#just Kris's anxieties in nightmare form

[lynxgriffin]

Eldritchrune - Parasite Nightmare

1 | 2 | 3

Story Setup Eldritchrune Masterpost

Kris tries to stay on task, but they've clearly got some traumas and worries about their situation weighing on their mind. Still, they at least eventually find what they're looking for!

Still working away on the final part for this too...gotta finish in time, aaaaah!

[itstheoneshot]

Kitten

Summary: Zitao hates being home alone, and as his partner, his owner, Yifan, nears the release of his next studio album, Zitao finds himself alone a lot more than he would like to.

Word Count: 2.7k

Pairing: Tao x Kris

Warnings: 18+, NSFW, (Cat)Hybrid/Owner AU.

It was always late when Yifan returned from work, and Zitao hated it. He would be hungry, tired, and lonely, waiting by the front door for his beloved partner, his owner, to return to him.

Tonight was no different, as Zitao is curled up amongst his favourite blankets in the middle of the hallway. He rolls onto his back, sighing in annoyance as he re-adjusts himself, half-transformed, with only his ears and tail on display, the rest of his body human. He lifts his wrist to check the time on his watch, and throws his arm back dramatically as he sees just how late it is.

“10:30? He said he would be home by 9 at the very latest.” Zitao whines, stifling a yawn and rubbing his eyes.

He tries to fight off his sleepiness, though his eyes flutter shut no matter how hard he works to stay awake.

“I want my ge ge…” He whimpers, knowing that if he falls asleep alone, he will have a nightmare, he always does, without Yifan by his side to protect him.

Though try as he might, Zitao’s eyes will not stay open, and although he is anxious, he slips into a deep slumber, alone, falling fast into the same nightmare that plagues his mind every time this happens.

———

Zitao is alone, on the side of a dirt road in complete cat-form. There is nothing but desert either side of him, he is lost and his voice is hurting from crying so hard.

“Fan-ge?” He sobs, “Where are you?”

He begins to walk along the road in one direction, but with each step that he takes, the road stretches out by another metre, taking him further and further away from civilisation, from his love, and it terrifies him.

“Yifan!” He cries out, “I need you!”

———

“Taozi, my sweet boy… I’m here, please wake up, baobao I am here.”

Zitao is groggy as he is shaken from his sleep, and pulled into the arms of his much bigger partner. Yifan strokes his hair, attempting to soothe him as he comes to, shaking and crying, he grips tight to Yifan, fingertips like claws dug into his shirt.

“You left me.” Zitao blubbers, hiding his face in Yifan’s shirt.

“No, I didn’t.” Yifan replies, “I am sorry I came home so late, I should have called.”

Zitao nuzzles his face into Yifan’s chest, sighing deeply as he breathes in his scent, “I missed you, ge ge. I thought you were gone forever.”

Yifan takes two fingers under Zitao’s chin, lifting his head to meet his gaze, “I could never leave you, my sweet kitten…” He assures him, “I just got caught up at the studio, working on the song that you love so much.”

Zitao leans up to kiss Yifan, humming in content as his anxiety calms almost immediately. Yifan strokes his ears, chuckling as Zitao begins to purr happily.

“You are staying home tomorrow, right?” Zitao asks softly, his ears twitching as Yifan massages them.

“I’m all yours, my love.” Yifan hums, “Tonight, and tomorrow.”

Zitao’s content purrs increase in volume at this, and he rubs his nose into Yifan’s neck, “I missed you, I missed you, I missed you.”

Yifan chuckles, taking Zitao’s hands in his own, rubbing circles into his palms, radiating heat and comfort for the younger.

“Come, kitty. Let’s get you off the floor, alright? Have you eaten?” Yifan asks, as he stands and pulls Zitao up with him.

Zitao shakes his head, “Can’t eat without you, ge ge. Not hungry unless you’re home.”

Yifan sighs, dragging Zitao behind him in the direction of the kitchen, “My love, you are so skinny, you need to eat while I am out, too.”

Zitao nods, leaning back against the counter as Yifan hurriedly searches through the refrigerator for the meal that he had prepared last night. Zitao knows that he should eat, but he just never wants to, not without his owner beside him.

“Please, baby… eat.” Yifan urges the younger, pulling the bowl from the microwave and fetching a set of chopsticks for each of them, “I’m eating too, see? We’re sharing.”

“Yes, ge ge, thank you.” Zitao nods, still pouting as he takes the first bite of the noodles that Yifan had made.

Between mouthfuls, Yifan presses kisses to Zitao’s face, along his cheek, jawline and up to his ears, nibbling gently on the soft fur, and laughing at the way Zitao cringes as he does this. He knows that Zitao has been struggling with his food intake lately, it always gets worse when Yifan has to spend so much time at the studio, leaving Zitao at home all day, he feels awfully guilty, but he has to make a living to support them both, so has no choice.

Zitao finds it easier to eat when he is getting all the positive attention that Yifan gives him. Purring contentedly, with the occasional chirping meow, he manages to get through most of his food before placing his chopsticks down and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I love you, my kitten. Thank you for eating, I know that it is hard.” Yifan praises him, leaning in to kiss the tip of his nose and laughing as Zitao flusters to his touch.

“I love you, too.” Zitao replies, hiding his face behind his hands.

Yifan stands up from the table, placing the dishes in the sink, before returning to Zitao and taking his hands again.

“Are you tired, kitten? We can go and rest if you would like?” He asks.

“Not sleepy,” Zitao sighs, leaning into Yifan’s shoulder as he stands up to be with him, “Still feel yucky after my nightmare, ge ge.”

“Cuddles then, instead?” Yifan suggests.

Zitao nods eagerly, wrapping his arms around Yifan’s waist, wanting to make up for lost time, as he would be happy to spend all day every day in his embrace, and not be stuck at home alone.

“Come then, my love.” Yifan offers, taking Zitao’s hands and leading him out of the kitchen.

As they walk together to their bedroom, Yifan lets go of Zitao’s hands and takes his waist instead. Walking behind him, he has a clear view of his tail, hanging over the top of the shorts he is wearing, and his cute black ears, sticking out of his black, messy undercut hair.

When they reach their room, Zitao flops onto the mattress, before rolling onto his back and curling his feet up at his chest. Yifan stares down at him for a moment, before joining him too, choosing to lay next to him on his side, with his hand on the younger’s chest.

“Do you need to switch, Taozi?” Yifan asks, “have you been halfway all day?”

Zitao shakes his head, having spent a few hours in his full-form, he is comfortable as he is right now, happy to only have his tail and ears on show, “I’m fine, is this okay?” He asks softly.

“It’s more than fine, baobei,” Yifan hums, “You look so pretty like this.”

Zitao blushes at his words, “You really think so?” He asks, with a hint of apprehension.

Yifan reaches over to comb his fingers through Zitao’s hair, tickling his ears before moving his hand to his nape, pulling him closer to kiss him on the lips. The kiss leaves Zitao breathless, and though it was gentle, it stirred something inside him that was preparing him for what is to come.

“I do, kitten… you know that I do.” Yifan replies, “God, I can’t keep my fucking hands off you.”

