Ryu jolted awake, his heart pounding and his breath ragged. He opened his eyes and was greeted by a hellish sight. Buildings were collapsing like dominoes, fires were raging like infernos, and smoke was choking the air. He could hear screams of agony and fear, mixed with the deafening sound of explosions and gunshots. He felt a surge of panic. He knew this place. He had been here before.
He muttered to himself, "Another nightmare, huh?" He got up and grabbed a gun from a nearby cabinet. It had some bullets left. He ducked behind a wall and fired at a strange creature in the distance. It looked like a small purple alien with one big round eye.
He gasped, "Is that an alien?" He recognized it from a movie he had watched earlier.
He thought, "Oh! It's that alien from D#ty Aft#r Sch##l!" He knew he had no chance against it. He sprinted for his life, dodging fallen debris and wrecked cars. He grabbed anything he could find and hurled it behind him, hoping to slow down the alien horde.
He yelled, "Darn it! Why did I even watch that movie!" He checked the gun and cursed his luck. It couldn't kill those little aliens. More of them appeared in front of him. He glanced behind him and saw a horde of aliens chasing him. He clenched his teeth and gripped his gun. He was not going to give up without a fight. He shouted, "Come on, you ugly bastards! Is that all you got?"
This was Ryu Sakka. He had never been normal. When he was 9 years old, he started having nightmares every night. He consulted many psychologists, but they couldn't help him. They didn't know why it happened. Especially, when he had no traumas. He had to cope with it on his own, since his parents were hardly around. As he grew up, he got used to it.
But his nightmares got worse over time. They became longer and more vivid. They drained his energy and made him avoid social interactions. He was not bullied, but he was also ignored.
One day, as he was busy looking for a way to end his nightmare, he noticed a child who lost his ball and ran after it in the middle of the road. He would have ignored him before, but he heard a loud horn of a truck heading his way. Something made him act. He dashed to save the child. He pushed him to the side of the road. He thought, "He's finally safe." But he knew he wasn't. Everything froze. Everything slowed down. He thought this was what dying looked like.
He heard a loud bang and felt his bones crack. He didn't know what happened next, but he woke up in the hospital with a broken left foot. His body was covered in bandages and braces.
That night, Ryu expected to have another nightmare as usual, but he felt something strange. His dreams felt real. He could smell the blood and rot of the zombies, feel the sweat on his forehead, hear the screams of his comrades. He was in a military base, surrounded by the undead. He had a rifle in his hands and a few grenades on his belt. He had to protect the base from the zombies trying to get in.
He ran to the watchtower, where he had a better view of the situation. He saw hundreds of zombies crawling over the fences, breaking through the gates, and biting the soldiers. He aimed and fired, taking down as many as he could. He threw a grenade at a large group of zombies, creating a huge explosion. He felt a rush of adrenaline and satisfaction.
After he successfully defended the base, he celebrated with the others and expected it to end soon. But then he noticed something odd. A gold coin appeared out of nowhere, floating in front of him. It was shiny and bright, with strange symbols on it. He was amazed and curious. He reached out to grab it, wondering what it was and what it meant.
As soon as he touched it, a bright light blinded him. He felt a jolt of pain and a surge of energy. He heard a voice in his head, saying, "Congratulations, you acquired Dream Coin. Welcome to Dreamer's Paradise."
Ryu woke up with a start. He was in his bed, in his room, in the hospital. He looked around, confused and disoriented. He checked his phone. It was 7 a.m. He frowned at the thought of staying in the hospital for another week.
He rubbed his eyes and tried to recall his dream. It was so vivid and intense, unlike any of his previous nightmares. He wondered what the gold coin was and what the voice meant. He felt a cold and heavy object in his pocket, pressing against his leg. He reached in and pulled out something. It was the gold coin. He gasped and dropped it on the floor. It made a loud clink.
He picked it up and examined it closely. It was real, not a figment of his imagination. It had the same symbols as in his dream, engraved on its surface. His phone buzzed and it made him jump. A strange notification popped up on his screen.
"Put your thumb here while holding the dream coin on your other hand to register the coin." Ryu frowned and said, "What the heck is this?" But he was too curious to ignore it. He did what the screen said, hoping for an explanation. The coin suddenly disappeared in his hands and his phone buzzed again.
"1x Dream Coin has been registered. Please use it wisely." Ryu felt a chill down his spine. He realized that his dream was not as simple as it seemed. It looked like it came straight from a fantasy book.
He noticed an unfamiliar app installed on his phone. He tapped on the app icon, curious and cautious. It was a simple interface, with a black background and a white logo. It looked like a coin with a star in the middle. He saw a menu with four options: Dream, Store, Link, and Settings.
He clicked on Dream, wondering what it would do. He saw a list of categories, such as Adventure, Romance, Horror, Comedy, and more. He scrolled down and saw a category called Custom. He clicked on it and saw a blank screen with a text box. It said, "Enter the name of the dream you want to create."
Ryu thought for a moment, then typed, "Island Vacation." He had always wanted to visit a tropical island, and he wanted to see how it would feel like. He pressed Enter and waited. A loading bar appeared, then a message popped up. It said, "Dream created. Do you want to enter now?"
Ryu hesitated, then clicked Yes. He felt a wave of warmth wash over his body, then his vision faded to black. He opened his eyes and found himself on a beautiful beach, with white sand and clear water. He felt the sun on his skin and the breeze on his hair. He heard the waves and the birds. He smelled the salt and the flowers. He felt a surge of joy and serenity fill his heart.
He looked around and saw a small hut with a hammock and a coconut drink, inviting him to relax. He saw a boat with a fishing rod and a snorkel, tempting him to explore. He saw a palm tree with a swing and a book, offering him to enjoy. He saw a sign that said, "Welcome to Island Vacation. This is a custom dream created by you. You can exit anytime by saying 'Wake up'. You can also invite other dreamers to join you by using the Link option. Have fun and relax."
Ryu smiled and said, "This is amazing. I can't believe this is real." He walked to the hut and sat on the hammock. He took a sip of the coconut drink and felt a burst of sweetness. He closed his eyes and let out a tear. He whispered, "This is the first time in three years that I've dreamt of something nice." He hugged himself and smiled, feeling a tear roll down his cheek.