Eze woke up in his bed, feeling groggy but somewhat refreshed. The familiar sights and sounds of his room greeted him.
The pallid, white ceiling was still adorned with delicate, desolate cobwebs. The morning breeze, still wafted through the open window, causing the light curtains. And the ceiling fan still ran.
Rubbing his eyes, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He took a few steps, stretching his arms and yawning, thinking "This might actually be a good day."
But then, as he took another step, the ground beneath him disappeared.
Instead, he fell deeper into a dark, seemingly infinite void. He looked around omni-directionally. There was nothing there with him but darkness.
"Anansi, what's going on?"
No answer.
His heart pounded in his chest. Was this a nightmare? A hallucination? Or something else entirely?
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the fall came to an abrupt halt. He found himself suspended in midair, surrounded by the inky blackness that seemed to stretch on forever. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, but there was nothing to see. Nothing but darkness.
And then, along came the spider.
From the shadows emerged a small, glowing figure—a spider, its Blue and Black body, gleaming with an otherworldly light
"Do you like what I have done with the place?" he said.
"The place. Which place? Where am I again Anansi?" he asked. "What did you do to my room?"
"Eze, since when have you ever had a ceiling fan." the Spider retorted.
He stopped himself. "Huh."
"Welcome, to the Dream World Eze."
Suddenly, the oppressive darkness that had surrounded them started to dissipate, like ink bleeding away from a page. It didn't just vanish; it morphed, terastalizing into shapes and forms that soon became recognizable. Colours seeped into the void, first muted and then vibrant, bringing the surroundings to life. Before his eyes, an expansive cityscape emerged, the sprawling 'metropolis' of Lagos.
Eze found himself standing on the roof of a massive skyscraper, none like Nigeria had ever seen, towering high above the bustling streets below. The building's surface was sleek and modern, with glass panels reflecting the emerging sunlight. From this vantage point, he could see the city stretching out in every direction.
The air up here was different—crisp and fresh, with a faint hint of the ocean breeze from the distant coastline.
"How...how are you doing this Anansi?" Eze muttered to himself, awestruck by the panoramic view.
"Simple Eze. I am in your head. And by extension, your inner consciousness. We are bonded, meaning we are meant to be one. Due to that..."
A massive crocodile, standing on his hind legs suddenly appeared, dressed in a fancy suit. It whipped out a table from some sort of pocket space and pulled Eze to one of its seats.
"I can manipulate everything in your dream."
"So...'m sleeping right now?" Eze asked, as he observed the view.
"Yes, you are. I assume you know what you are here for."
"No, how could I? I barely know what's going on here."
"Then let us cut to the chase. You are here to train."
"Train? Why? I handled myself pretty well against those crooks!"
"Oh, did you?"
Suddenly, the entire city morphed around itself, the skyscrapers and bustling streets of Lagos twisting and contorting like a living organism. The transformation was rapid and disorienting, and in a blink, Eze found himself standing in the pristine park of Ikeja GRA once more. Before him stood the area boys from before. But for some reason, their faces were replaced with darkened-out voids.
"So now you're going to put me against those guys again? After specifically teaching me how to beat them?"
With a determined flick of his wrist, he expected a thread to shoot out.
But nothing came.
He glanced down at his wrist with a confused look on his face. By the time he looked up, the area boys were already within striking distance.
"Huh."
Before he could prepare himself, the first boy's punch landed with the force of nine full-speed freight trains, sending Eze hurtling through the air. Before he could recover, the second boy caught him mid-flight, swinging him around with such ferocity that the air itself seemed to shatter with a massive sonic boom as he let go.
In the blur of motion, Eze saw the first boy waiting, bat in hand. With a spinning leap, the boy struck Eze in the torso with a bone-crushing impact. The force of the blow sent shockwaves of pain radiating through Eze's body, each bone feeling as if it were shattering under the pressure. He was launched into the air, the ground rapidly shrinking beneath him.
