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Side Story 3: Slumber

“So, here it is: what do you think?” What the outstretched arm presents to us is a simple plain. Grass dancing in waves in quick winds, rolling hillocks, trees, bushes, some roaming animals…

“Looks the same to me.” The voice emanates from a sourceless shadow in the shape of a woman that I still feel somewhat uncomfortable being around. Not for a lack of trust that she has indeed turned a new leaf, but more of an instinctive dread.

That will take some time to fade, I think.

The second member of our little party, a bright young boy with messy blonde hair and a pair of thin, almost transparent wings upon his back, akin to that of a butterfly – although they are not capable of allowing him flight – speaks optimistically, “Well, I think it looks nice.”

Characteristic bushy green hair sways around a pair of horns as the old satyr places his hands on the ground, closing his eyes. He breathes slowly in, and out, incredibly slowly, as if he was a plant instead of a man. “Everything here is so young and vibrant. I almost wish I could stay.” He smiles relaxedly as he opens his eyes. “But I shouldn’t leave them alone for too long, even now.”

I take a deep breath through my nostrils, causing nearby trees to shiver. Processing the rush of scents, I breathe out again. “It smells… Different. I have not smelled these things before.” I rumble.

“Of course.” Our leader speaks up again. His name, his appearance, perhaps they are not worth describing. Not because they cannot be described, but because this is the third face and name I have seen him take in the short time I have known him. Perhaps next time we meet he will have changed yet again.

“Everything may look the same – and some things are similar – but most of it is very, very different. Whole worlds to explore, each unique in its own right!” He looks like a youngling, excited to play with his new toys. “Mysteries and curiosities, anything you can possibly imagine!”

“Mm. Had you told me about this even a hundred years ago, I would have called you mad.” I chuckle.

“Well, yes.” He shrugs. “Who would believe, without proof? Still, knowing you, your life won’t change much because of all this. I don’t think that there’s many caves big enough to house you much longer, though.”

I snort, a plume of smoke emitting from my nostrils. “True enough. The sky will be my roof from now on, it seems.”

“Everyone’s free to do as they like, of course. I plan to start building myself a place from the ground up, personally. Though before we split up, I do have a bit of an idea floating around in my head for you guys.” He notes, nodding towards the boy and the darkness.

After some meaningless conversation, the time comes for us to go our separate ways.

“Farewell, my friends. If you ever feel like going wild, make sure to invite me.” I rumble. “And may the wind be ever swift under your wings.”

“Most of us don’t have wings, you know.” The darkness grumbles.

The boy shakes his head. “He’s just wishing us all well, you know. No need to be so down about it.”

“I know, I know. I’m trying.” The face of the darkness splits into a rather forced smile that frankly looks more terrifying than friendly. But since she’s trying, I generously decide to take it as it was intended.

Our leader claps her heartily on the shoulder. “Goodbye, everyone. I wish you happy years, and I’ll see you all again later.”

With farewells said, each of us slowly start to depart.

The satyr steps back through the portal, back to the land in which we were born. He was the only one of us who had a responsibility, one he could not give up.

The darkness and the boy step through two new portals which our leader had created. Through the boy’s, I could see a brightness even somewhat greater than that of daylight. Through the darkness’, there was, well, darkness.

After seeing them on their way, our leader waves one last time to me before he starts walking away. I watch as he gradually becomes smaller and smaller, until finally even my eyesight can see him no longer.

Then, with nothing more to be said and done in this place, I beat my wings, flattening the grass and causing the nearby trees to groan as they bend, and take to the sky.

Any birds in the vicinity frantically beat their wings to escape the turbulent winds, and even the beasts on the ground flee from my shadow as I ascend.

They needn’t have bothered, really. Most of them could walk between two of my teeth without touching either. No, if I wanted to eat, I would have to search for much larger prey… However, fortunately for me, I have no need to eat, or I would have to spend all my years searching for food.

Finally, I reach a good height, far above the other flying creatures, far above even the few wisps of cloud in the sky. I keep my altitude, mostly gliding as I eye the land, looking for a suitable place to rest.

As he mentioned earlier, a simple cave as I had used before will no longer do. Although I am likely the oldest any of my kin have ever been, I am still growing, and likely will continue to do so. And this time, I will likely slumber for a much longer time than ever before – here I have none of the worries I once had back home, and there is nothing here that could possibly harm me.

It would be awkward if I were to wake up one year only to find that I had grown as large as the cave that held me, and I became stuck. Well, given the time and effort I could certainly escape, but it would be very irritating and uncomfortable.

So, an open area. Perhaps next to a lake or river, so that I can take a drink if ever it strikes my fancy?

…Hm, that sounds nice.

There? The lake is a tad small, though. Wouldn’t be good if I drained it. A river might be better, then. A big one.

It takes some time to find a good place, but I have plenty of that. I end up settling in a nice grassy area next to a river large enough that I could even go for a swim in it, if the mood strikes me.

My landing causes the earth to shake, and a casual flick of my tail sends chunks of dirt flying. I rake my claws through the earth to soften it up a bit before curling up and settling down.

Yawning, I rest my head and close my eyes.

Having sensed some movement around myself for a little while now, I peek the eye facing outwards open lazily.

My vision is greeted by men and women wearing animal skins, crude buildings that looked like they could fall down at any moment, a few carefully tended fires.

