Disclaimer: This chapter contains graphic content, including violence, gore, and morally depraved entities. These themes are central to the narrative and are presented in a raw, unfiltered manner. Reader discretion is strongly advised.
✚ — ✚
Dimitri raised a hand, signifying the end of the discussion.
"Satisfying enough," he stated. "I'm impressed you all maintain such unique perspectives on a foundational topic. But now, we move on."
He turned to the board and, with a smooth flourish, scribbled:
Escape Doors and the Efficacy Threshold.
He faced the class again, his presence immediately pulling focus.
"In the context of this course, an Escape Door is the mechanism that facilitates the dreamer's return to waking reality."
"It is the designated route out, whether triggered by reaching a safe location, achieving a specific objective, or, most commonly, overwhelming sensory input—the final, shattering burst of terror that breaks the neurological connection."
Pens moved in a coordinated chorus of concentration as the students furiously transcribed his explanation.
Dimitri then moved to a new subject, posing a layered question.
"If the content of a nightmare is rich, immersive, and psychologically jarring, but the ending falls flat, does that decrease its overall impact and resulting rating?"
He let the silence settle, spinning his black marker between his fingers with unnerving calm. Then, he answered with surgical precision: "You better believe it."
"Every artisan understands that the ending is the most critical part of a story. Nightmares are no different. It doesn't matter how many horror elements you stack in a dream. If the nightmare ends on a weak, confusing, or contradictory note, it loses its impact. The escape door—the moment the dreamer wakes—is the final impression they are left with."
Dimitri paced. "Some dreamers forget the vast majority of their nightmare after waking, but they always remember how it ended. That final jolt. That last, haunting image. If the escape door is powerful, even a mediocre nightmare can be rendered unforgettable. Conversely, a truly brilliant nightmare can be decimated by a poor escape."
He turned back to the board and wrote:
Ryo's Law of Nightmare Efficacy: A nightmare's brilliance and resulting rating (NEF) is directly proportional to its Tìl (T°), and inversely proportional to its Níl (N°)
NEF ∝ T° / N°
Where,
T° = a flawless conclusion where the terror's ultimate purpose is met.
N° = a faulty or corrupted conclusion where the dreamer's reality breaches the nightmare structure.
A wave of palpable awe swept over the class. The concept itself was rudimentary. They were, after all, heirs of nightmare dynasties, but there was something in the professor's delivery, the casual introduction of a fundamental law, that prompted a 'Eureka!' moment.
Dimitri began explaining the causes of N° (Níl) nightmares.
"A Níl means the structure failed, allowing the dreamer to prematurely or unsatisfactorily escape."
"The first cause is an error in the coding: a glitch in the script itself. An avatar behaves out of character. A sound fails to echo with the intended intensity. A memory fragment gets mixed up, preventing the dreamer from recognizing it and thereby reducing their fear."
He raised a finger. "Secondly, the nightmare can suffer N° because the target was an 'auto-piloter'—a lucid dreamer. To sum it up, they are a nightmare artist's worst nightmare. The dreamer knows they are dreaming, they take the reins, and they consciously initiate their own exit, often destroying the sequence in the process. This is not escape; it is sabotage."
He finished with the third point. "And finally: poorly concealed trick exits. For maintaining structural integrity and simple functionality—and just because that is the reality of the dreamcraft—nightmares must contain 'solutions' or elements capable of giving the dreamer a safe escape route."
"It is the nightmare artist's core challenge to conceal these trick exits so effectively that the dreamer never finds them. If they are found, N° is guaranteed."
To explore the topic more thoroughly, Dimitri chose to illustrate his point with a concrete example.
"Let us think out of the box for a moment and construct a simple dream scenario," he said, voice smooth.
"Imagine a nightmare set inside an endless train station. The lost dreamer arrives, completely disoriented, with no sense of how long they've been waiting. Trains pass in a steady blur, but none stop. There is no destination, no announcements. Just perpetual, isolating motion."
He looked to his right. "Then, suddenly, at the far end of the aisle, stands the serial killer the dreamer saw on the news last night."
"The dreamer's panic spikes, of course it does. They look around—all the exits are blocked. No train is stopping. The serial killer starts to close in, the fresh blood on his axe dripping with every step he takes. Then, he breaks into a run, the distance between him and the dreamer rapidly closing. More bad news: the dreamer finds they are rooted to the spot. They can't run. They're frozen in absolute dread."
Dimitri paused, letting the silence stretch just long enough to chill spines.
"Then," he began, voice low, "at the last moment, a train screeches to a halt. The door remains closed. The original escape condition was simple: the dreamer would be jolted awake by fear, just as the killer raised the axe."
He leaned forward slightly. "But at the last second, the dreamer notices the track number beneath the door. The trick exit. The door slides open. They rush to safety, and the train pulls away just as they wake up."
He straightened, then leveled a calm, almost bored gaze at the class.
"Do you know what that nightmare is?" he asked.
A beat passed.
"Cancelled."
The word dropped like a stone.
A saturated silence settled over the room. Students sat frozen, processing the vivid imagery he'd painted. That was it? That was all it took to collapse a nightmare? A single detail. A last-second shift.
