The Mysterious Beast, continued

Meanwhile, the Tolomane home was disturbed, as Adam's only son, Leo, tosses about in his bed. Within the stormy night, the young boy, only thirteen years of age, dreamt again. A nightmare he's had over the past couple of months. Across the room by the doorway, stood the boy's mother, Kyndrea. It would be the second time that evening that she would have to wake him from the nightmare.


Kyndrea watched over her son, stressed over how much more Leo will have to endure before fully realizing a gift passed down from her bloodline. On the outside of the motherly complexion, Kyndrea Marie Tolomane is an ordinary maid; serving Lord Dominick in his house six days of the week - one of Count Menneken's lap dogs living in comfort and wealth. She strives to make the men in her life happy, at times overworking herself, but even doing so, she knows that she must continue with her daily routine.

And now her only son had finally come of age. Over the weeks, she had begun to prepare him for the challenges he may (or may not) face. She knew that her son had been dreaming of terrible things. Things that neither she nor Leo could comprehend. Nevertheless, being the son of Kyndrea, it's in his blood; just like her father before him.

Placing a warm damp cloth over Leo's head, she grabs his hand, leaning over him, calling to him to wake. Leo continued to squirm under his blankets. The sudden sound of thunder overhead had brought him deeper into his nightmare.

All around him, creatures of horrifying visages have him surrounded. All Leo can see are gruesome faces with teeth, hungering for him, or for something that he possesses. Looking up, he sees the stormy sky, the rain pouring over him and his friends. The lightning dancing around him, and with every flash of the wicked light, sees creatures above, flying around him, cackling at the howling wind that had forced him to buckle to his knees. The sense of his mother calling to him, begging him to turn around, or to run away gives him a small amount of strength, to try once again and flee. But just then, the scenery changes, and walls of flame suddenly crowd him. The roar of the fire finally has him paralyzed, kneeling on the ground, hiding his face from what he knows not. Suddenly the sound of his mother, screaming at him, makes Leo involuntarily look up, and behind the walls of flame, a gigantic, almost snake-like silhouette, comes toward him. Leo screams and opens his eyes, and finds himself sitting up in his bed, with his mother holding on to him, as if there was no tomorrow.

Although he knew the nightmare was over, Leo felt an overwhelming sense of urgency - to do something before it's too late. Panting, he jerked his head to look at his mother and asked, "Father's not home yet?" The question itself was more of a statement to Kyndrea, for she too had the feeling that something was very wrong.