I snort internally with amusement – a little village has cropped up next to me!

They probably think of me as nothing more than a large, unusual rock, a convenient wind break perhaps, and a strange source of warmth in the winters. Maybe they even noticed that no wild animals approach this place, and thought it the perfect location.

They never stopped to consider why that was, of course not. They were too busy surviving. They never imagined that they were living right next to an incredibly large and powerful dragon. Truly, their ignorance is something magnificent to behold.

My thoughts pause for a moment.

But, then again, I’m not actually going to destroy their little village, am I?

Perhaps, then, it isn’t foolishness, but inadvertent genius. They may not, but any competent predator would have the sense to give me a wide, wide berth. Which leaves them perfectly safe.

I chuckle internally in amusement. The others are so focused on going out, adventuring to see amazing things. Just stay in place long enough, and they come to you - or so I have found.

Despite listening for a while, I find that I cannot understand what they are saying, and I begin to grow drowsy again.

My eyes flick up to the sky, trying to get a general feel for how long I’ve been asleep from the positions of the stars.

…Oh, right.

The next time I open my eye, what was once a gathering of little huts has developed into an actual village, with relatively – emphasis on relatively - sturdy houses, dirt paths and rudimentary fields.

More interestingly, I can actually understand them now. His influence?

They seem lively. Happy. Still very unaware of the massive dragon right next to them, but happy nonetheless.

Children play in the dirt or run around, amusing themselves with sticks and stones, games they make up on the spot… A simple, short life, perhaps, but a fulfilling one.

Seeing it puts me in a good mood, somehow.

I suppose, in a way, I did raise them. I am the reason this village was founded here, and the reason it has grown safely all these years. In a way, I am their guardian, of sorts.

Hmm, yes, this was a nice place to settle indeed.

Some harsh sounds awaken me this time. Screams, shouts, the familiar smells of blood and fire.

The village is larger than I remember, but parts of it are ablaze, and there are patches of fighting here and there.

I seem to have woken up towards the end of it all, however, as those are few and far between.

They were raided by another settlement, I gather. The village has few defences, so reliant on that ‘mysterious’ effect that kept the monsters at bay that they failed to consider that people are the true monsters.

Too complacent. That is the reason for their demise.

I knew, of course, that I would outlive the people here. It was simply inevitable. Those people I first saw here grew old and died, or were killed while hunting, long ago. Even the children from last time were likely little more than dust on the wind.

Still, it puts me in a bad mood.

Opening my eyes fully, I lift my head off the ground, looking down at the village.

One of the raiders notices the movement and points, screaming to his fellow murderers.

The village is doomed, that much is clear. Even if there are some survivors, they would not be able to recover, as it is.

So… Ashes to ashes.

I open my maw and let loose a torrent of flame that envelopes the entire village, drowning out every other sound and lighting up the night. Easily keeping it up for a few seconds more, I snap my jaw shut with a loud finality.

Where was once a village, there is now nothing but remnant flickering flames and the earth glowing a bright red, which slowly fades as it cools. The houses, fields, men, women, children: gone, with even their skeletons burnt to ashes.

The soil will recover in time, grass will cover it again, and I will once more be alone in my slumber.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I take a gulp of water from the river before settling down, once again, to sleep.

Flowers are the first thing to meet my eye this time. Unopened buds litter the ground before me, filling my sight with green where once was black.

I decide to wait a while for them to bloom before closing my eye again.

Days and nights pass, wind and rain – none of them bother me. I can see perfectly well even in the darkest nights, and my blood burns hot enough to keep me warm in the coldest of winters. An adamantine arrow could not pierce the membrane of my eye, let alone my scales. No force of nature or man can faze me.

The buds grow gradually, day by day, and then start to stretch open. Eventually, one dewy dawn, what greets my eye is a field of red petals. I take a breath, pulling the scent into my nostrils.

Hm. Well worth waiting for.

An unnatural din wakes me yet again.

Sliding open an eye, I see two armies – although perhaps calling them armies is an overstatement – two disordered groups with little more than rudimentary weapons of wood, flint and bone, clashing on the field, flowers torn up under their stomping feet.

I snort in irritation, a thin column of smoke emanating from my nostrils, unnoticed by both sides.

Ultimately, however, I decide not to interfere. The fight will end quickly, by my standards, without me having to do anything.

Closing my eye again, I try to ignore their yelling and screaming.

I ignore it patiently, for a long while. Sometimes it does stop for a while, and I think it is over. But inevitably, before too long, it starts again.

Annoyed at being unable to rest comfortably, I open my eye again to see what in the world is going on.

Two sides are still fighting, except now they have coloured paint daubed on their faces, there a few of them slinging rocks on each side and even a mage or two flinging basic spells back and forth.

What is this, two tribes warring for, how long has it been now, ten generations for them?

This is getting ridiculous. I’m trying to sleep here, did nobody teach you to respect your elders?

…Rather, do they have elders? They seem to be sending all their people to perish, all the time.

Lifting my head, I purse my lips, leaving only a narrow gap open, through which I breathe a stream of flames that cuts through the middle of the melee. A couple dozen of the fighters mixed up in the middle are instantly incinerated, and the rest scatter in reaction, tripping over themselves in their efforts to flee.

