In one month's time, this life he had come to know may abruptly cease. He tried not to think about this, but with all of the chaos sprouting up piece by piece, he couldn't help but become overwhelmed. Everything he hadn't known he wanted to know, but not so much that it would cost him his sanity!

And after those attacks before, he was now too paranoid to leave his mindspace. If that guy, whoever it really was, was still out there, he couldn't risk it. He knew this was a dream, but those strikes felt too real, and if a vital spot was hit, how would that feel? What would happen? Whether the risk was real or not, that person was after him for some reason.

It was too much of a danger.

"Hey." Ambrose's voice startled the brunette, his eyes blinking wide as the rampaging inner questions suddenly came to a halt. His companion smirked wickedly, as if this was amusing to him. "We're gonna be holding a meet-up in my mindspace. I should actually get going now. Wanna come along? It might benefit you, you know?"

'We'? Those friends of his, huh?

Hollis couldn't help but find them all too weird for his liking. But still, they were all from the real world. The things they discussed would most definitely be to his benefit. Then again, after thinking that same thing before, it had only led to trouble.

To go or not to go. That is the question...

"C'mooon." Ambrose nudged Hollis with his elbow, a bright glint of mischief passed over his sharp gaze as he squinted. "Everyone was helping out. Trying to grab info on you, I mean. They all lent a hand so you should go and thank them."

"I guess you have a good point," Hollis admitted with clear grimace.

When the pair reached Ambrose's palace of a mindspace, it was empty of any life. None of the others had showed yet. "Guess we got the place to ourselves for a bit. Who knew!" Ambrose let out a hearty laugh.

Did he just drag me along, knowing full-well no one else was here yet? What's with him?

With an air of confidence, the muscular youth flipped back to face Hollis. In this lighting, one could clearly see the two distinguishing colors in his hair: light browns in the shadows, and bright golds in the light. It was quite a magnificent phenomenon.

Ambrose noticed the awe-struck stare of his friend and his comfy smirk grew more impish. "Are you really so in awe of my beauty? Boy, did I model myself so perfectly, didn't I?"

Was that even proper English?

"Could you lower your narcissism a little?"

"Aw, you're really no fun, huh?" There was a slight ring of disappointment in his words, but nevertheless he persevered. "Anyway, let's get inside. I wanna talk to you a little."

"Couldn't you have done that back in my space?"

"Sure. But like I said, I'm waiting for the others, so it's a bit more convenient for me if we're here." He peered back for only a moment before looking away as they stepped into the massive structure.

"There was...something I wanted to ask you." His tone was low and had that odd downtrodden sound to it. Hollis's mind was eager to jump back to the attacker, but he clamped his mouth shut and let the taller boy finish. "While I was searching for you, some things about Somnium came up that I found...interesting."

"What's that have to do with me, though? I mean, aside from me being a Somnium."

Ambrose's lips curled into a soft smile as he turned to face Hollis. Silence hung over the two. All Hollis could hear was his heart pounding louder and louder. Ambrose seemed to be watching him with a look that seemed unbefitting of him; still and methodical. At a leisurely pace, his gaze wandered away from the smaller boy.

Just as he went to speak a sweet, yet winded voice interrupted. "Heey!"

Hollis nearly jumped from his skin as he felt a hand latch onto his back.

"I made it...but not before you two, huh?" Terra leaned forward, her cheek nearly pressing against Hollis's as she looked over his shoulder. Ambrose chuckled, setting his hands on his hips and dropping his head to the side. "You're always spot on when it comes to meet-ups, Terra."

"Of course. I never liked being late." Her smile broadened when her eyes settled back on Hollis. She released him and moved next to Ambrose. "It's nice to see you here, Hollis."

"R-right." He wasn't sure how to respond to this. Having spoken only with Ambrose, he was accustomed now to that outgoing, mischievous boy running the conversations. This girl seemed more inclined to listen than to speak.

Noticing the obvious awkwardness in the boy's demeanor, Terra giggled that raspy giggle of hers. "Ah! Ammy? Did you tell him already?"

Ambrose's mouth sank to the side, his eyes trailing off once more, as if this would help him avoid the topic. Again came silence.

"I was about to..." Turning his attention to Hollis with a clear stoicism in his movements, he said, "There's...a killer running rampant."

Hollis felt his body go stiff. His hand slipped quietly into his jacket pocket, and he felt the blade that had pierced his flesh sitting there.

