"I'm sorry," Cassandra said gently, "your husband is gone."
The wife sank into a chair, her hands trembling. "I should feel sad, shouldn't I? But… first, he was addicted to dream liquid, and I thought he was finally getting better. Life should have been easier for us. But he changed, he scared me." Her voice broke, and she took a shaky breath. "Is it wrong that I feel relieved? Does that make me evil?"
Cassandra shook her head, her tone reassuring. "He had gone past the point of no return. The magic had corrupted him. This was… the best end for him."
The woman closed her eyes and nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Thank you."
Cassandra softened her tone as she guided the questioning forward. "Do you remember if he met anyone new or did anything out of the ordinary before this change began?"
She tried to recall. "No… it happened so suddenly. One day he just came home with more money. Then it was more and more each day. Sometimes, he'd go out with a few of the other fishermen to… take dream liquid together."
"Is there anyone he may have confided in about his changes?"
She sighed. "He didn't even tell me he'd started practicing magic and became a Cursed. He barely associated with anyone, except his dream liquid buddies. They're… not good people. I tried to keep him away from them."
"I'll need their names and where we might find them," Cassandra said, taking notes.
"They're usually either on the boats or in the dream liquid bar at this time of day."
The wife provided a list of names and addresses, her hand steady despite her face's pale, worn look. Cassandra gave her a sympathetic nod, and they left.
Once outside, Cassandra turned to Sally. "Did you pick up on anything?"
Sally shook her head. "She's telling the truth, and I didn't sense anything unusual."
Cassandra sighed with some relief. "Good. Maybe this really is just a case of an unlucky man forming a connection withe Spirit Realm by chance. Let's report back, deal with the body, and then follow up on the names she gave us."
After reporting back to the Nightwatcher headquarters, the squad arrived at an elaborately decorated storefront. A grand sign overhead read: A Thousand Dreams — Experience All That Life Has to Offer. Even the building itself exuded indulgence, with rich colors and swirling designs beckoning passersby.
An attendant in an opulent uniform approached, bowing slightly. "Welcome, esteemed Nightwatchers. Naturally, all dream liquid is on the house for our honored guests."
The Traveler's gaze drifted to the side, where two burly men were dragging out a man who clung desperately to his empty bottle, begging for "just one more sip" of the vibrant rainbow liquid.
Cassandra frowned, clearly unimpressed. She held out a list to the attendant. "We're here looking for anyone on this list," she said, her disdain clear.
"Certainly," the attendant replied smoothly, barely concealing a note of disinterest as he glanced at the list. "Yes, we do have one of these gentlemen in a private room. Please, follow me."
They followed him down a series of narrow hallways and into a dimly lit room. A man sat slouched in a luxurious armchair, cradling a half-full bottle of the dream liquid. He muttered incoherently to an invisible figure, calling it "baby" and swaying in the fog of his stupor.
The Traveler watched the bottle with a mix of curiosity and distaste, recalling memories of dream liquid from Darkglades. With a mental nudge, he directed Lucian to inspect it.
Dream Liquid:
A magical potion that allows the user to enter a waking dream, experiencing and creating anything they desire. Price: An overwhelming desire to live within the dream, disconnecting from reality, leading to severe addiction.
Cassandra strode over, grabbed a nearby glass of water, and unceremoniously dumped it over the man's head. He jerked awake, fury flashing in his eyes—until he noticed the Nightwatcher uniforms. His expression shifted to one of nervous appeasement.
"Sam?" Cassandra asked firmly. "What do you know about him?"
The man squinted in confusion, then realization dawned. "Sam? Oh, 'Deep Pockets'! Wait… so he really was a Cursed?" He laughed bitterly. "Well, that explains his newfound fortune!"
Cassandra's gaze sharpened. "What do you know?"
"Not much," he admitted, scratching his head. "We all called him 'Deep Pockets' behind his back because he kept splashing out on dream liquid for us. That all started about a month ago. Since then, he's been acting odd… a little fishy, you might say. He seems to have more and more cash and he's a little smelly," He chuckled, though his laugh was nervous and forced.
A few more questions yielded little more, and with a final look at the man slumped back in his chair, they left.
As they walked, Lucian's voice echoed in the Traveler's mind, questioning the troubling existence of dream liquid. Why would they allow this poison here too? I thought it was just the Ezekiel family and Darkglades. But why is it the same in Rivendale?
The Traveler paused, gathering what he'd learned. It seems integral to this world's structure, he answered thoughtfully. Dream liquid creates a class of people who will do anything for money, some of whom will willingly take on others' prices to survive. Without substances like this, who would cultivate Earthroot or become "priests" of charity? The demand for labor—and sacrifices—would never be met. Just like the fact if you weren't desperate enough, I would not be here to save the world right?
His thoughts returned to the situation at hand, and he asked Cassandra aloud, "Why do they allow dream liquid to exist here in Rivendale? Surely, it can't be good for society."
She hesitated, a shadow crossing her face. "Dream liquid sales make up more than a quarter of Rivendale's revenue. And we are an exception, because of healing potions. For most city it is majority of their source of income. It supports the city's wealth and gives people a place to spend their money—and perhaps escape. It's an unfortunate necessity… a sacrifice that others must make. Beside who are we deny the mass, a chance to have happiness," Her words trailed off, but her expression was grave.
After a moment of silence, Cassandra looked back up. "For now, let's finish our investigation. Sam's dream liquid friends were a dead end. Perhaps one of the other men on the list might hold the key to understanding why he chose this path."