"...!"
"?"
For some reason, I can hear a familiar voice call out to me, but I can't understand it. Even worse, my vision is blurry…
"...Thena!....Thena!"
Gradually, the voice becomes clearer to me. I can just barely make out my name, I think…
Who is it and where am I?
"Aisha! Thena! Are you two stable yet?"
"...!"
Finally, my hearing and vision clears, allowing me to identify this mysterious person. It's none other than my friend, Gene. He is standing a few meters away from me, looking at me attentively.
"Whoa, I jump into some weird water and the first thing I hear is your voice. Unsurprising, yet welcome."
"You were concerned about Lily and me, weren't you? That's why you jumped in."
"If you know already, then there's no point in me saying it."
"Whew, I'm just glad that you and Aisha followed along with us. As you can see, we don't exactly have a way back."
"Hmm?"
Gene waves his hand around the area Aisha and I spawned in. Sure enough, there's no body of water or any sort of passageway to backtrack to. It's as though we teleported to a one-way dimension.
I look at my left hand, feeling a tight grip. Even through all of that, my sister and I still held onto each other…well, that's enough of that.
"Aw Thena. Letting go of my hand already? We used to do it all the time when you were a cute little toddler! How nostalgic…"
"Sis, I love you but those days are over. I'd much rather express our bond through competition–no more of this cheesy stuff."
"My, that does sound more amusing. Though you still need more experience to make it a fair fight."
"Heh, and after we finish this expedition, I'll be another step closer, won't I?"
Aisha and I lock eyes, smirking at each other with our best game-on faces. I'm still determined to be the greatest treasure hunter of all time; that includes surpassing my family!
"Um, ladies…"
Gene stares at the two of us awkwardly, patiently waiting for our sisterly banter to end. Guess I got a little carried away.
"My bad, let's get back to the mission. Where the heck are we, Gene?"
The area that we have been transported to is narrow and circular. The colors are muted, and there isn't much to look at besides a few small plants here and there. On the opposite side of this area, one big thing caught my attention: an opening that leads to a bright white place. That obviously has to be the exit, if not the correct way forward.
"I may have come here just before you, but your guess is as good as mine. I'd imagine that the 'water' was really the veil that was hiding the true oasis. I dove into the water to save Lily, but ended up here the same way you did. Turns out, Lily didn't need saving after all."
"Speaking of Lily, where is she? You seem rather calm, so she must be okay."
"I came over here to meet you two once I heard you spawn. She's over here, come see for yourself."
Gene guides us out of the cramped room into an open-air area that resembles a palace courtyard. The entire place, from the floor to the walls, is made of smooth white stones that are so bright, it is putting a strain on my eyes. Well, that explains the brightness I noticed before.
Towards the center of the room, a barren tree is being attended to by the small demi-human girl, Lily. I wonder, what is she doing by that tree? It looks more like a sapling, with it being no more than 182 centimeters tall.
"Lily, looks like the others have arrived safely. How are things going over here?"
"Welcome back, Gene! Hello Thena and…Aisha. Lily's glad that everyone is here again…"
"?"
I notice that Lily's eyes are not focused on me, but rather my sister and her…belly? Given her change in tone, I'm not surprised that she isn't as enthusiastic about seeing me but…my sister doesn't seem to mind. Quite the opposite.
"Oh? Are you still worried about Vex? Don't worry little darling, I can still feel him in my stomach, resting safely. Here, I'll let you feel it!"
Aisha touches her exposed belly, eagerly inviting Lily to touch it. Goodness gracious, do you have to tease the girl so much?
"No thanks."
Lily quickly looks away from my sister and towards me and Gene. I swear, for a brief moment she clenched her fists. Perhaps it's for the best that she rejected Aisha's offer…though I wouldn't blame her if she wanted a more "heavy-handed" touch.
"Anyway, what are you doing? Did Gene tell you to do something strange?"
"Hey, why would you assume that?!"
"I'm just asking, that's all. Feel guilty?"
Lily shakes her head.
"Lily has been smelling this tree. The fruit looks yummy, but the smell is a little strange, but not bad."
"Is that so?"
I take a closer look at the fruit. It is the only singular fruit remaining on the tree. It resembles a grape, except it's the size of my palm and bears a psychedelic color. Never seen or even heard of anything like this before…
"I don't know if I'd consider this fruit to be 'yummy' or even edible. It looks like something Aisha would eat."
"Really? There's no way I could eat something like that, Gene. No matter how off-putting it looks, it's still a fruit, which is too organic for my body to handle."
"That's only an assumption, isn't it? For all we know, it could be too toxic for consumption or not even be a real fruit."
"Fair point, but I trust my senses on this one."
"Hold on guys, why should we care about this meager fruit in the first place? It's not like this is the treasure we are looking for anyway."
"That's what I thought at first too, but after spending a few minutes searching this area, I came to one conclusion–there's no way out."
"Why would you think that?"
"I mean, you can take a look from here yourself. This courtyard isn't that big, and there are no doors, gates, portals, or anything at all that could lead us out of here–it's like an isolated space. The only thing left for us to interact with is this small tree and its fruit."