If I’m lucky, they’ll stop fighting here, at least. Perhaps they’ll even stop fighting altogether… however doubtful.

If I’m unlucky and they band together to attack me, well, it’s their funeral and my problem solved.

‘Horde’ is insufficient to describe it.

‘Army’ would imply some form of order.

No, this was a sea, a veritable tide of monsters. The ground is covered, and the sky is black with their numbers.

Opposing them, being constantly pushed back, are some armies, miniscule in comparison. They look exhausted, and the fight has barely just begun.

At the front and center there is one single area where the line is holding steady. A party of seven headed ranks of orcs, decimating any monster that approached.

It was because they asked me that I am here. That, and because of the consequences if they lose this fight.

Tucking my wings in, I begin to dive towards the battle, letting loose a roar that causes the air to vibrate, and many monsters simply fall from the sky.

I pace casually and confidently forwards, locking eyes with my prey.

It trembles, but does not move. It knows instinctively that if it does, it will die.

My tongue darts out, lashing it across the face as I give it a taste. It has been too long since I last ate hydra. Pinning in beneath one foot, I rip off a head and munch on it leisurely.

The beast whimpers in pain and fear, but the stump is already regrowing into a new head.

I savour the taste of its flesh, when I pause. Wasn’t I just… In the war?

Wait, which war was it that I was thinking of?

…Yes, of course, that war. How could I forget, I was just there. So why am I here – why was I there?

Ah, I’m dreaming. Of course. That makes sense.

But then, this is an unusual dream. Usually, something is happening. This is just – I look around at the clearing – normal, almost.

A twig snaps, and I swivel my head to look where it happened. I see little amidst the bushes, but I can hear a voice murmur, “Please don’t eat me.”

“Relax.” I reply, amused. “You wouldn’t even be enough for a snack.”

“…Who said that?” A small voice comes from the bushes.

“Me.” I reply again. “Yes, I can talk. Yes, I am indeed a dragon.”

The bushes rustle, and a young man hesitantly emerges from them. He takes a deep breath and seems to gain some confidence that quickly fades again as he looks up at me. “Hello?”

“Greetings, little one.” I peer down at him. He seems ordinary. “This dream is… Unusual. Did you do this?”

“L, l, l, look, I didn’t – wasn’t, it w-was an accident!” He stammers.

“I’m impressed.” I say, ignoring him. “I haven’t experienced something such as this before. Besides, this is a dream, is it not? It is doubtful that I could even harm you.”

“I, uh, yes. True.” He agrees falteringly.

I kick away the hydra, which immediately takes the opportunity to flee. The boy flinches at the movement. “You seem unsure.”

“Well, nobody’s ever – nobody’s ever noticed me before.” He says lamely. “I don’t know if that changes things.”

“And how did you do this, little one?” I ask, curious. “Is it some form of magic?”

“Magic?” He tilts his head. “No, I don’t know how to do magic. It’s… One night I went to sleep, but when the dreams came it was like I was still awake. I saw a doorway, and when I went through it I was in someone else’s dream, though it took me a long time to figure it out.”

I tilt my head. “An ability unique to you, perhaps? Doorways to other people’s dreams, you say… How interesting. Why, you could see places you’ve never even been to, people you’ve never met, events that you didn’t know had happened.”

He nods excitedly at my words. “Exactly! Every night I go into other people’s dreams and sometimes I see amazing things! Other times, though…” He shivers. “I see dark places in the dreams, places that I don’t understand.”

“Curious indeed.” I chuckle. “So, you go through these doorways that appear in your dreams, and you end up in the dreams of someone random?”

“Yes. At least, at first.” He explains. “Nowadays I can control it a bit better. I can make the doorways appear when and where I want them, and even go into the dreams of someone I know, if I want to.”

“Impressive. Can you show me?” I request.

He hesitates for a moment. “Okay, but I’ve never had this happen before. I don’t know if I can bring other people with me, or anything like that. Please don’t get mad if it doesn’t work.”

“Relax.” I say again. “I am not so petty.”

He breathes a sigh of relief, and points to the edge of the clearing.

A doorway appears there, little more than three branches tied with vines. It looks like it could topple over and collapse from a mere breath, but it stands upright regardless, unsupported by anything at all. Despite its ordinary appearance, what I see through the doorway is not the trees behind it, but another location entirely.

“A doorway to another world…” I marvel. “Although, it is a tad small.”

The doorway is his size; that is to say, I can’t fit so much as a single claw through the entrance.

He shakes his head. “I’ve never tried making a bigger one before. I don’t know if I can.”

“You can. Believe it, and it will be.” I state.

“Alright.” He closes his eyes, focuses, and points with intent. He opens his eyes to see… the same doorway. “I can’t do it. Sorry.”

“You need not apologize.” I reassure him. “As you say, you have never tried this before. Perhaps you will learn, in time.”

“Thanks.” He smiles. “You’re surprisingly nice for a massive dragon. I thought I was going to get squished or eaten.”

“I only do that to things that irritate me too much.” I chuckle. “Most things are smart enough not to, so I just let them be.”

“Well. Thanks anyway.” He says.

Bringing my head closer to the doorway, I peer at it intently.

A doorway. Ordinary, yet not. A gateway to another world…

“What is it?” He asks.

