My dreams… The one place where reality could never reach me. Sleep was always a sanctuary. Nightmares could never get into my mind, though I could always retrieve them at will. That was a fair equilibrium, but I knewit wouldn’t last. Now that a single evil thought had escaped into my conscious mid, more were sure to come. And so, for the first time in my life, I slept in worry…

I awoke from my distraught slumber in a start. I peeked out the window, awaiting a moonlit night- but my eyes were blasted with sunlight. The golden, giant mechanicl clock in the town center read five fifty-two. With one last deep breath of the fresh summer air, I came to my senses and began to get ready. A poignard here, a bit of gunpowder there- my combat armaments had to be prepared perfectly. After all, who knew what I’d need for training? Along with the various weapons, I needed pocketfuls, and pocketfuls, and pocketfuls of magical scrolls.