“All Dreams have a Beginning, and all Nightmares have an End.”

“All Dreams have an End, and all Nightmares have a Beginning.”

“To find the Causal Transformation of one into the other is the Job of a Dreamvestigator.”

“Today at 20;00, Only on D-TV”

Random TV Channel, Modern Era Entertainment.

*

Mane Savannah

Two seasons.

Wet and dry.

Both are uncomfortable, and both conditioned life to its effects.

Yet, while you can tolerate it, it does not mean you have to enjoy it.

And that is what Pa’Li did.

He tolerated the rain falling on his golden mane covering his head.

“I hate feeling wet.” He said.

“So do I, Big Bro.” Replied another voice, walking just beside him.

Pa’Li and his younger brother Ma’Li traversed the Mane Savannah in search of something called the Scourge of Li’On.

The mission they had received pointed them to this part of the Savannah, but the unfortunate part was that the rainy season had started, yet, they could not afford to give up on this mission.

Not when it is the last mission they will receive since they gained Sapience, achieved humanoid form, became students at the Li’On’s Academy for War and Battle, and were to graduate soon after this.

Both brothers descended from the Li’On Pantheon, which automatically meant that they were born Lions and lived their whole life as Lions, even when they achieved Sapience.

Only after gaining their two-handed and two-legend form did they join the Li’On Pantheon.

Only after they joined did they discover, for the first time, what it meant to be a tiny cub in a Big Lion's World.

They learned many things, and now, they needed to prove their worth by finding this Li’On Scourge that appeared suddenly in the wilds.

Aside from being a rare phenomenon called Twins, both brothers sported the iconic golden Lion mane on their heads. Although it was soggy right now from the rain, it did not bother them as much.

Since all it would take is a bit of Mana after the rains stop to be dry again.

Both brothers wore black alligator scaled trousers and a front open black alligator scaled jacket.

The black clothes, combined with their golden mane, and golden eyes, sported a specific punk look.

If somebody knew what punk actually was.

To them, it was the standard garb that all who attend LAWB wore, and the golden sun symbol on their chest and back affirmed said allegations.

“Could they not have given this assignment in the Dry Season? My boots are smeared full of dirt.” The younger brother moaned.

“Maybe. I have a feeling that somebody had set us up for this.” Replied the older brother.

“You got any idea who it could be?” Ma’Li wondered.

“Could be anybody, but my intuition tells me it was that Mers’Li asshole. I think he did not like that Ana’Li was taking a liking to us.” Pa’Li assumed. ”You know his Progenitor has influence in the Mission Assignment Hall.”

“Oh, Him. Yea, I can see that happen.” Murmured Ma’Li. “Fine. Do you have any information besides the last known position of this Scourge? What does it look like? How does it behave? Actually, why is it even called the Scourge of Li’On.”

“From what I was told, some Oracles sensed trouble for Li’On from it, and decided to send out a scouting mission,” Pa’Li explained. “We have to find out what is going on, and if the Oracles were right, we need to end it for good. As for the looks, they only gave me a general appearance. I had to look it up in the Library to narrow the possibilities.”

With that said, the older brother waved his left hand, and a light sprung from it.

Above his palm, an approximate image of a Honey Badger appeared.

“Mmm, what kind of beast is that?” Ma’Li asked.

“The records call it White Streak Fury. ” For a moment, Ma’Li wondered what was wrong with the person who added Fury to the name before paying more attention to his brother's explanation.

“Apparently, its name is deserved, as few animals bother it because it turns furious the moment you bother it.” Pa’Li explained. “It's a rarely seen beast outside the Wild Zone, so few people have even seen it, much less heard about it.”

“So, it's just a normal beast? Otherwise, everybody would have heard of its species, right?”

“Probably, but my thoughts are that a specimen of this White Streak Fury gained Sapience and is now causing trouble, thinking nothing can touch it here in the Wild Zone.” Pa’Li shared his thoughts.

“Eh, if you think it is like that, Big Bro, then it must be so.” Ma’Li agreed in a heartbeat.

He knew that his older brother was the smarter one of them. Everybody agreed on that, even him, but deep down, he knew it was more of a personality trait where they differed in, not actual physical and mental prowess.

His brother was the calm and indifferent type, while he was the wild and emotional type.

“How big would it be if it gained Sapience?” Ma’Li asked.

