not yet but soon

Selene stepped through the threshold of Jaxon's room, pausing just inside the doorway. Her eyes flickered across the space, scanning every detail like an investigator at a crime scene. She let out a low whistle.

"Damn. This is exactly what I expected… and somehow worse."

Jaxon, already sitting on the edge of his bed, raised an eyebrow. "Worse?"

Selene smirked, strolling deeper into the room. "Let's see. Dim lighting? Check. A ridiculous number of books you probably haven't read? Check. That chair in the corner that nobody actually sits on? Check. A bed that looks like you've been fighting demons in your sleep? Check." She turned to him with mock seriousness. "Tell me, do you ever let sunlight in here, or do you prefer to marinate in your own darkness?"

Jaxon leaned back against the headboard, unbothered. "Sunlight is overrated. Besides, I don't have time to admire nature when I'm busy uncovering the secrets of the universe."

Selene folded her arms, surveying the scattered papers and open books on his desk. "Yeah, yeah. 'Secrets of the universe.' But at what cost, Jaxon?" She picked up a book, flipping through its pages. "At what cost?"

Jaxon sighed. "Here we go…"

Selene turned dramatically. "No posters, no personal pictures, no signs of a normal human life. Just theories, conspiracies, and… is this a whole notebook on dreams?"

Jaxon snatched the notebook from her hands, flipping it closed. "Some of us actually record our findings instead of spending all night doom-scrolling nonsense."

She raised her hands in surrender. "Relax, professor. I'm just saying, if an investigator walked in here without knowing you, they'd assume this is either the lair of a genius or a serial killer."

Jaxon tilted his head. "Why not both?"

Selene burst out laughing, flopping onto his chair. She spun once before resting her elbows on her knees. "Okay, I'll admit… This is kind of cool. A little unhinged, but cool."

Jaxon smirked. "Glad you approve."

Selene's gaze drifted to his bed, then back to him. "So, where am I supposed to sit while you teach me how to leave my body and float around in the astral plane?"

Jaxon leaned back, completely deadpan. "On the floor."

She gasped in mock offense. "You're not even gonna offer me the bed? Wow. Chivalry really is dead."

Jaxon gestured at the desk. "That's your throne now. You get to sit where I do my best thinking."

Selene shook her head, amused. "Fine, but if my ass falls asleep, I'm stealing your bed."

Jaxon smirked. "Fair trade."

She crossed her legs, getting comfortable. "Alright, sensei. Teach me your ways."

Selene leaned back on Jaxon's bed, arms crossed as she processed everything he had said so far. "Alright, professor, I get the theory, but you're making it sound like I can just close my eyes and leave my body tonight."

Jaxon smirked. "No, you'll need some assistance." He stood up, walked to his desk, and pulled out a small, sealed packet. Inside was a handful of dried blue petals.

Selene squinted at it. "Okay, what's that? Some secret government drug?"

Jaxon shook his head. "Blue lotus. Ancient civilizations used it for lucid dreaming, heightened awareness… and, apparently, divine connection."

Selene raised an eyebrow. "So, basically, you're drugging me."

Jaxon sighed. "It's tea. It won't knock you out, won't make you hallucinate, but it'll help relax your body and sharpen your mind. Makes the transition into astral projection soother."

Selene snorted. "Mhm. Or maybe this is just an elaborate ploy to lower my defenses so you can finally seduce me." She gave him a teasing smirk. "Gotta admit, Jaxon, this is the smoothest setup I've ever seen. Dim lights, mysterious herbs, a whole 'let me guide you' speech—textbook seduction play."

Jaxon deadpanned. "Yeah, because my idea of seduction is teaching someone to leave their body and explore alternate dimensions."

She shrugged. "Hey, some guys fake being deep just to get laid. You? You actually believe your own insanity. I don't know which is worse."

Jaxon rolled his eyes. "Are you drinking the tea or not?"

Selene exhaled dramatically. "Fine. But if I wake up naked with no recollection of the night, I'm calling the authorities."

Jaxon ignored her and started brewing the tea, his expression unreadable. As the aroma of blue lotus filled the room, Selene watched him with mild curiosity. For all her teasing, there was something about his focus that intrigued her. He wasn't playing around. He genuinely believed in what he was teaching her.

He handed her the cup. "Drink slowly. You'll feel light, maybe a little floaty, but that's normal."

