Advers randomly pulled another letter, allowing the sphere in front of him, with its two subordinate white papers, reverse its creation in an instant. Reverting until it regressed to a chip of ethereal-green paper that slowly dimmed and vanished. Just like that, only six letters remain.
On a similar note, when he pulled the first one, the second letter also underwent a spatial change. But this time, without the interference of Advers's overt suspicion, the paper smoothly brought the circular surface to life, knitting the fewer words coalescing this time.
***
Dreamscape Letter
[Reading Mode]
***
It was neat and simple. Yet still, an odd feeling crept over to his nerves as he read the letter's name. However, that immediately abated a few seconds later when the silvery words faded from existence. Then, two thin threads of lights frantically emerged upward, stopping only when its length is twice that of the split paper. But unlike before, these lightthreads seemed to have life on them as they wriggled away from the sphere with vitality, forming a stance as if ready to catapult towards the sphere with the sole aim of destruction.
The lights stretched to a maddening taut with an unimaginable force behind it that one wouldn't expect from such soft light. For a moment, it remained still as if subduing the immense energy it had generated. Foreboding until it unleashed its ferocity with a blink of light, forming a rippling intense white sheen that crisscrossed the sphere. It very much appeared like two light swords battling each other but without wielders, which, he would have assumed it to be if only he didn't see the delicateness on how these lights wove words earlier.
But what truly made it much fascinating was the intensity of the light. It didn't seem to bother Advers's eyes too much and, he could, even, safely say that the warmth that gathered to his eyes allowed him to look at the beauty of the otherwise impossible sight to behold.
In a way that he could feel the intense light as nothing but a soft bright glow that, gladly, didn't make him wince. It looked very much as if everything that his eyes can perceive reflects nothing but an ephemeral reality. The feeling it invoked resembling almost the same that of when he gazed over the dawn through the filtered cold air. However, part of him understood as well that, against the semblance it held, both beauties are entirely different from each other. Still, in a sense, both were warm and comforting for him.
It only stopped a minute after its performance. As opposed to seeing heaps of lengthy words, as he had assumed the machination of the lights were, he saw a transparent small notebook at the center with explicit glittery silver words in front that read, Dreamscape Chronicle.
The text, with bold and deep silver-colored lights, were screaming bright light to his eyes. It, again, marked not of discomfort, however. But rather, he could feel that it was inviting him to peer over the wondrous name the book held. Dreamscape Chronicle. Certainly childish as some would argue, bland even. And yes, Advers, of all his worth, might have thought as well. Intrigued but not extremely fascinated by what the words implied. However, his transfixed but stilled eyes that reflected the light the words donned speak of another now. It was a reserved fascination.
Then suddenly, the glint of lights disintegrated like a splash of water along with the sphere and the two white paper, rippling to a fade in an unnerving swift motion. But, Advers remained distracted.
It took him a moment to halt his musing before he could notice that the book was slowly solidifying itself, only having to detailedly examine it as it softly fell to his lap then towards the yellow perennials.
With the performance done, and Advers's mind recollected, he could quite think and feel the familiarity of what the odd words actually implied to him. Its semblance to the obscure dreams he has had for a long time already is undeniably strong. On which, in turn, made a gleam tore through his eyes with interest, seemingly reducing his alertness against everything around even further.
He took the notebook that was half the size of a short bond paper with his stiff hand, examining the physicality with his other. A reassuring cold sensation traveled his left finger as he traced the words over the smooth texture of the notebook's soft front panel, then he pulled the cover that opened with fluidity to see its contents. Just like what the instruction has told him, dates and summarized texts lingered on the paper.
***
Day 1
The Guide has opened Advers Triden's Dreamscape Reality late into the night and was the 142,251,819th to be Guided. On the same night, the Guide has given Advers Triden the following equipment as a start: Eyeglass, Cotton Shirt, Black Pants, Sturdy Shoes, A branch of metal, Ink of the Violet Tree, Roots of the Fire Shaman.
Day 2
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The Guide explained to Advers that to employ the equipment, he must be able to identify each of their uses. Sadly, Advers wasn't able to classify the use of Ink of the Violet Tree and Roots of the Fire Shaman, but, still, the first mission has to be given to Advers. Oh, wait, he was to be briefed first, by the way.
Day 3
The Guide sent Advers to Cobweb Valley, a place to test new participants, and was his first mission too. Within the zone, red enlarged rabbits crawled with ferocity and intelligent prying eyes. The beings that shall hinder Advers to go about his way around to scour the item that the mission requires. Fortunately, he completed the examination and thus eligible to continue further.
Day 4
....
***
Advers read the first three pages that were interestingly anticlimactic. Instantly, it made him squint over the words with half-expectations, half-confusion, but the entirety of interest. He felt no real familiarity with the experience written, nor did it trigger his mind to remember such instances. The words were not providing even a hint of an invocation that he was hoping, and even the story it held, which was interesting, had not argued to his memory of even the imaginative ones he always does. It was entirely new and definitely had not crossed his mind yet.
