The guild hall is thriving as I bring my trophies before the secretary.

She's surprised by the count. But, quickly recovers.

"Here you are," she passes me my pay.

No more am I impoverished.

We settle down at a table in the hall and order a couple of ales.

"What are we going to do next?" Max asks with a blush on his cheeks.

I think about his question. I don't have any objectives to achieve.

"We'll go back into the wilderness.

"I'll teach you more sword fighting."

Max smiles an appreciative smile.

But, then, I wonder what else there is to do.

"We should go to the celestial pantheon," the sword blurts out.

I look at the weapon questioningly.

"You're close to a breakthrough. We should visit the big world."

"What do you mean, big world?"

Max is confused by my question.

"Haven't you learned anything, little mortal?

"This world is the soul world of an ancient."

I'm stunned by the words.

"But, this is the material world," I protest.

"To you and me. But, the source is beyond a god. It is a titan."

Titan, I wonder.

The stories of Titans usually involve them as monsters that eat their children, the gods.

"If this is a soul world, how can we possibly leave it?"

"There are portals," the sword says patiently, "that allows travel between the worlds. We will enter another dreamer's world.

"One larger than our current one."

Max is confused by my one-sided conversation. But, he lets me process the sword's words.

"Sorry, Max," I apologize.

He shakes his head and we continue our drinking.

We make our way to an inn and each gets a room.

As I lie in the bed, I contemplate what it means to live as someone else's dream.

Does that mean we all share a common soul?

I close my eyes to the world and allow sleep to take me.

We don't waste any time in leaving town the following day.

Our journey is simply away. And, I find a quiet meadow off the beaten track.

We set snares to catch the wild game.

Afterward, I find a pair of sticks and face off with my companion.

He's better than when we first sparred. But, he's still a novice.

During the day, we spar and, at night, we meditate.

Days and weeks pass. And, Max is starting to make me work to hold my supremacy.

Our respective cultivation is advancing.

My soul world has stopped growing in size. Now, it grows in complexity.

Life abounds within me and I mobilize chi with my every action.

The use of chi is not simply a matter of destruction.

Truly, it is a form of communion.

"You're almost there, bearer. Soon you'll be ready to search for the celestial pantheon."

"Wouldn't I still be too weak to stand before gods and immortals?"

"Well, yes. But, when you get there, you can face off against practitioners at your level."

I'm not sure how I feel about fighting other cultivators.

Max's progression is advancing and I find myself enjoying this peaceful life.

One day, as I rise from my meditation, I see a plume of fire ascending into the heavens.

Max still sleeps, so I take the sword in hand and rush off to the site of the fire.

When I arrived, I heard screams and saw several houses on fire.

At the center of the village, I see a monster with wings breathing fire on its surroundings.

"A dragon!" the sword elates.

I'm at a loss for how to face such a creature.

"Remember," the sword says, "use your chi when you attack."

I nod. But, feel a sense of terror I've never experienced before.

This is a creature of myth and legend.

While I hesitate, a young boy steps forward.

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Unafraid, the boy throws a stone at the scaled creature.

The dragon inhales deeply.

Shit, I think as I run to the boy.

My chi flows into the sword as I plant it on the ground and take a knee between the boy and the monster.

A long jet of fire escapes the dragon's mouth and descends upon me.

The sword glows as it absorbs the impact.

Miraculously, the flames pass without a hair being singed.

The dragon roars its frustration and charges me.

I stand and bring the sword to bear.

Teeth chomp at me with incredible weight.

I'm pushed back.

"Run," I yell over my shoulder.

The unafraid child finally realizes the danger and flees.

I use the qillian's grease lightning to evade the jaws of death.

I cut a gash into one of its legs, eliciting a roar of anger.

"Give me a turn," the sword says before I'm torn from control of my body.

My body is a blur as the sword uses grease lightning to circle the dragon.

When I stop, I feel a massive build-up of chi well up from within me.

The blade slashes down.

From the edge of the sword comes a beam of destructive energy.

The dragon is caught unprepared as one of its wings is sheared off.

The monster roars with pain while control is returned to me.

Without the wing to stabilize its weight, the dragon stumbles on its two legs and remaining wing.

I push the advantage as the enemy retreats.

My energy transfers to the sword and I imitate the previous strike.

A deep gash tears into its chest.

Smoke escapes the dragon's nostrils as it prepares to blast me with its fire.

Like lightning, I move away as a torrent of fire consumes the air I'd just stood in.

When I land at the beast's crippled side, I cut into its leg.

The blow is shallow. But, the dragon labors to keep its balance.

Fear comes over the monster as I cut into it.

It tries to run. But, my sword fills its body with lacerations.

The foe sags to the ground.

I approach its neck and deliver the finishing blow.

Red blood leaks out onto the ground and I turn my attention to the villagers watching from a safe distance.

"Take its heart," the sword says.

"Why?"

"Fine, if you want to pass up on treasure, who am I to stop you?"

I sigh as I cut my way into the dragon's chest.

What I find leaves me speechless.

It's not a heart I would recognize as such.

A pulsing jewel, the size of a head of cabbage rests in the cavernous torso.

Reverently, I collect the heavy prize.

"What's it used for?" I wonder.

"Oh," the sword says. "It has many uses. The whole body of the dragon is useful. The heart can be used in alchemy, enchanting, and blacksmithing.

"It's a high-grade material for any craftsman.

"I had one bearer who made a habit out of hunting dragons. It's a lucrative business if you're willing to risk life and limb.

"As I recall, he drew the ire of the dragonkin."

