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Description
It wasn't an interesting day, and it wasn't a particularly happy day, either.  What it was, was a little cold, and much more wet.  Of course, Xerion didn't know that at the time.  The cold was there, but he couldn't tell if that's what the day was going to be like.  He just thought that it was because it was dark and...  That's the way things get when it's dark and the power has been out all night long.  He slowly opened his eyes as he felt the cold biting at his shoulders.  Yes, sleeping naked in the between-fall-and-winter time is a stupid thing to do, but that's what he liked.  It was normal for Xerion to roll around in his sleep, and sometimes it would result in cocoon-like bed sheets, as was this case.  Carefully unrolling himself, Xerion pulled the covers up to his nose and tried to sleep again.  There was no way that he could tell that it was going to be another hour and a half before he got to sleep again, much less that the next day would be cold and wet, or that the day would drag on much longer than the night.
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Why did he even care about her?  Xerion didn't have a crush, she wasn't his girlfriend, and he wasn't even that close to her.  Well, he had grown up with her, but...  ok, the truth of the matter was that Sheri was someone special to him, but special in the way that a younger brother or sister is special to someone (you know, the kind that you actually get along with, and aren't constantly fighting), so when Lucious gave him trouble, it was more than just normal aggravation.  Today was one of those days.  It rained hard as Lucious strolled down the hallway in Xeiron's direction.  Lucious is the kind of guy who should be on the football team, but isn't because he thinks he's too good for that.  He is tall, muscular, and has a military-style buzz-cut.  Xerion, on the other hand, has always been reasonably thin, tall (though not in an imposing sense), and pale.  He has a relaxed face (whereas Lucious seems to scowl at anything he can see), and long hair.  The rain beat hard against the window as Lucious stood behind Xerion, waiting for him to turn around.  When Xerion finally did, he nearly ran into Lucious.
"You know, you were getting awfully friendly with Sheri today."  Said Lucious as he glared at Xerion.
"Well, she is my friend."
"You know what I'm talking about, idiot."  spat Lucious, angrily.
"Yes, yes I do," replied Xerion "and I also know that I will be nothing more than friends with her.  I really don't see in you what she does, but she likes the kind of person you are, not me, so could you please just relax?"  Lucious grunted and continued to glare.
"God!  And smile once in a while!  Did you have a problem or something?!"  Lucious growled at Xerion and continued to glare.  Understanding that he had said more than enough, Xerion turned and began to walk away.
"I'll beat your face in if I catch you doing anything with her, I swear!!"  Xerion was almost finished here, but the day was far from over.
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Xerion was home in no time.  The drive was short, and most people avoided the back roads in the rain.  He really hadn't managed to get much sleep last night, and it was starting to wear on him more than ever.  The rain was still coming down in sheets, and it didn't look like the grey, rolling sky was going to smooth itself out anytime soon.  Xerion felt as though things were slowing down, the way that it feels when running through deep water.  He had been hungry earlier, but now he was reaching the point where he would go to sleep and eat later.  The wind blew hard against the house, and there was a crack outside.  It seemed that the old, dead tree had lost another one of its branches.  Another gust of wind blew, and the lights went black.  Even the fire in the fireplace was blown out with the force of the last gust of wind.  That was all that was needed to come to a decision: sleep was the best option at this point.  However, instead of going into his room to sleep, he collapsed on the couch directly behind him, and was unable to move.  He didn't think much of it, and began to sleep.  As his eyes closed, he looked out the window at the storm outside.  Why was this so strange?  Everything seemed so clear at that last moment, almost like he was the first and last man in existence to see the sun lightly illuminating the clouds from behind as all was covered in darkness and cold.  The trees were a vibrant and living green as the rain ran off of their leaves.  They swayed in the wind in such a way that is almost seemed as though they were breathing.  Everything was green, cold, no, more than that...  Everything was alive and feeling so.  He was no longer in his house, or his town.  In this unfamiliar landscape, he stood in an open field, the rain soaking through his hair, his skin, and his feet into the ground and plants around him.  Xerion could feel the forest behind him before he smelled it, and he was able to smell it before he actually saw it.  Someone was behind him...  Someone familiar.  He turned to face Sheri.  She stood and stared at him with a look of confusion on her face, her blonde hair wet and sticking to her cheeks.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Where are we?"  She looked like she was about to cry.  "What's happened?"  There was a movement behind her, in front of her, yet nothing.  An ethereal force circled her, and her image became blurred across his face.  What was this?  It, no, he didn't want her talking to Xerion.  The world flooded with water, and he sank as the earth floated away.  Deeper, darker, he plunged, and could not move.  Suspended in the dark, he moved his arms, and pushed against the side of the couch.  Sitting up slowly, he looked around.  He didn't even remember when he had fallen asleep and when he had woken up.  And what was that dream?  It was so thick, it seemed to grate on his mind.  What time was it?  Xerion turned and looked at the clock.  Three AM.  Tomorrow was going to be another long day...  Something wet dropped on his hand.  What is this?  He reached up and felt his face.  There were streams of tears running down his face.  He had been crying in his sleep.  Why?  Completely perplexed, Xerion got up and walked off to the bathroom.  There was something on his face...  He reached up and felt his hair.  It was completely drenched.
