Chapter 2. In the Magayny Dimension

In the Magayny dimension, the forest looked even more frightening and sinister. Gloom and dark mist enveloped everything around, hiding both suns. A groan came from the stone tree.

On a thick branch of the source-tree, four fathoms above the ground, Blagomir and Vidomir saw an enormous mushroom. It resembled a toadstool, but was about ten times the size of an ordinary mushroom.

"That's something new," Blagomir said. "I've never heard of this method of stealing magical energy from our father."

"The tree is made of stone, and probably has some kind of protective structure," Vidomir said. Then he continued: "The Chernyaks are likely using exactly this method to steal magical energy from such sources."

"So what do we do?" Blagomir asked.

"I think we need to tear this mushroom off the tree," Vidomir answered.

Blagomir touched the tree, then the stone, and said with certainty:

"To the touch, the Magayny dimension feels the same as our material world."

Vidomir grabbed a long stick and answered:

"Yes, exactly, but most likely only etheric bodies can feel objects here the way physical bodies do in the material world."

Vidomir began striking the parasitic mushroom with the stick.

"It's grown on really firmly, and it's so tough — the stick even broke," Vidomir said, disheartened.

Blagomir began looking for a sturdier branch.

"Here, let's take this thicker branch, and try together to tear this parasite mushroom off the tree," Blagomir said hopefully.

"Let's try," Vidomir answered.

The brothers together took hold of the sturdy branch and began striking the mushroom. On the third blow they managed to tear it from the tree. The mushroom flew five or six slant-fathoms and fell to the ground.

A minute later, the mist and gloom dispersed. Both suns appeared and began shining brightly. The sinister place transformed into something beautiful and picturesque — as if waking from an enchanted sleep, it blossomed and shone. Everything around began coming back to life, blooming and turning green.

Under the rays of the suns, the parasite mushroom began crumbling to dust, then scattered and vanished.

"That mushroom was creating this dark mist," Blagomir said with conviction.

"Most likely, the mushroom was afraid of sunlight," Vidomir answered confidently.

"Yes, that's exactly right," the large blue sun joined the conversation. "This is an alien creature from the world of Antiano."

"And in the world of Antiano, there are no suns," said the smaller, yellow sun.

Blagomir and Vidomir weren't too surprised that both suns were speaking to them. They had already grown used to conversing with the spirits of nature. Blagomir and Vidomir greeted the little suns. They started to tell their story, but the blue sun interrupted them:

"Word of you has spread through the Sreydim dimension. We know about you. My name is Siun."

"And my name is Koyash, and you must be Blagomir and Vidomir," said Koyash, the yellow sun.

"Will the source be refilled now, and the forest come back to life?" Blagomir asked the suns.

"Yes, in all the dimensions, but in the material world the forest will take longer to recover," Siun answered.

"Are our worlds very vulnerable, in every dimension?" Vidomir asked the suns, curious. And immediately added: "Judging by how the Chernyak enchanted the spirit of the forest Bran's magical source here, in the Magayny dimension, does that mean a Chernyak could harm our worlds in other dimensions too?"

"In the Magayny dimension, yes, we're vulnerable, and the Chernyaks have even reached the Bahorny dimension," Koyash answered. Then he added: "The Sreydim dimension is beyond their power for now. The Keepers used to patrol the Magayny dimension of this world of Kerdiven. But right now, they're defending the borders of the world of Kerdiven together with the wizards and fairies."

"And where does the magical energy come from?" Blagomir asked, curious.

"The energy comes from the Aluysk dimension, passing through all the dimensions in order," Siun answered. And added further: "To all the sources, and to us too — to the suns, we are sources as well. In the Aluysk dimension stands a source — the white-hot stone Ulatar, and that's where the energy comes from. But where the energy in Ulatar comes from — only the elder supreme keepers know that."

Blagomir and Vidomir thanked Siun and Koyash, and said farewell to them. Then they approached the source, touched the stone tree, spoke the incantation, and returned to their physical bodies in the material world.

Blagomir and Vidomir told the spirit of the forest Bran how things had gone in the Magayny dimension. Bran thanked his saviors.

Bran felt wonderful, as though he'd come back to life after a serious illness. The forest was slowly beginning to revive, bloom, and turn green. Bran wanted to reward his saviors with miraculous waters, and said:

"An evil Chernyak came to me and demanded I give him living and dead water. I refused. But I will give living and dead water to you. Take empty, ripe symes fruits from the saska tree and fill them with living and dead water from my source."

