Tenthé was in trouble. The coldness that permeated his entire being fed on his anger, making him even colder and angrier. He was the epicenter of a violent war as he strode past the mansions and down to the City Center.

As distracted as he was, it was impossible not to notice the crowd growing as he walked. It wasn’t hard to figure out why: the City Center butted up against the temples… well, one big temple now, and other establishments. The area was obviously a very popular destination at night, brightly lit and filled with citizens looking for a bit of fun.

As he entered the parkland, someone ran into him and bounced off.

“Oh, sorry son,” the person apologized, then stopped, peered at him and queried, “Hey! Is that you? Tenthé?”

Tenthé turned a frigid black glare on the man, who stepped back and put up his hands. “Whoa! I’m not your enemy. I just want to talk.”

Tenthé notched his anger down a bit and looked more closely. He wasn’t worried. In his funk he’d surrounded himself with massive shields. Most magic would bounce off or return to the sender with prejudice. As Tenthé calmed, he recovered a little more sanity.

It took a moment, but Tenthé finally recognized who it was, the Sage. What was he doing here? Tenthé struggled to get his emotions back to a point where it would be possible to hold a reasonable conversation. This was not a quick process but the Sage was patient.

As he calmed, Tenthé realized he had been riding the thoughts of everyone near him, sneering at their banality, ready to wipe them all away. That had been a close one! He took a deep breath and boxed up his emotions. At least, for now.

“Are you with us?” the Sage asked.

“Mostly,” Tenthé answered as he fished around in his clothes for some water. The process wasn’t going well, he was becoming angry again.

“Here,” the Sage said, saving the day by handing him a flask.

“Thanks,” Tenthé forced out before he drank the entire thing in one go. He handed the empty container back, looked at the Sage and growled, “So, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I never left. Or, do you mean here, as in the City, or like, right now, in the park? Well, I had a feeling that I had better hurry my butt over here quick or there wouldn’t be anyone to save. So, that’s what I did. I listen to my feelings, they make me what I am.”

“Yeah. Good. It was close… very close.”

There was a silence as they both processed the statement.

“Come on,” the Sage said, “I know somewhere, over there. We can order some food and find something better than plain old water.”

Tenthé followed him through the crowd and they arrived at a café Tenthé knew.

“Hey,” Tenthé exclaimed. “This is my favorite place! It’s still here.”

“Yeah. Mine too.”

They ordered noodles and tea, then ruthlessly grabbed a table as a couple left, jumping in front of a trio who had nothing good to say to them. The Sage was smart enough not to get physical, but he put his hand on Tenthé’s arm, implying that he just let it go. Tenthé did so, but it had been a long time since he’d been so mad and knew he wasn’t handling it very well.

They dug in as the food arrived. Once the edge had been taken off, Tenthé asked, “So, really. What are you doing here? It looks like the City has the Horde under control. Why do they need you?”

“Not sure,” the Sage replied. “Something. My feelings are telling me I’ll still be needed.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“How did you manage to survive when the city… changed? I mean,” he waved his hand about. “When it turned into this?”

“In my own way, I’m as strong as the Dreamer, so it didn’t affect me. The Dreamer can’t alter what he doesn’t understand. Although, the effect on me is kind of odd: now I have memories of two different Cities. Not to say I like it, but that’s how it is. What about you?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t here. Just got back. I’m trying to figure out what happened. Not too happy about it, so far. Nothing’s what it should be and I haven’t found my friends. Or what I find isn’t good.”

“What’ll you do?”

“What I always do. What I think’s right. Well, that is, as long as I don’t get mad. Things don’t end very good if I get mad.”

He paused as he had a thought, then asked, “Wait! How do you remember me? I haven’t seen you for, uh… months. You should have forgotten me by now.”

“You don’t know many Sages, do you?”

“Well, no. Only you.”

“Some of your magic is at Sage level. No question. A lot of it I don’t understand at all, but your forgetting is the sort of thing I can deal with. Most of us, Sages that is, wouldn’t be affected by it. We’re too, um… solid, let me say. It doesn’t work on us.”

“Do you think you could do something about it, like get it off me?”

“Not really. It’s wound in and around you. Maybe another Sage could change it, but not me. Personally, I’d leave it alone. The results might be worse.”

“I s’pose. You know though, it’d be nice if I could turn it off once in a while.”

“You could walk some of the other realities and see if there was someplace where it doesn’t work.”

“Yeah. I call them the Pools. Maybe. Not now.”

“Just an idea. Or, get all your friends to Sage level.”

“Sure. No problem.” Tenthé managed a weak chuckle, then asked, “Could the Dreamer change me?”

“Uh… probably not. Even if he made you initially, it’s not easy to go back after all you’ve been through. You aren’t the same, he won’t know you well enough. It might be possible to alter you in some way, but not to how you once were.”

Tenthé thought about Isabell. The Dreamer had changed her, but he was pretty sure the old Isabell was in there somewhere. That’s why he made the cube. His gut told him it would take a while. When he had the chance, he’d see if she was becoming more herself.

Now that he had cooled down enough to think about it, he really should check on her sooner, rather than later. If she recovered, she’d be pissed! That actually made him feel a little better.

After a moment, he asked, “So, a Dreamer can’t do anything they want? You can get around what they do?”

“Well, yes and no. Say he wanted to have a road paved with gold. He has to make sure that there’s a place to mine gold and that there’s a back story to support the reality. Then he has to have miners, and food for the miners, and so on. The change has to be real: something that could be. If he doesn’t do that, then the change will fill in its own background, like it is only an illusion, or a fantasy, or a million other things.

“That’s why a Dreamer needs a team. It’s how they can mold things the way they want. Because it’s so complex, most Dreamers only make small changes.”

“This,” Tenthé waved his hand around to indicate everything, “isn’t a small change.”

“Yeah, but I’ve seen the Dreamer do some major modifications on the fly to keep it all running. My opinion is that what you see is not what was supposed to happen. The City was a meant to be a manufacturing and banking powerhouse, but the Horde showed up. Everything had to go to this militarized economy very quickly, and from what I see and hear, it’s a patchwork job. That means the Dreamer’s team has to come up with a lot of fixes to keep it going. With the siege, there’s no trade, and because of that, the City’s slowly using up its resources and people.”

“When we went to Angel City, we found out that someone here had paid off the Horde to not attack,” Tenthé shared. “That tribe kept their word, but I bet they pulled a fast one and let another tribe in on the action. I don’t think the Dreamer expected that.”

“That explains some things. They can’t control much about what happens outside the City.”

By now, Tenthé felt more himself, or rather, more the way he wanted to be. He took a moment to relax and watch the crowds.

The Sage broke the silence. “I do have one request, if you don’t mind.”

“What?”

“Let’s just say that I’m acquainted with a certain Lady with a lot of kids. She said that a couple of them are missing and wants them back. Can you tell me anything about that?”

“Is she with you?” Tenthé asked.

“Well, when I do what I do, she’ll be there.”

“Okay. I haven’t seen them, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be that hard to track them down. They aren’t exactly sneaky. What should I do then?”

“Bring them here. I’ll take it from there.”

“You won’t tell me where you’re staying?”

“Nope. If you lose it, the less you know, the better.”

“True. Good thinking.”

“Thanks. Hope it doesn’t happen, though.”

“Me too.”

With that morose thought, Tenthé left and headed back to the fort. He had a lot to think about.