“If the standard rules apply the same as for us Lions, and if the size measurement I dredged up from the records are true, then it should have at least doubled its size. So, close to what a Non-Sapient Lion is.” Pa’Li explained.

“What? That's it? I don't get why something like that is known as a Scourge?” Ma’Li voiced his concerns. “Maybe it has to do with its special talent?”

“We will see. Meanwhile, we first need to find it, and this rain is slowing our search.”

“Any way around it? I don't want to spend weeks out here during the rainy season.” Ma’Li said.

Pa’Li, the older brother, nodded at his younger brother, and from the inside of his jacket, he brought forth a tube-like little thing.

“Oh, a scroll. Tracking scroll?” Ma’li quizzed his older brother, who nodded in response. “Great, that will save us a lot of time. Now we just need to find one of them. And we can track them all.”

“In a certain radius, little brother. It will still take days to find it.”

“Alright, alright, let's quicken the search. I was able to obtain a promise from Ana’Li for a date once we return.” Ma’Li blurted out with a smug smile on his face.

“You did?”

“Yes. I even managed to talk her friend into a group date. Bros before Hoes, is it not Big Brother?”

Seeing the wide grin from his younger brother a smile shifted on his stoic expression. Pa’Li embraced his brother with one.

“Indeed, Little Brother, Bros before Hoes!”

Shoulder by shoulder, the twin Lions of the Li’On Pantheon began their search for the infamous Scourge of Li’On.

*

Who would have imagined that a simple idea, presented at the proper time, would give us the present of additional two years of breathing/eating/shiting on this world?

Two years of additional time to ponder, theorize, and build.

Two years allowed me to finish the safety measures we needed to prevent both of us from going insane if the worst-case scenario did indeed happen.

Now I simply needed to wait for the inevitable doom that would eventually come, and as more and more times passed, I had this feeling of something approaching.

No idea where it was coming from, but it was coming, and that was all the drive I needed to finish my project or its prototype.

Another reason I knew it was arriving was that Alexander had become far too clever for his good.

The constant need to outmaneuver the Lion Prides had driven his Hunt Intent into an overdrive. It allowed him to seek the best opportunities with the least amount of injuries.

However, the most crucial part is that Alexander had learned to give up on a hunt if the situation was not favorable instead of plowing through with sheer stubbornness demanded by his Vengeance.

Because of that, long travel times, the search for any Pride of Lions consumed so much time that when he did strike, he was mostly successful.

A few attempts had left him with big scars on his body, but for the most part, he succeeded in his endeavor, which was Vengeance.

The problem was his Vengeance only rooted itself deeper and deeper.

A few times, I had even wondered if I should even help him at all.

When he dies, all that resentment built into him would dissipate along with him.

Ultimately my decision to save him won over not doing it.

He was just that important to me.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

After the two-year mark of Vengeance plaguing the Lion Prides, and with my project completed, I allowed myself the hope that maybe there was no end coming, at least any time soon.

However, all that got tossed into the trash can.

A mental trigger of mine inside Alexander was well… triggered.

The trigger belonged to Alexander's instinct of possible danger.

Spending Essence on sharing his physical senses with me, I immediately began to sift through everything coming my way.

By now, I was very familiar with how his mind operated, and there was no trouble with me interpreting what he was experiencing.

But what I had trouble with was understanding what he was sharing.

Right now, it is the long rainy season.

Alexander wasn't a fan of it, and I saw no rain falling. It was day outside, but those facts did not diminish the fact that two giant Lions were staring directly at Alexander, and Alexander was just staring at them.

I have long grown used to everything being larger from Alexander's perspective. But the approximate sizes of things were still easy to compare, and these Lions were, at the very least, two times bigger than any other Lion we have come across.

Their size wasn't the only thing that bothered me.

Their fur/eyes/mane shined a pure golden color. For a few moments, I imagined that they were statues because they had no other color blended into them.

Maybe it would have stayed in my imagination.

If not for the fact that the one on the left, from Alexander's perspective, opened its big mouth, with teeth that could snap Alexander in half with ease and released sounds from its big mouth?

Yet, that was the strangest thing so far. The sounds made no sense to Alexander, but when it all reached my mind through our Bond, I understood what was said.

“You sure, this is the one, Big Bro?” The one on the left asked.

