chapter 1: awakening

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Chapter 1: Awakening

Sunlight streamed through the thin dorm room curtains, lighting up the clutter on the floor. Yang twisted and turned in his sleep, sweat beading on his forehead. In his nightmare, he was sprinting through a dark forest with a beast chasing him. Its eyes glowed red, and he could feel its hot breath on his neck.

Just as the beast lunged at him, Yang woke up with a fearful look. His heart was pounding. He sat up, gasping for air, trying to shake off the lingering fear. Slowly, he realized he was safe in his dorm room, surrounded by posters of martial artists and the faint aroma of Blake's morning coffee.

He glanced at Blake, who was already up and dressed, typing away at his desk.

"Another nightmare?" Blake asked without looking up.

"Yeah," Yang admitted, rubbing his eyes. "This one was worse. It felt so real."

Blake finally turned to face him, looking concerned. "Maybe it's a sign or something. You know, like those myths about dreams being messages from the gods."

Yang rolled his eyes and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Come on, Blake. I've had enough of my dad's mystical talk."

Blake shrugged. "Just saying. Maybe we should look into it."

Yang stretched and started getting dressed, putting on his cargo pants and hoodie. His cross necklace caught the morning light. "Let's just get through today. We can deal with weird dreams later."

Blake nodded, closing his laptop and getting up. "Fine. But if you have another dream like that, we need to talk to someone. Deal?"

Yang hesitated, then nodded. "Deal."

They left the dorm room together, ready for another day of classes, not knowing their lives were about to change in ways they couldn't imagine.