The Dream Sanctum: The Eternal World (22 page)

Without a word, Kai pulled her into a tight
hug. She always could make him feel better.

Semyaza walked up to him then, a smile on her
face.

“Now that everything is said and done, I can
take you back to the Sanctum at any time. I imagine all four of you are eager
to get back and make use of your time.”

“Actually, I was kind of hoping we could stay
here for a little bit,” Lindsay said almost apologetically. “It’s just so cool
here, and I still have so many questions… is that okay?”

“Of course! I’m sure Hayel would love to have
you. She has more than enough time to work, after all,” she said, glancing at
Hayel pointedly. Hayel giggled, then stood up from her pile of books.

“I am sorry. I am just so excited to get back
to work. It’s been… oh, I can’t even remember how long since I had this much
energy. Every bonding is wonderful, you know. This one especially. So let’s sit
and talk. Oh! We need refreshments. Who likes cookies?”

Before anyone could respond, a table appeared
in front of them, followed by a platter of cookies stacked nearly as tall as
Kwin. Everyone sat down, and Kwin scooted her chair to the side so she could
see her friends around the mountain of cookies.

“Oops. See, this is what happens,” Hayel said,
looking completely unapologetic. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well… you can see everything all the time
from up here, can’t you? Where were you when the Nightmares attacked? Couldn’t
you have just made them disappear?” Lindsay asked quietly.

Hayel shivered.

“Nightmares, ugh. That was a terrible time in
my life. I was very limited in what I could do, sadly. Remember, this world is
my mind, so for all intents and purposes I was just having a bad dream! And I
couldn’t wake up from that dream or the Sanctum would vanish. I had no choice
but to endure it. Semyaza and Dumar were battling it in their own way, but we
still hadn’t quite figured out how to deal with them. It was… so very
terrible.”

“Couldn’t the angels have beaten them, since
they’re so strong?” Lindsay pressed.

“Not quite. I’m the only one who would have
the power to do that, and since it was my nightmare, I was the only one who
couldn’t. But even if you wiped out all but one tiny little shadow, they would
have sprung back. It’s like stomping on an anthill, really. You might do lots
of damage, but you’ll never kill every one. The reset was the only true
solution, and you did it!”

Alastor raised his hand and spoke next as
Hayel nodded in his direction.

“I have a serious question. Who is the worst,
most awful dreamer you’ve ever encountered in the entire world, and why is it
Hercules?”

Kwin choked on the cookie she had just put
into her mouth. As Lindsay rushed to help her, Hayel laughed.

“Oh I have seen countless dreamers worse than
him. Hercules may be annoying, but his heart is in the right place.”

“That’s usually the organ that takes over when
the brain goes missing,” Alastor replied. Kwin, who had just taken a sip of
water, started coughing again.

“His innocence is often endearing. Now, you
want to see a truly bad dreamer? There was a man named Devnon who came in
decades ago. Nasty, evil man. He was rude to everyone and was always up to
something. I don’t often keep my eye on dreamers, but I made an exception for him.
I haven’t seen him in years, and I’m fine with that. He was the sort of man who
would declare himself leader in a post-apocalyptic world and then make
everything even worse.”

“That is an uncannily accurate assessment,”
Kwin said, having finally recovered. Hayel gave her a quizzically innocent
look, but did not ask. “I have a few questions. How did the Sanctum come to be?
How does it exist, and how are we all able to enter it? Is it some sort of
telepathy?”

“I expected such questions from you! Oh,
you’re my favorite,” Hayel replied happily. “I do know that this world is
thousands of years old, but I don’t know how it was created. I am not
omnipotent, I am only here to keep the world alive. The memories of the first
days have long since faded. Nor do I know how we all enter the world beyond
what I’ve already told you. I… I am sorry, truly. I have not sought answers to
these questions in a long time, but I may do so now. And if I do ever learn… I
will make sure you know.”

Kwin looked extremely disappointed, but
managed an appreciative smile anyway.

