Eyes fluttered.
Tat, tat, tat.
Breathes echoed.
"Ha.....h, he....h, ha....h."
And amidst this endless of light.
"Huuuuuh!"
A boy awoke. His body thin yet nourished, HIs breathes were slow and calm. He looked to about 170 cm tall. his arms were spread apart. His legs hanged close to each other as well as his head.
But...his eyes were open. Faintly yet his vision seemed to be a clear as day from his perspective. His lashes if his eyes partially covered the reminiscent light of this somewhat divine void.
But for Alex... and for all he cared.
'That was way too soon.'
The only thing that seemingly made him this way was...
'Did I even give off my message right?'
"Ha....h."
'I hope so otherwise...'
He lifted his head as his gaze further drifted into the endless lights that rested in this even emptier yet warmer void.
'The family will think I actually passed on.'
His family. For he was devastated that he could not get the chance to relay his final message completely.
"Hmmm."
Or was that the case from his perspective?
"Ha....h."
'And speaking of passing....'
He thought as he then dropped his head once more.
'Huuuu, here we go.'
He then shuts his eyes.
And almost immediately after.
BOO!
His opens them again. He looks around. Unfazed nor surprised by his environment. His breathes as steady as they were when he arrived.
He found himself standing on the edges of the very same door frame from before. Only this time when he looked through it. There was no light... only the dim light that was emitted from the door frame that as thin as string. Yet when he stood on it. His weight didn't bend it. Nor did his body lean, scrape and cut against it. He stood and leaned on it as if he were doing against a wall.
But none of that really bothered or occurred to him in a way that he would have to care about so. He instead... looked on into the same cold and endless dark void that seemed to stretch infinitely.
He sighed momentarily as his gaze lowered and his eyes darted left and right and then back up again.
He seemed to be sad. Was it that he missed the light? Or was it the warmth of the light that he once felt?
Or maybe... it could be his family? Could he be missing them? But he just visited them. Why would he be sad when he just a got a chance to confirm that none was crying themselves hoarse or sick?
Like a stab to the heart a painful seeping realization hit him. Harder than the pain that had experienced just moments ago. The heavy relentless realization that his journey. Still had a long way to go before anything could go back to normal.
A tear. Small yet heavy. Fell from his eye and strolled down and away as quickly as it came, but Alex.
He pushed his head back as the incoming tears fell back into his eye sockets as a he thought, 'Not yet Aly... we'll do that... when all this is over.'
He sniffed a little as he turned his gaze through his hot burning eyes to his arms and legs.
He noticed that even after his little trip his clothes still remained the same.
He didn't mind that much though.
Swu!
Thud!
He stepped down as his dropped his head and gaze lifted up towards the orbs or cores or whatever they were.
"Oi!"
He called out monotonously.
Wu!
[Yes, Master Alex.]
"I'm done... let's get on with this..."
[The explanation we owed you sir?]
"Yes."
[Ahhh then let us proceed.]
...
Alex didn't respond as he stared at the orbs with a cold indifference in his eyes.
[Before we proceed. We would like to apolo-]
"Cut it, cut it, cut it."
"Cut the crap. I'm here to get all the info I need and start off and be done with this... whatever the heck this is."
[...Yes, Master. Although we'll stand to hope you can forgive us for not giving you any more time than you needed.]
"Yah yah yah. Just... get on with it." He said with a hint of annoyance laced in his voice.
[Yes, Master Alex.]
[...] [...] [...]
[The 1st dream. Is part of a series of tests called the dream trials.]
[The dream trails enable lucid dreamers to ascend to the dreamscaper identity. Which is sometimes seen as a definitive loss to most or some dreamscapers.]
"Why?"
[Lucid dreamers. People with the capabilities to interact and even manipulate the state of their dreams.]
[This in turn quite initially and partially makes them the highest beings of their own worlds. Where they can decide the plot, structure and outcome of their own worlds.]
[But even with it is close down to a mere 20% chance that lucid dreamers cannot attain a soul spark.]
"Soul spark?"
[Yes, a soul spark. This a medium through which one ascends to the dream scape and back to reality or their real body as dreamscaper.]
[In a simpler term, think of a soul spark as a door that your consciousness passes through in order to get and out of the dream scape. This entering and exiting is called true sleep.]
"Okay then how does one get it? Or how is it made in them?"
[It's not actually made but activated.]
The orbs said as Alex's brow raised in confusion.
[You see when people enter the Lucid dream. They obtain 3 things.]
[The Lucid dream state. Dream consciousness. And a soul spark.]
[The Lucid dream state enables one to twist the reality and structure of their dream. Let's say someone who likes a scarier setting for their dream can twist and bend the structures in their dream to be even more horrific than their own imagination. They can create things akin to living ones.]
[Dream consciousness is what sparks a soul spark. This is the amount of dream energy that one can produce from their mind in order to manipulate and control their the very essence of their dreams.]
[A soul spark. Something that people are born with yet few have the likely chance to burn out. What makes it up, you might ask?]
[...According to research of dreamscapers and originator a like.]
'Originators?'