Selene took a sip, She sighed, taking another sip. "Alright, Sensei. Let's see if your magic tea can actually do something."

Jaxon leaned back, arms crossed. "Oh, it will. Just wait."

The room was dim, bathed in the soft, pulsating glow of his digital interface. Jaxon sat on the edge of his chair, one elbow resting on his desk, fingers hovering over the controls as he scrolled through his collection of frequency tracks. His implant pulsed slightly as he locked in on the right one—a deep, resonant sound, somewhere between a hum and a whisper, designed to push the subconscious into lucidity.

He set it to play at a low volume. Not loud enough to wake her, just enough to seep into the dreamscape she was lost in.

Jaxon exhaled slowly, leaning back. His gaze settled on her.

Selene lay curled up on his bed, her breathing soft and rhythmic, strands of her hair falling across her face. The dim light caught the contours of her features—the relaxed curve of her lips, the slight rise and fall of her chest, the way her eyelashes barely flickered, as if responding to something unseen.

She was beautiful.

Jaxon blinked and immediately shut that thought down. Not happening. Not tonight. Not ever.

…Right?

His jaw clenched slightly as he tore his gaze away, eyes fixing on the screen in front of him. Focus. This was an experiment. He was testing the effects of frequency manipulation on dream clarity. That was all.

Yet, his eyes betrayed him, drifting back to her once more.

He noticed the way her fingers twitched slightly against the fabric of his sheets. A reaction? Maybe. The corners of her lips parted just a little, an almost imperceptible shift in her expression. Was she dreaming?

He tapped his fingers against his desk, his mind split between scientific curiosity and something far less academic.

Then she let out a soft breath—a whisper of a sound that made his muscles stiffen.

For a second, Jaxon wasn't thinking about lucid dreaming, astral projection, or frequency resonance. He was just a guy sitting in his room, watching a girl who had, somehow, fallen asleep on his bed.

He ran a hand through his hair, exhaled through his nose, and turned his chair around, forcing himself to look at the screen instead. Intrusive thoughts: denied.

Focus.

***

The room was dimly lit, bathed in the soft glow of the digital interface projected from Jaxon's neural implant. The air carried the faint scent of blue lotus tea, its subtle, almost hypnotic aroma lingering between them. The ambient hum of the frequency music he had carefully selected wove through the silence like an invisible force, vibrating just enough to stimulate subconscious awareness.

Jaxon sat at the edge of the bed, watching her. He hadn't meant to stare this long—hadn't planned to observe the way the shadows played across her face, or how the rise and fall of her breath followed an almost rhythmic harmony with the music. But there was something captivating about watching someone exist in a space where they weren't performing, where they weren't reacting—just being.

Selene lay curled up slightly, her body relaxed, but her fingers twitched now and then as if grasping at something intangible. A telltale sign of REM sleep. Her lips parted slightly, her breathing deep. If she had slipped into a lucid dream, the tea was doing its work. But Jaxon had no way of knowing what she was seeing, and that was the frustrating part. He had guided her into this state, but he couldn't follow.

He reached out. Not abruptly, not with hesitation either, but with a deliberate slowness, fingers brushing against the back of her hand. Just enough to register warmth, enough to coax her consciousness back to the surface.

She didn't stir immediately. Her breathing remained steady, but her brow furrowed slightly, as if resisting the pull of wakefulness.

Jaxon exhaled, amused. Of course, you're stubborn even in your sleep.

He shifted closer, his palm now resting lightly against her forearm. "Selene," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Still nothing.

His gaze flickered across her features—eyelashes faintly trembling, the subtle shift in her breathing. She wasn't deep in sleep anymore; she was in that in-between space, where reality and dream blurred.

Jaxon smirked slightly. Fine. Let's escalate this.

His fingers trailed up her arm, the lightest pressure against her skin, until they brushed her shoulder. This time, she responded—a slow inhale, a twitch at the corner of her lips, her body adjusting under his touch.

"Selene."

A soft noise escaped her, something between a sigh and a hum.

His smirk deepened. Yeah, you can hear me now.

Jaxon hesitated for only a second before his hand moved again, this time reaching her cheek. His knuckles traced the faintest line along her jaw, the warmth of her skin bleeding into his fingertips. She stirred fully this time, a sharp inhale, her eyelids fluttering before her eyes finally opened.

The moment their gazes met, there was a flicker of something—dazed confusion, lingering fragments of whatever she had been dreaming. Then, recognition.