In the silence that fell, Kai thought about
all the questions he had on his mind. They all seemed so trivial now, questions
that answers would no longer satisfy. Kai still felt distant from the world,
and everything else seemed so unimportant now. He was still having trouble
accepting what had just happened, and he wondered if he would be able to enjoy
any of world before it was too late.

“Oh! I have an idea!” Hayel exclaimed,
standing up suddenly. “You four are Creators now, so come create with me!”

Hayel rushed off and the others followed,
confused. As they approached the table Hayel stopped at, however, looks of
excitement and anticipation grew on their faces. She stood in front of the
table holding the model city Kai had seen when he first walked in, and he was
starting to understand what Hayel wanted them to do.

Above the model, miniature clouds floated in
the sky, and papers on a nearby table fluttered gently in the artificial
breeze. As Kai took a closer look, he noticed that most of the framework was
complete, but that many of the major buildings were still missing.

“This is a very, very special project of
mine,” she explained. “This is going to be the Sanctum’s fourth capital city.
There hasn’t been a new city in centuries! I spent ages looking for inspiration
on the architecture alone. It’s almost done, but it can still be changed! Also,
I don’t know where to put it. Or what to call it. I told Kai I was going to
chuck it into a lake, but then I remembered we already have a water capital.
Needless to say, I am completely lost.”

Alastor looked thoughtfully down at the model.
“Beautiful designs. Did you get some inspiration from Indian architecture?”
Hayel nodded eagerly. “It’s very well done. But when I see this, I think of all
sorts of bright colors and tiles and statues, rugs and tapestries and mosaics.
Something like that should be out in the open for all to see, not hidden under
a lake.”

The others nodded eagerly in agreement. Hayel
nodded thoughtfully and pulled out a large map of the Sanctum.

“You know, we could put it right on the shore.
It’s the world’s most beautiful lake, and I can make it look even better. Then
you have the mountains of the Great Divide in the background, it’s close to two
major cities and the weather is beautiful. I’ll throw in a light breeze, and
oh, it’d be perfect!”

“That sounds great!” Lindsay replied. “But…
what do we call it?”

“Excellent question. I was thinking about
naming it after you four, but I don’t know how to make portmanteaus.”

“What about… what about Sun Capital?” Kai
suggested after a moment.

“I don’t know, you tell me! You guys are in
charge here,” Hayel said gleefully.

“It seems appropriate,” Kwin commented, and
the others nodded.

“In that case it’s down to the details! Let’s
get cracking and finish this city. It’s going to be absolutely beautiful,”
Hayel said.

For the next hour, the five friends worked
together on the model city. Between them, entire blocks were moved and changed,
and the once-circular city took on a shape more suited to stretch along the
beach of the magnificent lake. Alastor tried multiple times to request a large
statue of himself in the city’s central hub, but was exasperatedly shot down
every time by the others.

The streets were soon filled with carts for
various vendors of unique goods, and cloths of all colors hanging from the
buildings overhead provided shade. The ground of the magnificent city square
was covered completely with small, colorful tiles that, when viewed from above,
formed a picture of a blazing sun.

At Kwin’s request, an enormous library was
built near the city’s main entrance, making it almost impossible to miss. When
it was complete, Hayel clapped her hands, creating a small addition to the library.
Over the front doors now hung a symbol of a bat’s wing crossed with a scythe.

“This library is yours! I even made you a
logo. How cool is that?” Hayel asked happily. Kwin only nodded, but as the
others turned their focus back to the city, she turned away momentary to wipe
her eyes on her sleeve.

But Hayel had not forgotten the others. She
showed off a large museum dedicated to Alastor, embellished with a symbol of
two blades and a flame, then a large, decorative fountain for Lindsay,
decorated with a white wing and lightning bolt. She then pointed proudly to the
city’s tallest tower, which bore the mark of a glowing sword standing
vertically in front of a sun.

As they put the finishing touches on the city,
Hayel added one final piece. A massive arch replaced the city entrance’s wooden
doors, and upon the arch was a metal placard that read:

This
city was built in honor of Kai, Lindsay, Kwin, Alastor and Ella, those
responsible for the survival of our beloved Dream Sanctum. May the memory of
their deeds survive the world itself.

