Innocence bounced on their toes, practically vibrating with excitement. It had been a week since their first day in the Dream Dojo, and things were about to get interesting.
Today, they were going to face their first real challenge - a battle against one of the lower-ranked Dreamweavers.
*Alright, folks,* Innocence thought to their imaginary audience, *it's showtime! Bet you a million dream dollars I'll have this Dreamweaver tied up in knots before they can say "sweet dreams"!*
Aria stood nearby, her ever-changing face settling into a mix of excitement and worry. "Remember, Innocence, this isn't just about winning.
We need to see how you handle real dream combat."
Innocence gave her a thumbs up and a wink. "No sweat, boss lady!
I've got more tricks up my sleeve than a magician at a card convention!"
As they waited for their opponent to arrive, Innocence felt a weird tingle in the back of their head.
It had been happening a lot lately, like there was something just out of reach, a power they couldn't quite grasp.
*Huh, there's that funky feeling again,* Innocence mused. *Maybe I ate some bad dream pizza or something.*
Before they could think about it more, the doors of the Dream Dojo swung open.
In walked a Dreamweaver, looking all serious and important in their fancy robes.
"Innocence, meet Morpheus," Aria said. "He's one of our mid-level Dreamweavers. He'll be your opponent today."
Morpheus bowed stiffly. "I look forward to testing your abilities, newcomer."
Innocence grinned and did a little curtsy. "Pleasure to meet ya, Morphy!
Hope you're ready to have your mind blown... literally!"
Morpheus frowned at the nickname, but took his place on the other side of the Dojo.
Aria moved to the side, raising her hand.
"Begin!" she called, dropping her hand.
Immediately, Morpheus went into action.
He waved his hands, and the floor of the Dojo turned into quicksand.
*Oh, starting with the classics, are we?* Innocence thought, still grinning. *Let's show him how it's done!*
As the quicksand started to suck them down, Innocence didn't fight it.
Instead, they turned their body into a giant corkscrew.
With a 'boing!' sound, they drilled right through the quicksand and popped out the other side.
"Nice try, Morphy!" Innocence called. "But you're gonna have to do better than that!"
Morpheus looked surprised for a second, but quickly recovered.
He clapped his hands, and suddenly the air was full of floating bubbles.
But these weren't ordinary bubbles - each one contained a tiny nightmare, gnashing teeth and glowing eyes visible inside.
"Ooh, bubbles!" Innocence exclaimed. "I love bubbles!"
Instead of running away, Innocence started popping the bubbles one by one.
But each time they popped one, instead of a nightmare, out came a cute, fluffy bunny.
"Aw, look at the cute wittle bunnies!" Innocence cooed, as the Dojo quickly filled with hopping fluffballs.
Morpheus stared in disbelief. "How... how did you do that?"
Innocence winked. "Magic touch, my friend.
Everything's cuter with bunnies!"
*This is too easy,* Innocence thought. *Time to kick it up a notch!*
With a wave of their hand, Innocence turned the entire Dojo into a giant pinball machine. Morpheus yelped as he suddenly found himself as the pinball, bouncing off bumpers and flippers.
"Ten points!" Innocence yelled gleefully, as Morpheus ricocheted off a particularly springy bumper. "Twenty! Thirty! Ding ding ding, we have a winner!"
From the sidelines, Aria watched with wide eyes.
She'd never seen anyone manipulate dreams quite like this before.
Morpheus, looking dizzy and more than a little frazzled, finally managed to break free of the pinball machine. He steadied himself, a look of determination on his face.
"Enough games," he said sternly. "Let's see how you handle this!"
He raised his hands high, and the Dojo transformed into a complex labyrinth.
Walls sprung up everywhere, twisting and turning in impossible ways.
Morpheus disappeared into the maze.
"A maze? Cool!" Innocence said, not looking worried at all. "I love mazes! Especially when I can do this!"
Instead of trying to solve the maze, Innocence simply turned themselves into a giant ball. They started rolling through the labyrinth, smashing through walls like they were made of paper.
"Heeere's Innocence!" they shouted, bursting through another wall to find a very surprised Morpheus.
