I was just about to meet the slightly singed spider head on when it all disappeared when my spear met nothing I stumbled forward and fell where the fire should have been. Strangely the ground wasn’t even warm from what I could feel, the ground wasn’t even burnt. I looked around to find that Lilian was nowhere to be found, hopefully, she had managed to wake up, that was probably why everything had vanished, it was her dream after all. Unless something had happened to her if you died in here, did you die for real? Those were the times I would usually wake up during normal dreams, but I had been brought here by magic so I couldn’t be confident what would happen.

“Lilian, Lubus, can anyone hear me?” There was no answer as I looked around, now that I took the time to notice I saw that where our little camp had been was only more cave floor now. It looked like I was on my own now, something must have changed because I couldn’t feel Lubus anymore. I lifted my shirt to find that I could see my belly button again, there was no red gem stuck over it. Things seemed to be changing around me, and the cave became slightly more familiar. I had a bad feeling about this, but it was fine though, all I had to do was wake up. I pinched my arm as Lilian had done, but all I could feel was the pain of it, and I was still stuck in the same strangely familiar cave.

“Hello, Lilian, if you can hear me it would be nice to wake up now,” I tried. I might not be able to hear her, but maybe she could hear me. Where was I anyway, I had a feeling I knew where. I made my way towards the cave entrance and when my eyes had adjusted to the bright light outside my suspicions were confirmed. I hadn’t been to the home cave very often, but the large trees and bigger vegetation couldn’t be mistaken. I was on the island, back home, no I wasn’t this was a dream. Had I just forgotten all this was just in my head? Everything seemed so real, maybe it was real, maybe I had been brought through bodily by the spell, and that’s why I couldn’t wake up. Was this really all in my head, and my body was still sleeping back on the mainland?

“Eshanai, you’re back, have you come to save us?” A voice said from behind me, and I turned around to see elder Vista standing at the cave entrance looking the same as when I had seen her last. I rushed towards her, and she embraced me with open arms, we hugged for a while, and everything about her seemed real. The feel and warmth of her and even her smell was all there just like I remembered it. I held her at arm's length as I asked her.

“Vista, you’re here, are you real?” She chuckled at that, and looking at me fondly she said.

“Of course I am real, silly girl,” her smile grew strained as she reached out a hand to stroke my cheek. “It is so good to have you back Eshanai, we have taken heavy losses, many have died, but now that you are here things will turn in our favor. Now tell me what have you brought to help us?” Hearing about the death of our people brought sadness to my heart, but I was eager to tell her about the wonders of the mainland.

“I have brought this gem, it is amazing Vista. With it, we can make better weapons for our warriors, maybe even build better defenses for our village.” But as I lifted my shirt to show her, I remembered that the core was gone. “No matter, Lubus should be able to teach our people about the power of magic so we can repel the goblins foul cold,” but I faltered again as I remembered that Lubus was in the gem still and it was nowhere to be found, why was it suddenly so hard to remember, so hard to think? The look in the elders' eyes grew disappointed, but there was endless love there too.

“It’s alright Eshanai, we can wait some more. I’m sure we will endure until your return,” she said and smiled reassuringly at me. Suddenly Rulan and Nala appeared on either side of the elder.

“Have you forgotten about us Eshanai? I’m sure you have made new friends on the mainland, don’t abandon us, please,” her voice was pleading, how could she think such a thing. It was true that I had made new friends, but not a day went by when I didn’t think of them.

“Of course I haven’t forgotten, see I even have your gift to remember you by,” but as I reached for the lock of hair braided into my own hair, I found it missing. “But, I could have sworn,” Nala suddenly spoke interrupting me.

“You were supposed to save us, but you come back empty handed. Meanwhile, our fighters have bled and died to protect us, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

“No I’m not back with nothing, just wait and I’ll show you,” even if Lubus and the gem weren’t here I still had my own power, my magic. But as with all the other things I had tried when I tried to feel it within I found it missing.

“What is it, go on show us, we’re waiting,” Nala said in a condescending tone.

“I-I don't understand, I can’t feel it,” I tried again, but nothing happened.

“You were supposed to save us.”

“Betrayer.”

“Failure,” their voices accused me, and I closed my eyes and tried to shut them out. It was no use as they only seemed to grow louder.

