The Vestige

Dan and his guild arrived ten minutes after my text. I'd spent that time trying to fix my mother's computer—actually broken for once, not just user error—and assuring her everything was fine.

Julia busied herself making snacks for our elegant guest. I had to smile watching the moon elf delicately nibble chocolate chip cookies, maintaining her poise even as chocolate stained her lips. She'd mentioned that food in the 'real' was a luxury her kind rarely experienced.

We gathered in my mother's sitting room. The townhouse was far too large for her—four bedrooms, two baths, a gourmet kitchen, living room, sitting room, sun room, and greenhouse, all surrounding a central courtyard. That's where the marble arch stood, the catalyst for all this chaos.

"So, Teras—can I call you Teras? Your name's a bit of a mouthful." She nodded at my awkward request. "What exactly is this arch, and why are you looking for it? Why involve my mother?"

"The 'marble arch' is a Vestige—a gateway connecting the real to dream. They were once rare. Now they multiply."

"That's the third time someone's mentioned dreams like they're actual places. Are you saying this is a portal to someone's dreams?"

"I forget you are of the real, young Daywalker. Reality has three parts. You know the real—this place of natural laws. But long ago, humanity—all sentient beings, not just humans—discovered their minds held limitless potential. Most could only yearn for it, but seven beings mastered it. They forged a realm from pure thought and will, connected to all beings. We call it the Collective, or simply dream. My kingdom lies there."

"How does this connect to normal dreams?" Dan leaned forward, intent.

Teras cast him a cool glance. "The third domain is individual dream—your personal unconscious realm. When you sleep, you enter a shelter your mind creates to process grief, loss, fear. These personal dreams touch, spark inspiration. That's how you know of elven kind, though we haven't walked the real in ages. Your dreams touched ours, and creativity did the rest."

"And now this Collective is free somehow?" I asked.

"I know only that dream bleeds into the real now. Humans wield powers they don't understand. New Vestiges appear daily."

"Is that why the magic follows video game rules?"

"You have it backward. The 'game' was designed from dream's laws. Perhaps one of the seven guided its creation, though they should be locked away with dream itself." She pulled back her sleeve, revealing an infinity symbol glowing dull white—different from my crimson mark or the guild's black ones.

"Why approach my mother about the Vestige?"

"Unclaimed Vestiges are dangerous. Anyone who claims one can shape reality around it, in both dream and the real. But you can't find an unclaimed Vestige from dream—it must be activated in the real first. Your mother, owning this land, has right of contest."

"Could I claim it instead? In her name?"

"If you claim it for your House, yes. She's of your bloodline."

"What's involved? Do I need magic?"

"Simply touch the dream-side Vestige and focus your will. Your influence will spread until the claim is complete. After that, challengers must face you in the real."

"There's a catch, isn't there?"

"I don't know where this Vestige leads in dream. You might emerge in hostile territory. You must maintain contact until the claim is complete. I'll protect you as I can."

"I'm coming too," Dan declared.

"Us too," his guild chorused.

"Unwise," Teras said. "You cannot protect yourselves, let alone the Daywalker."

Dan's aura exploded outward, pressing the guild into their chairs. Teras and I barely noticed the pressure.

"An Ideal of Obligation," she mused. "Powerful, if mastered. But you wield it like a tantrum. It will do little in dream."

Dan flushed at the dismissal. A crash from the kitchen cut through the tension. I was there in an instant.

My mother lay unconscious on the floor, a golden infinity symbol pulsing on her wrist.