Playground

The festival's second day kicked off with an air of quiet anticipation.

Unlike the previous night's energy-packed tournament and performances, today was about research and innovation. The theme of the day: Research and Sciences.

This wasn't just any science fair. It was a showcase where students presented their prototypes and hypotheses to the board members of Lucid Nexus and Prime Tech, the leading pioneers in dream-based technology. Three nominees would be selected for a POP—Pre-Placement Offer—essentially a fast track into one of these corporations if their research had real-world potential.

Neil and Cas had decided to participate, and Orion, along with Rin, had taken on the role of unofficial assistants, helping with the final touches of their projects.

Morning Preparations

Orion rubbed his eyes as he walked into the workspace Neil had taken over. The room was a mess of tangled wires, disassembled devices, and coffee cups that Neil had definitely not cleaned up.

"How are you still standing?" Orion asked, watching Neil type furiously on his laptop.

Neil barely glanced up. "Adrenaline and spite."

"Spite?"

"Against the limitations of modern technology," Neil muttered.

Orion turned to Rin, who was sitting on the floor cross-legged, holding a screwdriver. "How long has he been like this?"

"Since last night," she replied, yawning. "Cas went back to sleep, but this guy refuses to."

Neil finally stopped typing and stretched, cracking his neck. "I don't have time to sleep. Not when the future of lucid dreaming is at stake."

"You do realize no one is forcing you to do this, right?" Orion asked.

Neil scoffed. "And let someone else get a POP? Please." He gestured at the small device sitting in front of him.

It was a neural stabilizer—the same one he had used on Orion before. But this time, it looked more refined, sleeker, with updated software running through its small screen.

"I've upgraded it," Neil said proudly. "The first version worked, but it was crude. This one isn't just for emergencies—it can be integrated into dream tech for controlled stabilization. No more sudden disconnects, no more unexpected breakdowns in neural feedback."

Orion whistled. "Fancy way of saying it won't shock me awake again?"

"Exactly," Neil said, grinning. "Now, Rin, hand me the—"

She tossed him the screwdriver before he could finish his sentence.

Meanwhile, Cas's Hypothesis

Cas had chosen a completely different route. She wasn't building a device like Neil—her focus was on brain simulation.

She and Orion had taken over the next room, turning it into a space filled with whiteboards, scribbled equations, and half-finished presentation slides. Cas was sitting on the desk, flipping through notes, while Orion stared at one of the more complicated diagrams.

"Okay, so explain it to me like I'm an idiot," Orion said, crossing his arms.

Cas sighed. "It's simple in theory. Lucid dreaming proves that the human brain is capable of creating entire realities—worlds that feel as real as waking life. If we can understand how the brain constructs these dreamscapes, then, in theory, we could create a simulated consciousness."

Orion blinked. "So… like, an AI that dreams?"

Cas nodded. "Kind of. But instead of just programming intelligence, we're talking about replicating the human mind's ability to experience. To dream. If we get this right, we could build a system where an artificial consciousness learns, evolves, and even perceives reality in the same way we do."

"That sounds… dangerous," Orion muttered.

Cas smirked. "Everything revolutionary starts out that way."

Orion let that sink in. Cas was always the type to think ahead—sometimes too far ahead. But there was something about this idea that unsettled him.

"Okay, so how do I help?" he asked.

Cas handed him a marker. "Start double-checking the logic paths on page six."

Orion stared at the dense mathematical notations.

"...You lost me at 'logic paths.'"

Cas rolled her eyes. "Fine, just make sure the presentation slides aren't a mess."

The Main Event

By noon, the festival grounds had transformed.

Booths had been set up, students displaying their prototypes and research projects. There was a buzz of excitement as members of Lucid Nexus and Prime Tech walked through the area, stopping at different booths, discussing ideas with students.

Neil's neural stabilizer booth had already gathered a small crowd—some of them fellow competitors, others just curious students. Cas, on the other hand, had attracted a more skeptical audience.

"You want to simulate the human mind?" one of the judges asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cas nodded. "Yes. I believe it's possible with the right approach."

"And what safeguards would you put in place?"

Cas hesitated only slightly before responding. "The same safeguards we use in lucid dreaming technology. A system that recognizes when it's entering unstable territory and pulls back."

The judge hummed, unconvinced.

Meanwhile, Neil was in his element, passionately explaining his stabilizer's improvements to a group of tech enthusiasts.

"You're saying this would work in real-time dream monitoring?" someone asked.

"Exactly," Neil said. "With this, we can eliminate the risks of dream-induced neural overload. No more unstable dreamers breaking connection mid-simulation."

As the day went on, Orion and Rin bounced between the two booths, assisting where needed. Orion helped Cas refine her responses, while Rin made sure Neil didn't get lost in a tech rant that was too complicated for the judges.

The Results

As evening approached, the festival stage was set for the announcement of nominees.

A representative stepped forward, silence falling over the crowd.

"The selected nominee for the Pre-Placement Offer is…"

A pause.

"Neil Wrenford—Neural Stabilizer Innovation."

The audience broke into applause. Neil grinned, shaking Orion's shoulder.

"Called it," he whispered.

Cas's name wasn't called. Orion glanced at her, but her expression remained unreadable.

The event started wrapping up, students gathering their things, when one of the board members stepped forward again.

"There are also two Honorable Mentions, projects we found particularly intriguing."

Cas looked up.

"Cassandra Reed — Brain Simulation Hypothesis."

A murmur went through the crowd. Orion smirked.

"And finally…"

The judge's eyes scanned the crowd before landing on someone Orion hadn't paid much attention to before.

"Alec Vaughn — Dreamstate Biofeedback Loop."

The name was unfamiliar, but the reaction wasn't. A few people clapped, but the energy was different—almost cautious.

Cas crossed her arms. "Who the hell is Alec Vaughn?"

Orion turned his head, scanning the crowd.

He hadn't noticed before, but now…

A guy near the back of the stage, standing slightly apart from the rest, had his hands tucked into his pockets. 

The strong, silent type.

Orion narrowed his eyes.

'Hmmm...Maybe.'