Third Person's POV
Several days have passed, yet Bryan still ponders what has happened to his friend, Astra.
While hanging out at the convenience store with no customers in sight, Bryan picks up his phone and casually scrolls through his news feed. As he relaxes, he receives a message from an unknown person.
He taps on it and reads the new message from someone named Astra. It dawns on Bryan that the reason this stranger didn't reply before is because he didn't respond to her message back then.
Bryan feels a rush to reply, but he hesitates for a moment. While he was eager to help and curious before, things are different now. The desire to lend a hand has faded within Bryan.
Lost in thought about his friend, Bryan is unsure of what to do next.
After pondering for a few minutes, Bryan decides to reply again. This time, he clicks 'send' carefully, ensuring that his message is delivered.
He doesn't wait long for a reply from the stranger but it caught him off guard when he read the message. The message isn't about their previous inquiry regarding Dark Aisling, but rather, the stranger is seeking for a mentor, Dream Therapies to be exact.
His knowledge about these things isn't extensive, so he hesitates to respond. While deciding whether to help the stranger, he senses from their replies that they have a deeper reason and truly want to find a mentor.
With that, Bryan lets out a deep sigh from where he stands.
Bryan's known only one Dream Mentor, it's his own father.
Back then, Bryan's parents always argued because his mother thought his father was going crazy, believing he didn't belong to this world. There was a part of him with memories that weren't his that made him believe he was reincarnated.
Because of this, Bryan's mother decided to divorce his father. His father couldn't do anything and took Bryan away from him. Together with his mother, they live with his grandmother since then.
Years passed, and Bryan saw his father again in a building, living peacefully on his own. He is now a Dream Mentor and a guide to dreamers. He offers guidance, wisdom, interpretation of dreams, and assists in navigating the dream realm and understanding its mysteries.
Bryan disregards the message because a customer suddenly enters the store. He was busy until he forgot to think and reply.
On the other hand, Astra's inquiry has been pending for several days. As time passes, she becomes more worried about Armann's condition, so she doesn't wait for the stranger to reply and instead searches for a mentor online.
She finds many dream mentors and therapists, but none of them know about Armann's situation. They don't even know what Armann is.
One night, as the night grows deeper, Astra messages the stranger again, asking if he can help her. She didn't want to pester him but she really needed to find a way to help Armann in any way.
Bryan pauses to think about this. It seems that the stranger is really eager to find a mentor. Despite his reluctance and deliberation to himself, Bryan soon agrees and introduces the stranger to his father who could help.
"If you're looking for a mentor, I'm not the one. I have little knowledge about these things, and I only know about Aisling. But I know someone who might be able to help you," Bryan replies together with the contact of his father.
After replying, Bryan sets his phone down on the counter and gazes into the distance, still thinking about his friend.
On the other side, Astra is pleased that the stranger is willing to help her find a Dream mentor. She quickly searches him online and leaves a message.
The next day, the mentor replies to Astra's message and expresses a desire to meet.
Astra attends her class for today and plans to go to their meeting place after.
The school is unaware of what happened in the woods, so she can't use this reason to be absent. Every day, Astra is still with the people who harmed her at school, freely roaming around.
When her class is dismissed, Astra goes to a cafe not far from the school. Upon entering, she sits on a vacant chair near the glass window.
Shortly after, a man enters the door. He's wearing a white button-down long sleeve shirt and black slacks. He also carries a leather formal briefcase, looking for someone.
Astra immediately thought he might be the one she's waiting for so she approached the man first.
"Hello, Mr. Copper?" Astra greets the man.
"Yes, that's me. You must be Astra?" he replies.
Astra nods and shakes hands. They proceed to the seat where Astra reserves and orders drinks. Astra begins to tell the mentor about her inquiry while waiting for their order to arrive.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know much about them. But as far as I know, if Armann's body is severely injured, their soul will wander aimlessly until they find their way back to their human body," Mr. Copper explains.
"What if they can't find their way back?" Astra asks anxiously.
"His body will die, and his soul will continue to wander aimlessly, never finding the way back," Mr. Copper answers.
It made Astra worried even more. She thought it's her fault that all of this was happening to Armann.
Their coffee arrived yet Astra didn't bat an eye to the staff, unlike what she always does and thanked them after serving.
The staff put the cup in from of Mr. Copper and then Astra which she immediately grabs. It burned her and made her come back to reality.
"Ouch!" she murmured.
"Are you ok?" Mr. Copper asks worriedly, extending a hand for help.
"I'm fine," Astra only replies, setting aside her burned finger. "What can we do to save my friend?" she asks, back to the topic.
"I'm not entirely sure," Mr. Copper admits, his tone tinged with uncertainty. "But there's one way we can try."
"What way?" Astra asks, curious thinking that if there's anything she could do for him, she will do it.
"We can enter the Dream Realm where Armann's soul is wandering. We need to find him and guide him to his physical body," Mr. Copper explains.
"But how can we do that?" Astra asks again. The excitement is showing in her face.
"By entering the Dream Gateway, we can go in and find his soul. It's dangerous, and we need to be careful because even a small mistake can trap you in that realm," Mr. Copper says, pausing to sip his coffee before setting the cup back down on the table.
"How do we enter?" Astra asks again.
"I can't go in, but you can. You can enter the realm," Mr. Copper answers.
"But I don't know my way around there. What if I make a mistake?" Astra says, fear evident in her voice.
"Don't worry. I'll guide you from the outside and help you get in and out of the realm," Mr. Copper assures.
Despite her hesitation, Astra swallows her fear and agrees. She doesn't know what she's facing, but for Armann, who always sacrifices his life for her, she's willing to do anything to help him.
The mentor gives Astra a few pointers for their journey into the Dream Realm as they plan to have the session as soon as possible.
The next day, Astra goes to the mentor's office.
Upon entering, Astra feels a respectful atmosphere. The interior of the place is simple, and it doesn't feel like she's in a hospital or a psychiatric clinic.
Mr. Copper assists Astra into a soft chair with a footrest and has her sit down.
Mr. Copper lights a candle in front of Astra and pulls up a chair to sit beside her.
"Remember, Astra, you should only listen to my voice. You won't be able to respond to my questions, but I will understand your answers through the movement of your eyes," Mr. Copper reminds her.
Astra just nods.
"Now, what I want you to do is feel comfortable and relaxed in your seat. Focus your attention on the flickering candle in front of you. Feel every flicker of the flame dancing in redeem ," Mr. Copper instructs.
Astra follows the instructions. She takes a deep breath in and exhales. She repeats this a few times until she feels her eyelids getting heavy.
"Now you will feel sleepy and close your eyes," instructs Mr. Copper, and Astra immediately closes her eyes. "As you keep them closed, you will feel your spirit lighten and slowly rise," he continues.
Astra feels a flickering sensation in her body, even though nothing is touching her. It feels like something is brushing against different parts of her body, eventually causing a tickling sensation.
Mr. Copper watches Astra's face to check if she has entered her subconscious. Using a small flashlight, he gently opens her right eye, then her left.
After confirming, Mr. Copper moves slightly closer to Astra, waiting for her next reactions.
"You are now standing in front of the Dream Gateway. In front of you, there's a door. Carefully, please open the yellow door," Mr. Copper begin.
~ To be Continued ~