Seraphina returned to her shop after spending an hour with Varix. It was such a lovely day, and it had seemed a shame not to enjoy it with him. He needed to get out of the stuffy tavern anyway and enjoy Everspring.

He'd looked tired and a little disheveled, and his hair had been a mess. But he'd been the same sweet man she had met…was it just a month ago? So much had happened in that time.

For the longest time, Seraphina had thought she was alone in this world as a transmigrated person. When she had arrived, she'd been convinced it was all a dream. A very vivid dream with talking fantasy creatures and a hometown straight out of a Tolkien novel. After her initial shock had worn off, she'd come to love this world more than Earth. This was her home now.

Seraphina approached her shop. The plain wrought iron lined door had a thick pane of glass with sheer drapes that worked to lightly obscure the interior without blocking the view. She reached into her pouch and removed a special gem. She didn't have to look at the piece of lapis lazuli to know which one it was. The gem was warm and fit her palm like a large almond.

She gripped the gem, focused, and her front door unlocked itself.

There wasn't a lot of theft in Everspring, but the war years had been trying. Some had been forced to take advantage of others, but Seraphina had always been cautious and ensured her shop was secure. She was a gem enchanter, meaning she could have a fortune in gems in stock on any day of the week.

Seraphina entered her shop and paused at the doorway long enough to close it behind her and grip the stone again. The door shut, and heaven help anyone who attempted to enter without her permission.

Soft light filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting colorful patterns across the polished wooden floors. Glass cases lined the walls, filled with sparkling gems and enchanted trinkets. The scent of lavender and old books hung in the air. A polished wooden countertop was off to the side where she conducted her regular face-to-face business. If someone needed a ruby enchanted for the purpose of healing minor wounds, it was here she could create the tool specifically for them.

It was through the back that she performed more difficult jobs. Seraphina passed through the back door, the hallway, and into her study. She passed through a number of wards that would have struck anyone trying to get back here without her temporarily deaf and blind while she dealt with them—more like while the town guards dealt with them.

Seraphina closed the door and approached her work table. She pulled up a chair, took a seat, and loosened her top. She leaned over, pulled a small chest from beneath, and placed it in her lap.

"Did you have a nice morning?" Glimmer asked.

Seraphina focused on the corner of the room, and the crystalline chameleon appeared. The creature was almost a foot long. It had long legs and looked like a mass of multicolored crystals. It could curl up in a ball among her gems and become completely invisible unless one knew where to look.

Glimmer had been her companion for the past five years, ever since she had awakened in this very room, in this very body, staring at this very desktop.

That day had been the most frightening of her entire life. She'd blinked in complete shock as she’d found herself gazing at a pile of bright gems glowing on the desktop in front of her. Not just glowing, they'd vibrated, and one had shot off the table top and smashed into the door, leaving a dent.

A moment before that, Seraphina had been sitting in traffic on a commuter bus, wondering when the bus driver was going to figure out that he didn't have to stop for every single yellow light. It was okay to push through one or two. She distinctly remembered wanting to yell, "You're driving a huge city bus! No one is going to get in your way!"

To add insult to injury, the bus driver had halted at a green light that was turning yellow when BAM! She had thought she'd been thrown to the dirty bus floor, but she hadn't. She'd been transmigrated across stars, time, or multiverses to wind up in the body of a genuine half-elven woman with long raven black hair and impossibly violet eyes.

Since then, this little room and her work had become her life. She'd long since given up wondering how or why she was here, and had come to simply respect the fact that she was here for the long haul.

To the best of her knowledge, she had never run into another person who was here from Earth, until Varix. Then King Alister. Seraphina had told no one except Glimmer. The wise old crystalline chameleon had been here when she had arrived, and had recognized that something had gone very wrong with the spell Seraphina, the old Seraphina, had been attempting.

It stood to reason there were more transmigrated souls on Mythralon. Seraphina had considered creating a gem that would help uncover others, but had thought better of it. She was sure some people didn't want to be found out.

Besides, Varix was going to end up drawing them to his tavern like moths to a flame. Who in their right mind wakes up in a fantasy world and decides to make chicken wings for a living?

Seraphina chuckled as she snapped out of her reverie and glanced up to find Glimmer's eyes fixed on her. What had they been talking about? Oh, yeah.

"I was only gone for an hour. Jealous?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Of that one? Not much. He makes you smile. I suppose that's something."

"Besides thinking about my lunch date, did you happen to have given this any thought?" Seraphina held up the small gem.

Glimmer scuttled closer. With his body no longer blending in, his crystalline form caught and refracted the room lights, splashing rainbow prisms across the walls. "Ah, the dream gem. A tricky bit of magic, that."

Seraphina nodded, turning the small gem over in her hand. "It's not like anything I've done before. Chasing away a specific kind of nightmare? It's delicate work."

"Indeed," Glimmer agreed. "You'll need to be precise with your enchantment. Too broad, and you risk suppressing all dreams. Too narrow and it won't be effective."

