Return

The lantern flickered softly, illuminating Steven with gentle glows. 

He was staring at the map spread out on the table. 

Pins with symbols on them were placed at different points throughout Headow.

There was a knock on the door, and Rosina entered first, then a tall, wiry man with a half-burned ear and a cheeky smile. 

The bandit who had given up following the hillside skirmish was Beaver.

"Lord, you sent for me... Beaver, his eyes bright with interest, bowed slightly.

Steven gestured to the seat on the other side. "Yes, sit down."

Twyford raised his eyebrows but remained silent. 

Steven remarked. "You have smuggled weapons, led men through the woods, snuck past soldiers, and stolen from nobles. You are familiar with the inner workings of a city."

Beaver smiled. "Commander, you flatter me. Even so, all of that is accurate."

"I need information," Steven uttered. "I want names, not speculation. The secret meetings, bribes, and dark whispers."

Beaver leaned forward. "You wish to create a net."

"A web is what I want," Steven said. "And I want you to be at the heart of it."

There was a lengthy silence. 

Then Beaver laughed. "Are you certain that I can handle something this delicate?"

"No," replied Steven. "But I am not in the luxury of waiting for a reliable rat."

Beaver began to laugh. "This is the type of integrity I admire! You have a rat on your hands, I will find your ghost."

Observing in silence, Rosina turned to face Steven after Beaver had departed. "That guy is blatantly treacherous."

Nodding, Steven said. "He does. But when properly directed, treachery can breed loyalty.

Rosina sighed. "This game is risky."

Steven grinned a little bit. "If it is inevitable, make sure you are the most dangerous person at the table."

In the streets of Headow, the fire of secret plans grew brighter as the moon disappeared behind the clouds.

Beaver moved through the city with purposeful steps like a shadow. 

Slipping into stuffed bars, he listened for rumors being whispered; he went to markets and back alleys, sharing carefully constructed bits of false intelligence with both merchants and nobles. 

The well-planned delay tactics caused their adversaries to become confused. 

Bandits encountered ambushes or were evaded; orders were misdirected; reinforcements were delayed. 

Mistrust and false information, meanwhile, caused the once-confident Baron Atkins to find his alliance strained.

Beaver returned to the mansion, and he met Steven in a secret room.

"How far has your network expanded?" In a low but urgent voice, Steven questioned Beaver.

Beaver answered, a small smile piercing his gloomy face, "Deep enough to catch whispers." 

Steven sat back, his eyes focused and unwavering. "All right, the odds are moving in our favor. However, we cannot afford to be comfortable because their subsequent actions will be desperate."

From the upper window, Steven observed the gradual changes and the steady advancement of the mansion.

Rosina made arrangements with regional allies to secure supply routes, guaranteeing uninterrupted work. 

The manor had transformed from a ruin into a rising power.

There was a slight ding in the silence.

In the corner of the mindscape, where a golden notification glistened like a falling star, Steven snapped. 

Camara, the DREAM avatar, whispered softly from everywhere at once. "The simulation checkpoint has been reached. Saving progress..."

He let out a slow exhale, feeling the weight of unfinished plans, the taste of dust from broken roads, and the phantom breeze of the kingdom he was creating. 

The voice came back—clinical, gentle. "Your session limit has been reached. Logging off in three, two..."

All of it vanished, leaving only white behind. 

Then it turned black.

A hiss of filtered air escaped as the pod lid rose with a soft whir. 

Opening his eyes, Steven saw a white ceiling. 

Above, white lights hummed. 

His heart dipped.

He remained motionless, allowing the subtle lavender fragrance and the sterile smell of antiseptics to remind him of his location. 

The silence was broken by a well-known voice.

"Steven," said Dr. Adeyemi, a tall, gentle woman in her forties with latex gloves already on and gentle eyes. "Welcome back. Let us do a quick check."

She leaned closer, sweeping her scanner over his pallid body with a gentle click.

She checked his pulse by placing her hand over his wrist and tapping at his IV monitor with delicate yet accurate fingers.

"This is great news," she muttered.

