DREAM CATCHER

“Human was none than dumb meaty things that always annoyed me with their
weaknesses”

The birds are already chirping at the branches, sunlight shines through the
curtains, waking the girl who was curled up on her bed awake. With a slight groan,
she is stretching her muscles. With a swift motion, she got herself ready for school.
Grabbing her bag and lunch box. Well, it’s quiet as usual while their parents are
already leaving for work early in the morning.
Reaching the school as a destination, she felt just like usual, nothing changed.
Putting on the average girl in high school as a facade. Until someone breaks
it.“Aizennn.....!” a high-pitched voice called from behind, making another girl turn
around to greet her, this person known as Chizuru. After a lot of chit-chat, they go
to the class and still make a conversation through the amount of time.
Unfortunately, Aizen wasn’t watching her way and caused an accident right away.
“Sorry” Aizen quickly apologized as her friend helped to stand up on her own feet.
Meanwhile, the boy in another way just left immediately with a huff of annoyance,
without even looking at both Aizen and her friend. “What a strange person” they
say at the same time after seeing the boy’s reaction, maybe because of how often
they’re hanging out sometimes. Something strange fell from the boy’s bag without
him knowing, a handmade object that consisted of a willow hoop with a woven
sinew net or web on the inside of the hoop. Within the webbing, beads, charms,
and found objects may be woven in. Aizen takes it, showing it to her best friend
quickly before they rush to the class because the bell rang. They had no choice but
to keep it safe first.
“Doreiku” Aizen said to herself when staring at it thing, she had already
searched about it. A dream catcher, basically a myth origin from America, that
thing had a little paper rolled up in the middle of it with the name of the owner.
Fell asleep wasn’t her intention at first, but her eyes were somewhat heavy. The
dream catcher shone right as Aizen closed her eyelids.
***
Aizen’s body flinched as she fell into nowhere, blinking her eyes in disbelief.
“What the fuck...” she cursed, cleaning the dust off her body as she gets up on her
own feet. Looking at the scenery around her, there is nothing here other than a big
tree that blocking the sunshine from above. It’s so strange yet thrilling here, she
can see the difference in this world, like the world itself being sliced in two. Night
and day seem built differently. Aizen quickly stepped forward to see where the way
brought her at the sudden event. Realizing that it was just a dream after pinching
herself, a cold sweat formed on her forehead. She was stuck in another world,
without even knowing what to do.
After a long time walking through the forest on the brighter side, Aizen found
herself ended up in villages that were different from people's houses on Earth. It
seems rather made from wood than a block of concrete but still looks comfy from
the outside. Reluctantly knock at one of the doors houses, but there is no answer
from the other side of the door. Just before she goes away from this place, Aizen
overhears a growl from behind a house. Before she could react further, a monster
that seemed from that house, broke it down. With an appearance that is half-human
and dragon-like and also a body that is covered with blood, Aizen winching in both
disgust and fear, stepped back away from that, her legs wobble but she is trying
hard to stand still, she couldn’t die here. The monster starts to raise its claw, ready
to attack Aizen in her current vulnerable state as an average human, but luck seems
on her side, there is a person that blocks the attack, preventing it from hurting the
girl. Aizen gasps as that man puts a fight in front of her and the monster loses in a
short time. Sheathing back his swords, that man reached out his hand at Aizen to
help her stand back.
“Not even had a courage to life, I see” She felt somewhat offended by that
statement, frowned, and gave the other person a silent glare although she was just
being saved from the monster. “Just kidding” he added with a smirk.
“Thanks” Aizen said half-hearted.
“Huh?” the boy not expecting to receive such gratitude after just pissed her, but
shrugs it off after that. Glancing slightly at the girl’s clothing, had no intention of
being rude but the way she was clothed like that wasn’t from this world. “Where
are you come fr-“ Not even finished his sentence, the man was startled by Aizen’s
tears.
“I wanna go home...” she sniffles wiping the tears that make her eyes blurry, it’s so
embarrassing for her to react this way, but the previous event scared her off and
made her feel so helpless.
***
 “So, you’re telling me that the dream catcher connected all of this?” Aizen felt
uneasy with that statement, looking at the man who just explained to her
everything she should know about how it works.
“Yeah. and I'm Drake, the owner of the dream catcher that you found.” The man
exclaimed, his voice laced with sarcasm.
“Doreiku?”.
“It’s Drake!” He snapped and sighed loudly. Aizen was dumbfounded because she
didn’t know how to pronounce it since Drake was American while on the other
hand, she is Japanese, and their accent pronounced the opposite.
Drake just clicking his tongue, planning to leave after that. Aizen quickly follows
his pace, and doesn’t want to be left behind although she finds this man annoying,
if she doesn’t owe him from her first encounter with a monster in another world,
she would just let him take his leave. In the middle of their journey, Aizen can’t
help but still wonder a few questions which isn’t been answered yet.
“Where is this exactly?”
“Why there is a dangerous monster here?”
“Why is the world being sliced in two?”
“How can Day and Night not be changed like on earth?”
This question flooded her mind, scratching her chin in frustration, she finally
decided to ask.
