Dream Magic: Awakenings (5 page)

Lucy stood up. She walked casually along the protective luminance of the circle, intending to enter from the point farthest to the goblin. She took a deep breath.

"Good luck!" Rose yelled.

Lucy stepped inside, paused, and took a few more steps towards the goblin. They watched each other silently for several seconds. The goblin tried to pull the same trick as before: it turned around, waited a moment or two, and then gave a loud roar. Unfazed, Lucy didn't budge. She held out her hand, above which a perfect little magic sphere appeared.

"Come closer and I will make you eat this," Lucy said coldly.

The goblin seemed to comprehend the intention and neither of them made a further move.

"That will be enough," Mr. Smith's voice broke the stand-off.

Lucy backpedaled slowly until she was out of the circle, and then let the sphere disperse.

"Next! You."

It was Eric's turn. Rose tapped on his shoulder for encouragement, and he stood up. He exchanged nods with Lucy on his way to the far side of the circle. Once there, Eric jogged his shoulders and turned his neck around a few times to loosen the muscles.
Am I supposed to fight? Not likely. If it jumps me, I'll shove to the side and get out.
Deciding on this exit strategy freed up his mind to focus on the here and now.

"I'm ready!" Eric announced out loud, partly to motivate himself and give voice to his decision. There were no objections, and upon Mr. Smith's slight nod of consent, he entered the circle.

The goblin made no hostile movements. Cautiously, Eric walked as close to it as Lucy did before.

He could smell the creature.
Obnoxious, but bearable.
Eric glanced at the claw-like hands, the teeth that had some food stuck in them, and finally the eyes. The goblin was already staring at him, and once he met the creature's gaze, he couldn't look away. One moment passed, then another.
A staring contest,
Eric realized.

Time went by, and he grew more aware of the subtle stirrings within the goblin's still gaze. Eric's breathing steadied.
Will it make a move?

There was a meager bone in goblin's hand, and the memory of a previous nightmare flashed in Eric's mind. A feeling of being chased by angry teeth and hardened clubs seeped in.
That was then - this is now.
Eric's gaze wavered for no longer than an instant.

The goblin stepped forward and let out a battle cry. Instinctively, Eric responded with a tense, loud shout of his own.

The shout-out lasted several seconds, but neither of them made any other move. Out of breath, the goblin huffed, stepped back, and calmly bit down a piece of meat from the bone in his hand.
It's over.
Eric retreated, and once out of the circle, he let out a sigh.

"Anyone else? Who's next?"

Eric walked back to his friends. Rose stood up, and waited for Eric to be seated.

"Go get him," Eric said.

"I sure will," Rose smiled, and her eyes twinkled with a dash of madness. "He's a sweetie."

Rose continued talking as she casually entered the circle. "Oh my, you're a cute goblin, aren't you? Who's a cute goblin? Yes, you are." She placed her hands on her knees and lowered herself a bit so the two of them were at the same eye-level.

"I met some of your cousins; they act all tough and mighty, but they're just big moochies really." She was treading closer in half-steps. "I bet you have a big heart beating in there too, I just know it!"

Rose kept talking, on and on without pause. The goblin was watching her quietly, tilting its head once in a while.

"...wanna be friends? I can be a good friend, why, you just ask anyone..."

When does she come up for air
, Eric wondered.
She's relentless.

"...come on, let me see your smile! Just a little, teeny-weeny smile..."

Finally, the goblin had enough. It reached into the basket, pulled out an apple, and tossed it towards Rose. The goblin looked her in the eye, and made a shoo-away gesture.

"...an apple? For me? I was just getting hungry. Thank you! You're so kind!" Rose waved back to the goblin and stepped out of the circle. She was grinning senselessly.

"What's your name?" Mr. Smith asked her.

"Rose."

Mr. Smith nodded. "An interesting approach, Rose. Well done."

"Thank you."

"'Interesting' is one way to put it... 'insane' is more like it," Lucy whispered. She stared incredulously at Rose as she came closer, and continued out loud, "I can't believe you managed to sweet-talk that ugly thing into giving you an apple."