There was no word from Steven.

Slowly, his head turned, his eyes falling on the window with the rain streaking the glass. 

The disparity was deafening. 

Only moments before, he had been leading troops and battling to regain his future.

He was now unable to raise his own legs.

"Are you in pain?" she said quietly as she lowered the scanner.

"Not physical," he muttered.

Dr. Adeyemi stopped, her face tensing for a single heartbeat, then nodded and took a step back. "I will give you a minute."

The sound of her footsteps vanished behind the sliding glass doors as she walked away in silence.

Steven looked at his hands. 

Almost translucent, thin, and pale.

Slowly, he clenched them.

Is it all a dream?

There was a heavy burden on his chest.

Hopelessness. 

The sort that slithered in when the dream ended, and then reality hit you like a blast of cold water. 

The worry that he would always end up back in this bed, no matter how far he battled in that world. 

The door opened once more.

"I assumed you would be awake by now."

Steven blinked.

That voice is grounding and warm.

Justin, his dad, stood at the door wearing his typical cardigan and scarf, his eyes weary but beaming.

"Dad..."

Moving closer, Justin pulled a chair up beside the pod and settled in as he had hundreds of times before. He reached out and gently took his hand.

"Rough landing?" he inquired.

A faint nod was given by Steven.

Justin grinned modestly. "It indicates that you are accomplishing something correctly."

"I was... someone else," Steven uttered in a quivering voice. "A prince leading warriors to battle, there I was unbroken."

Justin remarked, "You are not shattered. Even in this room, you are still the same person. Nothing has changed, son."

He paused, then continued. "Your experience is more than just fantasy. The memories are reflected in your heart and reverberated in your soul."

Steven gazed towards his dad and remarked sourly, "I return to this harsh reality once it ends."

Justin gently pressed his forehead against Steven as he leaned in closer. "We ensure that there is always something to return to. Because your spirit is more resilient than your body."

There was a lingering silence in the hospital ward. 

Rain drummed softly against the window.

After closing his eyes, Steven breathed more deeply as the pressure on his chest decreased. "Thank you, Dad, for being here."

Justin took him in his arms. "Always."

Steven clung to the thread of will that would take him back into the DREAM.

The machines around them beeped softly.

A couple of hours later... 

It was a silent plea. 

Dr. Adeyemi had to blink twice to confirm that she had heard correctly.

"You want to get out of bed?" she inquired.

With a steady yet gentle tone, Steven nodded. "Only for a few minutes. I want to see the world once more."

 Then, without saying a word, she tapped her comm-link and smiled. "I will arrange everything."

A hover-chair glided silently next to the pod a few minutes later. 

The nurses carefully moved Steven into the padded seat. 

Every shift made his bones hurt, but for the first time in a long time, it did not matter.

The chair glided slowly through the white hallway, past gleaming windows and calming floral wall panels.

They were getting close to the main lounge when Steven held up his hand a little. "Stop by that window, please."

The nurse hesitated.

Steven leaned forward and reached for the glass, his fingers shaking. 

Outside, a filtered golden sky shone on the city. 

Between the tall crystalline buildings, floating transports sailed, and far below, people crowded along light-shimmering clearwalks. 

It appeared as though the horizon would never end.

His mouth slightly opened. "I forgot how big everything is."

Grinning, the nurse said. "Are you interested in getting closer?"

He replied. "Please."

The chair was angled straight toward the window as she repositioned him. 

Steven remained silent.

He just stared, taking in every detail, including the rustle of trees in the far-off bio-domes, the sound of children laughing on a terrace below, and the neon flare from an early-opening café.

He sat for what seemed like hours.

He breathed once more.

He had not felt light in his chest for months as he eventually made it back to his room. 

He politely dismissed the offer of painkillers and sleeping pills. "No medications today. I simply want to get some rest."

"Are you certain?" Dr. Adeyemi raised her eyebrows in question.

Steven gave a small smile. "I do not think I need assistance falling asleep for once."

He leaned back in bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep peacefully in a matter of minutes.