Looking around, Blagomir and Vidomir spotted a saska tree. Approaching it, they each pulled off a symes fruit. The symes fruits, the size of a palm, resembled yellowish pears. Inside, the ripe fruits were hollow, with only small seeds rattling within. Blagomir shook the fruit, listening to the seeds rattle. He tore off the tip of the fruit and scattered the seeds on the ground. Vidomir repeated his brother's actions.

Then Blagomir and Vidomir approached the source — the stone tree. Two streams began flowing from it.

"On the left flows the dead water, and on the right flows the living water," said the spirit of the forest Bran.

Blagomir gathered dead water, and Vidomir gathered living water. Then they tied off the tips of the symes fruits and tucked them into their belts.

"You never know, the water might come in handy," said the spirit of the forest Bran warmly.

Blagomir and Vidomir thanked Bran, and he, in turn, thanked them and showed them the way to Mount Elban.

Our heroes said farewell to Bran and set off further on their journey.

Whether the journey was long or short, Blagomir and Vidomir eventually reached Mount Elban.

Mount Elban was not especially tall — it fell a bit short of the clouds. But it was three times as wide as it was tall. The river Nikhasa flowed in a raging torrent down Mount Elban's steep slope. On the opposite bank, at the foot of the mountain, there was a gentle slope that allowed easy climbing to the top. But on the bank where Blagomir and Vidomir stood, the slope was steep, with sheer drops in places. The river Nikhasa, about thirty slant-fathoms wide, seemed impassable. Swimming across it was impossible.

"The slope you can climb is only on the opposite bank of the river, and on this side there are impassable cliffs," Blagomir said, discouraged.

"We need to consult with Mount Elban and the river Nikhasa," Vidomir said.

Having greeted Mount Elban and the river Nikhasa, the travelers listened to the answer that rang out from the peak.

"Hello, hello, we already know who you are and where your path leads. Our relatives have already told us everything," said Mount Elban.

And the river Nikhasa greeted Blagomir and Vidomir too.

"How can we cross to the opposite bank of the river Nikhasa?" Blagomir asked.

"I think Mount Elban can raise its cliffs and temporarily hold back the water, creating a passage for you," suggested the river Nikhasa.

"Yes, I'll try now, but you must cross to the opposite bank of the river Nikhasa quickly," Mount Elban agreed.

Cliffs began rising up from beneath the water of the river Nikhasa. They rose about four arshins upward, blocking the river's path across its full width. The riverbed was strewn with small, roundish stones, ranging in size from a palm to an ell.

"That's it, now hurry and cross to the opposite bank!" Mount Elban urged.

Blagomir and Vidomir hurried across to the opposite bank of the river Nikhasa.

"That's it, we've crossed to the opposite bank of the river Nikhasa," Blagomir called to Mount Elban.

"I'll begin lowering the cliffs back into place now. Just in case, move a bit further from the bank," Mount Elban told Blagomir and Vidomir.

Blagomir and Vidomir moved back to a safe distance.

The cliffs began lowering, the water surged forward, the pressure of the water grew stronger and stronger, and the water rose a little over its banks. The cliffs lowered all the way down, the water rose over its banks a bit further still, then after a while the river Nikhasa settled back into its former course.

Blagomir and Vidomir thanked Mount Elban and the river Nikhasa.

"Hurry, friends," said the river Nikhasa. "The elder wizards of our world of Kerdiven are troubled that the protective magic shield is slowly weakening."

"Yes, such rumors are spreading in the Sreydim dimension," Mount Elban confirmed.

Having said farewell to Mount Elban and the river Nikhasa, Blagomir and Vidomir began climbing up the mountain.

Whether the climb was long or short, the brothers climbed on, until our heroes, Blagomir and Vidomir, reached the mountain's peak.

They saw two stone pillars with runes carved into them. The pillars were square in shape, with sharp pyramidal tops. Their height was about five arshins, and the distance between them was the same.

"This must be exactly the gates between worlds," Blagomir said.

"The fairy Ain said that first we need to read not all the runes, but only ten, in a specific order," Vidomir reminded him.

"And only after that, speak the incantation," Blagomir added.

Approaching the gates between worlds, Blagomir pressed his palm to the left pillar, and Vidomir to the right one. Vidomir read the ten runes, and Blagomir spoke the incantation.

In the gates between worlds, a portal opened into the world of Grozdan. Spellbound, Blagomir and Vidomir gazed at it.

At first a mist formed between the pillars, but then the mist dispersed. In the gates between worlds, the world of Grozdan became visible — a clearing with stone pillars, and in the distance, a forest.

"Well then, little brother, shall we go?" Blagomir said to Vidomir.

"Let's go!"

Our heroes stepped through the gates between worlds and were carried into the world of Grozdan.