“We’re dying, while you frolick about.”

“Save us, Eshanai.”

“Save us, we can’t endure much longer.”

“Eshanai.”

“Save us, SAVE us, SAVE US, save, SAVE, save us,” the voices overlapped and shouted over each other until I couldn’t make out the words anymore. Suddenly there was silence as a purple light prevailed my vision, and a single voice shouted at me in desperation.

“WAKE UP!” It was Lilian's voice, and my eyes shot open as I sat up panting heavily. I was back in the camp in the cave we had used to shelter from the rain, judging from the light coming from the outside morning had just arrived. I breathed a sigh of relief as Lilian threw herself at me, she hugged me fiercely crying her eyes out, and I hugged her back. How could I be sure this wasn’t another dream? I made sure that I could feel Lubus now, and sure enough, the sense of him was back, he was both relieved and worried at the same time judging by his emotions coming at me. There was also that smell that had brought me to this cave in the first place, it hadn’t been there in the dream, and now that I thought about it I should have noticed it before. Lilian stopped crying eventually, and I stroked her hair to try and calm her down.

“Shh, It’s alright, I’m here now, but could you bring me out a little faster next time?” I said and smiled down at her to show that I wasn’t angry. A look of confusion came upon her face before she answered.

“It was fast, I only just woke up before Lubus helped me bring you out of the spell.” Now I was the confused one, to me it had seemed I was in there for a long time, it was a strange disconnect, and it reassured me that this truly was real. Lubus confirmed it a moment later by speaking in my mind.

It’s true, it has only been a couple of minutes since she woke up. Dream magic is strange, and I don’t really know much about it.

It’s good to hear your voice again Lubus, I was cut off from you for a while there I couldn’t even feel you. It was like a nightmare, I just wish I could understand Lilian's magic a bit better.

Red the dungeon core surprised me by coming up with the answer in the form of text hovering in my vision.

Dream magic

Wielders of this affinity of magic can affect their own and others dreams in certain ways, this includes but is not limited to, entering other peoples dreams for various purposes, bringing other people into their dreams, trapping people in their dreams making them unable to wake up. Dream mages can also bring things they have experienced while sleeping back to the waking world in the form of spells. This makes them incredibly versatile as the effects of this can vary tremendously, it does mean, however, that they can only regenerate their mana by sleeping.

That explained how Lilian had been able to summon me to help her, would it seem so real every time? This only strengthened my resolve to help the girl, if I thought it was real she would too, and with no one there to help her would she be trapped in her own head, would I. I shook my head to rid it of the thought, I would help her no matter what. As If she had known what I was thinking she said still sitting in my lap.

“I think it’s best if you left me behind, I don’t want to drag you in like that again?” I looked at her again, truly looked at her. This girl had been through a lot lately, she looked tired despite having a full nights rest if you could call it that. She had awakened as a mage because her lousy father had pushed her over the edge when he had struck Gemma things had boiled over, and she had accidentally killed him. To be hunted by her own people for something that she couldn’t control must be hard on her, no, this girl needed someone to lean on right now and that person would be me.

“No,” I said in a firm tone, she looked up at me then, and I clarified. “I won’t leave you behind, silly girl. I will be there right by your side the next time you have a dream like that again, so you can bring me in to help you.”

“But, but,” she looked angry suddenly, and she clenched her fists in frustration. “What if I can’t bring you back,” she said, and she breathed heavily as if it had been a great effort for her.

“That is a risk I am willing to take, I am not going to let you go through this alone. Besides you did bring me back, and you are only going to get stronger from here on out, plus you will have Lubus there to help you if I’m not.” It all seemed to be too much for her as she started crying again, I chuckled to myself and trying to lighten the mood I said. “Jees Lubus, do all humans cry this much?” I said and laughed again as she scowled at me and hit me with her fist, not hard.

“Shut up,” she said, and her tears stopped flowing in her fury. “It’s because, because… oh, shut up,” and she hit me again. I wrestled her to the ground and tickled her, it was a bit unfair given my tail, so I stopped and bumped my nose into hers.

“You need to remember that you are not alone,” I said the smile clear in my voice. “I can be your friend if you’ll let me,” she nodded shyly at this, and I let her out of my nest of coils. We ate breakfast before we headed out, Lilian seemed truly happy for the first time I had met her.