“Are you ready?” Leon asked.

  Era smiled brightly at him.

  “I am, so stop worrying,” she said. “Everything will be fine.”

  “You’ve got this!” Calli said, her hands raised in encouraging fists. “You’ve worked hard and trained non-stop for this moment! Everything is going to be fine!”

  The dark-alfin chuckled at her. “Are you telling me that, or yourself?”

  “Both!”

  “You will do great, Era,” Medis said. “Simply believe in yourself. The hard part was in getting here. Now, it is time to reap the rewards for all that you’ve worked for these past few years.”

  “I know,” she said. “I’ll make us proud.”

  “You do that,” Medis said. “We’ll be waiting for you.”

  She nodded at her, still smiling, then took a step back. Her bare heels dipped into the still waters of the Pond of Tranquility, sending ripples across its mirror-like, lilac glowing surface. At the very edge of the lake, Nar could just about make the sound of rushing water over the precipice that marked the boundary of the Brightnight, but his eyes could not penetrate far into the heavy lilac that obscured the air above the pond.

  It was the morning of the third day since they’d entered the Dream. Without having to face any battles except for those conjured within their own minds by the dream aether, they had made excellent time in getting there.

  Era took another backwards step into the waters, and swept the gathered delvers with a stare filled with quiet warning. She wore a loose gown of white fabric that reached down to her feet, and which now floated around her ankles.

  “Some believe that dreams carry the power of prophecy. That they breach time and space and allow us glimpses of what may yet be… Or what has already come to pass. And there is truth to that,” Era told them all, her voice echoey in the stillness of that lilac place underneath the heavy boughs of neon lilac and surrounded by those endless beds of flowers. Even her white markings seemed to be glowing on her face. “People have been receiving warnings, succor, wisdom, and knowledge from dreams since the beginning of Creation Itself, and in places such as these, the chance of such weighty dreams occurring increases. If you do see something here today, take it with you, and give it the proper and respectful consideration it merits. But do remember that in dreams, it is easy for one to see what one wishes most to see… Or most wishes not to encounter.”

  Nar frowned at the words from the dark-alfin, but he did not look away. He had bested the Dream already… Or perhaps, it was best to say that it seemed as though the Dream wanted nothing to do with someone as empty as he was. Someone who was dreamless.

  “No matter what you see, take care not to step into the waters,” Era continued, their rapt gazes glued to her as she took another step back. “The dream aether will be so powerful that if you fall in, you will never come back out again. At least not the same as you went in…”

  Then, she smiled, breaking her hold over them. “Wish me luck?”

  “Good luck!” Mach said.

  “Break a leg,” Eum added.

  “Everything’s going to be okay!” Tuk shouted, while Jaz, at his side, whistled loudly with his fingers tucked in his mouth.

  With one last bright smile, Era took another step backward.

  “Crystal!” Nar muttered, raising his hand in reflex as the aethermancer plunged straight into the lilac depths and was swallowed.

  “She’s okay!” Leon said, raising his hands and glancing at both sides around him. “It’s part of it. Now, we just need to wait.”

  At Nar’s side, Tuk gulped loud enough for Nar’s normal hearing to pick up on it.

  He searched the waters for signs of Era, but the ripples formed by her plunge were already beginning to smoothen, and soon, the Pond of Tranquility was a featureless, smooth surface once again. Of the healer, there was no sign.

  Is she really going to be okay in that? Nar wondered. I know her aether’s the same, but that water is something else.

  “Leon,” Mach whispered, his tone betraying his thoughts despite the vanore’s easy posture.

  “She knows the risk, and it is what she has dreamt of for so long,” Medis said before Leon could speak. “We have to respect her wishes. All we can do now is believe in her and wait.”

  “Right,” Mach said, his emotions fully on display on his dejected expression now. Even his dark, storm blue feathers seemed a little flatter.

  Nar’s heartbeat grew more frantic as the seconds dragged by, until a full minute passed. Then two.

  My Crystal. Don’t tell me that actually—

  “Look!” Jul shouted. “Over there.”

  Nar inched forward, searching for whatever lay beyond her outstretched arm and finger.

  There! A small whirlpool was forming towards the center of the pond that was visible to them.

  “Wow,” Tuk breathed.

  The waters began to glow brighter and brighter as the whirlpool grew to take over the entirety of the pond, reaching even for the waters that lay hidden beyond the dungeon’s boundaries. The neon lilac canopies overhead dimmed, as though night was falling upon them. But it was not yet the middle of the day…

  Wait! Nar thought, his eyes going wider. It’s not just the leaves!

