Dyllan let his eyes wander out across the open water in front of him. If he paid close attention, he could could feel a faint darkness quietly washing over him and sending subtle shivers up his spine. Any hints at the precise nature of the darkness or its location were vague at best… but if what Andie had said about Cedric’s Nightmare was true - and Andie was scarcely wrong about mindscapes - then it was reasonable to assume the “what” and “where” of what Dyllan was sensing were “Cedric’s Nightmare” and “somewhere out in the water.”

“…Right. I think I’ve got a handle on the situation.” Dyllan glanced over at Andie, whose eyes were sharply tracking something he couldn’t see. Something out in the water. “See anything?”

“No.” Cedric navigated mindscapes using logic and psychology, Dyllan used natural human sympathy to resonate with it. Andie, however, navigated by means of pure animal instinct. It was like she was one of those dogs that could smell emotions. “I think I can feel something, though.”

“Got any idea on what’s going on here?” Dyllan paused. “Or, better yet - got a plan to fix it?”

“So far all I’ve done is confirm the suspicions that led me to jumping down in the first place.” Andie spoke cleanly and concisely, her eyes still locked on that invisible something out in the distance. “Mindscapes aren’t something as crude as a collection of hobbies, memories, and surface level personality traits. They represent how we think, our relationship with our own minds and how we experience the world. It’s why most of them are cities or towns - our minds are places we live, places we work.” She gestured at Dyllan, but didn’t even spare so much as a glance away from her prey to look at him. “For example, you’re a pretty physical guy. You’re straightforward, live in the moment, and tend to have your attention directed out toward the world instead of in towards yourself. So, your mindscape has a simple, open design. Clear and tranquil, containing less stuff than other mindscapes but facing out into a vast open space. One could easily attribute the bunkers to a military upbringing, but I think they’re a little more metaphorical. You don’t spend a lot of time in your own head, you really only pull in to your own mind when you’ve been shaken up. The bunkers protect and stabilize, and the sand gardens help relax. Honestly, I think the biggest influence on the place has been your habit of regular meditation.”

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“All fascinating insight, Andie, really.” Dyllan frowned. “But Cedric is the priority right now.”

“I’m getting there. See, the surface of Cedric’s mindscape was weird. Open, empty, and extremely hospitable - in an ‘open to the public’ sort of way.” Andie backed away from the water in front of her and gestured for Dyllan to follow. Once they had some distance she turned her attention fully towards him. “The whole place seemed more fitting for an extrovert like you or me. The only Cedric-y thing up there was the constant movement - but the islands were too slow, and vehicular occupants like those dirigi-marines usually have ‘checkpoints’, places they come from and places they go. None of those were anywhere to be seen up there.”

“I think I’m starting to get it.” Dyllan smiled slightly. “Withdrawn people like Cedric usually have some kind of… outer shell around their mindscape, right? Something that hides it or keeps things out. Like that terrifying one covered in mist from last year.”

“Exactly. And although Cedric is withdrawn, he’s pretty good at hiding it. At looking like an extrovert.” Andie furrowed her brow in thought. “Something still bothers me, though. The surface was oppressive and unpleasant, so I expected that to be where the Nightmare did most of its hunting - even if it did come from below. What’s more, it’s bizarrely comfortable down here, in spite of the… uh… Well, in spite of a lot of things. The water is pleasantly cool, never cold, and it’s easy to move… it’s even easier to breathe down here.” She rubbed her temples, clearly growing frustrated. “But there’s something missing - even if the water is easier to breath, it’s still water. Water in lungs is bad. And where there is air, it’s too thin and lacking oxygen. Nothing here is outright hostile to life aside from the Nightmare, but something seems to be missing…” She threw up her hands. “And the architecture is driving me nuts! Something about it just so…. So…”

“Lonely.” A smile started to spread across Dyllan’s face as the pieces started to click together inside his head. “It’s lonely down here. Peaceful… beautiful… but lonely.”