"At least I didn't threaten to blast him away, ha!" Rose retorted. "Plus, I have an apple and you don't!" Rose briefly stuck out her tongue and maintained a mock-serious expression, but couldn't keep the grin off her face for long.

Lucy tightened her lips and gave Rose her best impression of an evil stare.

"You're both crazy," Eric said. "Much crazier than any goblin."

The next thing Eric noticed was an apple bumping his head and rolling down his lap. "Auch!"

Heat and light? Burning passion and consuming intelligence? The fire element is violent change and the fuel of willpower. Thirst after self-discipline for restraint, and aspire to wisdom for direction!

- Fire, Dreamer's Handbook

"Come on!" Lyle's words were a break in an otherwise continuous stream of inarticulate yelling. "We're almost there!"

The brothers were riding Duke and being their usual loud selves a short distance ahead of Eric and Rose. They were adamant about showing off their new discovery: a nearby place with huge flames that don't burn. Despite the brothers insisting on haste, Rose and Eric were walking at a leisurely pace.

"Where is Lucy? Is she coming?" Eric asked.

"I don't know. She mentioned an upcoming exam... perhaps she's staying up late to study," Rose said.

"Studying at night? She should be sleeping."

"Maybe she's studying in a dream."

Eric shuddered at the thought. "That sucks..." Spending half a day in school, the other half studying and doing homework, and then dreaming about the very same thing at night was not Eric's favorite thing. "That's one of the worst nightmares."

Rose thought for a moment. "I don't think so. If you dream about the things you learned and not about studying itself, it can be interesting. And sometimes things make more sense in dreams, don't they?"

Eric shrugged, and kicked at a grassy lump of earth.

"Maybe she's having a nightmare about failing the exam," Rose said.

"Lucy, failing an exam? Not even in a dream," Eric waved dismissively. "But... having a nightmare about being only second best? Quite possible."

Rose snickered.

"Hold it!" The shout came from ahead and Duke obliged. Kyle and Lyle dismounted and ran back to Eric and Rose.

"Hi! Hello!" Lyle waved his hand in front of Eric's eyes, as if to see if he's paying attention. "We're here!"

"Yes, I can see you," Eric said.

"Ehehehe," Kyle simpered boastfully and pointed somewhere to Eric's left, "There!"

Eric turned around slowly, and as he did, a sensation of heat struck him.
What...

The heat came from a huge pillar of flames! The flames sprung up from a circle with inlaid pebbles, but there wasn't any wood or coal fueling the fire.

Eric's jaw dropped and remained so until he processed what he saw. "I don't get it. We just came from that direction, how could we not see it?" He directed the question to Rose, but she answered only with a look of disbelief.

Kyle stroked his imaginary beard. "Sometimes you can get someplace only if you know where you're going... or if you're awesome explorers like us!"

"Exploration, ho!" Lyle added with a raised fist, and ran towards the fire. Kyle turned around and joined him.

Eric wasn't so eager to go anywhere. The flames were imposing, majestic even - he couldn't help but stare. There was something about the dance of bright, shifting hues that was drawing him in...

Eric's mild trance was broken when Kyle and Lyle reached the fire, and charged straight into its center with a battle cry.

Are they okay?
Eric wasn't sure he could distinguish their battle cry from cries of being burned to death, but the brothers were alive and well, improvising dance-moves amidst the flames.

There were several wooden benches nearby, spread around and facing the circle of fire. Eric noticed a young man waving to them invitingly from one of the benches. Rose nudged Eric and beckoned in the same direction. Eric mumbled in agreement and they walked over to him.

"I hope you're not planning to rush in like those two." The young man stood up to greet them with a handshake. "Hi. Ohlson."

Ohlson was wearing dark green jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair was cut short, but just long enough to be uncombed. Both of them shook his hand.

"Hello. I'm Rose, and this is Eric. We weren't really tempted to. What's all this anyway?"

"That fiery pillar? It's a high-end training supplement; used mostly for fire attunement and occasionally for cleansing rituals," Ohlson said. "Good for meditation, too."

"What's a fire attunement?" Eric asked.