  “Kur!” he called out in warning.

  The trees themselves were vanishing from above them, and from all around the pond, darkness was swallowing the flower beds, forming a circle of nothing that steadily surrounded them, diminishing reality around them.

  “It’s part of it,” Leon said. “Don’t worry. It’s just the dream aether. None of it is real.”

  Nar couldn’t help but close his hand around the imaginary but comforting handle of his sword, but he didn’t reach for it.

  “If it becomes too much, just back away from the water and everything will go back to normal,” Leon continued. “Just make sure you don’t fall in.”

  “Ugh!”

  With a strangled grunt, Viy did just that. Turning her back to the glowing pond, she rushed off into the darkness, and Gad and Jasphaer leaped after her without hesitation.

  Before Nar could even debate whether to go or stay, columns of water burst from the whirlpool, the water glowing so brightly lilac now as to be almost white. The columns split into hundreds of thin threads of water and light, which intertwined to form complex lattices and shapes.

  “Is this water… or is this aether?” Cen whispered, looking up as the liquid light continued to form, rising from the pond that now glowed an almost searing white.

  “I don’t know if what we’re seeing is even real or not,” Sarke said, from behind the caster. “But my guess is that she’s somehow activating the aether. So to speak.”

  “Activating it?” the caster asked.

  “I’m no expert, but dream aether commonly takes a form between liquid and gaseous, but which is closer to the former. What she’s doing is returning it to its original shape as pure dream aether, and separating it from the water,” Sarke said, looking up as a complicated sphere of lines of light rose from the pond. “At least, that’s what I think is happening. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  “Really?” Mul asked. “I thought you'd been here before?”

  “Not with a dream aethermancer,” Sej whispered, looking up. “And there she is… Thank Helenorea.”

  Nar looked up at the near blinding sphere of light, and indeed, at its very center, just like Sej had said, he spotted a dark shape that could only be Era.

  Damn… He thought to himself. What kind of crazy spirits did these people all bond with?

  He refused to believe this was the power of a common spirit, or even of a Lower Order one. There had be levels of difference between the neighborhood spirits that Professor Thim had taught them about before, and whatever these aethermancers had bonded with!

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The pond swirled in a raging whirlpool, lines of water and aether pulsing from it to form the sphere that surrounded Era, and which seemed to keep her afloat in the air.

  “My Crystal… Is that what it looks like?”

  Nar blinked away from the sphere and found Jul kneeling by the water’s edge.

  “Jul?” he asked, carefully as he kneeled beside her.

  The quam’s usually green-blue compound eyes reflected the bright white-lilac from the water, and she stared into its raging depths with her mouth half-dropped, two of her hands outstretched towards something Nar couldn’t see.

  “Jul?”

  The quam pulled back her arms.

  “That’s too much,” she whispered. “Too much…”

  “Cen? Hey! Cen!”

  Mul was similarly trying to get through to his sister. Cen, like Jul, was staring at the bright waters with a deep frown, lost, and at her sides, her fists were closed so tightly that her arms shook.

  “Cen, what are you—Oh?”

  Mul’s expression eased, and the brawler blinked once. Then again, slower, an expression of almost childlike wonder taking him.

  This stuff is scary, Nar thought, rising to his feet. He pulled Jul up, carefully, and deposited her a few feet away from the waters, just in case she tumbled over. But not even that seemed to break her from the trance that had taken her.

  Kur was also staring transfixed at the waters, while beside him, Rel had two bright lines of light running down from her eyes. Other than the tears, the two of them seemed to be fine, and they were standing far enough from the edge of the pond to not be a concern.

  I guess I’ll just watch over them, Nar thought, looking up towards where Era lay, suspended in water and aether as it soaked into her very body. Like Eum’s reward, this dream aether was likely transforming her somehow, providing her with prodigious gains and perhaps even skills.

  Nothing for me though, Nar thought, his heart clenching. He’d hoped to see his dad again. Even fake, it brought him comfort… and reminded him of what Bey looked like.

  He was loath to admit it, but in the light of the outside, with all the color, brightness, and every wondrous sight awaiting him almost on the daily, the harder it was to remember the black and white reality he’d come from.

  The cramped corridors of the cubeplant were engraved into his mind, with their sterile white cristalight, and he would never forget them… but, more and more the memories felt as though they belonged to a different life. To a different Nar.

