The Dream Sanctum: Beyond The End Read Online Free Page A

handwritten notes on a
cork board by the door.
    “Surprised to see so much personality in one room?” Kwin asked Kai with a
knowing look.
    “That’s one way of putting it,” Kai replied, and she smirked.
    “My room was much more personable when mother was around, but I refused
to let it become too boring. I rarely
spend any time in here these days, anyway. There are many more fun things to
do, so don’t judge me by the contents of my living quarters.”
    “Of course not,” Kai laughed. They both turned to look at Lindsay, who
was already entranced by the flat screen.
    “You have an awesome room, Kwin,” she commented in amazement. “This TV is
huge!”
    Kwin raised an eyebrow.
    “It gets even better when you turn it on.”
    Lindsay rolled her eyes, and the three friends settled down on Kwin’s
bed. Kai felt perfectly comfortable around Kwin already, despite having been in
her company for only a few hours. It wasn’t so much that he knew her from the
Sanctum, although that definitely helped. She seemed like a legitimately
friendly person, and despite retaining much of her seriousness, Kai could tell
that she was much more cheerful and easy-going than she had been just weeks
before. She just has an interesting way
of showing it.
    Dinner arrived soon after it was ordered, and as they sat down around the
table in the well-lit kitchen, Kai had a sudden thought.
    “Kwin, I was wondering something…” he started, and Kwin looked up at him
expectantly. “When you blew up that ship, the sky dragons vanished. I don’t
want to jump to conclusions or anything, but what did you do to them?”
    “I take it you have reasons for asking other than accusing me of animal
cruelty,” Kwin stated, grinning widely.
    “Actually, I was wondering how it was possible for you to destroy part of
the world like that with your imagination. I thought it was against the rules.”
    Kwin nodded.
    “I didn’t actually do anything to them. They were probably frightened by
the explosion and flew off. However, if it were in any place other than the
Sanctum, they would have undoubtedly been incinerated.”
    “At least you’re limited to doing all your damage in the Sanctum,” Kai
replied, unable to hide his amusement at her blunt attitude.
    “For now,” she said simply, averting her eyes. Kai felt a shiver down his
spine at her words.
    They finished their meal as the sky grew dark. There still hadn’t been
any word from Kawamari, and though Kwin didn’t seem worried, Kai caught her
glancing at the house phone every so often. He knew that after only a few weeks
back together, even half the day could seem like an uncomfortable amount of
time to spend away from her father.
    “I was thinking…” Lindsay started thoughtfully.
    “What?” Kwin inquired.
    “Are we ever going to get to meet Alastor in the real world?” Lindsay
continued.
    “Getting bored of me already?” Kwin teased, then smiled as Lindsay
spluttered to clarify. “We will undoubtedly meet him soon. In fact, I was
hoping we could see him this coming weekend. He wants to meet the both of you
and discuss our next venture. Kai, you will be in charge of that.”
    Kai looked at her in surprise.
    “Me?”
    “Yes. I have been talking to my father lately about our journeys, and he
brought up something you spoke to him about shortly after our dealings with the
Nightmares.” At Kai raised his eyebrows in understanding and apprehension, she
nodded knowingly. “Our next trip will follow your idea. At our next possible
opportunity, we will attempt to explore beyond ‘The End.’”

Chapter 3: The House of Alastor

 
 
    T he following week was
uneventful and seemed to pass slower than usual as Kai waited to finally
Alastor in the real world. He had to admit that it was coming sooner than he
had expected; he hadn’t even considered visiting Alastor until Lindsay brought
he up. Ever since, Kai found himself preoccupied with thoughts of what Alastor
was really like, and