Back on Earth, Scott awoke to the ever pleasant sound of his alarm going off. How long it must have continued to buzz and ring was a mystery he could not yet fathom, as he was too stiff and groggy to do anything.

Had he been in a truly cognizant frame of mind, he might have noticed a few oddities concerning his room. However, at this point he had not even opened his eyes.

Still blind by choice, as he did not want to look upon the pointless world of his origin until he absolutely had to do so, Scott threw off his covers then slipped over to the side of his bed. He used his feet to feel around for his slippers. He gave up after a short frustrating moment and slid off the bed. Despite his belief that there would be a floor underneath to catch him, as he had done the same thing on multiple occasions, he found himself falling rapidly toward some foreign destination.

His eyes snapped open, though they saw only darkness. He cried out in surprise as the sensation of falling continued for quite some time. It continued for so long, in fact, that he actually became bored of it. There was nothing around him to see. Only the sensation of air flowing against his skin allowed him to sense that he was anywhere at all.

Suddenly, light rose up from the darkness beneath him. He looked down and saw that the light was emanating from a tiny point in the distance. That point grew larger at a rapid pace and soon it took on the shape of a small bowl. The bowl was filled with tiny plants and what looked like miniature mountain ranges.

Time passed and the bowl became the size of a basketball. It grew further and soon looked to be the size of a table. He continued to fall until the strange sight beneath him opened up to reveal a beautiful garden.

Scott fell into the garden after an incalculable amount of time. He landed on a bed of wildflowers that surrounded a statue. No injuries befell him, nor did he feel any sense of physical discomfort.

“What the hell?” he asked after a moment. The statue was familiar, incredibly familiar. It took him a moment to realize it, but it looked exactly like he might look if he were made of marble. Rather, it looked more like how Blackthorne might look if that version of his identity had been crafted from marble.

Scott noticed an inscription on the base of the statue. He stood up and walked toward it to see what it said. He leaned close and tried to make out the words.

[One who seeks the truth.]

“I’m someone who seeks the truth?” asked Scott. He was not certain about that at all. He was more interested in living a life worth living, even if it turned out to be a beautiful lie. He could care less about whatever truth this statue claimed that he sought.

A familiar voice spoke then, though Scott could see no one in the area. “There are many truths. When you discover yours, it will change your world forever.”

“Hey! Who are you?” The voice was familiar, but it was not spoken within his mind like a half-formed whisper. It sounded like the goddess who spoke of level increases and other things when in the dream world. Yet, that voice was far stronger and seemed to be less mechanical than he was used to hearing from her. In fact, it sounded suspiciously like the voice that led him toward the path to Saelil's prison.

“I am another truth... Perhaps you’ll be the one to discover me?” A soft feminine giggle lilted through the area.

“It’s hard to discover something that’s invisible,” said Scott. He turned his head back and forth in an attempt to catch sight of the speaker.

"That would be the point, now wouldn't it?" cooed the voice.

Scott laughed slightly at her ridiculous response. "Look. Don't play games with me, woman."

"But I like to play games..." she said in a cute sounding tone.

"Whatever! I know it's you..." said Scott heatedly.

"So, you do know me then?" she asked, excitement in her tone. The excited turned mildly seductive as the girl spoke again, "Speak my name, oh valiant one. Speak it, and know the greatest reward that a mortal might know..."

Scott thrust one finger forward and proudly exclaimed, "You're the grassland ass-slapper!"

A strangled snort echoed through the air followed by an incredulous silence.

The silence continued for a brief time before Scott called out, "Show yourself!"

“Y-you would like to see me?” she asked in a coy and amused manner tinged with a hint of embarrassment.

Surprised by her change in tone, Scott took a moment to reflect. He wanted to punish her for assaulting his masculine derriere without intent to do more. Not that he would have been able to do much more anyway.

“I don’t know... Are you fat?” asked Scott.

She laughed in a manner so clear and bright that it sounded like music. “Discover me, and find out... My beautiful warrior of the dark.”

"I'm a bit too fat myself to be a warrior of anything outside of my dreams," he said lightly.

A strangely excited squeal split the air, followed quickly by an invisible cough and a slightly embarrassed sounding reply. "A proper warrior should have a little meat on their bones... You know, to cushion the mighty blows that they receive and stuff."

“I fancy myself as more of a mage...” replied Scott in an almost shy tone. Did she have to sound so excited when he referenced himself as fat? It almost seemed like she was into that sort of thing.

She laughed once more then whispered softly into the air near his ear. “Do you? With such feeble magic, you would call yourself a mage?”

