Lately, Prime had been having the same recurring dream. In it, he was back in his old life, in his old world, in his old body. However, while dreaming, he didn’t realize that none of it was real. Only upon waking the next day did he come to terms with the fact that it wasn’t real at all.
In any case, the dreams followed the same pattern. Prime would wake up in his small apartment, designed for one person, have breakfast, and get ready to go to college. There, he would meet his two only friends, with whom he would spend the rest of the day.
These scenes repeated day after day, with very few variations. Changes so subtle that Prime barely noticed: breakfast sometimes a bit sweeter or less sweet, the bus arriving one or two minutes late, or meeting his friends happening three or four minutes earlier.
This time, something different happened. Prime woke up again in his old body and in his old house, but unlike the previous times, this change was not small like before — it was something significantly different.
(... Am I really in a dream?)
The strange thing this time was that Prime realized he was dreaming, but he didn’t know what to do next. He even tried to pinch himself, as usual, but it had no effect. Prime didn’t return to the real world, nor did he leave the dream.
With a sigh, Prime got out of bed and decided to follow his usual routine. Knowing he was in a dream, he also remembered how everything would end: Prime would arrive at college, sit at the table, and, looking out the window, simply wake up.
Now that Prime was "conscious" in his dream, he noticed another difference: this day had never been lived by him in his old body. Although the routine was familiar, something was still distinct — or maybe Prime simply didn’t remember living this day.
Additionally, Prime was surprised to look at the calendar. It was the 9th, and the day before, the 8th, was marked with a note indicating that something important would happen. Prime clearly remembered that day: it was when he went to a party with his friends and came back alone on the bus.
(What exactly is going on? Didn’t I die on the 8th, coming home on the bus? How can I be dreaming of a day I never lived?)
Although this was extremely bizarre, Prime chose to ignore it. After all, since when were dreams normal? He couldn’t recall a single dream that he could consider “normal.” Most of them involved chases, whether he was chasing something or being chased, or finding himself in a world made of candy.
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After having breakfast and getting ready, Prime left the house. By the way, he was holding a cup of coffee in his hand, something he had done for the first time in his dream. And the reason? There was really none. Prime just wanted to drink more coffee.
As he walked down the streets, Prime didn’t notice anything particularly strange. The route to the bus stop followed the same pattern: he boarded the bus and found the same people in the same seats, doing the same activities. Everything was exactly as he remembered; even the landscapes and the rare daily events seemed identical.
Prime reunited with his friends at college and had a brief conversation with them, which he truly enjoyed. It had been so long since they last got together and talked. As usual, he sat by the window when he arrived in the classroom, and the voices of the students around him were familiarly the same as he remembered.
(Now, if I’m not mistaken, all I need to do is look out the window)
Prime felt a deep sadness as he realized that everything was coming to an end so suddenly. He really appreciated the time he spent with his friends, but he knew he couldn’t stay there forever. After all, both the world around him and the experiences he had lived in the past hours were nothing but a dream, and dreams, no matter how enchanting they were, weren’t eternal; eventually, they would come to an end.
With that thought, Prime turned his gaze to the window, a satisfied smile on his face. Even though everything was happening in a dream, he still felt happy. However, when he looked out the window, instead of the usual blue sky, he was confronted with a completely red world.
Yet, it didn’t seem like anything was on fire. Instead, flaming orbs were falling from the sky, going in random directions. There were so many that it was impossible to count, maybe even thousands. At that moment, a headache hit Prime, bringing back a memory from that day. He looked back at the sky and saw one of the fireballs coming directly toward him. Then, everything went dark.
Suddenly, Prime found himself in a completely dark place. In front of him, as if watching a movie, scenes of total destruction unfolded. The fireballs continued to devastate everything relentlessly. At that moment, a mysterious voice echoed beside Prime.
“Ahh... this day brings back so many memories. It was right at this moment that we arrived, that I arrived”
Prime tried to ask what the being was talking about and who he was, but, besides being unable to move, he couldn’t even utter a word.
“It was on this day that we met, the day I became you, and you became me. You were the only one capable of becoming my vessel, of carrying my power. Your uniqueness set you apart from the others, disconnected from this world, which was perfect for me. However, lately, you have been disappointing me, my dear Ryan. We have a goal; don’t forget that. If I didn’t need to hide, I would have ended this charade a long time ago. But the day when I won’t need to remain in the shadows is coming soon. I hope that on that day, you make the right choice”
When he woke up, Prime got up and looked around. He was still in his apartment, and the sun hadn’t fully risen. Looking at the digital clock on the desk next to his table, he saw it was only 5:45 AM. Prime briefly put his hand on his head, feeling like he had forgotten something important. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember anything.