The Dream Quest: Eternity

     “I traveled across the entire known world for a very long time, and I’ve never seen some of these species before,” he said quietly after a Grundo had brushed past them.

     Solanza laughed. “Well, I’m not surprised to hear that. Grundos come from outer space.”

     “Space?” he asked, astonished.

     “Yes, there’s a whole space station up there, and we’ve explored the moon as well. I’ve never been to either before. Maybe, once I save up enough money for the tickets, you’d like to travel there with me?”

     “I guess,” Xantan said, not sounding fully convinced. “But how do you breathe up there?”

     Solanza laughed again. “I would think you’d be the last person on this planet who would need to worry about that.”

     He smiled a little, and she saw him again twist the ring on his finger. He’d been fidgeting with it a lot, she realised.

     Quietly, she said, “Hey, Xantan. That ring, is it…”

     “I took your advice,” he said. “It… it helped. Eleus held onto it for a while, until he knew he could trust me with it. The first few years of adjusting to my power after you left were… challenging.”

     “Can I see it?”

     Looking a little surprised, he stopped to the side of the road, and she took his paw. The ring was made of silver, a perfect, unbroken circle. His paw was a little cold from the morning dew, but the ring was warm to the touch.

     “The Ring of Xantan,” she murmured aloud.

     “Sometimes I wish I’d never made it,” he said abruptly, pulling back from her. “It kept me from losing my sense of reason, my mercy, but at what cost?”

     They started walking along the path again by silent agreement, but Solanza couldn’t keep herself from frowning. “But the ring, I’m sure that’s what kept you alive this long. Otherwise, you would have been long gone, and I never would have found you again.”

     Xantan stopped again, and though his face was as youthful as she remembered, his eyes were unfathomably ancient. “Again,” he said softly, “at what cost?”

     She could feel her eyes start to fill with tears. “Oh, Solanza, don’t cry,” he murmured, pulling her close. “I’ve been too harsh. I haven’t truly spoken with anyone in millennia, and I’ve forgotten how. None of this is your fault. I made my choices, and though the consequences were not what I expected, they are still mine.”

     Solanza hugged him back, then pulled away with a shaky breath. “All right, I think that’s probably enough of that for today. Do you still want to see some of the shops?”

     “Yes, that sounds nice.”

     Solanza decided upon the first shop in her field of view and quickly walked towards it. “Let’s try the Collectable Card shop,” she said over her shoulder. “I don’t collect cards, but sometimes I like to look at the pictures.”

     Xantan followed gamely behind her. The shopkeeper, a Buzz wearing a vest, greeted them from a desk at the end of the store where he was squinting over a selection of cards, apparently inspecting them in the dim light of a sputtering fireplace. “Welcome!” he called out. “Feel free to look around and let me know if you have any questions.”

     Solanza thanked him and started browsing the shelves. “I’ve always liked looking at the pictures of heroes best,” she said over her shoulder. “Look at this beautiful drawing of Illusen!”

     But when she turned to show Xantan the card, she found he was staring at another shelf. She joined him at his side and realised that the cards that had so captured his attention were all familiar faces.

     “Gors the Mighty,” he said, reading aloud the labels. “Jahbal. Eleus Batrin.” His gaze landed on the last card in the row. “Xantan the Foul.”

     Solanza tensed. “We should probably get going,” she said in a falsely cheery tone. “The bakery is right down the street-”

     “Ah, so you’ve found the NeoQuest collection!” said the shopkeeper, fluttering over to them. “Some of my finest pieces. Are you familiar with the stories? Here, if you flip the card over, you’ll find the descriptions.”

     Xantan turned over the red card. The printed figure was a repulsive creature, an animated pile of mud with deformed arms that were freezing some hapless adventurers with bolts of magic. Solanza felt her heart sink as he read the words aloud: “Stripped of his powers by the Circle of Twelve, Xantan was banished to the bottom of the Dank Cave long ago. What little power he retains, he uses to corrupt and destroy those who enter his domain.”

     “Fascinating story, isn’t it?” the shopkeeper asked into the silence. “But, ah, not a very popular card. People like to collect the prettier cards, you see, no matter how true-to-life this one may be.”

     Xantan was still staring at the card in his paw. “I don’t understand why,” he said eventually. “This one is so… real.”

     The Buzz smiled at him. “You and I are very much alike, I think. I, too, do not prize the aesthetic. Truth is what I value.”