Zitao giggles, because of course he knows this, his half-form drives his owner wild, and after spending all day alone, he is dying for the attention that he knows he will receive.

“Then don’t, Daddy.” Zitao purrs, putting on his cute act, using the name that Yifan dies for, “I’m here for you to touch, aren’t I?”

Yifan lets out a low growl, as he moves to kiss along Zitao’s jawline and down his neck, the vibrations from Zitao’s purrs send shockwaves through Yifan’s body. His hands move to the hem of Zitao’s shirt, slipping under the fabric, Zitao sits so that Yifan can pull it up and over his head.

“All mine, my kitten, fuck you’re just gorgeous…” Yifan breathes, hands now roaming the younger’s chest.

“I love you.” Zitao murmurs, reaching to remove Yifan’s shirt as well, nails grazing across his bare chest, “I’m so lucky to have you.”

Yifan moves to position himself between Zitao’s legs, kissing him from his neck and down his chest, Zitao runs his fingers through Yifan’s long black hair, purring softly as he revels in the affection he is given.

“So beautiful for me, kitten…” Yifan coos, nibbling at the skin at Zitao’s hips, before moving further down to mouth at his clothed cock, already hardening under the pressure.

“Daddy… I want you.” Zitao whimpers, as Yifan gently bites at his erection.

Yifan hooks his fingers under the elastic waistband of Zitao’s shorts, grabbing his underwear too before he pulls them down his legs. His cock is fully hard, and Yifan stares at him hungrily, enamoured by the way his tail is curled over his hip, on display.

“Daddy wants you too, kitten.” Yifan replies, pressing kisses up his thighs until he reaches his cock, pausing to inspect it, red, hard, twitching as his mouth gets closer, “God, you really do want me, don’t you baobei?”

Zitao nods, eyes sparkling as he looks down at Yifan, just as he takes a hand to the younger’s cock, stroking it gently as he brings his mouth to the tip. Zitao mewls, whining purrs escape him as Yifan takes in his whole length, his hand reaching under him to his ass, teasing his hole before slowly inserting one long, slender finger.

He is tight, and Yifan’s fingers are huge, but his cock is bigger, and Zitao knows that he needs to relax so he can be worked up to take it. He keeps his mind focused on how good it feels when Yifan sucks his cock, and he steadies his breathing in preparation for the second finger that Yifan is about to add.

Yifan lifts his head to watch Zitao’s expression as his second finger enters him, biting down hard on his lip as he winces through the pain.

“You’re doing so well, kitten, you’re almost ready, I can feel it.” Yifan praises him, as he makes his way back up Zitao’s body to kiss his lips, swollen from biting, while Yifan’s are swollen from blowing his cock.

Zitao nods, urgently needing more, as Yifan pulls his fingers from him, and guides him to roll over onto his stomach. Zitao leans on his elbows, ass up and on display for his partner, and as Yifan grabs at the flesh, Zitao’s tail curls around his wrist.

“Are you ready for me, my sweet Taozi?” Yifan asks, fingers pressing into the younger’s ass for final preparation.

“Please, Daddy…” Zitao pleads, his tail wrapping tighter around Yifan’s wrist, “Please fuck me.”

Zitao watches over his shoulder as Yifan lines himself up with his hole, “Deep breaths, kitten…” He urges, “You know that this part always stings, relax as best as you can for me.”

Zitao gulps as Yifan slowly pushes in just the tip, his eyes prick with tears as the stretch overwhelms him, but he pushes back on his partner, still wanting more despite the pain.

“Good kitty,” Yifan moans, “God, you feel so fucking good around Daddy’s cock.”

Zitao relaxes, praises helping to keep him calm, as Yifan’s hands settle at his hips, Zitao throws his head back in pleasure and Yifan picks up the speed, breath catching in his throat as he fucks the younger. Zitao takes him so well, easily adjusting to his massive size, he is a mess of moans and meows under him.

Yifan runs one hand up Zitao’s back, up his neck and combs his fingers through his hair. The other hand follows suit, though stops at his nape to grab it, pulling Zitao up so that his back is against Yifan’s chest. This new angle has Zitao crying out, leaning his head back onto Yifan’s shoulder, he wraps his tail around Yifan’s waist, knowing how much Yifan loves the feeling of the fur against his skin.

Yifan kisses up Zitao’s exposed neck, biting at the skin and nuzzling through his hair until he finds his soft, black ears, nibbling on them, licking them, just loving the way that Zitao convulses to his touch. Meowing louder with each thrust, his voice going hoarse as Yifan’s cock hits his prostate harder every time.

Zitao pushes back on Yifan’s cock, desperate for release as he is filled completely. Yifan moves a hand from Zitao’s hip, reaching forward to take his cock instead, Zitao’s hips buck at the feeling as Yifan strokes him.

“Does that feel good, baobei?” Yifan growls, nipping Zitao’s ear hard enough to make him .

“Fuck~” Zitao purrs, “Fuck yes, Daddy. I love it when you fuck me like this.”

Yifan strokes Zitao in sync with his thrusts, feeling his cock twitch with each ministration, he knows that Zitao will not last long, but he is surely not far off either.

“I love you, kitten, my sweet Taozi, I love you.” Yifan sighs, as Zitao turns his head to kiss his partner.

“Daddy, I… I’m not gonna last much longer.” Zitao whimpers, his tail flicking as his cock twitches in Yifan’s grip.

“Then cum for me, baby kitty…” Yifan urges, “Be a good kitten and cum for me.”

The praise sends Zitao over the edge, his body convulses as he releases, all over his partner’s hand and the mattress underneath him, panting moans of Yifan’s name as he fucks him through his high, only letting go of his cock once Zitao’s moans turn to cries of overstimulation.

“Daddy’s gonna cum too, kitten. Gonna fill your pretty ass, are you gonna take it?” Yifan moans, marking Zitao’s neck with lovebites.

“Mhmm,” Zitao mewls, “Please… fill me up, Daddy… kitten needs it.”

“Ah- fuck, fuck… fuck.” Yifan drops into English as he reaches peak, thrusting erratically into his partner as he shoots his load, overwhelmed with pleasure as he releases, breathing laboured through his intense orgasm.

Yifan slows to catch his breath, gently pulling out of Zitao and laying him down on the mattress. He collapses beside him, and pulls him into his chest, kissing him sweetly, over and over again.

“I love you, baobei.” Yifan hums, “So damn much.”

Zitao smiles, nuzzling his nose with Yifan’s, “I love you too. I’m sorry I miss you so much when you are at the studio.”

Yifan chuckles at this, running his hand through Zitao’s hair and tickling his ears.

“I’m glad you miss me, it makes me feel so loved.” Yifan replies, “I promise it will not be too many more late nights, okay?”

Zitao nods, covering his mouth while he yawns, “It’s okay, I know you are doing it for us. I just get lonely, that's all.”

Yifan pulls Zitao closer, kissing his forehead, as he listens to him and makes him feel heard.

“When I’m done, we should take a vacation, wherever you’d like. Does that sound nice?” Yifan asks.

“Really?” Zitao asks, his eyes wide and hopeful as Yifan nods, “I would love to.”

