Vision 2 - Message (2)
I was wallowing in self-pity when a message appeared in front of my eyes, hovering in the sky like some kind of pretentious art installation, it felt like an existence in itself.
It was a long, rectangular tablet with sharp edges and intricate rose-gold designs that shimmered faintly, matching the hue around the screen. The whole thing swayed gently in the wind, as if it were showing off how effortlessly mysterious it could be.
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[The Exclusive Skill False Awakening has been activated.]
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The letters seemed to pop out of the screen, as if they were trying to impress me. Before I could even process what was happening, another screen appeared—equally flashy and just as cryptic.
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[The Exclusive Skill False Awakening has recovered your reasoning.]
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Oh great, an Exclusive Skill. Apparently, I got something undeniably unique, which, in this world, was about as common as finding a unicorn at a bus stop.
Only a few hundred people out of billions had these skills, and most of them were gods or higher beings.
Thanks to this so-called skill, I felt a bit calmer. I took a deep breath and propped myself up on my elbows, trying to shake off the lingering unease.
"Sigh..." A sigh escaped me before I could stop it. And out of all the things I could have seen, all I got was her back. She stood there, facing away from me, as if she were giving me some kind of dramatic privacy. I cleared my throat with a cough.
"Cough. You can look at me. I'm not some shy girl."
Feeling slightly more composed, thanks to my new skill, I felt like all of this is becoming tedious. I shouldn't be wasting time here; I should be figuring out what the hell happened.
"Oh, really? But with how fast your heart was racing and how softly you were whispering, I could have mistaken you for one," she said, her voice dripping with amusement.
She turned around, arms crossed over her chest, supporting the weight of things only women—or the goddesses, apparently—could understand. A small, sarcastic smile tugged at my lips as I sat up, crossing my legs.
"Well, it looks like you've also have recovered."
"Recover? I was just a little surprised, that's all," she said, her chin lifting slightly, as if she were addressing a particularly slow servant.
"With how you blushed, I could have mistaken you for being more than just surprised," I also teased, my tone light but cutting.
Now that I was calmer, I could actually think of a comeback. Persephone's mouth opened slightly, but she had nothing to say, so she simply closed it again. Her eyes narrowed, and though she seemed offended, I caught a faint hint of red on her pointed ears. Score one for me.
Feeling a small sense of victory, I pushed myself to my feet and brushed the dust off my pants.
"So, what happened? I felt like my soul was trying to... merge with yours or something," I said, trying to sound casual.
Persephone turned her head to the side, exhaling slowly. "...It wasn't merging. Your soul was trying to devour mine."
I raised an eyebrow, half-expecting her to laugh and say she was joking. But the look on her face told me she was dead serious. My words caught in my throat because, deep down, I'd felt it too. The pull, the hunger—it wasn't just my imagination.
"It seems you have a very strong soul... But the pull—" she murmured, her voice trailing off as she gazed toward the sea.
I didn't catch the last part, but it didn't matter. The way she shook her head, as if dismissing her own thoughts, told me she wasn't going to explain further. I decided not to push it.
Instead, I turned my attention to the island around us. The air was thick with the scent of salt, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore filled the silence. The horizon stretched endlessly, nothing but water in every direction. It was beautiful, in a lonely kind of way.
Persephone had mentioned this island was between Atlas and Oceanus, with Atlas being closer. Technically, I could go anywhere—no borders, no restrictions. Just provide some basic information, and you're in. Easy, right? Except nothing about this world felt easy.
Oceanus was an underwater nation, and while I could technically go there, I'd stick out like a sore thumb. The residents had adapted to underwater life, thanks to dark matter, and they looked nothing like surface dwellers.
Atlas, on the other hand, was mostly populated by demi-humans. It was closer, and blending in would be easier. As much as I would like to go to a Sci-fi like futuristic city. It is half a world far.
Also the memories from ten years ago were hazy at best. If only I had my journal.
Sighing, I took a step toward Persephone, only for another screen to pop up in front of me. This one was a shimmering light blue, like frozen crystal.
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[1 New message has been received.]
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Another message? This didn't felt like the previous notifications. This felt... different.
I just arrived from a different universe. Who can send a message to me here? Who is it? Who could knew that I would be here?
My curiosity got the better of me, and I mentally confirmed to open it.
The screen slid upward, revealing another faded screen that slowly cleared to show the message.
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[You have one message from ▟ ▀ ▞ ▌]
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Before I could process the strange symbols, as soon as I finished reading the screens disappeared, and a new one flashed into view.
[Hello,
Sorry, I don't know how to address you. You might not know who I am. I was one of the fans of your work. The world you dreamt about was really interesting—thank you for dreaming about it.
I know the audience criticized it, but I know you still loved your dream. I also think it was amazing.
I want to thank you for not giving up and bringing your dream to reality.
▔ blank_2711
*P.S. I made a copy of what you wrote. I'm sending it as an attachment. I hope it will help you.]
I stared at the screen, my mind racing. blank_2711. That name—it was the ID of the one person who had stuck with me through all four thousand chapters of my online journal. How did they know about this? How did they even send this message?
Before I could spiral further, another notification appeared.
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[1 attachment has been sent. Do you wish to view it?]
