I watched as Jacksyn sat in peaceful silence, the Seed shifting beneath his flesh as it shaped his newfound power. If things were "normal", he would have been writhing in utter misery, but, as luck would have it, there was a strange lack of physical sensation in this place.
Thinking on it, I felt like I knew exactly what this place was, but I decided not to explain it to him. It wasn't like it mattered, anyway. We would leave once our bodies in the new world woke from their sleep.
Still, for the moment, we were here with one another. I felt a renewed sense of peace as I watched my weak brother reshaping himself before me. In truth, I would be lying if I were to say I wasn't nervous, given my lack of a true inkling of what awaited us on the other side of this dream space.
Certainly, I knew that I likely had a good chance of surviving long enough to gain a foothold in this world, but, what about Jacksyn? Would he be able to navigate the treachery without me?
At the very least, I found comfort in the fact that he had already faced down a situation in which failure meant death. Hopefully that experience would temper him somewhat.
But what about me? The only part of my future I was certain of was my eventual marriage. Strangely, that gave me more anxiety than the thought of being alone in this new world. I had never thought of myself as a husband; the idea of monogamous commitment was completely foreign to me.
Obviously, this marriage was something expected of me, and, given my precarious situation, there was very little chance of me getting out of it unscathed. Would I have to walk on eggshells constantly around my future wife, for fear of whatever agreement our marriage was a part of falling through? The mere thought was exhausting enough that I decided to pretend that it wasn't happening, just to keep a level head.
My thoughts were disturbed by Jacksyn's voice, and I shook my head before turning my attention to him.
"I told you how I died, but, what about you?" He asked.
I scoffed, more at myself than anyone.
"Well... I uh... I was poisoned." I said, sheepishly.
"Poisoned? By who?" He asked.
"The girls, man. I'm pretty used to having a lady drag her nails down my back, but, I guess they had laced their nails with poison. I was on the fourth when it finally kicked in; I just stopped breathing, and when I finally realized what had happened, it was over. Choking on my own spit wasn't exactly the way I was expecting to go, but, I'm here now, so there's nothing to do but get the most from this new world." I said.
Jacksyn looked at me for a few seconds, then snorted with laughter.
"Yeah... that's exactly how I thought you'd go out: balls deep. I guess I just didn't expect it to happen as soon as it did." He laughed, and I couldn't help but join in.
Our laughter died away after a minute, leaving the both of us in a comfortable silence.
"So... what exactly are you planning to do when you wake up?" I asked.
"I dunno... probably figure out more about what sort of shit I'm in. Once I've gotten a handle on that, I might try and find you." Jacksyn said.
"Let's not meet up too soon." I said.
"What?" Jacksyn asked, a look of shock on his face as he floated forward to me.
"Yeah... honestly when shit goes down, you've always been liable to run to me for protection. Now, I'm your brother, and I'm always gonna do what I can to keep you safe, but, at the end of the day, there are gonna inevitably be some moments like the one we're in now, where I can't get to you, no matter how much danger you're in. We should both use this place as a chance to get stronger, in our own ways." I said.
Jacksyn pondered this for a moment, his hand unconsciously moving to his chest where the Seed was busy working its magic.
"Maybe you're right. Yeah, you know what, fuck it, I'm gonna try and get myself to at least your level. Maybe I'll even try and take over those scaly shits." He laughed, rocking slightly in his sitting position.
"Attaboy. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out a way to do that." I smiled, feeling an odd desire to fall asleep nagging in the back of me head.
"Well... it's starting to look like our time together is coming to an end, for now at least." I said.
"Yeah... so, any last minute advice for me?" He asked jokingly.
"Actually? Yeah, if I were you, I'd go for the women first." I said.
"Wait, like, kill the women first?" He asked, confused.
I slapped my palm against the top of his head, giving him a look.
"No, dumbass, try and get the women on your side first... Look... it might be a bit harder for you than it would be for me, I don't know what your new body looks like, but, seducing your way to power is always an option, even for us guys. If you're just not strong enough, you may want to try that instead of just fighting constantly." I explained.
"Well... yeah, maybe. I guess I could give that a try." He said, seemingly coming around to the idea.
"Great. What about you? Any advice for me?" I asked.
"Yeah, you're a great listener for the ladies, but, try and do that for the guys, too." He laughed.
"Hey, I listen to you!" I scoffed.
"Yeah, and I'm basically you with a different name, so, how much does that really mean?" He chuckled.
"Well, yeah, I guess I get what you're saying." I sighed.
"Oh, yeah, and don't just be a good listener for women you think you might be able to have sex with, either!" He added.
We dissolved into laughter, that strange tiredness rearing its head once more, forcing my mouth into a loud yawn.
"Should we be able to fall asleep in this place?" Jacksyn asked. " I mean, it's not like we're actually here in person, right?"
"Well look at you flexing that brain of yours! Yeah, as far as I can tell, we're not here physically, which is why we can't feel physical sensation." I explained. "As for the falling asleep, I think it might be our souls trying to go back to our bodies."
Jacksyn yawned this time, eyes blinking rapidly on instinct as the yawn subsided.
"Weird that we still yawn though, isn't it? I mean, our bodies aren't really here, so why do we still experience oscitation?" He asked.
"No fucking clue. Honestly who the hell would expect that science would matter in a completely different world?" I responded.
A third yawn struck me, and, somehow, I knew this would be the last one before I returned.
I could feel my eyes fluttering closed as the desire to sleep begin to overwhelm my senses. Jacksyn was watching me wordlessly, evidently intent on sending me off with nothing more than a smile.
My eyes shot open, my body launching forward as my outstretched hand went straight into his chest. I pulled it out, holding the tiny star up in front of him.
"One last thing, you need to tell the Seed the kind of randomness it's allowed to have while it forms itself. It takes the form of the command: "Potential". Tell it low potential." I said breathlessly.
"Uhh... Low Potential." He said, looking a little surprised.
The brightness of the star dimmed considerably, leaving it looking like a dimmable bulb on its lowest setting.
I sighed, falling back as the Seed returned to his chest.
"I can't believe that I almost forgot to..."
I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence, I was already gone, taken from the space by whatever brought me there in the first place.
I didn't quite 'wake up' when I returned to the bedroom, which I was expecting. I knew I'd need time for the Seed to finish building itself. How long that would be, I didn't know, but, hopefully, I could wake up soon.
In the meantime, I decided to try and give myself a name. I didn't want to just go by Jasyn in this world after all.
With that thought, I settled in to the daze of the half-sleep, half-waking state that I found myself in, pondering the name I would take as my own in this new life.