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The next day was the same as the day before, and every day before that.  Into school, out for work, and home to do whatever might arise after.  He wasn't asking for more, in fact he was perfectly happy where he was...  Well, that's what he wanted to believe.  He did regret that he didn't have someone.  He wouldn't admit it, though.  Not even to himself (unless the opportunity presented itself in an advantageous situation).  But in all truthfulness, he was satisfied.  Whether fulfilling his needs or denying them, he was at peace.  When he arrived home this day, he was happy, but unusually bothered by last night's dream.  What's wrong with it?  Nothing.  Why does it bother you?  I don't know.  Then why are you worrying about it?  I don't understand...  He pondered back and forth until his neck went limp.  His head hung foreword, his back hunched, and he nearly fell out of his chair.  His breathing slowed, his heart slowed down, and for a moment it almost seemed like he died.  There was a rustling sound, and he stood up.  The old man in front of him jumped back in surprise.
"Oh!!  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.  I thought that there was something wrong...  Are you OK?"  He had on an electric-blue robe that hung off of his body in a frumped fashion and curled around his feet in a mass of blue-hued folds.  He had long white hair, and a short grey beard.  He shuffled back to Xerion.
"Ummm, I think so..."  Xerion looked around at the massive trees that grew in every direction.  "Where am I?"  The old man looked at him with a bewildered expression.
"What do you mean?"
"Umm, I...  I mean I don't know where this is.  Could you tell me?"  Xerion was distracted by the trees around him.  They weren't just enormous, they were alive!  That's not to say that most trees aren't, but they weren't redwoods, and they almost seemed to pulse with energy if he looked at them long enough.
"Actually, that's a bit of a task, seen how I'm a bit lost myself.  I'm sorry"
"It's alright.  Umm, I'm Xerion."  He held out his hand.  The old man simply stood there and stared at it for a moment.  Then he smiled.
"I'm Rudarius.  Pleasure to meet you."  He clasped both hands over Xerion's, and then began to walk off.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I'm not going to wait here.  It will be dark soon, and most likely before I can get back into town.  Where are you going?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to follow you, seeing how I have no idea where I am.  Where are you going?"
"To Alhanda.  Will you be following me then?"
"Sure."  Xerion began walking along behind him looking about at the trees.  Every once in a while, Rudarius would look back and watch him.  "Why are you looking at me like that?"  Xerion asked when he couldn't stand it anymore.
"I keep wondering where you come from..."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, there have been more showing up like you recently.  I mean, you're dressed just a little differently than I am, and it makes me curious."  Xerion thought for a moment.  This shirt, and these pants, I got them at...  Well he's in a robe...  WAIT!  It all came back to him in that instant.
"I fell asleep, and then you woke me up, and I was here!"  Xerion stared at Rudarius for a moment, surprise stretching his face.
"...Yes, I woke you up and you were here, but where do you come from."
"Ummm, well, I live in a small town up in the mountains that most people wouldn't know about, so you might not have heard of it, but I don't think that really applies, I mean, I was asleep in my house, and when I woke up I was here, and where I come from I don't know of anybody that dresses the way that you do, but I guess that some people must, though I don't really know, and the way that this seems, shouldn't this all be a dream?"  Rudarius stared at him for a moment, taking all this in.  His eyes narrowed as he looked at Xerion.