Selene blinked up at him, disoriented. "...Jaxon?" Her voice was softer than usual, slightly hoarse from sleep.

He pulled his hand back, leaning back slightly. "Took you long enough."

She stretched, exhaling as if shaking off the weight of another world. "I was dreaming," she mumbled, then frowned. "No… not dreaming. It was different."

Jaxon leaned his elbow on his knee, watching her closely. "Lucid?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes. "But I didn't realize it right away. It felt… real."

His lips quivered at that. "You'll get used to it."

She let out a breath, sitting up properly now. Her hair was slightly messy from sleep, strands falling across her face. Absentmindedly, she reached up to push them away—but Jaxon had already moved, tucking a stray lock behind her ear.

Her expression shifted slightly—serious now, contemplative. "Yeah…" She exhaled, looking away for a moment. "It was… a lot."

Jaxon tilted his head, waiting.

Selene turned back to him, eyes still carrying traces of sleep but now sharper, focused. "You were right about the tea," she admitted. "It did something. But what I saw… I don't even know how to explain it yet."

He grinned. "Then let's start simple."

She gave him a dry look. "Jaxon, nothing about this is simple."

He chuckled. "Fair." Then, after a beat, "But you do want to understand it, right?"

Her lips pressed together, then she sighed. "Of course I do."

Jaxon's smirk softened into something more genuine. "Then we'll figure it out. No rush."

She studied him for a moment, then nodded.

For a while, they just sat there—silent but not uncomfortable. The frequency music was still playing softly in the background, a quiet hum that seemed to fill the spaces between their words.

Then, suddenly—

"You know," Selene began, tilting her head at him. "For someone who's supposedly all about astral projection and higher consciousness, you sure took your sweet time waking me up."

Jaxon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Her eyes glinted with amusement. "What, were you just watching me sleep?"

He didn't blink. "Yeah."

She stared at him.

Jaxon smirked.

Selene groaned, throwing a pillow at him. "Creep."

He caught it easily, laughing. "Relax. It was a scientific observation."

She shot him a look. "Oh, I bet."

Still grinning, Jaxon tossed the pillow back onto the bed. "If it makes you feel better, I was debating whether or not to wake you up the entire time."

Selene raised an eyebrow. "And?"

He shrugged. "The tea was working. Didn't want to interrupt whatever was happening in your head."

She hummed, considering that. "Fair enough, I guess."

Jaxon leaned forward again, eyes glinting. "So… what was happening in your head?"

Jaxon sat on the edge of his bed, arms resting on his knees, observing Selene as she remained silent, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the rim of the empty teacup. The soft hum of the frequency music still filled the room, though neither of them seemed to acknowledge it anymore.

Jaxon leaned back slightly, tilting his head. "What's going on in your head?"

Selene blinked, as if snapping back to reality. "Huh?"

"You've been quiet for too long," he said, his voice carrying that usual mix of curiosity and scrutiny. "Processing something?"

She hesitated, tapping the cup against her palm. "I don't know," she admitted. "That tea definitely did something. My dream was... weird, but at the same time, it was just a dream."

Jaxon gave a slow nod. "That's how it starts."

Selene narrowed her eyes at him. "How does it start?"

"Questioning," he replied, standing up and pacing slightly. "At first, it's easy to brush it off. Just a dream. Just imagination. But the moment you acknowledge something feels off, you start looking deeper. That's where it gets interesting."

Selene watched him, her expression skeptical. "You sound like you're setting me up for some grand revelation."

Jaxon smirked. "Maybe I am."

She sighed, stretching her legs out on his bed. "So, tell me, what exactly am I supposed to be questioning?"

Jaxon turned to her, arms crossed. "Everything."

Selene scoffed. "Oh, of course. 'Question everything'—the classic conspiracy theorist motto."

Jaxon shook his head. "Not a conspiracy. Just observation. Real scientific observation."

Selene gave him a look. "Scientific observation? You mean like the kind where you just spent the past half-hour watching me sleep?"

Jaxon barely blinked. "Exactly. That's data collection."

She let out a sharp laugh. "You are unbelievable."

He smirked but didn't argue. Instead, he sat back down beside her. "You had a dream. But did you realize you were dreaming while inside it?"

Selene frowned. "No. It felt normal, like any other dream. But when I woke up, it was... clearer than usual. More vivid."

