Ryteb rain through the Llychgrove, as the woods surrounding the town were known, trying to put as much distance between him and the village as possible. Being so caught up in running, he didn't notice the shadows stalking him until they pounced. The creatures looked like Heartless, but had [url=https://www.khwiki.com/images/thumb/c/c2/Symbol_-_Dream_Eater_(Nightmare).png/180px-Symbol_-_Dream_Eater_(Nightmare).png]a weird symbol [/url] on their chests. They were Wolf like in appearance, but the power they radiated was akin to a Darkside. Ryteb tried to fight them off, but the wolves overpowered him in a matter of seconds. Just as Ryteb was about to give up and accept death, a man jumped in and punched the wolves away from Ryteb. He looked to be in his early thirties, wearing a sleeveless version of the magi robes, with a hood added on. It had the markings representing a scholarship but was again in green. His hair was black, though the roots showed that it had been dyed from a paler colour like brown. Most strangely of all, his fists appeared to glow with some form of imbued energy, that dealt massive damage to the creatures. As the wolves fled, he whistled and another of the not-Heartless creatures appeared. This one looked akin to an owl, but had an almost friendly expression. The owl flapped his wings and a feeling of tranquillity passed over him.

"Well... you just had a close encounter with the Wolf pack." The man laughed pulling the young mage up and giving him a good slap on the back, "The nightmares of Terra Atum are something else, huh?"

Ryteb looked over where the wolves had run off, but there was no trace. "Those things... are nightmares?" He asked, thinking back to Cheese explains her magic. Somehow it didn't seem quite as innocent.

"Technically, no." The man explained, trying to reassure the youth, "They are called Dream Eaters. The wild ones eat good dreams and cause nightmares, but the ones that have been purified can consume nightmares. They are the main inhabitants of the Dream World... and you're going to have to learn to fight them if you want to get home."

"Ah, so that's where young Ryteb got off to." The elderly man said, having come from the direction the wolves originated. He seemed to have recovered slightly in the interlude, though the occasional bloody cough did occur. "Have you told him about the training yet, Ronin?"

The younger man grimaced slightly, and replied; "No I haven't, old man, I was about to when you walked over and interrupted."

"Wait, what training?" Ryteb exclaimed, "I have to get back quickly, my friends need me!" As he said this, both men cracked up in a burst of laughter.

"Time is not an issue here." The old man explained, "Terra Atum's magic caused a temporal disturbance when it became a Dream World. Time moves slowly here. By my estimates, only five days will have passed in the real world."

Ryteb weighed his options. On the one hand, he wasn't sure he could trust what these men were saying... but on the other, furrier, hand the woods were probably full of these powerful enemies, and they did suggest a way of saving himself from becoming a Heartless...

"Alright, I'm in." Ryteb said, starting what he would look at as the most hellish training he had ever encountered...