Chapter 26
Third Person Point of View
A moment of silence fell between Jhane and Zayne.
“That’s a good idea,” Zayne said with affirmation in his tone. Jhane smiled at his response, feeling a sense of relief.
“Why don’t we also invite others—it will be my treat,” he added. The smile on Jhane’s face faltered slightly.
“Are you sure about that, Doctor Zayne?” Jhane asked, trying to hide her disappointment.
“The more people, the more joyful,” he said with a smile.
“Okay, if that’s what you want, Doctor. I’ll contact the others,” Jhane said, unable to completely mask the disappointment in her voice.
Then Zayne turned to La-La, his eyes bright with excitement. “Ms. Lanaya- Do you want to come?” he asked, his voice eager.
La-La looked taken aback but then smiled bitterly. “I guess I’ll pass on that. I have work here, right?” she replied, trying to keep her tone light.
“I’m just going to give you a gift, I guess- I will gave it you tomorrow” La-La added with a shrug.
Zayne walked towards her, his expression softening. “La-La, you work too hard. You deserve a break, just join us?” he said gently.
La-La shook her head. “Really, it’s fine. Besides, this is your celebration with your colleagues. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
La-La Point of View
I was so shocked that Zayne invited me. It's his birthday tomorrow as I heard, and while we don’t usually celebrate birthdays, it's obviously a big deal for him. However, it’s clear this is meant to be a celebration with his colleagues. Besides, it’s evident that Nurse Jhane wanted to invite him on a date, but he’s too dense to realize that. And he seems to have forgotten I have work here.
“I don’t really like gifts though-” he said, his voice softening.
I paused for a moment, caught off guard. “Is that so? Well, it’s your birthday, and it’s a big deal for you guys. Gifts are the only thing I could think of to give you since you’re my boss here,” I said, trying to sound casual.
“How about granting me a wish instead?” he suggested, a playful glint in his eye. I squinted.
I’m not a genie, though but since he kept our secret might as well-
“As long as I’m capable, why not?” I agreed.
A Few Moments Later
Zayne and the nurse left. I didn’t get her name, and she seemed distant to me. I was left here in the library once again, the silence enveloping me like an old friend.
Then someone entered the library.
“Senior,” a voice greeted me. It was Yuna.
“Is there anything wrong?” I asked her, noticing her slightly weary expression.
She smiled. “No, I just had nothing to do.”
They’re now making this place their rest spot—just like the other MT I know
“You sure about that? You know our work isn’t hourly, right?” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“I know that, Senior. I just want to rest. It’s hard to keep running,” she said, reaching out her card to me.
Well, she is still a newbie. I guess it’s reasonable. I was worse to her before.
“The more we work hard, the sooner we can get out of this line of work,” I said to her, swiping her card and handing it back.
Yuna nodded, her smile returning. “I know, Senior. I’ll get back to it soon. It’s just tiring the couple keep running away from each other creating a scene is taking a lot of energy”
I watched her as she headed towards the back of the library, where she usually did her reading and research. Yuna had a lot of potential, but like all newbies, she needed to find her rhythm.
Aaron point of View
Todays is February 16, 2024
Today has been a tiring day. Catching nightmares and transforming them into good dreams is hard work, and it can be exhausting. I glanced at my wrist, noting the count: 20,000 dreams left to handle. This will take a century at this rate.
Sigh.
My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I answered it immediately.
“Kindly report the missing dream,” a voice on the other end demanded.
They don’t even give me a moment to rest. “Yes, I will report it,” I said, and the call ended abruptly.
Our work involves transforming nightmares into good dreams, so we usually work at night. Each of us is assigned to a specific person. If we manage to turn a nightmare into a good dream before the person wakes up, our job is done. However, if a nightmare remains a nightmare until the person wakes up, that counts as a lost dream.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
I lost one earlier. The person had a dream of mountains and thousands of bears chasing her. It was hard to manage. Additionally, dreams of past lives are beyond our control. If we encounter such dreams, we report them and classify them as Special Cases.
I can see people's dreams once they encounter me, and within those dreams, I can manipulate them. It’s our choice.
And that's the work of the Sandman.
I'm tired; I just need to rest. Why make us MTs if we also feel fatigue?
As I walked through the bustling eatery, I noticed a familiar figure and stopped in my tracks. “La-La?” I called out. She turned around, her eyes meeting mine.
“Oh, Aaron,” she said, a faint smile touching her lips.
To be honest, I’m a bit scared of her, just like the Grim Reaper she’s friends with. She was wearing a flowy dress that accentuated her elegance, her hair cascading down her shoulders instead of in its usual ponytail. A white scarf was wrapped around her neck, adding a touch of grace to her appearance.
“Are you also going to eat here?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. “Why don’t we join?” There was a question I wanted to ask her. In terms of dreams, there are no records of the Reaper Axel's dreams. I wanted to confirm this since none of us could visualize the dreams he supposedly had. Even an MT can dream, though it's our responsibility to manipulate them and we can view them once they had a dream with it. However neither one of us manipulate their dream or even view it or see it. So they had a dream without our knowledge and that dream is not created by us.
La-La shifted on her feet, glancing around nervously. “Well, it might not be a good time. I have someone to accompany,” she said, scratching her head.
“Is it Mr. Reaper? I think it will be a good time—” I started, but she immediately waved her hands in denial, her expression growing tense.
“No, it’s the doctor,” she said.
The human one, the blessed one.
“You’re still in contact with him?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. She nodded,.
“That might be dangerous for you,” I said, my tone filled with concern.