"That means you're getting close," Jaxon said simply.

"Close to what?"

"Lucidity," he said. "Conscious awareness inside a dream. The ability to control it. And eventually, astral projection."

Selene folded her arms. "And let me guess, you're going to say the government doesn't want people to know about this?"

Jaxon gave her a knowing look.

She groaned. "You sound like those weird internet guys who think Tesla got shut down because he was onto free energy or something."

Jaxon raised an eyebrow. "You think Tesla was shut down because his ideas weren't viable?"

Selene hesitated. "I mean... I don't know."

Jaxon leaned forward slightly. "Exactly. You don't know. But you accept the mainstream story because it's convenient. The same way people dismiss things like lucid dreaming, astral projection, or anything outside the approved reality framework. Just because something isn't widely accepted doesn't mean it's false."

Selene exhaled. "And you wonder why people call you crazy."

Jaxon smirked. "It's not crazy if it's true."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Fine. I'll bite. Let's say I do become 'lucid' in my dreams. What then?"

"Then," Jaxon said, "we see how deep the rabbit hole goes."

Selene stared at him for a moment. Despite his usual detached demeanor, there was something undeniably compelling about the way he spoke—like he wasn't just theorizing, but speaking from experience.

And for the first time, she felt a strange mix of excitement and apprehension.

Jaxon leaned back in his chair, his expression neutral. "Take practice. You don't just unlock astral projection in one night."

Selene smirked, brushing her hair back. "Good. At least that means you're not some overpowered dream guru."

Jaxon tilted his head slightly. "Yet."

She chuckled, rubbing her temples. "Alright, so let's say this is real. Where do we go from here?"

Jaxon's eyes sharpened. "Simple. We keep going."

Selene exhaled, staring at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at him. "Okay. Fine. Let's see how deep this rabbit hole goes."

Jaxon gave a knowing smirk. "No turning back now."

Selene stood up, glancing at the time. "Yeah, well, that's a future me's problem. Present me is crashing." She headed toward the door, but after a few steps, she paused, glancing back with a teasing look.

"Also… thank you."

Jaxon exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "Tch. I was collecting data."

Selene chuckled as she reached for the door handle. "Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that, researcher."

The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Jaxon staring at it for a moment. Then, with a smirk, he leaned back in his chair.

"Data collection successful."

As Selene stepped downstairs, she felt the weight of the evening settle on her shoulders. The dim glow of the holo-screen flickered in the living room, casting soft shadows over the furniture. Jaxon's mom sat on the couch, scrolling lazily through her device.

The moment she noticed Selene descending from her son's room, she arched an eyebrow and set her holo-pad aside.

"Oh?" A slow smirk spread across her face. "Leaving already? Thought you'd be staying the night."

Selene nearly tripped on the last step. "Wha—no! I was just—"

Jaxon's mom leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "Mmm-hmm."

Selene groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Look, nothing happened, okay?"

Jaxon's mom dramatically gasped. "Nothing? At all?"

Selene froze. Why does she sound disappointed?

Jaxon's mom sighed, shaking her head. "So you're telling me my son is still a disappointment?"

Selene choked on air. "That's not—"

Another deep sigh. "Tsk. Here I was, thinking he finally had some game."

Selene stared at her. "Are you seriously rooting for him?"

Jaxon's mom shrugged. "Look, I'm not saying you should've done anything, but if you had, I wouldn't be mad at you. In fact, I'd be proud. That boy needs something to shake up that robotic brain of his."

Selene was at a loss for words. "This is—this is so weird."

Jaxon's mom leaned back, smirking. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart."

Selene buried her face in her hands. "I hate this. I hate this conversation."

Jaxon's mom chuckled. "You'll get used to it."

Selene huffed, crossing her arms. "Anyway, I'm going home."

Jaxon's mom nodded. "Alright, alright. Just messing with you. But hey…" She gave her a knowing look. "You should visit more often. It's been a while since he's actually interacted with a real human being."

Selene rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. "Noted. Goodnight, ma'am."

As she walked out the door, Jaxon's mom called after her, "Tell my son to get his life together! Or at least, you know, make a move before you lose interest."

Selene shut the door behind her, exhaling.

"What the hell just happened?"

Meanwhile, Jaxon was still in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, deep in thought. He could hear everything his mom had just said.

He ran a hand through his hair, staring at the ceiling.

"I hate her."