Kai felt overwhelmed. It was hard to believe.
When he entered the Sanctum months ago, he never thought for an instant that he
would meet the Creators of the world, much less work alongside them. And yet,
here he was, surrounded by his friends and staring at a beautiful city he had
helped create. For as long as he’d been in the Sanctum he had been proud to say
he had made it there, but never before had he felt as though the world were
distinctly his own. As much of an impact as he may have had before this,
nothing could possibly surpass what he had just accomplished.

Yet, as he stared at the city and the placard
bearing his name, he felt his heart grow heavy. It was written as though they
were already gone, an inevitability he would soon have to face. It was
indisputable proof that their time had come to an end.

Kai looked around and saw that the others were
thinking the same thing. The smiles had faded from their faces, and though they
were proud of what they had just accomplished, they were clearly saddened.

Hayel seemed to understand as well. She walked
over to them and pulled all four of them into a big hug.

“Please don’t be sad. You guys have
accomplished so many good things. And this is not the end! You will always have
your dreams, and each other. Be well, my friends.”

With that, Hayel sprinted off to move the
completed city into the real world. As she did so, Semyaza walked over to them.

“All right guys, it’s time to head back,” she
announced gently. “We need to get you back to the Sanctum as soon as possible
so you can enjoy your last day.”

“Don’t tell me we have to take that slow boat
again,” Lindsay groaned, but Semyaza shook her head.

“Have you ever ridden a dragon?”

T
he Sun Capital glittered
brightly in the early afternoon sun, looking so much more beautiful in person
than Kai could have ever guessed from the model he had worked on just hours
before. Intricate, sparkling creations of light and fire soared above them, taking
on the shapes of animals and ships, compliments of the more talented dreamers
who wanted to put on a show. A light breeze wafted through the city, carrying
with it the scents of fresh food and the sounds of cheerful music.

There were more people in the world than Kai
had ever seen, even during their final stand against the Nightmares months
before, but now it was calm and peaceful. It was though everyone was looking at
the world in a new light, suddenly appreciative of something that they had
always taken for granted, and happy to have survived what had nearly been the
end of everything they knew. They were now all together as one community,
united as never before, celebrating and toasting the existence of their
beloved, eternal world.

Kai had to admit it was a work of art. The
beautiful tapestries glittered with golden threads and moved slowly in the
gentle breeze that carried with it the fresh air from the nearby lake. From the
main gates and many of the buildings’ balconies, the majestic snow-capped mountains
of The Great Divide. It was beautiful in every describable way, and Kai
couldn’t help but feel proud of himself for having contributed to it. When he
first arrived, he remembered looking upon the might and grandeur of Golden
Capital, thinking that there was no way an ordinary human being could create
something so wonderful. How times had changed.

He felt the urge to explore every inch of the
city as he would have done with any other on any other day, but he resisted.
Even though they were still in the Sanctum for the time being, something had
changed. Seeing the world was no longer the most important thing on his mind.

Instead, he and his friends stood together in
silence, trying to take in as much of the world as they could. They had stood
here countless times before, both in victory and defeat, and yet all those
times before seemed so long ago and so unimportant. What mattered was now, that
they had won, and that they made the most of the time they had left.

“You know, I don’t want to toot my own horn or
anything, but I have to say that saving the world repeatedly in the span of a
single year kind of gets to your head,” Alastor said cheerfully.

“It would probably mean much more if it
weren’t your fault the world was constantly in danger in the first place,” Kwin
replied seriously. At Alastor’s mock offended look she continued, “Who else
would it be? Before you started coming in here with me the world was incredibly
peaceful. I had plenty of time to read and do whatever I pleased, then suddenly
literally everyone needed saving every few weeks.”

“Actually I think it was more around the time
that Lindsay came in that we started having trouble,” Alastor mused, looking
over at the girl.

“I think you’re right,” Kwin agreed.
“Lindsay’s fault it is.”

As Lindsay spluttered in protest, Kwin came
over to Kai and took his arm.

