"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

I refuse to accept that mentality. Dreams are what drive us as humans; they're how we strive past what we are today in search of a better tomorrow. What's so fallible about getting a little lost now and again? Is the mundane acceptance of a linear path really a life worth living? I think not, and so I will continue to dream; I will get lost, and take my time finding the path back home.

Dreams are the dwellings where one’s true self lives.

The corners of my lips curled up, like foxes cozying in a den, as I placed my fountain pen back in its holster. A paperweight at each corner of the protesting parchment shackled it in place as it set. The smell of wet ink filled my nostrils, lingering there, and I basked in the scent of freshly written wisdom.

"It's not a meal--you don't need to savor it."

I tilted my head backwards over the chair I was sitting on, and there she was: Maya, my beautiful, upside-down love, with her satin, chocolate hair contrasting flawless pale skin. She almost glowed in sunlight that crept through dancing curtains, gazing into my eyes through glimmering pools of deep blue with bursts of yellow around the pupils, like sunflowers gently floating in the ocean. She smiled and cupped a hand on each side of my head. I tensed my lips somewhere between a kiss and smile, but got a mouthful of rose-scented hair as she bit the tip of my nose and pulled back.

"You thought I was going for a kiss, didn't you?" she asked, words dancing in my ears. Her voice was like silk, smooth, rich and comforting, with a tug of temptation that could rival an apple stolen from Eden--when it wasn't overripe with sarcasm, of course. It seems, today, the fruit has long expired.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting whatever that was. I don't know where your enthusiasm comes from. . . the sun's barely risen and you're already so full of life. I hope you don't spend it all before the day starts."

She sneered at me. "I feel full of life right now. I'm ready to take on the world! You should be, too, if you want to succeed today. Say, what'd you write there?" Peering over my shoulder, she scrunched up her nose and read my excerpt. "When did you learn to write like this? I would've never expected it from you. Took you forever, though. I spied on you after I finished getting ready. "

I lifted an eyebrow at that last bit. "I got a little sidetracked reminiscing about when I first met you. And it's a lot easier for me to write than speak, so I'm not surprised you didn't know. When I have time to brew my thoughts and words, it all comes together quite nicely. What do you think of it?"

"It's not bad," she replied with a subdued smile, tucking in her lips. "Just kidding. I absolutely love it. Are you gonna frame and hang it somewhere?"

"Yeah, actually. I was thinking maybe we'd put it up over the bed? Just above the headboard, to the left of the lock. It seems like the most appropriate place for a piece about dreaming, don't you think?"

"Sounds good to me! Worry about that later, though--we have a lot do, today." With that, she was off before I could even open my mouth to respond.

Rather hurriedly, I donned my armor. Pieced together from tough, white leather with an outer layer of gold scales on the torso and a black horn on each shoulder, it looked like the hide of an envied albino dragon. I'd never gotten around to decorating it with any accents or symbols; it was simple elegance from head to toe.

I slung a steel longsword across my back and stormed out the door, hoping Maya hadn't left me behind. Either it pleased her to be first, or my frustration made her giggle--likely, some concoction of the two.

Unlike myself, our castle boasted no simplicity. It was a towering masterpiece standing roughly ten meters high, with a central main bailey that served as both our personal chambers and a lookout station. From the outside, layers of evenly cut buff stone, polished to a sheen, were stacked neatly and interlaced with veins of vine that crept upward the way water would trickle if gravity were inverted. I'd thought to weed them initially, but the odd, parasitic plants stayed a vibrant cobalt year round that lent a sense of life to the cold stone. Notched parapets lined every bailey, giving the castle a regal, jigsaw appearance.

The interior, however, was far less modest. I descended a granite staircase lined with the finest embroidered rug in our possession, a tongue of crimson and gold, connected the main bailey at its base to the great hall. It was a long building, adorned with mementos of adventures past, that was intended to house dozens of a royal family. I couldn't help but feel satisfaction, despite having seen it hundreds of times. Tapestries and various treasures far from home littered the walls, hereditary plunders like the dual scythes of Tryst, dishonored by their relocation, or the Granymede royal crest carved painstakingly into jade. Jade was a fitting medium for the jaded old man they worshipped as God-Emperor, but it turns out he was more emperor than God.