"You aren't crazy, are you?"  Xerion looked confused and exasperated at the same time.  There was a long pause...  "No, I guess you aren't!"  Rudarius laughed.  "You!  I know who you are!...  Or more precisely, what you are."
"...?  A... What now?"  Rudarius came shambling up to Xerion, his arms bobbing up and down the way a young boy's might when he is very excited.
"You...  Are from the other world.  They come and visit us like ghosts, they do.  But you...  You crossed over.  How did you do that?  Amazing!  I mean, the others that show up are really like ghosts...  Completely drained of life, or so they seem.  But you!  Simply amazing!"  Xerion furrowed his brow.
"...?  A...  What now!?"  Rudarius slapped him on the back.  It seemed like a congratulations, but it felt otherwise.
"You are dreaming, boy!  This place - this world...  is where you go when you sleep! -She's a real beauty, isn't she?  But, no, seriously, when you sleep, you go here.  You don't know it, of course, but you come here to...  well, to feed."
"What?!"  Xerion jumped, confused and shocked at the same time.  Rudarius had uttered "feed" in such a low and droning manor that it was horribly ominous.  "What do you mean 'to feed'?  I kill people or something?"
"NO!  As you go about your day, you build up residual energies of life.  You don't really need these.  Your body needs something else.  What you need, we have, which is another sort of energy that we build up as we go about our lives from day-to-day.  When we sleep, we dream, and cross over into your world and deposit our energies where they can be used, and then feed and grow off of what you have used.  Think of it...  as a symbiotic relationship, the way people breathe out, plants breathe in, plants breathe out, people breathe in.  But you're here!  Fantastic!"  Rudarius circled Xerion briefly, eying him with excitement.  "You know, you really aren't supposed to come here like this, but here you are!  I wonder how you can do it..."
"Um, I'm sorry, but you said that there were others here like me?"  Rudarius spun around.
"Well, yes, actually, but they aren't really like you, they're always kind of tired and out of energy, and almost like the living dead...  They are here, but not really here...  you are here in full body.  They are here in spirit only, and are almost suffocating themselves.  I don't know what it is, but it's very different.  In any case, though this is all quite interesting" Rudarius straightened up "we should really get moving."
"Ok...  Wait, I have another question."  Rudarius stopped and turned to face Xerion once more.
"Yes?"  He replied, a large grin on his face.
"I had a dream, much like this one.  A fiend of mine was taken by...  I can't even describe it.  I couldn't see it, but I could feel it.  It was like a tornado of broken glass.  What was that?"  Rudarius face scrunched up, and he seemed deep in thought.
"That was one of the formless ones.  Those without faces.  You would call them 'nightmares'.  Over here, they are the Aragon.  They steal energy from anything, and leave nothing in return.  They abuse their gift to process all energy instead of just some, and completely disregard the rights of all others in this realm.  I was in these woods to try and stop one from causing havoc.  The town outside is one of the few remaining places in this world that does not open tolerate those without faces.  But I found you instead, what luck!"  A large crash sounded in the distance.  There was a long pause, then Rudarius spoke.  "Run.  Run now, boy, flee!"
"But where, what are you going to do?  Where will I go?"
"It doesn't matter, just RUN!!"  Rudarius's scream almost sounded like a roar.  Xerion turned to run, but was stopped by...  A tree came crashing down in front of him, and he stopped.  As it fell, a great scream cut the air.  The life-force of the tree shattered as it hit the ground, exploding and spraying juice everywhere.  The semi-transparent liquid fell all around and on his face, though it really wasn't wet.  Xerion looked at the tree.  It's branches still shone green in the sunlight, and shuddered slightly.  He could see the soft blue energy flowing from it, and he felt a pain unbearable.  He wanted to cry.  He could feel its life running out and seeping away.    His eyes slowly drifted from the tree to that huge monstrosity.  Its bulbous head was cocked at an angle, as it stared down at him, its tongue lawling lazily.  Without a thought, it bent over and began lapping up the life-blood of that ancient plant.  "Boy, move...  NOW!!!"  Rudarius screamed again, but it didn't matter.  Xerion felt his rage building.  The giant rotting carcass of a creature paid him no mind as it ate.  He watched it for a moment, its pale stinking arms moving back and forth.  A foul odor emanated from it.
