And it was under one of these beautiful and massive oaks that Venger stood serenely, near the sharp slope, his black wings unclasped and at rest. The sky behind him was pink and orange, the sun having just set. Such an enchanting sight.

I wish this dream had been longer. It was very vivid. The sky, the trees, Venger himself. If only I hadn't awakened when I did. You'll see why. . . .

IV. Venger, Professor of Ancient History

. . . but then he looked up at me. The sudden attention was such a shock that I stopped singing and just looked back at him. His eyes were entrancing, so blue and sharp. I couldn't look away. I was mesmerized.

Venger as a teacher! Imagine that. I can still see the classroom in my mind, like being in Hogwarts (though I'd never heard of Harry Potter when I had this dream). And the way he looked at me. I can still see that, too. Gives me a chill to this day.

III. 330 A.V. (After Venger)

I said, "How many years have passed since�" I realized I needed a point of reference. I thought for a second, and then looked at Venger, figuring that surely his name would be remembered through the ages. Venger then looked up at me in such a way that it was like he knew what I was thinking, and then he nodded ever so slightly as if agreeing with my reasoning and giving permission to use his name. "�since the days of Venger?" I finished.

This is another short yet vivid one. I just wish I knew what in the realm was actually going on! Why and how had Venger and I traveled through time? What was my role? Where in the Realm were we?

II. Venger's Deathbed

When we were finished talking, I stood up, and then lowered my face to his for a parting kiss. I intended to give him a brief, but loving, kiss on his forehead. Instead, he surprised me by tilting his head back at the last second so that our lips would meet. Our kiss was long and passionate. At the time, it was the best dream-kiss I had ever experienced. When the kiss ended, I slowly raised my head and let the feeling of that unexpected pleasure linger. I woke up before I left his bedside, but I do remember thinking at the end that as soon as I left, he would die. It was very sad.

This is the dream that drove me to seek all I could find of the D&D online fansites. The dream had been inspired by my having downloaded the theme music earlier that day and having listened to it over and over. What made me remember the theme music? I don't know. One of those random things, I suppose. So, the music in my head led to its download, and repeatedly playing the track led to this dream that night. And the dream never released me. If not for that dream, I seriously doubt I'd be at all involved with other fans of the show now.

I can still see the moonlit room where he lay dying. My Venger . . . had I killed him? I still remember stooping over him to kiss his forehead. I saw him lying there, and I felt it symbolized my having gone so many years without seeing him again. Like my neglect was causing his death. I had no way to see the cartoon. Hell, there was a period of my life when I was starting to believe I'd imagined it because none of my friends had ever heard of it (and this was back not long after it was cancelled, like 1987). I couldn't find anyone familiar with it. And how it had just gone poof off the air . . . yeah, I thought I was losing it for a while.

But Venger did not die in this dream. He's still alive, and will live for centuries to come.

I. Servant of the Realm

"Don't you see?" I asked, wanting to make him understand what was happening to him. "If the Realm is powerful enough to choose its own master, then it's powerful enough to purge you of Evil!" (It made sense in the dream, OK?)

Then, I quickly closed the space between us and surprised him with a kiss. As the shock of it wore off, he put his right arm around my waist, but then he eased me back, and I rested my hand against his chest. He looked as though he had just thought of something very important, and I knew the Realm had just called to him.

"I have to go," he said.

"I know." I knew that he was becoming Dungeon Master and felt compelled to go where the Realm wanted him to go and do what it wanted him to do. That's what it was to be Dungeon Master. He disappeared, and I was alone.

It was night. Still retaining a little of the power of a Dungeon Master, I transported myself to where Presto and the others were. I tried to explain to Presto what I'd discovered about the Realm and Venger and the role of a Dungeon Master, but he couldn't understand. I looked around, wishing there was someone there who could understand, and I saw the old Dungeon Master sitting in a wheelchair about fifty feet to my left. I walked over and sat on the ground beside him.

"You understand," I said.

He nodded. "Tell me what you've learned."

I explained that I understood that there was a sentience to the Realm, and that I understood its power. I knew that it hadn't purified Venger before because Venger was not yet its to change for its use. It all made perfect sense.