Chandeliers three meters wide hung from the vaulted ceilings of each section. Rather than being fixed with crystal, we'd cut and shaped pendants from the armor of slain enemies, polishing the steel until it reflected walls so brilliantly it almost looked to be transparent. A few were ebony, or obsidian, or cobalt, demanding attention just as the men who'd worn them had. The way they glimmered in candlelight was truly a magnificent sight; a thousand metal fireflies reflecting off one another, flittering and recounting tales of war. Tales of loss.

As I walked through the main hall, which connected the entrance hall with the dining room and great hall, something caught my eye: a small, ornate dagger on a marble pedestal, its blade and rubies stained with blood and dirt. Waves of nostalgia crashed over me again. Unfortunately, my moment of reminisce was short-lived, as it often was.

"YOU ARE SO. SLOW."

Two wooden doors that towered over me split away as I pushed forward, daylight spilling into the entrance hallway. Downhill, toward the tree-lined main gate, Maya was pacing near the armory. It was a fifteen meter tower sitting along the eastern edge of Lake Augr--yes, the castle courtyard contained a lake. A small one, perhaps, but a lake nonetheless, bound in a sandstone pavilion flanked by great pines and little brushstrokes of flora that popped under sunlight.

Maya called out to me again, jumping in the air and waving her arms around madly. "Come on! I have a surprise for you!"

I approached cautiously, peeking my head into each of the archways that leapt along the coastline lest a 'surprise' catch me unaware.

"Come over here already, child! You're gonna love this. I swear, I'm not screwing around with you. This time."

Inside the armory, she was standing near our forge. A shortsword with a blade of incredible sapphire blue was in her hands--one that nearly matched her eyes, but leaned closer to indigo. The hilt was made of buffered obsidian, streaks of silver swirling through it as if somehow smelted and laced with ivory, with a large pearl embedded in the triangular pommel. Its cross-guard was shaped to look like a bat's spread wings, intricate attention to detail placed on recreating the frail 'fingers' a real bat would have.

"Is that my surprise?" I asked, wondering if she somehow didn't know of my. . . distaste for bats. And other things that prowl in the night.

"No, silly, this is my sword. Why would I make something this amazing for you? I think I'm going to call it Vesper, and take it out into battle today. Pretty sexy, right?"

"It's certainly well-crafted. Too flashy for my tastes, but it suits your style well."

"God, you take all of this so seriously." The words sounded harsh, but nothing in her features betrayed malice. Instead she was beaming, grinning with glee, and let out a little squeal of excitement. "I can't wait to go out and fight. Vesper is hungry for battle, and as its mother, I am obligated to feed it! How'd you like that line? Maybe I should be the one writing. . ."

"The closest you'll get is riding me about being too slow. Anyway, is that all? If so, we should get going. It's already quite late."

Her lips pursed as she clearly fought back a smile, bobbing up and down, ever so slightly shifting weight between her toes and heels. I stared her right in the eyes and raised my eyebrows. Does she really think this is subtle?

After a few moments, she burst out with a giggle. "Okay, okay, I'm not that mean. I made something for you, too--I know you mentioned disliking fun, but we're badasses, and a badass needs a unique look. Besides--I think you're gonna like it. I tried to tailor it to you."

She pulled a longsword out from behind the stone hearth; it was sheathed, but even the hilt was eye-catching. It was a stunning gold, with accents of forest green running over its grip in a crisscross pattern of emerald vines. The cross-guards curved toward the blade up until the tips, which redirected sharply in the opposite direction. At each end sat the head of an ancient Chinese dragon. The detail was painstaking; sets of miniature teeth, nostrils with pearl tendrils hanging from them, scales running down its back, and eyes of ruby.

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My eyes were glued to the work of art before me. "Maya. . .. this is amazing. You made this for me? The detail you put into it. . . this must have taken you forever."

"I did make it, just for you. It took a little while to design, yeah, but I had a feeling that you'd fall in love with it. Unsheathe it, silly."