  He raised his hands and closed his fingers around the receptor that had been the bane of his life for so long… but it was his sword’s handle his hands knew best now. It was the familiar touch of cutlery, of his tablet, of his soft bedsheets that he now recalled with ease. He wasn’t even sure if he remembered what a cracker used to taste like…

  A thousand sights, sensations, colors, tastes, and experiences had built upon his memory of that colorless past. His dad’s face, clad in deep shadows, with dark eyes twinkling and full of life even in that bleak existence, was hard to recall sometimes. As if it was becoming someone else’s distant memory.

  The voice, once so strong and filled with courage, was dimmer, somehow. Farther.

  His throat tightened. Am I… forgetting?

  Was this how his mind responded to having learned there was nothing he could do for his dad? Its acceptance that the way back was shut and blocked to him forever, and that the best he could do now was to move on with his life?

  Could he do that?

  Did he want that?

  Do I even have a choice? Nar thought. They keep asking me what my decision is, and what I want to do. But, there’s no way back…

  In the raging waters, lights and mist, an immense Gate towered before him, the two enormous slabs closing to never again open for him. It was forbidden to return, as set by the Law of the Great Crystal Itself.

  The Ruling of the Gods to Their Creation.

  The reality of the Nexus.

  If… and this was just him giving voice to the madness he had so far repressed! But if he were to challenge the order of Creation, then just how far would he have to go? How high would he have to climb? No… How low would he have to sink?

  Our records even detail the fall of a God!

  Nar had rolled those words without ceasing, during his every waking moment, ever since the paladin had accidentally allowed that bit of forbidden knowledge to slip past his lips.

  A God fell, Nar thought, almost in a trance. How? How did it happen? And can it happen again?

  Before him, the Gate disappeared, only to be replaced by something else. Flashes of gold and darkness ripping through clouds of grey, setting his very bones to quaking.

  You’re crazy, Nar. Crazy… But that guy became the God of Lightning, did he not? he asked himself, almost as though it were someone else. But even if you do climb that high, then what? Are you going to fight the Church? The Nexus? The Gods? And for what? All that just so that you can save your dad?

  Was that not the only logical conclusion, if he fully considered that madness? The Gods said no, and the Gods commanded Creation. So, if not to become an enemy of Creation Itself, what was he considering then?

  To commit such a sin, there was no telling what would be done to him for it. No telling the resistance he would face! No telling the lives he must reap to clear the way back, nor how much untold destruction he would have to wage upon the Nexus…

  The flashes of gold were swallowed by a furious black and white light and flames. Screams and shouts echoed dully within his mind, alongside explosions, and the chaos of battle. Of death. He stared transfixed at that roaring, hateful light and darkness as it rose to consume everything in its path.

  Just how far was too far?

  The screaming rose in crescendo as the light and flames spread, inching ever so close to him and his party.

  He had promised he would be back, hadn’t he? He had sworn it by the Crystal… He could sacrifice whatever he had to. He could endure and power through whatever suffering lay in his path. Of that he had no doubt!

  But isn’t that a bit much?

  Nar closed his eyes and shook his head.

  Crystal… You’re going crazy, Nar, he thought, taking a deep breath. Would your dad even want you to go that far?

  The vision, and the sounds, faded, and he saw the dream aether for what it truly was. The thoughts and hopes of a fool who thought he could face up to Gods. A fool who had woken up to face the harsh reality of a broken promise, and who was grasping at anything to make himself feel better about it.

  He scoffed at himself.

  You’re an idiot, Nar. An idiot and a fool… Just focus on making sure nobody falls over, will you? Enough with the useless thoughts.

  Yet, even as he pushed back against the craziness, beyond his perception, just at the edges of his sight, of his hearing, a black and white light whispered amongst silent cries. And within, the silent war for his future continued.

  **********

  “Well done,” Medis said, smiling brightly as Era walked across the pond towards them.

  She held a towel in his hands, and he wrapped the dark-alfin with it, hugging her fiercely.

  Around them, everything was back to normal, and Nar was left scratching his head as to how the healer had so easily walked towards them when she had earlier plunged and completely disappeared into the lilac waters.

  The pond was now filled with white flowers, whose petals were tipped with shimmering blue, pink and purple. No doubt, they would gather those too, and earn a small fortune from them.

  Nothing makes sense with dreams and nightmares. But at least it didn’t feel the same as Eum’s quest, he thought to himself. He had felt nothing out of place in Era’s reward. Nothing at all.

  Calli took Era into a tight embrace next, and then she led the healer way, Medis following close behind them.

