Dream Sanctuary

[Sephy-kun]

This is a story I've been posting on boards for a while now. I'll only post the prologue and the first chapter now, but, depending on the feedback I get, I may post more. Feel free to comment, I highly encourage and appreciate it.



Prologue

William, a young man with a mind that ran wild when allowed, was fifteen years old. He was a respectable young man that was not only the top in his class, but was also strong, though he never joined any teams. He was gifted, being able to excel in anything he attempted.

His body was also a mystery to some, mostly those on the ball teams. He was six feet tall and had a medium build. He seemed like he had no muscle at all, though his strength, endurance, and speed all proved this wrong. He had black hair that reached the collar of his shirt in the back and, though it was usually brushed in a way that prevented this, could reach the bottom of his nose in the front. His eyes were a dark brown, bordering on black due to strange lines in his pupil that were completely black. His skin was somewhat tan, due to the frequency that physical education took place outside, but it was still pale enough that he could fall in a stand alone group, he having the lightest skin out of everybody in his class, if not his school.

Normally, William's days composed of going to school, then coming home and playing games, reading, or getting online. At school, there were mixed feelings towards him, some liking him while others loathing him. Online, he was a regular member in a guild and on a message board, and was well liked due to his ways of helping others, like new members, out whenever they were in need. All of the things he did, however, he considered a form of practice for what he intended to do for a living.

He intended to become a writer.

Today, it seemed, was just another day. William had gone to school, writing notes for short stories in his notebook the entire day due to the lack of interesting subjects in class. During break and lunch, he read fantasy novels while sitting in strange positions, some of which involved him sitting up-side-down, which made it a wonder to the passerby how he could read like that. Once the day had ended, William got his things together and left, heading home.

Once home, he went through all the usual routines, which mainly consisted of changing into casual clothes, checking the answering machine, feeding the animals, and checking the mail, then he sat down in front of his computer and logged in to the message boards and the online game he had been playing. He had a good number of friends online, most of which he made due to his helping them out, and each of them were loyal like dogs. After he had checked his messages, emails, and accounts, William logged off and sat at his desk.

At his desk, the young man usually wrote short stories, fan-fictions, role-plays, and other things of this sort, all of which he considered experiments for his ultimate endeavor. He could easily spend hours, and usually did, simply writing notes that pertained to characters, terms, countries, magic, and anything that originated from his mind that was meant for these worlds. These times, which by others were considered a waste of time, were some of William's favorites simply because he could let his mind wander, creating entire worlds and simulating people in different environments. This was one of the things he liked the most about writing.

By the time that he finally left his desk, it was already nearing midnight. Like usual, he prepared for bed, not even eating dinner, but, then again, he was never really hungry. Before going to bed, he checked the doors and windows, making sure that they were locked, as it was a procedure that had been drilled into his head by his parents.

William's parents, though both still alive, were rarely home due to their jobs. They both had jobs that could take them overseas, or would require several all-nighters in a row. It didn't bother him overmuch, in fact, he actually could do more with them gone like that.

Going to bed was something that William liked as well, though not for the same reasons as most people. Rather than wanting to sleep and rest, William wanted to have dreams, dreams that revealed even more worlds to him.

Merged Chapter One: The Rule Makers

When William awoke, he found himself in a strange place. The floor he was laying on was made of stone and was quiet cold. Sitting up, he sent quick glances all around, seeing that there were other people here as well. At first, he paid it no mind, but, after noticing that some of them looked familiar, William began to pay closer attention to them as he looked them over. After a moment, he looked at one who was awake as well, and knew immediately who it was.

Raven.

Raven was the title a friend of his used while online in the guild. She and him had met in real life, so William knew her on sight. Due to their similar ways of thinking and their levels being so close together, they often partied by themselves while hunting. Raven was about five foot four, was eighteen, and had a small build. Her hair, which was a light brown, reached to the bottom of her should blades in the back and to her shoulders in the front. Her eyes, which were looking back at him by this point, were a blue that was inbetween light and dark. Her skin was light, possibly even lighter than William's, though neither of them really made a big deal out of it.

She smiled at him when she realized who it was that she was looking at. "Mind explaining to me why we're here?" She asked, her voice slightly high.
"I'd answer if I knew the answer to that, Raven." William replied in his deep voice, ending his statement with a laugh. "Though it can't be to bad if we're together, since we both know what we're doing, right?" He asked, now smiling.
"That it can't," She giggled, "that it can't."

