Alexander apologized to his coworkers and boss for his absence. He also asked Morpheus to go home, as he couldn't believe what was happening to him. Besides, he needed to talk to Morpheus alone and in a more relaxed space about this whole matter.
"So... I have your powers now?" Alexander asked as he walked home. "But... What powers?"
"You can travel through the dream world, generating nightmares or pleasant dreams for anyone in the world. Also, with some training and by channeling your divine energy well, you can materialize some things from the dream world. For example, if in the dream world you create the sharpest sword in the world, you could materialize it in the real world."
Before Morpheus could continue speaking, Alexander interrupted him:
"So... Do I have to dream to enter other people's dreams or materialize things from that world?"
Without another word, Morpheus's shadow materialized again beside Alexander, walking at the same pace as the boy.
"Relax, other humans can't see me," the god said to reassure Alexander about his sudden appearance. "Only those humans who also possess the power of a god could see me."
"Regarding your question..." Morpheus spoke again. "You don't have to be asleep to control dreams or materialize them. Since you have my full power, you are the king of dreams. You don't need to sleep; from now on, when I have given you permission to unlock my power, you will never sleep again. You can travel between both worlds as you please. But remember not to do so in front of other people, because if you decide to travel to the dream world, your body disappears from the real world for that period, and vice versa."
"Interesting..." Alexander was intrigued by everything he heard.
Without a second thought, the boy simply imagined transporting himself to the world of dreams, as it seemed like a good idea to try. And so it was, in an instant, his body disappeared into the middle of the street, only to wake up later in an absolutely astonishing world.
"Idiot, I told you not to do that in a crowd!" Morpheus raged.
"Amazing!"
Alexander couldn't stop looking at his surroundings. The landscape showed enormous mini-galaxies in the sky, which made for a spectacular view. Right in front of him, there was only an infinite wooden bridge, as its length seemed to go on forever. When he looked down, there were clouds that made it impossible to see whether there was actually land below or not.
"Did I do this just by thinking about it?" Alexander was confused.
"Exactly..." Morpheus replied. Imagine my power as another muscle in your body, or any thought you coordinate with your brain and body. This is called Divine Energy; all wielders of divine power possess it.
The shadow of Morpheus approached the boy and, placing a hand on his shoulder, said:
"Unfortunately, I can no longer advise or guide you from now on. The more time I spend in contact with a human, the more my existence wears thin. You will only be able to call on me one more time to help you or speak with me, and I hope it will be after you obtain the Eye of Arbadan."
"Wait! Where do I find that thing?" Alexander said in vain, as the manifestation of Morpheus had vanished before his eyes.
"The Eye of Arbadan..." Alexander thought, confused.
Although he wanted to further explore the fascinating world he found himself in, Alexander once again used his power to return to the real world, where he appeared in the same place he had been before.
Suddenly, a strange sensation flooded his body, like an extra instinct he'd never felt before.
"Hello," he heard a rather attractive female voice behind him.
Turning his head in confusion to look behind him, he saw a young woman, blonde with green eyes, far too beautiful for the neighborhood he lived in.
"Are you talking to me?" Alexander asked.
"Yes, it's you. My name is Lucía Ramos. We've been following Morpheus and you for a long time. We were just waiting for him to take the step to grant you his power."
"We've been together? Are there more of you?" the boy asked again, confused.
The beautiful woman named Lucía looked at him with those piercing green eyes and told him everything:
"That's right, I'm part of an organization made up only of the chosen few called the White Sword. We've been watching you for a long time, waiting for Morpheus to grant you his powers and ask you to join us."
"Why would I join?"
"Because you need us, just as we need you," Lucia replied. "You join us and help us fight the evil Chosen who want to obtain the Eye of Arbadan for their evil purposes, and we teach you how to fight and use your powers to survive."
"It would be easier to stay out of all this and get on with my life," Alexander said.
"It's not that easy... We Chosen can see and sense each other. That strange feeling you probably had before placing me behind you is the instinct that warns us that there's another like us nearby. And if you ever encounter an evil Chosen, who knows what they could do to steal your divine energy and use it for their own benefit."
Right after the girl said this last thing, she held out her hand with a piece of paper on which her phone number was written.
"Call me... This is a battle you won't be able to survive alone, no matter how powerful you are now... King of the Dream World, but... You won't be able to hide in that world forever."
Just before Lucia left, one thing intrigued the boy:
"Wait! Who's your god? I mean... You're a Chosen One, aren't you?"
The girl turned to walk the other way, but as she did, she smiled and answered:
"Athena... I am the bearer of Athena's power... Let's just say wisdom has always been my thing, though don't be mistaken... I am extremely fierce on the battlefield."