Chapter 3
What began as a quest for improvement ended up changing my ... Dreams.
The Crystal Resonates with Blissful Instability
Stepping into Chaos, my body exhausted and my mind stretched to its limits, I felt assured of Dreamless sleep. Closing the portal to my Dreams, my meager pallet called to me. The Dream is strong though and the Crystal is with me always. I should leave it in my pack, but I was entrusted with the Crystal. I braided together three strands: Gold, an Azure, and Silver. Fashioned around the Crystal, it rests safely close to my heart.
Again? Once again, here I was, standing in the Courtyard, pulled from Dreamless sleep into this place. Before me stands the 8 portals, 8 different paths from which to choose. Then why was it not a difficult decision? The Crystal hummed softly.
23:59:12: Enter the City of Dreams in the chambers of the Keepers of the Eternal Shadow.
23:59:52: You have entered Threshold, Gateway to the Dream City.
23:59:59: You have entered Sanctuary. Fighting is not possible here.
I looked around and saw Zevilone immediately. Oh good, I thought, at least I won't walk the Dream alone tonight. The "0" hour is always an eerie one and the thought of a GateKeeper, this particular GateKeeper, was comforting.
00:00:11: You Say: hi ya, zev.
00:00:16: You Say: wanna take a walk?
00:00:27: Zevilone whispers: any reason your skin's darker?
00:00:27: Zevilone: sure, where to?
Where to? I held the Crystal tightly in my hand, joined Zevilone's party and began to walk. The Threshold Pits found me, or was it the other way around? Who knows ... I continued on. Past the NightMares as if they weren't there. I reached the Armory and Blasted an Emphant. He seemed to scream with unyielding pain, as my powers were unleashed upon him.
00:02:44: Zevilone: You OK, Lacie?
00:02:53: You Say: Yeah......
00:03:06: Zevilone: You needing to hunt, hon?
00:03:14: You Say: No.....something else here.
00:03:49: Zevilone: Like what?
00:03:59: You Say: The power in this room....can you feel it?
00:04:32: >Zevilone wonders if lace is feeling ok.
00:04:42: >purple lace walks to him slowly and stares at him blankly.
00:04:49: >Zevilone has sensed strange things in this room ever since he has been Dreaming, just never could really place it.
"Remember when you were young?
You shone like the sun.
Shine on, you Crazy Diamond."
I could only stand there, listening. I could still hear Nickita, but now there was another. Shaking the scattered thoughts from my brain, I tried to regain my focus. The Crystal had called me to the Dream and I wasn't going to get any Dreamless sleep until I found out what it wanted to show me. Zevilone was talking to me about the Threshold Caves, but I could barely hear him. He speaks so softly, and the vibrations resonating from the Crystal were nearly deafening. After dismissing a thought (Zevilone COULD Deafen me), I heard him mention the Caves again.
00:23:41: Zevilone: So hon, wanna see what your Crystal reacts to in the Caves?
"Sure," I said, "I haven't spent much time there." There were a couple of Newcomers there, and Zevilone and I had a bit of fun with them showing off our "Arts". Then, as if all at once, I was inside the Caves. The majesty of Ceremonial Hall completely missed my eyes, the Merge to the center happened without any thought. I went through the portal into the Hall.
Taking in the breath-taking beauty of this hallway most run through so quickly on their way to some "adventure", I paused. I stared at the opposite and noticed the instability immediately. It took some doing, but soon I had shown Zevilone and another Dreamer the blissful instability of the portal. The other Dreamer (his name escapes me, something like Kong) noticed that the portal I was in front was had the same signs of instability. After a few moments, the newer Dreamer became uninterested and departed.
I turned around quickly and glided effortlessly into the milky waters below. Zevilone promised to return in a few moments, so I sat down in the waters, laid my head against the wall, and listened to the sounds emanating from the Crystal......
The room I see is dark, round in shape. The woman was there; her cloak must have covered her gown, because her shadow was black. She turned around slowly and I saw the Crystal, hanging around her neck.