*Man, this is fun!* Innocence thought. *I could do this all day!*
But as they continued to barrel through the maze, that weird tingle in the back of their head got stronger.
It was like there was a door in their mind, locked tight, with something really powerful behind it.
*What's the deal with this fuzzy brain feeling?* Innocence wondered. *It's like I've got dream brain freeze or something.*
Shaking off the strange sensation, Innocence focused back on the fight.
Morpheus was trying his best, throwing everything he had at them.
He created fire-breathing dragons, giant squids, even a rain of grand pianos.
But Innocence turned the dragons into balloon animals, the squids into spaghetti, and used the pianos to play a jaunty tune as they danced around the Dojo.
"Is that all you got, Morphy?" Innocence called out, moonwalking away from a swarm of what used to be killer bees but were now tiny, flying ice cream cones. "Come on, give me a real challenge!"
Morpheus was panting now, looking both exhausted and amazed. "How... how are you doing this?
You're breaking every rule of dream manipulation!"
Innocence grinned. "Rules?
In dreams?
That's adorable.
Dreams don't have rules, silly!
They're dreams!"
With a final flourish, Innocence snapped their fingers.
Instantly, the entire Dojo froze, turning into a giant snow globe.
Morpheus found himself stuck in the middle, surrounded by gently falling glitter.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen," Innocence announced to their imaginary audience, "is how you dream like a pro!"
Aria waved her hand, ending the match.
As the snow globe faded away, she walked over, looking impressed and a little bit shocked.
"Innocence, that was... incredible," she said. "I've never seen anything like it.
You didn't just beat Morpheus, you completely rewrote the rules of the fight!"
Innocence did a little bow. "Aw, shucks.
You're making me blush.
It was nothing, really.
Just a little imagination and a lot of cartoon physics!"
But even as they joked, that strange feeling in their head was getting stronger. It was like their brain was itching from the inside.
*Okay, this is getting weird,* Innocence thought. *It's like there's a whole other me trying to bust out or something.*
Morpheus, finally free from the snow globe, approached them.
He looked humbled, but also excited. "Innocence, your power... it's unlike anything I've ever seen.
With abilities like that, you might actually stand a chance against the Reverie Sovereign!"
At the mention of the Sovereign, the tingle in Innocence's head suddenly spiked.
For a split second, they saw a flash of... something.
A giant lock, glowing with strange symbols.
*Whoa, what was that?* Innocence thought, blinking rapidly. *Did someone slip some crazy sauce into my dream juice?*
Aria, noticing Innocence's sudden daze, looked concerned. "Innocence? Are you alright?"
Innocence shook their head, plastering on a big grin. "Never better, boss lady!
Just thinking about how I'm gonna top this performance in the next round.
Maybe I'll turn the whole Dojo into a giant bowl of jello.
Ooh, or a bouncy castle made of clouds!"
But even as they joked, a part of Innocence's mind was racing.
That lock they saw... it felt important.
Like it was keeping something big, something powerful, locked away.
*Curiouser and curiouser,* Innocence thought. *Looks like we've got ourselves a mystery, folks! What's behind door number one in my brain?*
Aria was still looking at them closely. "Well, you've certainly proven yourself today.
But remember, the challenges will only get harder from here.
The Reverie Sovereign is on a whole other level."
Innocence nodded, trying to look serious (and failing miserably). "No worries, Aria.
I'm just getting warmed up.
By the time I'm done training, I'll be able to dream circles around that Sovereign guy.
Heck, I'll dream spirals and dodecahedrons around him!"
As Aria and Morpheus started discussing the match, Innocence's mind wandered back to that strange vision.
The lock, the symbols, the feeling of untapped power...
*Alright, brain,* Innocence thought, *what are you hiding in there? And more importantly, how do I pick that lock?
Because if there's one thing this dream thief loves, it's cracking open secrets!*
With a mischievous grin, Innocence started planning their next move.
Whatever this locked-away power was, they were determined to unleash it.
After all, rules were made to be broken, locks were made to be picked, and dreams... dreams were made to be stolen.
*Get ready, dream world,* Innocence thought, a glint of excitement in their eyes. *Things are about to get really interesting!*