He read another couple of pages for good measure with some having even longer texts. Yet, it still left him hanging with a shred of insight, as to when he tried one, ask not for his dismay, it's another wall of knowledgeable text with no hidden mechanism to help him retrieve what was lost. Still, it didn't stop him to be intrigued by it, apparent with the hint of interest evident to his curious, deep, black eyes.
Advers closed the book and placed it on his lap, setting it aside for now as it would take a lot longer if he persistently read through it. He was about to cross his arm to gather his thoughts and refresh his mind before he froze and saved himself the trouble of his negligence. The scarlet cut cutting his muse and movement to a halt.
He made a relieved breath that escaped past his dry lips. He gathered his thoughts and gently noted that he still had an injured arm to consider with his musings. But interestingly, he no longer felt the immediate sting when he tried to flex it. He found it rather close to getting numbed with hints of pain crawling from time to time. It made him recall that the letter seemed to have given him a bark of something. He looked at it one last time before he moved along to take another letter.
The third letter opened under the same ethereal theme. And the first few words allowed him to know what letter it was this time. Dreamscape Equipment Letter[Reading Mode], it showed. On it was a list with but few words this time, which definitely was not a letter as to what its name suggests.
***
Damaged Cotton Shirt.
Holed Black Pants.
Shoes.
Seared Jacket.
Metal Bat.
Soil of the Umbral Tree.
Damaged Staff.
***
He made a couple of ignorant blinks as he read the list before he noticed another light-themed spectacle.
With its ever independent decisions, the magical sphere in front of him turned into a light in the shape of a small small box. All the while, it occurred under the flashes of light that vanished along with the letter. A few moments later, a cube, twice the size of his fist, and is radiating a dazzling white light, floated and gently bobbed in front of him.
As the white light faded, what came to view was a cube flawlessly crisscrossed with lines forming even square surfaces on each side. Nine squares occupied the sides visible to him.
Rubik's Cube...?
He thought in an askance mixed with interest. The front and top, the only surfaces that he can see, was the source of his thought. But unlike the common Rubik with different shades on each side, the one in front of him screams of precious color. It was the glow of silver. Having known that, it initiated a thought to form into his mind that though it was another remarkable silver-hued object, there must be an underlying meaning behind it.
Then as did the book, the cube gently lost its light-encased shimmer, its bobbing halted as it gently fell towards the perennials. But in exchange for that, black color painted the top boxes of the cube immediately, on which it only took Advers a blink to see that the silver-adorned boxlets now turned black. And instinctively and out of curiosity, Advers reached for it.
He had only touched the cold black surface with a finger before another shift came. The black tile he had touched turned much darker than the tiles beside it. And, as if stirred, a white light swirled in its middle that made him jerk his finger away from the cube. The box appeared much lifelike as he saw it cave in to create a realistic take on a dark and light-based undercurrent. The white light entangling with the dark hue as they whirled, all until it created a vortex where the battling white light concentrated. It was, actually, a mini whirlpool, albeit using light as its medium.
On that eddy, a pillar of light started to emerge all the way until its a tile's length. Then, three disks of transparent silver light with different sizes bordering the top of the pillar came to be. The hugest circle floated at the topmost of the cube with its length perfectly fitting the tile it hovered upon. The following two circles narrowed down towards the peak of the light pillar, coming to a stop before it touched the light.
Damaged Cotton Shirt.
Advers sat still as he observed words written on the circle, casting a few blinks before he stopped his arms in crossing again. With the soft bellows of the wind, and as it brushed the trees to a rustle accompanying his musings, he felt an urge that made him move his finger towards the three-layered circle. It was not instinctive nor was it an undefined reason that made him do that, but rather, he deemed it necessary for the circle to fit the shallow crater that still continues to build a steady whirlpool. To him, it just made sense to fill in the empty spot.
And so, he pressed.
The consequence was as immediate as his urge was. Because as the three circles fitted the crater, the light beam traveled and encased the boxlet it was on. Shimmering to an intense radiance before the Rubik was one less of a box.
The small white box then started to bulge speedily as it took a shape of a thin but lengthy form. A bit scratched on the yoke, unstitched on the sleeves, a mark of burns, and an obvious tearing on the bottom hem entered his scrutiny when the light faded. It looked fleecy and delicate too with its grayish tint, if not for the damage. But if there is one thing he could take away from this piece of an object, he could only say that this was the damaged cotton shirt that the words read.
Advers made a stretched hum of curiosity as the spectacle ended. He felt the warmth of the morning sun caress his skin along with the light touch of a breeze sobering him. The wet smell of morning dews that screamed of comfort and the golden-bathed perennials struck him a short-lived excitement. But surely, nothing could stop him to speak of the thrill he felt.
"Interesting." He murmured as his day started.