Ermand found himself in a deserted place. There was no sign of wind, vegetation and not even the sun, though a glint of light illuminated his path. He was barefoot as he trudged, the ground beneath him cold as ice. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching him that echoed an unexpected warning. He immediately turned toward the source.

A young man in his late teens dashed in Ermand's direction. Something focused away his widened eyes from Ermand. His colour faded clothes were ripped, and had bloody scars and cuts on his face, drenching him along with sweat. Even amid utter darkness, it was impossible for Ermand to not recognize who it was.

"Hey Jack! Where are you going? What has happened to you? Why are we here?" Concern filled his tone as he cried out to his fleeing brother. Jack didn't notice him, nor listened as he ran past him. Ermand pivoted, watching Jack dart away.

A screechy, blood-curdling sound sliced the thinness of the air, nearly causing his heart to rip through his chest. Ermand turned back in the source's direction of the ghastly sound.

A large but irregular figure soared toward him. It was a misty-looking, grisly creature with long fangs and blood streaming eyes, and had a pair of large, transparent ears perched at the sides of its head.

He stood there rooted to the ground, trembling as he watched the creature glide toward him in vengeance. His breath became heavier and heavier as a fraction of moments passed by, and suddenly it hit him straight onto his chest, leaving Ermand writhing on the ground as it became boiling in a trice. The pain was overwhelming and searing at every atom of his body.

"Argh!" He groaned, his chest rose when the realization hit him. The pain... the pain was immeasurable, shredding at something that burned within him.

He gasped for breath. Beads of sweat trailed down his face.

What happened just now?

The sheets rumbled under him as he pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around it.

Although the weather was quite warm, he felt cold around him. He could hear the birds chirping through the opened window, and the sound of flurrying dewy leaves. It seemed like a joyful morning for everybody except for Ermand. It was because of the nightmare he had for a dream.

Dreams like these have been looming around his subconscious for as long as he remembered. Every night, the dreams assaulted him with those most valuable people in his life getting hurt. This time, it was Jack again. What did this all mean, he wasn't certain of.

While it still caught Ermand in the horror of his nightmare, he heard somebody knocking on the door, which made him unconsciously leave a low gasp.

"Yes?"

A lean woman in her late forties opened the door gently and hastened toward him just as she saw her son, sweating and red, all over his face. She wore a long purple gown, covered by a stained white kitchen apron. Her eyes were sullen, eyebrows furrowed, and it slightly turned the commissure of her lips down. It filled her gestures with worry. Even her unsteady stance intensified it.

"Ermie dear, were you having those disturbing dreams again?" Her troubled but gentle tone filled the air. It created a new ambience upon her presence.

No woman in the world had ever cared for Ermand better than Mrs. Chisel. Even though she was not his mother by blood, she qualified to be the perfect and caring mother he always needed.

The dread of the dream lingered in him. Even though he had been having them frequently, the nightmare always made him judder. He couldn't escape the terror of his loved ones crying out for help.

Ermand could only nod. Although the dreams were as frequent as the sun, they still shook him. In his defense, the terror of loved ones crying and screaming for help could weaken any man. What was the meaning of all this? He was unsure, and as far as Ermand was concerned, he had been practicing nothing but positive mantras to keep away the dreadful dreams.

Mrs. Chisel sat by the foot of his bed, Ermand's dream still filled her features with worry. Ermand peered down listlessly as she placed her hand over his arm. She believed it was the only comfort, along with positive advice that she could offer.

"Helmuth had gone to Geoffrey's house to find a solution to this. Don't worry, you won't be troubled with those dreams again."

"I hope it works," he mumbled, though his mind had other ideas.

He knew he had to keep hoping for the good. For him, that was the only way to deal with the nightmare.

A tall figure emerged near his bedroom door. It belonged to Jackson Chisel, the younger son of the Chisels. He wore a yellow T-shirt with tinted gray jeans. Ermand sighed with relief upon seeing his brother. He knew he was no longer dreaming, his brother was safe and as fit as a fiddle. Jack was alright.

"Trouble again?" Jack enquired. It was nothing new to him who frequently hears Ermand screaming in his bed.

Ermand wiped off the cold sweat that covered his forehead.

"My poor boy had been haunted with these stupid dreams since he was a little boy. Hell with these dreams," Mrs. Chisel wept as her shoulders rocked up and down.

She dabbed her handkerchief over her cheeks, but the tears didn't stop. Jack ambled toward his mother. Unlike Ermand, who had straight golden hair, he had a wavy auburn. He looked like his mother, except he had sparks in his eyes that distinguished him from her.

"Well, just forget it. Dad has gone to Geoffrey's. He will definitely sort this out. You should concentrate on attending Agledon. I wonder why you didn't get your invitation. It's been three days since your birthday. Hmm..." He pondered, rubbing his shaved chin.