Yifan kisses Zitao, over and over until his eyes flutter shut, and quiet purrs rumble in his chest as he falls asleep. Yifan pulls the bedcovers over them, and he rests his eyes too, sleep overcoming him as well. Feeling lucky, loved and content to have the most beautiful partner in the world, his kitten, his sweetest Taozi.

[a-town-called-hometown]

Kris visits Azzy at cool leg

Unhappiness takes many shapes. It can sometimes be a birdcage, rusting in a corner. It can be a voice that hasn't said a word for days on end. It can be nightmares, and loneliness, and dark circles under eyes. Kris knows intimately these types of unhappiness. Their outlines are as familiar as Kris' own hands.

But what they haven't considered, and what they aren't expecting, is that the shapes sometimes mimic the contours of happiness. The only telltale signs are in the details.

Details: the bed left unmade in Asriel's dorm. The scrawled out papers stuffed in his backpack. His garbage can full of way too many energy drinks. The too-bright light in his eyes as he talks to them, and the brittle feel of his bones when he gives Kris a hug.

He tells them about all he's been doing. The new people he's met. His many, many, many obligations. His brow creases with not-quite concealed anxiety. And his hands are trembling just a bit. Those are the shapes that unhappiness takes in their brother.

Kris listens, because they feel obligation. He's carved out so much valuable time for them. So they smile back at him, let him show them photos of his sports victories, listen to him tell them about all his classes. But in their too-cold chest, they can feel uneasiness taking form. Both of them know it how false the situation rings. And when they are introduced to his friends who do not know him, Kris, who knows him better than anyone else, realizes that he is lonely.

When they get home, they tell their mother that he's happy. It's the kindest and only lie they can think to tell.

[timeclonemike]

Delta Rune Speculation

So it’s been two weeks, and there’s already 200 plus fics on AO3 and dozens of remixes and arrangements of the soundtrack on YouTube. That’s not even touching on the theories that are coming together. I recently saw one theory that double downed on the whole discarded classroom with toys thing, with the Darkners basically being a “Toy Story” scenario and the Spade King trying to pull a “Small Soldiers” scenario.

And while the parallels between the Darkners and assorted toys, and the layout of the Dark World and the Classroom, are all too much of an overlap to ignore, I suspect that there’s something more to the whole game than simply toys coming to life and wanting revenge for not being played with. I had some thoughts that I contributed in my reblog of that person’s theory, but this post is a little bit more meta, and concerns itself primarily with the tone of the final game, if and when it gets completed. But first, we need to talk a little bit about Undertale. I’ll make it quick, I promise.

Simply put, the big thing that made Undertale stand out was how your choices distinctly affected the world you were in, and the way people responded to you based on those choices. The sheer difference in tone and content between True Pacifist and Genocide is about as different and distinct as you can get in any game that features multiple endings, especially when many games opted to make the multiple endings contingent on last second choices (Deus Ex instantly comes to mind) rather than being something that you had to commit to. Not only that, but even the small choices in the sense of dialog, the order in which characters were spoken to, and even the use and contents of your inventory meant that the game had more “immersion” in the sense of responding dynamically to player choice than a lot of Triple A games with hyper-realistic graphics engines.

The way Undertale responded to different choices was a twist, then attraction, and finally a statement about how people saw the world and interacted with it. Especially those who thought that actions taken in this isolated digital environment had no consequences beyond that environment. It was a game about how people acted when they had tremendous power to influence the world.

Therefore, I think that the meaning of Delta Rune’s “your choices don’t matter” and “nobody can choose who they are in this world” is that the game will be about how people respond when confronted by circumstances they can’t control.

For more of my rambling, click the link below.

I’ll be addressing three main points: The nature of the Dark World and the Fountains of Darkness, the Dichotomy between how choice is handled in the Light and Dark Worlds, and the few clues that we have about W D Gaster and his influence.

1. The Nature of the Dark World.

The playing card themed enemies, the puzzle pieces, the chess board and the crowned checker piece, plus some of the hints about Ralsei’s nature and origin, all indicate that the Darkners have some connection with the toys in the unused classroom and probably the materials and objects in the supply closet as well. (I still do not know what those things were in the opening area of the Dark World that shot bullets at Kris, or the significance of all that black gooey dark stuff apparently coming out of the eye shaped structures.) Susie is not the type of person to let her guard down and just skip class with Kris while playing make believe all day... at least not at the start of the game... so the events of Chapter One had some foundation in reality.

This brings us to the fountains and the legend Ralsei shares. Everything hinges on a classic balance between opposing forces, in this case Light and Dark. Too much of one or the other will break the world in some way, and in this instance, there is an excess of Darkness. Under the direction of the mysterious Knight, and the Queen that only Jevil mentions if you kick his ass, the Spade King is seeking to upset the balance by increasing the Darkness. Assuming that Kris, Susie, and Ralsei don’t stop these fountains, then the same force at work in the Dark World that drew Susie and Kris into it will spread beyond the school, and into the rest of the town.

It is my position that Darkness in this case, represents Imagination, and its ability to create worlds symbolically. Keeping a balance between the physically real and the mentally real is important; too much of the physical and you end up in an All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy scenario. The other way around, you spend too much time daydreaming - or consumed by anxiety - to deal with the actual problems in front of you. And just by talking to the people in Hometown after school, we can find all sorts of stuff that bothers people. Toriel and Asgore’s estrangement, Noelle’s father and her worries about him, Alphys being lonely, and so on. In a Dark World where people’s thoughts and ideas take on physical forms, these everyday worries become living nightmares. It is THAT scenario that the Fun Gang will have to prevent or reverse from Chapter Two onward.

2. In Which World Do Choices Not Matter?

No matter which way you play Delta Rune, you leave the Dark World at the end. In that sense, none of the choices you made matter. Only if you did a pacifist run, you have the chance to go back and say goodbye to a number of characters you encountered before. Sort of an Undertale Epilogue Lite. If you went to town on everybody, you get chased back to the Light World instead. So in a way, your choices DID matter.

On the other hand, no matter what you do in the Light World, you’re still Kris, the token human in a monster town, with estranged parents and an older brother that probably outshines the heck out of you if all those trophies and award certificates mean anything. You can’t help smooth things over between Toriel and Asgore, you can’t even hint at Undyne and Alphys getting together, and no matter what you tell Noelle, she’s still got a one track mind regarding Susie and is concerned that you are pranking her again. About all you can do is choose to be mean or nice to Onionsan; everyone else still thinks you’re some weird creepy human kid with a history of pranking, whose main redeeming feature as a person is apparently some skill at the piano. Nothing you do can change that, even if being more talkative than normal is out of character enough for folks to notice.

But then again, in the Light World, nobody can choose who they are. Choices don’t matter because so much of Kris’s life is defined by everyone else. And even those lives are more defined by primal fears like Toriel’s loneliness and deep seated resentment, Asgore’s pushover-ness, Mr. Holiday’s health, Alphys’ anxiety, and so on and so forth.