"Oh, he looks so...shocked." Terra's voice carried pity as she approached, running her hand over his hair like he was a scared child. "They say...he's been out there for a while..."

"The only reason any articles were written on him was because he attacked some regular dreamers."

"Hm? What does that mean?"

"It means that, up until now, he was only going after Somnium. The police didn't want to get involved since he was only taking out people who were breaking the law." There was a shift in his expression, his muscles tensed, and a severe sneer seemed to momentarily brush his lips. But as quickly as it came, it settled away.

Seeing this, Hollis's guilt came rising back up. How could I have thought it was him? It clearly couldn't have been him who attacked me...

"I see... But why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Well, I thought you'd have been safe in your mindspace and all, but..." His eyes narrowed as they seemed to burrow deeply into Hollis. Crossing his arms, he turned away.

Silence.

Hollis was unsure what this meant, and Terra herself was clearly just as confused. Upon glancing down, Hollis realized what Ambrose had been looking at. The slit in his shirt was still there. His wounds had healed, but the shirt still had that cut in it. Albeit, it was barely noticeable unless he turned certain ways, but it was still there for all to see, and clearly, Ambrose had noticed.

He knew he had been attacked.

"Y-yeah. I saw him. He attacked me."

Terra's expression froze, her mouth agape. Ambrose turned back, his brows low over his eyes. He looked like he wanted to speak but said nothing.

"He attacked me earlier, twice in fact."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, I'd like to know why you didn't say anything first. Sure, I'm stuck in my room most of the time, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in knowing when a killer is running around."

"Girls, girls~" Terra waved her hands slowly as she wandered weakly between the two. The static in the air was nearly tangible. "You both have your reasons...for not saying anything, right? Is that so bad?"

When the risk of death is involved, I think so. Though he thought this, Hollis didn't have the guts to say it and thus, he kept mum.

The taller boy had stood still, but suddenly he turned away. "Alright, I get it. Maybe...maaaybe I should have told you before... But I found out just this morning. Would that have made a difference?"

Hollis tried to swallow, but his throat felt like it had closed up.

That morning? If Ambrose only came when he was sleeping, he likely would have been able to tell Hollis only after the attack had already happened. If Ambrose had noticed the slit in his shirt when they met up in the mindspace, he probably realized right then that it was from the killer. He must have thought it would have been inappropriate to bring it up right after he had just been attacked. That's why he was waiting.

Hollis couldn't come up with any sort of rebuttal and only shook his head. Again, he felt like a jerk.

"There! See?" Terra grabbed both of them by their wrists and pulled them closer. "Now it's time...to hug!"

"N-no hugs!"

"I'm good. Thanks, Terra."

Hollis was surprised. While he had started to lose his cool, Ambrose had remained steadfast. Even now he was smiling again.

Soon enough, the smile faded and he spoke, returning to the topic at hand. "We don't know how long this guy has been out there exactly. No news outlets had covered it, and the police hadn't started looking into it until more people started to complain when they realized anyone could be a target. But the biggest reason no one had heard about this until now is that...no one has escaped this guy."

"Ah? For real?"

That can't be right, he thought. Him of all people? He got away when no one else could?

"That's so scary." Terra shivered, running her hands up and down her bare arms.

Hollis gripped his bicep as he felt his stomach turn. Ambrose watched him with, what seemed to be the utmost interest. "Why do you think he let you go?"

"Does it matter? I'm alive, aren't I? Then again...how can anyone die? If these are all dreams..."

"They used to say...if you die in your dream, you die in real life. It's like that."

"Specifically, I heard that they're all beheaded. This Somnium killer is removing the heads, severing the connection from the chip to the rest of the body. With the connection cut off, you're basically dead in a matter of seconds. It's a sort of 'simulated death' that tricks the chip into shorting out a person's brain." Turning his attention back to Hollis, he asked again, "Why do you think he spared you? Did you do something to scare him off?"

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"W-well, kind of..." He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to say, "I tore away his face covering and saw it was you". Even if he just said, "he saw his face", that would lead to the question of, "what did he look like?"

"Well, maybe. I'm not too sure. It was really weird."

"It sounds like...he has his sights set on you." Terra ran her thin fingers through her golden locks as she spoke, her lips puckered as she seemed to ponder the idea.

"We need to know a little more before we can assume that." There was a light chuckle as he said this, but his brows were furrowed and his eyes dark. "If you tell us exactly what happened, we might be able to piece things together a little more, right?"