[A soul spark's origin cannot be defined. It has therefore been brushed off as a mere figment of imagination and one's soul. But in the more accurate terms, it is undefinable. Traceless. And so, it has generally defined as a secret that universe had kept from the living. Or simply a universal figment of imagination.]
[And through a soul spark activation. One ascends to the Dream Scape almost undeniably.]
[Any question?]
"....If I'm gonna be honest..."
[....]
"I got like 70 to 80 percent of whatever u said but.... I don't really wanna waste time so go on."
[.....]
[Yes, then we shall continue with the briefing on the dream trials.]
[The dream trials...]
The orbs spoke and paused suddenly.
"Hm?"
'Is something-'
Tsszt!
[Obsidia, Willow and Pxylus have requested for visual display mode.
Will you grant it?
Yes. Or. No?]
The system window flashed un his eyes as a bright text lain out on it.
"Yes."
Alex answered without a second thought.
He wanted to ask so many questions but....
He had no leisurely time to spend exploring every page of the book.
[.....]
Tsszt!
The system window flashed.
"Hm?"
Alex hummed in confusion as he looked at the text that lain on the window. He squinted his eyes as he opened his mouth to say, "1st... dream. 1st dream?"
Tsszt!
Tsszt!
Tsszt!
Tsszt!
Tsszt!
Tsszt!
Several other windows flashed right after with short and somewhat similar texts to the one from before.
"Huh?"
He mused as looked down on the different window screens that lain before him.
"2nd dream? 4th dream? 7th dream?"
"What the? Since when were dreams the heck about order?"
He scoffed in anger as he looked at the different screens. His eyes read and darted between each screen as his face expression frowned more amd more and more.
But.
"Wait a minute..."
He pondered as stretched his hand towards a certain screen. His fingers made contact and...
Tssssszt!
"Ahhhh!"
The screen flickered followed by a sickening scream that left his throat as the same visions from before violently flickered in his mind.
He quickly pulled his fingers away as he staggered backwards. Balancing himself just before he fell to the floor once more.
"Ha...h, he...h, ha...h, he...h. Guys!"
He panted slowly as he then called out.
[Yes, Master. Are you hurt by any chance?]
"No, thankfully this time. I wasn't as absorbed into whatever was going this time. So I was able to free my-"
[Did you say absorb, Master Alex?]
"Yah. Why's you asking though?"
[....]
[We will proceed with the explanations.]
'What? Why?'
Alex thought as the orbs then floated just above him and that screens gathered into one.
And on the now tall and slightly large screen. Texts seemed to lined in order. Under each text a symbol lingered.
[These are the different dream tests and their emblems.]
[ 1. 1st dream ]
2. 2nd dream
3. 3rd dream
4. 4th dream
5. 5th dream
6. 6th dream
[ 7. 7th dream ]
Under the first dream, lain the symbols that resembled goggles and simple yet elegant clouds in the colors soft lead.
Under the 2nd dream, a symbol of two hands stretching out to each other was seen in the colours light red.
Under the 3rd dream, a symbol of a body that was seemingly dissolving in a puddle was seen in the colors atmy green.
Under the 4th dream, a symbol of many swords that lain on and pierced into the ground was seen in deep red.
Under the 5th dream, a symbol of a bleeding heart in a hand was seen in the colours sun yellow.
Under the sixth dream, a symbol of an eye that took a doe shape and one whose iris was replaced by a star that bore eight pointed tips in a ghost white color.
And the 7th dream, bore a symbol that was simple yet indeed unique appearance to the rest. The symbol was an orb like shape that that had four rings on it. Each ring bore a star that had four tips. As it shone with a bright azure hue.
'Wait a minute...'
Alex pondered as he stroked his chin and squinted his eyes as he leaned even a bit more towards the screen.
And in his eyes. A tiny image reflected. But he simply couldn't make sense of what it was.
'Hold on a sec is that a-'
[The seven dream trails align with one's ascension in the Dreamscape. These levels of ascension were studied and compared according to their number and meaning.]
[When the final conclusions were made about the dream trails. They realised that as one undergoes and finishes each trial. Their dream cores gains more strength and seemingly 'evolves' of the sort.]
The orbs spoke with their unified systematic voice that cut off any suspicions that Alex vote before.
He looked at them with annoyance at first, but his face softened and focused more on the orbs as they explained without rest.
[And because of this, the trails and the stages of dream cores and the dreamscaper ranks were all aligned into one singular yet indifferent names.]
[Therefore each test of the dream trials are named as follows:
1. The Emblem Search
2. The Destiny Hold
3. The Refinement
4. The Great Struggle
5. The Divine Reformation
6. The Unjust Glorification
7. The Perfect Ascension
[Each test has a significant and corresponding meaning with the ranks a dreamscaper must under go.]
[Any question?]
Alex's attentiveness soon shifted into annoyed confusion as he pointed his hand at the orbs and said, "What do you mean, any question? WHEN MY OBVIOUS DAMN QUESTION IS-"
He said as he suddenly and abruptly calmed down and said, "Ha....h, forget it."
"What my next question is...."
He said as he straightened himself up and crossed his arms as he tilted his head slightly to the left and said, "Can we end the 1st dream now?"