Looking away from Raven, William decided that he should look at his surroundings, rather than the people, since he and the girl were the only two awake at this moment. The room he was in was large, about the size of an arena or so, and had a dome-shaped ceiling. Aside from that, there was very little that he found interesting about his new environment. It had some light, though where the light came from was his guess. As he looked on the floor, however, William realized that they were all on an extremely large system of runes. At the center of this system was something that looked similar to a platform.

Grunting as he did so, William stood up, looking over to Raven, who was doing the same. "You see it as well, no?" He asked, receiving a nod in response from her.

"Oh, I know that's not William!" A girl's voice came from behind William. It was a high-pitched voice that grated William's very nerves. He knew exactly who it was.

Mitchell stomped her way over to William as he turned around. "I just had to find myself in a place like this!" She screeched. "But to have you here as well!" She shook her head.

Mitchell was seventeen. She was one of the better students, at least to the knowledge of the teachers. In truth, she was just another problem child, she being the perfect example of someone who thinks that they are better than everyone else, though she only exhibited it when alone with a few, or when she was at the end of her nerves. She was five foot six and had a medium build, though her belly was a bit on the large side. Her hair was a brown-blonde color and didn't quite reach her shoulders in the back, and it was brushed so that it wouldn't come over her face. Her eyes were an emerald green, though they were wasted on this girl. Her skin was slightly red, due to a recent accident at the beach, or so she said, that resulted in an intense sunburn.

"Is this a friend of yours?" Raven asked, pointing towards Mitchell with her thumb.
"By no means." William replied wearily.
"How dare you!" Mitchell growled at William. "It should be your honor to try to say that we are friends, not your disgust!"

William sent her a cold look that could easily send a chill down anyone's spine. "If by honor, you mean something that borders upon the loathing of your very existence, yes, I suppose I would say it is my honor to know you, rather than calling you a friend." He smiled.

By this point, the others had awakened or were awakening, and, as if in response to the words shot to and fro with William and Mitchell, a laughter could be heard echoing in the room. Raven, Mitchell, William, and all the others watched as a figure began to materialize in the middle of the room upon the platform. As he became completely visible, the man, at least thats what the laughter suggested, looked over them all. He wore a brown hooded cloak that revealed no part of his body. He did, however seem to have a massive build and had a height of about six feet, or so William concluded from his glance.

"My, oh, my." The man laughed again. "Twenty-nine of you ought to prove to be interesting if all of you are like this." He stated with a deep voice, referring to Mitchell and William.
"Who are you, what is this place, and why am I here with this thing?" William asked, pointing to Mitchell who gasped at the last part of his question.

"Awfully full of yourself, aren't you, boy?" The man asked, laughing. "No matter, that is the reason that I am here. My identity shall be known to you as a Rule Maker, one of the many entities that control this world that you are now in." He told William, answering the first question. "As for the second and third questions, the answers to them intertwine with each other. Therefore, I'll answer them with one statement rather than two." He told them. "This place is the Dream Sanctuary. It holds an infinite amount of worlds, all of which are based upon the rules that we have made. The reason for this place is quite simple. We want to have someone to entertain us, which is where you all come in." He smiled. "You all have some sort of thing in common, which is why you all, out of all people, were brought here."

"So we're only toys for your enjoyment?" William asked, causing everyone to glare at the so-called "Rule Maker".
"Aye, pretty much." He replied simply.
"Who do you think you are, playing with people's lives as if they were nothing more than your playthings?" William asked, Raven- along with most of the others- nodding at his words.

"For the sake of ending this before it escalates," The Rule Maker started, "just think of us as gods of this world." He smiled, his teeth shining from under his hood.
William shook his head. "Don't expect me to fall for that crap." He told the man. "But its also obvious to me that you won't change your beliefs, so just get on with the rules for your little 'game'." He ordered.

"I suppose you'll be one of the more interesting ones, this time around." The Rule Maker laughed. "Very well, the platform I stand on is a type of teleporter and will bring you to different locations to commence the game. Before you use it, you must split into three teams. Once you warp, your appearance may change to something more fitting, if you have the appropriate level of power. Any power that exists within your mind, within reason, can be brought into reality while you are in this world, meaning that if you lack creativity, you will be a weakling. However, the catch is that these things must have been in your mind before coming here, meaning that if you think of powers here, you will not have access to them." He explained to them. "Normally, you would be a group of thirty, but it seems you came one short. Upon your decisions, I will activate the runes and warp you." He finished, bowing as he faded from their sight.