As the Dark World starts to influence the rest of town, and imagination and thought starts to overwrite physical reality, the Fun Gang’s choices will suddenly carry more weight. Maybe not enough to change everything once the Fountains are sealed, but enough to make a difference. Such as the difference between Noelle being totally inconsolable over the loss of her father, and Noelle having the opportunity for closure. Or Toriel at least agreeing to be civil towards Asgore, even if they still never get back together. Or Burgie being able to find a much better job. :P

Or Kris being seen not as “the human” or “Asriel’s brother” but as Kris, a person in town with more depth than just a history of pranks and a creepy disposition.

3. Oh Gaster, Where Art Thou?

The announcement for the Demo, the “character / vessel creation” process at the beginning, the music playing during the vessel creation sequence, the Man who gives Kris an Egg if he is found, the Entry 17 Sound FX from the cell phone in the Dark World, and the slowed down version of the same sound playing around that Mysterious Bunker south of town all point towards Gaster’s involvement in the events of Delta Rune, one way or another. Given the limited information available so far, it’s not entirely clear if he’s working towards increasing the amount of Darkness, towards stabilizing the imbalance, if he’s simply observing events with no regard for the outcome, or if for some reason he requires US as observers for the events of Delta Rune, whatever they are.

But using what little we know, we can make a few educated guesses.

First, the Egg Kris can get from the Man behind the tree, who cannot be seen and will vanish if the Egg is not accepted, is the ONLY item from the Dark World that stays the same back in the Light World. The swords become pencils, and all the other stuff accumulated in the Dark World becomes the Ball of Junk that Kris does not want to throw away, but the Egg is still an Egg. Sort of. It can be put into Asgore’s Fridge, but if this is done, somehow it turns the pickle jar into another Egg. Which raises a number of questions. Unless you hold onto it for later in the full game, or throw it away, this is the only thing you can do with the Egg as far as I know. Almost as if the only reason it exists in the world is so that Asgore can have something to eat besides pickles.

Second, Jevil’s misanthropy follows his interaction with a visitor to the kingdom, and I do not remember if this visitor was specifically stated to be the Knight mentioned by Jevil or the Spade King. The way he treats the entire world like a game fits the same meta as Flowey’s attitude after being stuck in a Determination fueled time loop for ages in Undertale, but it also aligns with the Darkner world’s toy theme. And of course Seam drops the “darker yet darker” line on us regarding his view of the world after dealing with Jevil... but at the same time, this is a literal Dark World. Kris and Susie noticed that the light was getting low in the school hallway before they even stepped inside the supply closet, so it’s not out of the question that Gaster’s experiment, whatever it was, involved discovering the Dark World.

And, while this is purely me stacking conjecture on top of conjecture here, keep in mind what I said earlier about the Dark World being a world where the power of Imagination can literally create a world. Then consider one of the lines of the Gaster Followers from Undertale: Gaster fell into his own creation. As Gaster was the Royal Scientist, it seemed logical to infer that his creation was some sort of machine or technology, such as the CORE or whatever is under the sheet in Sans’ workshop in Snowdin Town. But maybe what he fell into was a completely different reality... possibly one of his own design.

(Note to self: Undertale / Secret Of Evermore Crossover Fic. Add it to the list.)

Third, the vessel we are asked to create at the start of Delta Rune has the word Goner as part of the filenames of the assets. Its appearance also matches that of the other Gaster Followers in Undertale; greyscale, uncanny valley, and just different enough from the character we end up seeing in the game (Kris) to make the similarities stand out. Keeping in mind we still don’t know what the significance is of the Gaster Followers or Goners is in Undertale, or how exactly they relate to Gaster himself. In the completed game, though, we may have the opportunity to find out... behind the bunker doors south of town, where the slowed down Entry 17 sound is playing. (It’s also location 17, so there’s a definite number element going on here.) The thing about bunkers if that they are almost always made to protect something inside them. So unless this is a fallout or storm shelter for the folks in town (and we can’t read Gerson’s book in game so we have no idea what the political climate is between humans and monsters is in this world, though if they were really bad then somebody would probably mention it in dialog) then it’s probably intended to keep the people of the town from finding something. Like an experiment that went wrong. Or went right, for that matter.

Or, maybe the bunker is one of those less common cases where it protects everything outside it by locking something inside, for any of the reasons already stated. Either way, there might be a real True Lab situation down there.

Finally... has anyone else besides me noticed that the graphics in the background during the Vessel Creation Sequence look almost exactly the same as the background of the Fountain of Darkness that Kris and Susie use to go home, just without the playing card suites? Where exactly is that taking place?

One last thing that brings my whole post full circle; regarding the ending cutscene before the credits and Don’t Forget song, I wonder if the entire thing isn’t just Kris’s nightmare; the body rips out the Soul that used to be inside and locks it up, and is free to do who knows what after that. If Kris is aware that the player is influencing them in any way, that whole sequence could be brought on by their fears about losing autonomy, either partially or entirely.

Which brings us back to the whole “your choices don’t matter” thing.

[exolistic]

Mystic Part 2

Masterlist Part 1

Genre- Angst, sci fi, fluff sometimes lol

Summary- When you’re dragged into a web of secrets and deceit that you can not even begin to comprehend, you have no idea what you’re in for. Locked away, lied to, you don’t know who to trust. With different stories from everyone, who will you trust in the end?

Pairing- X reader (Also lots of chanbaek and hunhan ;))

(Y/N) has entered the chat

Baekhyun: Jongin you’re crazy, why didn’t you stop him?

Jongin: Sehun is a man that can’t be stopped. Trust me, I’ve tried. Don’t you know this by now?

Baekhyun: You remember what happened last time he got that drunk, don’t you?

Jongin: How could I ever forget?

Chanyeol: Wait, guys...

Baekhyun: The image of Sehun showing up naked at my doorstep will never leave my mind.

Jongin: It’s not funny! He was almost arrested for that. And I was the one who had to deal with his hangover the next day.

Chanyeol: Guys...

Baekhyun: I know, which is why you need to keep a better eye on him! You really need to take all of the alcohol out of your apartment.

Chanyeol: BAEKHYUN!!!!!

Baekhyun: WHAT?????

Chanyeol: I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes! Are you blind?

Baekhyun: No, I could see your messages. You’re literally in the room next to me, if it was that important you would’ve come to get me.

Chanyeol: But who is that? Someone joined the chat…

Jongin: What do you mean?

Baekhyun: I don’t see anyone else..????

Chanyeol: No, look at the chat party at the top, there’s another name there.

Jongin: WAIT YOU’RE RIGHT

Baekhyun: WAIT WHAT

Chanyeol: I told you! (Y/N), who the hell are you?

Jongin: I’m calling Junmyeon brb.

Jongin left the chat

Baekhyun: Reveal yourself, fiend!

(Y/N): Um, hi?

Baekhyun: IT SPEAKS

Chanyeol: How did you get here?

(Y/N): Um, I’m not really sure to be honest.

Chanyeol: ????

Baekhyun: ?????????????

(Y/N): Well you see….. this random app was on my phone, so I opened it, and now here I am I guess.

Baekhyun: Are you pranking us? Is this a prank? Sehun are you messing with us? It’s not funny!

Chanyeol: But this app isn’t even on the store, you need a certain code to access it and download it, you have to be verified first. It wouldn’t simply show up on your phone. There are a lot of security precautions in place.

