Unlike his usual descent into the Black Forest, Sterling felt as if he was falling from an impossible height, only to be gently caught by some invisible, gossamer-thin membrane. Then, the intoxicating fragrance of countless blooming flowers flooded his senses, and crisp birdsong filled his ears with melodic harmony.
Sterling opened his eyes to find the Fairy Godmother floating gracefully before him.
"Good evening, Vivian."
Vivian hummed a light tune and settled onto a chair that materialised from thin air. Her delicate porcelain cup of rich hot chocolate was accompanied by an elegantly floating silver tray. She took a careful sip.
"I don't distinguish between day and night in this realm, but I should be sleeping right now! I'm supposed to wake soon for my duel with that troublesome Maleficent!"
She made an exaggerated angry expression and deliberately splashed the chocolate she had just sipped onto Sterling's feet, instantly extinguishing the flickering magical flames that had begun manifesting around him.
Maleficent's dramatic fiery teleportation was halted just like that by Vivian's casual gesture. No one else possessed such power. At least, no matter how desperately Sterling tried, he could never resist Lady Maleficent's magical summons.
This demonstrated the true calibre of the great wizards within the dream world. Of course, this particular Fairy Godmother was also undeniably a great wizard herself.
"So then, what brings you to visit me during the specific time when Maleficent has expressly forbidden you from moving freely throughout the dream world? I remember you're usually quite perceptive about distinguishing friends from potential enemies."
"Actually, it's a problem concerning my magical talent for seeing special phenomena..."
Before Sterling could react properly, a comfortable and elegant armchair appeared beneath him, while a round table covered with a cheerful floral cloth rose between them. Vivian began elegantly nibbling delicate macarons. If not for the frantic fluttering of tiny fairy wings behind her shoulders, her demeanour would have appeared perfectly graceful.
Sterling sighed inwardly. He had known exactly how this conversation would unfold.
The Fairy Godmother belonged to an increasingly rare breed of fairy spirit in modern times. Small in physical stature but possessing absolutely extraordinary magical abilities, they obsessively pursued knowledge regardless of its practical usefulness.
What truly captivated them was secrecy, especially intimate secrets shared between individuals. To creatures like Vivian, such mysteries were more alluring than precious treasures were to greedy dragons.
The strange phenomena Sterling observed with his enhanced vision were undoubtedly such closely guarded secrets, as evidenced by the vast knowledge possessed by both Vivian and Maleficent, two of the most powerful wizards he knew.
"Come now, tell me everything! What exactly happened to your unique talent?"
She urged him with obvious excitement and had somehow managed to devour an entire plate of colourful macarons in record time.
"I witnessed a thread far exceeding all others in magnitude. It could honestly be described as a pillar of pure light..."
Sterling recounted in meticulous detail everything he had observed in the Great Hall, while Vivian listened with serious attention. Her bright pink eyes rolled thoughtfully as if she were pondering deeply significant implications.
When Sterling finally finished his account, she spoke with clear understanding.
"Though I still cannot be entirely certain what that particular thread represents, the magic growing within your heart... your completely unique magic... I believe I have a reasonable theory. But before I share my conclusions..."
Vivian opened both her delicate hands expectantly. "Please give me a single drop of your blood, or perhaps a strand of hair. Whatever you prefer will suffice."
Sterling carefully plucked one hair from his head, and Vivian quickly grasped it. She removed an ornate ring from her finger and transformed it into a bottle containing a mysterious black potion.
The moment his hair was dropped inside, the entire potion instantly turned pure white.
Vivian took a sharp, startled breath while staring at Sterling in obvious shock.
"I absolutely must ask you one extremely important question. Your answer will determine whether Maleficent and I attempt to cross the fundamental boundary between dream and reality... Sterling, did you die? In the waking world?"
"Who? Me?! Absolutely not! I'm very much alive and breathing." Sterling awkwardly scratched his nose. Vivian's intensely serious expression had made him genuinely nervous, but this seemed like the strangest possible question of importance.
Upon hearing his emphatic denial, Vivian's complexion improved somewhat, but she continued studying Sterling with obvious puzzlement.
"Then why have you become a true resident of the dream world?"
Vivian shook the potion bottle vigorously. The liquid transformed to rich brown, exactly matching Sterling's hair colour. She inhaled its aroma carefully. A thick, distinctive ink scent rose from the mixture, representing Sterling's magical essence.
"This is a specialised magical reagent I brewed recently... You understand, it's designed to help natural residents of the dream world unlock their hidden magical talents. But its effects only function on genuine dream world beings."
"And right now, it's reacting powerfully to your essence."
"We all know you're originally a resident of the waking world, only able to briefly visit our realm. That ability alone represents a miracle. But now you have been completely accepted by the dream world itself. You've become a true child of the dream."
Vivian swirled her cup of crimson tea contemplatively. Mysterious shadows danced within her bright eyes as she gazed down at Sterling with concern.
"If, as you insist, you did not actually die in the waking world but somehow transformed into a dream world resident through some ritual that revealed dream world secrets in the waking world, then you now possess dual citizenship in both realms."
"I don't understand... does having dual identities actually mean anything significant?" Sterling asked with growing concern.
"It means absolutely everything! You could now cast dream world magic in the waking world, but surely you've noticed that learning magical techniques there proved essentially futile."
"No matter how many hundreds or thousands of times you practised, your magical abilities remained limited to the level you had mastered within the dream world. Similarly, magic learnt in the waking world could never be cast here in the dream realm..."
"You mean..." Sterling's breathing quickened with anticipation.
Vivian nodded gravely, confirming his growing suspicion.
"Exactly right. This fundamental limitation will now be completely removed. To explain it simply: previously, you were merely a waking-world child playing temporarily at a neighbour's dream-world house."
"Of course, you could bring special toys that the dream gave you back to your real home, but the dream realm wasn't particularly generous with such gifts. These magical toys were essentially lent to you. You could play with them freely but never alter their fundamental nature. Only while visiting the dream house could such modifications be made, then carefully transported home afterward."
"The dream world is naturally possessive and protective. It absolutely refuses to allow toys brought in by outside visitors. So you could never take anything from the waking world into the dream realm."
"But now, you've become a true child of the dream itself, so it no longer places such restrictions upon you."
"Moreover, the most crucial and immediately obvious sign that proves you've become a genuine dream world resident..."
Vivian's hint was barely concealed as Sterling instinctively reached out his hand.