Vissna and I stood at the edge of the withering area. I watched as it spread over another tree, turning its leaves brown in just a few seconds. Insects and small animals fell over, twitching wildly. Larger animals seemed unaffected by the strange effect but still fled from the expanding lifeless zone with terror in their eyes.

I tore my eyes away from the sight and took a deep breath. “So, how do we mitigate this?”

Vissna watched my reaction intently as she let out a puff of frosty air. “Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It must come from somewhere. In order to prevent this land from dying completely, we must provide energy from somewhere else.”

I frowned. The withered fields expanded for as far as I could see. Even the mountains on the horizon were not left unaffected. “Even if we wring out every last drop, there is no way we can provide that much energy. Only a division leader could manage a feat like that.”

The dragon raised an eyebrow as it looked at me. “As insulting as it is to be weaker than a human, you are right. Neither of us is powerful enough to even make a scratch on an area this big. However, we do not have to rely on just our own energy. You are an Adept. It is time you understood what that meant.”

At Vissna’s words, I was reminded of how my dad created I expansive forest of ice far beyond his own power. “You want to draw upon the energy in the earth? Didn’t you say that was dangerous?”

“Only if you delve too deep and get lost in the current,” Vissna explained, “That will not be required for what we want to do. We simply want to draw the energy towards us and into the land.”

I pulled on a stray hair thoughtfully and nodded. “I think I understand but I have never drawn upon the power of the realm like you or Dad. I don’t even know where to start.”

“I will guide you,” Vissna declared boldly, “While it is better for your development to find your own connection into the depths of the realm, I can temporarily let you experience what I feel. However, I must warn you, no matter what, no matter how tempting, do not wander deep into the abyss unless you want to end up like your father.”

I nodded solemnly. “What do I need to do?”

“First, sit down so you do not fall over and hurt yourself. Those experienced with this can keep their consciousness while connecting to the realm but you are still young and inept.”

I complied. I felt the dead grass crumple at my touch as I sat down in a comfortable position. “Now what?”

“Look into my eyes and do not resist.” Vissna said in a soft voice that did not match her massive draconic body, “

I looked up at Vissna’s giant, ice-blue eyes curiously. For a moment, it felt as if her eyes had grown exponentially as if the entire world was in those pupils. Then, a wave of drowsiness washed over me. I could barely keep my eyes open. A familiar feeling washed over me, similar to how Vissna had tried to read my mind in the past and how the Guardian beast had once made me experience my own life from beginning to end. Only this time, the process was reversed. Rather than Vissna delving into my mind, I could feel her dragging me into hers.

As the world seemed to fade away, I heard Vissna speak one last word of warning. “Remember, do not get lost in the void. Your powers will not work there. Your heart and determination are what define who you are.”

Vissna’s voice echoed through my mind like the beating of drums. I felt my body go limp and I was pulled into Vissna’s mind. Then, I felt something else… The mighty power of talons as they slid across the ground, the sun reflecting off my scales in the cool winter air. It was as if I had become a Dragon!

In the distance, I could see dozens of other dragons flying through the air. All of them were smaller than Vissna. Or, maybe they weren’t. Maybe it was Vissna that was smaller than the dragon I knew now and all the other dragons were the same size as her. I wanted to go join the other dragons, to see what Vissna’s youth had been like, however, I could not control what was happening. I was simply an observer experiencing a memory. Vissna did not go to join the other young dragons as they flew through the air. She simply watched them as she laid languidly from her perch on a mountain’s cliff with one eye closed. I could feel her emotions. Peace, joy, serenity, this was a moment of contentment from Vissna’s past. As much as I wanted to explore this distant memory further, I could only experience the memory as Vissna had. She closed her one eye to sleep and everything changed.

Vissna was gone. The other Dragons were gone. It felt as if I was suddenly dunked into a boundless sea, unlike anything I had ever seen. Vibrant colors swirled around me in every color of the rainbow. Small flickering lights moved through the colors like countless fireflies. It was a sight of unmatched beauty.

I wanted to reach out and touch one of the little lights and to my surprise found that I could actually move. This was no longer a memory. However, as I approached one of the flickering lights, I realized I had no arms or hands. I tried to look down at my legs but they were not there either. I panicked slightly as I tried to understand what was happening and bumped into one of the flickering lights. The light popped like a bubble and the image of a tree filled my vision before fading back into the sea of vibrant colors. Anther of the lights nearby bumped into each other and I saw an image of two squirrels nuzzling up against one another.

I gasped in amazement as a realization dawned on me. Each of these countless glittering fireflies represented life. Plants, insects, animals, people, and probably me, that is why I did not have arms or legs. I was simply another light in the endless sea of colors.

Overcome by curiosity, I started to explore this strange sea. I bumped into dozens of little fireflies to see the animals and plants they represented. Some lights were bigger and brighter than others, usually, that meant that it was a bigger animal but not always. I found several lights that were shining brightly but were only a small insect or some other tiny creature. I could not understand the logic of this place.