"You...  You killed that!!!"  The large creature still ignored Xerion as it shouted at him.  "Hey, don't just sit there and play dumb as I'm talking to you, you DUMB SHIT!"  There was a roar, and the air next to the creature almost seemed to explode.  It jumped with a yelp, and eyed Xerion angrily.
"You fool, run..."  Rudarius whispered to himself.  In all truthfulness, Rudarius wanted to see what was going to happen.  Xerion glared at the creature.
"Yeah, I'm talking to you, you bastard..."  It smelled the air around itself as though trying to understand exactly what Xerion was.  Meanwhile, Xerion's rage continued to increase uncontrollably.  "You deserve to burn!!!"  There was a flash of light, and Xerion held a HUGE spear in his hands.  It was more than double his height, and had a great, seven-pointed head.  The diameter of its grip was more than two inches thick, and it felt solid beyond anything else...  But it was light enough that he could swing it around with almost no effort whatsoever!
"Holy hell!"  Rudarius exclaimed.  "It's...  That's...  It looks like the legendary spear of --!"  Xerion stopped for a moment and felt it.  It was light enough that it almost seemed it could lift him off of the ground.  He flipped it end-over-end once smoothly, then held firm.  A thin smile spread across his face.
"Now you die!"  He jabbed at the creature, and left a wide gash in its arm.  It howled in pain.  "How about another?!!"  Spinning around, Xerion leapt into the air.  That magnificent rod seemed to increase his momentum as he ascended.  His rotation stopped as the spear whipped around and above him, pausing for a moment.  There was so much energy in the spear that he would have to wait a moment for the rest of its mass to move through time.  The air seemed to support him as everything moved in slow-motion.  A blur of motion swirled around him, shearing the leaves off of the near-by trees, and rustling his hair.  Finally it hit the spearhead, and he swung down faster than he could feel.  The sound of a mighty crash shook the ground, lifting clouds of dust into the air.  The spear vanished, and Xerion fell to the ground, rather unexpectedly.  The large monster that had been standing in front of him slowly fell in two pieces.  It shimmered in a spectrum of black, and seemed to slowly melt away.  As it faded into nothing, Xerion felt himself begin to cry.
"What's wrong, boy?"  Rudarius put his hand on Xerion's shoulder.  The touch almost felt as though it shocked him.  He looked up at Rudarius, thin moist lines going down his cheeks.
"I... uh, I don't -- I don't know.  I just feel...  so sad for that -- I don't want to say it's just a tree, but..."
"It's OK.  Just watch..." and with that, Rudarius walked over to the large creature that was smoldering away.  Xerion noticed that the large, black clouds that were floating off of its body didn't stink as he had anticipated, but were actually sweet-smelling, like honeysuckle.  Rudarius reached into the vanishing substance, and its surface rippled, the same way water does when you reach into a pond.  A moment later, he pulled out a small, multi-colored gem that shimmered in the light.  It almost seemed to glow like it contained a small fire.  He snapped it in half, and put each half in different parts of the fallen tree, reaching into it the same way that he did in the large creature.  After pulling out, he stepped back and motioned for Xerion to follow.  Thin tendrils spiraled out of where he had planted the seeds, each one twisting its thin, smooth way over the trunk of the tree and into the ground.  A moment later, what seemed to be a bushel of leaves burs forth from that spot, and a long, thin trunk grew out.  It slowed, and small buds could be seen all around it.  Rudarius began to walk away, and Xerion followed.  "That was the energy that the faceless one had been taking from the tree -- they're called 'Loriens.'  Each of those Loriens circulates the energies that all creatures have in them to give life.  That's why you feel so sad, because you can sympathize with it.  I put that energy back into the tree, and it will live again.  It might look a little odd, granted, but it will live.  It's interesting: they are the same energies that are circulated when we dream you, and for that reason, the faceless ones are drawn to them."  Xerion stopped where he was, and gave an odd look at Rudarius.
“What did you say?”  It seemed like Rudarius skipped a frame, then froze in place.
“This may be hard for you, but you’ll have to accept it… the land that you normally live in isn’t real.  It’s the land that we create as we dream.”

