7 Lionel

- "Sorry! I did not try to scare you." Said a black adolescent.

- "Who are you? And how did you manage to enter this space?" Asked Argan.

- "The old Mame Neni is dead two days ago. She left me her key. My name is Lionel. I suppose you are Argan. I am a watchman like you." Replied the adolescent.

- "I am sorry! Was Neni your grandmother?" Argan asked after a minute of reflexion while he was analysing Lionel.

- "No. She was my teacher. She let me a message for you." Answered Lionel.

- "What is this message?" Asked Argan.

Lionel was a bit upset by the harshly way Argan talked to him and his coldly expression. It was the first time he met an elf. Were they all of them white like Argan? Or maybe they had Asian people or African people among them. 'Asian and African? What a stupid idea!' He thought in his mind. 'They are not on Earth. It would be blue or green people. You are sometimes stupid Lionel. Alana is right.'

- "It's about Gadara. Mame Neni thought that Gadara is trying to capture the Alana's heart." Lionel answered.

- "Who is Alana?" Asked Argan.

- "It's her great-granddaughter. She is also the bearer of the Murui's power." Replied Lionel.

- "Why did she think that? Something's happened?" Asked Argan, curious.

- "Yes. One year ago, the spirit of Alana got lost in the world of dreams. He reappeared three days ago in this meadow. I have thought that maybe it's you who helped her since among the watchmen only she and you used this meadow." Said Lionel.

- "Three days ago... Have you a picture of her?" Asked Argan.

- "Of course! She is my best friend." Answered Lionel regretting immediately to have added this useless detail.

He took out from his mind a picture in a sort of sparkling bubble. Argan recognized me instantly.

- "So it's her? Actually I saved her three days ago in a dark forest. But I don't understand the implication of Gadara." Argan retorted.

- "This is the forest of Gadara. I am in charge of the protection of Alana. It was a girl with me, the Alana's other best friend, Rosalind. Just after the disappearance of the spirit of Alana, Rosalind changed gradually such as she wanted no more to be friend with her. When you saved Alana, Rosalind came back to her. I think that Rosalind betrayed us and tried to make weak the emotional defence of Alana." Lionel explained.

- "Maybe she was simply tired to look after her. She is strange I suppose." Retorted Argan.

- "No. Alana is not a bad person!" Said Lionel frustrated that Argan did not believe him. "And If I think that Rosalind betrayed us it's because of him."

Lionel brought out another image, the Boris one.

- "Who is it?" Argan asked.

- "It's Boris. Rosalind is the girlfriend of his brother. Their father is a sorcerer. The information has been verified. Boris has insisted a lot in order that I introduce him to Alana. I could not refuse because I had to protect my cover and Boris is a childhood friend." Explained Lionel.

- "If you wanted to protect your cover you could tell him that you are in love with her. It's a good reason and it's the truth." Argan coldly said. Lionel had a surprised expression.

The way of Argan to be direct was not his best quality.

- "Don't be surprised! As a watchman you can guess the emotiob of people. When you speak about her your feelings are strong. I am sure that Alana uses this capacity unconsciously. And this is is why people think she is strange."

- "That's none of your business!" Lionel said, angry.

- "This is my business actually! The future of our world is in danger because you were afraid that she discovered that you love her. Have you an idea of what Gadara could do with the power of Alaba?" Argan retorted on a reproachful tone.

Argan said the truth. It was as if he could read in Lionel's spirit. But Lionel could not but got angry. Who did he think he was to scold him like that? Lionel kept quiet despite of this.

- "Will you help us? Yes or not?" Lionel asked. His voice tone was almost aggressive.

- "I don't have the choice. I want you to introduce me to her." Responded Argan.

- "You have to wait a few minutes. She goes to bed around 9 pm." Said Lionel.

It would be the first time I met Lionel in the world of dreams. He used to observe me but he never showed him to me in this world. Now I need your attention! It is important to know the difference between dreams aand the world of dreams. Dreams are a psychic emanation of our feelings and memories. They are in our mind. The world of dreams is the spiritual place where projects, dream and feelings begin or are concretized before they happen in the reality. It's mind which goes into the world of dreams. Everyone goes there unconsciously at a certain moment of sleep but doesn't keep long since what happens here happens in the realty. It would be a dangerous place for those who were the target of sorcerers. I used to spend all my sleep here because of my capacity I did not control. At this moment I did not make the difference too.

