Without any sense of time, Hollis had no idea how long it had been since he and Ambrose had had that conversation. He found it hard to believe that this guy was willing to go and look into his past for him with such ease. While it seemed weird at first, he actually found it to be quite the nice gesture. Truly, he had started to feel bad about acting the way he had.

Releasing a heavy sigh, his head sloped down to his knees, his hands grasping at his scalp.

For all that time he had felt—to a degree—content with his situation. Sure, the questions came, but then they went. He was bored, but he was okay with that. To him, he wasn't really missing out on anything. Now, things were taking a turn.

He missed speaking to others, he missed hearing others respond. He missed being around others. He was beginning to miss the things that were, not too long ago wholly foreign to him!

And specifically, that Ambrose. He was a total mystery to Hollis still. It felt like he only knew what Ambrose wanted him to know.

No, that's exactly what it was! And that was eating away at Hollis from the inside out.

He couldn't tell why he was so concerned about this guy, but that seemingly immature, carefree attitude he was always wearing seemed more like a front. Of course, that in and of itself isn't suspicious, but the intensity of his presence, the severity that occasionally blinks into his eyes seemed so strange. Was he up to something?

Hollis winced, shaking his head.

By now, his thoughts were beginning to wander off into territory he was trying to keep out of. But still, it wouldn't hurt to keep up a healthy sense of paranoia, especially in a situation as precarious as his own.

Pushing the concerns behind him, he returned his attention to the visuals, the dreams passing by. As usual, none interested him, but amongst the cacophony of mutterings, he managed to pick out something in particular that piqued his interest.

"Hollis, you're so immature!"

Once more, his spine straightened, his ears strained as he listened intently for the voice again.

There's more?

His heart pounded against his chest, his body moving with ease as he made his way to his feet. It's that girl. It's her dream, isn't it?

He kept his senses on alert as he waited for more, his eyes peeled as he searched among the passing dreams. It took some time, but he spotted, behind a row of unrelated visuals, a scene of tranquility. A large pond that sparkled in the sunlight. Pale green grass bordered along the water and a dock was nestled among the rocks and weeds. At the center of the image was a young woman viewable only from behind, and next to her a young male.

He hadn't been able to get a good look at the woman from the first dream. For some reason, he felt the instinctual need to avoid her face.

That could only mean I must have done something to her and feel guilty, he thought. He wasn't positive that this was her from her looks, but the scene as a whole was pulling at him, he was moving closer to it without having even realized his legs were moving.

Then, he heard another, "Hollis, this is nice..."

Before she could finish speaking, her voice began to trail off to a whisper.

He needed to see this!

Without any further doubts, he went in.

It was almost like the lake was submerged in a light fog. Not so heavy that it washed out the entire scene, but light enough that it cast an entire layer of pallor over everything, like the lake and all around it had been taken out of a painting.

Hollis had landed about a yard away from the scene he had witnessed in his mindspace. Down below the hill, he could see the two sitting, the girl resting against the boy, both clearly invested in a conversation.

He had a chance!

His palms grew sweaty and his heart raced faster. If he could get close to her, maybe he could learn who exactly he is and what happened to him!

Just as he began to approach, he got the strangest feeling that someone was behind him; like someone was watching him. Turning, he realized that someone was behind him. Atop the hill, from the waist up, he could see a figure cloaked entirely in black peering down at him. After only mere seconds, the person turned and faded out of sight.

"Wa...wait," he called out under his breath as he took a step forward. This person had to be a Somnium, right? There didn't seem to be any—as Ambrose called them—NPCs in this dream, so that was the only logical conclusion.

Glancing back, he was positive that girl wouldn't go anywhere, so with a sense of confidence he ran after this mysterious person.

Over the hill, beyond a solemn tree, he came across the end. The grass faded into nothing and all beyond was nothing but that white void.

