured up a ball of fire. In one fluid motion, Xiu Reed hurled the ball at Nick. Nick waited for the ball to get close enough before slashing his sword into the flames, making them evaporate.
“So you are the chosen one,” Xiu Reed exclaimed, mostly to himself. “Very well. If you wish to fight like a barbarian, I will oblige.” He held out his empty hand and conjured a thin wisp of smoke from midair. The smoke grew longer in a line and transformed into the shape of a thin sword. Reed swiped the sword in the air once and approached Nick.
Once in range, Reed thrust his sword towards Nick’s head. Nick quickly parried the blow, and went in for another strike. The battle raged on for what seemed like hours to Nick. Every time he tried to land a blow, Xiu Reed effortlessly countered it. The fatigue was starting to get to him. He wasn’t sure how much longer this could go on. That was when Nick noticed something odd. Every time their swords crossed, a red light would blink behind Reed’s beard.
Nick took a chance and swung at Xiu Reed. As soon as he blocked it, Nick pressed against him with all his strength, trying to get as close as he could. With his free hand, Nick clutched at Reed’s beard. He felt something like a rock behind it and grabbed it tightly before pulling away. He could hear a soft ripping sound as he pulled back, and saw in his hand a red glowing stone. Xiu Reed’s eyes spread wide in fear at the sight.
“Noooooooooooooo!” Reed screamed, as he pulled back, clutching at his neck. His sword faded into smoke just as suddenly as it appeared. His body started to emit steam. His limbs seizure wildly until Reed began to sink into himself. Within seconds, Xiu Reed was nothing more than a pile of goop and a set of robes.

* * *

Two hours later, Sam was sitting in his red ’74 Chevy in his garage. He hit the button on a remote that made the garage door close, and then turned the ignition key. The car revved to life, but Sam hit the gas pedal just to make sure it was running.
With the revving of the engine came the sound of soft music from the radio. The station played a lot of random songs, mostly nothing Sam listened to, until after a half hour, Sam recognized one of the songs. It was a song from the seventies by Janis Joplin, one of Kate’s favorite singers. “I pulled my harpoon, out of my dirty red bandana. And I was playing soft while Bobby sang the blues,” Janis sang, accompanied by an acoustic. Sam finished off his whiskey bottle, and then tossed it into the back seat.
Sam looked down towards the picture of his family at Disney land, and sobbed gently. He was lost in his own thoughts until he picked up on one of Janis’s lines. “I’d trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday.” Sam never really listened to the song before, but the words really rang true to him in that moment, and he wished he could do just that. As the song wrapped up, Sam began to feel light headed. The corners of his vision darkened, until his eyelids finally closed.

* * *

That night the halls of Hyde Castle exploded into celebration. With the threat of Xiu Reed now quelled, the land would once more be at peace. Fireworks burst from the towers. Hundreds of people gathered in the courtyard to sing and dance into the late hours of the night. The noise only ceased for a moment in King Jargen’s audience chamber. Nick neeled before the king who waved his sword between his shoulders. “I know knight you, Sir Nicholas,” the king announced to great applause. “You may rise now.” Nick did and looked up at the king who was beaming with delight. “Thank you for saving our kingdom,” he said. “If there is anything we can do for you, simply ask and it shall be yours.”
“I just want to go home,” Nick said gratefully. King Jargen smiled as he sat back into his throne.
“Mr. Muggles, take this boy home,” he said, clapping his hand together. Behind his chair, a fluffy white cat emerged and stepped before Nick. The cat’s eyes glowed a bright shade of red. The walls suddenly began to shake, until two trees erupted from underneath the floor and grew out until their branches connected.
“I’ll never forget you,” he said, turning to the direction of Kalden who was emerced in the crowd.
“An’ I, you, lad,” he said, smiling. Nick stepped in between the trees, feeling that same bought of nausea he felt before. A moment later, Nick was at the end of his driveway. He looked behind him, but the trees he walked through magically disappeared. It was in the middle of the night back at his home. He walked towards the front door and opened it gently, eager to see his parents.
“Mom? Dad?” he called out, but the house was dark and silent. He checked the kitchen and the living room, but each one was empty. He walked into the hall to head upstairs when he heard a faint sound coming from the garage. He opened the door leading to it and realized it was the car horn. Nick walked in and looked at the car to see Sam leaning against the steering wheel. “Dad?” Nick called. He walked to the door and opened it. An empty bottle fell out, shatter against the floor. “Dad, wake up!” Nick shouted. “Dad! What’s wrong?! Wake up!” He pulled Sam’s head back, and tried to wake him up. Tears streamed from Nick’s eyes and splattered onto Sam’s shirt. “Wake up, Dad!” he yelled one last time, but Sam never did.