The Spirit Wolf's Treck

[Proto Man]

Thrall smiled at the spirit wolf that sat before him. It had been so long since his treks in the Spirit Realm had resulted in anything more than run-ins with corrupted dreamers or fel creatures. The thought that this being before him had been sent to find him was also a pleasant turn of events. The last time anyone had sought him out in this manner had been ages past.

“You seek to walk the enlightened path?” Thrall inquired as he sat down before the wolf, which gave him a prompt nod. “The Spirit Realm is not like anything you may have experienced in your previous world. It is a place where the landscape is a canvas,” the green-skinned humanoid waved a hand, and as the wolf watched in awe, the environment around them changed. The campsite and the surrounding forests fell away to reveal a flat plain dotted with bushes and the occasional gum tree. “We are not in one of the traditional verses but rather in an amalgamation of magic and energy.”

“Is this not the realm of the dead?”

“Not quite,” Thrall replied as he brought his hands together. Between the wolf and the orc, an ethereal figure of a man appeared. “Often people will enter the Spirit Realm to seek power or knowledge, and often, they lose themselves. There is a lot of energy and magic here…both positive and negative. Negative emotions can consume those who are unaccustomed to a world such as this.” As the wolf watched, the ghostly form of the man writhed and twisted around as red-tinted vapors consumed him.

“How do you avoid such a fate?”

“I was trained as a shaman when I was younger,” Thrall replied as he dismissed the ethereal image. “The same set of skills applies here. You can also say this about individuals who spent there lives as monks or students of the arcane. Those kind of paths lend themselves to the proper level of focus and self-control needed to remain whole and sane of mind when you enter the Spirit Realm.”

“Why do such a thing? If this place can be so dangerous, why would anyone come here?”

A laugh escaped the orc’s mouth as he lifted his fist into the air. High above the pair, the sky light up as several stars began to swirl around. The wolf watched in awe as the concentrations of light danced about—leaving behind glowing trails of dust as they drew various shapes in the sky. “This place offers a realm made purely of dreams and inspiration. It allows the savvy a place to experiment and test their limitations.”

“Can you teach me how to survive here?” The wolf asked. “I need to return back to my body, and I was told you knew how to do that.”

Thrall nodded his head as the scene around them shifted back to his campsite. “You must harness the potential of the Spirit Realm. You will face challenges... there are predatory dreamers who will seek to destroy you. You must not allow them to succeed, as your physical body will endure any pain your spirit endures.”

“I…I think I understand.”

“What is your name, Wolf?”

“Shiro.”

“Well, Shiro, I wish you the best of luck. This is not Azeroth, but I believe the core meaning of the phrase remains the same…May the ancestors watch over you.”