My composure collapsed. I toppled over to the ground, rubbing my burning lungs. The floor beneath me and all the castle walls speckled away to pitch black.
It was over, it was finally over. The dream had ended, and once again, I found myself gazing into the bottomless abyss of the black void—the in-between. Instead of experiencing any sense of accomplishment or relief, I only felt an insatiable fire whirling around in my esophagus—that was it. The fresh air pricked my insides as I spewed out the smoke I inhaled. I pounded my fist into my chest, attempting to push out as much as possible.
Steadying my hand against the nonexistent floor, I urgently thought about which dream I should enter next—with a whisper of hope that heading directly there would take away my injuries. I had no concept of how much time had passed in the real world—time inside the Dreamscape was always iffy. The only thing I could do was hope it wasn’t much—otherwise, my unconscious body would scare the hell out of Kiana and Clayton.
Kiana and Clayton… The thought of them staring at my unresponsive body with looks of terror barged its way into my mind. All I wanted was to see them again. I wanted to make sure they were alright—see them fast asleep in their rooms. I smiled for a moment before shaking away the thought and placing my palm against my thrashing heart.
I waited for my body to return to some sense of normalcy, then a hand gripped my shoulder.
“Hey, are you alright?” Cathy said, leaning over me. She stared—her doe eyes tremoring with concern.
My mouth fell open, “...Cathy…”
She nodded and kneeled beside me, “You really took down the king! I never doubted you.” Her eyes glided across my body until a cloud of sadness descended upon her. She lifted my mangled arm, “You’re bloody and have burns all over you… I’m sorry, I should have been there…”
“Don’t worry about that, this is all just temporary. And you did help me.” I stood up and dusted off my pants, “So… you really are real?”
She smiled and nodded again, “Yep! After the dream vanished, I started to remember a lot of things about myself.”
Cathy looked around at the vast darkness that encircled us. “What is this place…? Why is it so dark?”
“You’re in the in-between,” I said. “It's all that remains when a dream falls.”
“I can’t believe I was actually in a dream, everything feels so real…” Her attention shifted back to me, “So you weren’t a part of the dream either, does that mean you’re a real person in the world too?”
My jaw clenched. “I’m not sure how you ended up there, but you were trapped inside the dream of some guy named Rae. He was a real person, and yeah, so am I.”
Her eyes grew, “Y–You’re real…?”
“Yeah…” I said, anxiously rubbing my neck. “Sorry you had to go through all that, I know it must’ve been horrible. You should wake up back in your home soon as long—”
Cathy wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in close. My arms lifted as I stared at her right below my chin, her tears soaked into my shirt.
“You said that staying at the castle had nothing to do with me… But back in the throne room, you were going to leave before I asked for your help.” She lifted her head to look at me, “You wanted to leave, you were safe. You had another way to get to the king, but you decided to try and free me instead.”
I exhaled gently and dropped my arms at my sides, before slowly raising them to cover her back. Cathy clenched handfuls of my shirt in her fists, burying her face in my chest. “...Thank you.”
She tightened her arms around me as I patted her softly. After a while of letting her sob against me, I gently pulled away from her embrace. “You can save your thanks. Nobody should have to go through that.”
She wiped her eyes against her sleeve, “I know, but what you did was brave… I knew that you were a good person.”
I paused, before placing my hand on my chin. “...good person?” I mumbled.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing,” I said, shifting my eyes back to her. “Anyway, I’ve got somewhere else I gotta go. If you close your eyes and relax, eventually you’ll wake back up.”
“Y–You’re leaving…?” She whimpered, slowly extending her hand, “But wait… Does this mean I’m never going to see you again?”
Her voice echoed with sadness. Although she was sincere, the image she had conjured of me in her head was far better than any false ideal I could ever hope to live up to. I turned, “You’re better off not knowing me.”
Before I could walk away, I caught a glimpse of her tense, wooden posture. Everything in her body language screamed at me not to leave. I couldn’t quite grasp what I did to make her so upset at my departure. After all, any decent person would have done what I did in that situation.
But as I thought about it a little deeper, I understood. After a traumatic experience, someone like her didn’t want to be alone. She needed someone there to comfort her—and I just so happened to be the only one around.
She was in an unfamiliar place, and I was becoming a familiar face to her. I was all she really had to latch on to in there. But if more comfort is what she required, she would have to wait until she woke up with her family. I couldn’t stay there any longer. Depending on what time it was in the outside world, Kingsley could be waking up any moment, and I wouldn’t be able to access his dream.
