.....
Ethan sat alone in his cramped apartment, the dim light of a flickering bulb casting long shadows across the worn floorboards. His gaze wandered aimlessly around the room, lingering on the peeling wallpaper and the threadbare furniture that bore the scars of countless years of neglect.
The symptoms of Infomia gnawed at his mind like a relentless predator, each passing moment bringing him closer to the brink of unconsciousness. A dull ache pulsed behind his eyes, a constant reminder of the impending darkness that threatened to consume him whole.
With a resigned sigh, Ethan shuffled across the room, his movements sluggish and heavy with fatigue. He spared a glance at the broken bed that lay in the corner, its rusted springs creaking in protest as he lowered himself onto its tattered surface.
As he lay there in the darkness, Ethan felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, dragging him down into the depths of unconsciousness. His eyelids grew heavy, their weight unbearable as he struggled to keep them open against the encroaching darkness.
And then, with a final, fleeting moment of resistance, Ethan succumbed to the embrace of sleep, his consciousness slipping away like grains of sand through an hourglass.
When he awoke, it was to a world shrouded in darkness, a realm of shadows and whispers that seemed to stretch out into infinity. Ethan blinked in confusion, his eyes adjusting slowly to the dim light that filtered through the swirling mist.
Around him stood others, their faces etched with fear and uncertainty as they surveyed their surroundings. Some whispered amongst themselves in hushed tones, while others simply stood in silence, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"What... what is this place?" Ethan murmured, his voice barely audible above the cacophony of whispers that filled the air.
No one had an answer, each one lost in their own thoughts and fears. But as Ethan looked into their eyes, he saw the same questions reflected back at him, the same uncertainty that gnawed at his own soul.
As if in response to their silent pleas, a figure emerged from the shadows, their features obscured by the shifting mists that enveloped them like a cloak of darkness.
"Welcome, travelers," the figure intoned, their voice echoing through the darkness like a ghostly whisper. "Welcome to the dreamscape."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat as he watched the figure approach, his mind reeling with a dizzying array of questions and suspicions. Who was this mysterious stranger, and what did they want with them in this strange and twisted realm?
But before he could voice his concerns, the figure vanished into the shadows once more, leaving Ethan and the others alone in the darkness with more questions than answers.