Description
It wasn't an interesting day, and it wasn't a particularly happy day, either.  What it was, was a little cold, and much more wet.  Of course, Xerion didn't know that at the time.  The cold was there, but he couldn't tell if that's what the day was going to be like.  He just thought that it was because it was dark and...  That's the way things get when it's dark and the power has been out all night long.  He slowly opened his eyes as he felt the cold biting at his shoulders.  Yes, sleeping naked in the between-fall-and-winter time is a stupid thing to do, but that's what he liked.  It was normal for Xerion to roll around in his sleep, and sometimes it would result in cocoon-like bed sheets, as was this case.  Carefully unrolling himself, Xerion pulled the covers up to his nose and tried to sleep again.  There was no way that he could tell that it was going to be another hour and a half before he got to sleep again, much less that the next day would be cold and wet, or that the day would drag on much longer than the night.
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Why did he even care about her?  Xerion didn't have a crush, she wasn't his girlfriend, and he wasn't even that close to her.  Well, he had grown up with her, but...  ok, the truth of the matter was that Sheri was someone special to him, but special in the way that a younger brother or sister is special to someone (you know, the kind that you actually get along with, and aren't constantly fighting), so when Lucious gave him trouble, it was more than just normal aggravation.  Today was one of those days.  It rained hard as Lucious strolled down the hallway in Xeiron's direction.  Lucious is the kind of guy who should be on the football team, but isn't because he thinks he's too good for that.  He is tall, muscular, and has a military-style buzz-cut.  Xerion, on the other hand, has always been reasonably thin, tall (though not in an imposing sense), and pale.  He has a relaxed face (whereas Lucious seems to scowl at anything he can see), and long hair.  The rain beat hard against the window as Lucious stood behind Xerion, waiting for him to turn around.  When Xerion finally did, he nearly ran into Lucious.
"You know, you were getting awfully friendly with Sheri today."  Said Lucious as he glared at Xerion.
"Well, she is my friend."
"You know what I'm talking about, idiot."  spat Lucious, angrily.
"Yes, yes I do," replied Xerion "and I also know that I will be nothing more than friends with her.  I really don't see in you what she does, but she likes the kind of person you are, not me, so could you please just relax?"  Lucious grunted and continued to glare.
"God!  And smile once in a while!  Did you have a problem or something?!"  Lucious growled at Xerion and continued to glare.  Understanding that he had said more than enough, Xerion turned and began to walk away.
"I'll beat your face in if I catch you doing anything with her, I swear!!"  Xerion was almost finished here, but the day was far from over.
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Xerion was home in no time.  The drive was short, and most people avoided the back roads in the rain.  He really hadn't managed to get much sleep last night, and it was starting to wear on him more than ever.  The rain was still coming down in sheets, and it didn't look like the grey, rolling sky was going to smooth itself out anytime soon.  Xerion felt as though things were slowing down, the way that it feels when running through deep water.  He had been hungry earlier, but now he was reaching the point where he would go to sleep and eat later.  The wind blew hard against the house, and there was a crack outside.  It seemed that the old, dead tree had lost another one of its branches.  Another gust of wind blew, and the lights went black.  Even the fire in the fireplace was blown out with the force of the last gust of wind.  That was all that was needed to come to a decision: sleep was the best option at this point.  However, instead of going into his room to sleep, he collapsed on the couch directly behind him, and was unable to move.  He didn't think much of it, and began to sleep.  As his eyes closed, he looked out the window at the storm outside.  Why was this so strange?  Everything seemed so clear at that last moment, almost like he was the first and last man in existence to see the sun lightly illuminating the clouds from behind as all was covered in darkness and cold.  The trees were a vibrant and living green as the rain ran off of their leaves.  They swayed in the wind in such a way that is almost seemed as though they were breathing.  Everything was green, cold, no, more than that...  Everything was alive and feeling so.  He was no longer in his house, or his town.  In this unfamiliar landscape, he stood in an open field, the rain soaking through his hair, his skin, and his feet into the ground and plants around him.  Xerion could feel the forest behind him before he smelled it, and he was able to smell it before he actually saw it.  Someone was behind him...  Someone familiar.  He turned to face Sheri.  She stood and stared at him with a look of confusion on her face, her blonde hair wet and sticking to her cheeks.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Where are we?"  She looked like she was about to cry.  "What's happened?"  There was a movement behind her, in front of her, yet nothing.  An ethereal force circled her, and her image became blurred across his face.  What was this?  It, no, he didn't want her talking to Xerion.  The world flooded with water, and he sank as the earth floated away.  Deeper, darker, he plunged, and could not move.  Suspended in the dark, he moved his arms, and pushed against the side of the couch.  Sitting up slowly, he looked around.  He didn't even remember when he had fallen asleep and when he had woken up.  And what was that dream?  It was so thick, it seemed to grate on his mind.  What time was it?  Xerion turned and looked at the clock.  Three AM.  Tomorrow was going to be another long day...  Something wet dropped on his hand.  What is this?  He reached up and felt his face.  There were streams of tears running down his face.  He had been crying in his sleep.  Why?  Completely perplexed, Xerion got up and walked off to the bathroom.  There was something on his face...  He reached up and felt his hair.  It was completely drenched.