01:23:50: Zevilone: Have you seen her before ever?
01:24:06: >purple lace looks at her own hand, ponders a moment where she put the gem.
It glistens and shines around her neck.
01:24:39: >Zevilone looks to Lacie's pack.
01:24:40: >purple lace opens her other hand.
The candlelight was bright in the room and her face was partially lit. Of middle years, her eyes glistened with a Jade hue, with a twinkling of Cyan. Her gown hung loosely off her shoulders draping across her like a breeze. Her head still covered by the hood of the cloak, but there were wisps of golden hair trying to free themselves from their bonds. My attention disrupted by a faint growl in the opposite end of the room. Knowing Chamele was now useless in this situation, I sought a corner and crouched down into a ball. Funny, I thought, I can defend myself against all I know, but here I am ... in a little ball ... in the corner. I felt movement in the room and looked up. The dazzle of her hair glowing in the candlelight seemed to make the darkness of the dismal room vanish.
01:31:28: >purple lace staggers a bit as her eyes roll in their sockets
My first thought was of my blade. My mouth opened and the words almost came out . . .
01:32:35: >purple lace whispers.......Blast Blade
I covered my mouth quickly and only a gasp escaped my lips. I studied the woman, holding my breath and remaining perfectly motionless. She seemed not to hear me. She was walking to the far end of the room.
01:34:16: You Say: The sound......
01:34:25: >Zevilone listens intently
He came forward and met her in the shadows. I fumbled for my Shield, remembering the fury of her Blast. The pure Abyss Shield, I wondered?
01:35:14: You Say: No... Save that one. Yes, the Beige Earth....she cant break that one too.
The two figures became as one, in a passionate embrace. The Azure field was gone. I stifled a gasp. They spoke in whispers and laughed out loud, then looked in my direction.
01:36:47: You Say: Oh great ! They see me !!!
Feeling a bit hopeless, I Chamelled at once. The couple went to a table in the middle of the room. She poured some liquid into two glasses and offered him one. They drank it quickly and threw the glasses right at me. Both shattered over my head, showering me with shards of glass.
01:38:59: >Zevilone frowns a bit
I bit my lip hard as the slivers seem to slice my skin as if RazorWinded. Ohhhh yesssss.....they knew EXACTLY where I was!!! She then offered the DarkMare a chair.....soft and comfortable, much too elegant for such a hideous beast. He dropped into the chair casually and draped a leg over one arm's rest. Smiling and looking up at her, he wondered what new power she was to show him this time. Her eyes darkened and her hands raised in the familiar Art evoking position. Licking her lips and staring intensely into his eyes.....the nexus formed..... The room exploded in a roar as the walls shook to the bone, the blinding light was nearly white.
01:55:05: >purple lace holds the Crystal against her heart.
The DarkMare laughed merrily......smoke filled the room and the woman lay haphazardly. Curses and profanities bellowed from his craw. Instantly his nexus appeared, and then he was gone. Flames shot from nowhere, objects flung to the ground and that sickly sweet smell filled the room again. The woman stirred but did not rise. He threw his Flame at her left and right; she didn't flinch. Instead of rising to an upright stance, her prone body seemed to hover above the ground. Only a few inches at first, but soon her gown began to hang below her gracefully. The woman's head rose slowly, her hair scattered about across her face. She smiled and whispered softly to the non-visible DarkMare...
Neki Iomac...
As she rose slightly higher, I could see her necklace. The Crystal was barely seen through the disheveled strands of golden hair. As she uttered, the Crystal began to glow intensely.
02:11:03: >Zevilone looks at the Crystal in Lacie's hand.
First of the brightest red, deepening with Azure, finally, deepening, a dark lavender, then an intense violet......the glow was warm and twinkled through her hair, as if dancing.
02:13:23: >purple lace slumps against the wall, gasping for breath, her forehead beaded with moisture.
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