Episode 7-Ender's Game (4)
I didn't know when I fell asleep, but I was in my safe place. I was floating as if I was in an ocean, and I saw the white star, and the flaming, twitching eye. Although, I noticed something was amiss; my lucid dream was different. Instead of infinite darkness, there were numerous stars and distant nebulae that dotted the black void; they shone brightly in the distance. For some reason, there was a river that flowed below me. (Or what could be considered my beneath.)
I floated aimlessly, while absorbing this strange visage. I continued to do this, until I felt something come near me. Do you know that feeling when you jump, and gravity pulls you back down? It felt similar to that.
It felt as if something was drawing me in. I began to float with direction, until I saw something in the distance. It was dark as the empty space that surrounded me, and it didn't reflect the light that was casted by the eye or the star. Still, I could perceive this... something.
I drew closer to it. As I came closer, I saw the unidentified object. It was a slate of rock, darker than night. It was jagged at the edges, as if it was broken from a larger piece. The peculiar slate stopped in front of me. It should've been impossible. If my dream was emulating the physics of space, then it should've continued to float in one direction for eternity.
So why? How? How did this slate of rock stop so gently as it came near me?
[Your private attribute, Fragment of the 4th Wall is staring at you.]
(Wait a minute....)
I began to see glowing letters, symbols and texts appear on the rock slate, as if it was a glitched tablet. Was this really my Fragment? It was wider and taller than a door, and a meter thick.
[H ey, E th an. I t ' s me...] It spelled.
I was shocked. Was this how my Fragment looked like?
[Yep. I lo ok li ke th i s.]
I saw their responses appear on the rock slate. The crawling text reminded me of skittering insects, or flashing letters on a neon sign.
[I ha ve to t el l y o u s o me th ing....]
(What is it?)
[So me on e is t ry in g to pe n et ra te y our dre am...]
(Wait, what?!)
[I' m t oo sma ll to pro te ct y ou. Br ac e y our se lf....]
All of a sudden, my Fragment of the 4th Wall began to shudder and tremble. Dust and debris began to shake off of it, as if it was being beaten.
-!!BAM!!-
-!!BAM!!-
-!!BAM!!-
-!!BAM!!-
It was impossible. My dream was a simulation of space, which didn't allow sound to carry. I shouldn't have heard anything, but I heard every single punch that landed onto the Fragment of the 4th Wall. I couldn't see it from my perspective, but something was hitting my Fragment from the other side.
The punches stopped for a moment. I thought, "Whatever it was, it finally stopped." Sadly, that was an assumption on my part. For the last, final blow was so immense, it warped the space around me.
-!!!BAAAMMM!!!-
The flaming eye and white star faded away.
***
I didn't know if it should be called waking up. Instinctually, I knew I was still dreaming. I felt as if I was lying on my back while in a boat, but I when I got up, I saw it was the Fragment of the 4th Wall. We were floating through a river.
(The landscape of my dream has changed.)
As I looked towards the sky, I thought I could make out the image of a rocky ceiling, which was adorned with stalactites. Shortly after, fog and mist covered it, and I wondered if my mind was playing tricks on me. Right now, it was incredibly dark. The only illumination was a distant river, which seemed to be made from liquid fire.
[Do n't t ou ch th i s r i ve r a t all....]
I saw these words appear on the 4th Wall Fragment.
(Why can't I touch this river?)
[It i s o ne of th e f iv e. I f y o u tou ch it, yo u'l l fo r g e t th ings... I'm pr o tec ti ng yo u fr om it.]
Looking back on it, my Fragment was acting as a makeshift raft. It made me feel as if I was a castaway at sea. As we floated through the river, I saw phantasmal people at the edges of the shore. They stared at me. I heard their voices; some of them were filled with venom, others were filled with curiosity.
"Hey, shouldn't he be dead like us?!"
"That boy... seems different...."
"Die, motherf*cker!!"
"Why is he floating through the river?"
"Hello! How are you!?"
Some of these people waved towards me. I wanted to be respectful, so I waved back. After that, I continued to float away. I didn't know how long I was drifting, but after some time, I saw a cave that was surrounded by poppies.
[Fragment of the 4th Wall is protecting you!]
[You have encountered a powerful being!]
[Your existence is being scrutinized!]
[Fragment of the 4th Wall is protecting your existence!]
As I drew nearer to the cave, I began to hear a voice. For some reason... it sounded heavy, as if it carried the weight of an immeasurable story.
[Well, well, well, if it isn't our little dreamer? Simply incredible. How are you able to move so freely through the subconscious realm, even though you are an Incarnation?] A disembodied said.
[Fragment of the 4th Wall is shielding you from the true voice!]
(The true voice? No way... Fragment of the 4th Wall can protect me from that?)
In TWSA, the [True Voice] was hard to describe. Within the setting of TWSA, it is stated that the true voice of the Constellations has the ability to rupture the organs and minds of regular mortals, or Incarnations. A "true voice" was a Constellations' divine voice, which carried the weight of their entire being; it meant the older and powerful the Constellation, the stronger the voice.
Right now, it felt as if an inexplicable pressure was weighing on me. Although, with concentration, I was able to resist and properly stand.
[Again, you are incredible. Even though this is a dream, you must've heard my true voice. To actually survive and stand.... I cannot comprehend. Alas, let me show proper courtesy.]
I heard someone clear their throat. There wasn't much light in this dark place, but I saw someone emerge from the dark cave. It had the body of a man, who was clothed in an ebony toga. He had gorgeous hair that was wavy, and he possessed a face that was adorned with soft features; he was both handsome and pretty. Currently, he was rubbing his eyes with his right hand, as if he was waking up from a deep sleep.
His eyelids parted, and I saw what lay underneath them: two orbs that were dark as night, but still beautiful. The man stared at me with these eyes. I felt penetrated by them.
"Hello there, Ethan Nakamura. Welcome to the Underworld. I am Hypnos, brother of Thanatos, the angel of death. How have your dreams been?"
This is how I came into direct contact with one of the most powerful Constellations of TWSA.