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The next day was the same as the day before, and every day before that.  Into school, out for work, and home to do whatever might arise after.  He wasn't asking for more, in fact he was perfectly happy where he was...  Well, that's what he wanted to believe.  He did regret that he didn't have someone.  He wouldn't admit it, though.  Not even to himself (unless the opportunity presented itself in an advantageous situation).  But in all truthfulness, he was satisfied.  Whether fulfilling his needs or denying them, he was at peace.  When he arrived home this day, he was happy, but unusually bothered by last night's dream.  What's wrong with it?  Nothing.  Why does it bother you?  I don't know.  Then why are you worrying about it?  I don't understand...  He pondered back and forth until his neck went limp.  His head hung foreword, his back hunched, and he nearly fell out of his chair.  His breathing slowed, his heart slowed down, and for a moment it almost seemed like he died.  There was a rustling sound, and he stood up.  The old man in front of him jumped back in surprise.
"Oh!!  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.  I thought that there was something wrong...  Are you OK?"  He had on an electric-blue robe that hung off of his body in a frumped fashion and curled around his feet in a mass of blue-hued folds.  He had long white hair, and a short grey beard.  He shuffled back to Xerion.
"Ummm, I think so..."  Xerion looked around at the massive trees that grew in every direction.  "Where am I?"  The old man looked at him with a bewildered expression.
"What do you mean?"
"Umm, I...  I mean I don't know where this is.  Could you tell me?"  Xerion was distracted by the trees around him.  They weren't just enormous, they were alive!  That's not to say that most trees aren't, but they weren't redwoods, and they almost seemed to pulse with energy if he looked at them long enough.
"Actually, that's a bit of a task, seen how I'm a bit lost myself.  I'm sorry"
"It's alright.  Umm, I'm Xerion."  He held out his hand.  The old man simply stood there and stared at it for a moment.  Then he smiled.
"I'm Rudarius.  Pleasure to meet you."  He clasped both hands over Xerion's, and then began to walk off.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I'm not going to wait here.  It will be dark soon, and most likely before I can get back into town.  Where are you going?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to follow you, seeing how I have no idea where I am.  Where are you going?"
"To Alhanda.  Will you be following me then?"
"Sure."  Xerion began walking along behind him looking about at the trees.  Every once in a while, Rudarius would look back and watch him.  "Why are you looking at me like that?"  Xerion asked when he couldn't stand it anymore.
"I keep wondering where you come from..."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, there have been more showing up like you recently.  I mean, you're dressed just a little differently than I am, and it makes me curious."  Xerion thought for a moment.  This shirt, and these pants, I got them at...  Well he's in a robe...  WAIT!  It all came back to him in that instant.
"I fell asleep, and then you woke me up, and I was here!"  Xerion stared at Rudarius for a moment, surprise stretching his face.
"...Yes, I woke you up and you were here, but where do you come from."
"Ummm, well, I live in a small town up in the mountains that most people wouldn't know about, so you might not have heard of it, but I don't think that really applies, I mean, I was asleep in my house, and when I woke up I was here, and where I come from I don't know of anybody that dresses the way that you do, but I guess that some people must, though I don't really know, and the way that this seems, shouldn't this all be a dream?"  Rudarius stared at him for a moment, taking all this in.  His eyes narrowed as he looked at Xerion.
