There were many things that Josh had always taken for granted: his heart thumping rhythmically, his lungs drawing in the air around him, but most especially everything that happened on the microscopic level in his body. 

After all, people would go insane if they were to feel their nails growing, their skin dying, or even their white cells struggling to protect them. Doctors were able to explain every process in exquisite detail, but knowing was different than controlling. 

This control was what Josh was aiming for. He had to master formless mana that humans weren't meant to sense. So many times, he felt his struggles were only leading to a dead end. But every time he looked at her, his resolve strengthened. 

Well, what remained of her. She was nothing more than a gory and depressing mirage. Still, it gave him the courage to keep trying to break through his limits. 

He needed to do so because he knew how harsh the future could be. The gods conversing back on Floor 13 had hinted so. He couldn't be complacent even if everything had been smooth sailing so far. 

"If only there was a clear path to thread." He sighed aloud. 

That's when she slowly rose up, turning her heels around and gently gesturing him to follow. Each of her steps left wet bloody footprints. They walked in silence until he began hearing a rumbling sound. 

It sounded as if a thousand horses were galloping through a plain or perhaps a dragon roaring. Soon they found the source of it. He couldn't help but be taken aback as there were rapids made of blood. The smell felt nostalgic. She gestured him to head inside as she pointed upstream. 

"You want me to get up there?" Seeing her nod, he slowly began walking, only to be stopped. 

She was pointing at the tumultuous blood with insistence. 

"I should enter here and swim the rest of the way?" She nodded happily. 

Anyone would have agreed that following the directive of a ghost in a nightmare was a horrible idea. But, this was HIS nightmare. Not an ounce of him believed she would actually harm him. 

He removed his clothes, with her phantom appreciatingly looking at his body. She was just missing the little rating cards that she used to flash him playfully. They were ones that judges used in official competitions. 

As he immersed himself, he felt a strong current, deeply breathed in the foul scent, and could even taste the iron. He quickly got into a butterfly stroke position and began swimming, with her cheering on the sidelines. 

The more he progressed and the stronger the current was getting. He now understood why she had guided him here. He would have possibly drowned had he tried entering further up. Here, he could slowly temper his resistance. 

Of course, he knew this whole river wasn't real. It was most likely a representation of his struggles, but it didn't matter. He was convinced this would truly allow him to reach his goal. He kept training like a madman. 

Right now, he felt that he could have given a run for his money to an Olympic swimmer. Then again, it was doubtful if such an individual would even enter a sea of blood. As he kept going, sometimes the outside world would come and try to distract him. 

Chances were that his unconscious was picking up some IRL information and relaying some that it believed was worthwhile. It came like flashes of knowledge that he could discern swimming alongside him akin to little goldfishes. 

There were bright neon lights. There was the cold touch of metal on his naked torso. Tight leather straps were digging slightly into his flesh, holding him in place. 

There were the low sighs of boredom of the guard assigned to him. This guy was a lizardman, albeit not a real one. He was technically human, but people wouldn't believe it because of his rough and sturdy scales. Josh could hear the complaints too: 

"Goddamnit! He's convulsing again!" 

"Why the fuck do I have to be the one babysitting?!" 

"Now he's coughing blood?! What the fuck does he see in there?"

"Tch, it will be a pain if he kicks the bucket. It would unsummon the rat."

"Whatever, there's healing stuff in the IV drip. It's not my fucking job to clean him up."

Josh was nothing but a tool to them, a very precious tool that would eventually be discarded and end up in the trash. But, they wouldn't be wasteful and would use him for all he was worth. 

Josh was perfectly fine with that. He was doing the same, after all. Truth be told, the old despairing him back on Earth would have loved to remain in that dream realm forever. Days quickly passed, with his blood swimming ability increasing exponentially. 

The closer he got to the source, the more he understood that this whole stream represented mana itself. His senses were now sharper, and he could feel the energy coursing alongside him as he swam. 

