As they moved through the castle, Hero stayed in the shadows as much as they could. They had pulled their black hood even further over their head and tried to avoid guards as much as they could.
Their fire was easy to use in the darker hallways and using the flames was getting easier with every single time. It felt good, the magic flowing through their body. It was a feeling Hero still couldn’t place all too well, but the warmth asked to be used again and again.
As it got lighter again, Hero switched to their bow. It was drawn in their hands as they turned around the corner. No one was there and Hero relaxed, lowering their bow slowly. Before them was a whole hallway filled with wooden doors. It was empty, but still Hero was ready to move and fight if needed.
One room after another appeared. Most small with nothing more than a bed, a chest and a fireplace. They must have found themselves in the sleeping area of all the workers of the castle.
“Oh welcome, Hero,” Villain’s voice rang through their head. “Didn’t know you would visit today.” Hero cursed under their breath as they ducked into one of the rooms and closed the door. Guards shouted in the hallway and Hero could hear them running past the door. Their heart was beating in their throat.
“Trouble?” It sounded like Villain chuckled. “You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you? My guards are everywhere. It’s just a matter of time before they find you.” Hero’s head was pounding now that Villain's presence was so close, so big. It felt like something invisible was sitting on their chest, trying to keep them from breathing. They couldn’t breathe!
Panic took over. Hero threw themselves against the wall in an attempt to keep themselves on their feet. Something was wrapping around their throat quickly, squeezing it shut. Hero clawed at the invisible rope that should be there, but their hands found nothing.
“New trick I learned, Hero. You’re not the only one with magic here and you’re close, I can feel it.” Hero couched, black spots started to spread in front of their eyes. Their body fell to the floor. They tried to grab the bed, tried to break their fall. Instead they hit a small table and threw everything that was on it to the floor, causing a loud clattering as the metal teapot fell to the floor together with Hero.
Metal boots on the stone floor came closer as Hero lay there, unable to move. The door slammed open and showed a small group of five guards. Then their eyes closed and there was nothing they could do as the guards took them away.
It didn’t take long for them to feel their body again. Lungs burning, throat painful and surprisingly dry. Hero felt their feet being dragged over the floor, heard the guards talk against each other. They rolled their head on their shoulders and opened their eyes.
Their wrists were shackled together with tick metal. It was the first thing Hero saw, besides the red carpet they were being dragged over. Then as they looked up their heart skipped a beat. They were in a big room with a very high ceiling. It was mostly dark, except for beautiful crystals that covered everything, from ceiling to the walls and ground that gave a faint bluish with purple light.
On the ground there was a rainbow of colors that came from the coloured window that sat high behind a beautiful obsidian throne. Beside the throne a very large dragon lay curled up. It’s scales bright blue, almost like a sapphire and one visible eye that was only a little bit darker staring right at them.
On the throne Hero recognised Villain. Their hands patiently folded on their lap as they waited for Hero to be brought closer. A beautiful red mantle was wrapped around their neck and they wore a black jerkin with golden accents. It looked expensive, but it had still something humble except for the mantle and the golden crown they were wearing.
Without a warning the guards let go of Hero’s arms and they fell to the ground right in front of Villain’s throne. Villain chuckled and Hero could see even the dragon turn their eye towards them as they scrambled back to their feet. Only to be pushed back on their knees by the guards.
“And here you are,” Villain said. Their voice calm, but dangerously clear. “Welcome to my domain.” A grin played around their lips, then they waved the guards away and Hero was left alone with Villain and an enormous dragon.
Villain got up from their throne and walked closer, kneeling down in front of Hero. They grabbed Hero’s cheeks painfully tight and forced them to look up. Only now Hero could see the small black with purple dragon that rested on Villain’s shoulders, seeming asleep.
Hero braced for the worst, braced for a sudden knife or another attack on their mind. They could even feel their hands starting to burn as they braced for it. Instead Villain pushed them back with a force that threw Hero on the ground again.
“Really, Hero,” Villain sighed. “This is an imaginary world that I created through the books I’ve read and things I liked. It’s nothing like the real world. And still, even when I’m not bothering anyone in the real world, nor am I bothering anyone in this, here you are bothering me.” They got back to their feet, messaging the bridge of their nose. “What do I do with you?”
Hero raised an eyebrow. In all those years they had never seen Villain so.. calm. So peaceful. Was this the real world, in a real fight, they would have tried to kill Hero countless times. Was this the old Villain, Hero would have seen anger burning in their eyes, Hero would have felt their fists on their face. Instead this version backed away and slumped back onto their throne, gently petting the small dragon that lay on their shoulder. The smile Hero saw on their face looked happy and at peace until Villain’s attention went back to them.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to kill someone if they have magic?” Villain asked without looking. “I could put you in an iron box and throw you in the water, but I would have no guarantee that you would drawn. I could ask my blue friend here to roast you, but we already know it doesn’t do anything. I could try to stab, but maybe you would heal, I don’t know.” Villain closed their eyes, taking their crown in their hands now, playing with it.