Since I was able to secure both of the names of my targets, I decided that entering Kingsley’s dream would be best. He definitely took priority over his minion. As long as I could take care of him tonight, Big Jax could wait.
Over the sound of whooshing air, I heard Cathy’s voice crying out to me. But I couldn’t hear at all what she said. I was already gone.
I called out to the darkness around me, commanding it to lead me to the dream of Kingsley. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, fueling my pounding heart. As my wounds mended, a whirlwind of air and energy parted the shadows, revealing a faint glimmer of light. I ventured toward this light, allowing it to become larger and larger and pull me away from the clutches of the in-between. The name, Michael Kingsley, it chanted in my mind relentlessly. Then, the gateway of light swallowed me completely.
—break—
My eyes closed to slits against the hot sand pelting me in the face. I lifted my forearm to shield my eyes from the blistering sun. When the wind passed and the world came into my field of vision—I recognized all that surrounded me was endless miles of desert sand and hills. The sun above me pulsed—scorching my skin and baking the desert in an intense heatwave that seemed incapable of supporting any form of life. Not a single tree—nor a single sliver of shade could be seen.
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I could hardly believe my luck. Out of one oven and into another. I really couldn’t catch a break.
I would have been overjoyed to enter a dream that was in a winter wonderland. I would even settle for being dropped in the middle of Antarctica during an unprecedented snowstorm at this point. Anything, ANYTHING, other than more heat. I felt angry for a moment, but quickly checked myself. It wasn’t like complaining would make my situation any better. And at the very least—all of my injuries had healed once I entered this place.
But now I was completely stranded. Nothing except me, the sand, and the sun for miles with no signs of civilization in sight. It baffled me that Rae would choose to have his dream take place in an environment like this—everything was just uncomfortable—my skin felt like it was on fire. And where the hell would he even be? It was all just… sand.
I stood idly for a moment, clinging to the faint hope that if I waited long enough, something would happen. I couldn't quite articulate what I was expecting, but I knew I only had two options: remain there, waiting for… something; or I could choose a random ass direction and start blindly wandering through the desert.
After a while, the latter seemed to be the more promising option. If I kept walking, hopefully at some point I would stumble upon some small desert outpost or something. Then at that point, I would just have to hope that Kingsley was there.
My plan wasn’t bulletproof, but it was better than waiting around to die of dehydration and heatstroke.
I walked for a couple minutes, then a gust of wind brushed against my face—carrying with it a familiar scent wafting down from upstream.
“What the… that smell…”
The fragrance was so distinctly familiar to me, but I couldn’t quite pin down what exactly it was. I drew a deep breath, studying the passing scent meticulously.
“...No.”
I inhaled again—trying to conclude that my senses weren't mistaken.
“It can’t be…”
I trekked up the hill from which the smell was wafting from. On the other side, amidst the vast emptiness of the desert, sat a lone, cutely decorated modern coffee shop nestled comfortably in the valley. A soft white puff of smoke wafted gently from the chimney and floated up the hill harboring a faint scent of espresso and hazelnut.
The shop was clad in light tan stucco, with door hinges and window sills accented in laminated dark oak wood. Outside, a couple of black plastic picnic tables were set up, alongside a standing sign near the front door listing the day's specials—written stylishly in various colors of chalk. A poster was plastered on the window, showcasing a joyful barista preparing a frappuccino, with the words "Now Hiring" beside it and a QR code for applications printed on the corner. A camel was tied to a post on the side of the building, kicking up sand with its hooves as it paced around absentmindedly.
As I journeyed down and opened the door, a refreshing rush of cool air battled against the desert heat and slipped through the opening. The delightful aroma of freshly ground coffee beans filled my nostrils. Light, cheerful pop music played softly from the speakers—filling the atmosphere with a much needed cool sense of respite. The barista, dressed in a black apron embroidered with a white logo and a matching black visor, stepped away from the grinding machine at the sound of the bell signaling my entrance.
“Hi! Welcome in,” she said, her voice filled with genuine kindness. “I’ll be right with you, just one moment,” she adjusted her visor and quickly scurried away to the back room.
Although it was a simple coffee shop, this place was nothing less than an oasis to me. The interior was decorated with sleek stainless steel and crisp white paint—complemented by glossy light brown hardwood floors and a display case showcasing various drinks, sandwiches and pastries.
Other than the barista and myself, only one other man was in the shop. He was an older man with white hair, probably in his mid to late sixties—sitting at a two-seater table right beside the register. He wore a white tunic with sweat drenched around the collar, along with oversized lightweight pants and brown sandals. His hand was gripped firmly around a cup of coffee, which he sipped cautiously as he refused to avert his gaze from the table. His forehead glistened with fresh beads of sweat, and a hefty traveling bag was set on the floor beside him.