And just like that… a flop label.
Moving on, Dimitri picked his tablet off the lectern and swiped the screen. It synced with the projector. The room's lights dimmed and a video materialized, paused mid-frame.
"And now, you're about to witness firsthand how crucial escape doors are to nightmare anatomy," he announced. "They can elevate a dream... or completely decimate it."
The screen displayed:
—
STREAM DATE: NOVEMBER 16, 2014
TARGET DREAMER: XXX
DREAM RATING: 3.69
CHANNEL: SCREAMLINE PRIME
PEAK VIEWERSHIP: 10,428 OTHERKIN UNITS
NIGHTMARE ARTIST: BLIGHT CLAWSON
—
The video was a case study. A nightmare crafted by Blight Clawson, a renowned Zujïnn nightmare artist whose Fright potential was currently an outstanding 7.65.
He'd made a name for himself with adrenaline-fueled chase nightmares; specialties involving wild animals and frantic pursuit.
The dream they were about to witness was one of Blight's earlier works. About a decade ago, it had premiered on Screamline Prime, earning mixed reviews from both the Council of Horrors and the Otherkin.
Today, the class would witness the Otherkin's real-time, unfiltered reactions.
In the back, Zev felt his fingers tremble despite his best efforts to stay composed. He was a McTerror—he'd grown up around nightmares. He'd seen them dissected and monetized. But nothing could ever prepare him for the raw shock of watching them unfold. Every. Single. Time.
He locked his gaze forward, jaw tight, silently hoping his body wouldn't betray him. Passing out in front of the entire class would be beyond mortifying.
And then, sealing his fate, Professor Dimitri pressed play.
[ ▸ ]
The setting opened in a high school classroom. Maths class had just ended; the bell rang. The teacher, after assigning a soul-sucking amount of homework, left the students to their eternal suffering.
DR (the dreamer) smiled softly. This much homework meant nothing to him.
[doomsday_can: lmfao he's gonna die from the homework before anything else.]
[corpsecookies: bro didn't even flinch. Love me a masochist <3]
| Viewership: 500
| Dream rating: 4.0
Soon, it was recess. DR's friends gathered around, dragging him toward the cafeteria.
Among them was a girl with obvious heart-eyes for him, constantly brushing his arm and blushing whenever he looked her way. Predictably, he was oblivious.
[horrorglazer2000: yo is this the wrong channel? I came here for bloody mauling, not eye sex.]
[murdermint_xx: I ship it. Until they both die.]
[blood.blossom gifted x10 Bone Snack!]
[blood.blossom: this better be worth my bone snacks.]
| Viewership: 3,378
| Dream rating: 4.82
After lunch, the merry squad of five headed back. On their way, DR noticed students playing soccer and for some unknown reason, the group decided to join the crowd watching. The girl was now practically glued to his side, her perfume working overtime as her body pressed into his arm.
[dourdooties reacted with an 18+ digital sticker.]
[dourdooties got banned for comment violation.]
[midnightmandy: LOL did this Lustdrip fanboy get lost?]
[fangbutter: DR's getting more action than I've had this century.]
[bite_me_darling: ugh get this fan service shit out of my face (¬_¬")💢]
[shadowlicker: I smell betrayal uwu.]
[ripped2shreds: I just know the dark twist is coming. This is too wholesome
[sineater444 gifted x10 Scream Pop!]
[sineater444 gifted x5 Bone Snack!]
[sineater444: I'M READY BITCHES.]
| Viewership: 5,551
| Dream Rating: 4.96
Then it happened.
A scream ripped through the distance, shrill and primal—the kind that sets off all internal alarms yet, in a crazy way, shuts down all survival instincts. The crowd exploded into chaos. Students screamed and scrambled back toward the main building.
The school zoo—because apparently this school suddenly had one—had unleashed its wild animals from nowhere.
Tigers. Bears. Snakes.
The Otherkin chat lit up like fireworks.
[boneplaya reacted with a confetti digital sticker.]
[boneplaya: HELL FUCKING YEAH! LET'S GOOOO!]
[threatgoose42: omg I think I just came.]
[darkcheesecake: peak peak peak PEAKKKK!]
[feralqueen: YESSS! PAINT EVERYTHING RED!!!]
[feralqueen gifted x50 Scream Pop!]
[screamocracy: It's feeding time, baby!!!]
[jawbreaker69 gifted x5 Flaming Eyeballs!]
[jawbreaker69 gifted x100 Scream Pop!]
| Viewership (trending): 8,420
| Dream Rating: 7.78
DR's breaths came in sharp, shallow bursts, his feet slapping against the tiles as he pushed himself faster. His head felt heavy, like he was swimming against an invisible current.
He risked a glance back.
Big mistake.
In an instant, two of his friends were snatched. One moment they were behind him—panting, running—the next, gone. A camera-like shift panned to their location: the tigers had caught up.
Their screams echoed in DR's skull, sending a wave of cold dread down his spine. The mauling was merciless. Claws tore through flesh. Limbs scattered. Organs spilled. The screams twisted into wet gurgles, then silence.
