"What in the actual Fuck?"
Looking around at the turmoil that surrounded him he could see the viscera of battle as far as his eyes could see. Hear the screams and clang of steel. Smell the copper scent of blood heavy on the air. Lifting his hands he felt that he held the shaft of a spear in one hand which was spattered with warm blood and a shield was just beneath his other.
In front of him like a painting of battles he'd seen in history class, men fought with shields, spears, axes and bows. The battle was back lit by the horizon of the rising sun casting the shadows of the warriors across him and trailing behind him. He thought to himself, "This can't be real. I was just nodding off in class again but I can feel this with all my senses."
"To Valhalla brothers!" A soldier clad in chainmail hollered as he ran past him on to stumble back with two arrows in his chest.
"Tyr... Tyr dude wake up, class is over man."
Tyr snapped awake with a yelp, a look of sheer horror on his face still having the image of the dying man in front of him. The image was right there in front of him but was floating apart like a mist lifting away as the sun broke through the clouds.
"Why are you staring at me like that dude?"
Tyr answered him, "Sorry Mark, don't worry about it; just another dream."
"If you say so." Mark turned as he walked out of the class carrying his belongings.
What was that this time? I've had these dreams about battles for the last year now but nothing like this. I never felt them. This was more like experiencing it than a dream. Tyr mused to himself.
Tyr walked to the bathroom to splash water on his face and wake up. When he was done with the water he looked into the mirror and jumped back slightly. His eyes were yellow like wolves, sharp and predatory. He squinted then rubbed his eyes. When he looked again they were gone just as fast as they had appeared. Back to the light blue he was used to seeing.
"Man, maybe I really am losing it this time?" He questioned his reflection.
University was bustling in the fall semester. Tyr was walking down the hallway when he bumped into another student. "Oh my bad, let me help you pick those up." When Try looked at the other boy's eyes he noticed a glint of red tinge glow across his iris as he looked down at his books.
"No, don't worry about it, I got it man." The other boy stopped for a moment after picking up his things and stared at Tyr.
The contrast between the two boys was obvious, though both of them would have been considered conventionally handsome. The boy who dropped his things had olive colored skin and features that came off as Persian. Tyr on the other hand would have been considered to have Scandinavian features with dirty blonde hair that curled slightly at the tips. His eyes were regularly a great blue but when the boy stopped to stare at him he saw that Sheen of yellow glean across them again.
"What's your name, friend?" Tyr said, offering his hand.
"Cyrus… but everyone just calls me Cy."
"My name is Tyrion but everyone just calls me tear but its spelt T-y-r." He replied.
"Well I guess I'll see you around Tyr." It was at this point that Mark walked up to Tyr just as Cy was heading off.
"Who's that guy?" Mark questioned.
"Someone, I imagine, I'm going to be seeing more of in the future." Tyr said while watching Cy walk away down the hallway. He thought to himself, 'Why did his eyes glow red when mine I could have sworn were glowing yellow? What is going on here?'
After school had ended Tyr and Mark were sitting together in Mark's car waiting. Mark started talking to Tyr about the plays they were going to have to make in his football game in order to win. Tyr's mind wandered as he looked outside the car window disinterested in sports almost entirely. He looked over at Mark, startled as one of the largest wolves he had ever seen in his life simply walked into view along the path next to the parking lot.
It stopped and sat on its hind legs and stared directly at him with intensity in its yellow eyes. Its pitch black fur furled and dark as night itself hung ominously barely stirring in the wind. Mark simply continued to talk about the sports. Tyr looked between the two in shock, his mouth hanging open.
"Surrender yourself to the Wisps, when they come for you." Tyr heard a deep raspy voice in his head. He immediately knew that it belonged to the wolf.
"Dude, are you listening to me at all? What are you staring at out there anyways?" Mark said as he tried to follow my gaze out the window.
"I know she is gorgeous man but if you stare like that when she walks up, I swear she's not going to get in the car one of these times." A young woman walked up with jet black hair. Her features were a mix of Caucasian and South East Asian in a stunningly attractive way. The warm smile that she gave Tyr through the window always made his heart skip a beat.