"I guess they must have forgotten," Mrs. Chisel suggested, shrugging.

"They couldn't. I know the invitation sender. He has learnt so many birthdays that it is impossible for him to forget Ermand's in the least. They don't even hold records since the time he took the charge," Jack argued, shaking his head in disagreement.

Just as Jack finished the conversation, something fluttered in through the window along with the warm breeze that brushed against their skin. It landed near the foot of Ermand's bed, safe and sound. A bright, gleaming ball.

"Speak of the devil. There it is!" Jack exclaimed, shifting from his position.

It was about the size of a tennis ball that lay on the floor. The outside of the ball seemed to be made of bronze, on which some floral patterns adorned the orbic structure. A glimmering blue-green light flashed through the gaps between while the intact structure juddered from where it lay.

Jack got up to get it, but he paused in mid-stride and turned back toward his brother and Mrs. Chisel, face-palming.

"How can I forget? You can only touch it, Ermand," he notified, shaking his head.

Ermand raised a brow as he eyed the ball that rested on the floor. I wonder if this is it; he thought.

He jumped from the bed and bent his knees to grab the glimmering ball. The same blue and green mist danced and swirled inside the ball, finding a new enthusiasm. The colour of the mist intensified as he approached closer to it. Upon the stroke of his fingers, the ball split up into two equal halves and the blue-green mist rose, filling the entire room.

Then, a shadow approached him at a slow pace. It was a dark silhouette that slowly illuminated as the mist cleared. But it left him in suspense as it finally bursted into a sparkle. A startling, loud voice immediately accompanied the phenomenon.

"Ermand Chisel. I cordially invite you to attend the Agledon Magic University on the 15th day of Voltaire's month. I had sent you this invitation in account of the motive to admit you to join the university by the 25th day of this month. Classes will begin by the first of next month. You should visit the college as soon as possible for the admission procedures and for further queries. We wish you the very best of luck!"

As suddenly as the voice emerged, it faded away just as quickly. The mist and the ball vaporized into the air within a matter of seconds. Ermand turned toward Jack and Mrs. Chisel, dumbfounded.

"What does this all mean?" He asked in an anxious tone. His face was quite pale from the sudden surprise.

"Well, what did they say?" Jack asked, bringing Ermand's eyes surge out at his question.

"You all heard it."

"Oh, I think Ermie still doesn't know about that. Why didn't you tell him about this before Jack?" a tapping of her fingers on Jack's shoulders followed Mrs. Chisel's voice.

Jack was Ermand's second elder brother, two years older than him, while the four years older Jason was his first elder brother. However, excluding Jason, Jack and Ermand are a pair of best brothers in the world.

"That part must have slipped," Jack chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Agledon has its own official inviting post. Many other colleges might send you through Knockmen, crystals, Hymphers, but this one's Agledon's special. This is the Marene's ball. Only the receiver can hear and see the charms of it and no one else, not even the sender, once he sends it. Gives privacy to the recipient, you see. I have received one like this when I was your age, and so did Jason."

Ermand nodded, smiling. He remembers that once Jack and Jason had called Mr. and Mrs. Chisel saying that they received their Marene's ball. It filled their faces with inexpressible joy. He was just too little at the time to understand what they exactly meant. It was then he realized what the news truly was.

"Now, time for you to go to Grover's stitches and satchels after breakfast with Jack and Jason and choose the accessories you'd need. Do you know what time it is?" Mrs. Chisel fussed in her usual airy tone.

"Alright," Ermand replied as he brushed his fingers through his golden messy hair.

Ermand and Jack dashed out of the room and headed toward the kitchen, once again darting off from his duty and leaving Mrs. Chisel alone to prepare Ermand's bed neatly.

"Wait... Why am I invited by the Agledon University only, Jack? I had also applied for Skor colleges too," Ermand paused before he took his sandwich, kept for them on the dining table.

"What's the point of going to Skor colleges where they teach you unfamiliar work and provide job opportunities once the course ends, and nothing else? I mean, you can get a higher grade job than that..."

Ermand sighed, exasperated.

"High grade job?" He mocked. "Tell me something I don't know. The thing I don't understand is why the Skor colleges didn't send me anything stating my admission there?"

Jack turned his back to his brother, placing his palms on the counter. "The thing is... I... um," he slid his tongue over his lips before he continued. "I just canceled the others."

"Cancelled!" Ermand gaped at him, his eyes narrowed.

Why did he cancel it?

**********

Opening a chapter for a novel of which initially, I had little idea of how to go on with [used to be a pantser], is a daunting task. However, I find myself quite pleased and proud on how good, just how good, it is written. Although I wanted a prologue from one of my favourite characters, the idea didn't kick off well. But maybe, what if I might try in the future?

Regards,

Safa Keira