I drew the blade from its pitch black sheath, a sharp, metallic screech bouncing between stone walls and lingering faintly for a moment before silence fell. The blade looked just like jade, layered and marbled shades of green with streaks of cream--yet, somehow, it kept the metallic sheen of steel. I broke the silence with a gasp as the blade caught sun, drinking light like a parched desert traveler before tossing it haphazardly around the room.

"Too flashy, or do you think you can live with it?" she asked with a sly smile. "C'mon, take it out into battle with me today."

My gaze shifted from the sword to Maya for a moment, before returning it. "I think that, for this, I can make an exception to my rule. It's magnificent."

"Yes!" she hissed, pumping her fists. "By the way, that blade has a special function. You see those little red buttons where the cross-guard meets the grip on each side? They're hidden a bit, so you don't accidentally push them."

"Yeah, I think I see them. What are they for?"

"Well, hold the sword away from your face and push one."

"I feel like I should know what will happen before pushing one, for. . . basic safety purposes?"

"Stop complaining and push one of the damn buttons."

I held the blade up cautiously, hesitating to push either button. "Does it matter which one I push?"

"They do the same thing, I only put a button on each side so you always have access to one."

I squinted my eyes, pulling my head as far back from the sword as I could.

Click.

A needle-like blade sprang forth from the jaws of each beast, and I jolted at the feeling. My reaction prompted stifled laughter from Maya, ever amused with herself. The blades were narrow, but fairly long--they extended about fifteen centimeters past the dragon's head.

"Okay, that is definitely the kind of flashy I'm not a fan of. I suppose it could come in handy, but it just seems like a risky addition." Maya stuck her tongue out at me. "How do I get the blades back in?"

She squinted her eyes and sheepishly laughed, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, you see, uh. . . I haven't really had the time to get that far. You kinda just have to. . . push them back in, with a stick or something. I swear, I'll work something out later!"

I sighed, grabbing a scrap of wood off the floor and stuffing the blades back into the beasts' mouths like an overbearing mother feeding her children. "We don't have time now, but tomorrow I'd rather you just remove the feature than continue to work on it. I swear, if I lose an eye to this thing. . ."

"Hmph. Well, as long as you don't suck enough to point it at your own eye and press the button, you'll be fine. Give it a spin today, and if you really hate it, I'll take it out."

"Fine. I really do appreciate the work you put into this, though. Let's get going so I can test it out."

I tossed my old sword into a trunk by the entrance and slung its replacement on my back. The weight was nice, and it felt at home.

"By the way," Maya asked, "what're you gonna name it?"

"I don't name my swords, you know that."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, quit that already. You have to name something as exquisite as that sword! Think of it as your payment for my work."

Hand ruffling through my short beard, I mulled on it a moment.

"How about. . . Lóngsword?" I suggested, chuckling.

"What a shitty name! Why would you name your longsword 'Longsword'? That's actually the worst thing I've ever heard you say."

"Not 'Longsword', Lóngsword. 'Lóng' is Mandarin for 'dragon'."

Maya stared at me blankly, each slow blink a statement of her displeasure. She raised Vesper toward me, one eyebrow lifting well above the other.

"Okay, okay, sorry. . . I guess I'll just name it Somnior."

"What is that, Mandarin for 'I suck at naming things'? Whatever, enough chit-chat. Let's get going!"

I let out an exasperated sigh at the floor, then grabbed a map and ran after her. Yeah, let's not forget this and get lost in Zoxum, of all places. I swear, what would she do without me? Waltz into the sun, probably.

Lake Augr was an oil painting, the sun's scattered reflection across its soft, rippling surface. A hint of green lurked deep within, just enough to give it life. It's almost noon if I can see the sun without much stretch to it. We really need to get moving.

Maya was waiting at the main gate, forcefully tapping her left foot against the dirt so I would hear it.

"Don't give me that look. Though I admit, we're running late today." I glanced toward the midday sun.

"Oh, good! You brought the map. I totally forgot about it."

"Did you, now? Anyway, Zoxum's eastern border is about ten kilometers from here. If we pace ourselves well, we can get there in under two hours."

"Well, let's get going then! You navigate and I'll keep an eye out for danger. I need to feed my poor, hungry Vesper."

