The Dream Sanctum: The Eternal World (5 page)

Lindsay snorted and Kwin winked.

“I jest, but only so much. She tried to scare
me away from the library last night. Luckily something else distracted her, but
this newcomer clearly believes herself some arbiter elegantiarum, and I’m
already starting to have serious issues with her. She is nothing more than a
walking, fluorescent inconvenience.”

“Right, priority one is vanishing trees,
priority two is homicide. I think there’s room on our schedule for that,”
Alastor said, miming writing something down on paper. “Where do you suppose we
start our search, Kwinny? Did you manage to find out if the problem has a point
of origin, or if it’s happening anywhere at a greater frequency?”

Kwin shot him an icy glare, but said nothing
about the nickname she hated so much. “From what I was able to tell, most
people witnessed the flickers in the areas between Anathor and Eres Village.
There were people from Kenna Village, Highwinds Refuge, Traveler’s Springs and
even Agura Shore Town talking about them. It sounds like we should start our
investigations in the west, and I think we should start at Anathor.”

“Everything does start in Anathor,” Alastor
mused. “If that place disappears, who knows where new dreamers will end up?
Speaking of which, Kwin, when is the last time you fixed the wall?”

Kwin rolled her eyes exasperatedly. Ella
looked completely confused, but before she could ask, Kwin spoke again.

“We will get there fastest if we fly. The
airship flies too slowly and doesn’t go all the way. I’d like to start getting
to the bottom of this as soon as possible. I’ll see you all there.”

Kwin stepped back, and with a snap of her
fingers, her bat-like wings appeared. She took to the sky and quickly vanished
from sight.

“If I know her at all, she’ll get impatient
quick if we aren’t there soon, so let’s not keep her waiting,” Alastor said.

“Wait!” Ella interjected. “What did you mean
when you asked her if she fixed the wall? Did she break something?”

“Oh, no. See, when people first… Kwin is
actually… it’s a long story, I’ll fill you in on the way,” Alastor explained.
Ella looked momentarily appeased, and so they started on their way. They were
significantly slower than Kwin, mostly because they stayed back to keep pace
with Ella as she learned to fly, but they still made good time.

As they approached Anathor, Kai looked for any
signs of trouble in the small town, but everything looked to be in one piece.

“Looks like everything is in order,” Alastor
called, apparently thinking along similar lines. “Now let’s get down there and…
oh dear.”

Kai followed his gaze and felt a jolt in his
stomach as he saw Kwin talking to a small group of people – and Semyaza was
approaching her from behind.

Kai and Alastor sped up, intent on getting to
Kwin before Semyaza did. They landed quickly and ran up to Kwin, who looked
amused at their speedy arrival.

“I did say to be quick, but you don’t have
to–”

“Trouble from behind,” Alastor said quickly.
Kwin turned around and her expression immediately darkened as she saw the woman
approaching. The people Kwin had just been talking to looked awed by her
presence, but she swept by them as though they didn’t exist.

“What did I tell you about meddling?” Semyaza
hissed. “First you’re snooping in the library and now you’re interrogating the
populace. Are you
trying
to cause
trouble?”

Kwin stepped closer, and though she spoke
quietly, her tone was unmistakably dangerous.

“Let us get something straight so that there
is no further miscommunication. You do not own the Sanctum, you do not give me
orders, and you certainly do not disrespect me. We have only just become
acquainted so I am willing to overlook your lapses in judgment to a point. But
my patience is not limitless, angel, and there will be consequences if you test
it.”

Semyaza looked shocked, and she opened her
mouth to speak again, but Kwin raised her hand to cut her off.

“Think about what I’ve said before you speak
to me again,” she finished sweetly.

Kwin turned to walk away before Semyaza could
respond, and she looked quite pleased with herself.

Ella and Lindsay had finally landed, and they
jogged over to Kwin, looking concerned.

“Are you okay? I saw you talking to that nasty
woman, and she did not look happy,” Ella asked hurriedly.

“I’m perfectly fine. Occasionally I need to
explain to newcomers how things work around here, that’s all,” Kwin answered.

“Speaking of, why did you call her ‘angel’? I
doubt you were using it as a term of endearment,” Alastor said.

“Later,” Kwin replied flatly. “At any rate,
I’m less pleased with the information I managed to gather while I was here.
That is, I wasn’t able to learn anything at all. Reports are inconsistent at
best and completely contradictory at worst. The whole purpose of gathering
information is to find similarities in data and search for a pattern, but I
have absolutely nothing.”

