The escaped soldier staggered into the dark throne room, his armor dented and scorched, his face pale beneath the streaks of soot. The room was colder than before as if the shadows themselves had thickened since his departure. He dropped to one knee, trembling as he faced the figure on the black throne.
"My lord," the soldier began, his voice quivering, "forgive me. We were ambushed. They... they were stronger than we expected."
The figure leaned forward, the dim green light of the torches illuminating just enough to make out the faint curve of a cruel smile beneath the hood.
"Stronger than you expected?" the lord asked, his voice as soft and cold as frost. "Tell me. Who were they?"
The soldier hesitated, beads of sweat rolling down his face. "A boy and a girl... and a creature. A... dolphin, I think? It was unlike anything I've seen. And the boy—he summoned something. A griffin. It destroyed most of our forces."
The room grew colder still. The torches flickered.
"And what of the girl?" the lord asked, his tone almost curious.
"She was taken by my men briefly, but... but they escaped."
The shadowed figure rose, his form impossibly tall as it towered over the soldier. "You brought me failure," he said, each word laced with venom.
"My lord, please," the soldier begged, bowing his head lower. "It was beyond our control—"
His plea was cut short as the air in the room seemed to ripple. The soldier's body seized, his breath catching in his throat. The figure extended a hand, his fingers curling slowly, and the soldier began to disintegrate, piece by piece, his armor clattering to the ground as his form turned to ash.
The figure let the silence settle for a moment before turning to another group of soldiers who stood at attention nearby.
"Find them," he commanded, his voice reverberating like thunder. "And bring me the boy."
Danny and April sat in the golden grass, their breathing ragged and their minds reeling from the battle they'd just survived. The air still felt charged with the remnants of the fight, though the field was eerily silent now.
Danny's hands trembled as he stared at the pieces of paper that remained from the griffin he'd conjured. "What just happened?" he murmured, mostly to himself.
April, sitting close beside him, glanced at Dave, who lounged lazily nearby as if the fight hadn't just happened. "Yeah, what's going on? And what did you mean when you said we're in Danny's dream?"
Dave tilted his head, his sleek dolphin features catching the surreal light of the sky. "I dunno," he said with a shrug, his voice casual. "It's just... obvious. This place, this world, it's built on imagination, right? And it matches everything the kid here wrote in that journal." He gestured toward Danny.
Danny frowned, trying to wrap his head around it. "But how do you know it's my dream? What if it's just some... shared hallucination or something?"
Dave scratched his chin—if a dolphin could be said to have a chin—and grinned. "Beats me. I just know what I know. Don't ask me how."
"That's not an answer," April said sharply, folding her arms.
"Look," Dave said, his tone growing serious for once. "You're here now. Whether it's a dream, a nightmare, or some weird dimension doesn't really matter, does it? The question is, what're you gonna do about it?"
Danny exchanged a look with April, both of them visibly uneasy.
"I just want to go home," April said quietly, her voice breaking the tense silence.
Danny sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Me too. But how?" He sat back, thinking hard when a memory flickered to life in his mind. "Wait... I had a dream about this before."
April perked up. "What kind of dream?"
Danny closed his eyes, trying to focus. "There was this... stone cube. Each face was like a puzzle piece, and it could grant a wish if you brought all six pieces together. But the pieces weren't in one place—they were scattered across different lands. Each one was completely different, like parts of the cube were tied to specific places."
April frowned. "And you think this cube can get us home?"
Danny nodded slowly. "It has to. That's what it did in my dream."
Dave, who had been leaning back lazily, suddenly sat up. "Stone cube, huh? I've heard of that."
April narrowed her eyes. "Wait—you have? How?"
Dave shrugged again. "It's not like I know everything. I just have... instincts. And I know where those lands are."
Danny's heart quickened. "You can guide us there?"
"Sure," Dave said, his toothy grin returning. "But don't get too excited. These places aren't exactly tourist-friendly."
Danny stood, helping April to her feet. "What are the places?"
Dave began to list them, ticking off fingers as he spoke. "First, you've got the Land of Imagination—which, congrats, you're already in. Then there's the Island of Love and Hate. Very dramatic place. After that, the Kingdom of Fire—you remember that one, I'm sure. Then the Hotel of the Dead—don't ask. The City of Times Past, which is as confusing as it sounds. And last but not least, the City Underwater. Hope you're good at holding your breath."
April let out a long sigh, her face pale. "You're kidding, right?"
Dave gave her a serious look. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"
"No," April muttered, rubbing her temples. "You look like a freaky dolphin-man. But that's beside the point."
Danny turned to her, his jaw set. "This is our only shot, April. If that cube can get us home, we have to try."
She looked at him for a long moment before finally nodding. "Fine. But if we die, I'm blaming you."
Dave clapped his hands together, his webbed fingers making a strange slapping sound. "Great! Let's get moving before that freaky shadow guy finds us."
Danny hesitated. "Shadow guy?"
"Trust me, kid," Dave said, his grin faltering just slightly. "You don't want to meet him."
With that ominous warning, they began walking, the golden grass parting around them as Dave led the way. The path ahead was uncertain and perilous, but they had no other choice.
Danny glanced at April as they walked, her face tense but determined. Despite the danger, a small part of him felt a strange thrill. They were in his dream—a place shaped by his imagination. But the stakes were real, and he couldn't let her down.
Not when their way home depended on him.