His dragon had been flying over the treetops for quite some time now, and Arin's nose had gone almost completely numb from the cold.
He had commanded the creature to keep low, not just to avoid being seen, but also because he didn't know what exactly the limit of his illusion bracelet was out in the real world.
It wouldn't do if the creature disappeared, or worse, somehow suddenly became intangible, while they were still a few miles up in the air.
Not for the first time, Arin found himself missing the reliable, and definitely more assuredly solid form of Rin's familiar, Tarra.
Besides, she definitely wasn't as lazy as his imagined dragon.
Seriously, though, why did his mind keep creating it this way? What was up with that!?
The dragon underneath him grunted low and slow, and Arin had to rest a placating hand on its back.
'We're far away enough, I think,' he said soothingly. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but trees. 'Find a nice clearing near somewhere here, and take us there. You can sleep after that.'
Why an illusory dragon - one that was entirely the product of his imagination and the illusion bracelet - would want to sleep, he didn't know.
He still couldn't quite get the solid, plastic-looking interior of that needleworm the cloaked healer had dismantled out of his mind.
This lazy guy probably looked much the same on the inside. Well, to be fair, he was a designer by profession; one who'd barely scraped through biology at school. It was the best he could manage.
Maybe his dragon's laziness was also just one of the features he'd subconsciously imagined it to have...
A happy grunt broke him out of his thoughts, and Arin realized that the creature was making a slow descent towards a small-ish gap in the canopy.
Gripping a spike in one hand, and tightening his hold on Elara with the other, he braced himself as the dragon carried them to the clearing, tucking in its wings at the last moment and landing with a heavy - thump.
After taking a moment to steady himself, Arin clambered off its back, and onto the leaf-strewn ground. He stamped on it a few times, realizing it was cold, bare, and hard under the leaves.
Before setting Elara's sleeping form down on it, he turned to the dragon and said, 'Before you sleep, warm this place up for us, hmm?'
The dragon slowly blinked the large, dark eye that was facing him, before lowering its head to the ground and letting out a deep exhale.
Faint flames seemed to flicker over the large area for a moment, before ultimately disappearing. Most of the leaf cover was blown away by the force of the breath. Damp with dew, not a single one caught fire.
Even through the soles of Rin's sandals, Arin could feel that the ground had become pleasantly warm. Satisfied, he set the rolled-up blanked down.
'Thanks,' he said to the dragon. It ignored him, determinedly making its way to the edge of the opening, and sprawling out onto the ground.
Arin wasted no more time. Pulling out the contact glass, he tapped upon its surface and drew the symbol he'd learned from watching Siel earlier.
After a few steady flashes of light, it connected.
The white-haired tower master's face appeared, reflected onto the mirror. Despite the hour, it didn't seem as though the man had been asleep.
The man simply tilted his head to one side, waiting for Arin to speak first.
'The distortion is evolving.' Jumping right into it, Arin continued, 'It's dormant at the moment, and I've taken the opportunity to carry Elara - its source - away from all human inhabitation.'
'I've been flying for a few hours now, upon the illusion dragon's back. It's carried me deep into the woods. So, I'm the only one in danger of being affected. Unfortunately, I don't think I have too long before that happens. Please tell me if there's a way for me to put an end to all this, right now.'
The white-haired man regarded him for a moment with those red eyes of his. Then,
'The illusion dragon, summoned from the tool I gave you, carried you for hours, did it?' came a low, deep voice.
'Yes, yes. Thank you for the bracelet! Happy?' Arin exclaimed, somewhat exasperated. 'Now, please, focus on what I asked, and answer my question! I really don't have much time!'
The man laughed softly. 'There is,' he said at last.
'Well!?' Arin urged.
'Elara, was it? Kill her,' the man shrugged.
Arin ran a hand through his still-unfamiliar curls, sighing in exasperation. 'And there's nothing else?' he asked, voice low. 'Nothing that I can do for her? No way for me to save her?'
Helpless, once again.
'Save her?' came the man's voice. 'You should save yourself first, Arin.'
Arin chuckled humorlessly. 'Yeah,' he sighed. 'I guess that really is all I can do here, isn't it?'
All he could do was be useless...
He ran a hand through his hair again. 'What, then? Do I call upon those - those officials? Tell them to come and d-destroy the distortion? Because that definitely isn't something I can manage to do by myself, out in the real world.'
It had been different within the dream. In there, he knew he wasn't actually causing harm to anyone he 'killed'. He was saving them.
Out here, in the real world, however...
There was a soft sigh from the contact glass. 'Then it should be all too easy,' said the man in an almost offhand manner.
Arin shook his head. 'What...?' he asked, confused.
'But it won't make a difference, of course. You already know she won't awaken, even if you do that.'
Arin frowned. 'What are you talking about?'
The white-haired tower master sighed again. 'You know she cannot leave the dream. You've already tried that, haven't you? Right now, the only one you can still save is yourself.'
...huh?
'Wake up, Arin.'
...
...
...What!?