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I hesitated. This whole thing reeked of suspicion, but curiosity won out again. I mentally confirmed, and the screen shifted similarly.
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[Attachment: Battle_Through_the_Dream_World.txt]
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Battle Through the Dream World. a melancholy settled on me as one corner of my lip went upward. It was the title that I had gone with at the time, when I decided to put my story online. Now I realize how much of an amateur mistake that was.
It really sounds like a book where a protagonist would be going through rash life to conquer some kind of mystical world.
My finger made contact with the screen, I just felt like that I had to do that.
All the screens disappeared and another screen appeared with a long list.
[ Dream_1 Dream_2 Dream_3 Dream_4 Dream_5 Dream_6 Dream_7 Dream_8 Dream_ 9 Dream_10 Dream_11 Dream_12 Dream_13 Dream_14 Dream_15 Dream_16 Dream_17 Dream_18 Dream_19 Dream_20 Dream_21 Dream_22 Dream_23 Dream_24 ..... ..... ... ... .... .... ..... ..... ..... ..... ... ... .... .... ..... ..... ]
It was packed with it, it was like going through a web novel online, but something was different. Realizing that it was not the chapters I posted. Because when I uploaded my 'battle through dream world', they didn't have 'Dream' as the title. It was not the story I uploaded. It was my journal.
This whole message situation became even more suspicious to me. Anger and confusion welled up inside me, what is happening here? My hand went straight toward where 'Dream_1' was.
I clicked on the first dream and everything went dark. A voice echoed in my head—my own voice.
"I had a weird dream today. It felt so real. I don't know what to think of it."
The first line of my journal. Hearing it now, in my own voice, was equal parts nostalgic and embarrassing. The screen before me lit up, and I began to read.
[In the vast universe, where possibilities seemed endless, there was a planet named Teraa. It was ordinary in every way, inhabited by humans who stood at the top of the food chain. Most took this fact for granted.
Children went to school, adults went to work, and housewives took care of their homes. Some people robbed others, while some indulged in their pleasures. Everything seemed normal until the atmosphere shifted. Silence fell, as if the world had been plunged into a vacuum. Then, chaos broke out...]
I cringed at the dramatic opening. God, I was such an edgy kid. But as I kept reading, the memories came flooding back—fragmented, disjointed, but vivid.
Still unable to focus anywhere else, I tapped where Dream_2 was written.
' I had a similar dream again, it felt so real. Nevertheless, It was amazing. I saw a beautiful girl in it, Is this what people call a Dreamgirl? '
I again heard The first phrase written by my ten-year-old self. I felt embarrassed hearing it.
[Dark matter spread across the universe, and most people were too confused to understand what was happening. In the city of New Haven, Connecticut, a girl ran through a college hallway. She was 24, with blue hair that fell to her waist and a face that could have been carved by a sculptor. But her eyes were cold, distant.
She wasn't the only one running. Students, teachers, staff—everyone was scrambling to find safety. An announcement blared over the speakers.
"Students are requested to assemble in the auditorium hall. Teachers are to guide the students to the auditorium hall. People are requested not to panic. I repeat—"
The girl's shout cut through the chaos.
"SARA!... SARA!... ...SARA, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
She reached the end of the hallway, her chest heaving. Then she heard the voice she'd been searching for.
"HEY! ICE PRINCESS, OVER HERE!"
"Ice Princess" was the nickname her friend Sara had given her, a nod to her icy demeanor and unapproachable beauty.
"Good. I found you. Quick, we need to get out of here."
"Wait, Crystal. Go where? They're telling us to assemble in the hall."
"Yale is being surrounded by zombie-like creatures. Normally, I would have stayed, but if they really are zombies, even a scratch could be fatal. I don't think staying with so many people is a good idea."
Sara trusted her instantly. Crystal always thought rationally, even in the face of chaos.
"So, where should we go?"
"Let's go in the opposite direction of the auditorium hall."
"Lead the way, Ice Princess."
Little did she know, "Ice Princess" would become a name the world would remember for centuries...]
It was similar for other chapters, each earlier dream introducing existences who would later become key figures. I skimmed through them, the memories both familiar and distant, like fragments of a life I'd lived long ago.
Lifting my both hands and folded one arm on my chest and the other supported the weight of my chin.
Thinking, how many chapters were only introductions, I Eyed the whole tablet, looking for a random number. Then my fingers tapped on Dream_50, and the screen shifted again.
[Both leaders walked through a dense forest, their group trailing behind. The Amazon was dangerous even before the cosmic event, but now it was a death trap.
"Is it really a good idea to trust these new people?" Peter asked, his emerald hair catching the light. He was second-in-command, always cautious, always thinking of others.
"Peter, are you just afraid we'll find strong monsters inside?" Sara teased, her tone light but her eyes sharp.
"Sara, you don't have to tease me like that. I just want everyone to be safe."
Crystal, their leader, cut in, her voice cold and commanding. "Stop it, both of you. We need to find the items here."
"Crystal, I don't want to repeat myself, but we're in the Amazon. This place was deadly before, and now it's worse."
"Crystal, Peter's right. We've already used a lot of fuel to get here."
"Shhh... I heard something."
Everyone froze, their weapons at the ready. Then, a shadow emerged from behind a tree. It was five meters tall, its form shifting and writhing like smoke.