Baekhyun: Exactly, Sehun we know it’s you. Cut the shit pls

Sehun entered the chat

Baekhyun: ………

Chanyeol: ………

Sehun: Everybdy whatsgfd going nf on nwhjyu is Jonging screamginj my head isokd alk l loopyr

Baekhyun: Sehun what are you doing?????

Sehun: IOj don’y now why don’t yuo tell me?

Chanyeol: Baekhyun he’s definitely drunk, I don’t think it’s him.

Sehun: Whgat do kyou menam what is goinf on?

Junmyeon entered the chat

Baekhyun: Thank God! Junmyeon, you’re here!

Chanyeol: Someone has infiltrated the chat! Something isn’t right here...

Yixing entered the chat

Chanyeol: Yixing! You’re here too, thank the lord.

Junmyeon: (Y/N), how did you get here?

(Y/N): I honestly don’t know. I’m sorry to cause trouble, I don’t really know what’s going on either.

Sehun: Wait who is that whagdha is going on I’m so ocnufsed.

Junmyeon: This chat is confidential, I’m sorry but if you aren’t a member we’ll have to kick you from the server. Although I’m still curious as to how you managed to get here. Are you telling the truth when you say you’re unaware of what brought you here?

(Y/N): I’m sorry for the trouble, this was just on my phone. Is this the right place?

Chanyeol: …...Right place?

Baekhyun: Were you looking for someplace in particular?

(Y/N): No, I just, I don’t even know what I’m saying. I’m sorry I’m just a little flustered right now. It’s been a long day.

Junmyeon: I’m sorry but for safety reasons I’ll have to kick you from the chat. Chanyeol will remove the app from your phone and cut your access.

Yixing: Wait….

Baekhyun: ????

Yixing: Chanyeol, don’t cut her access. Junmyeon, can I talk to you? I’ll be home in a few minutes.

Junmyeon: Um, yeah. Do you know something about this?

Yixing: I’m pulling into the driveway. Don’t cut her access. I mean it.

Yixing left the chat

Junmyeon: …..I’ll talk to you guys later. Nice meeting you, (Y/N).

Junmyeon left the chat

Chanyeol: ?????????????

Baekhyun: ??????????

Sehun: Are they hiding thingfs again?

Jongin entered the chat

Jongin: Okay I’m back what did I miss?

Chanyeol: Junmyeon and Yixing just left!

Jongin: Oh, Sehun, you’re here. Where the hell are you?

Sehun: Cfome findd me

Jongin: What the hell does that mean? You’re so weird when you’re drunk.

Baekhyun: Maybe he’s in your closet again, that’s what happened last time.

Jongin: You’re right, I’ll go check. I’ve gotta take care of him before he pulls something again so I have to leave, keep me updated on the situation.

Jongin: (Y/N), I don’t know who you are, but for now, welcome to EXO ;)

Baekhyun: A winky face, really Jongin? This is not the time to flirt -_-

Jongin left the chat

Chanyeol: I just hate that they’re always talking in secret, why don’t we get to know things? You’d think with all of the work I do for them, they would at least let me know what the hell is going on.

Baekhyun: I know. Ever since Tao, Kris, and Luhan left things haven’t been the same.

Chanyeol: Let’s not say too much, we still don’t know if (Y/N) is trustworthy yet.

Baekhyun: That’s true….

Sehun: Jongin is makign me lesve my favorite spot

Sehun has left the chat

Chanyeol: Well, now it’s just us three I guess. (Y/N), are you sure that we can trust you?

(Y/N): I have no ill intentions, I’m just doing what I’m told.

Baekhyun: ????????????????????????????

Chanyeol: …………….

Baekhyun: What do you mean? Who sent you here? Who’s telling you to do this?

(Y/N): Like I said, the app just randomly appeared.

Chanyeol: But you said you’re just doing what you’re told…..

Baekhyun: Chanyeol we should just let Junmyeon and Yixing deal with this for now.

Chanyeol: You’re right, but I can’t help but wonder a few things….. I just feel like I should cut her access, but I won’t for now since Yixing told me not to.

Baekhyun: Yes, me too, but let’s trust our leaders, okay?

Chanyeol: Yeah, whatever.

Baekhyun: It was nice meeting you (Y/N), I must be going now.

Baekhyun left the chat

Chanyeol: ……..

Chanyeol left the chat

I exit the chat as well, questions filling my mind. I curse myself for mentioning I’m being told to do this, and I desperately hope they’ll forget about it. I can’t seem to piece together the connection between Anonymous and EXO, they mentioned Kris and Tao being members. Did something bad happen?

They’re definitely very suspicious of me due to my surprise appearance and lack of explanation. I feel frustrated that I did not think through my words more carefully. Now they may never trust me, and just remove my access. If that happens, what will Anonymous do with me? I shake my head at the thought, pushing the haunting nightmares from my consciousness. After seeing how they reacted, I’m realizing that it might take longer to get close to them than I thought. I wanted this to be as fast as possible, thought it would just be any other group chat, but this is different. They all seem so nice though, so innocent…. How could they be so bad like Minseok said?

I feel in my gut that Anonymous are the side at fault, not EXO. Based on the people I’ve met so far here, they aren’t good people. I have no way of knowing the intentions of EXO either, I can’t trust anyone in this situation. My stomach twists in anxiety at the thought, as loneliness covets me, stinging deep in my stomach.

Didn’t they say that EXO is a charity foundation? And here I am helping this deranged cult do something to them. What do Anonymous want from them? Should I be trying to help EXO rather than Anonymous?

I look back at the phone, examining the app. There are only a few features. There is a large button labelled “chat room”, another called “messages”, and a phone call option. At the very top there are little icons for each member, Junmyeon, Yixing, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Sehun, and Jongin, brief statuses for each. It seems pretty innocent to me, so what am I doing here? And why did Yixing tell them not to kick me out?

Does he know something? He’s the one I’m supposed to be pursuing…….

A small bell chimes, and I jump in fear, until noticing it’s only a text notification.

Yixing: Are you free to talk?

A lump forms in my throat as I stare at his message on the screen. I just need to play it cool, act normal, be nice, and not act suspicious. I need to think through what I say, and keep my story the same. Remembering my family, I shakily type out a response.

(Y/N): Yeah sure, I’m sorry for all of the confusion.

Yixing: It’s okay. We’re a little concerned as you just showed up, but I can sense that you have no ill intentions. I only have a few questions for you.

Questions? I shudder, what if he asks things I can’t answer? I can’t make him even more suspicious.

(Y/N): Yeah sure. I’m not exactly sure what’s going on so I’m not sure how much I can answer, but I’ll do my best.

Yixing: Yes, I can imagine you would be confused right now. You said this app suddenly appeared, correct?

(Y/N): Correct. It somehow got on my phone, I never downloaded anything.

Yixing: Hmm, did someone else have your phone before it showed up?

Shit, how am I supposed to answer that? I feel guilty lying, as so far Yixing is being much kinder to me than the people here have been. I can’t know his true intentions, but he is at least treating me with respect. Maybe EXO are good people, good people who could possibly get me out of this place. They did mention Kris and Tao, do they know of this place?

(Y/N): Not that I know of, no.

Yixing: Hmm, I see. Do you know about EXO, this organization, at all?