They must have jumped, he thought with a faint hint of gloom. A chance to meet another Somnium who wasn't Ambrose or his group. He was excited deep down, but it seemed it wasn't to be.

He took a few steps closer to see if he could spot them below, but as he did he realized what had really happened.

His mind couldn't process what occurred at first, for in a split second, that mysterious person swung up from the ledge of the world, a knife gripped in their free hand, swiping it in Hollis's direction.

Hollis, when he realized what was happening, stepped back, but the blade slit through his shirt, drops of blood clinging to the shining steel.

Wait! What is this?!

He took a couple of steps back as this person now stood before him, the blade glinting in the pale light with his blood decorating it. Seeing this, he ran his hand along his stomach, and as he peered down he saw that his wound was sealing up. "It's healing?"

In that instant, the stranger was on him, blade swinging at his chest. Hollis stepped back, but the blade returned. Hollis held up his hands and the sharp edge cut through his palms.

Before he could understand what he had to do, the stranger kicked up and landed a hit to Hollis's hip, sending him rolling down the hill.

The person leapt after him and, in a flash, had landed in front of him and kicked him to a stop.

They knelt down and instantly pinned him. Hollis struggled, but this person was strong, their hand clamping the smaller boy's head to the ground with no apparent trouble. Lifting the blade, the light glinted and, for a split second, Hollis thought he recognized the face, but that next moment the blade struck down.

"Nghk!"

Blood trickled down onto Hollis's face. The blade was only inches from his nose as it pierced his hands like they were simple paper. The person pushed harder, but the smaller youth pushed back. He couldn't hold it like this forever!

He struggled mentally to figure out how to get out of this. This person was stronger than him, bigger and more bloodthirsty. How could he get out of this?

Sucking in a deep breath, he ripped his left hand from the blade, the blood splattering like petals of roses.

Okay! Do this! Do it!!

He reached up and gripped the stranger's collar, tearing it down from their face. Both of their eyes widened, the stranger's flashing oddly.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Hollis pulled his right hand back, the blade coming with it before the stranger leapt back, dropping a safe distance from Hollis. Before Hollis could stand, the stranger ran back to the edge and instantly faded from view.

The brunette felt weak and exhausted. He didn't have the energy to give chase and thus, left himself where he fell. He wanted to lift his hands to see the damage, see if they were healing, but he felt weak. That person was strong, much stronger than he was.

Not only that...their face.

"...Ambrose?"

Those eyes were unmistakable, he was positive they were his. After pulling away the covering around his mouth, Hollis was left with no questions.

That face was his.

But why? What would he have to gain from attacking him like this? It didn't make sense. Sure, Ambrose was strange and suspicious in his own ways, but this?

This is a dream...maybe what I saw was...a dream?

He sucked in a breath, held it for a few seconds, then let it out slow.

This was too much. He really shouldn't have left his mindspace. All of this trouble started when he did that!

After a few seconds, Hollis lifted his arms. The ache was gradually dissipating, and almost instantly he found himself feeling good as new. His wounds were healed, he ached no longer. Now, the only injury left to heal was the jab he had taken to his brain. The stabbing questions that weren't leaving. Was life always this complicated?

Deciding to shelve these questions, he sat up. He had something else he needed to focus on right now. This potential imposter could wait.

Before descending the hill, he spotted the dagger that he had been attacked with, his blood still painted the shining weapon. Stepping over to it, he picked it up and looked at it. It was quite the intimidating item. After wondering what to do for a few seconds, he decided to pocket it. He wasn't sure if it would come in handy at all, but he may as well take it regardless. The thing was massive, not at all willing to fit in his pants pocket. The only place he could slip it was in the front pocket of his jacket.

Once this was settled, he hobbled down the hill before finally gathering his bearings and walking over with a clear hesitation. About yard off the two sat facing away from him.

"I can't believe you, Hollis," the girl said with a pouty tone.