Overall, he didn’t seem to be much for conversation. I approached the man carefully, making sure to not get too close, “Excuse me. I’m a bit lost and am not sure where the nearest town is. If you don’t mind me asking, which town did you come here from?”
The man didn’t flinch. He raised his cup of coffee to his lips and took another miniscule sip before setting it down.
The barista emerged from the back carrying a box full of creamer pods, “You’re lost? Oh you poor thing. I was wondering why you were so deep in the desert dressed like that.”
‘Dressed like that’ was right. I was wearing jeans, a black shirt, and a maroon unbuttoned overshirt, along with white sneakers. Hardly the attire you would choose when trudging through endless miles of scorching sand.
I approached the counter and leaned towards the barista, “Yeah, I’m completely lost and need to make it back to my hometown. Do you happen to know where Kingsley is?”
The barista placed the pods of creamer in the cupboard beneath the counter, “...Kingsley?”
“Yes, the ruler of this place. Any idea where I can find him?”
The barista shot me a troubled look, as if she questioned if I were insane, “Sorry, no idea.” She gently combed her fingers through her auburn colored hair and flipped it back over her visor with a disarming smile.
I huffed, “Well, could you tell me where the closest town is from here?”
She thought for a moment before pointing toward the window, “About 80 miles that way you will come across the ancient village called Rineus. It’s home to a tribe of people known as the Waymites, and the Great Yaman River runs right through it. It’s technically the closest, but I wouldn’t exactly recommend going there…”
My soul felt like it was squeezed to death as soon as she said that the closest town to here was 80 miles away. I would surely be dead before I could even get close to reaching it. “If the closest village is 80 miles away, then where do you live? And why is this shop all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“I live here, silly! I have a nice cot in my room downstairs and a mountain of books—more stories than I could ever read. I opened up this shop so I could sell refreshments to the travelers passing through the desert.”
This girl couldn’t have been more than 20 years old, and she was living here alone in the middle of the desert, in a coffee shop that looks like it was taken right out of my hometown and slapped in the middle of fuck all. Then again, I guess there was really no use in arguing about the logic of this place.
“Do people come in often?”
“I see about 50 or so people a day. This shop is right beside a common trade route from Eslovia to Napel. If I were to recommend a safe town to journey towards, it would be Eslovia. It’s about 90 miles east of here.”
“Thanks. I’ll just wait a little while longer before taking off, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all!” The barista said, giving me a thumbs up.
Any journey out across that desert was out of the question, especially with my current equipment. I decided to take a seat and wait around for any other traveler that stumbled in. If I was lucky, maybe I could gain more information or hitch a ride on a wagon or something.
I found a nice spot out of the sun where I could pull up a chair and relax. Placing my hands on the table, a shocking revelation caught my eye. I had finally noticed something very, very unusual. The gloves that I was wearing were the same black fingerless gloves that I had obtained back in Rae’s dream from Claudius.
I flipped my hands around, making sure that what I was seeing was truly there.
“...What?”
As far as I was aware, you weren’t allowed to bring in things from previous dreams. Everything manifested in the world would vanish as soon as the dream was over. But for some reason…
Wait. If I still had the gloves, then that would mean…
“Windchaser,” I stretched out my arm and ribbons of dark energy swirled around my hand, flashing the stiletto knife into my palm. I jumped out of my chair sliding it across the floor, my hand fastened around the handle.
“No way…” I muttered, twirling the knife around in my palm.
“S–Sir,” the barista said, startled, “can you please put that away?” She shielded half of her body behind the display of sandwiches.
“Oh! Yeah, sorry!” I flashed the knife away immediately and pulled my chair back to the table. I sat down stiffly, my eyes still fixed upon my gloves. This was never able to happen before with any other dream, so why? Carrying over something from the dream of another was impossible—how was that possible?
I couldn't keep my mind from spinning. I previously thought I had a good understanding of the Dreamscape—or at least a relatively solid understanding. But lately, things seemed to be slipping away from me. There were things happening that I couldn’t wrap my head around. I supposed that I must not have been as knowledgeable as I previously had thought. Although the knife and gloves were a welcome addition, this meant that dreams worked in a way that I couldn’t predict—in a way I couldn’t comprehend. Not understanding something meant being more prone to failure, more prone to death. And if I were to die…
I buried my face within my palms.
“...What the hell is happening?”