Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Halfmoon

Bradley sighed, sitting on the stony path outside and reading a copy of ‘Lord of the rings’ by J.R.R Tolkien. He had always most enjoyed fantasy books: the thrilling quests, the dark backstory, the final great fight - Bradley loved it all. Books, as his mother said, were a calling to find a new world. Bradley gazed out onto the vast, sandy beach. He noticed an odd green glaze on the sand. Out of curiosity, he began striding towards it, as if he was drawn to it. The nearby golden eagles on the cliffs cawed hoarsely as the green light flickered. A blurry figure was standing on the sand, observing Bradley’s appearance. She had a feminine face with dark features; green and blue eyes and jet-black hair swaying in the sea breeze. The figure wore a bloodstained cloak, which made Bradley think she looked like a character from a fantasy book. “Hello, Bradley.” The lady smiled warmly, with such kindness, it surprised him.

“Who are you?” Bradley asked, being both confused and curious at the exact same time. He somehow felt unusually safe being near this person.

“I,” she grinned, “am Halfmoon. I see you came much quicker than I expected! I am sure you are incredibly shocked that the magic is so powerful, or that it even existed.”

Halfmoon drawed the green glow towards herself and it disappeared. Now, all was silent, apart from the faint rustling of sand in Halfmoon’s shoes and the tide, slowly growing and retracting.

“Why do you want me? What do you need me for?” He asked. Bradley felt as if everything he ever knew was going to change forever.

Halfmoon swiftly replied, “All will be explained in due time. For now, just trust your instincts. A dark force is growing, and only you can fight it. Until then, get some sleep. I will see you again soon. Farewell, Bradley L.” Before he even had a chance to question why she called him that, Halfmoon had slunk away.

Feeling awfully confused and tense, Bradley did not sleep well that night. He pondered on what this stranger was doing with him.

‘That’s it, she’s just a stranger who is trying to scare me. I don’t need to worry about her.’ Bradley thought. But in fact, however much he wished that was the case, Bradley couldn’t shake a sense of importance with this lady. ‘Halfmoon’ - that name was so out of place, unnormal, if, magical.’ He questioned and questioned everything that Halfmoon said, but still felt incomplete. Dread seemed to pave every speck of the future. Bradley sighed and drifted off to sleep.