A strangled sob escaped DR's throat as he forced himself to keep running. His legs burned. His lungs begged for air. But stopping wasn't an option. Not now. Not ever.
[venombouncer reacted with a smirking digital sticker.]
[venombouncer: LOL blood budget: expended.]
[warwitch79: this nightmare just upgraded to god-tier. I'm sobbing.]
[voidspawn_xoxo: N-nnggnn~ Yes, just like that, tiger-chan.]
➥ [atomicfartss replied to voidspawn_xoxo: Fuck. Look at this goonette lol.]
[ultrahowl69: This is what dreams SHOULD be.]
[fangbang88 gifted x10 Bone Snack!]
[fangbang88 gifted x1 Blood Blossom!]
[fangbang88: thank you for making my day. My boss was bitchier than usual today at work. Wouldn't give me a damned break… Read more.]
[inyourwalls030: someone tell fangbang no one is reading all that.]
| Viewership: 10,112
| Dream Rating: 8.1
Then a rat showed up.
Yes, a literal, harmless rat.
It skittered into the scene before shape-shifting into a full-grown elephant—out of literally nowhere. The massive creature stomped through the wild animals like a wrecking ball of good intentions.
The chat recoiled.
[screamocracy: ???]
[bleedbynoon: wait wtf? Why did the mauling stop??]
[feralqueen: What is that elephant doing?!]
[blightwatchdog: Was that a rogue background avatar? Blight, baby, KEEP YOUR ENTITIES IN CHECK.]
[voidspawn_xoxo: t–tiger-san?! Noooooo!]
Suddenly, hope bloomed in the dreamer's heart. Maybe he would survive this after all. The rush of relief instantly broke through the dread, and just like that, the dream faded.
He woke up.
The screen cut to black. The stream was over. The chat went dead silent.
Then came the reviews:
[Review #4121 – skullsweets]
"This dream had me in tears, screaming, cackling like the bloodthirsty bitch I am—and then sobbing. I was READY. And then the zoo turned into D*sneyland. Fix your damn endings, Blight."
[Review #4195 – portalnerd99]
"Tragic drop. It was headed for 9+. Now it's a pathetic 3.69. Who let that elephant in?"
[Review #4232 – gloomboi]
"Lost two friends to tiger fury for NOTHING. I need a refund... of my time!"
Blight's dream rating, which had soared past 8, plummeted back down to a tragic 3.69.
[ II ]
Back in the classroom, the silence mirrored the Otherkin chat after the disaster. It was so thick, a sword wouldn't be enough to cut it.
Zev was drenched in cold sweat. He clutched his gut, the banana milk he drank earlier churning in protest. His stomach flipped at the vivid images still flashing in his mind; the bloodbath, the feral beasts, the organs peeking out of ribcages, the bone-chilling screams.
He clenched his fists and forced himself to focus on breathing. His vision was tilting, his body protesting the sensory overload.
Then, Professor Dimitri's solemn voice broke the silence. "I trust that everyone understands. A nightmare, no matter how masterfully built, will fall apart if the escape door is weak."
"Blight's sequence was brilliant," he continued, "but he neglected one vital component: fear entities."
"The rat was a background avatar. No assigned role. No containment. It went rogue. It changed the narrative. It ruined the ending."
He paused, then added, "You'll learn more about this in AVA 105."
"Until then, remember this: every component in a nightmare—memory, emotion, distortion, avatar, escape—is interdependent. Neglect even one… and the whole structure collapses."
His voice dropped with chilling finality.
"That's it for this class."
He retrieved his coat and slid it on with practiced ease. "I have somewhere else that requires my presence and time. Read up on 'trick exit mapping' before our next class. You can find several materials covering the topic in the school library."
He adjusted his gloves, then glanced at the class one last time. "See you."
Then, his coat swished as he stepped back. In a stretched second, a portal tore open behind him—massive, dark, swirling with black mists in rapid motion. A chaotic gust of wind swept through the classroom, rattling papers and nerves alike. Then, just as suddenly, the portal closed around Dimitri.
Silence returned. Only the echo of his presence remained.
The class's composure cracked immediately.
"Holy fucking shit! Did you guys see that?!" Someone yelled, the sound a mix of a laugh and a shout.
"That man's aura is on another level."
"Fuck. I'd let him teach me everything. Even calculus. As long as he leaves me moisturized."
"Girl—you again?!"
"Forget MEM 101, this is the best intro class of the term. No one's topping it. And no homework?! All hail Chad Dimitri, we all say in unison."
"Hey, don't disrespect Professor Thalassa like that… but honestly? This lecture was much more fun haha."
"That nightmare was insane though. Even with the low rating, it's still one of Blight's best. I've seen worse slop with higher ratings."
"Bro, I'm still processing the elephant… Like, why an elephant? That rat could have picked any other animal."
"Maybe it's a son of an elephant. Get it? Son of a bitch? Son of an elephant?"
"..."
Anyways, the noisy chatter resumed, filling the air. Despite the gore, the theoretical shock, and the racial squabble from earlier, one thing was certain:
Class 1C had officially survived their second lecture at Fearcraft Academy. Well, at least most of them had.