William simply sighed at this. Everyone was looking to him to decide what to do, even Mitchell. William was, of course, a natural leader. He also had an idea about what this "common thing" was. "Those of you that go to school with me," He started, raising his left hand, "stand on this side." He told them. "Those in an online guild known as Mernest," He continued, raising his right hand, "come to this side." He finished, waiting for them to do so.
When everyone had done as he ordered, something odd became obvious.
"There's fourteen of us." Raven observed.
"Us as well." Mitchell noted.

William sighed. Class and guild fourteen members strong. He thought. It figures that I'm the link. He sighed again, this time physically and mentally. "I'm the thing in common he was referring to." He told them wearily after a few moments.

"'scuse us." Two girls that were identical to each other cut in together. They were about four feet tall and had shoulder-length hair that was brown with blonde streaks. They both looked up at William with eyes that were a shining blue as they approached him, holding the other's hand. "What do you have to do with Mernest?" They asked in unison with high-pitched voices, cocking their heads.

"Sana." Was all that William said in response, causing the twins, along with everybody else on the side that was in Mernest- Raven excluded, to gasp.
"Guildmaster?!" They all asked in unison.
William sighed, "Aye, now be quiet." He told them adamantly.
Online, William's word as guildmaster was law, and the reactions of the guild members showed it. Not one of them dared to say anything after his order. Mitchell however, felt that she was left out of this command. "Now that you're quite finished, how about we discuss how we should divide our groups?" She asked.

William sent her a cold glance, "I didn't specify that I was talking just to my guild members." He told Mitchell, causing her to start to say something, but quickly stopping herself. "As for the subject of groups, its obvious that we will not be able to make three equal-sized groups."
"Two groups of ten and one of nine." Mitchell told him.

William's glance at her was now icy, "I didn't tell you to speak." He told her, his voice now carrying an edge that made her step back meekly. "Yet, even if the groups are not equal in number that way, I have a decision that will keep everything simple." He told the group.
"Permission?" Raven asked.
"Aye, what is it?" William asked.
"You're going to propose that these two groups go as is, and you by yourself, are you not?" She asked, causing everyone to react in some way or another this time.

William nodded, "Its the best choice. He said that any powers we had in our mind before coming here were usable. Before coming here, I wrote and read and created many worlds in my mind, therefore I have an advantage over some of you." He said, defending the part of his going alone. "As for leaving the two groups as is, this, too, is a good choice in the sense that the members of Mernest always work together and this class knows how to work together as well." He told them, finished with his reasoning.
"It has merit, obviously." Raven stated, the other members of Mernest nodding, as they all had faith in their guildmaster.
"However, you think you can do anything!" Mitchell pointed out to William. "You're not capable of doing everything by yourself!" She growled.

William sighed, not even bothering to rebuke her for speaking this time. "I'm far more capable than you to go alone, and this also keeps the other two groups stable." He told her. "This was the best choice and its final."
The other people who were students all nodded, showing their agreement with William's decision. Mitchell, it seemed, was the only one who had problems with his choice.
"Are you listening, Rule Maker?" William asked. "We've come to a decision."
The Rule Maker reappeared in the same spot as before. "Aye, now I'll explain the next set of rules." He told the teenagers.
"There's more than one?" Mitchell asked.
"Its a game." Raven told Mitchell, "Of course it has more than one set of rules."

The Rule Maker laughed, "The way for you to finish this game is to acquire magical relics that hold their own separate powers. Once you get the ones with the proper incantations on them, you can combine them to form even more powerful effects. Though not requiring all of them, there is a spell that takes a number of these to cast and will end the game. Using different methods, each group is to find these relics and use the spell." He told them, snapping his finger as the floor glew and the platform lit up. "If that's all, let the games begin." He said, laughing.

William took a glance at both the other groups. "Don't die." He told them. "Thats an order." He added as he walked forward, warping out of the room. Then, following, the guild members warped, followed finally by the school children.
Shaking his head, the Rule Master laughed. "Yes, yes, this will be entertaining." He laughed.