#

Dominaria Forest was an expansive sea of thick, knotted trees and flora that rustled with the movements of diverse wildlife. It stretched out as far as the eye can see, in some directions. Thankfully, our castle sat right on the eastern edge of it, still protected by its thick foliage without needing to traverse it for more than a few kilometers when heading at least partially north.

Compass and map in hand, we waded northwest through grassy woodlands dusted with cyan moss, hacking at dense, prickly brush that brandished tiny orange scimitars at us, and swatting away insects that glimmered like frantic gemstones caught in a whirlwind. Overhead swayed a canopy like a fancy salad dressed with yellow sunlight; in what effectively an eternal spring, the tree's leaves were caught in a transfixing dichotomy of youthful greens and aged auburn. Most of the wildlife had mild temperaments, scampering and scurrying up trees and into shrubbery as we stomped by. For this, I was thankful. Wasting our energy in the forest would become a handicap later on.

Please, please tell me she's sleeping right now.

As if the trees could read my thoughts, the canopy overhead shifted, the sunlight poking through gaps in leaves no longer swaying calmly against dirt and roots. Maya and I quickly drew our swords and looked up, following the rustling intently.

"Do you think it's her?" Maya whispered to me, her eyes maintaining focus on the treetops.

Before I could answer, a shadowy blur fell toward the dirt in front of us with a loud thud and a dusty wave of leaves. I raised Somnior, adrenaline coursing through me. Its back was turned to us, and I was not going to waste any time.

"WAIT!" Maya screeched as I advanced toward the beast. "Don't hurt it, or I swear, I'll kill you!"

I tensed, falling to the ground as my momentum suddenly halted. Shock is extremely unpleasant when you're pumping with adrenaline and fear, like dumping baking soda into a bowl of mixed acids.

"Why did you stop me?" I spat with venomous anger. "I had an opening!"

"Shut up! You'll scare it! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. . . okay, calm down, Maya." She slowly walked over to the animal, which stood at least a full head higher than her. Its black, slightly furry body was now turning around, slowly rotating to face us.

You've got to be kidding me.

Not twenty feet away from me stood an enormous brown bat. It shrunk back slightly as Maya approached it, despite having the size advantage. She held her hand out, coaxing and cooing it with a soothing voice, then reached in her pack and pulled out something that was a shiny red.

"Hey, buddy, you want an apple? You look like a fruit bat, you want an apple? Come on, go ahead and have it!"

It looked at her with massive eyes, glossy black like the polished obsidian of her pommel, and a furry face snouted in the same manner a dog or fox would be. There was a long slash of striated, sheen skin running across its dark, matte belly, a twisting of lighter flesh knotted like vine.

"Careful, Maya. . . it's seen battle and survived, that's no defenseless animal."

The bat slowly craned its head toward her extended hand, and Maya continued to encourage it. "Yeah, come on big guy. Just a little closer. . . there you go!"

It bit down on the apple and pulled back, grabbing it with claws the length of my palm and nibbling ferociously with complete disregard for its seedy core. Within seconds, the apple's existence was erased. Maya approached the bat further, and it slowly dropped its head down to her. She giggled as a long, pink tongue lurched from its mouth and lapped at her fingers and face.

"See? Not every animal is scary, Reza. This is just a cute fruit bat! Look at his sweet face." She turned toward me, still petting the bat. "Apologize right now. You almost killed him!"

"Well he dropped from the sky, and you know what lives here. . . I was startled, you can't blame me."

Maya was giving me that blank stare again, slowly blinking in waves from one eye to the next. This time, her left eyebrow was raised and her arms were crossed. It's amazing how many physical variations of 'annoyed' that woman could conjure.

I sighed and threw my arms up. "Okay, okay. . . sorry, bat. Can we go now, Maya? We've wasted enough time here."

"See, Mr. Bat? He's so boring, but you're so cute and fun, yes you are! I have to go now, but you stay safe out here, okay?" She patted its head again, laughing as it licked at her fingers.

We set forth into the dense greenery once more, increasing our pace. After a few moments, I turned back to find the beast watching us fade into the thick, twisting underbrush, a curious head slightly cocked as if to ask what the rush was.