"You're so pushy! You don't have anyone to blame but yourself." The boy turned to her, but his face was still out of view. The girl snuggled up to him further. "How could you do this?" She paused before finishing. "It really is my fault."

"You're being a little hard on yourself." He chuckled softly, but made no moves.

Hollis felt his stomach turning as he watched this, struggling to keep himself from getting sick due to the sheer amount of stress this scene was putting him under.

What's her name? Please... What's her name? He pressed himself against the tree as he put all of his focus into their conversation.

"Hollis...will you come back?"

"Hm?" Both of them paused. After shifting, she spoke up again. "I feel so terrible..."

"Mayura, don't worry." He tilted his head in her direction.

Mayura? Hollis swallowed hard. Mayura! I know Mayura!

His cheeks flushed with excitement. Something was coming back! He could remember. He was starting to remember!

My sister... My stepsister! Mayura!

Stepping forward, he couldn't help himself. He called out, "Mayura!"

The girl's petite body winced, frozen in place upon hearing the call. With reluctant motions, she turned back. Her large, warm eyes widened, glinting in the light when they landed on Hollis.

"...Hollis?"

When the words past her lips the world began to shake. Chunks fell from the landscape, then the sky. It was coming apart piece by piece.

Is she waking up?

Hollis steadied his form, trying to keep from falling, but in an instant the ground beneath him vanished and he was sent tumbling through the void once more.

Damn it, he cursed to himself. Well, I got something! I know more! A small smile began to form over his lips, but before he could truly celebrate, something came at him from the emptiness. As he turned his gaze that cloaked figure charged at him.

"What the—"

He gasped as they made impact. The cloaked figure struck at him with another blade, driving it into Hollis's wrist.

"Who are you!?" Ripping his wrist free from the blade, he struck back, ramming his body into the stranger's. As they made contact, the stranger grabbed Hollis by the waist and twisted, throwing Hollis into the distance. Immediately, the stranger gave chase.

Hollis struggled to right himself and noticed the approaching figure. His mind was racing but quickly, recalling the words of Ambrose, he positioned himself as still as he could while falling through the air. When the figure was right on top of him, he flipped himself over, narrowly missing the swipe of the blade and, with that pale rose-colored door appearing behind him, he fell in. The stranger struggled to reach him, but Hollis twisted his body and kicked out, striking the attacker in the face before the door slammed shut and vanished.

Hollis hit the ground with a thud, but he was too distracted to even notice. His breathing was rapid and his heart blasted in his ears.

Who was this guy? What was he after? And why did he look like Ambrose of all people?

Why does this guy want me? What did I do?

The brunette stayed in that sprawled position, his breathing coming to a crawl before long. As he rested like that on the cool, abyss floor, he pushed aside the attempted attacks and thought only of that one thing;

Mayura... That's her name.

Time passed, though there was no way to guess the duration as per usual. After he had calmed from the attacks, he decided he wanted to decorate his mindspace at least somewhat. His feelings about Ambrose were a little mixed now, but he was still in awe of the majestic mindspace he had made for himself and thus, Hollis wanted to start improving his own.

To start things off he 'planted' a tree. Squatting in the middle of the aisle of the abyss, he envisioned a small one. He didn't want it to be too big. If it was small, he might be able to use any potential growth to tell time. It would be pleasant to look at, and useful.

Now that he knew who the girl was, he was feeling more hopeful about his chances of getting out of this place as well. He now had plenty ways to reassure himself, but he still wasn't sure of his true condition outside of this space. There was still the chance that he was dead, and thus, there would really be no point in leaving. But if he was alive out there...

The idea made him smile, but there was still much that needed to be done.

All of a sudden, he heard a door click.

"Hey, Hollis." Though the tone was a little more downtrodden than usual, it was clearly Ambrose who had come in.

Hollis looked up from the tree sprout. It truly was the tall youth, though he seemed less like his carefree, snarky self.