Hollis had begun to assume the frequent questions at the end of the things Ambrose said were just pure habit, and he wasn't truly asking, just using them as a form of affirmation. So, as much as he wanted to say 'no', he figured Ambrose wasn't really asking.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion at his back and felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder, a very big hand.

"Hey! It's Hollis! Fancy seeing you here!" Tic let out a joyful laugh as he laid down three rough pats to Hollis's shoulder before moving on. Noodle followed behind the large, shouting man and behind him, Shyed, who, like Noodle, seemed to be paying no mind to anyone in the room. It was almost like those two were lost in their own worlds. What were they even doing here?

Ambrose and Terra greeted the group with pleasant smiles and handshakes. Now, just as before, Hollis was ready to leave. He felt like he didn't need any further information and was good to go, but deep down there was a part of him that was aware that this would all be for the best. He needed to stay just a little longer, and then he could go.

"Alright, since everyone's here how about we take some time to relax. I'm sure Hollis needs it." Ambrose spoke in a jovial manner, his smirk flashing brightly as, out of nowhere, a table seemed to emerge from the floor. Hollis had to blink once, then twice before his brain could fully register this magical appearance.

Further frightening him, Ambrose clamped his hand onto the shorter boy's shoulder. "What would you want to eat?"

Hollis blinked again. Eat?

"Pizza!" Tic shouted with glee, his fist flying upwards with gumption.

"I want donuts, and cream puffs...bagels and cream cheese and crème brûlée—"

"Stargazy pie for me." Upon hearing Shyed's request, Terra gasped. With furrowed brows and a frantic tone, the silver-haired girl cried, "N-no. I was just joking!"

"Stargazy pie for me too!"

"You don't even know if you'd like it!"

Hollis turned from each member as they spoke, confused by the purpose of this. Ambrose grinned. "Wait until the food shows up, guy. You'll be impressed, I'm sure of it."

Once everyone had come to an agreement, the table filled with boxes of large pizzas. Everyone cheered and clapped at the arrival, but Hollis stared on with wide eyes.

This couldn't be anything but a dream...

Ambrose had dropped into a finely ornate chair with his slice of pizza as everyone else in the room grabbed their own. Hollis stood in the corner watching with profound uncertainty. It had only been maybe ten minutes since they were discussing this Somnium killer, and now everyone was sitting around having fun. Cheering, laughing and having a good time. How? They all had to know about this problem, right?

"Come here, Hollis."

Coming back to his senses, Ambrose was patting the seat next to his own that Hollis hadn't recalled seeing a moment before. Letting out a long breath, he did as told and took the seat. Ambrose smirked; his brow perked up as he handed the slice he held over to the brunette.

Despite attempting to keep his mouth shut, he decided to finally ask, "What's this for?"

"I know what you're thinking, but it's not a waste of time."

"You've never tried eating?" Tic leaned back, glancing over at Hollis from his seat at the table. "I get that a first-time dream jumper might think it's pointless, but you gotta give it a try!"

"Mmhm! Mmhm!" Terra squeaked with glitter and blush over her face as she munched away at her food. "It's so good...even if it's not real. But because it's not real...it's so good!"

"Go on, new guy! Give it a shot!"

Hollis's brows furrowed as he eyed the pizza in his companion's hand. With a sigh, he gave in and took it. After a moment, he took a bite.

When the texture of the food hit his tongue—the warmth, the meltiness—his eyes shot open, and a shiver ran through his body. It had been so long since he had eaten. Suddenly tasting something so strong from something that shouldn't have had a taste at all sent a medley of confusion and happiness through him.

He took another bite. Hearing a snicker from his right, he paused, suddenly realizing the display he was putting on. He didn't want to look over.

Suddenly, a hearty laugh erupted from in front of him. Tic leaned back further in his seat, holding his stomach as his laughter seemingly grew louder. Now Hollis just wanted to evaporate.

Yeah. He didn't need to be here any longer.

"You should really see your face right now!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Terra's smile seemed to grow the longer her gaze lingered on the brunette. "The first time you eat...it's the best!"

"The greatest joys are the joys of those nonexistent things."

Everyone turned to Noodle and gave a round of applause.

What's with these people...?

Ambrose let out a faint chuckle as he turned over to Hollis who was shrinking in his seat.