(Y/N): No, I’ve never heard of it before now.

Yixing: You must be confused, then. I’ll explain briefly. EXO is a fundraising organization for charity. Junmyeon is the founder and leader, I accompany him in running the foundation. We have parties every so often where we invite many guests, that’s when we collect our donations and promote EXO. I see you met the other members in the chatroom already, I’m sorry that they act with suspicion towards you. A lot has happened as of recently, so they’re just a little on edge, that’s all. I’m sure they’ll warm up to you.

(Y/N): I don’t blame them for being suspicious. Thank you for being welcoming, Yixing.

Yixing: No need to thank me. I have just a few more questions for you, if that’s okay of course.

(Y/N): Um yeah, go ahead.

Yixing: Alright. If you are in any danger, you should tell me, okay? If anyone threatens you, or does something to hurt you, tell me right away.

My breath hitches in my throat at his words, and I wonder if he knows what’s going on with me. Does he want to help me, or does he want to use me as well?

(Y/N): I will, thank you.

Yixing: Very good. As a member, I just want to assure your safety. I just have one more question, and then I can let you go.

(Y/N): What is it?

Yixing: You would tell me if you were in danger right now, right?

(Y/N): ….

Yixing: It’s okay if you feel uncomfortable, I am kind of interrogating you. I’m sorry if I caused you any distress, I’ll be going now. I look forward to talking to you again.Goodbye.eddddddd

I set the phone down, my head spinning. Was I right in not answering his question? I did not want to simply say that I was safe, and rule out possibilities of ways for me to get out of here. I have no way of knowing what he wants from me, but I’m not looking to burn any bridges already. But will Kris and Tao be angry at me? I did allude to the fact that maybe something is going on. Just how closely are Kris and Tao monitoring the chat, anyways? Will they see all of it?

I hope I don’t get in trouble for this. A million worries whir through my mind, but my eyes feel too heavy to deny. It’s the middle of the day, but I’m exhausted from everything that has happened, and I can’t stop myself from passing out on the heavenly bed. Images of tall, scary men, and the messenger clouding my dreams.

[shesdreamingofamonster]

EXO(OT12) - Reaction to You Having a Panic Attack

Minseok: Minseok knew about your history with anxiety but he had never seen one of your panic attacks first hand. When you started to lose control of your breathing he pulled you close to him and lifted your chin so your eyes would meet his. “Hey Y/N, it is alright. I am here. Just breathe, please breathe.” He tried to hide the panic that overcame him in his own face.

Luhan: He didn’t know what triggered it, but as soon as he noticed how tense you became and how sweat had formed on your brow he needed to make it better. “Tell me what you need Y/N.” He would guide you gently to a place where you could sit and he would rub your back and softly console you.

Kris/Yifan: The sudden paranoia that something bad was going to happen when you were waiting to board the plane with Kris. When you tightened your grip on his hand, he noticed how pale you had become. You felt like your heart was going to beat out of your chest. “Y/N, is it happening again?” He knew that you had a fear of plane crashes and that sometimes it got the best of you. You nodded and looked down trying to steady yourself. He took your face in his hands and placed his forehead against yours. “Nothing is going to happen; this is the best company there is. I even looked up how well they upkeep the machinery. Just focus on me, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Junmyeon: He usually thought of you as a strong and fierce person, but when he saw you look so fragile it broke his heart. You had started crying and hyperventilating. He tried to ask you what was wrong but your words were broken and breathy. You stumbled into his arms and he wrapped them around you, as if he could form a wall to protect you from anything that would cause you this much panic. He whispered reassurances into your ear and eventually your breathing slowed and the tears stopped falling. He held you for a long time after, not wanting to let you go.

Yixing: The large crowd that suddenly enveloped your boyfriend and you took your anxiety over the edge. You were usually prepared for this sort of thing when you went outside with Yixing but this time it was overwhelming. Even though he shouldn’t risk getting hurt he still made sure to wrap his arms around you to create an extra barrier other than his own security guards. He noticed how your face went white and you mentioned how you didn’t feel well. It broke his heart to know there was nothing he could do to change this situation due to his popularity. You nuzzled into his shoulder but continued to walk until you got to your destination. He kissed your forehead and apologized for the situation. You told him it wasn’t his fault but clung to him till you felt better.

Baekhyun: Baekhyun was awoken by the ear shattering scream that escaped your throat. He immediately tried to coax you out of the nightmare that you seemed to be having. You woke up clenching your chest with the feeling that your throat was closing in on itself. You tried to speak but no sounds were coming out. Knowing how terrified you must be feeling, Baek pulled you close and rocked you back and forth trying to stop the episode.

Jongdae: You felt the familiar pain rise in your chest and your ears started ringing. The world seemed to be falling back on itself, but luckily Jongdae was there with you. Last time you were alone and he received a call from work that you were sent home due to the sudden panic attack. He knew stress was the problem, but you had told him that you were dealing with everything just fine. You were sitting on the couch reviewing information for a presentation but nothing seemed to be going right and you lost control. According to your boss, everything had to go perfectly, and as of now it was going to be a train wreck. You didn’t think you were crying but you felt the tears on your skin. He sat down with you and brought you into his chest. When you started to feel better again he offered to help you with the presentation until you felt confident with it. He even made you food since you had been skipping meals to work on it.

Chanyeol: You had recently heard some upsetting news but tried to push it to the back of your mind. But that didn’t last forever, the stress caught up to you all at once. Your whole body became numb and the world became a blur. Chanyeol noticed the look of confusion on your face and how you didn’t seem stable. He grabbed your shoulders, “Jagiya, what is going on? Can you hear me?” When you didn’t show any response he just stood there and held you. Knowing that if he wasn’t able to help, he could at least be there with you.

Kyungsoo: Soo thought it would be a great idea to invite you to walk the carpet for the premier of his new film with him, arm in arm. You were excited and honored that he was proud to show you off to the world. As you both stepped into the limo, the nerves you had been fighting suddenly overflowed. You felt dizzy and your limbs started to tingle. “I don’t know if I can do this Soo.” He looked over at you trying to hide the concern he felt. He was worried that it would be too much for you, but recently you had been getting better with your social anxiety. “If you want we can turn around and I can come by myself.” You couldn’t, he was overjoyed about you coming and you weren’t going to let your anxiety beat you today. “No, it will be okay, just give me a few minutes to calm down.” He took your hand and kissed it, then smiled up at you. “Take as long as you need. I’ll be holding your hand the whole time.” Then he got close to your ear, “By the way, you look stunning.”

Tao: Tao came home from a day at the studio to find you right in the middle of a panic attack. At this point you had situated yourself on the couch leaning forward with your head in your hands. He rushed over to sit next to you, gently rubbing your back. When you sat up and wrapped your arms around his neck, he lifted you up and took you to your bed. “Just relax, I’ll handle dinner.” He gave you a sweet kiss and covered you up before he left to make some food.