The brunette went to speak up, but the face that had stared at him as it went to strike flashed through his mind like a bullet. He snapped his mouth shut before anything could leave his lips and stood instead. Ambrose smirked.

"You look busy. What's going on?" He tilted his head far to the side as he looked over the miniature tree. "Looks like you're decorating a bit?"

"Y-yeah. I guess."

Ambrose snickered, his attitude seeming to shine through once more. "Well, I guess you got the right idea. Everyone's gotta start somewhere."

"Yeah. That's true."

A dreary silence approached and hung in the air for a while. Seeming to grow uncomfortable with it, Ambrose spoke up. "So, I said about doing some research on you." He tossed something up into the air. It halted before him and turned into a small, blue square. "Terra sent me a link to an article. Here it is." Placing his fingers to the edges, he expanded the square until a full image with blocks of text were visible.

Upon seeing the image, a rush of excitement coursed through Hollis's veins. As the blue tinge of the screen faded and all of the colors came through, he was even more positive about what he was seeing.

Those pieces of glass, those police lights, that dark road.

It was the same scene from Mayura's dream.

Despite the fact that Ambrose was on the other side of the screen, he tapped at the top corner of the article.

"Check the date, guy."

Glancing over to where the taller boy had been pointing, Hollis realized almost immediately what he was trying to tell him.

"2038," he muttered more to himself than Ambrose. "Two years ago?"

"You remember the year? That's good."

He may have realized the article was from two years ago, but it hadn't dawned on him that he even remembered what the current year was. How did that work? Did that mean that some part of him was still alive after all? Some part of him had to be keeping track somehow.

"So, according to this, that would mean you're twenty...twenty-one?"

"Oh! R-right." Hollis blinked once, then twice. His age. He remembered the year, but not his age?

"Um," he hesitated to ask, but the look on Ambrose's face told him he should keep going. "How old are you anyway?"

"Me?" The taller youth asked with a dramatic flair to his movements and face. "Well, I'll let you know now, guy. You deserve it after all. I'm twenty."

"Eh? R-really?"

"Nah, I'm eighteen. Going on nineteen, I might add."

Wha—? I'm even more shocked!

Hollis had completely forgotten that the appearance he was seeing wasn't true. He had assumed, based on the way the youth looked that he was in his mid-twenties. Learning that he was so young, he felt a little awkward.

I don't know what to think about this...

Ambrose clearly found the reaction amusing and chuckled playfully, seemingly forgetting all about the article he had just pulled up for that brief moment.

"Anyway, back on track," he swiped his finger up and the article scrolled showcasing more text. "You weren't completely wrong."

"Hm?"

"About being dead. You're almost there."

Hollis nearly gasped but he held it down. Instead, his eyes grew wide, and the color seemed to melt away from his face.

"According to this thing, you fell into a coma, and you've been that way since." The youth eyed Hollis up for but a moment before returning to the article. "The others did a little more digging and Noodle found out that you're still hooked up to life support."

Hollis looked faint. He had told himself that he was probably dead, and he had so readily gone along with that. Now, hearing this, he couldn't believe it. It was as if his life before this was flooding back, remembering that there truly was a world outside this and now he had no access to any of it. Because of...

"It was a wreck?"

"Ah, yeah." Ambrose nodded absent mindedly. "You were hit by a drunk driver. They thought you were going to die, but you ended up in a coma." He paused, as if he was thinking something over and his dark brows lowered over his eyes. Suddenly, he spoke up again. "You don't have a lot of time left. Noodle said that they plan to take you off of life support."

"W-wait. What do you mean? Why?" His voice began to lose its collected, flat tone and grew noticeably rough as panic set in. It felt like he was being toyed with. Were things going from bad to worse? Or was it flying around all over the place trying to break his already horribly confused mind?

"He said," Ambrose spoke, a sharp note in his tone. "They've given up hope on you recovering. They don't think you'll ever make it." His yellow-brown eyes peered past the article and over to Hollis. "I think he said you might have...a month."