Dania stood on the sidewalk of a quiet, residential street and looked around. Lush, green, manicured lawns stretched from porch to curb of several well-kept houses with wide windows and bright, blooming shrubs near the windows. Here and there, trees with low, curving branches perfect for climbing spread shade in wide, generous circles. Somewhere up ahead, a child's laughter echoed off the houses.

What fresh hell is this? Dania wondered, fatigue beginning to pound behind her eyes as she eyed the innocuous dreamscape. Going on was a mistake. I'm going to find Jake and tell him we're done after this one. I've got to. How many levels are we at now?

At the thought, her status summary appeared before her eyes.

Four unspent pips? That seems like a lot. I wonder… That Polar Sanctuary card was pretty useful last time. I bet if I invested in another Ice power, that could come in handy down the line. Especially if my Fossil Bloom is going to give me more Ice Age subtypes of the Lost World cards. But then I'd have six power, which will allow me to play my heaviest Beast hitter, as well as my mantle.

Let me find Jake, first. He's the strategist. I'll see what he thinks.

Dania dismissed her sheet and looked around again. She could just start walking. Her experiences on the previous floors suggested that she'd find Jake eventually…but then her eyes widened as realization struck.

Dania touched her chest to pull her deck, and took the time to cycle through her cards until she found the one she wanted. With a touch, one of her two Dire Wolf Trackers appeared in front of her. The shaggy, chest-high wolf glanced around expectantly, and then sat on its haunches and looked at her with wide eyes when no enemies immediately appeared.

"Find Jake," she said. "Find the deckbearer."

The Dire Wolf Tracker yipped and sprang back up to its feet, lifting its nose into the air. It sniffed in a short arc until it faced further down the sidewalk. Then it yipped again and loped forward.

There can't be any other deckbearers in here, right? So I should hopefully find him before this dungeon's nightmare suburbia has too many surprises in store.

"Jake!" Dania shouted as she followed her tracker. The houses around echoed the name back to her. A dog barked in the distance. A breeze flowed over her face, rustling the leaves of the nearest tree as she walked.

So what is this, some kind of Stepford Wives place? The horror of modern suburbia? Dania rolled her head, trying to keep her neck and shoulders loose as she walked. The first floor was a lucid dream, the second was a paralysis dream. Last time was an anxiety dream… what's left? Because to be honest, this looks like an amazing place to live.

As she thought it, one of the garage doors up ahead opened, and a pair of boys emerged. The taller one dribbled a basketball and called out to the younger one, then turned and sank a jump shot in the hoop mounted over the garage door.

Dania slowed in her walk, but kept moving. She kept an eye on the two—brothers, apparently, based on the tone and content of their banter—but they seemed absorbed in their game. The older one quickly started demonstrating various techniques to the younger brother, encouraging him to try.

Her tracker continued forward, locked on to Jake's trail. Completely oblivious to the presence of the kids.

Fuck, I don't want to fight a pair of kids, Dania thought as she drew nearer. Even if they aren't really kids at all, these dungeon monsters are too freaking cute, the way they're playing together. The older one is a good big brother, you can tell by how patiently he's explaining things. And the younger adores him, judging by the rapt look of attention on his face. This is really going to suck if they turn and start giving me that "you don't belong here" stare.

Still, not wanting to fight wasn't an excuse for not being prepared to fight, so the next time Dania found herself hidden from their view by a parked SUV in one of the neighboring driveways, she cycled her deck. This time, her mantle came up, so she touched it and let the feeling of feral protectiveness flow over her like fur.

Hopefully Jake is nearby and got the notification, Dania thought. She flexed her claws once, and then turned her eyes back to the two possible threats in the next driveway over. All right, she thought as she stepped out from behind the car. Here goes nothing.

"Hi!"

The younger brother stilled the basketball and propped it on his hip as Dania approached. His older brother turned and waved.

"Afternoon," Dania said, keeping her voice neutral.

"Hello, ma'am," the elder brother said with a smile. "Were we making too much noise?"

"No, you're good," Dania said.

"Okay, thanks," the elder brother said. "Are you new in the neighborhood?"

"Just visiting." Dania tensed, waiting for the young man's expression to harden and become suspicious and angry.

"Cool! Enjoy!" He turned and held his hands out to the younger brother, who passed the ball to him. The older boy dribbled it, and then pushed in to shoot a layup, before turning and passing the ball back.