“Yes, though I would like to be less feeble,” he admitted.

The musical laughter returned once more. When it ended, the soft voice spoke out, “Do you think you can handle such power? Humans are not known for their great magical ability...”

“I can handle anything you’ve got, woman,” replied Scott in a serious manner. He wanted to become stronger, and part of that was taking risks. He chose to take one now.

The strange squeal returned once more, followed by another impromptu coughing fit. Suddenly, the voice whispered seductively into his ear. “Can you? I do look forward to your discovery...”

Scott felt a strange pressure and a soft, wet, sensation against the side of his face. The scent of wildflowers increased exponentially, like the air had suddenly become permeated by a beautifully scented perfume.

“I chose you... Do not fail me...” said the voice in a slightly dangerous, but somehow sweetly feminine tone.

"What if I don't want to be chosen by you?" he asked her curiously.

An invisible giggle lilted musically through the air. "The dark side is quite seductive you know."

"I'm not entirely convinced..." he said, more as a way to keep her talking than anything. He hoped to catch her off-guard and somehow get a look at his giggling visitor.

"Come now, the dark side has much to offer. Cookies, for instance," she replied with a laugh.

"I'm sure you have nice cookies and all.... but I'm surprised the dark side enjoys laughing so much," said Scott. He could not help but laugh a little himself. The voice of the goddess who oversaw his skill upgrades had just quoted a dank Internet meme.

"I assure you, my dark warrior... I know for a fact they you would enjoy my cookies," she said, followed by a half-stifled giggle.

He laughed. "Right, as if some random woman's cookies could make me fall for her invisible charms."

The giggle returned full force this time. The smile in her voice was readily apparent even without a visible face to compare it against, "We shall see. Won't we?"

“Yes, dear,” said Scott with a wry smile on his lips.

She laughed happily once more. Immediately after her laugh cut out, Scott felt his ass gripped tight by invisible hands. Strangely, the hateful voices that normally tormented him did not make even a whisper of a sound.

“Mmm. So bouncy,” said the invisible woman.

Scott laughed nervously then shook his head. When the voices did not rise up to torment him, he decided to play along. This sort of thing was a rare opportunity for him, after all. “That’s not fair. I can’t see whether or not I want to grab your ass...”

The invisible woman unleashed a low, seductive, laugh. “Learn to see the invisible then. Don’t blame me because you’re a feeble little man.”

“I’ll show you who’s feeble...” said Scott in a strong clear voice.

“Oooh! Sounds like a date... Come show me your truth, my dark hero,” said the voice in sweet dulcet tones.

Scott decided to go for glory, since his own mind did not wish to betray him for once. He reached back and gripped at the air behind him. The voice gasped out in surprise then moaned sweetly.

“Score one point for the blind man...” she whispered in his ear, before she ran her invisible tongue along the side of his ear, "For your overwhelming victory I grant you a parting gift, all in good time. I can't make a habit of it, though."

Her presence left the area immediately afterward, however. Scott suspected that even invisible magic sluts needed to take a cold shower now and again.

He looked over to the statue then raised his left eyebrow. He was about to say something cliché like, “What now?” but the moment he thought about saying it, he awoke in the real world.

It was past dawn and well into early morning as far as he could tell. He looked over to his digital alarm then nodded. It was ten in the morning. He paid it no attention for a moment then blinked and looked again. "It's still so early?"

The time made little sense to him. He'd been in the dream world for quite a while past the point when he should have remained there. Yet, according to his clock he awoke at exactly the time he originally wanted to awaken. "Did I miss an entire day, or something?"

Scott hopped up, immediately realized that he needed to use the bathroom in an almost desperate manner, and rushed off to perform his morning ablutions. While he loudly, and vigorously, relieved himself many thoughts came to mind.

“Was that an actual dream?” He did not really understand the point of that dream, but hopefully it meant something good would happen. The last time he'd heard that voice, it lead to Saelil and her rescue.

He went to check the date on his phone, and then on his computer. "No, I didn't sleep a whole day away... Weird."

The last thing the grassland ass-slapper said to him came to mind not long after, however. She'd given him the gift of time. Was this what she meant? There was a strong possibility that he would have slept well into the start of his work shift if the normal time exchange was taken into account.

"Thanks for that... if it was you..." he said softly. What was that invisible woman's deal, anyway? Out of all of the people she could be sexually molesting in the grasslands, why did she choose him? Rather, was he the only one or did she operate as an equal opportunity pervert?

Life was mysterious, indeed.