The thud of heavy footsteps rang in my ears as I sprinted through the bloodstained battlefield. If I stopped running, I would die. I wasn’t going to be fast enough, though. I had never been. The blood-red sky echoed my darkest thoughts. Smoke filled my lungs, ash clung to my skin, but I had to keep running.

The man chasing me wasn’t just a soldier. He was a nightmare.

My breath came in short gasps as my legs threatened to give out beneath me. If I didn’t stop and fight, I wouldn’t live to see the day. Swallowing hard, I skidded to a halt and drew my sword with trembling hands.

He stopped a few feet away, towering over me. His blade was long and slightly curved at the center. He was clad in thick, black armor from head to toe. Ghostly white skin stretched across a bony face, and his eyes glowed like embers. I shoved my fear aside and stared him down. I was going to win this. No matter what.

He lunged. The sharp edge of his sword sliced through the air. I blocked it just in time. The impact made my arms shake, and he instantly pressed the attack, aiming for my chest. I ducked and struck out. He parried with ease. My foot slipped in a mud puddle as I narrowly dodged another strike. Then, his blade grazed my shoulder. Pain exploded through me. My vision blurred. I staggered back.

My grip loosened on the sword. The enemy knew he had the upper hand. With one final swing, he brought his blade down. I stumbled, falling backward into the mud.

Everything slowed. I lay there, breathing hard, waiting. The sword hovered above me. This was the end—I had failed my village, friends, and family.

But the strike never came.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. One of my allies stood over me, the enemy now dead at his feet. He offered his bloodstained hand. I stared at it for a moment before reaching up.

“W-what…?” I looked at my shaking hands, still not believing I was alive. He couldn’t have been older than sixteen, but his movements were those of a seasoned warrior. His deep blue eyes didn’t belong here. They were too kind. Too clean.

“Be careful,” he said, wincing as he glanced at the body. “Next time, no one may be there to help.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. I closed my eyes, letting my heartbeat settle. When I opened them again, I noticed he was shaking too.

“They need me,” he said, looking towards two people struggling against their attacker. He hesitated briefly, then ran off. He wasn’t done saving lives.

And just like that, I was alone again.

I dragged myself through the muck, looking for anywhere I could rest. I was done. We were going to lose. What was the point of trying anymore? Then, I heard it.

An arrow was flying straight at me.

I ducked, and it whizzed past my head, thudding into a nearby tree. I turned and saw a small monster, bow raised, another arrow aimed at my heart. My chest tightened. My thoughts screamed at me to move—and I did.

I rolled behind the tree just as the arrow was set free. I pressed against the bark, trying to control my breathing. The monster’s footsteps crunched nearby. Shame filled my heart. I should’ve been helping the others in battle. But I couldn’t go back.

Voices in my head whispered: You were never good enough. Coward. If you were better, maybe we’d be winning.

I couldn’t deny it.

As the sun set, the chaos started to fade. The battle was over. Peeking around the tree, I saw them. Bodies. So many. Brave soldiers who had died for our land. And almost none left standing.

We hadn’t just lost. We had been crushed. This was proof that I didn’t belong here. Not really.

I watched as a flag fluttered to the ground. The symbol was torn and faded.

The monsters hadn’t just taken the battlefield. They had taken our reason to fight.

***

Evan jolted upright in bed, beads of sweat covering his face. The shrill sound of his alarm clock rang throughout the room. His heart still raced, as if a sword was inches from his face. Then he realized. He wasn’t on the battlefield. He was in his bedroom.

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Evan reached over and slapped the snooze button. It became eerily quiet once again. Rolling onto his side, he stared at the wall, trying to make sense of things. The dream had started small, just flickers, but now it seemed like he had the whole story. And it didn’t end well.

Questions swirled around Evans' head. What was that place? Paz, he remembered. He’d heard the name in the dream. But there was no place on earth called Paz. And why were there monsters? Castles? Swords?

So many questions, but no answers.

The alarm blared again, startling Evan from his thoughts. He shut it off and climbed out of bed. The wooden floor was cold beneath his feet. After a quick shower, he put fresh clothes on and stared at his reflection. His hair was dripping wet, not that he cared. Looking good felt like a very low thing on his list.

