I wake to the sound of a thunder crack loud enough to make my body jump, and immediately recoil, clutching onto soft sheets baring a familiar scent. I shake my head free of the remaining cobwebs weighing me down, triggering a full-on headache that makes me sit up in the bed I’m curled up in. As the sheets slide off my chest to reveal my black suit, I remember it all- the train, the demon, and that horrid dream.

Tears fall down my cheeks without warning while thunder rings even louder through the window next to the bed. My shoulders tense when I notice the shadow of a swaying tree branch brushing across the blue carpet, and I finally realize I’m in my own apartment.

I reach for my phone just as it rings, along with another roll of thunder. The name on the screen is the last one I want to see, but I answer it immediately anyway.

“What is this?” I whimper, attempting to steady my shaking head.

“Mary, I need you to listen to me,” JC says in a hurried voice. “This is your world now. Through the overwhelming nature of your dream, you’ve activated the power of this dreamscape. Please, draw the curtains and look outside.”

Hand trembling, I pull the curtain aside. What is revealed outside is like the beginning of an apocalyptic movie. The rain pours at a nearly sideways angle while the trees decorating the back property of the upscale apartment complex thrash with the wind.

“Wait,” I mutter, leaning my forehead against the window, “The leaves on the trees are… blue?”

“Indeed,” JC replies calmly. “It’s the same for me. You see, Mary, that is proof the dreamscape is favoring your dreams. You’ve shaped this world and brought it to the place your dreams belong.”

“But why… when I’ve given up on facing them?”

“I don’t know about that,” he answers firmly. “What I do know is that those trees at your apartment were all multi-colored like the ones we saw earlier, and now they have a bluish tone similar to your hair. To add to that, I’d bet you had just woken up and remembered everything when the storm started, right?”

“Yes, but,” I mutter, numb to the weight his words were meant to hold. “Why am I here?”

“At your apartment?” he asks plainly. “I brought you there while you were unconscious. If you’re wondering why I know where that is, I don’t know. You’d have to ask Aku. Though, I feel I was compelled to bring you there for a reason. Perhaps to make you feel most comfortable, to give you an out.”

“An out?” I ask, sinking into the edge of my bed and pulling the sheets around me.

“Well, you have the choice to give up and shut yourself away in the comfort of your own bed,” he says in a serious tone. “Or, you can take on this world you’ve shaped- if you still wish to return to your real body, of course.”

“And if I stay here?”

“I can’t say for sure,” he laments. “There is no telling what will become of this world without you to steer it. It could disappear with you if Miss Mirei takes over and wins, but there is also the possibility of her remaining here in this storm if nothing proceeds. And to reiterate, I can’t say what the NPC’s of this world might do, especially if they come to find out who caused this terrible storm.”

“Mirei…” I mutter, my eyes flickering as I gaze out upon the torrential storm. “Is there any way to make this right for her? And is there really any meaning in putting us through this?”

“The answer to that question lies in your own will,” JC answers in a soft voice. “I think that if you proceed with Mirei’s interest at heart, or your own, you might find this world worth exploring. And if you are able to overcome your dreams after drowning this world in them, I believe you may find a freedom beyond what you ever imagined possible.”

“Freedom…” I mutter with wide eyes while a flurry of lighting obliterates the trees outside and illuminates my face in the window’s reflection. “That’s what I want. More than anything.”

“Well then, let’s proceed,” he replies, more upbeat. “Mirei will be calling you any second now; if you want to proceed to your dream world with her, all you have to do is answer the call.”

“I want to go with her no matter what,” I answer without a second thought. “After all, she did say we should help each other.” My phone immediately vibrates, and I look to see the screen’s prompt to answer a call from none other than Mirei.

“Well then, Mary, let us proceed to the place your dreams reside in.”

I press down on the screen, awaiting her cheerful, voice, and everything goes black.