I take a breath, my lungs heaving. I cough, spitting out globs of thick fluid. What's going on...where am I? My fingers dig into dirt, the dark specks wedging themselves under my nails. The smell of fresh earth fills my nostrils. There's no sound, no sight, nothing. Just dirt. I claw at the earth around me, thrashing, desperately trying to find any signs of life. Finally, finally, I hear a sound: my own scream.

It shakes the earth; it penetrates my bones; it deafens me and kills me, yet it makes everything alright; it gives me sanity.

My hand breaks through and my lungs greedily gulp the fresh air above. The earth tumbles off of me as I claw my way, stumbling out of the hole I was in. My legs shake and I lean against a nearby tree to steady myself as I try to stand. Where am I?

The air is a hazy blue color, shifting between ethereal shades of grey and indigo. Gnarled trees twist into the heavens above; vines crawl over loose stone, and the dirt is as black as night. He did it, didn't he? That Baku bastard actually did it. I'm in the Dream Realm. I'm actually here.

I collapse against a tree, taking off my mask and running a hand through my hair. Now I just have to find the power source Naiomi told me about: an eternal flame or some shit. And Ghelly. I should probably get him before I leave. I slip my mask back on and stand, my body shaking. At least the injuries in my physical body don't translate to my spiritual body here. Pretty convenient. But that doesn't stop me from hating the Dream Realm. Forgotten spirits and aspirations trying to dig into your soul just puts me in a bad mood for some reason.

Where is the little brat, though? Commonly when Donyoku takes you somewhere, everyone ends up together. Which means I'm supposed to be standing here beside Donyoku and Ghelly. Obviously, that's not the case.

I cup my hands around my mouth. "Ghelly!" I shout. But I get no response. "Ghelly!" I shout again; the result is the same as before. Like I expected that to actually work. I sigh and drop my hands to my kusarigama; I forget if these even work here.

Something snarls behind me, and I turn in time to catch a glimpse of something translucent, green, and with claws. Everything's a blur as it races toward me. Slobber flies out like pearls of neon as it leaps, baring its fangs. I yank out my kusarigama, shoving the blades into the belly of the creature. Apparently this is the kind of spirit beast where metal blades don't hurt it. The creature lands on me, trying to sink its teeth into my flesh. I'm not that tasty, trust me.

My body slams back into the earth and I grab the snapping jaws, grunting. This thing may look weightless, but it definitely has physical form; definitely heavier than I expected. My arms strain for a few seconds and I twist my body, rolling the creature off of me. I scamper back to a safe distance. My weapons sway from the belly of the creature—doesn't look like it feels 'em. It looks like it's ready to pounce again.

The angry spirit lunges at me and I roll out of the way. I grab the chains of my kusarigama and sling the blades up, slicing off one of the tree branches. I drop my weapons and grip the branch like a club, cracking it against the creature's skull. It hits the ground hard, leaving an impression in the dirt, but I don't let up. When the branch breaks, I drop to my knees and continue plunging the broken pieces into the creature's translucent skin. I don't stop until the creature is still.

"Damn," I pant, wiping the colorful blood off my skin. Who knows what that stuff will do? Note: only objects from the Dream Realm hurt these creatures. I cut another branch and take a seat on one of the rocks, sharpening the end of the wood with my kusarigama.

"That was entertaining," I whirl at the sound of a new voice, pointing the sharpened end of my spear at the source. A small shadow slips back and forth, a bright red smile on its face, dripping like paint; like blood. Who can really tell?

"Glad you were amused," I reply, my words packed full of sarcasm. Like I said, the Dream Realm just puts me in a bad mood. "Why didn't you do anything to help?"

"I can't," the shadow says, gesturing to the vines around it. I squint, trying to see what he's talking about. My eyes widen and I pull back quickly. The shadow creature is in an old cage with vines crawling over the bars. It's practically a tree at this point—there's little evidence the metal cage was even there."But if you were to let me out, I could easily—"

"Nope!" I turn my back on the phantom and start walking.

"You didn't even let me finish!"

"In my experience, if something's in a cage, it belongs there." I turn to the shadow and wave, flipping it off as I go. "Have a nice eternity, asshole." Like I said, this place puts me in a sour mood. What idiot would make friends with a shadow demon? You just leave them locked up, and move on. I mean, that's just common sense.