     Xantan tried to hand him back the card, but the shopkeeper waved him off. “Bah, you might as well keep it. I haven’t sold so much as a single copy of this one in months. You’re the first person who’s ever appreciated it.”

     “Really?” Xantan blinked at the shopkeeper. “Thank you very much, sir.”

     “Think nothing of it, my boy. Who knows, maybe it’ll be the start of your collection?” the Buzz said with a wink.

     “Maybe,” Xantan agreed absently, staring again at the card one last time before slipping it into his rucksack.

     As they left the shop, Solanza heard the shopkeeper exclaim in surprise and turned her head. The fire in the fireplace was burning merrily, lighting up the entire shop. She looked back at Xantan, but he was looking steadily ahead. “Where to next?” he asked.

     A sweet scent in the air caught her attention, and she grinned. “Have you ever tasted chocolate?”

     Xantan had not, as it turned out, and Solanza had fun introducing him to all of the different varieties. Eventually settling on mint chocolate as the most superior flavour (an opinion which Solanza passionately disagreed with), they both left the chocolate factory nibbling on pieces shaped like tiny Neopets.

     “It’s turned into such a beautiful day. Let’s grab some smoothies, then we can sit in the field near the Rainbow Pool and have a little picnic,” Solanza suggested.

     The closer they walked into the centre of the town, the more people they encountered. Xantan seemed to be uneasy with so many people nearby, and Solanza led him down the alleyways so he could have a little more space. She had to smile a little at the memory that came to mind.

     “What is it?” Xantan asked, seeing the look on her face.

     “Oh, I’m just remembering how you did this for me when you took me through Neopia City the first time, steering me away from all of the people who were staring at me,” she said. “Now the roles are reversed.”

     Xantan smiled. “I remember that, too, a little. Some things are still a little foggy. But if my memory is correct, people were staring at you because of your fur colour. Here, I’m the one staring at everyone else.”

     “You see I wasn’t lying about Eventide being a popular colour here in the future, right? We just passed an Eventide Bruce a moment ago, and I’ve seen at least two others just today.”

     “I was right with my prediction all those years ago. The future is indeed a beautiful place,” Xantan said, gazing at the shops bustling with smiling, chattering Neopians in every colour of the rainbow.

     “Look, it’s the smoothie store! Come on, let’s grab something to drink.”

     They emerged a few moments later, Solanza holding a mixed berry smoothie, Xantan clutching some kind of yoghurt-pea monstrosity. “I don’t think that will be very good,” Solanza was starting to say, eyeing his smoothie dubiously, when her attention was again caught by the growing crowds. “I wonder what everyone is here for?”

     She tapped on the shoulder of a nearby Korbat. “Excuse me, but do you know what everyone is doing here?”

     The Korbat let out a high shriek of laughter. “Why, we’re all here for the NeoQuest event, of course!”

     “The NeoQuest event?” Solanza asked, startled.

     “Yes, yes, the creator of NeoQuest is making their first ever appearance today. I hope they’re going to tell us how to get to that locked room!” the Korbat said excitedly. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m trying to get a better spot so hopefully they’ll pick my question!”

     Solanza exchanged a worried glance with Xantan. “I guess we had probably better head out. I’m not sure what’s going on with this event, but you’ve already been through a lot today.”

     “Actually, I’m kind of curious about it,” Xantan said, taking a sip of his smoothie and immediately curling his muzzle in disgust.

     “Well, okay, if you say so. Let’s try to find a spot where we can slip out without disturbing anyone if we have to,” Solanza said, gesturing for them to swap smoothies.

     They found an empty spot in front of one of the alleyways, and Solanza leaned up against the wall and pretended to be enjoying the pea-and-yoghurt smoothie whenever Xantan glanced at her. It was only a few minutes before the crowd hushed.

     In the middle of the clearing, a Graarl was addressing the crowd, a hooded figure by his side. Solanza craned her neck, but she couldn’t see under their hood. When she looked questioningly at Xantan, he shook his head, too. They would have to be patient while the Graarl finished his opening remarks.

     Finally, the Graarl’s voice boomed out: “And now for the moment you all have been waiting for! For his first-ever public appearance, the elusive and newly-revealed creator of the cultural phenomenon of NeoQuest: Eleus Batrin!”

     Solanza dropped her smoothie.

To be continued…