As far as Noble knew, she had never met anyone who was stranded in the Dream Realm: those whose bodies were gone from the Waking World, but whose spirits lived on here.
Were they aware at the moment their bodies had perished? Or did they come to the gate only to find they could not return?
'Hopefully, I won't get that answer in a few moments from personal experience…' Noble steeled her nerves against whatever would come.
Her body was badly battered by her flaw, but her soul had taken the brunt of the hit. Surely she was overreacting.
Right?
She had a fleeting thought of seeing if Awakened Emer was around to let her know about the future, but his avoidance of her had been absolute for over a year and a half now.
Even if she found him, Noble doubted the man would tell her what she wanted to know.
So the professor entered the cavern of the gate with trepidation.
'Here goes nothing...three...two…one." Noble laid her hand on the gate.
Nothing happened.
'Don't panic...don't panic.' The woman's eyes swirled.
Removing her hand, Noble took a deep breath. Then she pressed her palm against the cool gateway again while she hovered imperceptibly above the stone floor.
Yet, in the Dream Realm, she remained.
Frozen in her spot, Noble's mind raced.
"I'm dead!"
No, that wasn't true. Her body had died. But she was still here.
'It isn't the end of the world. Just a setback.'
Noble steadied her breathing. Now was not the time to panic.
'Take things one step at a time. First things first. How will I get a message to Fort that I am alright? He must be devastated! I'll have to find a way to contact him as soon as possible…I know!'
The beginning of a plan formed in her mind.
When Venster came back, she would be sure to give him all the information for her husband. The government agent might have wanted to play messenger before, but now he would be one for real.
It would be a strained life to only be able to communicate via long distance.
Like penpals of days gone by. But what choice did she have?
The options for her going forward would be very limited.
Would she have to conquer the second nightmare simply to be reunited with her family?
'That might leave me worse off than I am n--'
Noble gasped.
The cave disappeared, replaced by an unfamiliar sleeping pod. A large pillow was placed against her chest to keep her body and face from pressing against the roof.
Disoriented, she instinctively pushed both the lid and pillow away from herself.
Noble tumbled out of the pod.
"Where am I?"
"You're awake!" a voice said huskily.
"I'm alive?!" Noble looked at her husband wide-eyed.
Fort, who had been sitting on his bed, rose and hobbled toward his wife. He gathered the woman up into his arms and held her tight.
"Is that proof enough that you are alive?" He asked.
"Yes," she answered, melting into his embrace.
"Sh, it's alright. I have been monitoring you. I wasn't sure if the pillow would be enough. I've been checking on you almost constantly to make sure you are breathing."
Tears flowed down Noble's face. She was really back.
In the moment of believing herself Lost, the professor had remained strangely calm. But now the terror of what could have been gripped her.
"You thought you were dead?" Fort creased his brow.
"I thought my body was. I was in so much pain when I passed out. And then I couldn't come back when I went to the gate." Noble shook her head. "I guess I was just too early."
That made the most sense. The professor could usually gauge down to the second when she needed to leave. However, with it being daytime instead of night while she was there and her soul being injured when she arrived, her internal clock must have been thrown off ever so slightly.
'Time flies when you are having fun but stands still when you are waiting…'
Those few seconds of doubt had been terrifying, but at least they were over now.
"I was counting the seconds too. You looked so fragile when you left me. I am glad to see that you are fine. I spoke with the engineer. He said you fought the thing that was attacking us. What happened out there?"
Because Fort had been in his cabin when everything had occurred, the Deputy Director had missed the battle between Noble and the Volitant Bludgeoner.
Noble was glad. It was one less trauma he would have to bear on her account.
After forcing Fort to sit down and keep his foot elevated, she hovered over one of the armchairs.
The professor looked up, remembering the scene. "The creature was intent on overturning the dining car while I was in it. I kept having to stop it from tipping by using my Ability. But the strain was too much for the train so the coupling broke. We were on two different sides of the divide."
"I see." Fort's words were calm, but his body was full of anxiety.
Noble looked down guiltily. "I know I said that I would tell you before I dove into a dangerous situation, but the danger was between you and me. I tried to attack the Bludgeoner, but he threw me into the ground. Hard.
"I focused all my emotional pain and fear onto the Monster and amplified it. I guess it worked. I got credit for the kill and a Memory. But I almost lost myself."
"Oh Bee," Fort sighed. "I am glad you are alright. That must have been torture for you."
'In more ways than one.' Noble put on a brave face. "I only hope I didn't worry you too much."
"You did." The man grinned. "But I forgive you."
It was nice to hear the teasing in his voice. His smile was better for her soul than any medicine.
"You said you spoke with the engineer?" For the first time, Noble became conscious of the fact that the train was moving again.
Fort nodded slowly, "He came by while the train was being repaired. I believe he wanted to have a rather stern conversation with you about how passengers are supposed to stay inside the train while it is moving, but I assured him you had learned your lesson."
"Trust me, I have." Noble had no intention of having history repeat itself. She planned to stay firmly ensconced in the cabin until they arrived.
"How far behind schedule are we? Do you know?" Noble was curious just how many meals she would be eating from the armchair.
"We were only stopped for a few hours. Whatever was broken, they must have had a spare part or an Awakened who could repair it. We should still be there close to on time– the day after tomorrow."
That was a relief. The sooner she got off this Nightmare Creature magnet without any more trouble, the better!
"Good…what's that?" Noble noticed a small package by the bed.
"Oh! I almost forgot! This was brought for you. The chef on board wanted to harvest some of the meat while we waited and sent you this as a thank you."
Fort unwrapped the cloth and pulled out a crystal shining with a dull radiance.
Noble smiled.
"It's been a long time since I've seen one of those."