As the excitement began to fade, I started to look around seriously. I did not see any light that could represent Vissna in this boundless sea, and even if I did, I would not be able to recognize it without bumping into the light directly. I could spend a lifetime looking and probably would not find which light represented her.

Instead, I found something else. It was an area of the boundless sea that was almost completely devoid of color. Only a few sparkling lights still remained within the area. Instinctively, I knew this was the lifeless zone I had accidentally created. Seeing it like this somehow hurt more than seeing it in the real world. For all the beauty to be sucked from this sea felt like an irredeemable sin.

Rather than waste time looking for Vissna, I decided to focus on our goal here. She said we needed to draw energy from the surroundings. Now my question now was, how do I move the colored sea into the lifeless area?

I did not know enough about how this place worked. I was not even sure how I was moving around, let alone trying to move something else. I thought back to Vissna’s final words before I fell into her memory.

“Heart and determination? Does that mean everything here will respond to my thoughts?” I mumbled to myself. I paused, surprised for a moment. “How did I speak if I am just another spec of light?”

Lost in thought, I unconsciously looked down. My thoughts were immediately interrupted by the sight. Rather than being dark, the sea below me was even brighter than what swirled around me. The colors seemed even more vibrant and enchanting. A strong instinctual urge rose up within me as I saw those beautiful lights. I wanted to travel down, to submerse myself within the void. The urge was so strong I almost completely forgot Vissna’s warning not to delve too deep.

“I wonder if Dad is down there somewhere?”

The pull to dive deeper into the sea grew with each passing second. Some part of me knew that it was a bad thing, that I should ignore the lights below me but reason did not matter when looking at something so beautiful.

“I should be strong enough to go… a little deeper,” I mumbled thoughtlessly.

Even without commanding it, I felt myself sinking. The colors became brighter and more beautiful the deeper I went. However, there were also fewer and fewer little lights that represented life. I found myself entranced by the swirling colors. I was unable to look away or even fathom why I would ever want to. The deeper I sunk the fuzzier my mind became. I could no longer remember my reason for coming here or Vissna’s warning not to dive deeper. None of that mattered, not even my own name was important so long as I could just go a little further.

The deeper I sunk, the more my sense of self faded away. Time held no meaning here. Memories of my past, fears of the future, love for my family, none of it mattered in the abyss. There was only the endless joy of swirling colors.

Chasing the colors, I spotted something shining in the void below. A bright purple that outshone the sea itself. like a moth to a flame, I felt drawn to this violet light. I dived faster and faster into the void. Nothing mattered anymore besides reaching the greatest light of all.

The violet light grew brighter and brighter until even the colors of the sea seemed dull by comparison. In fact, it almost seemed as if the violet light was absorbing the colors of the sea into itself.

None of that concerned me though as I continued diving towards the light. It felt like an eternity passed as I chased that light but eventually, I began to reach its source.

The source of the light almost looked like a person… a young girl sitting alone in the void of colors. I no longer had the mental compacity to be surprised as I flew towards the girl without a care beyond the joy I felt at the ever brighter light. I reached the girl, pushing up against her in an attempt to get as close to the brilliant light as possible.

The face of the girl was indiscernible. Like looking into the sun, she was blinding. Yet, I somehow still knew she was looking at me.

“Oh, this is surprising. A lost little spark was actually able to reach me all the way down here without dissipating into the void?” The girl said in a melodious, almost singsong voice, “What is your name, little spark?”

The girl spoke but I could not understand her. My only desire was to get as close to her light as possible. The girl laughed with a sound like bells ringing.

“Right, you can’t remember. Let me help you with that.”

The girl’s hand closed around me. She held me in her palm like a tiny insect. Leaning forward, she kissed the top of my head gently. Instantly, it felt as if that brilliant violet light was coursing through my body. It burned like a thousand suns and with that pain, my senses returned to me.

The first thing I felt was fear. Fear at how easily I was drawn into the void and fear at how I had completely lost everything that made me who I am.

“Do you remember who you are now, little spark?” The girl asked. I still could not see her face but something about her seemed strikingly familiar to me.

“I do. Who are you?” I asked suspiciously.

“Who am I?” the girl asked. Her bell-like laughter rang out again as if my question was the funniest joke. “I am simply a shadow, one of many shattered and scattered amongst the infinite.”

The moment I heard that bell-like laugh, even before she spoke, I realized why she seemed so familiar. “Mare?” I blurted out in surprise.

The girl seemed taken aback for a moment. “How do you know that name?” Before I could reply, I felt her palm tighten around me as if it were about to snuff me out. She paused a single thought before crushing me. “Tell me your name, little spark, or I will snuff out your light.”

“I am Wren!” I shouted in a panic, “Wren Aurielle Aevus!”

The girl froze before suddenly laughing once again. The grip that had been about to crush me loosened. “Now there is a name I have not heard in a long, long time. You are so tiny. I can hardly believe it! Are you really Wren, tiny?”

“Are you not Mare?” I asked in confusion.

The girl paused. “Mare… of course, she would choose that name. No, I am not the Mare you know, tiny. I am the original, or at least a small part of her.”