Jongin: You had a few bad incidents with animals when you were younger and when you finally met Jongin’s dogs, although they were harmless, you felt like something bad was going to happen. Flashbacks passed through your mind as your heart began to race. He knew about these incidents, and when you froze up all he wanted to do was make everything okay. He put the dogs in a room until you calmed down and felt ready to meet them. He made sure that you wouldn’t feel threatened by taking them out individually and holding them in his arms while you pet them. After they were all back in the other room, he took you into his arms letting you know that he  would never let you near them if he thought they would cause you harm.

Sehun: You had been walking around the city when you spotted something that triggered a panic attack. You felt the world begin to spin and stopped walking. “Sehun, I’m not feeling to well right now.” He led you over to a bench and wrapped an arm around your shoulder, you leaning into him. He gently kissed your forehead and just kept talking to you, reminding you of things that you liked and made you happy. Trying to drown out the outside world so all you heard was him. You closed your eyes and only focused on his voice, which always calmed you down with its deep and beautiful sound.

This was a request. I suffer with anxiety and panic attacks myself and know that they can be brought on by stress or nothing at all. I tried to do this with multiple causes and symptoms. I hope you like it.

Masterlist

[childrenofhypnos]

Chapter 11: The Dream

Emery fell into the Dream.

It was a fall and it wasn’t. There was no forest on the other side of the gateway, but when the light returned, Emery was collapsing back-first onto a pile of…foam? Cushions? She couldn’t see what she’d fallen onto, but it didn’t hurt. She had not come from anywhere. There was no gateway. There were no walls or ceiling or sky. For a moment, after she pushed herself off the surface of her soft landing, there was no ground.

There was nothingness around her in the way that there could be nothingness in a dream: she couldn’t focus on her surroundings. There was something in her brain telling her they weren’t important. She didn’t need to make sense of them.

She grasped at the thought. Dream logic. They did sections of dream logic every year in dreamforming class, and by their final year of school, they would have an entire class of just that. How the dream functioned while a dreamhunter was physically inside it, what it did to their bodies and minds, and the strange and unusual things it did to protect itself. The first rule of dream logic was the will of the Dream itself: the Dream wanted everyone inside to forget where they were, to unravel their memories and their lives piece by piece until they couldn’t leave. A dreamer could exit the Dream by waking up, but a physical body from the waking world, once caught, would rot away there forever.

The Dream wants you to forget.

Emery dropped to her knees and threw her arms over her head. The Dream wanted her to forget, so she had to remember. She had to remember anything and everything she could about the waking world.

Grandpa Al had a special teacup that he only used in his office. It sat beside the nameplate on his desk. Powder blue with cobalt designs and a gold rim. Grandma Juno had given it to him years ago, after they got married and before she was lost in the Dream.

The Dream wants you to forget.

Grandma Juno had forgotten and had gotten lost, and had probably died here. Emery growled and thought harder. Edgar. The sleeves of Edgar’s favorite sweater hung well past his hands. It was a hand-me-down from their father, and Edgar insisted on wearing it every time he watched A Fistful of Dollars.

Why, though?

Why?

Because their father was the one who had shown him that movie for the first time.

The Dream’s oppressive pushing against Emery’s mind let up, but she needed more to keep it away.

Her father could stand in a room full of people and still hide behind his glasses. He was Grandpa Al, but younger and taller and tealess. When she was little, when he still smoked, he gave her piggyback rides, and she felt like she was on top of the world.

Her mother could hide in an empty maze and everyone within five miles would still know she was there. They called her “the Siberian.” She came from…from…Emery cursed. She always forgot the name of it because she was stupid and had never cared enough about where her parents had come from. Khakassia! Her mother was from Khakassia. They’d first come to the Sleeping City from Moscow when Emery was eight, and her mother had let Emery hide behind the protective wall of her legs until Emery had worked up the courage to venture out.

The pressure drained away.

She needed more. Something recent.

Lewis brought Kris flowers for her botany notebook at student council meetings. He’d done it every week for two years, and Emery was no longer sure where he was getting the flowers, but he never missed a week.

Kris wore a different barrette every day of the week, always butterflies on Monday. If she forgot to put it in or wore the wrong one, her anxiety would have her flitting around the student council room in a panic until Jacqueline let her leave to fix the situation.

Joel had found Emery on her first day at Fenhallow. He’d pulled her away from her mother’s protective covering, and he hadn’t even cared that she tried speaking Russian to him sometimes. He liked her before everyone else. He liked her after everyone else. She knew where his family lived in the city, but he may as well have sprung out of the campus ground. There was no Fenhallow without Joel.

Emery thought of Jacqueline standing over her, black hair pulled back in an imperious ponytail, snapping, “Get up, Ashworth. I’d tell you to stop being useless, but that might be too difficult for you.”

Emery got up.

She had her armor and her guns. From the Sandman’s portal she’d expected to enter a forest, but she stood now on a cracked and barren plain that stretched endlessly into the distance. Purple clouds filled the sky, flashing with the threat of lightning.

“Wes?”

Emery turned in a full circle. She was alone. It was a strange kind of aloneness, like standing on an empty arena floor, looked down upon by thousands of spectators. Every mind in the world was connected to the Dream, but the people of the Sleeping City would be the closest. The air around her rippled with half-formed images, there and gone again and replaced by something new. Green fields. Dark oceans. Rooms with blank walls. The insides of homes, the outsides of homes. Schools, planets, pitch black. To her left, a the image of a jungle treehouse solidified and began to move, a window in the midst of her great barren plain, looking onto a whole other world. After a few moments, it trickled away, and Emery had trouble remembering exactly what she’d seen inside it. The Dream oriented its windows around Emery, circling her.

Her mother had always said the Dream was a living thing. It knew when a dreamhunter entered it like a body knew a virus. And like a body and a virus, the Dream resisted invaders. It rejected the waking world.

It had wanted her to forget herself, and she hadn’t. Now, it seemed like it planned to let the dreams of the Sleeping City scare her off.

The problem was, she didn’t know how to get back. The Sandman’s gateway was gone, and even if she did know how to open one herself, she couldn’t leave the Dream without Wes.

Jumping through the Sandman’s gateway had not been her best decision ever. And now that she was out of the moment, trying to catch him in the Dream didn’t sound so appealing, either.

Her first order of business was finding Wes without upsetting the Dream. She had no idea how to do either of those, but standing around wasn’t getting her anywhere.

She looked at her cuff. It had clearly been too much to hope that she could just message Wes. Hey bud, where’re you at? Around the corner from the creepy sunken ship dream-window? Cool, I’ll be there in a sec. The cuff was a no-go. Not only did it get no signal in the Dream, it didn’t even turn on. The Dream didn’t like people, and it didn’t like technology.

“Alright, Em.” She clapped her hands together. “You are in the collective subconscious of the human race. How do you find another person?”

Maybe by wishing really hard.

She snorted. The Dream couldn’t take sarcasm from her.

Professor Lenton hadn’t been any help at all when it came to the Dream. They needed a dreamhunter to teach them these things. Class Twenty got special sessions from the full-time dreamhunters, but two more years seemed like an awfully long time to wait for adequate schooling when they were already allowed out on missions.

Breathe, Emery. Marcia told them to breathe. Yelled at them to breathe, actually. You can’t make good decisions if you don’t breathe, she’d say.

Emery breathed, and thought.