"You aren't crazy, are you?"  Xerion looked confused and exasperated at the same time.  There was a long pause...  "No, I guess you aren't!"  Rudarius laughed.  "You!  I know who you are!...  Or more precisely, what you are."
"...?  A... What now?"  Rudarius came shambling up to Xerion, his arms bobbing up and down the way a young boy's might when he is very excited.
"You...  Are from the other world.  They come and visit us like ghosts, they do.  But you...  You crossed over.  How did you do that?  Amazing!  I mean, the others that show up are really like ghosts...  Completely drained of life, or so they seem.  But you!  Simply amazing!"  Xerion furrowed his brow.
"...?  A...  What now!?"  Rudarius slapped him on the back.  It seemed like a congratulations, but it felt otherwise.
"You are dreaming, boy!  This place - this world...  is where you go when you sleep! -She's a real beauty, isn't she?  But, no, seriously, when you sleep, you go here.  You don't know it, of course, but you come here to...  well, to feed."
"What?!"  Xerion jumped, confused and shocked at the same time.  Rudarius had uttered "feed" in such a low and droning manor that it was horribly ominous.  "What do you mean 'to feed'?  I kill people or something?"
"NO!  As you go about your day, you build up residual energies of life.  You don't really need these.  Your body needs something else.  What you need, we have, which is another sort of energy that we build up as we go about our lives from day-to-day.  When we sleep, we dream, and cross over into your world and deposit our energies where they can be used, and then feed and grow off of what you have used.  Think of it...  as a symbiotic relationship, the way people breathe out, plants breathe in, plants breathe out, people breathe in.  But you're here!  Fantastic!"  Rudarius circled Xerion briefly, eying him with excitement.  "You know, you really aren't supposed to come here like this, but here you are!  I wonder how you can do it..."
"Um, I'm sorry, but you said that there were others here like me?"  Rudarius spun around.
"Well, yes, actually, but they aren't really like you, they're always kind of tired and out of energy, and almost like the living dead...  They are here, but not really here...  you are here in full body.  They are here in spirit only, and are almost suffocating themselves.  I don't know what it is, but it's very different.  In any case, though this is all quite interesting" Rudarius straightened up "we should really get moving."
"Ok...  Wait, I have another question."  Rudarius stopped and turned to face Xerion once more.
"Yes?"  He replied, a large grin on his face.
"I had a dream, much like this one.  A fiend of mine was taken by...  I can't even describe it.  I couldn't see it, but I could feel it.  It was like a tornado of broken glass.  What was that?"  Rudarius face scrunched up, and he seemed deep in thought.
"That was one of the formless ones.  Those without faces.  You would call them 'nightmares'.  Over here, they are the Aragon.  They steal energy from anything, and leave nothing in return.  They abuse their gift to process all energy instead of just some, and completely disregard the rights of all others in this realm.  I was in these woods to try and stop one from causing havoc.  The town outside is one of the few remaining places in this world that does not open tolerate those without faces.  But I found you instead, what luck!"  A large crash sounded in the distance.  There was a long pause, then Rudarius spoke.  "Run.  Run now, boy, flee!"
"But where, what are you going to do?  Where will I go?"
"It doesn't matter, just RUN!!"  Rudarius's scream almost sounded like a roar.  Xerion turned to run, but was stopped by...  A tree came crashing down in front of him, and he stopped.  As it fell, a great scream cut the air.  The life-force of the tree shattered as it hit the ground, exploding and spraying juice everywhere.  The semi-transparent liquid fell all around and on his face, though it really wasn't wet.  Xerion looked at the tree.  It's branches still shone green in the sunlight, and shuddered slightly.  He could see the soft blue energy flowing from it, and he felt a pain unbearable.  He wanted to cry.  He could feel its life running out and seeping away.    His eyes slowly drifted from the tree to that huge monstrosity.  Its bulbous head was cocked at an angle, as it stared down at him, its tongue lawling lazily.  Without a thought, it bent over and began lapping up the life-blood of that ancient plant.  "Boy, move...  NOW!!!"  Rudarius screamed again, but it didn't matter.  Xerion felt his rage building.  The giant rotting carcass of a creature paid him no mind as it ate.  He watched it for a moment, its pale stinking arms moving back and forth.  A foul odor emanated from it.