Dania waited for a second longer, but the boys once again appeared completely absorbed in their game, and so she shrugged and walked carefully on, stepping into the street for a moment so as not to walk across the back of their driveway "court".

Okayyyy, Dania thought as she walked away. She listened closely, ready to turn and fight, but the sound of the basketball bouncing continued. Occasionally she heard a shout of triumph or laughter, or a teasing jeer. When she reached the corner, she allowed herself to turn back and look.

They still played, looking like the perfect picture of brotherly love and fun. As Dania watched, a woman with the same dark hair as both boys stepped out of the open garage and called to them. Each boy wrapped her up in a quick hug before ducking inside the garage. The woman turned and lifted her hand to Dania in a wave before following the boys and closing the overhead door behind herself.

If this weren't a dream, I'd find this place and move here, Dania thought, shaking her head and picking up her pace. Despite her natural wariness, it was really hard not to relax in such a peaceful, idyllic environment. Gorgeous houses, kind neighbors, good kids… it's fucking perfect.

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"Dania!"

Relief flooded through her at the sound of Jake's voice echoing down the street. She jogged toward where her tracker sat down in the lush lawn of a house midway up the next block. The card let out a bark and looked triumphantly in her direction. Dania dismissed the card and her deck and smiled at Jake as he jumped down off the porch and started toward her at a run.

"Jake!" She caught up to him and wrapped him up in a quick, hard hug. "Are you good? Everything okay?"

"Everything is perfect, Dani!" Jake's voice throbbed with emotion, and she let go and looked closer at his face. His eyes were wet, but a huge, genuine smile creased his face and lit him up with joy. "It's just perfect."

"What are you talking about?" she asked as cold foreboding flooded into her, pooling in her gut. "What do you mean, 'perfect'?"

"Come see," Jake said, his smile growing. He reached down, caught her hand, and pulled her forward. "I don't want to ruin the surprise. You've just gotta come and see. It's the best thing ever."

Dania pushed the chill down and allowed Jake to lead her to the middle house on the block. It was, like the others, beautiful. A wide covered porch wrapped around a craftsman-style two-story home with a lush green lawn and cheerfully colorful flowerbeds. As they started up the walk toward the porch, the bright blue front door opened and a figure stepped out. Dania couldn't see who it was at first, because of the shadows from the porch.

"Dani!"

Icy fingers of disbelief curled around Dania's lungs and squeezed. Her lips parted, her eyes going wide as the shadowed figure stepped forward into the bright, benevolent sunlight beaming down over everything like a benediction.

"Kaylie?" Dania whispered.

"Hey there, Dani-dee!" Kaylie said, her voice as bright as her smile, as bright as the light watering Dania's eyes. She continued forward and hugged Dania around the middle, squeezing as she had always done when they were kids. "I'm so happy to see you! I've missed you so much! Come in! Come in, Mark will be dying to see you!"

Mark can't be dying. He's already dead… how is this—

Dania cut her eyes to Jake the minute Kaylie let her go. Tears flowed unheeded down his face as he gazed adoringly at his mom, took her offered hand, and let her lead him up the porch steps to the front door. Kaylie smiled at her son, then glanced over her shoulder at Dania.

"He's gotten so tall," Kaylie said, her voice going wistful. "He's almost my height."

Dania didn't trust herself to speak, so she just nodded and followed them up the stairs to the wide, beautiful porch.

The front door swung open again, and this time Dania could make out the tall, lean figure of her brother-in-law, Mark, as he wiped his hands on a towel and leaned in the doorway. He grinned, and the expression was so much like one of Jake's that it felt like someone had punched Dania in the stomach.

"Good timing," Mark said. "Grill's hot. I just put the steaks on. They'll be ready in just a few minutes. Medium rare, right, Dani?"

"Yeah," Dania managed to choke out. "Thanks."

"Knew I remembered. Come on in! Make yourselves at home." He pushed off of the doorframe and backed in with a welcoming wave of his hand, and then turned to walk further in.

"Our house is your house, Dani," Kaylie said, reaching out to run her hand over Dania's hair, as she had done when they were little. "Always."

Dania nodded again, and then glanced over to where Jake had his face buried in his mom's shoulder, his arms wrapped around her waist as if he would never let her go. Dania pressed her lips together and stepped through the doorway, looking around when she couldn't bear to look at Jake's heartwrenching joy any longer.

"Nice place," Dania said, simply because it was the first thing that came to mind. Kaylie smiled brilliantly at her.