"I thought of that," Seraphina said and stood up to look over her books.

She pulled two heavy tomes from her bookshelf, their leather bindings creaking as she opened them on her desk. She flipped through the pages, scanning for information on dream magic.

"There's nothing exact here," she muttered, brow furrowing. "Plenty on inducing sleep or enhancing dreams, but nothing on targeting specific nightmares."

Glimmer climbed onto the desk to peer at the books. "Perhaps you need to approach it from a different angle. Instead of focusing on the nightmare itself, consider the emotions behind it."

Seraphina paused, considering his words. She reached for another book, this one on emotional magic. She jotted down notes as she read, piecing together a potential enchantment.

"What if I combine a calming aura with a protective charm?" she mused. "Then add a touch of clarity magic to help the dreamer recognize the nightmare for what it is?"

Glimmer nodded approvingly. "A solid foundation, but dreams are fickle things. You'll need to make the enchantment adaptable."

"Her particular fickle bit, as you call it, involves the war. She has what we called post traumatic stress disorder on my old world. Mira is a strong woman, but she told me the battles she faced have haunted her nearly every night since she settled in Everspring."

"I suspect I know why," Gimmer said, his rich voice deep and thoughtful.

"Yeah. I know what you're going to say."

"Yes. The presence of his former body is probably the source."

"You don't know that for sure."

Seraphina didn't have to look to know Glimmer was probably rolling his multifaceted eyes, a habit he'd picked up by observing her.

"You should talk to him."

She paused in her reading, looked up, and said, "I will. When the time is right."

"You're worried."

"I am. What if I can't pull off the spell? What if something goes wrong?"

Glimmer tsked and said, "You will have to broach the subject soon. You successfully hid Varix's pendant from potential relic hunters, but the spell will begin to devour itself. A permanent solution will be needed."

"I'll…I need to come up with a plan," she said. "First things first. I need to get this gem ready for Mira."

"Indeed."

Seraphina bit her lip, thinking. She sketched out a magical diagram, incorporating Glimmer's advice. The crystalline chameleon watched intently, occasionally offering suggestions.

"Add a bit more flexibility there," he said, pointing with a crystalline leg. "And perhaps a touch of courage magic to bolster the dreamer's will."

Seraphina adjusted, concentrating as the enchantment took shape in her mind. She picked up the gem, holding it carefully between her thumb and forefinger.

She took a deep breath and channeled her magic into the stone. The gem glowed softly, pulsing with a gentle rhythm. Seraphina closed her eyes, focusing intently on weaving the complex enchantment.

Glimmer watched silently. As Seraphina worked, he offered quiet observations. "Good, good. Now, ease up on the protective charm a bit. Let it flow more naturally into the clarity magic."

Seraphina adjusted her technique. The magic shifted and settled. The gem grew warmer in her hand and its glow intensified.

"Careful now," Glimmer cautioned.

Seraphina wound down the enchantment. She wove in the final threads of magic, binding the complex spell together. With a final push of energy, she sealed the enchantment.

The gem flashed brightly, then settled into a soft, steady glow. Seraphina opened her eyes, and let out a long breath. She held up the gem to examine her handiwork.

"Well done," Glimmer said, his tone approving. "A delicate piece of magic, executed with finesse. Your former host would not have been capable of such a powerful feat in one sitting."

Seraphina smiled. "Thank you, Glimmer. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"This is true. Very true," the chameleon said smugly. If there was one thing Glimmer loved, it was praise.

She placed the gem carefully in a velvet-lined box, ready for Mira.

"You've come a long way," Glimmer observed, his tone thoughtful. "When you first arrived in this body, you could barely make quartz glow."

Seraphina chuckled, remembering those early days of confusion and frustration. "It's hard to believe it's been five years already. Sometimes it feels like yesterday that I woke up here, surrounded by unfamiliar magic and a very talkative crystal lizard."

Glimmer said indignantly, "I'll have you know I'm a crystalline chameleon of the highest order. And you were lucky to have me here to guide you."

"That I was," Seraphina agreed, gently stroking Glimmer's head. He cocked his head to the side and closed his eyes in contentment. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

She stood, stretching her arms above her head. The enchantment had taken more out of her than she'd realized. "I think I've earned a break. I need some tea?"

Glimmer perked up at the suggestion. "Excellent idea. Do you have a treat for Glimmer?"

"I do, as a matter of fact," Seraphina said.

She withdrew a heavy box from one of her chests and carefully opened it. Seraphina reached inside, pulled out a piece of amber, and laid it on the desk for Glimmer. The tiny fragment was untold centuries old and contained the fossilized remains of a large bug. Although hard to obtain, these were the only treats Glimmer loved.

"Ah," he said, picking the piece up and biting into it with a crunch. He closed his eyes and practically purred.

Seraphina laughed as she made her way to the small kitchenette adjoining her workroom to make herself a cup of tea and get out a honey cake. Glimmer wasn't the only one who deserved a treat.