“Come with me for a moment. I’d like to speak
with you in private.”

Kai followed wordlessly, wondering what she
could possibly have to say that she couldn’t say in front of the others. Despite
her emotionless expression and playful tone, Kai felt that she was hiding
something.
Then again, considering our
current predicament, that isn’t much of a stretch.

They walked for a few minutes until they
reached another part of the square with fewer people around. They were still in
plain sight of everyone, and Kai realized that she wasn’t planning on telling
him some major secret that needed to be said in private. Their walk and leaving
the others was simply to give her time to prepare for what she wanted to say
next.

Still, it was quiet for a few moments before
Kwin spoke, and when she did, she continued to avoid eye contact.

“I felt I should say this to you personally
because you deserve to hear it away from the child that is my former tutor,”
Kwin said with a small smile. “I’ve been hoping that I wouldn’t have to say
something like this for a long while yet, but things don’t always go the way we
hope.”

Kai said nothing. It was usually extremely
difficult for Kwin to admit to anything personal and serious, and he had a
feeling this was where it was going. In this case it was simply best to let her
finish.

“I’ve been in this world for six years now.
That’s more than half my entire life, and considering how much time I’ve spent
here, I mean that almost literally. This place is such a huge part of me, and
saying goodbye is not going to be easy. I feel… empty. I feel like I’m at the
deathbed of someone I care deeply for, someone I must say goodbye to because
all the powers in the world cannot reverse what is about to happen. I’ve often
thought that loss is the hardest thing to deal with, but I believe that seeing
it coming and not being able to stop it is far worse.”

She sighed and looked around, still
determinedly avoiding looking at Kai. In her eyes he could see adoration and
infinite love for this city, this world, and the way she looked with longing at
the dream she could no longer have.

“It hasn’t been without its benefits, however,
and this is where you come in,” she continued. “You have become a friend to me
like few others have. I’ve met an immense number of pleasant people, but I
never expected I would meet one of my best friends here. Through you I also met
others, and soon enough I had a whole group of people around me that I loved. I
began to realize that the reason I was coming here was no longer for the world,
but for
you
.

“When that hit me, it changed everything. I
still loved the world, but I realized that I could have been anywhere and I
still would have been happy if you were there. This was an incredible step for
me, as you know, since I was previously willing to die to get away from the
people who loved me. I can’t fathom having gone through with that, and you must
know that all of this is because of you. I know you doubt yourself – I am no stranger
to that feeling – but it is crucial you realize that no matter what else you do
or have done, you saved my life and made it worth living again.”

Her words struck him in a way he was not
prepared for. He had always felt a certain fondness and loyalty for Kwin,
especially after trying so hard to keep her alive, but while she had expressed
her gratitude before, she hadn’t let on quite how much it meant to her. He
looked at her and could see that, while there was hardly any visible
difference, she had changed. In the past she had intimidated him, and he
remembered admiring her far superior intellect and power. But now, while she
was still the world-famous prodigy he had come to know purely by chance, all he
could see was one of his best friends in the world.

“Well, it’s a good thing you came and found me
when I first got here,” he said finally, unable to hide his smile.

“Definitely. It’s especially lucky considering
I almost chose not to,” she said airily.

“Wait, what?”

For the first time Kwin looked at him, and she
grinned.

“It’s true. By the time you came along I was
starting to get tired of welcoming new people to the world. Most never came
back. Some did but were too crazy for me, and other people thought
I
was the crazy one. I had yet to remain
friends or even acquaintances with a single one of the people I met, and that
was my whole purpose for going to meet them in the first place.”

“So what changed your mind?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure. A gut feeling,
perhaps. For some reason I felt that it was very important that I go meet
whoever was coming then. Not the person before you, not the person after, but
you. When you walked out with me, I had a feeling you were different, but I
wasn’t sure to what extent. I can’t tell you how overjoyed I was when I saw you
had returned. That alone was enough to make me happy, and when I saw how
interested in the world you were I decided to stick around. Most people want to
become powerful and amazing, but you wanted to
learn
. That was the first thing I shared with anybody for years.”