A few minutes later I appeared in the middle of the meadow, in the world of dreams. Lionel decided that he met me first since I knew him and not Argan. He joined me under a rainbow tree. I was surprised to see him and also happy.

- "Lionel! What are you doing in my dream?" I asked to him. He smiled.

-"It's not your dream. You, what are you doing here?" He retorted.

- "I am looking for Argan." I answered, making him surprised.

- "Why are you looking for him?" Lionel asked to me.

- "Do you know him? I want to thank him. He saved me the last time." I answered.

- "He wants to see you too. Follow me." Liionel said and brought me near a river.

Argan was sat down a chair. I did not recognize him since I had never seen his face. But I thought that it was the first time I met someone more handsome than Lionel.

- "Hi, Alana!" He greeted me with a smile. I recognized his voicd.

- "It's you Argan. Thanks to you I have nightmares no more. Thank you." I said on an excited voice.

- "Don't mention it. Please; have a seat. We need to speak." He said in showing a second chair which just appeared.

A bit surprised, I sat down.

- "Do you know who you are, Alana?" He began.

- "Are you speaking about the fact I am a guardian of Murui?" I asked.

- "You are not yet. But yes; this what I want to speak about." He answered.

- "And who are you?" I said and glanced at Lionel anxiously.

- "Don't worry Alana. He is in our side." Lionel said and lie his hand on my shoulder.

- "I have always asked to you great-grandmother to accept the function of chief of Murui's guardians. But she always refused. I was an old friend of Neni. My name is Argan as you knew yet. I am the son of Narhuil, the chief of Magic's guardian and I am a watchman like your friend Lionel..."

He explained to me the situation on Xera, the importance of my power. He told me that the equilibrium of universe was disturbed since two guardians missed in their function. He wanted to know if Boris asked to me something, like my heart in the realty or in the world of dreams. He had a lot of strange questions. But the worst was:

- "Are you in love with Boris?"

- "What is this kind of questions? Yelled Lionel.

- "The power of Murui depends on feelings. You know it welk." Retorted Argan.

- "That's personal, that's none of your business!" Lionel continued.

- "Yes." I said in a light voice. They looked at me. "Yes I love Boris but I told him that I did not want to see him again."

Argan who had stood up, frowned and sat down back. Lionel said speechless.

- "That's a real problem." Argan noticed.

- "Is it true, Alana?" Lionel said when his lips accepted to move. He was injured. I did not answer.

- "This love is not enough strong if you succeed in saying that. Accept your status of guardian and open back the gate. Save our world." Argam said.

- "No! If I do it sorcerers could across. I refuse to make the Earth in danger. I refuse to live in your world!" I yelled and stood up.

- "But..." Said Argan before I cut him short.

- "But nothing! My ancestor closed this door I won't open it. Nor your father nor the orher seven guardians succeeded in stoping Gadara. Why would I succeed where they failed?" I said on a mercyless expression.

I was repeating what I listened all my life. To open the gate was an abomination for us.

- "Because you are the one Gadara really fear. She has never attacked your ancestor directly one-by-one." Argan replied.

- "No. It's because she feared the curse of the universe." I retorted.

- "She never feared it.. You don"t know it but Gadara has killed an Air Magic's guardian. She is already cursed." Replied Argan. A little doubt came in me but did not last.

- "It means that she is more dangerous that what I thought. I refuse to be your guardian." I seriously said.

Understanding that I would not change my mind now, Argan decided to go out the world of dreams. Lionel and I stayed there. I turned at him and said:

- "It's a dream, isn't it?"

- "Yes. It's a dream." He lied with a sad smile.

Then I woke up and called Lionel on phone. He answered with a sleeping voice.

- "Alana! Did you check your clock? It is 2 am."Said Lionel.

- "Sorry. I had a strange which seemed real. You were there and another guy named Argan, and elf I thought when I lookedcat his ears. And you were a watchman..." I spoke on an excited voice.

- "Wow! Wow! Wow! Elf? Alana! I think you watch too movies." He replied.

- "Ah! Sorry for the trouble!" I said disappointed.

- "Don't worry! If you help me to do my exercises, it's forgotten." He replied.

- "You're incorrigible!" I said and smiled.

- "I had to try." He replied.

- "I have woken up. go back to bed. Bye!" I said.

- "See you soon!" He said before I hung up.

I slept again and had only sweet dreams in a beautiful meadow without Lionel or Argan. For his part, Lionel did not manage to sleep, reminding incessantly my words: "Yes I love Boris..."