  “Oh, by the way, it should be somewhat safe to walk into the water now,” Era said, grinning back at them. “Have at it. But just in case, keep a healer around to dispel any [Dreaming].”

  “As promised!” Leon said, glancing around at the stunned faces with a smile that was growing wicked. “Dream water for everyone! XP galore!”

  “We’re rich!” Jaz shouted, throwing up his arms.

  “Whoop-whoop!” Tuk shouted.

  Eum howled in laughter at their antics, and both Kur and Row shook their heads.

  “Alright! Let’s get to it!” Sej said. “The quicker we’re done, the quicker we’ll be out of this fucked up place before something bad actually happens. So grab a bottle, fill it up, store it, repeat. There’s nothing to it. As for the gatherers, let’s pick up those flowers. I have no idea what they are, but I bet they’ll fetch a small fortune too.”

  “You heard her,” Kur said, and an excited smile managed to break through his stoic expression at last. “Let’s make some XP!”

  Their cheers reverberated through the silent, dreamy jungle, and they surged forward to earn their just rewards.

  Thankfully, whatever we make from this will help our future delves be that much smoother, Nar thought. He stepped forward and kneeled by the lake with a black, plastic cylinder in his hands, and after seeing Mul dip his hand in without any issues, proceeded to do the same.

  “Make sure you hand these over to the quartermaster as soon as you get home,” Sej was telling Kur, as the two of them eyed the flowers. “These containers will do for now with minimal loss or aether deterioration, but this water and flowers needs a specialized container, and a lot of storage care in order to not lose in potency and value.”

  Kur frowned at her. “I thought everything that went into the ring remained in stasis?"

  “Not something like this. These are too close to their original pure aether state,” Sej explained. “Materials like these need to be held out of stasis and in proper containers. But don’t worry, your quartermaster will know what to do, and how to sell it discreetly, too.”

  Rel dropped beside him, and dipped a bottle into the water. Nar searched her face for any hint of the tears he’d spotted earlier, but Rel filled her bottle with a wide grin on her face.

  “Something on my face?” she asked him, her grin widening. “Or are you just now realizing how pretty I am?”

  Nar snorted and shook his head.

  “I was just wondering how you were doing after all that, but it seems there is no need to,” he said, twisting the attached bottle cap back into place to secure its precious, liquid cargo.

  “Oh, that?” she asked, motioning over her face. “Don’t worry. I cried, but… it was a beautiful dream for once. It was nice. Very, very nice.”

  “I’m happy to hear that,” Nar said, beaming. “I hope its the kind that can come true.”

  “Yes,” Rel said, staring at the water with a distant smile. “I hope so too. It’s nice to have a good dream for once, you know?”

  She blinked and seemed to return to the here and now.

  “How about you? Did you see anything?” she asked. “Did you see him?”

  “I saw him on the first day here, but only for a few hours,” Nar said.

  “And just there? Nothing?”

  He dipped another bottle underwater, watching the bubbles rise to the surface as the black container filled.

  “I saw something. But I’m not sure what it was,” he muttered. It was almost a lie. He didn’t know for sure what he had seen, but he knew what it had been. Destruction. Pain. And brought about by him.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked him.

  Nar shook his head.

  The archer regarded him for a few moments, her bottle forgotten and full under the placid waters of the pond.

  Nar sighed, knowing that he had to give her something, or she wouldn’t let it go.

  “It’s nothing, Rel, honestly,” he lied. “I just saw the Gate closing. That’s all.”

  “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Nar said, before she could go on. “It is what it is.”

  “Nar, maybe you should talk to someone about it,” she whispered. “This was… It is everything to you. Have you actually talked about it with someone?”

  Nar nodded. “I have, Rel. With Gad, with my master, with Tys… It’s fine, honestly.”

  “It doesn’t look fine to—”

  “What do you want me to do?” Nar snapped at her.

  Break the rules? Fight the Church? The Gods?

  He just barely managed to keep those words from bursting forth. He clenched his jaw, aware of the eyes he’d drawn to himself.

  Mul. Cen. Kur. And a very stunned Sej.

  “There is nothing to be done except to move on,” Nar said, lowering his voice. “And I will move on. I just need some time. Alright?”

  Rel nodded, but he could feel the words burning at the tip of her tongue. Fortunately, she returned to her bottle filling and left it at that, and Nar was grateful that nobody else said anything.

  After all, there was nothing to be said or done, and the sooner he and everyone else accepted that, the better it was for everyone. Especially himself.