Deep dive
The darkness swallowed the city, painted in the somber hues of the night. Rain drummed against the window, its monotonous sounds resembling a melody of sorrow and loneliness. Nika, awakening earlier than usual, lay in bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling. Despite her clarity of mind, a dream filled with enigmatic images lingered, refusing to release her. She recalled every moment of her lucid dream, analyzing the meanings and symbols hidden within.
With these thoughts, she leisurely prepared for work. Ahead awaited her a calm and joyful day—the last before the start of her vacation. Nika was tasked with delivering important documents to Moscow. She completed it effortlessly. But on her way back, Nika decided to take a stroll through the Moscow City district, where she hadn't been in a long time. She entered the "Eye" tower to have a fragrant coffee, only to notice a silhouette of a woman horribly reminiscent of Alla from her dream. Yielding to a sudden impulse, Nika followed her.
Before she knew it, she found herself on the eighty-fourth floor. But the woman had vanished from her sight. Nika walked down a long corridor, puzzled about Alla's disappearance. Suddenly, she noticed an open door to one of the offices on the floor. Approaching cautiously, she peeked inside. The office was unusual: a mix of an ancient library and an alchemical laboratory. Shelves adorned with ancient books lined the walls, their covers gleaming with golden letters. Among them stood out one book, adorned with patterns and a mysterious inscription: "Nika."
Nika picked up the book and sat in a comfortable chair beside a large black table intended for business negotiations. Opening the book, she felt an irresistible urge to fall asleep. And, unable to resist, she closed her eyes.
Before her unfolded a fantastic panorama: floating islands, glowing rivers, and incredible creatures.
"Impressive, isn't it?" a voice sounded. Nika turned and saw Alla.
"Alla? I was following you! I didn't know you lived in Moscow," exclaimed Nika excitedly.
"I don't live in Moscow," said Alla. "I live between two worlds. In a world hidden from the social bustle."
Nika didn't understand what Alla was talking about.
"Are you talking about magic again?" she asked.
"You could say that," replied the woman. "I knew you would follow me."
She smiled, and Nika's head began to spin. Darkness filled her eyes. She woke up sitting in the chair at the table in the mysterious office. Nika noticed Andrew, Alla, and Katerina gathered around the table.
"How long have you been here? I must have dozed off," said Nika, surprised by the sudden appearance of the trio.
"We've been here for a while," said Andrew calmly.
"Is this your meeting place? I'm really surprised it's in Moscow City," she said.
They all just looked at her in silence and said nothing.
A minute of silence ensued, then Alla approached Nika and said in a quiet voice, "I want to tell you about us today. But you must listen to me attentively and under no circumstances ask any questions. Understood? What I'm about to say will be hard to believe, but you must hear it, setting aside your own judgments."
Nika nodded, but deep down she doubted whether she could silently listen to Alla, as there were so many questions swirling in her mind that she wanted to ask.
"I'll answer all your questions later. First, listen to me silently," said Alla, as if reading Nika's thoughts.
Nika nodded once more and settled more comfortably into the chair. Alla began her tale in a whispering voice.
"We are all spiritual descendants of the mages scattered across the globe. The primary skill of these mages was the ability to dream. Perhaps you've heard of the Rosicrucians? Well, long before the Rosicrucians appeared, there existed a mysterious community known as the 'Arcanum Somnia.' They explored the mystical aspects of dreams, including lucid dreaming. Members of the 'Arcanum Somnia' practiced ancient dream techniques, believing that the world of dreams held the keys to spiritual enlightenment. They conducted rituals in their dreams, exchanged dream experiences, and sought to decipher the symbolic messages sent to them while asleep. In their dreams, they trained, honed their skills: exercising muscles, learning languages, meditating, cooking, swimming, playing musical instruments."
For a moment, Alla paused her captivating narrative, lost in thought as if reminiscing about the past. She proved to be a remarkable storyteller, and it was fascinating to listen to her. Her face changed with almost every word of the tale: sometimes the face of a young woman, then that of a wise old woman, and at times even that of a man. Alla continued:
"They possessed a remarkable ability: they could glide between worlds, leaving behind the mundane and immersing themselves in the magic of the mage world. By day, they led ordinary lives; by night, they embarked on dream journeys. Eventually, they learned to dream while awake. This bestowed upon them incredible strength and energy."
Then she fell silent again and looked at Nika.
"You know, women are amazing dreamers. They possess a practicality that perfectly complements dreaming. To achieve true dreaming, a woman must adhere to unwavering discipline. But this doesn't mean blindly following order; on the contrary, a woman should break all stereotypes and expectations imposed on her by society."
She then began to recall and enumerate all her mage mentors, who could easily transform into owls and into the wind. Nika began to perceive it all as a fairy tale and also thought they were just making fun of her. She couldn't listen to Alla for long and began to fidget in her chair. Seeing that Nika was getting tired, Alla said:
"You'll understand everything in time. But now it's time to wake up."
"Wake up? But I'm not asleep?" Nika exclaimed.
And she felt everything start spinning and darkening again in her eyes. Nika closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, she found herself alone sitting in the chair at the table, with no Alla, Andrew, or Katerina nearby. There was a note on the table.
Nika picked it up: "I know you've started your vacation, so I invite you to my mansion in Krasnodar. Let's meet tomorrow at ten in the morning at the 'White Rabbit' café."