“It is bigger than any other we have met. It's got a lot of scars on its body, and that gaze it's projecting at us tells me it's Sapient enough.” Replied the one on the right.

“Still don't see how this little beast could be called Scourge of Li’On.” Said the one on the left.

Scourge of Li’On?

Instantly I knew what was going on.

I cared not why the Title I gave Alexander, or its approximation, was known to them, but there was no doubt about it.

The eventual demise has found Alexander and me with it.

“RUN!” I bellowed to Alexander.

Yet, he did not run as I expected he would.

In the last two years, he had learned to ignore his Hunt Instinct when he wanted or when it was telling him faulty information.

Now all my interventions came back to bite us in the ass, but that did not explain why I felt more confusion from Alexander than fear or any other emotion.

That simply made no sense unless I considered this from another standpoint.

Could it be that only I can see them? No, wait. Alexander can see them, but what if only I can see them like that?

When I asked myself that question, a detail from long ago popped into my mind.

I remembered a giant spider riding a griffon.

What if it had not been a giant spider in truth? Or maybe it was a giant spider, but only I saw that form. If that is the case, then the current Giant Golden Lions should have a different form.

A form Alexander is not familiar with, which is why confusion is the result when I warned him.

So when I warned him, he simply had no idea why they were dangerous.

“Should we kill it now?” The Golden Lion on the left quizzed.

“Preferably, I'd like to learn why the Oracles call it the Scourge, but we have already spent too much time searching for it. Let's just get this over with.” The Golden Lion on the right answered.

Hearing that death was approaching, I considered how to warn Alexander when a simple solution came to me.

Instantly, I used what I was receiving and sent it back to Alexander's mind through the bond.

I never needed it before, but I had experimented with it a few times.

The moment the image of what I was seeing overlapped with what Alexander was witnessing, a strange effect happened between us.

Our two images merged, and for the first time, we both gained the best of both worlds.

I perceived two humanoid beings with a golden mane on their heads instead of hair, and Alexander perceived two Giant Golden Lions.

The results were immediate. Our flight or fight system kicked in.

Chemicals began to be produced, and they raced through our bodies.

Seconds passed, and our view shifted as we began the SPRINT of our life.

“Oh, it ran away, just as I was about to do something. Must have good senses.”

Another sound reached us.

It got ignored in favor of another one.

One that Alexander did not have, but I did.

We somehow sensed something diving at us from above.

Instantly, we switched lanes and began running left, diagonally left precisely instead of a pure straight direction.

A second after we switched, a THUD echoed behind us.

“Oh, indeed good sense. Looks like this hunt will be fun, at least.”

And that was what it became.

As we ran, every time we sensed something approaching us, we changed directions.

In the beginning, it was fine as only one THUD ever reached us. But when the other Giant Golden Line joined the game, every THUD came closer and closer.

Until there came a point where we felt something hit us for the first time.

Pain erupted from our left side of the body.

Despite the thick and loose skin, the amount of force that reached our insides was staggering.

We both felt the pain, as in this state, we were closer than ever before.

However, it was not enough. We flew through the air for a few moments before impacting the ground, adding more pain to both of us.

The adrenaline reduced the amount felt, so we were already trying our best to stand up, only to realize that our body was shaking like a leaf in the wind.

There was no way we could escape them.

This felt more like a game of cat and mouse, and we knew the ending for this mouse.

Still, we held onto this shared state when, through our left eye, we saw one of the golden-maned men return.

There was a smile on his face, however, it vanished soon enough, when he observed our current state.

Once he stood above us, he scowled, placed one foot on our back, and pressed us down onto the ground.

Seconds later, the other man returned.

Knowing that it was over, we branded their similar appearance into our minds.

Maybe we would meet in the future, maybe we would not, after all, the second gamble of our life in this world had yet to be initiated.

“It was fun while it lasted, but what now, Big Brother? You never mentioned how to kill it and what to do with the remains?” Said the golden-managed man above us.

“Mmm, there is no reason to delay any further. Just end it. However, we will bring the remains with us, as proof of its demise.”

“Ah, such a shame. I wanted to see how it would react to my Flame.” Said the golden-eyed man pressing down on us, but above his left palm, a Golden Flame manifested.

It calmly radiated warmth and not just physical warmth, but there was something more to it.

