The man who fell. Wings as black as death itself, as black as darkness itself. **TRAITOR, TRAITOR, TRAITOR.**

Dreams. Some say they reveal your deepest desires, the truest and most fruitful wishes lying within your soul. Others believe dreams show you your darkest fears or your true self, your shadow. I personally believe dreams hold a lot of meaning. At least, they do for most people. Sometimes, a dream recurs. But what does it mean when you have the same dream for your entire life?

**Anima**: “It happened again. I saw the man. The same dream keeps returning—a man with wings as dark as death, wings of an angel. His hair was blue, though his figure remained obscured. I walked toward him, and I heard the same words.”

_**TRAITOR, TRAITOR, TRAITOR.**_

Then I woke up.

**Soulani**: “Anima, come down for breakfast! It's almost time for school!”

My father had woken me up. I’m in 11th grade, with school starting at 9 a.m. all the way through the day. Honestly, I don’t have much interest in pursuing anything after high school.

**Anima**: “Yes, Dad, I’m coming down! Just give me a moment.”

I want to be what’s called a dream walker—someone who can walk through and interact with their dreams, who can understand their meanings. I want to understand this dream I’ve been having for over a year now.

Anima walks down from his room and is greeted by a fresh, lustrous breeze carrying the scent of the tropics—they live on the beach.

Anima is served his favorite breakfast of milk and Cheerios.

**Soulani**: “So, did you have that dream again? Were you able to get closer this time?”

**Anima**: “Yes. At this point, it’s become routine—it won’t ever stop. Every time I feel like I’m getting closer to the man, the dream ends. I always hear the same words: Traitor, Traitor, Traitor. It’s strange; in this dream, I never feel like I’m walking. I feel like I’m being pulled toward him. Then, those words are spoken, and it ends. I don’t understand why I keep seeing this figure. What does it mean? I want to know. I want to speak to this man, hear his voice, see his eyes.”

**Soulani**: “Well, talk to Mr. Kiran about it today.”

**Anima**: “Okay, bye!”

Anima dashes out the door, already late for school. He runs up the sandy hill toward the city. This place is called Central City—the city with everything.

At the top of the hill, Anima’s two friends, Vera and Eros, are waiting for him.

**Vera and Eros**: “HEY!”

**Anima**: “Sorry for being late. The dream was longer than usual and took me longer to wake up.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

These are my two best friends, Vera and Eros.

**Vera**: “You’re still having those dreams? They seem to be getting longer each time. Make sure you talk to Mr. Kiran about it.”

Vera, who’s also 17, wears the same school uniform as me on school days: long black jeans and a navy blazer. She has long blonde hair, green eyes, and stands at 5’8”. For part-time work, she volunteers at the children’s hospital. If I had to describe her in one word, it would be “GENTLE”—the kindest soul I’ve ever met.

**Eros**: “Couldn’t sleep last night, loser? Well, we’ll have to stop at the pastry store before school.”

**Anima**: “Yeah, my bad.”

Eros is also in the school uniform: black jeans, white Air Forces, long black hair pulled back with a hairband into a ponytail. He has dark, vibrant blue eyes. For part-time work, he’s a therapist. One word I’d use to describe him is “FAKE.” Why? Because he pretends to be this sweet, charming prince, like some knight in shining armor. But I know the real him—you should see him when we’re gaming together. Let’s just say he’s not so charming there. But he’s a good guy and my best friend.

**Eros**: _Devilishly smiles._

**Anima**: “Bitch.”

**Vera**: _Awkwardly laughs._

**Vera**: “Anyway, let’s head to the pastry shop; we’re only five minutes away.”

I forgot to mention that even though Vera and Eros are my closest friends, there are some things I can’t talk about with them. Both of them are entry-level dream walkers, but only dream walkers can discuss the details of the trail and how dream-walking works. That’s another reason why I want so badly to be a dream walker.

The pastry shop is our daily stop before school. We always get donuts for Mr. Akrain and the class.

**Anima**: “Hey, old man Lago!”

**Lago**: “The usual, kids?”

**Anima, Eros, Vera**: “Yes!”

**Lago**: “Twelve glazed donuts, coming right up.”

**Eros**: “Doesn’t that old man give you the creeps? He always seems strange to me.”

**Anima**: “I agree, but he makes good donuts, so who cares?”

**Vera**: “Hey, don’t say that! Mr. Lago is a nice guy. I don’t understand you guys sometimes.”

**Eros**: “Maybe it’s just a guy thing…?”

Eros pays for the donuts and grabs them.

**Eros**: “At least they’re cheap—only two dollars, especially in this economy.”

Anima, Eros, and Vera leave the shop.

**Lago**: “Stay safe, and don’t let the devil catch ya.”

**Eros**: “See? This is the weird stuff I’m talking about.”

Anima and Vera both laugh.

The three arrive at the school campus, scan their cards, and head to class.

**Anima**: “Hey, Mr. Kiran!”

**Mr. Kiran**: “Well, looks like you guys are late. It’s half past nine.”

Mr. Kiran, a white man with short black hair, wears a fedora, black suit, white button-up shirt, and white gloves. He’s about six feet tall with striking golden eyes. To me, he always looked like a magician. He’s also a super helpful teacher and Vera and Eros’s personal dream-walking instructor. There are about five dream-walking teachers at the school, and each can have up to four students. Mr. Kiran still has two spots left.

**Vera**: _Awkwardly laughs._ “Sorry about that!”

**Eros**: “Well, this loser here decided to keep sleeping.”

**Mr. Kiran**, eating a donut: “You’re still having those dreams?”

**Anima**: “Yes, my dad told me to talk to you about it.”

**Mr. Kiran**: “Well, come see me at lunch.”

First period was math, which Mr. Kiran taught. Second period was English, taught by Mrs. Sussie. Half past eleven arrived, and we visited Mr. Kiran.

**Mr. Kiran**: “So, I want more details about these dreams. I know you’ve told me about them, but can you describe how you feel when you wake up? Anything that could help.”

Vera and Eros looked worried.

**Anima**: “How do they feel? Like a never-ending loop. Every time I get closer to this figure, the dream ends. It’s an empty white room; it feels like I’m inside the very essence of my soul. I don’t understand it. I want so badly to reach this figure, but I never can. Every time, I feel like I’m being pulled toward it, but then it just stops.”

**Mr. Kiran**: “I see. And have these dreams only started a month ago? If so, what were you dreaming about before?”

**Anima**: “Actually…”

Mr. Kiran, Vera, and Eros looked extremely shocked.

**Anima**: “I’ve been having this same dream my entire life.”

**Chapter 1 End**