I couldn’t let Annabeth know what I was planning. I walked away from her at the age of 16 because I was going to meet my trainer. I won’t say teacher or master because they really aren’t either of those things.
Now I’m 26 and my “trainer” is the equivalent of an old friend. They guide me like the Force with the Jedi. I’ve been planning on returning to my old crap town for the past two years to begin rebuilding it. I’ve been filling my head with knowledge about my town and the buildings that should be the first to be brought down.
“What are you forgetting, Derek or should I call you by your given name, Ardenti Igniqua?”
“I’m forgetting about Annabeth, the self-proclaimed speedster, and how she’ll try to stop me,” I felt a rage build up in me upon thinking of Annabeth trying to stop me.
“Is that what you’re forgetting? Or is it something else?” The Demon interrogates me or rather my motives.
“I don’t know what you want me to say! I’m not forgetting Annabeth because how could I? I’m not forgetting my abilities because how could I?! I’m not forgetting my plan to fix my dying town or how I plan on fixing my dying town because how could I?!! It’s been my plan all along!” Fire flew out of my hands hitting an unnecessary steel beam in the cave I’d carved out for us. I watched as the red covering my vision disappeared and the steel beam began dripping molten steel.
“You see, you were forgetting your rage. That’s the only way you’ll be able to stop Annabeth and do what you went there to do for your town,” The Demon places his hand on my shoulder almost in the way that he was congratulating me on a job well done because I figured out how to use my rage. I shrugged his hand off and stormed out of the cave.
*****Something was going to happen soon. Something very bad; I could sense it. I’ve been having these recurring dreams where Derek comes back, but he’s considerably different. He claims he wants to save the town, but he starts destroying it with this flame that’s more like lava than fire. When he turns to me and I see the fire reflecting in his eyes I wake up. It’s been haunting for two weeks when I started having the dream. I fear its more prophecy than it is a silly nightmare.
*****
“I’ve been having these dreams, sir, and I don’t know what they could mean,” I tell the Demon.
“What happens in these dreams?”
“I see Annabeth. It looks as if she’s trying to stop me from saving my town, but I can’t be sure. I just know that every time I turn around to face her after beginning my rebirth of the town, she sees me and her face is horrified at what I’ve become. She doesn’t see my vision.”
“It sounds like you’re seeing a potential future rather than having a dream. Are there any other signs you can give me? Like any other person in your dream or an object that is always in the dream with you and Annabeth?”
I sat in thought for a moment trying to bring the dream back to me, “No. There isn’t anything other than the two of us.”
The Demon got up and walked away from me. I could tell he was disappointed with me for not providing any information about her whereabouts or any symbolism inside my dream, but I didn’t care. She was horrified at the person I’d become.
I wanted to save our town just like her. I wanted to eradicate the crime families that flourished in our town. They don’t deserve to hurt the good people; the people that didn’t deserve the evils that had befallen them. I walked to my training room and began shooting the flames out at the targets.
*****
The dreams are becoming more frequent. I’ll have the dream where Derek destroys the town almost every time I fall asleep now. I can only sleep in short bursts of like 30 minutes to an hour. I’m beginning to wonder if I should start evacuating people in order to keep the body count low. The problem is these are just dreams I’m having and there are no concrete threats which means I can’t tell anyone without them thinking I’m insane.