“Khrya-ya-ya-ya.” Came out of our throat and mouth, not that it mattered, as the pressure on our body grew stronger in response.

“It's still feisty. Big Bro, do we need to bring its body back, or is this just a curiosity of yours? I really want to turn it into ashes.”

Moments passed before the other one replied.

“The mission did state to provide proof of a kill, but ashes will do too. Plus, it won't smell till we are back home.”

“Awesome.” The jubilation came, followed by pain.

Genuine, burning pain, as the Golden Flames attached themselves to our physical body and the Essence that permeated our body.

Even our current shared Consciousness. Including my minuscule Dream Realm.

For a second, the pain overwhelmed us, but, being strictly incorporeal, I recovered much sooner than Alexander.

With my recovery, our combined perspective lost its effect.

For a second, I lost perspective on what to do, but feeling the Flame on the outside of my Dream Realm, reminded me there was no time to dilly dally.

With a thought, I initiated Safety Protocol; Altered Destiny.

As the protocol demanded, I shifted my current incorporeal self into the Sphere in the center of this Dream Realm, and as I did that, everything outside the Sphere began to lose its state of solidity.

It was as if the entire Dream Realm began to be undone, which wasn't that wrong when you thought about it.

As that happened, the Sphere in the center of it all, began to rotate clockwise.

As it rotated faster and faster, it began to pull on the rest of the Life Essence that made up everything in the Realm, which made it lose its cohesion faster, and it got sucked into the omnidirectional suction effect of the Sphere.

The Time dilation of the Dream Realm only increased the pace at which all this happened when compared to Reality.

When the suction effect increased enough, I felt the outer Walls of the Dream Realm begin their own rotation.

This one was anti-clockwise.

As the outer layer of the Dream Realm rotated anticlockwise, a strange effect happened.

The Golden Flame burning on the outside began to be drawn inside my collapsing Dream Real.

It got faster and more powerful when a popping feeling came to my attention.

It took a moment to find the pop, but when I did, I noticed it was a little shining beacon of light that was not light at all.

The instant familiarity told me what it was. I used what little control I had of this ongoing process, to pull on Alexander's Consciousness and have him enter the Sphere in the center of it all.

Once by my side, a strange dichotomy came over me. All this time, I was the tiny symbiote on Alexander, and now the little shining Consciousness was as small as a hand if I had a hand.

As I stared at the little light that was Alexander, I sent him one last thought.

“Sleep, my buddy.”

When I did that, I felt and saw his radiance lose its shine, and when it was over, all I saw was a tiny ball of something.

I left it where it was and focused my awareness outside.

*

“What the Hell is going on?” Ma’Li proclaimed as his foot left the burning body on the ground.

He retreated a few steps as he felt something drawing on the Golden Flame burning the White Streak Fury outside and inside.

“Something is pulling on my Flame.” He expressed himself in simple surprise.

The Golden Flame, the innate talent all Lions gained upon achieving a humanoid body.

It was their bread and butter.

It could provide.

It could create.

It could destroy everything the user wanted, provided the user had the skill to use it properly.

Now though, it was being sucked off somewhere.

It wouldn't be detrimental to him in any way, but it felt unpleasant, having one's stuff be taken away.

“Big Bro, should I go all in and destroy what is sucking off my Flame or play it safe and just wait it out?”

“Up to you.” Came the reply.

“Yea, I don't want to touch it anymore. I will play safe.”

With that said, both brothers observed the burning Golden Flame and the body it burned.

For a few moments, nothing changed when a strange thing happened.

Ma'Li, still weakly connected to the Flame, felt it more evidently, as the suctioning effect increased drastically, and began to draw on more than just Flame.

It began to draw on the body as well.

As he felt vaguely and observed visually how the body of the White Streak Fury began to diminish in size, an epiphany came to him.

His Flame had somehow bonded with the suctioned effect and compounded the impacts of destruction, forging, and providing.

Moments passed as the body and flame vanished, with nothing left behind.

“Big Bro. I have this feeling, we just created what the Oracle wanted to avoid.”

“Feel the same way.” Replied the older brother. “Do me a favor. Next time any bullshit regarding Oracles and their Prophecies leaves my mouth, beat the shit out of me. Will you?”

“I will do it even without the favor, but sure.”

“Good, let's go back. I will demand compensation from that bastard for sending us out here.”