Full-body diving into dreams has become my new favorite pastime. I can easily practice using my powers without cost or risk.
I've also noticed that my Book of the Dream has been filling up pages whenever I enter a new dream. It records the dream, and even stores them. Which means I can enter that dream even if the original dreamer isn't dreaming it anymore. Which also means I'll be by myself in the dream.
I have yet to try going into any of these stored dreams. I wanted to reach some goals before trying one of them out.
One of those goals is to reach class 3. Which I've finally done midway into Spring. Going into this new year had left me feeling odd at first. 2109 really made my situation settle into my mind.
Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's felt gray without them. So I just kept focusing on improving my powers.
Reaching class 3 didn't increase my Dema capacity like before. There was a qualitative increase. I can now use 60,000 Dema. Class 3 is indeed a barrier of quality. Where superpowers start to really matter.
I had already picked out what dream I would go inside of first. One of the first dreams that were stored during the Winter season. Where a land of snow and sparkling winds was dreamt up. Completely safe.
In the middle of the night, I dove into the dreamscape and entered the Winter dream.
I felt the cold, and saw the sparkling winds under a starry night sky. I looked around to see if there was anything different. I did not see anything different. However, I began to feel different. A chill that felt soothing. Like an icepack on a bruise.
"I wonder..."
I flick my hand to shoot out an icicle. I began to notice a difference from when I've done the same before.
"It's easier, and cheaper."
An icicle of that size was about half a Dema. Now it was just under half a Dema.
I began to realize what a stored dream can offer. It can increase my affinity for certain powers, making them cheaper to use. Even if only has a small effect. Any effect is worth the time in a stored dream.
Now is their a limit to what this dream can offer? Can I stay and increase my affinity indefinitely?
I decided to hang around in the dream to find out. After a few "hours" within this Winter dream, the soothing chill stopped being felt. Now I can shoot three normal icicle projectiles for one Dema. A good gain.
Although my affinity can only be boosted a limited amount, I am satisfied. I'll have to spend time going through stored dreams that fit my preferences. I do like elemental powers, and I have various stored dreams that are related to elements.
The days at the orphanage were easy. Nights full of exploring the dreamscape and days of imagination. Easy days never stay forever. Sometimes they're hard by life, or made hard by yourself.
This day was made hard by myself.
"That boy, Lawrence has been skipping school and not even returning to the orphanage some nights."
"Yes, I heard he is involved with some gang nowadays. Which is hard to believe. Lawrence has always been more on the timid side."
Lawrence? I know who that is. A kid about the same age, we've taken classes together. He indeed is on the timid side. Why would he be involved with a gang?
I decided to wait out the night and see if he comes back to his room to sleep. Penetrative vision doesn't cost much to use for a seconds after all. I've been looking at his room from mine every 10 minutes. It's past midnight and he still isn't back.
Perhaps he is sleeping in another place tonight?
I decide to dive into the dreamscape and see if I can't find his dream. After so many months, I've gotten a good understanding of how to navigate it. I've gone into one of his dreams before too. Whenever I've exited a dream, I've noticed a little direction tingle whenever I think about the dreamer again in the dreamscape. A nifty sense. Distance doesn't exactly exist in the dreamscape unless I believe it does. Therefore, I hold on to the tingle and move myself to where I feel it in an instant.
I see a page where I can see Lawrence dreaming inside. Like watching a movie on a projector screen, but paper. I step in and look around.
The dream has an urban setting.
"Take this and go push it you little shit."
A nightmare, rather than a normal dream. I step into the page and watch as Lawrence takes the drugs to a street corner. Before long, he gets beat up by an addict and the drugs are stolen. He goes back to the gang leader, and gets beat up again for losing product. Then he receives another bag. The same thing happens again. It just repeats in a loop.
I sigh, "I've seen enough."
I snap my finger, and the dream begins to change. Lawrence has always been a great fan of flowers. Not a typical thing for a boy, but he has a kind heart. too soft to be doing this sort of thing.
The urban cityscape begins to be covered with colorful flowers of countless varieties. The sounds of human activity fade away. Now Lawrence is in a pleasant dream.
I have his location now that I've found his dream. Time to free my fellow orphan. I exited the dreamscape and appeared back in my room. I covered myself in thick black smoke, negated my sound, and flew out the window of my room.
Now that I have a capacity of a bit above 60,000 Dema. I can afford the dozens of Dema per second to fly to another part of the city. That other part of the city is a rather rundown location. Crappy apartment buildings, plenty of buildings that are condemned or abandoned. Homeless all over the place. Perfect place for a gang of scum to reside. A place Lawrence is too soft for.
I set myself up in a building across from the gang headquarters. I've realized that these people are the same gangbangers that I killed that one day whilst training.
Since so many are sleep, perhaps I can take advantage of that. Acting in the real world consumes Dema. However, in the dreamscape, energy isn't a problem. Just my mental stamina and imagination.
From my spot, I re-enter the dreamscape. Even though I have never done this, the idea is clear. People can walk in their sleep. It isn't far-fetched to say they can do more than walk. I give the sleeping gangbangers nightmares that makes them move while sleeping. Nightmares that drive to randomly fight and kill out of fear. A normal nightmare will seldom do such a thing. A nightmare of my own design is far worse than they've ever experienced. Especially since I've made it to where they don't wake up until I want them too.
This level of control has always been a hypothetical. I never thought I would put the idea to the test so soon. The result speaks for itself though. As the numerous sleep fighting criminals are killing others and the awake ones; I go to where Lawrence is. He is now wide awake. I put him to sleep with a puff of sleeping dust though. I throw him over my shoulder and fly off. As I had more than enough Dema for the trip back at about 50k Dema.
I didn't care if the gang disappeared or not. Massive damage was all I wanted. They wouldn't have the time to care about Lawrence or even remember him after such a night.
I placed Lawrence in his room, tucked him in and went back to my own room. Then I went back to sleep for a deed well done.