“Well, Axel hasn’t found a solution yet to remove his memories,” she replied, her voice tinged with frustration. She adjusted the scarf around her neck, her fingers lingering on the fabric as if seeking comfort.
“That’s not good,” I said, crossing my arms.
“Yeah, right,” she agreed, sighing deeply.
“So, what are you going to do? I’ve kept silent because if this leaks out, it could be dangerous for us too,” I said, my eyes scanning the room for any eavesdroppers.
“I know that. I only have three months before I get my ring, so I guess I’m going to bear with it,” she said, determination and worry mixed in her voice. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her posture betraying her inner turmoil.
"Three months?" I asked, surprised. "Didn't you tell us last time it was six months?"
"Yes, it was," she replied, "but for some reason, it was expedited."
"So, are you going to wait for three months and continue being involved with him?" I asked.
"Apparently, yes. He knows our secret," she said with a hint of resignation.
"It's our fault, isn't it?" I said. To be honest, their secret was revealed due to that kidnapping incident, and we are mostly to blame.
"It's nothing. Soon, I will retrieve my ring, and when I perish, the memories Zayne has of me will be removed, along with all memories involving everyone," she said with a calm acceptance.
La-La is scary, but she is kind. Kind, but what is she doing as an MT? What kind of sins does she have?
"Ms. Lanaya," a voice called, and I saw Dr. Zayne approaching. The blessed one.
In the case of the blessed ones, we cannot touch their dreams—it will damage us. We can't give them dreams even if we touch or encounter them.
"Good day," I greeted the doctor. He smiled. He is also blessed with looks, even though he is not an MT.
"Good afternoon—you are the one who—" he began, but La-La interrupted.
"Yes, she is one of the guys," La-La said.
"Are you also going to have a meal here?" he asked me.
"Yes," I answered shortly.
"It seems you two are also going to have lunch here," I added.
"Well, it's his birthday. We are actually here to celebrate," La-La said.
Birthday? Oh, you mean the annual celebration for humans as they age.
As we stood there, the noise of the eatery seemed to fade into the background. I could feel the tension and unease in La-La's stance, but she maintained her composure.
Zayne looked at me with curiosity. "Are you joining us?" he asked, his smile warm and inviting however it feign and mostly like fake as if telling me to say no. He is also scary!!!
Just what wrong with this group-
"Thank you, but I think I'll eat alone today," I said, trying to avoid the awkwardness.
"Alright," he said, "maybe another time then."
La-La Point of View
The wish he asked of me was to join him in celebrating his birthday on the actual date. Since he requested it, I agreed.
“Are you sure you're okay with this place? There are plenty of restaurants where we can eat,” I asked Zayne. He had invited me to a place near my house, which was, of course, close to his as well. This was also where we had met again.
“This is a fine place,” he said with a reassuring smile. Then a waiter approached us and handed over the menus. She was looking at Zayne with an unmistakable interest.
As expected.
“This is an unexpected wish from you—you could celebrate your birthday with your family members, you know,” I said, trying to understand his choice. But he just smiled.
“No, I am fine celebrating it with you,” he said. His smile conveyed a sense of contentment, as if this simple celebration was enough for him.
Squeak
What—what is that sound? I looked at the waitress, who was blushing hard. I sighed.
““Can we get two iced Americanos and the house special?” Zayne ordered. He then turned to me. “Is there anything you want, Ms. Lanaya?”
“I'll have the same house special. It's steak, right?” I asked the waiter.
“Yes,” she answered plainly.
“Can I get it medium rare?” I requested.
“Of course,” she replied.
“Does your steak have peas in it?” Zayne asked the waiter.
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“Are you allergic to peas?” he asked me, concerned.
I frowned, confused. “No, I'm not allergic to anything.”
“You sure?” he confirmed again.
“Yes, I am sure,” I replied, reassuring him.
“Is that all?” the waiter asked.
“How about dessert?” I asked Zayne. He looked at the menu briefly.
“Chocolate fondant,” he decided.
“I'll have the ice cream cookies and cream,” I added.
“Okay, is that all?” the waiter confirmed once more. I looked at Zayne, who nodded.
“Yes, that is all,” he said. The waiter smiled and took the menus from our hands.
I stood up. “Where are you going?” Zayne asked, looking puzzled.
“It’s your birthday, right? So it might be better to have a cake,” I suggested.
“It’s not necessary,” he said, shaking his head.
“No, it’s your birthday. It wouldn’t feel right to celebrate without a cake. I saw a cake store nearby. I'll be back in five minutes,” I insisted.
Zayne watched me with a mix of amusement and appreciation. “Alright, if you insist.”
I left the restaurant and walked briskly to the nearby cake store. The aroma of freshly baked goods greeted me as I entered. I scanned the display cases quickly, searching for the perfect cake.
After a moment, I found it—a small chocolate cake, elegantly decorated with a simple "Happy Birthday" message on top. I paid for the cake and hurried back to the restaurant.
Zayne looked up as I returned, a smile spreading across his face. “You really didn’t have to,” he said softly.
“But I wanted to,” I replied, placing the cake in front of him. “It’s not a birthday without a cake.”
“Happy birthday,” I greeted him, opening the box and placing a candle on the cake. His smile softened, becoming more genuine for a moment.
“You blow it out, right?” I prompted.
“Yes,” he replied, leaning forward and blowing out the candle.
“You know, people usually make a wish before blowing out the candle,” I said, curious. “Why didn’t you?”
He looked at me, his eyes warm. “I already got my wish,” he said softly.
Is that so?
“Well, happy birthday! I hope many more birthdays come your way. May the blessings you have continue to flow,” I said