“Hey, that’s okay. We can keep going,” Ella
said brightly. “We’re bound to figure something out. We can even plan out where
to go so we can avoid… oh, speaking of…”

They all turned to see Semyaza approaching
them. She looked calmer, but Kai’s body tensed as he prepared to try to defend
Kwin if necessary.
Not that she’d need
the help.

“I thought about what you said, and I have a
response,” Semyaza announced, then leaned in close to Kwin and lowered her
voice. “Stop interfering. If you know who I am, you know why I am here, so let
me do my job. This isn’t personal, it’s necessary. You appear to know this, so
stay out of my way and stop causing trouble.”

Kwin’s piercing stare was so intense that Kai
was worried Semyaza’s hair might suddenly catch fire, but Kwin simply nodded
and said nothing.

“Thank you,” Semyaza sighed. “I have enough
trouble on my hands as it is. I suppose you haven’t found the one who looks
like him, have you?” she continued, pointing at Kai.

“We haven’t, unfortunately,” Alastor replied.
“To be honest, I haven’t seen anyone else in here who looks too much like him
at all.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought,” Semyaza muttered
distractedly as she looked intently at Kai, who suddenly felt very
uncomfortable. A moment later Semyaza cleared her throat. “That will be all. I
hope not to have this discussion again. We will fix everything, so do not
worry.”

Semyaza turned and swept away, leaving the
others in an awkward silence. Finally, Alastor spoke.

“My dear, you have some explaining to do.”

“No, Alastor, I don’t,” Kwin snapped. “Don’t
start questioning me, because I am not above avoiding and ignoring you.”

“If you insist,” Alastor surrendered. “In that
case, what are you going to do now?”

“Completely disregard her warning and continue
investigating, of course. There’s something going on here and I can’t trust
someone like her to get anything done correctly. Following me around and
pestering me seems to be her full time job, so I doubt she can accomplish
anything else. Besides, I’m used to protecting this world already, and some
ego-driven woman with ghastly taste is hardly the worst thing I’ve encountered
here.”

The others laughed, and Kai couldn’t help but
think that he thoroughly enjoyed this side of Kwin.

“Where to next?” he asked, and Kwin pointed
south.

“Agura Shore Town. Charming little place, but
I heard complaints that random cobblestones in the roads are vanishing and
apparently causing many people to trip. My utter confusion at how so many
people don’t appear to look at the ground they walk on notwithstanding, I feel
we should explore there next. And… let’s all go together this time.”

With the others in full agreement, they took
to the sky and headed in the direction of the south coast.

D
espite their best efforts,
the group’s search in Agura did nothing to give them any more information. By
the time they were done, only Kwin seemed intent on continuing the search, so
she reluctantly decided to call it a night. They spent the rest of the night in
Sky Capital, preparing themselves for the heights they would be competing at
during the Cloud Skipping event – much to Lindsay’s objection – but Kai noticed
that Kwin’s participation was halfhearted. When she thought no one was looking,
her smile fell from her face and she drifted back into thought.

By morning she seemed slightly cheered,
spurred by discussion about the upcoming debate in Golden Capital. As soon as
Ella brought it up Kwin was quick to latch on, her detailed explanations about
her complex theories interspersed with various insults concerning members of
the institution. The rest were content to simply listen. Only Alastor looked
like he was able to keep up with Kwin’s ideas, Lindsay and Ella were clearly
struggling and Kai had given up long ago. The more she spoke, however, the more
he was sure she was going to win.

Kwin spent her entire day awake in Alastor’s
study, reading over her notes, consulting various large books and scribbling on
papers. Kai knew better than to disturb her, but in this instance he didn’t
want to – she was doing something she loved, and he liked seeing her happy
rather than worried sick over whatever it was she still refused to tell him
about. On more than one occasion he had tried to broach the subject, but while
she still made it absolutely clear that she had no intention of telling him
just yet, she was much kinder to him than she had been to Alastor. If anything,
she seemed to regret that she couldn’t tell him anything.

“I know your reasons for asking, and again, I
apologize,” she had told him the previous night. “I am fully aware this is
frustrating, but please do not take this as a sign that I don’t trust you. This
is an issue of mine, not yours. Don’t worry about me. I remembered what you
said, and if I need you, I will ask.”

Her answer was only slightly comforting. He
was used to seeing Kwin frustrated, irritable and distracted, but not afraid.
Fear was an emotion he very rarely saw in her, and never before in the Sanctum.
In the dream world, she was usually in control. Kai had to assume that the only
thing capable of frightening her was something that was out of her control, and
he didn’t want to think about what that could be.