I ponder how best to put it into words. “I feel…”

Familiarity. A sense that I have seen, experienced this before, and yet I know that I have not. Inexplicable understanding. Knowledge that should not be. Is this just the false memory of a dream, or is it something else?

“How did you say you create these doorways?” I muse. “You simply think of a person, and then imagine a doorway connecting to them?”

“I… Yes?” He replies, a bit startled. “I don’t think I explained that, though.”

I nod very slightly.

The image of him… No, the very idea of him, I fix firmly in my mind.

I blink.

“My god!” He shouts, scrambling backwards. “What is that!?”

A swirling gateway has appeared at the edge of the clearing. Proper size, this time.

“A portal, little one.” I say with satisfaction, striding forwards. “Come. I am not the strangest thing you will see tonight.”

A strange shiver runs through my body as I step through the portal, out into… Nothingness.

I look around, but it is the same in every direction. The only thing is a small area of grass around the entrance of the portal, as if my dream is bleeding through the portal.

“What is this?” I wonder aloud.

“It’s- It,” he pants loudly, “It means they aren’t dreaming right now, I think.”

He catches his breath after a few moments. “I’ve seen it before. We should go back, there’s nothing to see… Here…” He trails off as the world abruptly starts to gain colour.

The grass beneath our feet spreads out rapidly, fences sprout from the ground and rows of neatly ordered grain grow. Within a few seconds, where there was formerly nothing there is now a large, sprawling farm, complete with farmhouse, fields, pens, pastures and much more.

Hands part the stalks of grain, and a man walks out from between them. Looking up at me, a smile splits his face. “I thought I felt something weird. How on earth have you managed this, Grun?”

“By chance.” I chuckle. “This little one happened to walk into my dream tonight, and I somehow managed to figure out how to do it myself.”

“You… what?” He looks at the kid for a bit, then back at me. “Ah, I see now. I should have guessed this would happen sooner or later. And what’s your name, kid?”

“Uh, Ruvel. Sir.” He says awkwardly.

There’s a momentary silence as Ruvel looks expectantly at him, and he stares back. “Oh, you’re expecting me to tell you my name now, right. No, I don’t think I’ll do that, sorry. But anyway, Grun, how’s it been? It’s been a while, and I certainly wasn’t expecting to meet again like this.”

I chuckle. “Nor was I. Things have been just fine. Sleeping, you know. Found a nice little spot by a river, a village popped up next to me at one point. A few wars and the like. Some nice flowers grew once. How long has it been, anyway? I haven’t been keeping proper track.”

“Eh, twenty thousand odd years, roughly.” He shrugs.

“Ah. No wonder it felt like you had gotten smaller.” I nod in understanding.

“Yeah, you’re a proper mountain of a dragon now.” He slaps the side of one of my claws. “I laugh to think of someone trying to stab you, only to find that your scales are thicker than their sword is long.”

“Doubtlessly, although nobody has been foolish enough to try thus far.” I chuckle with him. “And their sword wouldn’t penetrate my scales in the first place, but nevertheless. How have things been with you?”

“Well, you know me.” He shrugs. “Always caught up in some sort of trouble. Lots of things to do. We’re the first ones, you know, our group, and I’m the only one sort of free, so until some more turn up I have to do all the work. On top of that, I’m working on a bit of a plan for the future if things end up going south.”

“I have no clue what you’re saying.” I shake my head helplessly. “Still, if things go bad, isn’t it enough to just crush whoever is responsible?”

His shoulders fall as he sighs. “I mean, yes, that is basically what the plan is when you get down to it. But I want it to have more… Pizazz.”

“I’ll just take your word for it, I suppose.” I snort. “Still, you sound busy. I won’t bother you much longer. It was good to see you.”

“And you, old friend.” He nods. “Feel free to come around whenever you feel like it. I can always free up a bit of time for you.”

I turn around, careful not to crush the little one beside me. “I will, if the mood strikes.”

A small voice from below me mutters, “Great, now I have to run all the way back. This is a dream, I don’t get tired. Believe it. I don’t get tired. Please.”

“You can open your own door back now, can you not?” I rumble laughingly. “If the distance is too large for you.”

“Oh, right!” Ruvel exclaims, creating his own door in front of him and walking through.

After a few steps forward, I too have returned to my forest clearing. I look around again. This must truly be a huge forest for there to be a clearing large enough for me to move around in. I can easily see over the tops of the trees, but there is no end to the forest in sight.

“Do you happen to know what this place is?” I ask the little one. “It doesn’t change as dreams oft do.”

“I think so.” He replies, looking up at me. “I didn’t realise it earlier, but it’s like what I see when I first dream. It’s like your… dream home. More solid than a normal dream, but less solid than real life. If it’s like mine, you can change things here, and every time you go to sleep it’ll stay however you last left it.”

“My dream home?” I mutter incredulously. “This?”

I don’t mind forests, but they are not my habitat of choice.

“Well…” He ponders. “You are quite huge – if you don’t mind me saying that – so maybe your dream home is, too? Maybe there’s more to it?”

“An excellent thought!” I rumble, forming a rock platform next to him. “Come, step on the platform. I’m afraid that even me taking flight may be enough to crush you.”

“Uh, okay,” He says, moving onto it, “but I don’t see how this – AH!” He shouts in surprise and falls over as the platform lifts him into the air.

