A man gazed up at buildings lining a cobblestone path.

Some appeared to be made of glittering crystal, refracting the light into miniature rainbows. Others had walls that pulsed and rippled like water. Strange creatures flitted in and out of windows - wispy things with shimmering wings and eyes that blazed like jewels.

He had never seen anything like this place. For once, the chaos of his own mind paled in comparison.

Walking down the well-lit alley in this vast and grand city, the handsome man with a red half-moon on his forehead stepped into a bar. His face was contorted into a smile that could charm even men.

Upon entering the bar, the air turned thick with the sour smells of old ale and body odor. Cain wrinkled his nose as he slid onto a creaking barstool.

All eyes were locked on him every step of the way. He was a new face and a handsome one at that.

"Well, look here, it seems a new one has joined the ranks of the city, hehe! Welcome, lad!"

Cain raised a brow, "You know I'm new?"

"Everyone in here knows each other; we've all been here for centuries! Of course we can tell! Sit, come sit!"

Cain smirked, pulled up a chair, and sat down. Next to him was a younger man in his mid-thirties. He talked like he was older, but his appearance was stuck in his youth, no doubt due to the effects of the Dream Realm.

"So... what brings a young lad like yourself to the city where everything can be found?"

"Well, of course, to let loose! I haven't been able to stretch my limbs, although recently I got to do just that, but right after, I was trapped again from doing what I love!"

The man laughed, his voice proud and deafening.

"Haha! Don't we all come to do the same! I'm Orlin, a retired gatherer!"

Cain raised a brow, his face showing some interest, but deep down, behind his social mask, he was ecstatic.

'Finally! Someone who can answer my questions!'

"Ah! I have heard of gatherers, I even wish to be one. Mr. Orlin, do you perhaps have a core, like they say?"

"Of course I do! I had to wrestle a giant beast for it! Now I can transform into the very same one! It's just bigger and scarier!"

Cain clasped his hands together, "Amazing! ... Actually, I have some other questions; could I ask them?"

Orlin chuckled, his red-veined eyes crinkling with mirth. "You're a funny one, boy," he bellowed, clapping Cain hard on the back, "How about this, I'll tell you all about the City, but for information like gatherers, you have to give me a Dream pill per question. How about it?"

Hearing his words, everyone in the bar, who was already listening in, inched closer. It seemed that Dream pills held some importance, at least to them.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"How do I get Dream pills?"

"I won't lie to you; Dream pills are hard to get and even harder to get more of. You need to go through the Dream Lord's Dreamers; they give them out every week for work done, like cleaning the streets. It helps the community and helps you, so it's a nice little thing going."

Cain ignored the fact that he had to clean when he could just imagine the street clean. Instead, he continued asking questions related to the pills.

"How many pills can I get a week?"

"Err... one... uh... one pill per week. For each one you get for me, I'll answer one question."

Cain realized what he was being asked of and frowned, "And how many pills do I need to stay in the Dream realm?"

"Well... one a week.... until you're a soldier. But you can save up! Like I said, you don't need to give pills right away; I'm sure you will become a soldier soon. You look like the imaginative type!"

The tension rose in the air, but surprisingly, Cain's face turned to glee.

"Sounds alright! But you'll still answer my questions, right?"

Wishing to dispel the curse of awkwardness, Orlin responded in kind, "Of course, of course! Ask away!"

...

Far from the bar, another Cain was wandering around the city.

Bright lights, beautiful infrastructure; it was all here, any form of anything was in view. Things he could never even imagine existed here. Flying ships, coiling dragons, creatures that looked like they belonged in another realm.

Even the buildings held strange shapes and some were changing at will.

'This place really is amazing.'

Cain spotted a building and walked inside; its sign at the top read 'Dreamers Station: Pill Pick Up.'

Stepping through the door, a little bell rang, announcing his presence to the people stationed there.

"What is it? Pill day isn't until tomorrow."

"Uh hello, I'm new. I was wondering how I can get Dream Pills."

The Dreamer stopped looking at his magazine, let go, and watched it puff into pink smoke. He stood up and came to the counter.

"You willing to clean?"

"Uh, I was thinking of something less... boring."

"You a good cook?"

"No, not really."

"You fight?"

"Ah, yes, I'm great at that!"

"Well then, you've got two options."

Cain stared at the man expectantly, his eyes gleaming in anticipation. He waited for the Dreamer's next words.

"Hah... well, either join us, the Dreamers. You will have to swear an oath that's similar to a contract. Or... you can fight Nightmares down below with the rest."

Cain paused, then innocently asked, "What's a Nightmare?"

...

Inside a Bar in an Alley,

"Alright, first question: What are this place's ranks and such? You know, like how is the power ranked."

"That's a good one. Well, there are 3 ranks: soldier, warden, and master. They're leveled by how much 'imagination' you have. Trust me, it makes sense. Living in this place makes you complacent; it destroys... your imagination. Everyone in this bar is a mere Dream Soldier, where not much happens. We drink away every day, only working when we have to, all so we can continue living in this so-called paradise."

Cain's eyes fluttered, and his curiosity bubbled like so many times before. After experiencing his close demise at the hands of the Occult King, his obsessions had only multiplied. One of which was death, one of the many mysteries of the world.

"Why not stop eating the pills?"

On cue, the words he wanted to hear escaped Orlin's lips, "Why? Because of death, why else? Even with living for so long, we all fear death..."

'So the people here are practically immortal. More accurately, immortals who fear death, even in a mundane and boring life? ...Interesting.'

"Alright, back to my question on the 3 ranks; can you explain them?"

Orlin seemed to be brought out of his spell. It wasn't every day he could do something relatively new.

"Well, once you become a soldier, you feel... connected to this place. It's like you were only a guest before and now you feel accepted. Your mind improves, concepts impossible before are now a little easier, and you can create more powerful and profound things. Not like we use it much; all we really do is imagine hunger and sleep."

"Why do you do that?"

"Because if we didn't, we'd go insane. I've seen it happen. Other than that, I guess you can be brave or just plain stupid and go to the lower levels to fight Nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

"Beasts... and people, all who have lost their way. You must remember boy, this place is a Dream, and all dreams have Nightmares. Ours are always lurking below."