A dull hum filled the void. It was neither light nor dark, neither silent nor loud. It simply was.
Yeaia's eyes fluttered open. They were surrounded by an endless expanse of shifting twilight, a realm that wavered between reality and unreality. Thoughts bled into form and dissolved into nothingness with each passing moment. Fragments of whispers curled around them like tendrils of mist, slipping through their fingers when they tried to grasp them.
"Where... am I?"
Their own voice sounded distant, as if it echoed through layers of dreams before reaching them. A sluggish weight settled over their body—or rather, the concept of their body. Did they even have one? Memories swirled like sand slipping through their grasp, intangible yet present. Something about this place felt familiar.
They pressed a hand to their temple, trying to pull meaning from the fog of their mind. Dreamer... That word resonated with something deep within them. The Dreamer Pathway. Their pathway. But the knowledge was incomplete. The sequences—yes, they knew the names, the abilities, the themes—but something was missing. Sequences 4 to 0... They didn't know what those contained. Their thoughts stretched toward them, only to find an empty chasm where knowledge should be.
What am I searching for?
The question hung in the air, unanswered. But an inkling, a pull from deep within their being, whispered that they were meant to find something. To piece together the remnants of what had been lost.
A ripple ran through the realm, and suddenly, the weight that held them in place vanished. Yeaia gasped as the Slumbering Realm warped around them, their form dragged downward—no, outward—into the unknown. The twilight shattered, and they were falling—
---
The Sea of Ruins
Yeaia's breath hitched as they landed, their form stabilizing. The air smelled of brine and age, an eerie stillness pressing down upon them. Towering stone structures jutted out from the ground like the skeletal remains of some forgotten civilization. Water pooled in cracks and crevices, reflecting the dim light of a sky that hung like an overcast dream.
They exhaled slowly, running a hand through their black and white hair, the red highlights catching in the faint glow of phosphorescent corals clinging to the ruins.
"What is this place...?"
The words left their lips in a hushed murmur as they stepped forward. Their boots barely made a sound on the smooth stone paths, the air thick with something old. It wasn't just the ruins that gave that impression—it was the weight of countless forgotten moments lingering in the air.
A whispering wind curled around them, carrying echoes of voices long gone. They could feel the remnants of history pressing against the edges of their mind, but none of it fully took shape. A dream left unfinished.
I'm lost, they thought. And yet... There was a flicker of something in their chest. Not fear. Not entirely. It was apprehension, yes, but also a strange, bubbling excitement.
They let out a breath and began to explore.
---
Their hands brushed against the weathered stone as they moved deeper into the ruins. The architecture was unfamiliar, yet there was an odd sense of recognition as if they had seen it before in a long-forgotten dream.
Something shimmered at the edge of their vision.
A broken mural, carved into the stone wall of what might have once been a grand temple. It depicted figures in flowing robes, their faces obscured, standing before an enormous reclining figure, surrounded by swirling dreams. The image sent a pulse through Yeaia's mind.
"The Dreamer..." they murmured, reaching out.
The moment their fingers traced the carving, a rush of sensations flooded them. Laughter echoing in halls that no longer existed. A voice reciting forgotten verses. A feeling of standing at the edge of sleep, teetering between the waking world and something else.
Then it was gone.
Yeaia staggered back, shaking their head. What was that? Fragments of memory? Or something this place wanted to show them?
They inhaled deeply, steadying themself. No immediate answers would come, but the sensation lingered, pressing at the edges of their mind like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
They pressed forward.
---
Further into the ruins, the atmosphere thickened. The air seemed heavier, laced with something unseen. As Yeaia turned a corner, a figure flickered in their peripheral vision.
They froze.
A translucent silhouette stood before them, barely more than an outline of shifting mist. Its head tilted, though it had no discernible face. A deep hum resonated through the air, like a sigh from something ancient.
Yeaia's pulse quickened. "What are you?"
The figure didn't answer, but a whisper brushed against their mind—not words, but impressions. A longing. A sense of waiting.
Then, just as suddenly, it dissolved.
A shiver ran down their spine. Were these ruins haunted by the remnants of past dreamers? Or something else entirely?
They clenched their fists and pressed on.
---
As they reached what seemed to be a collapsed bridge overlooking a vast abyss, something stirred within them. A name. Not their own, but something just out of reach.
It burned at the edges of their mind, an ache without form.
"I was... I was searching for something. Someone...?"
They clutched at the thought, but it unraveled like mist.
The abyss below them rippled. Yeaia inhaled sharply as they felt a presence watching them. But when they turned, there was nothing.
---
Time in this place felt strange. Hours passed, but the sky never truly changed—until suddenly, it did.
The dim, dreamlike glow that illuminated the ruins dimmed further. A deep blue haze settled over the landscape, and an unnatural stillness took hold. The sea beyond the ruins darkened, its surface smooth like glass.
And then Yeaia felt it.
A pull. A quiet but insistent call, whispering at the edge of their consciousness.
Sleep.
They frowned. "Sleep...?"
Something about it sent a shiver down their spine. Their body, as a Beyonder of the Dreamer Pathway, no longer required rest in the same way ordinary people did. Yet here, in this place, something was urging them to join the slumber.
Their curiosity stirred. A joined dream?
They glanced around. The ruins seemed to breathe with the night, the atmosphere shifting in a way that felt alive. If they had to sleep to see what lay beyond, then...
A slow, almost amused smile tugged at their lips. "I suppose I'll indulge my curiosity."
They looked for a place to sit down and managed to find a secluded space under what seems to be a cave but with pieces of a ruined building.
They sat down and fell into a daze, thinking about what they're going to do. Feeling determined and curious, they decided to go through their decision. Besides they were curious about what that pull was, what the joined dream will do.
Curiosity really kills the cat.
With that, Yeaia closed their eyes and let the dream take them.