"The Fade is...shit. This'd be a lot easier for a mage to explain."

He gestured vaguely in the air, brow furrowing heavily. "The gist of it is, there are two worlds. This one, the waking world, where everything's real and tangible and what have you. Then there's the Fade, where spirits and demons and abstract concepts hang around. Mages tap into their power by calling on the Fade, and supposedly it's where you go when you dream."

One eyebrow cocks higher. "Thing is, these rifts people have been coming through? Also lead to the Fade. You said you were dreaming when you came here."