He packed his backpack in silence and headed into the hallway. The house felt... empty. Even the pets were missing.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw his mom standing at the stove, making oatmeal. Her dark hair was pulled back, and tired circles shadowed her eyes.

Turning around, she noticed Evan was standing there and smiled. “Good morning. Did you sleep okay, Evan?”

“Yeah,” he said, lying.

“Hm.” She studied his face. It was clear that she didn’t believe him.“Got everything for school?”

“Yes, Mom,” he said, biting back frustration. “You’ve already asked a hundred times.”

She sighed. “Last year was rough. I just want this year to be better.”

“It will be. I’ll try harder, I promise.”

“You’ll do your best, I know. And yes, you could’ve tried harder last year... but that’s not the whole reason.”

“No,” Evan cut in. “I’m not switching schools just because of my grades.”

“I only want what’s better for you.”

“I know. But I’m fine. Trust me.”

His mother gave him a faint smile. “You’ve been acting differently lately. Like you’re hiding something. Are you?”

“I’m fine, Mom,” Evan repeated, hoping that saying it would make it true.

She paused, then let it go. “Eat fast or you’ll miss the bus.”

“Okay.” He scarfed down the oatmeal, grabbed his shoes, and headed for the door.

“Wait!” she called, handing him his phone. “You almost forgot this.”

He groaned. “Can I go now?”

“Not without a hug.”

He gave her one, then rushed outside. The school bus was just pulling up. Breathing a sigh of relief, Evan walked on.

“‘Morning,” the driver said with a smile. He was an older man with wispy gray hair and a scruffy beard.

“Morning...” Evan mumbled, sliding into a seat beside a girl with light brown hair in a ponytail. She looked up at him, surprised. The bus soon jolted forward, and the girl was still staring at him.

“Hi!” she eventually said. “Who are you?”

He sighed. “...Evan.”

“I’m Katelyn. Most people call me Kate. Haven’t seen you before.”

“I keep to myself.”

“Oh. Got it.” Kate paused. “I know I’m kinda intense. At least that’s what a lot of people tell me. Sorry if that’s annoying.”

He didn’t answer. What was he supposed to say to a girl like that?

“If you don’t have a lunch table, you can sit with me,” she offered, pulling out a sketchbook from her bright green backpack.

“I’m good, thanks.” Sitting alone sounded bad, but sitting with her would probably be worse.

Kate’s smile faded slightly. She stared at Evan for a while, then shrugged and looked away. Flipping her notebook open, she started drawing. Evan couldn’t help but glance over at it, curious. Kate noticed and quickly shut it with a loud snap.

“Sorry,” Evan said, blushing. “I just... recognized it.”

“You did?” Kate asked. She looked down at the sketchbook, as if tempted to show him. But she didn’t, just kept staring at it.

After a long pause, Evan blurted, “Could I see it? Just for a second?”

“I mean…” Kate paused, “If you want, I guess.”

She slowly turned and opened the book again. Her drawing was beautiful. It was of a black dragon pierced by a white sword. There was a big castle in the background, perfectly detailed.

Evan was about to look away, but quickly stopped. The dragon. The sword. The castle.

“That’s... Paz,” he whispered. “How do you know about that?”

Kate blinked. “Wait... you know about Paz too? I thought I just made it up…”

“I’ve seen it. In my dreams. Every night for at least a month.”

She hesitated again, then flipped through the rest of her sketchbook. Page after page of Paz. The village. Creatures. People. It was exactly what he’d seen every night.

“This is… this is it.”

Kate gasped. “How?!”

“I... I don’t know.” He looked away, his mind racing. The rumble of the bus faded into the background.

This couldn’t be real. But the sword, the dragon, the castle... how could she know?

And yet, at the back of his mind, a little voice whispered, What if it is true?

“This isn’t normal,” Kate groaned. “Man, why can’t anything just be normal?”

They both fell silent, thinking the same thing. Two people sharing the same dream, especially one this vivid, wasn’t normal. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The bus stopped, and the doors opened. Everyone filed out, until only Evan and Kate remained. She leaned in and whispered, “We’ll talk about this again at lunch, okay? I’ll be sitting by the vending machines.” Then she ran off without waiting for an answer.

This wasn’t just a dream anymore.

It was something else.

Something real.