“How-“ Aizen question was being cut off by his hand placement on her mouth,
preventing her from talking and blabbering nonsense. One that she didn’t know
was that she thought it was loud enough for Drake to hear. He seems always
serious and hostile towards her and she hates it, also has no intention of asking
again because it’s simply ruined her mood.
They reach a place that looks like another village filled with people
chattering and hanging around, less quieter than the first village last time. Drake is
holding her hand instead now, just in case she will run away and put them in
difficulties again. This world language is way too odd for Aizen. So, she kept silent
nonetheless, following Drake further inside, and it’s not like people pay attention
to her different outfit either. After a bit of being dragged around, Aizen and Drake
found their way to come to the one house here. Wondering that it is Drake’s place,
Aizen simply follows him inside.
“Have a seat, we will talk about everything that happened and have food”
Aizen nodded and sat down at the nearby place that was shaped like a couch, but
larger. Seeing Drake go further inside the home before bringing back food for her,
not so much but rather enough for a snack.
“I don’t know if I should be flattered or else see you willing to cooperate”
The girl just rolled her eyes, it’s starting to get annoying again. Caused a laugh
from the opposite, she didn’t even know that he could laugh like this.
“Well, you’re aware enough right about the Dream Catcher, no? It was the one of
American myths that can intrude on your dream and you know what is the worst?
You’ve put it at the south, inviting the bad dream.” Drake said after taking a sip of
his drink. On the other hand, Aizen just silently listens, realizing her fault.
“We can’t go back before vanishing the bad things in this dream, our soul simply
intertwined by the Dream Catcher itself. So, please cooperate with me again and
we can go to training immediately.”
Aizen paused, and after thinking for a while, she decided.
“Yes, I would cooperate once again. Don’t underestimate me, it's simply because
you’re saving me and gave me food” She munched the snack after that, they could
be stubborn and silently hate each other but the bond wasn’t right to break now.
***
The sudden training was exhausting for Aizen, lying down on the grass
while still holding onto her wooden sword that Drake had given her earlier,
covered with sweat.
“Come on weakling, you will easily be killed if you’re not put your lazy ass up”
Drake move his right foot to nudge at Aizen’s body to push her to get up. He still
had a lot of stamina while Aizen just lay limply, and didn’t want to banter again
although his action was harsh.
“Alright, alright, I’ll get up” Aizen groans, ignoring that her clothes are now
covered by dirt and sweat. She got her fighting stance, holding the wooden sword
tight to being beaten again by him. Aizen panting, gets up again and again although
her legs hurt and her body starts to bruise because of Drake’s attack, he truly has
no mercy for Aizen. She just wants to go home and meet with her parents again,
that’s why she takes this training seriously. However, the pain that Drake caused
feels somewhat real.
“C-can I take a rest?” Aizen barely talks between her heavy breath, it’s like her
body is slowly giving up as she falls to her knees.
“No. Aizen, you can’t” Drake held up her chin with his wooden sword. Aizen
swore she saw a smirk on that arrogant face. “Weak as I thought” He hissed,
kicking Aizen right in her chest, making the girl's eyes widen with shock.
“Isn’t this too far for just training?” Aizen tried to stand back up but failed
miserably, but the answer that she got was just his boots stepping on her chest,
pinning her down on the ground in a painful way.
“Who said it’s just training? My my.... Don’t you being naive just like another
human did? Easily fell into my trap. It’s not like I’m complaining tho”.
Drake continuing his torture, pressed it more at the poor girl, pretending to act
nonchalant about her hands being too weak now to prevent him from stepping on
Aizen’s heart, making her cough violently because it hurt in many ways. Drake
then just transformed into his true nature, a huge ancient black dragon with bat
wings that was around 10 meters on the ground and also a scaled thing that covered
his body fully, its claws were still holding Aizen down. Now she starts to realize
anything, that Drake made her exhausted on purpose and attacked her just like the
previous monster did, but he is more menacing.
“Hybrid was disgusting” Then something happened immediately. Made Aizen
transfer into another world once again with its light.
***
Aizen found herself floating, in the background playing some time skip pieces.
One by one played right in front of her eyes. From how her parents met, how his
father managed to escape from this Dream Catcher world fully and get shape-
shifting as a human, and get married to her mother although he is a dragon that
barely escapes from its nature. Made Aizen was born as a hybrid without her
consent because she was raised between humans, without even having a dragon
appearance on her body.
At the same time, she felt something odd in her body, the scales started to appear
on her skin, also a pain pierced her lower back, a dragon-scaled tail forcefully
grew, making her bleed through the transformation, not end just like that, a couple
horns and wings are starting to slice her skin too, the pain was unbearable, make
the girl let out a scream of pain that begged for help when no one was here. The
place gets darker, there is nothing more than herself in this nowhere. Aizen that get
used to being human, can’t accept the sudden strength. She is being claimed to die
in the real world, her parents are shocked to see their daughter in half-dragon in her
human appearance with a serious bleeding injury over it.
In another world exactly the one that Dream Catcher brought her, she already being
Drake’s slave, a true dragon slave. That was how the world ruled, a true Ancient
Dragon wouldn’t let their descendants get a relationship with a lowly human until
made a hybrid that might be a destruction for their clan known as strength and
being feared, not the opposite.