"Don't sweat the little things. We like to have fun here." All of a sudden, he snapped his fingers and everyone turned. Realizing this, he winced before laughing at his habit. "Sorry about that. Pay me no mind."

With a cacophony of "yes's" and other agreements, everyone returned to what they were doing. Hollis was amazed by this show of coordination and respect.

"Anyway," Ambrose exhaled as he slumped back into his seat, lifting his leg up and wrapping his arms around it. "Why don't you go around and get to know everyone?"

Hollis was surprised.

"You know, how about this? When you get out of here, let's meet up. How about that?"

"Hm?" Hollis raised a brow, his head dropping as he took a reluctant bite of the pizza. Ambrose took this as a sign to keep going. "You know, I live in Pennsylvania, you're up in Maryland. It's not too far away, not for me." There was a hint of mischief in his voice and smirk. Turning to Terra, he said,

"Terra's from Florida, still in the US. We could all get together one day, right?"

"Oh! Yeah, that sounds...so fun!" Her raspy giggle shook her body delicately as she munched on another slice of pizza.

Hollis remained silent. They were setting up some big thing and he wasn't giving any real input. Haaa...

"What about you, Tic? You've been to the US before."

"While I'd love to, Ambrose, I gotta save up a little more fun money, y'know? I've got some debt I need to clear up before I can go and spend so much like that again."

Ambrose laughed with heart, his face reddening before he sighed. "You screwed up again, didn't you? You need a girlfriend or something to monitor your spending habits."

"Really, you can be so...so flimsy with money."

"Don't blame me! The internet makes it way too easy for me."

"Heh, you gotta point there." Everyone mumbled sounds of agreement, chuckling and laughing amongst each other.

"I'd love to...save up to go to the UK."

"No way! You stay put in Florida!" Shyed scooted her chair away from Terra who only leaned closer to the smaller girl.

Ambrose looked over at Hollis who had become absorbed in the conversations, whether he wanted to admit it or not. The younger male smiled, chuckling under his breath.

Once everyone was satisfied and had finished eating, the conversations of pleasure and fun had divulged into more serious matters, particularly, the Somnium Killer.

Hollis crossed his arms in his seat, his heart rate slowly rising as the images of the attack suddenly came back. The images of Ambrose.

"So, if I'm remembering this right," Tic started. "This guy is going around targeting any and every Somnium he can find."

"Clearing the Somnium problem out for the police," Shyed shot in, her expression unreadable.

"I don't think it's...so black and white." Terra seemed to fold in on herself, her arms crossed and rubbing her shoulders up and down. "And, well...what we are doing is against the law..." Her eyes became downcast. "I for one...don't like seeing other people's dreams without permission."

"That's perfectly understandable, Terra." Ambrose smiled. "But the killer won't see any difference between Somnium like you and Somnium like me and Tic."

"How do you know that?" Hollis accidentally called out. When he realized what he said, he gulped, wishing he could gulp those back down.

The others turned to him, some more slight in their movements than the others. Ambrose's expression remained calm and mature, smile never faulting. "I believe I read it online. Like I said, I stumbled across this while researching you and, seeing how this pertains to us, I felt the need to dig in as much as I could." He tilted his head to the side. "Do you find that strange, Hollis?"

"N-no, not really. I just thought, well..." He couldn't pinpoint the reason why, but he felt meek all of a sudden. Whether it was because he was feeling guilty for ever suspecting him or because of Ambrose's naturally intimidating presence...or because of that attack, he wasn't sure.

Ambrose smiled regardless. Just then, Shyed stood and held up one of those blue boxes in her hand. "Actually, I found something you may find...interesting."

"Oh? This sounds important." Ambrose sat up in his seat.

"After you told Noodle to dig into this, I followed along and did the same. I don't think anyone else found this, so I figured I may as well bring it up." She tapped the box and it grew. Touching the edges with her fingers, she expanded the window and an article showed. Once the colors sank in, the picture at the top became crystal clear. "One of the victims took this screenshot during the attack, and their friend posted it online." Her voice seemed to catch in her throat for a moment. "This is the Somnium Killer."

It was unmistakable.

Those yellow-brown eyes in particular.

Despite the slight blur of movement, it was an otherwise clear shot of Ambrose dressed entirely in black.

"Shyed? What the heck is this?" Tic pushed his seat out. Everything about his movements said he was ready to smash the window she was showing.