Nevertheless, the impending debate seemed to
have taken her mind off of whatever it was, and her spirits were high. When the
sun started to set, Kwin came out of the study and down to the kitchen where
everyone was helping themselves to a massive pizza. She hummed to herself as
she pulled out a plate and placed two pieces on it.

“Someone’s in a good mood tonight,” Alastor
noticed. “Even going for twice your usual pizza intake. I take it you’re all
ready?”

“In my excitement over my research I seem to
have forgotten to eat all day,” Kwin said, taking a seat and starting to eat
immediately. “But yes, I am ready. I don’t know if I will get to use even a
fraction of the information I’ve memorized, but I like to be prepared.”

“Indeed. Really, they should be honored that
the mighty Kwin spent twelve full hours preparing solely for their obliteration
when she doesn’t give most people the time of day,” Alastor nodded.

“Most people need to find their own clocks. And
before you say anything, I’m simply expanding on your idiom,” Kwin said
pointedly through a mouthful of crust.

When the night was still young, Kwin headed
off to her room, explaining that she needed to get to the city early to help
set things up. Kai spent the next few hours gaming with the others, deciding to
give up when Lindsay had beaten the three of them in almost every race. He
looked at the clock and realizing that they would be late if they didn’t get to
sleep soon, so he announced that he was going to bed, and the others quickly
followed suit.

The city was incredibly crowded, and from the
moment Kai entered he had to push his way through the crowds to find a decent
seat. As he was joined by Alastor and Ella it became much easier to move – much
of the crowd seemed eager to make way for Kwin’s friends. Kai felt a little
bad, as he usually did when he benefited from the privilege of knowing her, but
he wasn’t going to complain today.

They found a spot on one of the balconies
overlooking the city square, giving them a perfect view of the ground below. A
wide stage had been set up with a long table and a dozen chairs. The stage was
covered in an elegant rug that seemed to fit the exaggerated pomp of the
institution.

Ella stood on tiptoe and waved her arms,
spotting Lindsay not too far away. Lindsay quickly made her way over, standing
against a railing where there was more space.

“Thank goodness. This place is so crowded it’s
making me uneasy,” she gasped. “Look at this place. I didn’t think so many
people would turn out for a debate like this.”

“This is Kwin’s doing,” Alastor explained.
“This crowd would be just as big if everyone was told she would be doing
nothing more than sitting on stage reading a book. There would be gasps,
applause and cheers with every turn of the page. That’s the celebrity effect
for you.”

“Oh, look, here they come!” Ella announced
suddenly.
 
“There’s Kwin at the very
back. Oh that’s cruel.”

“They look so full of themselves,” Lindsay
remarked irritably. “Look at them. You can just tell how much they think of
themselves.” Sure enough, the members of the institution strutted across the
stage dressed in important robes and carrying books. They took their seats,
leaving Kwin a chair at the very end of the table. It was clear that this was
an attempt to show Kwin her place, but Kwin’s placid smile remained.

Alastor laughed.

“Right now they think they’re getting an
endorsement from one of the most influential figures in the world. They think
they’ve got her. Let them believe it for now. It’ll make what happens next so
much sweeter.”

As everyone settled, the crowd became quiet as
the president stood up.

“Thank you for coming! My name is Professor
Lackthorpe, the president of Golden Capital’s finest and oldest research institution,
and I am honored that so many people are interested in our work. As most of you
know, we have kept a consistent record of how the Sanctum works, and most
people see that it is correct, but there are some who aren’t quite content with
the status quo. That is why I am delighted to announce that the infamous Kwin
now joins us here on stage! We do not always see eye to eye, but on this issue
she has discovered the truth, and we are happy to have her.”

The crowd applauded politely, but as Kai
looked around, he noticed that nearly everyone looked incredibly bored already.
The president seemed completely oblivious to this, and walked around the table
to the front of the stage as he continued speaking.

“Kwin discussed multiple theories with us in
the past, which were, if I may be honest, quite unusual. I will say that she
had us thinking! But, as usual, common sense prevailed. You see, as most of you
have already guessed, we believe the Sanctum to be a separate dimension or
universe that all of us enter in our sleep. It answers every question
imaginable! Where did it come from? Why, the same place as everything else in
the universe, of course. How do we come here each night? Our subconscious minds
leave our bodies as we sleep and travel to this world. It all makes sense. But
before I bore you with the details you already know, the important part is that
we are no longer alone. Kwin, please join me.”