As he ascended, the sensation of pain was overwhelming, like a thousand needles piercing every inch of his flesh. His vision blurred, the world below becoming a distant memory as he was propelled higher and higher. The air grew thinner, he felt hotter.
Then, through the haze of agony, he saw the moon. Its pale light cast an otherworldly glow, its craters and ridges coming into sharp focus as he continued his seemingly endless ascent. The moon was cold and distant, yet so massive, dwarfing everything he had ever known.
Its pale light cast an otherworldly glow, but then, it began to shift and twist, morphing into the familiar shape of Anansi, the spider.
"As you can see Eze, you've been exposed."Anansi's voice echoed, seemingly coming from everywhere at once... "You were only able to survive that first encounter by sheer luck, despite the opportunities I've given you."
Eze felt himself being pulled farther out of orbit, disorienting him further.
"Tell me, in both encounters, did you ever throw a single punch?"
Even if he wanted to reply, he couldn't. He could feel his lungs inflating and tearing themselves apart. He could feel himself boiling and freezing at the same time.
Then, he found himself again, in a bare desert. With Anansi right beside him.
"You can't fight. That is why you must train."
His injuries had somehow vanished. He was whole again.
"Ok Anansi, this is probably the most freaky thing you've done yet. Even more than the time loop."
"Well, good luck. Cause until I deem you fit to continue, get ready to never sleep soundly, ever, again."
He winced at the thought of this. But at this point, there was quite literally nothing that he could do. I mean, he didn't even know how he could escape.
He crossed his legs and faced the spider again.
"Well, the least you can do is stop leaving me in the dark."
"Fair enough."
And then, the desert morphed into an empty classroom, with the Spider now wearing tiny little glasses, and holding a marker.
"Pay attention here, Eze." he said. "It's Exposition time."
"Eze, let me explain how this dream world operates. You are currently immersed in a realm that exists solely within your subconscious. This space is not bound by the conventional rules of reality. Instead, it's a construct of your inner mind, shaped and controlled by me."
Eze listened intently, trying to process the information.
"This dream world is essentially a vast multiverse—a boundless, layered reality comprised of infinite parallel space-time continuum. All contained in your head. Within this realm, the boundaries of space and time are fluid. I can manipulate this world at will, and alter the environments and scenarios to suit our needs. Mind you, every human has access to their own dream world. None, however, has ever been able to unlock it. Luckily for you, you have a Spider-god with you. One who is very skilled with dreams."
Anansi continued, his voice taking on a more instructive tone. " Because of the way I've been able to structure this place, I can emulate real life for you. Due to that, the training you undergo here has a direct impact on your physical capabilities in the real world. Every skill you master, every ounce of endurance you build, and every technique you learn in this dream space translates into tangible improvements in your waking life."
Eze frowned, absorbing the implications. "So, if I train here, I'll actually get stronger in reality?"
"Precisely," Anansi confirmed. "This dream world serves as a hyper-accelerated environment where you can push your limits beyond what's possible in the real world. The techniques and abilities you develop here are designed to enhance your physical prowess and mental resilience."
Eze glanced around, considering the implications. "And what about forgetting things?"
Anansi's eyes gleamed with a reassuring light. "The nature of this training ensures that everything you learn here will stay with you. The process is structured so that each day you improve, your growth is integrated into your core abilities. There's no risk of losing what you've gained."
The spider paused for a moment before adding, "Although, I must mention. You will be sleeping a lot. But it is worth it if you ask me."
Eze just rolled his eyes.
"You just told me a lot of blabber here, Anansi." he started. "But as usual, there's nothing that I can do about it. Just one thing."
"Yes?"
"Why can't I control my own dream world?"
"I am sure you will be able to one day. For now, you simply aren't strong enough to overpower me." the spider said, confidently.
"Only Eze Adi has no control over his literal mind," he muttered.
"Not my fault to be honest. Just know, training begins tomorrow."