Innocence blinked, the memory fading as they came back to the present. They were still huddled in the old water tower, the Morpheus Stone warm in their pocket.
Outside, sirens wailed in the distance.
"Man, what a crazy two weeks it's been," Innocence muttered, running a hand through their long, magenta hair.
It fell to their tailbone in waves, the tips a warm coral that seemed to glow even in the dim light of their hiding spot.
Innocence's mind raced, trying to make sense of everything that had happened since that night in the psych ward. Meeting the Jester, entering the dream world, becoming Phantasm... it all felt like, well, a dream.
But it wasn't. It was real. As real as the stone in their pocket, as real as the cops searching for them outside.
Innocence pulled out the Morpheus Stone, holding it up to their mismatched eyes. The deep azure of their left eye and the glowing amber of their right reflected in its shifting surface.
"What are you, really?" Innocence whispered to the stone. "And why does everyone want you so bad?"
The stone, of course, didn't answer. But holding it made Innocence's skin tingle, like static electricity but... more. It felt alive somehow, pulsing with a power Innocence could almost taste.
A sudden bang from outside made Innocence jump. They pocketed the stone quickly, heart pounding.
"Come out with your hands up!" a voice boomed. "We have the building surrounded!"
*Crap,* Innocence thought. *How did they find me?*
Panic started to bubble up in Innocence's chest, but they pushed it down. This wasn't the time to freak out. They needed to think like Phantasm, the greatest dream thief in history.
*Okay, think. What would Phantasm do?*
Innocence closed their eyes, remembering how it felt to manipulate dreams. The rush of power, the way reality bent to their will. If only they could do that here, in the real world...
And then, like a lightbulb going off in their head, Innocence had an idea.
*The stone,* they thought. *It's from the dream world. Maybe... maybe I can use it here?*
It was a long shot, but hey, two weeks ago Innocence had been stuck in a psych ward. Long shots were kind of their thing now.
Carefully, Innocence took out the Morpheus Stone again. They cupped it in both hands, focusing all their attention on it.
*Come on,* Innocence thought. *Work with me here. Show me what you can do.*
At first, nothing happened. The stone just sat there, warm and slightly pulsing. Innocence felt a flicker of disappointment.
But then...
A tiny spark jumped from the stone to Innocence's fingertip.
It didn't hurt. In fact, it felt... good. Like a jolt of caffeine straight to the brain.
Innocence gasped as energy flooded through them. Suddenly, they could *feel* the dream world, so close it was almost touchable.
A thin veil separated this reality from that one, and the Morpheus Stone was the key to crossing over.
*Well,* Innocence thought with a grin, *let's see what this baby can do.*
Clutching the stone tightly, Innocence focused on the wall of the water tower. In their mind, they imagined it turning soft and pliable, like warm clay.
To their amazement, the metal began to ripple and warp.
Innocence reached out and pushed their hand right through it, as easily as if it were water.
"Holy crap," Innocence whispered, eyes wide with wonder. "I did it!"
But there was no time to celebrate. The cops were getting closer, their footsteps echoing on the metal stairs leading up to the water tower.
Taking a deep breath, Innocence stepped through the softened wall. For a moment, they teetered on the edge of the tower, looking down at the dizzying drop below.
*Don't think,* Innocence told themselves. *Just do.*
And with that, they jumped.
As they fell, Innocence clutched the Morpheus Stone tightly and focused with all their might. They thought of clouds, of feathers, of things light and airy.
Their descent slowed, then stopped altogether. Innocence floated gently to the ground, landing as softly as if they'd stepped off a curb.
"Freeze!" a cop shouted, spotting them.
But Innocence was already running, the stone's power thrumming through their veins. They felt invincible, unstoppable.
As they ran, Innocence's mind drifted back to their first days in the dream world.
The rush of discovery, the thrill of learning what they could do...
---
Innocence stood in a field of impossible flowers, each bloom a different color and shape. Some looked like trumpets, others like stars.
A few even seemed to be singing softly.
Suddenly, they heard a strange sound from above.
Looking up, they saw a figure slowly descending from the sky, holding onto an oversized, colorful umbrella that seemed to defy gravity in a cartoonish way.
It was the Jester, his patchwork clothes even more garish in the dream world's vibrant light. He landed softly next to Innocence, the umbrella folding itself up with a comical 'pop'.
"Every dream is a story," the Jester said, his painted smile wide. "And every story needs a hero. Or..." His grin widened. "A villain. Which will you be, I wonder?"
Innocence looked around at the fantastical landscape, feeling a thrill of excitement. "Why not both?"
The Jester's laugh echoed through the air, sounding like tinkling bells. "Now you're getting it! In dreams, in stories, you can be anything.
Everything.
You're limited only by your imagination."
He snapped his fingers, and suddenly the field of flowers was gone.
Innocence found themselves standing on a pirate ship, salt spray in their face and a sword in their hand.
"Write your story," the Jester's voice echoed, though he was nowhere to be seen. "Make it a good one!"
Innocence grinned, raising the sword high.
With a thought, they transformed the ship into a spaceship, the sea into a starry expanse.
"Oh, I will," Innocence promised. "I'll write the best story ever."
With a final echoing laugh, the Jester disappeared in a puff of confetti, leaving Innocence alone in the vastness of their newly created space.
---
Back in the present, Innocence skidded around a corner, the memory fading.
The cops were still in pursuit, but their shouts were getting fainter.
The Morpheus Stone's power was giving Innocence an edge, letting them move faster, jump higher, than any normal person could.
But Innocence knew they couldn't run forever. They needed a plan, a place to hide and figure out their next move.
As if in answer to their thoughts, Innocence spotted an old, abandoned theater up ahead. The marquee was faded and peeling, but something about it called to Innocence.
Without hesitation, they darted towards it.
The front doors were chained shut, but with a touch of the Morpheus Stone, the chains turned to dust.
Innocence slipped inside, closing the doors behind them. The theater was dark and musty, filled with the ghosts of long-ago performances.
As their eyes adjusted to the gloom, Innocence made their way down the aisle towards the stage.
Their footsteps echoed in the empty space, stirring up memories of their lessons in the dream world.
In the dusty, abandoned theater, Innocence smiled at the memory. They climbed onto the stage, feeling an echo of that long-ago excitement.
"Time to write a new chapter," Innocence murmured, pulling out the Morpheus Stone.
Its glow seemed brighter here, as if it recognized a kindred spirit in this place of stories and dreams.
Innocence held the stone high, its light casting long shadows across the empty seats.
In that moment, they felt the boundary between reality and dreams grow thin.
With a mischievous grin, Innocence began to weave a new dream, right here in the waking world.
The dusty curtains rippled and shimmered, taking on the deep red velvet of the dream theater.
Ghostly audience members began to flicker into existence, their forms translucent but growing more solid by the second.
As sirens wailed in the distance, Innocence felt a thrill of excitement.
The real adventure was just beginning.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Innocence announced to their imaginary audience, taking a bow. "Welcome to the greatest show in two worlds.
Let's hope I don't bring the house down... literally."
With a laugh, Innocence began to spin a dream that would change everything.
The line between reality and fantasy was about to get very, very blurry.
And Innocence?
They were going to enjoy every minute of it.
***
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