"Anger is the worst manner in which to make judgement." Noodle's already slim eyes narrowed as he focused on Tic.

"Noodle's perfectly right, Tic." Ambrose, who still wore the same expression he had been wearing the entire time glanced from person to person.

"Shyed has every right to show us this article. She was only doing what I told everyone to do; research."

Hollis gulped and licked his lips. He had been trying everything he could to avoid bringing this up, and then one of Ambrose's own friends was already aware of this and even made everyone else aware. He wasn't sure what to do now. He wanted to shrink away even more than before.

Tic grunted before shouting out, "This has gotta be fake, Shyed! You should have known better! Right, Ambrose?"

Ambrose glanced over to Tic but remained silent. Hollis watched him with a severe intensity, waiting for him to blatantly deny it. He waited for that hearty laugh and that loud, confident tone to call out, "Of course it's not me! How could you guys ever think that?" But still, everyone was silent, waiting for that same thing...

Still, he said nothing.

Eventually, he closed his eyes, his lips tightening before he reopened them and stood.

"C'mon, Ambrose! Say it's not you."

"Alright. It's not me." He shrugged, his hands behind his back. "I'll say that we're done here for now. Everyone should take some time and, for safety, stay in your own mindspaces. We can talk on the forums tomorrow."

"Damn it, Ambrose! What are you doing?" Tic stood, leaning with such force that it startled the others. "Don't just say it's not you because I told you to! Tell us for real it's not you!"

"Tic, we shouldn't focus on this too much. Let's all put in more research, alright?" With a smile, he passed the others by and exited.

Hollis gulped, his throat growing drier. As he looked back and forth between the others, all sitting like statues at their seats, he decided he wasn't going to stay much longer and went to follow. Who knows where Ambrose was heading?

Getting up, he turned to head for the exit when Tic grabbed his arm. "Wait a sec."

Hollis froze. Not able to make any further moves, he was left with no choice but to turn and face the muscular man.

Tic remained silent before finally saying, "We don't know what's going on out there. Watch yourself."

Before long, Hollis found himself exiting the palace. Once outside, he immediately spotted Ambrose standing among the trees, as if he was waiting for something.

Hollis was ready to approach him when he paused, his legs disagreeing with him. He stood at the start of the path, watching the taller youth from a distance, and only watching. The longer he watched, the more he questioned his peculiar actions—or lack of—moments ago.

Why couldn't he just deny it? How hard would that have been?

"I was expecting you."

Wincing in shock, Hollis realized Ambrose had turned and was looking straight at him. There was a silence before the taller boy sniggered. "I always wanted to say that. Doesn't it make me seem cool?"

I bet anyone would think you're cool when they meet you for the first time. Afterwards...

Hollis cleared his throat and straightened his posture. Taking a few steps closer, he asked, "Why didn't you deny it?"

"Hm?" He dropped his head to the side as if the question alluded him. "'Deny it'? Hollis, do you think it's me?"

What? No!

He wanted to say this, but the words wouldn't get very far. In truth, he was hesitant. He really knew so little about this guy, how could he say with certainty that it wasn't him? If he did say it, he would simply be lying.

"I asked why you didn't deny it. It makes you look suspicious."

Ambrose's mouth fell lopsided, his hands planted firmly on his hips. He went quiet, like he was trying to come up with an explanation. Then, he said, "Everyone in there is my friend. I shouldn't have to confirm or deny any of this. I trust that they know me well enough to know whether it really is me or not." He smirked. "If I went screaming 'of course it wasn't me! Who do you think I am' with all the dramatics that come with it, wouldn't that make me seem more suspicious?"

"Well, I think it would have helped you if you had."

"Hah! Agree to disagree?"

Hollis was fully surprised by this. He hadn't expected this guy to act so level-headed. His way of proving himself was to do nothing at all. How strange.

Wrapping his arms behind his head, Ambrose went on. "I'm sure you don't think you know enough about me to form an opinion, but this is how I like to handle these sorts of things. Granted...this one is a bit more serious than any internet drama I've been a part of..." He put his thumb to his lip as if he was about to bite down, but he simply let it sit, his eyes wandering off into the distance. The gears that turned in his mind were nearly visible in the twinges of the muscles of his face.

"Alright, Hollis," he suddenly said. "I think that was enough drama for today." With a squint of his eyes and a sly cat-like smirk, he said, "I'll be going to bed now. Goodnight."