"You don't know?" Ohlson scratched his head. "Well... if you try to use fire-based magic without some kind of attunement, the result can be unreliable and volatile. These flames were made for easy and straightforward attunement. It's just a little help so you notice the fire within, and accustom your mind to the conscious use of the fire element."

"Is that what you're here for?" Rose asked.

"Me? Oh, no. I'm planning to hold my first class soon, and I came here to think and prepare. Watching the flames is relaxing and makes thinking easier. To be honest, I'm not sure what I should teach!" Ohlson laughed nervously. "I have several ideas floating in my mind, but I haven't decided yet... When I figure it out, will you attend my class?"

Rose and Eric hesitated, and Ohlson continued. "I promise to do my best! If I see some friendly faces maybe I won't get crushed by performance anxiety..."

Eric exchanged looks with Rose.

"All right, we'll come to your class, just stop with the puppy eyes," Rose said.

Ohlson clasped his hands and his smile grew wide. "Great! My first students. Thank you! You won't regret it!"

Eric nodded, and his attention wandered back to the flames. "Does that fire really not burn?"

"If you want, you can give it a try. Walk around the outer circles of the fire, and when you feel like you can't take it anymore, just back down. With practice you'll be able to go all the way. This fire burns your mind but not your body."

They nodded. Eric was getting excited to see for himself.

"Decide who goes first, and I'll herd the break-dancers out of the fire." Ohlson stood up and walked towards the flames.

Eric bowed slightly, "Ladies first!"

"Hahaha, I don't think so. You're the brave one, go ahead," Rose waved him off.

"That was my plan all along!" Eric strolled after Ohlson.

* * *

Eric stared at the string of white pebbles in front of his feet. The small stones marked the boundary of the pillar of flames, and Eric was reluctant to lift his gaze. The heat from the fire came at him in waves; each demanding his attention and acknowledgement. He knew if he would look up, he might change his mind about doing the fire attunement ritual.
One step at a time.

The thought of taking the first step itself wasn't so frightening; the short, yellow flames along the outer perimeter were almost imperceptible. In addition to that, Kyle and Lyle's fearless charge into the center of the pillar proved to him it could be done.
If they can do it - I can do it!
Eric didn't think of himself as a quitter, and knew if he took the first step, he would take all the other steps as well until he reached his goal. In his mind, with the first step he would commit to a decision.

Eric inhaled deeply.
Let's do it!
He felt the hot air fill his lungs, and as the air left his body on the exhale, he stepped inside the circle. The stones and pebbles beneath his bare feet were warm, but not searing. The yellow flames danced over his skin, causing no pain or harm. The heat got upped by a notch and he found breathing a tad more difficult.

"Good! Don't stop - always keep moving! The yellow pebbles will lead you around in concentric circles, while the red ones spiral into the center. Walk around, take your time, and when you feel ready, move closer and start circling again. Just keep walking and keep breathing!"

The yellow line was there and Eric began following it. 
One foot after the other - not so difficult.
Just to be careful and make no mistakes, he walked a full circle following the outermost yellow line. He grew accustomed to seeing the dancing flames and feeling the heat, and a pang of boredom tempted him to head straight for the center. Ohlson expressly advised against that route; remarking that it is only for masters and hotheads.

Eric sought out the red line and decided it's time to ramp up the difficulty. Heading closer to the center of fire made it more difficult to breathe and move, but it was well within his level of tolerance.

Step after step after step.

Maybe he got carried away or just plain forgot, but he kept following the red line instead of transitioning to the next yellow line, or the one after that. It wasn't a conscious decision. His eyes might have been looking, but his attention was turned inwards.

Slowly, the heat around him ceased to be a sensation reported by the nerve endings on his skin, and instead became a presence - a reality which weighed down on him and burned his lungs from within. Soon enough, Eric found out that the secret is not in taking a step closer, but in being able to walk and remain conscious in that particular domain of fire.

Each step taken became an accomplishment in itself. The heat was no longer outside of him - it was within him. The flames didn't burn his flesh, and the body felt no burning pain. However, the flames burned his mind, his sense of self, and became a wall to be breached. Just breathing in and out required more and more effort. Eric was no longer walking a spiral or a circle; he was climbing a steep, fiery mountain with will alone!