I swiftly transform the platform into a box with no top to prevent him from falling off. “Even if you were able to protect yourself from the gusts of my take off, this forest must be filled with my favourite prey – all of which are more than strong enough to kill you with a single finger.” I explain, bringing the box up to the long arch between my snout and brow. “Naturally, the safest place is with me, so long as I make flight safe for you.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing!?” He shouts as I anchor the box to myself, then encapsulate him entirely. “Now I can’t see!”

What was that see-through materials man are so fond of? Ah, glass.

The glass turns transparent, and I ponder a moment. Another thought turns it moss green, the same colour as my scales. For a moment I wonder how I should incorporate air holes, but then I just shrug and start beating my wings.

It’s a dream after all, he doesn’t really need to breathe.

“Come, you have shown me how to do things tonight that I had not known were possible.” I chuckle. “In return, let me show you the world in the eyes of a dragon!”

I ascend sharply, the sounds of cracking trees emanating from below me. The little one screams, and I laugh uproariously as I feel the wind underneath my wings again. Once I reach a suitable height, I begin to softly glide. “Look, we are higher than the peaks of the tallest mountains! Higher than the clouds themselves! Free to go wherever we like! Untouchable! Unstoppable! This is what it is to be a dragon!”

“Woah.” He breathes, laying his palm upon the glass as he looks out. “It’s hard for me to make anything out from this height. What’s that little green patch?”

“That little green patch,” I chuckle, “Is the forest we were just in.”

“That is!?” He exclaims. “It was smaller than I thought.”

“On the contrary, it is hundreds of kilometres long and wide.” I rumble.

“Amazing.” He mutters.

We fly for a while, me surveying the landscape and growing increasingly content with the variety and size of climates in my dream home, and he in awestruck wonder.

“Grun…” He murmurs.

“Hmm?” I grunt in reply.

“That’s what he called you, right?” He asks. “That’s your name?”

“Grunvarodurminon, in full.” I reply. “Most who know me prefer to use just ‘Grun’. Easier on the tongue, shorter on the ear, you know.”

He nods, then asks, “Who was he? The man we saw earlier, I mean.”

“An old friend, one I had not seen in a long time.” I tell him.

“He said it had been… Over twenty thousand years since you last met?” he says, and I grunt the affirmative. “I don’t know numbers very well, but that sounds like a lot.”

“It is.” I agree. “Do you know one hundred?”

“I think so. Barely?” He says, sounding somewhat unsure.

“Twenty thousand is twice one hundred one hundreds.” I explain easily. “That long ago, the village or city or wherever you live didn’t exist. In fact, most every living thing you’ve ever seen wasn’t even born or sprouted back then.”

“But he looked human.” He states, sounding very confused. “Humans don’t live that long, it’s impossible!”

“Have you ever heard of a talking dragon before today?” I ask, watching with crossed eyes as he shakes his head. “My friends and I are very unusual people, in many ways. Our longevity – our long lives - is one of these ways. Well, to be honest, for him in particular I’m not sure how he has lived so long. He is human, so far as I know. But I never could imagine him dying from something so simple as old age, so I wasn’t surprised to see him still kicking.”

“That still doesn’t make sense, though.” He mumbles.

“Sometimes things just don’t. That’s life.” I reply. “He’s the type of person that anything you know about him is what he’s let you know. It’s just who he is.”

He looks down. “I don’t know if I could trust someone like that.”

“Maybe. But he’s a good person, or at least tries to be – that much I could always tell. For me, it’s enough that at their core, his intentions are always to help, not to harm. That, or just for pure amusement.” I say, looking into the horizon.

Tilting my wings slightly, I start to descend.

“We’re going back down?” He notices.

“Hmm.” I hum. “It’s time for you to return to your own dreams, at least for tonight.”

“But we should have plenty of time, right? Dreams can last a really long time, but it’s only a short time in reality.” He protests.

“I know, little one.” I say softly. “However, you have already experienced too much tonight, too quickly. Return to your dreams and relax. Perhaps bathe in the sunshine at a beach.”

“What’s a beach?” He asks.

I chuckle as I land. “Perhaps you’ll see one in a dream someday.”

Lowering his little box down onto the ground, I release him from it. A doorway appears at his behest, and he looks back at me before walking through it.

“Can I come back here?” He asks. “Talk to you again?”

“Of course, little one.” I nod slightly. “I will likely be asleep your entire lifetime. Feel free to visit me anytime.”

“Thanks.” He smiles. “Bye, Grun!”

“Rest well, Ruvel.” I reply.

He walks through the doorway, which fades behind him. For a while after he left, I explore my dream home, but eventually I create a portal and return to my usual dreams.

“So, you just… Sleep? All the time? Every day?” Ruvel questions.

“Mm, mostly. In those last twenty thousand years, I probably spent less than a single year awake in total.” I nod slightly.

“But… Why?” He asks, uncomprehending. “Why don’t you fly around like we do here… Be a dragon?”

I sigh deeply, bending nearby trees from the pressure. “If the people at your home saw me in the sky, what would they do?”

He pauses, shivering slightly. “They… They’d panic. Run. Pray.”

“Hmm…” I bow my head. “To put it mildly. The beasts of the land and sky avoid my mere presence. Still as a rock for hundreds of years, and yet that instinctive dread – that which man lacks – still prevents their approach. As for humans, as soon as they recognise what I am, even they flee. Wherever I go becomes devoid of life whether I breathe fire or not.”