The sword rambles on as I take my prize and walk away from the corpse.

The boy I'd saved is held by a woman. She looks at me gratefully.

I find my way back to the camp where I find Max still sleeping.

I wrap the jewel with a sheet and kick Max's feet.

He comes awake, groggily.

"Good morning," he says.

I smirk.

"Come on. Let's move."

He prepares quickly.

"What's that?" he points to the bound jewel in my hand.

"Treasure," I say vaguely.

He looks excited, "There were ruins nearby? You should have brought me."

I chuckle, "I'll remember to do that next time."

We carry on with our journey.

My goal is one of the major cities in the region.

Days pass as we walk onward.

The city of Fargo is a harbor town and sees imports and exports pass through it steadily.

The streets are alive with merchants hawking their wares.

Normally, I'd stick to the lower quarter where common goods are sold.

But, today I march into the high-end part of town.

I only know the establishment by word of mouth.

But, I know where to look.

The Fang clan auction house is a regal establishment with a roof supported by massive marble pillars.

A bored clerk sees us come in.

His disdain is obvious as he says, "What?"

I set the bound dragon's heart on the counter.

"I have something to sell at auction."

"I'm sure you do," he says. "Listen, we don't deal in broken pottery. You should excuse yourself before you embarrass yourself."

I frown.

"This little pissant," the sword mutters.

With a sigh, I unbind the pulsing jewel.

The clerk nearly falls over as he looks at it.

"What-" he starts. "What is this?"

"A dragon's heart."

He looks from the jewel to me.

"How- How did you get it?"

I look at him dully, "I killed a dragon."

The man stands taller and a bead of sweat shows on his brow.

"I'll get the curator."

He rushes off, leaving Max and I.

His eyes are wide, "You killed a dragon?"

I smile, "Yeah."

Awe shows in his expression as we wait for the curator.

The clerk leads an elderly woman to the front desk.

Her eyes are alight with interest.

"You're the one who procured this treasure?" she asks, her eyes only briefly leaving the heart.

"Yes."

She touches the jewel gingerly.

"We take a 15% cut. Is that reasonable to you?"

I nod my agreement.

"Come," she says. "There is paperwork to fill out."

Max and I follow the sage woman.

After the paperwork is filled out, the heart is locked away till the auction.

"Our next auction is two weeks from now. I can make arrangements for a place for you to stay."

"No," I say. "Thank you. But, we'll make our own arrangements"

She smiles a professional smile.

"I look forward to seeing your item at auction."

With that, we part. I stow the receipt and walk out into the streets of Fargo.

Max, faithfully, follows me out of the ritzy part of town.

"A celebration is in order," I say.

The pub we choose is filled with raucous laughter.

No one notices our entry.

We find a table and wait for the barmaid.

"What can I get you, boys?"

"2 ales and 2 house specials, please."

Max looks at me, "You really killed a dragon?"

I smile, "Yeah"

The sword explodes, "You're taking all the credit again?"

I flick the sword.

"What was it like?" Max asks with stars in his eyes.

I shrug, "It was scary. The dragon's fire could have engulfed me if not for the sword.

Max's eyes fall to the blade at my hip.

The barmaid returns with our drinks.

"Your meals will be ready shortly."

She winks at me in parting.

I feel a smile come over my face.

The ale is bitter and satisfying.

"What are you going to do with your money from the auction?"

I look into my drink, "I'm thinking I'll pocket some and put the rest in the imperial bank."

Max's questions come to an end and we enjoy our drinks as the meals come out.

"Have you heard?" I overhear someone ask. "The demons are attacking the Southern wall."

"Dammed monsters."

The military is redeploying from the drow incursion to face the threat.

A silence rings out.

"The empire's going to hell."

"Aye," a voice affirms the sentiment.

"I wonder how many adventurers will be heading off to face the threat."

"Who are you kidding? Adventurers won't risk their lives against demons."

As I listen to the last man's words, I can't help but agree.

The reward money may be substantial. But, facing an army of demons is a daunting task.

"Come on, bearer. Now's an ideal time to fight demons.

"What do you think is gonna happen if they break through? Might as well fight them at their source."

"I thought you wanted to go to the big world."

"No one's saying we can't do both."

Max listens to my one-sided conversation.

"Are you talking to your sword?"

I realize I must seem like a lunatic.

"Yeah."

His eyes alight, "Why can't I hear it?"

"Cause you ain't worthy, kid," the sword says critiquely.

"I think it's only possible with its bearer."

Max smiles, "That's amazing."

I nod.

Our celebration carries on through the night. And, I glean secrets from the rumor mill.

When our reverie ends we find an inn and I settle down to my meditation.

"You're ready," the sword says.

I stir from my exploration of the soul world.

"It is an act of destruction. But, more than that, it is transformation.

"All the spirits will become as one and you will command a power beyond anything you could have imagined."

I listen to the sword's words, somehow depressed.

My soul world is something so intimate that to lose it...

"It is necessary."

I sigh, "What do I do?"

"First, you must find the world's center and focus your spirit on condensing the world down to a singularity.

"This is a process that will take some time.

"But, you will feel your spiritual powers grow with every degree by which your soul world shrinks."

I sift through my soul, trying to identify its center.

I feel the spirits follow me in my search. As if drawn to the promise of unity.

"Why," I ask, "hasn't the titan, whose soul world we're in, refined us?"

The sword chuckles, "Oh, little mortal. You don't even comprehend immortality. And, you compare your cultivation with something that transcends gods?"

I can't help but think it's a solid point.

The night passes peacefully, with the sword imparting wisdom here and there.