The Fourfold Course

In a white, endless world, snow‑like clouds drifted slowly across a sky that had no beginning and no end. Yet among them, one cloud remained perfectly still, frozen in time, unmoving as though the heavens themselves held their breath. The air was thick with a strange fragrance, part wildflower and part salt, carrying both calm and sorrow. It was the scent of something ancient, something that healed and hurt all at once. At the heart of this boundless place lay a circular sea unlike any other. All other waters of the world flowed into something but this one flowed only inward, its waves folding into themselves as if guarding a secret. At its center rose a single mountain, its base pale as snow and its peak blood‑red, glistening as though dipped in the light of a thousand sunsets. Above it hung a full moon, perfect and unbroken, its silver glow touching only the crimson summit and nowhere else. The sea was divided into four quarters, its currents pulling toward the east, west, south, and north. Each wave shimmered faintly, releasing invisible threads of energy that danced and twisted through the air. Only two souls besides the one who ruled this place could see them. Their light pulsed faintly like veins under the skin of the world. Then a voice came , soft yet commanding, echoing from the still cloud itself. “Ayel, my daughter… prepare for the unknown. Prepare for the battle that brews. Prepare for the prophecy, my child. Ayel, you need to...” Before the final word could form, the sound faded, swallowed by silence. I gasped awake, heart hammering as if I had been falling from the sky. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was, the white world still lingered behind my eyelids, so vivid it almost felt real. My room was dim, the pale morning light cutting through the curtains in quiet stripes. My throat was dry. My hands were shaking. That dream or was it a memory? had haunted me for two years now, since the day I turned sixteen. It came without warning, sometimes when I was exhausted, other times when I was simply lost in thought. Each time it left me with the same lingering feeling, that something was coming. Something I was supposed to stop… or I would lose the people I loved most. I sat there for a long while, trying to steady my breath. I am Ayel. Today, I turn eighteen. Last night, the dream returned, darker and heavier than before. The full moon had still lit my path, but the sea and the snow clouds looked twisted, the white had turned gray, and the red mountain seemed to bleed. It felt less like a vision and more like a warning. I pushed the thought aside, forcing myself to get ready. I still had a paper due for college and promised Zaryer and Aumiree I wouldn’t delay them. They’d been my best friends since childhood, and even though they teased me endlessly, I didn’t want to miss spending time with them. More than that, I wanted to be with my parents. The older I got, the more the dream made me afraid of losing them. After washing up and completing my morning rites, I went downstairs. The scent of vanilla and chocolate hit me first, my favorite. Then came the sound of laughter. My parents stood near the kitchen, my three brothers crowding around the table. Neyar, my eldest brother, was setting plates, while the twins, Matt and Michy, were whispering to each other with suspicious grins. Zaryeer and Aumiree were there too, singing an off‑key version of Happy Birthday that somehow made me laugh even before I reached the last step. My mother turned toward me, her eyes soft and shining, a small cake in her hands. “Yelly, make a wish!” Michy teased. I groaned. “Can you stop calling me Yelly? It’s Ayel!” Neyar rolled his eyes. “What do you even gain from annoying her?” My mother chuckled softly. “All right, enough,” she said, setting the cake before me. “Ayel love, make a wish.” For a moment, I looked around the table, at my family, my friends, the warmth of the candles reflected in their eyes and I wished that this moment could last forever. I smiled, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. But as I exhaled and blew out the flame, something l The room vanished. A flash, sudden and violent filled my vision. Blood. So much blood. It was everywhere splattered across white walls, dripping from unseen bodies. I could hear screams muffled under the roar of wind. My fingers trembled, my whole body cold. The candle smoke curled into shapes that looked like shadows reaching for me. I blinked, and everything returned to normal, the laughter, the soft hum of celebration, the gentle crackle of candles. But my hands were still shaking beneath the table. “Hey, Ayel, are you okay?” Aumiree asked. “I’m fine,” I said quickly, forcing a smile. My voice sounded steadier than I felt. Inside, though, fear coiled in my chest like a living thing. That vision, that terrible flash wasn’t just imagination. It was the same warning I’d seen in my dreams, clearer than ever before. Something was coming. Something I couldn’t name yet, but could feel creeping closer. And deep down, I already knew if I didn’t figure out what these visions meant, I might not just lose my peace. I might lose everyone I loved.