Author: Kazahana, Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:08 PM, Post Subject: [O] A Gale of Fire

Somewhere, in a faraway land much like this one, there was a dreamer. She lay in a peaceful slumber, and while her body laid motionless her mind and spirit walked freely in a field of stars. With a brush if her fingers, the stars changed color and glittered, creating ripples in the liquid surface. Instead of sinking in, she skipped along the top as the evening sky gently bobbed and weaved below her feet. It was a beautiful dream. As she danced atop the stars, a faint ringing melody echoed through the space. Soft at first, but slowly becoming louder until it sang in the flickers of light of the stars. Enraptured, the dreamer stepped forward, following the call of the song until an ethereal pale green light enveloped her.

In the midst of the Awakening Gardens, a swirling vortex of greenish fire danced around a patch of grass before vanishing, leaving a sleeping girl in its wake. She was clad in an embroidered vestment of light cotton with a pair of trousers, and short leather boots were on her feet. Her short hair lay upon the grass in fiery locks that would make a phoenix proud, and her hands were folded in her chest. Slowly, she emerged from her dream. Sitting up, she stretched her arms and legs before standing and pulled out a few bits of grass from her hair. It took her several minutes for her to wonder if she wasn't still dreaming, this was a garden with beauty and vitality which she had never seen before. Exotic plants and flowers were blooming all around her, and in all shades and hues. As she reached for a pink rose, she gingerly ran her fingertips along the petal edges. It was smooth and silky, like satin but the softness of fine silk. Roses were a rarity in Karkhata, as they were more difficult to grow in the arid desert and most of the varieties she had seen were red or yellow. White roses were even more rare, but never before had Gale seen one in such a bright shade of pink. Such a beautiful blossom was hard to come by, and she couldn't bring herself to pick it. It would be better to leave it for the next visitor to enjoy.

Walking along the flowerbeds, Gale took a leisurely stroll. So places like these really did exist outside of dreams. What other wonders would she find here in the waking world?

As Gale wandered this mysterious enchanted garden, she would come across stone archways covered in creeping vines laden with blooming roses. The arches at first seemed like landmarks in the vastness of vibrant flora, but the dream-walker grew curious as to what their true purpose was. Were they here as simple decoration, or did they serve a more practical use? As befitting a dream-walker, sometimes the only way to learn was to try. Without hesitation she walked through the archway.

As she entered, the light around her swirled and shifted until she felt the familiar heat of the desert winds on her face. Opening her eyes she found herself no longer in the curious garden, but in an unfamiliar place. Turning to look behind her, Gale found the archway she had passed through to be absent. "A one-way door? Incredible…but amazing." Surely whoever had created such a device had great power and wisdom. Even as a dream-walker, one could not control where they would appear in the realm of dreams. The fabrication of enchanted doorways which led to specific locations could make travel much safer and convenient. Back in Karkhata the most learned sorcerers could only create a temporary portal which sent a limited number of people to a certain location, but such a portal only lasted for a few minutes. Sustaining such powerful magic for longer periods would exhaust the caster.

Storing away that thought for when she returned to her teacher, Gale shook the dust from her feet and set off to find what stories this place had to offer. Master Rushaad always said that in order to know a city, one must know its story. He had also said the same thing about people, and he had never been wrong before. Walking along a busy street, Gale wondered what story that garden she had seen earlier had to tell. Unless it was a dream, someone should know a few stories about it.