“It seems like all that learning eventually
became our undoing,” Kai said. “I never thought I’d be locked out of the world
I tried so hard to get into, much less this soon.”

“It was a worthy sacrifice. We say goodbye to this
world, but in exchange we ensure its continued existence for the millions of
others who have come to fall in love with it as much as we have.”

“Maybe. But sometimes it seems like we’re the
only ones who can do anything. What will happen here after we all leave? How do
you think everyone else will manage?”

He was interrupted as a small figure bumped
into him, nearly knocking him over. A young girl who was evidently in a hurry
picked herself up from the ground and looked at him sheepishly. Beside her stood
a slightly older boy, and he reached down to help her up.

“Sorry!” the girl said hurriedly, then grabbed
the boy’s hand and pulled him away, talking to him as she did so. “And over
here is the city square, and up there is where you can take the airship between
different cities. It’s all very exciting, you know, this city has only been
around for hours…”

As the young girl walked away, taking the
obviously new dreamer with her, Kai suddenly realized that this scene seemed
rather familiar. He remembered meeting a young girl months ago as she applauded
his graceful entrance, then eagerly offered to show him the world she loved so
much. As he looked over at Kwin, he could tell she was thinking the same thing.

“Somehow I think they’ll be just fine,” she
said with a smile.

Suddenly Kai heard a scream from behind him,
and he turned around just in time to feel someone collide with him and pull him
into a very powerful hug.

“Kai! You guys! You made it!” Resona exclaimed
joyfully.

“Resona! Am I ever glad to see you,” Kai
laughed.

“I heard what happened. Alastor sent me a
message and told me everything. I wanted to catch you before you guys… you
know.”

Kwin nodded.

“It’s good to see you, especially given the
circumstances. I was hoping we would find you in time so that we could all go
exploring and have some fun.”

“That sounds great! But… I’m really going to
miss you guys. I was really having fun hanging out with you.”

“That doesn’t have to stop, you know,” Kai
said. When Resona looked at him in surprise, he continued, “You’re local,
aren’t you? You must be if you know Kwin. So come hang out with us in the real
world. Echo is more than welcome, too. Trust me, we hang out all the time, and
the more the merrier.”

Resona looked absolutely ecstatic.

“I will totally take you up on that.”

“I believe my father knows how to contact you,
so I’ll be in touch,” Kwin stated. “In the meantime, let’s get back with the
others and have some fun. We’re going to make sure that our last day is
something we will never forget.”

Kai, Kwin and Resona met up with the others to
make their plans. As Alastor pointed out, their full day would end up being
less than that given that they all eventually needed to wake up, so they
planned for the evening to be as exhilarating as possible. For a moment, Kai
almost forgot what was going to happen, but the more he thought about it, he
didn’t mind. He would wake up in a few hours’ time and be surrounded by his
friends, then go home to a loving family – a family he now had more in common
with than ever.

As
for the Sanctum? I’ll always have dreams.

“All right, ladies and gents, we’re outta
here,” Alastor announced. “First stop, Sky Capital. Just step carefully so you
don’t cause the whole thing to collapse again.”

“I’ll carry you,” Kwin offered to Resona, but
the girl shook her head.

“I can fly now,” she proclaimed proudly. “You
guys inspired me to teach myself. That and the last time you took me was
absolutely terrifying. Worst experience of my life.”

“That’s great! Race you there?” Kai teased.

“You’re on.”

“Let hit the skies. The winds are fair, the
sun is out, and we’ve got a lot to cover,” Alastor said, and with a cheer and
one simultaneous motion, the five friends leapt from the ground and soared out
of sight.

Hours later, just before they were due to wake
up, they returned one last time to Golden Capital. During their adventures they
had received a message from none other than Semyaza, who had instructed them to
return as soon as they were able, and that it was important they enter through
the gates instead of simply flying in.

The angel stood outside the city, waving to
them as they landed nearby.

“What’s going on?” Kai asked.

“There’s just one little thing I wanted to do
before I saw you all off for good – apart from say goodbye in person, that is,”
she explained.