“It’s not that extreme… Is it?” He winces.

“There have been times where animals and men have died from abject fear upon seeing my approach.” I admit. “Where I am from, they called dragons ‘Terrors of the skies’ and ‘Destroyers of strongholds’. Not without reason, either.”

He winces harder. “I mean… I wouldn’t want to see you when you’re angry.”

“Exactly.” I nod in agreement. “You may be happy to know that my kin are much smaller and less powerful than myself, but still an attack from one could be considered nothing less than a natural disaster. As for myself, the simple concept of what I may be capable of deters most conversation. Even you yourself didn’t flee because you believed that you were safe, as we are dreaming, did you not?”

“Well, yes.” He admits. “Still, I’m glad I stayed.”

“As am I, little one.” I say. “It is rare that people would consider talking to a dragon, even if the dragon spoke first.”

“Well, I kind of get that. You are really scary. Like, really scary.” He emphasizes.

“Mm.” I rumble, twisting my head to get the stiffness out.

He flinches slightly. “Anyway, don’t you get, you know, lonely? Bored of sleeping all the time?”

“Can dreaming ever be boring?” I ask rhetorically. “Regardless, I am content with my life. As for being lonely… Sometimes. Which is why I am thankful for the few friends I have.”

“How did you meet them?” Ruvel asks. “The man we met before and the others you keep mentioning, I mean.”

“Hah.” I snort. “Let’s see now, the first of them I met was… The satyr, that is, a person that has two legs of a goat and the upper body of a human. I was a lot younger then, and a lot smaller – we dragons grow as we age.”

“Really?” His eyes widen in surprise. “So, were you like, as small as an ox?”

I think back. “Closer to a small house. But yes, younger, and well, how shall we say? Reckless. Arrogant. I… Well, I set a portion of a forest on fire. A small portion, mind you. A small portion of a very large forest, which to be fair is still a large amount of forest.”

“Are you… Are you embarrassed?” He laughs incredulously.

I raise my chin. “Of course! I was in the wrong. I admit this. Foolishness of my youth. I have since grown out of it. Mostly. Anyway, he was sort of the guardian of this forest, so he came out and beat me up and told me never to come back.”

“And you apologised and made up for it?” He asks.

“What? No. Once I had healed, I went back to fight him again!” I state proudly. “I lost again, of course.”

“So, after all that, how did you end up as friends?” He looks lost.

“Long story. Short version: I avoided him and the forest for a long time, he went a bit mad – bad business, no involvement of mine – a war happened, we were both roped into it by a mutual friend, and after all that was finished, then I apologised, did what I could to make up for it.” I explain. “We are just about as different as you can get – me, a lazy, huge fire-breathing dragon and he, a dutiful, small goat man. After we managed to get over the personality clashes, we actually got along quite well.”

“Okay, that makes no sense.” He shakes his head. “What about your other friends?”

“Well, next one I met was old darky. I was a bit older then, had mellowed out a bit.” I reminisce. “She wanted me to be her underling.”

“What!?” He exclaims. “What sort of idiot – you beat her up, right?”

“I wish I could have.” I sigh. “But no, she was much more powerful than me. Still, I was strong enough that if we clashed I could have torched many of her other underlings, so I had a bit of space to work with so long as I agreed to be a neutral party, so to speak.”

“Why is everyone you talk about stronger than you!” He protests. “What sort of monstrous place are you from?”

“Nothing so dramatic. Only a few people were and are stronger than me. I just happened to get to know all of them throughout my long life.” I shrug. “But yes, the war I mentioned earlier – She was the leader of the other side, and the instigator.”

He cradles his face. “And how did that end up in you being friends?”

“It’s complicated, and I probably shouldn’t go into any detail. Other people’s secrets, not mine to tell.” I tell him frankly. “But the crux of it all was him, the one you met that first night. He was that mutual friend of me and the old goat I mentioned, too.”

Ruvel shakes his head. “And how’d you meet him, was he beating you over the head with a blade of grass?”

“Hah, no.” I chortle. “He was much like you, actually. Came across me in the cave where I was sleeping, with a group of his friends. Was brave enough to chat with me after I spoke, instead of taking off. That last friend of mine was in his group, too. Well, he joined later on, but all the same.”

“That sounds a lot more normal.” He looks almost disappointed. “But he really went up and talked to you? In real life? No protection?”

“He has an adamantine pair, to be sure.” I agree. “His friends were just about fainting, doubtless expecting me to torch them all any second. They were strong among their peers, but they knew they couldn’t stand up to a dragon.”

“Huh. That’s actually amazing.” He admits.

“Mm.” I hum. “So, what do you do? Outside of dreams, that is.”

“Me?” He asks, surprised. “I’m just an ordinary person when I’m awake. I help plant and weed the crops, tend to the animals, anything that needs to be done.”

“Tell me about that.” I request. “You could say that I’m bad with animals.”

Ruvel comes around most nights to talk. Although I’ve never been there in reality, I grow to be intimately familiar with his home and all the things going on there – how the harvest has been great this year, and the animals rarely get sick, about the wall they’ve been working on building; everything.

He has even brought me to his dream home, and showed me what the village looks like, although the people there aren’t quite real.

