That night at the Castle was very quiet. Archmage Aristhaeus had fallen asleep, but he had an unusual dream.
…Nobody knows what exactly dreaming is and where you go when you fall asleep. Why one dream would be forgotten, and another one would be so vivid?
But Aristhaeus never forgot his dreams. Because he belonged to the sommeis race; a race known to be able to see creatures from other dimensions. Their dreams were often stormier than their "real" existence on earth. Some people said sommeis lived two lives because they were so well connected to the "realm of dreams." But for sommeis this wasn't our usual realm of dreams... it was a completely different dimension.
For Aristhaeus, these were just two different worlds he inhabited.
Aristhaeus was fast asleep. He could hear an unfamiliar voice, belonging to someone insolent and foolish enough to threaten the archmage.
"A terrible nightmare… I would give you, and you'd fully deserve it! It is true you are powerful but you are in my domain now, and you can't help it."
He had not heard such words for a long time. Aristhaeus was curious how he might have provoked them.
The voice echoed and came from a tall, thin figure, chiseled of bluish smoke, which stood still right in front of the sommei archmage's gaze. He could clearly recognize that this was a spirit guardian!
Those were magical creatures like genies, which belonged to the unseen dimension and protected people, families or sometimes whole nations.
A spirit guardian! But what a spirit guardian! It was exceptional.
Never – ever – before in his whole experience had Aristhaeus seen an ordinary invisible being in possession of so much power… as that one! And there was a reasonable explanation for that… So strong spirit guardians simply did not exist.
Yet, it was right there, in front of Aristhaeus's very eyes! Where had it come from? And why had it warned the archmage in such a manner?
Aristhaeus decided to be cautious.
"I admit I've never seen anything like you," he declared in a cool tone.
It seemed as if the spirit did not hear him. It stood there, menacing. Its body bore a resemblance to a dark-blue cloud. Near them, there was literally nothing else – neither ground, nor sky or any objects. It was just the two of them, immersed in indefinite space.
"If you dare do anything to her, you will feel the power of my imperceptible touch! I am stronger than all spirit guardians, and – for your misfortune – stronger than you, too. Don't make me attack you. This is not my wish…" The strange apparition's tone was completely serious.
The archmage did not reply. He still had no idea whom the guardian might protect. Maybe someone or another of his enemies? But he couldn't think of anyone he could suspect! Actually, the spirit had said, "if you dare do anything to her," so maybe the guardian protected a woman. Yet, even that was questionable. Spirits often did not distinguish between male and female since they did not have a gender. One thing was certain – Aristhaeus had to be more careful than usual. Everything was possible.
Despite the creature's might, he was not afraid. No. Guardians could only guard, but they were unable to initiate an attack. Nothing unexpected could happen to him.
He had messed with many ghosts. But there was something unusual in the appearance of this one, which immediately drew his attention. There was an amulet on its neck. Spirits did not wear jewelry just for decoration, but only if it was the source of their energy. And Aristhaeus was pretty sure that this amulet was powerful. His curious yet seemingly careless look passed unnoticed.
If the magic of this amulet had enough potential, then …maybe he had finally discovered a way to gain more power and free himself from Lyneanne? At long last! This could be what he had been looking for all this time while she was searching for the legendary non-existing Moonlight Crystal!
The ease of movement the archmage felt in the realm of dreams soon disappeared. He woke up. For hundreds of years, nothing had really intrigued him so much as the amulet of the spirit guardian. From this day on, he couldn't stop thinking about the amulet and its purpose. He would go to all lengths to understand its mystery. And when he referred to all lengths, it would be the right moment for other people to get frightened, for it meant literally all.
Morning came together with a puff of wind that brought into the room the fragrance of spring flowers from the garden. A fragrance so wonderful as if it came from a dream yet it reminded the mage it was time to return to the other reality…