Queen Bee marveled at the space around her. It was different from any of the other dreams she had seen.
The azure sky flowed above them clear and brilliant. Although there was no sun, the world itself seemed effused with light.
Around her was a fluffy field of white.
Spectators, though few, were situated on wispy white seats that seemed to be made of vapor.
'Clouds! They are sitting on… clouds.' Bee had fought in many unique venues in her years dueling in the Dreamscape but none had ever been among the clouds.
She looked down.
'Oh!'
Not only were they among the clouds, they were in the sky on top of them.
'I'm standing on a cloud! Well, sort of," Bee corrected her thinking.
Really, she was hovering over it. Did clouds count as ground? Would her feet fall through if she tried to actually stand?
'Fireshing!' If the ground were not solid, then only those Awakened with the ability to float or fly would have any chance to battle here! Had they, in their haste, chosen that poorly?!
'I'm here.' The auburn-haired Awakened answered through their mental link.
Spinning around, Bee found her friend standing on the cloud as if it were solid ground. Either there was ground hidden in the ethereal wisps or the clouds themselves had actual substance. Whatever the reason, the result was that the arena functioned like any of the other dreams–with one exception.
'There is no edge!' Fireshing furrowed her brow.
'I was just noticing that. Be careful.' The gap between the end of the arena and the stands might not be a problem for Bee, but the fiery Awakened with her could fall off and be eliminated if she did not watch her step.
'You too.' Fire's kindness made Bee smile beneath the Fraudulent Facade.
The Queen's eyes danced with anticipation. She hadn't felt this kind of thrill in quite some time. Everything was new and exciting. They both had a clean slate. The victory was theirs for the taking.
Then…nothing happened.
'Where is the other team?' Fire echoed Bee's confusion.
'I am not sure. We must have chosen the dream first.' Bee reasoned.
It explained why the stadium had so few real spectators. The last battle had ended with both teams leaving. Only a few dedicated individuals were mixed in with the angelic beings perched to cheer on the group.
Fire summoned her spear. The slender weapon sat comfortably in her hand. 'How long do you think we will have to…'
"Dawnbreak has entered the Floating Canopy." The voice of the Dreamscape carried through the sky. "Dawnbreak has challenged Queen Bee and Fireshing."
Four individuals appeared in the empty space before Bee and Fire: three men and one woman.
Bee studied their faces and the names over their head to see if there were any she recognized. While she only knew a few of the groups that frequented the Dreamscape, there were some that liked to dip their toes in both the group and individual competitions.
'Paradise in Red, Sleepless, Snowmobile and Thorai. Do any of those names ring a bell for you, Fire?'
'None enough to be helpful,' Fireshing gave a small shake of her head. 'You?'
'The first sounds familiar, but I have nothing on the others.' Bee answered. Both ladies smirked.
'It's time to have some fun.' Fire whirled the spear around her torso as the tip began to glow.
Bee summoned her estoc, allowing the Unlikely End time to form into being.
On the opposing team, the three men formed a protective wall in front of their female counterpart. The woman, Thorai, allowed them to shield her. Shutting her eyes, she seemed disinterested in the whole affair.
In contrast, Paradise in Red was poised and ready for action. At the front of the trio, the young warrior in blood-red armor smiled viciously as his espadon gleamed in the sunlight.
The sinister blade was poised to cleave one or both ladies in two at the slightest provocation. The thought was humbling.
There was something about the crimson warrior that was unnerving, and that discomfort only intensified when the duelist to his right summoned his blade.
Sleepless, well, he looked exactly as his name suggested. His eyes looked like he had not rested in quite some time. Maybe he feared the Dream Realm and its horrors. Or he had just seen too many of them. His charred armor added to his ghoulish appearance.
The third gentleman, Snowmobile, was the most enigmatic of the three. His face was covered by a horned mask that reminded the Queen of a certain duelist she would rather not think about just now.
His body was covered in a tapestry of armor that was different from other Memories which Queen Bee had seen. Either the man was part of a legacy clan or he could craft the Memories himself. The effect was chilling.
Taking it all in, a shiver went down Bee's spine. But she did not let her eyes show her trepidation. They swirled with emotion, defiantly challenging each of the opponents as they met her gaze.
With measured precision, the members of Dawnbreak took their positions in a diamond and paused.
"So it is true," Paradise in Red's smile grew wider. "The Queen decided to make a team."
The other two men exchanged glances behind Paradise's back. They, too, were rife with anticipation.
The groups sized each other up for a moment. There was a lot of information to take in. Anything that could be gleaned needed to be communicated quickly through [the Other's Voice].
Bee frowned. 'We need to take out Sleepless first. The amount of rage coming off of him is insane. My intuition says he could be fueling the others with that energy.'
The floating duelist had no way to prove her hunch, but she had learned that those with either extreme emotions or no emotions were usually the most dangerous adversaries. The former acted too irrationally and the latter were too calculated. Because Sleepless fell in the former, he would not go down easily.
There was a second problem.
'Thorai in the back…' Fireshing lifted her spear.
'I know,' Bee nodded inwardly. She had sensed it as well. '...something about her is off.'
They had no more time to discuss. The time for peace was over.
Paradise in Red and Sleepless surged forward in a coordinated attack on Queen Bee.
At the same moment, Snowmobile pressed his hands together as his fingers twitched like the spinnerets of a spider forming a web. Golden strings appeared as he separated his palms.
The glimmering strands solidified and began to glow with a white-hot light. It was so bright that even the pure clouds paled in comparison.
The liquefied light shot from Snowmobile's hands and straight at Bee.
The Queen's eyes went wide.
A three-on-one battle was not something Queen Bee had ever experienced in the Dreamscape. Apart from the preliminary rounds of the tournament, she had only ever fought other humans one at a time.
But now she had two blades and a ball of blistering light hurtling right at her head.
As much as the duelist thought she had mentally prepared for the onslaught to come, Bee had come to realize one thing in the split second it took for everything to occur.
She was wrong. There was no amount of preparation for this. Only trial by fire.