"You...  You killed that!!!"  The large creature still ignored Xerion as it shouted at him.  "Hey, don't just sit there and play dumb as I'm talking to you, you DUMB SHIT!"  There was a roar, and the air next to the creature almost seemed to explode.  It jumped with a yelp, and eyed Xerion angrily.
"You fool, run..."  Rudarius whispered to himself.  In all truthfulness, Rudarius wanted to see what was going to happen.  Xerion glared at the creature.
"Yeah, I'm talking to you, you bastard..."  It smelled the air around itself as though trying to understand exactly what Xerion was.  Meanwhile, Xerion's rage continued to increase uncontrollably.  "You deserve to burn!!!"  There was a flash of light, and Xerion held a HUGE spear in his hands.  It was more than double his height, and had a great, seven-pointed head.  The diameter of its grip was more than two inches thick, and it felt solid beyond anything else...  But it was light enough that he could swing it around with almost no effort whatsoever!
"Holy hell!"  Rudarius exclaimed.  "It's...  That's...  It looks like the legendary spear of --!"  Xerion stopped for a moment and felt it.  It was light enough that it almost seemed it could lift him off of the ground.  He flipped it end-over-end once smoothly, then held firm.  A thin smile spread across his face.
"Now you die!"  He jabbed at the creature, and left a wide gash in its arm.  It howled in pain.  "How about another?!!"  Spinning around, Xerion leapt into the air.  That magnificent rod seemed to increase his momentum as he ascended.  His rotation stopped as the spear whipped around and above him, pausing for a moment.  There was so much energy in the spear that he would have to wait a moment for the rest of its mass to move through time.  The air seemed to support him as everything moved in slow-motion.  A blur of motion swirled around him, shearing the leaves off of the near-by trees, and rustling his hair.  Finally it hit the spearhead, and he swung down faster than he could feel.  The sound of a mighty crash shook the ground, lifting clouds of dust into the air.  The spear vanished, and Xerion fell to the ground, rather unexpectedly.  The large monster that had been standing in front of him slowly fell in two pieces.  It shimmered in a spectrum of black, and seemed to slowly melt away.  As it faded into nothing, Xerion felt himself begin to cry.
"What's wrong, boy?"  Rudarius put his hand on Xerion's shoulder.  The touch almost felt as though it shocked him.  He looked up at Rudarius, thin moist lines going down his cheeks.
"I... uh, I don't -- I don't know.  I just feel...  so sad for that -- I don't want to say it's just a tree, but..."
"It's OK.  Just watch..." and with that, Rudarius walked over to the large creature that was smoldering away.  Xerion noticed that the large, black clouds that were floating off of its body didn't stink as he had anticipated, but were actually sweet-smelling, like honeysuckle.  Rudarius reached into the vanishing substance, and its surface rippled, the same way water does when you reach into a pond.  A moment later, he pulled out a small, multi-colored gem that shimmered in the light.  It almost seemed to glow like it contained a small fire.  He snapped it in half, and put each half in different parts of the fallen tree, reaching into it the same way that he did in the large creature.  After pulling out, he stepped back and motioned for Xerion to follow.  Thin tendrils spiraled out of where he had planted the seeds, each one twisting its thin, smooth way over the trunk of the tree and into the ground.  A moment later, what seemed to be a bushel of leaves burs forth from that spot, and a long, thin trunk grew out.  It slowed, and small buds could be seen all around it.  Rudarius began to walk away, and Xerion followed.  "That was the energy that the faceless one had been taking from the tree -- they're called 'Loriens.'  Each of those Loriens circulates the energies that all creatures have in them to give life.  That's why you feel so sad, because you can sympathize with it.  I put that energy back into the tree, and it will live again.  It might look a little odd, granted, but it will live.  It's interesting: they are the same energies that are circulated when we dream you, and for that reason, the faceless ones are drawn to them."  Xerion stopped where he was, and gave an odd look at Rudarius.
“What did you say?”  It seemed like Rudarius skipped a frame, then froze in place.
“This may be hard for you, but you’ll have to accept it… the land that you normally live in isn’t real.  It’s the land that we create as we dream.”