Kathy stopped. The tunnel had opened up into a large cavern, with a floor made up of ice, glowing green-blue ice. At the highest part of the ceiling, great stalactites formed a ring around a hole. The sun shone through the hole, sending a single ray of brilliant white light straight down. The walls had been polished flat over the years, showing off their symmetrical stonework. Even the air smelled crisp and clear. Everything about the room seemed to be in perfect harmony with one another... except for the dead center.
Directly in the center of the cavern, buried deep into the ice, was a sword. It was what spread the sunlight across the cave, lighting up the entire space. The golden hilt appeared to bask in the radiance of the light, but something about it seemed wrong to Kathy. Perhaps it was because the sword was stuck in its icy grave, but that didn't quite seem to be it.
"It is waiting for its owner to claim it," a voice behind her answered.
"What?" she asked, slowly turning.
"It is waiting for its owner to claim it." Roger repeated.
"Why have you brought me here?" Kathy asked Brad.
"I asked him to bring you," Brad's grandfather replied.
"Why?" Kathy said, looking back towards the sword.
"Why don't you pull out the sword and find out." Roger stated.
Kathy slowly slid over to the sword and took a hold of the hilt.
"Just give it a try." Brad encouraged.
She looked back at them one last time before giving it a tug.
The sword came out effortlessly.
"You are 'The Dreamer!'" Roger exclaimed in solemn delight.
Kathy hardly heard him as she stared at the sword. Its golden hilt was just the beginning. In fact, now seeing it up close, Kathy could see many vibrant precious stones lining the hilt, shining luminously in the sunlight, embedded into the hilt in perfect alignment with the gold. The blade was made of solid diamond, the edges too sharp to touch, feeling very solid and unbreakable as she ran her hand down the broadside. This was no ordinary sword; of that, Kathy was sure.
*****
"What happens now?" Kathy asked, breaking the silence.
It had taken a good two hours for the trio to make their way back to the waterfall; not a word had been spoken until now.
Roger breathed in heavily. He knew exactly what was to come. "Well... to put it bluntly, you are about to steer the course of the worlds."
"Worlds?" Kathy inquired, looking over at Roger.
"Yes. Worlds. You are the bridge between two worlds. You will ultimately decide which, if either, will win."
"What exactly do you mean by 'win'?" Kathy responded with a seriousness that mirrored her situation.
"Let me explain." Roger stated evenly. "On earth, there are two competing worlds. One is the pragmatic world, which you are walking in. The other is a fantasy world, which you will start to know soon. Both are real, but each was only real to those living in that reality, and to those specially chosen, such as you."
"Just what will happen when these two realities collide?"
This time Brad answered. "No one can guess what will happen. The only thing we know is that you will decide the outcome. Whether you hinder or help either side is up to you. Each decision you make will have large consequences, especially as there is no easy answer; how do you assimilate two completely different societies? That is the question you must answer; otherwise, we may all be destroyed in the process."
"What if..." Kathy did not have time to finish her question. Although she was standing still, the world around her began to blur. Then, as quickly as the slurring started, it ended. However, the world around her had changed dramatically. It was now dark outside, with the faint moon being the only light to see by. The ground, the air, everything seemed to have changed.
"Oh, hello." The girl standing in front of her said, a bit startled, placing a hand behind her back.
"Um... hi." Kathy replied, looking around at her new surroundings.
"I'm Kelly..." The girl's voice trailed off as she saw Kathy's sword, which was still in her hands.
"Huh?" Kathy asked, following Kelly's gaze to the sword. "Don't worry about it; I don't plan on using it."
Kelly just continued to stare at it. "What is your name?"
"I'm Kathy."
"No," she looked up into Kathy's eyes, "that's not what I meant. Do you have another name?"
Kathy did a double take, thinking for a long moment before responding. "Recently, some have been referring to me as 'The Dreamer.'"
Kelly lowered her head, raising it again a moment later to look Kathy directly in the eyes, her gaze changed, now stronger. "I guess it is true."
"What do you mean?" Kathy now stared into Kelly's eyes.
Kelly showed her the object that she had hidden behind her back.
"A sheath?" Kathy asked.
"Your sheath." Kelly responded. "Before you place the Liniarc into its sheath, let me explain what will happen.
"You are currently in my reality, the world of fantasy. This sheath was recently given to me with the understanding that I was to find its proper owner. Once I found you, I was supposed to give you a message:
"'Make sure you understand the consequences of sheathing your sword. The Liniarc will not be placed away without consequences; if you decide to do so, then you will become a symbol of trust between the two realities, that the two will not fight each other. Your sword will become the new symbol of peace. Thus, if you later decide that it is necessary to use it, then all hope of a peaceful mixing will be erased. Trust will be shattered. War will result.
"'On the other hand, if you choose to use the sword, it will signify that this crossover will not be able to be accomplished peacefully. War will result. However, a lasting peace after the war would be possible as the trust would not have been destroyed. The choice is yours to make.'
"It seems you have a difficult decision ahead of you." Kelly finished with a grimace, handing her the sheath. "I would hate to be in your shoes."
Kathy let out a deep breath, trying to remain composed as she took the sheath; it attached to her side without any physical fasteners.
"What is your decision?" a voice behind her asked flatly.