It wasn't long before Luna dreamed, and once again, of a moment from her childhood playing with her father.
However, there was something different now. In all her dreams, her vision was always from her memory's point of view, but this time, she was able to see everything as an external observer and even walk freely around the room, all while her younger self still existed.
She approached her child self and her father and tried to touch them, but her hand passed through them as if they were ghosts.
Then, she walked around the room, surprised by the discovery, looking closely at the furniture, toys, paintings... Many things remained the same.
When she looked out the window, she realized that outside was completely white, as if nothing else existed beyond there.
"Is it because, in this memory, I never looked out the window? So, things I didn't observe don't exist in the dream?"
She was thinking when she felt an aura different from hers trying to invade her dream from somewhere.
When she looked back, she realized the bedroom door was ajar. Through the gap, there was an intense glow, and hands made of brown light were trying to open the crack even wider.
A primordial, dormant fear awoke in Luna, as if a voice told her that she absolutely must not allow her dream to be invaded. Fearing it was something bad, she threw herself against the door to stop this invader, managing to halt its advance with ease.
"Wait, Luna! It's me, Sariel!"
Upon hearing this, Luna stopped resisting.
"Sariel?" She didn't open the door; she was still suspicious.
"Yes, can you let me in?"
"Tell me a secret only we know."
"I saved you from an attack by a fire creature before we reached Fire Mountain."
After that, Luna opened the door immediately, encountering none other than Sariel.
"Sariel... What a bizarre dream this is... You probably won't believe it when I tell you in the morning."
"It won't be necessary, as this is my consciousness, not a product of your dream."
"What?"
"This is something possible to do with Alteration magic. Communicating through dreams is a high-level technique, and fortunately, the elements mean nothing to me."
"I see, I apologize for trying to expel you."
"Don't apologize, everyone has the same reaction the first time."
"The same reaction? Why?"
"Well, having your consciousness invaded by another person is very dangerous, as they can see your dreams, discover your darkest secrets, erase or modify your memories, and even cause psychic death, leaving the victim in a vegetative state. Therefore, reacting is intrinsic to every human, just as every animal fears fire."
Luna listened intently, as it was the first time she had heard about this. She didn't even know it was possible for one person to enter another's dream.
"Oh? Is this your dream then?" Sariel walked around the room and watched young Luna and her father playing. "You can already wander in your own dream... Very good!"
"Can you explain what you mean?"
"Ah, yes. Well, the subconscious is an abstract and hard-to-access place. Normally, you can only access it when you dream, but some people can master and enter it consciously.
"Most people only access this place through dreams, and the access they have is very limited, with them reliving past memories, or creating their own dream based on their emotions.
"There are levels of proficiency in wandering through your unconscious. The first and most basic is through dreams; in the second, the person is already capable of thinking consciously, but remains stuck in the point of view of their memory. In the third, the person is able to wander within their own dream, being able to see the surrounding place clearly, and in the fourth, the person is already capable of choosing a memory to relive.
"After that comes the more difficult levels, which consist of entering the deepest area of the subconscious and altering it however you wish, being able to create landscapes and walk through them. At the final level, you are already able to organize your memories into various sections and even study here, as the time spent in the innermost layer can pass slower if the person masters their own consciousness well."
"In your case, you're already well on your way since you can walk in your dreams. We'll be able to talk freely now."
"It must be important since you preferred to use this method to converse."
"Indeed, that's why I'll get straight to the point: Indra is alive."
After hearing that, the princess remained silent as she processed the information.
"Alive?! What about that huge explosion?"
"Believe me, that explosion could have been several times more powerful. I used just the right amount of power to wound him enough so he couldn't fight anymore, but I still kept him alive."
"But we're in trouble then! He'll tell the Council about us."
"Remember what I said earlier about one person invading another's consciousness?"
Recalling the traveler's words, Luna remembered every word perfectly as if she had heard everything just a second before.
"You... erased his memories?"
"I modified them, because if I erased them, the Council would discover something was wrong. Therefore, I manipulated his memories so he would remember the fight, but think he only dealt with a Sect."
"And why didn't you tell us?"
"Firstly, you would have suspected me of being a Volatile, which thanks to Aegreon is no longer a secret. Besides, Aegreon might have tried to kill him if he suspected he was still alive."
"If we meet him in the future, Aegreon will suspect you."
"But you already know the truth, so keep it until the moment comes... if it comes." Sariel fell silent for a brief moment. "And don't tell anyone, not even Raymond," he emphasized.
"Alright."
Sariel returned to observing the scenery with a slightly impressed expression due to the richness of detail in the dream.
Luna watched him doing this when she remembered her strange, unexplained dreams with that peculiar woman, who was probably Elise. Thinking about it, she considered that perhaps he could help unravel them.
"You said I can access any memory I want, right? How can I do that? I have some strange dreams I want to understand."
"It's still too early for that; first, you should focus on turning your dreams into lucid dreams. You must have heard about them, right?"
"But isn't that already the case? I know I'm dreaming, and I can interact with it."
"Not exactly. In a lucid dream, you are able to manipulate it however you want, like making people who aren't in it appear, making objects materialize, and altering anything you desire."
"And how do I do that?"
"To start, you can try to make your father wear one of those glasses with a big nose and exaggerated mustache that some children like to play with. But we have to go now, it will be dawn soon."
"What? But we've only been talking for a few minutes! Didn't you say time passes slower?"
"Only when you are already capable of diving into the deepest part of your subconsciousness. There's a big difference between your 'dream realm' and just dreaming. While dreaming, one minute is equal to ten in the real world; in the dream realm, it's the opposite."
"Alright... See you soon then."
"Next time, I'll show you my subconscious." With a brief nod, the traveler passed through the door and left the princess's dream.
She tried to make imaginary things come true for a while after Sariel left, but soon heard a voice calling her.
Upon opening her eyes, she saw Sariel.
"Good morning, sleeping princess."
"Good morning..." she replied, rubbing her eyes, bothered by the brightness.
After waking up, everyone hurried to eat and soon departed again.