“To be honest I don’t even know the extent of the magic I created. We are the only ones who possess it as the only two descendants from our world. I could try it out with just a single dagger. I could take your mind and shatter it, let you choke again, but do you believe me when I say that is not what I want?”
Hero patted the dust of their clothes before they let their gaze go towards Villain, now standing before them. Close enough to attack, now that they were focusing on the crown in their hands. There was still a small problem with a blue giant though.
“And why is that?” Hero asked. “You never had a problem with trying to kill me before. I have enough scars to prove it.”
Villain hummed in approval, then looked up. “You and me, we are alike. Both from a different world, both in the possession of something powerful.”
“If you think I will help you to terrorise these people the answer is no. I would rather die.”
Even the dragon raised their head now, turning it towards Hero. Their beak opened slightly to show blue flames coming from their throat.
“Easy my blue friend,” Villain said, “Hero here has all the right to distrust me, but believe me when I say that isn’t necessary because there is something else we have in common. At least that is what I believe.”
“And what is that?” Hero asked.
“Longing for a place that feels like home?” Villain formed it like a carefully asked question. For a moment it took Hero by surprise. How? How did they know?
“Back when I was trapped inside that cell,” Villain began, “I was more alone than I had ever been. Sure I had the books you gave me, sure I had some people visit, but it never felt right. That whole world had never felt right to me. Reading all those incredible fantasy books only made that feeling worse and knowing that I would never get out, not without the whole world hunting me down, made me search for something else. That’s when I found out about the book of dreams, the one that let me create all of this. I thought that if I had something of my own, something that I could form and control and something that would let me disappear from that world.. I could be free, I could be home.”
“You wanted to flee?” Hero asked, quite surprised. For all they knew Villain had wanted to come back and take over the second time.
“I wanted to start over. I didn’t want a whole life imprisoned, of course I didn’t. The book allowed me to start over without having to run for the rest of my life, without anyone ever seeing me again.”
“Except I touched the book at the same time.”
“Which caused you to be transported here too,” Villain finished. “Sure I could kill you, sure you could kill me, but look around you! Is this world really that bad? Am I really hurting all these people that are just living their lives?”
“But the dragon attacks?” Hero asked, “And what about all the poor people?”
“I am working on it,” Villain sighed. “Of course I couldn’t make it perfect everywhere. I am trying okay. Now tell me I felt it wrong when I say you like it here too.”
Hero shrugged which caused the chains around their wrists to rattle. “Apart from the shackles you put me in and being as good as poor and burned by a dragon, it’s.. different.”
Villain got back on their feet again, their crown in their hand beside their hips as they walked. “Follow me,” they said.
Together they walked through a few more hallways until Villain stopped in front of another wooden door just like the ones Hero had seen before. Villain opened it to show a small room like the others, the fire already crackling in the fireplace. Villain threw their mantle off and let themselves fall on the bed.
“This is my room. See anything familiar?” Hero looked around. It was even smaller than the rooms of the castle workers and there wasn’t a real window like all of the other rooms had. It looked like..
“It looks like your old cell,” Hero said quietly. Villain nodded, playing with the little dragon that had moved itself to their lap.
“Somehow my brain created it like this and for some reason I still keep it as my room.” They shrugged. “I don’t have to be more than anyone else. I don’t need to be rich or the best at anything, not anymore. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. It felt like I was missing something. Now I have everything I want, now I just want to make it better.”
They played with the dragon by making small flames with their magic. Their veins were glowing with a bright light as they did so. They grinned and sticked their tongue out towards the little creature as they teased it. The dragon ate the little flames and tried to grab Villain’s fingers. Villain laughed and again Hero noticed how generally happy they seemed.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have each other? Someone that would understand?” Villain said. “I know the magic is nice, it feels like a warm hug, a safe place. Wouldn’t it be nice to use it freely, just for fun?”
“What about all the people? What are you planning on doing when someone disagrees?” Hero asked, ignoring the question.
Villain shrugged. “Could just kill them, but I guess you wouldn’t like that.”
Hero let their own magic free in their hands, causing the small dragon to disappear into Villain’s sleeve. Villain looked up and sighed.
“Easy. I was joking. Look, if you want to go and kill the only person who is just like you and can tell you how everything works, go ahead.” They got on their feet and held up their crown towards Hero. “If you want to be at my side as my advisor and learn about the wonders this world has to offer, I could take you for a ride with my blue friend.”
Hero took the crown in their hands and studied it. Not fully sure what all of this would mean. They would abandon their own world, but who said there was a way back.
