"Alright, just sit back, relax, and let the magic happen," Neil said, adjusting the neural interface module on Orion's head. "Try not to panic if you hear a high-pitched noise. That just means it's syncing with your brainwaves."
Orion gave him a flat look. "You are terrible at making this sound safe."
Neil smirked. "Hey, you agreed to this. No backing out now."
Orion sighed, leaning against his dorm room's headboard. "I feel like I should be getting paid for this."
"You're being paid," Neil said, tapping away on his tablet. "In science."
"That's not currency, Neil."
"Okay, fine. If my experiment works and gets approved, I'll put your name on the research paper and give you half the credit."
Orion raised an eyebrow. "Half?"
Neil put a hand on his chest, looking deeply offended. "Do you know how much work I put into this? You're just lying down and pressing the 'sleep' button."
"Yeah, but if this thing fries my brain, I'm taking full credit for the tragedy."
"Fair."
Cas, sitting at Orion's desk, sighed. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"
"It's a great idea," Neil corrected. "Look, the neural interface should stimulate the dream state and boost recall. Orion's problem is that he stopped dreaming after that one lucid night. This will kickstart his subconscious."
Rin, lying on Orion's beanbag, glanced up. "Or scramble his brain."
"Same thing," Neil quipped.
Cas looked unimpressed. "At least let him back out if he wants to."
Orion exhaled, staring at the sleek device resting on his forehead. He wanted answers. And honestly, he missed dreaming.
"I'll try it," he said, fastening the last strap. "Let's see what happens."
Neil grinned. "Welcome to cutting-edge science."
Cas muttered, "More like reckless science."
Orion smirked. "Don't worry. If I wake up with mind-control powers, you'll be the first to know."
Neil shot him finger guns. "Hell yeah, just make sure you use them responsibly."
"Can you two focus?" Cas sighed. "Orion, just… be careful."
Orion nodded. "Yeah. I got this."
Neil tapped his tablet. A soft hum filled the air, the interface activating. Orion felt a faint tingle at the base of his skull. His body grew heavier. His eyelids drooped.
Darkness.
---
The Dream Begins
Light.
A familiar golden glow surrounded him, warm and endless. Orion floated weightlessly in the sky, a universe of stars stretching above, a vast shimmering city below.
His breath caught.
This was the same place. The same dream.
A thrill shot through him. He was lucid again.
He willed himself forward, and the dream obeyed. The wind carried him effortlessly, rushing past as he soared toward the golden city.
Then—movement.
Orion's pulse quickened. A figure stood atop the tallest tower, cloaked in shadows. They weren't there before.
The dream flickered. The golden glow dimmed. The sky darkened.
The figure lifted a hand—
And Orion plummeted.
---
Descent
Wind roared past his ears as he fell, weightless yet trapped.
The golden city blurred beneath him, twisting unnaturally.
Then—impact.
Instead of hitting solid ground, he plunged into deep water. Silence swallowed him whole.
The darkness stretched endlessly. The water wasn't cold. It wasn't suffocating. But it was vast. Infinite.
And then, from the depths—movement.
A shadow.
Huge. Ancient.
Orion's heartbeat thundered.
He had seen this before. Felt this before.
"You are not ready to see what lurks beneath."
The old woman's voice echoed in his mind.
The shadow swam closer.
Orion tried to move, but the water gripped him, an invisible force holding him still.
Then—the figure from the tower flickered in his mind.
A presence. A silent challenge.
Orion clenched his fists.
No. He wouldn't just let this happen.
He focused, willed himself to rise.
The water trembled. The shadow hesitated.
And suddenly—
---
The Awakening
A violent pulse.
A deep, guttural sound.
Orion gasped—
And his eyes snapped open.
His dorm room.
Neil's voice.
"—ion! ORION!"
His breath came fast and ragged. His body felt wrong, like he had just been ripped out of something real.
Neil hovered over him, looking half-excited, half-concerned. "Okay, what the hell was that? Your brainwaves spiked like crazy—off the charts crazy."
Cas and Rin were standing nearby, both looking alarmed.
Orion swallowed, trying to steady himself.
"I… I saw something," he muttered.
Cas folded her arms. "Define something."
Orion hesitated. How was he supposed to explain? The golden city, the figure on the tower, the abyss beneath him—it felt too real.
He clenched his hands. "It was the same dream. The same place. But this time… something changed."
Rin leaned forward. "Like what?"
Orion exhaled. "There was someone there. Watching me."
Cas frowned. "A dream projection?"
"No." Orion shook his head. "They were waiting for me."
Silence filled the room.
Neil scratched his chin. "Well… on a scale from 'cool' to 'definitely means you're cursed,' how are we feeling about this?"
"Somewhere in the middle," Orion muttered.
Cas looked at him carefully. "Orion. Are you sure it was just a dream?"
He met her gaze—and for the first time, he wasn't sure.
Because it hadn't felt like a dream.
It had felt like a warning.
---