Over time, I watch as he grows both physically and in confidence and bearing. Inevitably, he is ageing, as all things do.

One night, however, things are different.

The doorway appears near me as usual, but when he comes through, he’s drenched in sweat and breathing erratically. He pants for a few moments as I watch him with a raised brow, and then he looks at me with abnormally wide, frightened eyes and says, “Grun… I think I’m dead.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask, more than a little put off by the seriousness and panic in his voice.

“I was watching over the herd at night,” He continues, starting to pace fretfully, “I got attacked by wolves. I called for help and tried to fight them off, but… But I think I died. Next thing I knew, I was in my dream home.”

“Relax. It was just a dream.” I reassure him. “This has happened before, has it not?”

“Yes, but… I’m sure this was real!” He shouts, before pausing for a few seconds. He says quietly, “Grun… Grun, I can’t… I can’t wake up.”

There is silence as the meaning of that sinks in for the both of us.

It’s something we can both do, with ease – wake up, any time we like, from anywhere in any dream. If he can’t…

A portal twists into being in front of me. “Something is wrong, indeed. He will be able to clarify what it is, and what to do. Come.”

“Are you sure he can help?” Ruvel asks, creating his own doorway. He calms down, perhaps reassured that at the very least he could still do that.

“Ability is not the question.” I nod, striding forwards. “Willingness may be.”

The scenery on the other side is blank as before and is once again quickly replaced by the familiar farmland. “That was quicker than I expected.” He says, coming out from in between the rows of grain. “What’s up?”

“Ruvel here may have died.” I point to him with my snout.

His eyebrow hikes up. “I… See. Well, I can check it out, I guess. Give me a minute.”

He disappears, and just as quickly as the farm formed, it fades again.

“What’s he doing?” Ruvel asks.

“Checking if you are indeed dead.” I rumble.

“But… I doubt he lives near me.” He voices, confused. “How would he even find me?”

“He has his ways.” I say confidently. “If he says he’s going to do something, he will. Just wait. Relax. Maybe lie down.”

A few minutes pass in silence before the farm begins to appear again. Ruvel quickly gets up from the grass as the grains part again.

He emerges bearing a quizzical expression. “Yeah, you’re dead. But you’re here. Real question is, is this temporary or permanent?”

“So, I am dead…” Ruvel looks down at his hands for a few moments. “But what do you mean?”

“Well,” He says, scratching his head, “This could be some sort of short thing, the last few sputters of a dying candle, if you get what I mean. Or, your soul could now be tethered to the dream world for eternity, letting you live on as an immortal – but only in dreams.”

“Is that even possible?” Ruvel questions.

He shrugs. “Not sure, really. You’re unique. Honestly, you’re the one who has the best grasp on your own abilities. Do you feel faint, or like you’re fading away?”

Ruvel looks down at himself, turning over his arms. “I don’t know. I don’t think so…” He looks up at me. “But it’s not unique, is it? Grun can do it too.”

“The reason he can do it is very different from why you can. But anyway…” He holds out his arms. “Congratulations, you’re now immortal. Probably. I don’t really think there’s anything for me to help you with. Unless you really don’t like this kind of life and want to pass away, in which case I might be able to figure something out.”

“I think I’m good. Thanks.” Ruvel rejects quickly.

“Is it alright if I let him meet the others?” I ask.

He pauses. “You think this ability can pass dimensional barriers?”

“Indeed.” I nod slightly.

“Hmm…” He considers for a moment, before looking me in the eyes. “If you think you can trust him, sure. But,” He says, now addressing Ruvel and starting to fade back into the field, “You have to promise not to say anything about any of us in the dreams of others.”

“I don’t really understand,” Ruvel shakes his head, “But okay. I promise.”

The farmlands fade away once more, leaving us standing on a small area of grass.

“Well.” I ponder. “What now?”

Ruvel decided to go on a bit of a holiday in his dreams while he sorts out what he wants to do going forwards.

As for me, well… I do my usual: sleep and dream the years away. If he ever wants to talk to me, there’s no problem. Accessing someone’s dream home pulls them out of any dream they might already be in.

Of course, that’s only the case for us, the only people who actually have dream homes.

Time is a difficult thing to keep grasp of for me. Even the decades seem to pass quickly to me now, as I grow older. Within dreams, which twist perceptions and expectations further? Nigh impossible.

Regardless, even within dreams I am dimly aware of my surroundings in reality. When something is being loud, or lightning strikes me and buzzes through my body, I notice it and can wake up if I feel like it.

So when I hear a whole bunch of voices chattering right in front of me, I slip open an eye. What I wasn’t expecting to see is dozens of little scaly people looking at me.

“It is awake!” They cheer, acutely deepening my already considerable confusion.

This is not the usual response to seeing a gigantic dragon. Or a normal dragon, for that matter.

I take closer look at the beings in front of me. They are covered in scales from snout to claw, long, tapered tails and fierce slit pupils. In fact, if it were not for their lack of wings and that they stood on two legs instead of four, I would have thought them tiny dragons.

“It would be our great honour to serve you, great one!” Their leader shouts.

What?

“Why?” I ask.

Their eyes widen. “It speaks!” They whisper to each other.

“You are the greatest dragon we have ever met, large one!” Their leader exclaims energetically. “It would be our great honour to serve you!”