She could track nightmares, dreamhunters, even minor dreamforms in the waking world. All dreamhunters could, because they straddled the line between worlds. Those things felt different, like they didn’t belong. Maybe in the Dream she could track something from the waking world. But that meant she needed to move.

All the directions looked the same—long barren plain, angry flashing sky—so she picked one and started walking. She passed dream-windows as the Dream shifted them to keep its focus on her. Maybe, if this place knew she was here, it would know Wes and the Sandman were here, too. Maybe they would also cause disturbances.

“Wes!” Her voice echoed back to her, as if there were mountains in the distance. The only answer she expected was a slight shift in her mind, that sense she had in the waking world when a nightmare moved suddenly. There was nothing except the heavy, clogging fabric of the Dream pressing in around her. Though the landscape looked arid, the air felt humid.

Nothing to do about it. She’d have to keep moving.

“Wesley Jager, you useless piece of garbage!”

Insults pulled no replies, either. Emery’s boots kicked up little puffs of dust.

“Wes, I’m secretly in love with you. Thought you should know.”

Her sensing-the-waking-world in the Dream theory was probably nonsense. Or Wes was too far away.

How far could he be, really? She’d been holding as tight to him as she could when they went through the gateway. He hadn’t broken out of her grasp before, either, because she remembered a moment of falling through blackness with him at her side, his hammer flashing in the dark.

Her stomach turned. She started to jog.

“Wesley! I am straight up going to have my grandpa fail you if you don’t respond to this!”

The only response she got was a dream-window opening in her face. She pitched headfirst into someone’s mind.

She was on the plain one moment, and in the next standing on a long gravel road in a hazy cloudbank. She started running before she knew why. Sudden, immediate fear pulsed through her legs, clawing at her chest. Something was chasing her. She knew it before she heard it on the gravel behind her, before she felt the change in the air. She knew it the way a dreamer knows it when they drop into that familiar nightmare. The thing was big and had scales and when it caught her—when, not if—it was going to rip her arms out of their sockets.

Her legs sank into the gravel like mud. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. There was no end to the path.

She tripped. Her hands came out to stop her, and she realized she was holding guns. Revolvers.

Revolvers.

The Peacemakers snapped her back into herself. She twisted on the ground. The thing chasing her was lost to the mist, shape indistinct. She aimed for the center of the silhouette.

Her bullets tore through the dream like tissue paper. Instead of bursting in a cloud, the silhouette crumpled to the ground. A dead creature. It was already in the Dream; it had nowhere to return to.

Emery lowered her guns. This creature might have been cute, if it had ever come to the waking world. She would have dispatched it like all the rest, of course, but it might have been shambling and nonsensical and cute. Now it was dead.

The Dream wavered around her. The fear was gone now. The entire span of this person’s nightmare was probably being chased; there was nothing beyond that, so when the chase was done, the nightmare ended. The cloud bank shifted and revealed a patch of cracked and barren earth, angry purple sky. Emery holstered her guns and sprinted for it. She threw herself back into the wasteland.

It was a new area. Or maybe the old area, changed. Low scrub bushes grew from the cracks in the baked ground. The terrain rolled with hills.

She looked at her dead wrist cuff and wondered idly how long she’d been in the Dream. Time flowed differently here. That was what everyone said, at least. A few minutes could last the whole night; a lifetime could be compressed into seconds.

Her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten since dinner, however long ago that had been, and she was fairly certain a waking world body couldn’t survive on Dream food. Or water.

She wasn’t panicking. She totally wasn’t panicking.

“WES!”

“Emery!”

His voice came from afar, as if echoing down a long hallway. She turned. Another window exploded around her. Wes’s hand caught hers and they fell; it happened so quickly she didn’t have time to be confused. Emery grabbed the hard ridges of Wes’s armor beneath his arms before the force of their fall could drag them apart again, and the handle of his hammer slid across the small of her back, barring her in.

“We’re falling!” she yelped.

The walls—if they really were walls, they were uniform gray and too far away to touch—led both up and down into blackness.

“I’ve been stuck here.” They were close enough that she heard him over the rushing of the wind. His eyes were wide, his expression relieved. “I kept seeing you through the windows in the walls, but I couldn’t get close enough to grab you. I don’t know how to get out.”

“You sound way too calm for this!” Emery’s stomach floated somewhere in her throat. “How much time do you think has passed?”

“A few hours. My cuff is dead.”

“So is mine, but it’s only felt like half an hour for me.”

He frowned. “We have no idea.”

“I do know that we can get out of here by reaching the end of the dream, though.”

They spun as they fell, and Emery’s hair whipped upward into Wes’s face. Spitting, he managed to swing them around until she was on top.

“How do you end a dream about falling?” he said.

“Usually…you wake up.”

Entirely unhelpful. Not only were they not alseep, the dreamer wasn’t around. If they had been, Emery might have been able to slap them awake at the very least. Enough disturbance in their dream space would wake up a dreamer.

Past Wes, a window opened. A slash of bright light against the darkness, directly below them, getting big fast. There was no way to stop and no time to warn Wes, so Emery wrapped her arms around his head and braced for the impact.

They dropped through the window and hung suspended above the cracked wasteland earth for a heartbeat, just long enough for Emery to realize they’d stopped. Then they started again and dropped the last five feet with a heavy thud.

Wes grunted. Emery unraveled her arms. His head thumped against the ground.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Fine. I think.” He sat up, pushing her back. He shrank his hammer and hung it on the chain around his neck. When he tried to stand, he wobbled and immediately fell back, face green. “Oh. I need to sit here for a second. I was falling for a long time.” He shoved his head between his knees.

Around them, the wasteland had changed again. Now sparse grass poked up in shoots and spurts through the cracks in the ground, and in the distance, skeletal trees created a path down a long hill. The purple clouds overhead had lightened, and in the distance far at the bottom of the hill, she spotted honest patches of green.

Emery rocked back on her heels and hooked two fingers over the lip of Wes’s boot. If she fell through another window, she was taking him with her, Dream physics be damned.

“For a while I thought I came in alone,” she said.

He glanced at her fingers on his boot, then at her face. “For a while I thought you threw me in.”

“I—I mean, I pulled you in, but I came, too—”

“I know.”

Her cheeks burned with humiliation. And she’d thought, before she’d tried to fire off her flare the first time, that Grandpa Al would be proud of her. She hated it. “Sorry. I didn’t think it through.”

Wes was silent for a moment.

Then: “Well, that was better than the last apology.”

She gave him a small rueful smile. He didn’t smile back, but he didn’t look angry either, and with him that seemed like a successful interaction.

“I don’t know about you,” he said, “but I don’t really care about the Sandman anymore. How are we getting out of here?”

“I have no clue. A gateway to the Dream can be opened from anywhere, so it seems reasonable to assume that a gateway back to the waking world can also be opened anywhere. I just don’t know how.”

Dream-windows continued to fade in and out around them. Emery watched, wary. She felt Wes tense at the same time she did when one window materialized a little too close.

“We could stay here and wait for help,” Wes said, “but I don’t think the Dream is going to let us.”

Emery snorted. “Really? What was your first—”

A window opened below their feet.

(Next time on The Children of Hypnos --> Some Dreams Are Worse Than Others)