"Hey guys, how was class today?" Tara asked as she sat down in the back of the car next to Tyr.
They had met her only at the beginning of the semester but already she was an indispensable member of their group. Mark had a girlfriend at the beginning of the semester but as usual, she grew tired of his antics and wayward stares at other women so she had dumped him a few weeks ago. Mark didn't even try to make a move on Tara which confused Tyr a lot. If any woman was even mildly attractive when he was single Mark would set his sights on them and wouldn't stop until he was outright rejected or won them over. Mark was just shy of being 7 ft tall and with a slight but athletic build. Often women would find him attractive as well; his dark features and high cheekbones often set him apart even from other members of his team. So why didn't she find him attractive?
"Earth to Tyr. Are you listening to me?" Tara said leaning in.
"Ugh don't waste your time with him Tara, he has been like this all day, a regular Space-Case." Mark interjected.
Tyr finally found his voice. "Sorry Tara, I swear that I saw… you know what, never mind."
"Class was great Tara, not that Tyr is listening right now, come on man get it together." Mark answered Tara for both of them. Tyr's cheeks flushed hot as Tara started to giggle at Mark's comment.
"Well let's get to the coffee shop guys, it's time for our study session." Tara said.
As they drove away from the campus the sign when exiting read Military University.
**
Cyrus stepped into an unmarked APC or Armored Personal Carrier that was parked just around the corner from the main entrance of the university. Before Cyrus had even walked up to the APC he had dawned a mask. The mask looked like a synthetic version of an ancient immortal warrior's mask. The eyes however were high-tech lenses which would permit a variety of different optical displays. The mask was really more like a helmet, the black fabric that wrapped around the back part of the mask was actually scaled plates wrapped in Kevlar providing a high level of protection for the wearer.
"Did everyone bring the gear that was required? I'll be taking note during roll call after we make formation exiting the vehicle." Said an older man who was wearing a black balaclava and an officer's uniform.
Cyrus sat down at his assigned seat in the vehicle. Each student soldier was wearing the same uniform but each had a unique mask based on their personal preference and often reflected their ancestral ethnicity. The variety of masks varied from European influence, Middle Eastern, Oriental to African. A multitude of cultures were on display, all with similar optical interfaces and Kevlar wrapped plating surrounding it. The rest of there drab was identical, camouflaged military fatigues. The officer addressed them again.
"Now class, everyone can strap in and catch some shut eye. The operation begins at sixteen-hundred."
**
"What kind of coffee do you want, Mark? Oh I guess you always like tea right Tara?" Tyr said as he walked towards the lineup at the coffee shop.
"I'll take what I always take champ; an Americano."
"Chai latte please."
Mark and Tara said. Well Tyr was standing in the lineup he contemplated exactly what he was seeing today. First he had seen his eyes flash yellow and then that boy in the hallway… Cy was his name I think? Why were his eyes flashing red? Then that wolf that no one else seemed to even know was there and it bloody talked to me! Maybe I'm losing my mind, I don't know.
"Sir, what would you like to get?"
Tyr gave his order, collected the cups and went back to the table that they selected. Tara leaned towards Tyr as he sat down next to her. He was oblivious to the look she gave him as he adjusted his shirt collar after sitting.
"So anyways when he woke up in class today he looked like he'd seen a ghost or a monster or something." Mark finished up his story as Tyr sat down.
"Aw poor guy just trying to catch up on a little sleeping class and now he's got to deal with nightmares."
Tara cocked her head to the side and looked up into Tyr's eyes and she said that. Her almond-shaped eyes were closer to him now and he could see the flawless nature of her skin and fullness of her lips.
"Your lips are so tempt… I think I must have been having nightmares yeah…"
Tyr tried to change what he had inadvertently blurted out. However, the crimson that had crept across Tara's cheeks made it apparent that she had caught every word of it.
"Boom!" The sound was deafening. The thunderous noise rang deep and loud it shook the entire coffee shop. The trio looked at each other just before the sirens went off. An automated message played across intercoms that were inside the coffee shop as well as on street corner posts.
"This is not a drill please proceed to the nearest shelters!…This is not a drill please proceed to the nearest shelters!"