“You are not afraid of me?” I ask again.

“Of course not, great one!” He exclaims, smiling, then softly mutters, “You aren’t going to eat us, are you?”

“No, I’m not going to eat you.” I roll my eye. “Has that happened before?”

“Great one has excellent hearing!” Their leader’s tail thumps in shock. “Um, yes. Mean dragon said we didn’t do good enough and ate some of us. Rest of us fled.”

“Hmm.” I rumble. “Well, I have no problem with you living here, if you wish. But why do you want to serve me?”

“Great one protects us. In return, we serve!” He explains.

“I see.” I blink. “Serve in what way, exactly? I require no food, or anything, really.”

“We can bring gold and gems for the great one!” He says enthusiastically.

“This…” An old desire in me stirs. I had a hoard, once, a collection of things of beauty – gold, jewels, weapons, even some sculptures and the like. Perhaps it would not be such a bad thing to have again. “This will do. Very well then, you may create a home for yourselves here.”

They cheer happily. “Thank you, great one!” Their leader says.

“However, I should warn you,” I mention, causing him to tense, “that I will be asleep most of the time. If I am to protect you, you should construct a bell, or some other means of creating a loud noise, such that you can awaken me if danger approaches.”

“The great one is wise and merciful!” He smiles, relaxing. “We will do this as soon as we are able.”

“Good.” I rumble, closing my eye to return to my slumber.

It appears that I have company for a time, once more.

“So, how are things these days?” I ask.

The now familiar landscape of the farm surrounds us. I know not why he chose such scenery, but I must admit that it is somewhat pleasant.

“Better, actually.” He nods. “Some are finally starting to come along. A smart kid turned up, and I’ve been working towards him taking over one of the things I was having to manage, so the work has eased up a little. You?”

I shrug my mountainous shoulders. “A civilisation has cropped up around me, with me as their protector. Who could have thought?” I chuckle. “Curious creatures, Kobolds. Is this something you predicted would happen?”

He smiles. “I wondered if it might. It’s practically their nature to seek out and live alongside dragons, and you’re the biggest one there is. You’re probably like a giant beacon to their instincts.”

“Speaking of giant, is this going to become a problem?” I ask, referencing my own now behemothic size.

“We have about half a million years of breathing room before it really starts to affect things, I figure.” He shrugs. “Don’t worry. If it gets to that, we’ll figure out a suitable solution.”

I nod slowly. “I’ve noticed things are starting to move faster. Magic, technology, individual strength…”

“I know.” He nods in agreement. “They’ll start coming more often from now on too, both the good and the bad. Makes me glad you found Ruvel – here, nobody can listen in on our conversations.”

“Is that important?” I question.

“It could be.” He smiles.

“So much has changed.” Ruvel sighs. “Bricks, glass, metal, bows, swords… Even simple farming equipment has improved so much from how it was in my life.”

“Time passes, and there is change.” I rumble. “Such is the way of things.”

He nods, smiling wryly. “Even you – I thought you were huge when I met you, but this is getting ridiculous. How does anyone speak to a being of this sheer size?”

“I have excellent hearing, and can speak softly, if I must.” I shrug. “But still you have a point; it is difficult. In reality nothing can be done, but perhaps here…”

Closing my eyes, I focus. Two legs. Two arms. No tail, no wings. No scales. Hair. That is my desire.

I open my eyes to Ruvel’s shocked face.

“You can do that?” He asks incredulously.

“Indeed.” I smile, putting a hand to my head to neaten my hair. “Have you never been something other than human in your many years of dreaming? In a dream, there is no impossible, only that which you believe is so. A human can become a dragon, and a dragon, a human.”

“Damn, I want to try that.” He laughs, concentrating.

A moment later, I look up to see a dragon staring at me.

“You’ve gotten quite good at this.” I note proudly. “You barely need the idea to be able to accomplish it.”

“I’m still not as good as you, cheater.” His voice rumbles in the air around me.

“I’ve been around longer, little one.” I shake my head. “Some of these things, I’ve been doing long before you were born. I just hadn’t thought to use them in such a way.”

“Maybe, but I reckon if you weren’t around, I might have been the one in your position.” He stretches, getting a feel for the different body.

“Perhaps.” I reply, shrugging. “But that does make me wonder… If it might be possible for you even now.”

He pauses. “You know I was just joking, right? There’s no way – I mean, I’m dead.”

“And yet here you are… I’ll ask him next time I visit.” I decide.

I sigh very, very softly, so as not to decimate the landscape in front of my mouth.

Time has passed, and the land has sunken under my weight. Most of my body is now underground, and a river is even running over my tail, courtesy of an earthquake a while ago.

However, that is no issue. I could simply uncoil myself, take a step, and I would be out of this valley. No, the issue is that I ignored a small itch on my tail for far too long.

Normally, I would think such a thing is inconsequential. Normally, an itch is an itch.

Normally, people don’t start building cities on my tail.

Of course, they didn’t stop there. Now there are cities spread all over my tail and lower back.

I may have been covered in practically kilometres of dust and dirt over the millennia, but surely someone had to have noticed it looked a little odd?

Now I’m stuck. If I were to move, all of the cities would collapse, killing everyone in them.

…Oh well, I suppose I’ll just go to sleep again, then.