Kwin stood up, and immediately all eyes in the
city were upon her with renewed interest. The applause was much louder this
time, and she bowed graciously before striding confidently to the front of the
stage and shaking Lackthorpe’s hand. To most, her expression was one of
courteous, formal interest, but Kai knew better. He recognized her smile as the
one she wore when she had her enemy right where she wanted them. As she took
her place, Lackthorpe sat down to watch, watching her expectantly.

“Thank you for your kind words,” Kwin said
loudly, her voice echoing across the square. “I am absolutely delighted to have
the opportunity to speak with you in front of so many people. To everyone
gathered here today, you have my gratitude for coming to watch what will no
doubt be an exciting event.” She paused for a moment as the crowd applauded
again. The men at the table looked between each other, sharing snide smirks of
self-appreciation.

As the square quieted again, Kwin continued.

“As you have heard, I am here to speak with
the institution regarding their opinions on the formation of the Sanctum, the
psychological effects it has on our minds and other such things. I’ll spare you
the details, because I’m sure most of you care very little for Golden Capital’s
politics or the specifics of our theories. Let’s face it: they can both be
quite boring.” The crowd laughed politely, and Kwin took this moment to smile
at Lackthorpe. “But the institution’s theories are interesting! They certainly
seem to believe they have all the world’s questions answered. That’s a
comforting thought, is it not?”

For the first time the men at the table
glanced at each other uncomfortably. Lackthorpe continued to smile, but it was
starting to appear forced.

“But I won’t stray too far off topic. You are
all here because the institution is prepared to make its findings official, and
I have the privilege of joining them as they do.” Applause sounded again, and
the men relaxed in their chairs. Lackthorpe stood up to take his place at the
center of the stage when Kwin continued. “It is because I hold the
institution’s findings in such high esteem that I have decided to demonstrate
to you all just how solid their research is – today, I am personally going to
question this panel on their work.”

Lackthorpe froze like a deer in headlights,
and the rest of the panel whispered amongst themselves nervously. He quickly
cleared his throat and straightened up.

“Ah, that won’t actually be necessary. Our
research is sound, and these people don’t have so much time, we don’t want to
bore them with–”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, professor,” Kwin
said with a beaming smile. “What you have accomplished should be shared with
everyone. In addition, everyone should be able to see that your work stands up
to heavy scrutiny. The Sanctum is full of intelligent people who would benefit
from this. Am I right?”

A deafening “Yes” echoed throughout the
square.

“Brilliant,” Kai said, very impressed. “She
isn’t coming out and saying they’re wrong, she’s letting the people figure that
out on their own just by making the panel talk.”

“It’s the beautiful, subtle art of
self-incrimination,” Alastor agreed proudly. “Kwin is excellent at getting
people to talk themselves into trouble, and she likes to toy with them first.
Right about now every self-obsessed man up there is starting to realize that
they’ve made a horrible mistake, but Kwin already got the crowd on her side so
the panel can’t even back out.”

Lackthorpe tugged nervously at his collar,
looking at the others for help. They simply shrugged, unsure of what to say or
do.

“You’re right, of course,” he said once he
found his voice. “Very intelligent crowd here today. Now, as you know, our
research isn’t entirely complete, so there is a small chance that we won’t be
able to answer all of your questions. But not to worry, we plan on getting
right back to work as soon as this is over…”

“I’m certain you’ll do fine. If you know you
are right, there’s nothing to worry about,” Kwin reassured him. “You are
certain that you are correct, aren’t you?”

“Yes, absolutely!” Lackthorpe cried. “All
thirteen of us agree, and in an academic field, unanimous agreement says a
lot.”

“I agree. Before we go too far, just so the
crowd is aware of the type of people making these decisions for them, remind me
what your qualifications are? I seem to remember you telling me that you went
to a highly esteemed university. What was it called again?”

Lackthorpe was clearly uncomfortable now, and
he looked anywhere but at Kwin.

“I… well, actually, you see, I didn’t
actually… my education is complicated, but I can assure you I am well-read and
well-versed on psychology. It is my area of expertise, you see.”

“I understand! That’s completely fine. I
haven’t attended university yet, either,” Kwin laughed. “I’m eleven years old
and I’ve only just graduated high school, so really, I’m not one to talk.”

From beside Kai, Alastor feigned wiping a tear
of laughter from his eye.

“Let’s get started,” Kwin said, and she
stepped closer to Lackthorpe. “Your research has found that the Sanctum was
created by the same phenomenon that created everything else in the universe. If
I may ask, what
is
that phenomenon?
What created everything, our Sanctum included?”

“Ah, well… the Creators, of course, everyone
knows that. It’s even in their name!” Lackthorpe said.