"Thanks," she said. "We really wanted Jake to have a beautiful place to grow up. This neighborhood took a while to find, but it's just perfect. Lots of kids his age, and from what we've seen, they're all good kids. And you know I've always wanted this kind of open floorplan farmhouse." She waved a hand over at the islanded kitchen through which Mark had passed on his way to the French doors leading to the backyard deck and grill.

"And you'll love your room, too," Kaylie said, using that same hand to run her fingers down Jake's hair just as she'd done for Dania. "Got your own bathroom and a big walk-in closet. Plus these cool built-ins for your books and comics and things. You'll love it."

"Wait—" Dania started, but Kaylie just turned to her with that same brilliant smile.

"And I know you have your own life, Dani," she said. "But we've built a suite for you, too, up over the garage. There's even a little kitchenette and your own entrance up the back stairs. We figured that might make you more comfortable. I know…I hope you'll consider moving in here with us."

"Yes! Dani, you have to!" Jake exclaimed, finally lifting his head and letting his mom go. "After all we've been through together, you just have to stay with us!"

"Jake," Dani whispered, as horror sank into every fiber of her being. "Can I talk to you for a second? Privately?"

"I don't want to leave Mom," Jake said, but Kaylie smiled down at him.

"It's all right, buddy," she said. "I know how much Dani loves you. She's taken really good care of you for a long time. You two go sit over on the couch and hash things out. I'll be in the kitchen putting a salad together. We'll eat as soon as the steaks are ready."

Dania glanced over at her with a grateful smile, but when Kaylie met her eyes, there was a glint of something not quite friendly in her sister's gaze. The horror and dread that had been building within Dania threatened to engulf her, and she had to swallow hard and push it aside.

"Jake," she whispered, pulling him down to sit next to her. "Jake, look at me. This isn't real. You know that, right?"

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, his eyes narrowing. "What's not real?"

"Jake. These aren't your parents. This is a dream. We're in the dream dungeon, remember? This is just another test."

Congratulations. You have unlocked the secret achievement: Everything You Ever Wanted. You have earned 100 experience points. You have leveled up! You are now level twelve.

Even the everywhere and nowhere voice sounded somber, as if it realized how truly horrific this dream was about to be.

"I don't—" Jake shook his head. "Dani, you're not making sense."

Dania reached out and took Jake's hands in her own. "Jake," she said. "That is not your mom and dad. Your mom and dad died. We saw them? Remember? You and me. In the hospital. We said goodbye and they took them away. I promised you I'd never leave you. I know it's hard, but tell me you remember."

"No," Jake said, tears filling his eyes again. His face creased in anger. "No. That's not true."

Pain squeezed Dania's chest, filling her own eyes. "I wish it weren't," she whispered, squeezing his hands. "But it is, Jake. You know it is. I know you want this to be true, but it's just another dream. Draw your deck. You'll remember."

Jake shook his head, but Dani let go of one of his hands to draw her own deck. His face crumpled in grief, and he bowed his head and shook it again.

"I don't… I'll give up my deck. I just want to stay here with them!"

"Jake, that's not an option," Dania said softly. "You'll die if you do. Come on, buddy, please. Stay with me. Draw your deck."

Somewhere behind them, Dania heard the sounds of a door opening.

"Dinner!" Mark's voice rang out with hearty cheer, but something about the sound of it raised Dania's hackles. She quickly touched her mantle, thanking all the gods that she'd drawn it again.

"Jake?" she asked, ducking her head closer to his. He let out a shuddering sob.

"What are you two talking about over here?" Kaylie asked. Dania heard her footsteps tapping on the hardwood floor as she approached. "Come wash your hands. It's time to eat."

"Jake—"

Jake lifted his head, his eyes red and wet, and stared at Dania with misery in every line of his face. But he touched his free hand to his chest and drew his deck, touching first Machairi's card and then his own mantle.

Someone's watching over us, ensuring that we both pulled our mantles, Dania gave Jake a sad, tremulous smile.

"Come on, Jake," Mark said. "Listen to your mom and go wash your hands."

"She's not my mom," Jake said, and Dania couldn't tell if his deeper, roughened voice was a result of the aging effect of his mantle, or just the byproduct his emotions. "This isn't real. It's just a dream. A horrible, evil dream."

"Oh, sweetheart." Kaylie clasped her hands together at her chest, her voice soft with disappointment. "It's not horrible and evil. This dream is everything you could ever want. It's the answer to all your prayers. This dream is heaven, my sweet boy. And that's why you can't possibly be thinking of leaving."