“I don’t know about that, but I know that if you learn what it’s in this notebook, you can do it,” Charmwill said.
Loki flipped through the tiny pages and saw a picture of a vampire lying on her back with a stake in her heart. A circle of candles surrounded the vampire, and two mirrors stood opposite to each other on both sides, tangent to the circle. A boy who was Loki’s age lay stretched on his back next to the vampire girl. The few lines written underneath the picture explained that the boy recited a spell to enter the vampire’s dreams to kill her. It didn’t make much sense, but the notebook was thick and Loki was excited that he had a lot to read concerning what he did before he was shadowed.
But when Loki finished reading the page, something strange happened. The page dissolved as if it had turned into sand, and was simply gone. Loki couldn’t believe what he just saw and gazed back at Charmwill for answers.
“The Dreamhunters Guide is a special kind of notebook that’s called a Book of Sand,” Charmwill explained. “Books of Sand have magical pages that once read dissolve into sand and never appear again.”
“Why?”
“To let you know how precious every word you read is,” Charmwill said, “and to prevent enemies from learning the skill. Any Book of Sand is only readable once every one hundred years. I see you’ve wasted a page already, and I hope you remembered what you’ve read and seen.”
“Wow,” Loki said. “This is magic happening to me,” he tucked his book safely in his pocket and intended to read it thoroughly later. “So I’m not a loser after all,” Loki smiled, staring at the daylight outside the window. “I’m a Dreamhunter. You heard that, Pickwick?”
The parrot fluttered its wings enthusiastically, and again, Loki thought it was harsh that Charmwill had turned it into a mute parrot. Of all the animals that talked to Loki, Pickwick couldn’t.
“And here is another little gift from me,” Charmwill pulled a backpack from under his desk and placed it on the table.
“You got me a backpack?”
“This one is different. It’s called a Wondersack,” Charmwill said. “And it’d better if you don’t open it now. When you read the Dreamhuter’s guide, you will know exactly what you need from this Wondersack and under what circumstances you will need them. Now, it’s time for you to start your journey, Loki,” Charmwill stood up and stretched out his hand. Loki stood up and shook his hand respectfully. He felt honored shaking Charmwill’s hand. “I hope you find what you’re looking for,” Charmwill squeezed Loki’s hand a bit too tight. “There are a few last words I feel like I need to tell you. It’s just a small piece of advice that I have learned through the years.”
“Please, tell me,”
“Follow your bliss,” Charmwill smiled. Loki thought it was a very short and vague smile.
“I will,” Loki said reluctantly. The advice sounded lame and he didn’t understand what it meant. “Aren’t you coming along with me?” Loki wondered, feeling lost for a moment. He’d never been anywhere without Charmwill nearby. It would be scary to go on his journey without him.
“I am afraid, not,” Charmwill said. “It’s your journey, Loki. Not mine. But I’ll always be in here,” he pointed at Loki’s heart.
“But—”
“Don’t say anything now, not even goodbye. ‘Goodbye’ is a word even worse than ‘sorry’, although it’s sometimes inevitable.”
Other than feeling scared without Charmwill, Loki suddenly realized how much he loved him, even with all that crap he told about fairy tales.
“I should also tell you that you’re not prohibited from responding to bullies or getting in trouble once you enter Sorrow,” Charmwill said.
“I’m not?”
“Sorrow is a place where you should find what your heart desires, and to do so, you’ll have to be whoever you choose to be. There would be no point of preventing you from responding to annoying Minikins in Sorrow. You’ll be facing your greatest fear by trying to kill a demon girl already.”
Loki liked the idea passionately. Finally, he’d be able to stand up for what he believed in.
“Now, go,” Charmwill said. “You have only a week to find what you’re looking for.”
Loki respected the fact that Charmwill didn’t want to say goodbye, and turned around, walking to the door. He did it abruptly before Charmwill noticed his moist eyes. He didn’t like anyone seeing him cry.
“One more thing,” Charmwill said before Loki left, having sat down at his desk, writing again.
“Yes, sir?” Loki had gripped the door and preferred not to turn around. He hoped Charmwill changed his mind and decided to accompany him.
“Is the squirrel safe now?” Charmwill asked unexpectedly.
“Excuse me?” Loki said.
“You said you couldn’t kill Dork Dracula because you had to save a squirrel,” Charmwill said.
“Yes, sir, I saved it, and set it free. It should be safe and sound somewhere,” Loki answered.