sleepless-knights

[sleepless-knights]

Human atrocities are already bad enough, obviously. But on top of all that, around the time guns were invented, they turned on the supernatural world. 

Everyone had coexisted to the best of their abilities prior to that. Yes, some folk were predatory, it just meant humans were no longer at the top of the food chain. But there were other checks in place, such as magics and knights and peacekeepers within the communities themselves. Humans were integrated, part of this world. 

But that wasn’t enough for some. With jealousy and rage, growing religions and bloodlust during a time of innovation, those who would later be described as sleepers attacked. These beasts and folk were strong, but not as strong as a bullet or a mortar. You can’t run from subterfuge, from well timed attacks laced with the bane of your kind. 

those that were not driven to extinction were sent into hiding. Entire species of folk were written into just bedtime stories. Everything humankind did with these creatures was nothing more than a fairy tail, and the age of innovation went on without them. 

Old families of mages lived on in hiding. Some more monstrous folk adapted to appear more human. Others simply became rulers from the shadows, or at least learned to change their diets. Over time, more communities grew, the age of the internet facilitating even more communication. More species became more modern, witchcraft becoming more of a lost art compared to the ease of today’s technology. But the growing turmoil of the modern day makes it even more unsafe to walk proudly in the sun. 

[sleepless-knights]

Here lies the dreamer

If the supernatural did exist, why would they tell us? Why would they let the very people who turned their back on them know they are still alive? 

The average person is asleep to this second world that exists under their noses. They are called Sleepers. They do not know of the supernatural world, do not know any trace of it exists, and does not believe it could exist at all. Sure, they may have whimsy within this world, but deep down they know things like fairies and werewolves have never existed. 

Some have never fully stopped believing though. Children still look into the forest and see potential, know that there is a monster. Some adults are more opposite to the mainstream, stating they know that supernatural things can’t exist but can’t help but believe if not just to have some hope. They are the Dreamers. They are the ones this world has to be careful around, even if they are more trustworthy than those fully asleep. Even the most gentle slip up could wake them. 

And what of those Awake? They know. They may not know everything, but they know. They know of the dragon that once held office, of the vampires in LA, the sirens who relish in the anger of the Karens. That they could learn magic if they put the effort into it, but they could also just look a little further and maybe something dark will give it to them instead. And it is quite hard to fall back asleep.