Many miles away, a man with raven hair, and clothed in like colours, stood on a raised piece of land looking out over the Pacific Ocean. Looking up he noticed the gradual curve of the clouds, as a subtle wind began to shift them around and out to sea. It drew a curious look from the man, one that was quickly replaced by concern. Glancing back over his shoulder to the village he had been staying in, he checked to see if there were signs that anyone else had noticed. “Good,” he thought, “I hope for their sakes they don’t notice at all. These winds of change, they will bring nothing but chaos and destruction to this world. I must alert the council, and hope we have not picked up on this too late.”
He looked back out across the sea, to the source of the winds; the place he knew was there but could not see. He sighed and took the path that ran down the water’s edge, there was much to do, and the clock had already started ticking.”

                                                       * * *

A light breeze rippled through the grassy field, its gentle breath disturbing the man lying there. With a groan he began to stir, a hand coming up to guard his eyes from the bright light of the sun, hanging overhead. His hand didn’t catch it all, but the shadow of a young woman soon blotted out the rest.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
The man blinked at the question, his eyes focusing at his brain beginning to move after his rest. “I think so…” he replies, a little uncertain of that.
“That’s good,” replied the girl, cheerfully, “you’ve been lying there an awfully long time.”
“I have?”
“Mmhmm,” she nodded, taking a seat beside him, “What were you doing?”
“I was…” he began haltingly, trying to make sense of things, “going somewhere.”
The girl giggled, “Well, you’re not going to get very far laying there, silly.”
Getting up she grabbed one of his arms and tried to pull the man to his feet. Now she was a fairly small person to begin with, and in comparison with the man she was trying to pull up, it was quite a sight to see.
Not having any success getting him up, the girl let his hand flop back to the ground. “Well it’s not going to work unless you help too.”
The man sighed and reached up, the girl grabbing his hand, and used to assistance to pull himself to his feet. Shaking his head free of the cobwebs of sleep, he looked around at where he was. Beautiful green grass seemed to stretch out for miles, before stopping at the edge of a surrounding forest. The sky was blue, the air was fresh, and the cool breeze seemed to calm and soothe him. Squinting at the far side of the field, he could kind of see something, but without his glasses he couldn’t be sure.
“Did you see a pair of glasses around here?” he asked.
The girl giggled again at pointed up at his head.
Reaching up, he found his glasses tucked up there, and with a chuckle he brought them back down. “Thanks.”
Adjusting the glasses on his face, he looked back down at the far end of the field. Sitting there, and quite the ways away, was a little village. “You live there?” he asked.
“Yup!” she replied, and then her eyes went wide as she remembered something. “I’ve got to take you there, the others will be glad to know that you’ve awoken!”
“Others?”
She nodded, “We’ve all been waiting, thought it’d be best to let you wake up on your own.”
He answered that new with a peculiar look, “How long have I been out?”
“I’m not all that good with time,” admitted the girl, “But it’s been a long time. Now come on and let’s get moving, Mr. Ah-uh…”
“Nathaniel,” he replied, “And you?”
“Khrae,” she replied
“Khrae?” he repeated, “I’ve never heard a name like that, which language?”
“It’s in the old tongue,” the girl replied, as if the answer should’ve been obvious, “Don’t you know it?”
Nathaniel sighed, “No, but let’s get moving. It would seem that I am far from home indeed.”
“Off we go!” she announced enthusiastically, grabbing Nathaniel’s hand and pulling him off in a run.
He had to move quickly to keep his balance from the tug, but luckily the Khrae was going at a pace he could match. Looking around as they ran, Nathaniel could swear he saw something else in the terrain, another place. “Where was I before?” he asked himself, “Where am I now?”  He struggled to remember as he kept pace, the memories eluding him like a dream. “The dream! I was at my outpost, then…” Then it all came rushing back to him, his pace suddenly staggered by the influx of memories. He looked around and the beautiful terrain seemed faded, as barren rock began to poke through. Ahead of him has still Khrae, who seemed unaffected and out of place. Suddenly he felt his legs give way beneath him, and he crashed down onto the stone floor, the illusion dispelled.
He struggled back up and looked at where he was, seeing everything different then moments ago. The earth and rock around him told him that he was underground, and shadows danced all over from the light that illuminated the tunnel. Looking back to see if his jeep was around, perhaps casting the light, but he saw nothing but more earth, rock, and crystals. These white crystals lined the corners of the tunnel in long, unbroken, strips, casting off light to beat back the darkness. The tunnel’s shape and construction left no doubt in his mind that there were crafted by hand. One long mural seemed to cover one of the walls, there was writing too, but in a language that Nathaniel had neither the time nor the knowledge to decipher. He followed the mural down the passage with his eyes, his gaze eventually settling in the direction he had been travelling, or thought he had been travelling.
The passage seemed to curve around something, though at the edge of his vision he saw what looked like an end to it. This end was no further away then the village had been, and at that moment he truly questioned his grasp on reality. “People and place that don’t exist, underground tunnels that no one knows about… and these carvings are like nothing I’ve ever seen. Have I lost my sanity and found something amazing? Or is this another dream that I’ve fallen into…” He looked down to the end of the tunnel, and he saw his answers, and he ran towards them again.