He was so damn close! But, it was beginning to feel like an impossible challenge. At first, the power of the waves had steadily but slowly increased. Now, every centimeter of progress felt like a new difficulty level. It was that drastic! 

What awaited him felt like an entirely new world. He could already sense the massive energy that awaited him on the other side. It was mesmerizing and addictive. Would he ever reach it?

But he didn't despair. She was still rooting for him. It didn't matter that her rotten arms and eyeballs kept falling as she shouted encouragements. Even when he began to lose his sense of time, space, and even self, he kept going. By now, he was ignoring the external world too. 

He didn't waver in the face of hardships. He didn't waver when people outside began fighting, and he didn't waver when a drug cloud engulfed him. He didn't waver, but suddenly he lost all control. 

"Nooo! Not now! I'm almost there!" He screamed indignantly. 

But, the drugs had entered his bloodstream and were now affecting him. What the heck was that?! It made the world spin. The entire realm became blurry. Even her appearance on the side became fuzzy. He had trouble coordinating his movements.

"No! I won't accept this!" He shouted to no one in particular. 

He fought hard and bravely, but there was no winning anymore. He was instantly pushed backward. He was losing all his progress during the past days or weeks! This was his best opportunity as he couldn't remain too long in the Nightmare's grasp. 

He couldn't overly risk his life. This plan was already cutting it way too close. His life didn't only belong to himself after all. Knowing it was all over, he watched his own tears disappear in the bloody waters. He could only sigh despondently.

He would have to find another way. Failure was part of life. This didn't mean that he would give up his true goal either. He relaxed and felt himself drift, enveloped by the blood. At this moment, he even became blood itself. 

He smiled sadly, and for a second, he stopped being human. He was but a small fish enjoying the last moments of his failure. At least, the thrill of whooshing quickly from upstream to downstream felt exciting. 

He just went with the flow, not caring about anything anymore. He reached where he had initially entered the stream and kept drifting. Somehow, he was still going as fast. How? The river had been so peaceful there before!

Eventually, he could see a cliff leading with a waterfall cascading down and leading to an abyss. Somehow, Josh didn't feel any threat from it. It was as if this was but a natural occurrence. He soon felt himself falling, some wind and blood vapor battering his face. 

Was this the end for him? Where was she? Would he see her again soon? Was it time to end the nightmare? He had obviously failed this training. He kept his eyes closed and enjoyed the sensation. He'd end it all as soon as he sensed danger. 

Eventually, he felt something under him that was approaching fast. No, he was the one approaching it. SPLASH! He entered the river down there, sending blood splattering all over. But that's when he suddenly jerked up in shock. 

What the hell was happening?! He could feel the same energy as earlier. It wasn't similar. It was the exact same! How?! He had fallen downstream, and now he was upstream. No, it was both?! 

That's when he came to a realization. He had always visualized mana as water that was contained in the bucket that was the human body. But he had been wrong. Mana was the whole damn stream! 

It was a flow, one that was always continuous. Akin to a river, it would have many states. During a drought, the water level would be more shallow, and it would get deeper during inundations. It was not about dominating this power but living in harmony with it. Well, that was his way. 

He focused and willed his body to float until he reached her. She was changing. The nightmarish mirage transformed into the real her. She was as beautiful as the day he first laid eyes on her. Then again, his memories were beautified by his love for sure. 

He understood that the nightmare was over. By taking control of his mana stream, he had ended it. It was slowly dissipating. 

"Wait for me. We'll meet again." He softly murmured before kissing her deeply.

A crystalline "I love you" echoed as she vanished completely. It was time to head out for he had so many things to accomplish now...

Creator's Thought

Sometimes I wonder. Was it fate that The Doctor ended up involuntarily coming to my rescue and helping me breakthrough? Was it simply a coincidence? I'd like to believe it's my determination that allowed me to reach this point. After all, none of this would have happened had I let myself be overwhelmed by despair back on Earth.