"So you are assuming that this fruit is connected to the way forward?"
"It's the only logical assumption I could make without driving myself insane."
"Sis, Lily, got any opposing ideas?"
Aisha shrugs her shoulders and Lily shakes her head. Sigh, if there's no other way…
Snatch!
"???"
…then I'll make one myself!
"Thena, what are you planning to do with that fruit?!"
Due to my sudden actions, Gene, Aisha, and Lily wear astonished expressions on their faces. Gene in particular was especially taken aback.
"What do you think, silly? I'm going to eat it."
"But–but that's too risky! We have no idea what kind of fruit it is, nor its effects!"
"My dad taught me that treasure hunters must be willing to take risks if that risk is standing in the way of them and their desired treasure. Besides, I'm the leader of this party. What kind of leader would I be if I made one of you take this risk on my behalf?"
"...sigh, fine. We can't waste time rotting away here anyway, so I suppose this was inevitable."
Gene rubs his forehead as though he were feeling the effects of a migraine. Jeez, I know that I'm not making the wisest decision but at least try to mask your disapproval.
"All right, I'm doing it!"
I close my eyes and insert the entire fruit into my mouth. I'd much rather get it over with at once than to prolong it.
Crunch
Crunch
Chew
The fruit's texture is soft, making it easy to chew. The flavor is a perfect blend of sweetness with a spicy after kick. The more I chew, the more aromas intoxicate my nose: sweet, spicy, roses, and…rancid. The tastes in combination with the scents are becoming so overwhelming, I need to just swallow it already!
Gulp
"Ah. There, all finished."
My party stares at me with bated breaths–they clearly are expecting something wild to happen to me. Gene looks the most visibly concerned.
"Sooo, how was it? You don't feel poisoned, right?"
"Gene, I swear you worry more than my own parents sometimes. The fruit was pretty good overall, I wouldn't mind trying it again if I had to."
"Aww, Lily wanted to try it…"
"Tell you what, if there are more fruits like that, I'll split it with you. Deal?"
"...deal."
I reach my hand out to Lily. She hesitates, then shakes my hand. Maybe there's still a chance after all.
"Uhh, Thena…"
"What's up, sis?"
"Your face, it's…it's–"
"Thena?!"
"What's gotten into you guys? Why is everyone staring at me like that all of a sudden?! Gene, what's the matter?"
"Your face–no, your body is changing colors. Your skin looks like that psychedelic fruit!"
"HUH?!"
I immediately look at my hands and legs; sure enough, I can see why they are concerned. It looks like a rainbow barfed on me!
"My head feels…hot. Getting…sleepy…"
A wave of exhaustion washes over me, without warning. I don't feel sick, but it feels like my body is slowing down, forcing me to…
…to…
THUD
"?!!"
"Thena!!!"
My eyes slowly shut without resistance, the cries of my party members gradually fade away. Now all I can see is an empty void of pitch black…
And a being completely covered in colorful radiant light. Its hands reach out, caressing me.
"Salutations, my sleeping beauty."
"Who…are you?"
___________________________________________________________________________
"Thena!"
Aisha and I scream out Thena's name as we reach out to her as she falls to the ground.
We were too late.
THUD
Fortunately, she did not collapse face-first, so we were able to prevent her from taking too much fall damage.
"Aisha, please tell me that Thena is still…"
Aisha places her fingers on Thena's neck, checking for a pulse.
"She's still alive, but her body is a little warmer than usual and her heartbeat is abnormally slow."
"..."
She's still alive? That means we still have a chance to save her, but…
I rub the needle knife in my pocket; it's still intact. I'm glad that I didn't leave it in my bag, but do I really need to resort to doing…that so soon?
"Dang it!"
I slam my fist onto a nearby wall; my sudden outburst surprises Aisha and Lily, stunning them for a moment. It doesn't help that it feels like I stubbed my toes, which only amplified my frustration.
"I'm…sorry for that. I just can't help but feel that this is because of me."
I should have tested the fruit myself before Thena even arrived here. I'm such an inconsiderate idiot!
"??"
As I let my guard down to my surroundings, I feel a small embrace from behind me. For a split second, she flashed in my memories. No, it's just Lily.
"Lily understands how Gene feels. Please don't…don't…"
"Lily's right, Gene. You shouldn't blame yourself for Thena's decision. If you take all of the blame, then that's not fair to the rest of the team. After all, this expedition required all of our efforts."
"..."
Jeez, once again, my selfish nature comes back to haunt me. I'll never escape–and it will never let me.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it. Let's lean Thena against this wall for now so that we can come up with solutions."
"Solutions to what, lad? I don't see any problems here."
"?!!!"
Suddenly, a voice appears out of thin air. It's a disembodied voice that sounds like it belongs to a man. We move our heads frantically, yet no one else is around.
"W-who are you? Show yourself!"
"Aye aye, if you insist, young lad. It's only natural that mortals would desire to behold my appearance."
The owner of the disembodied voice instantaneously manifests into our reality, becoming fully visible to us. He is a man with a well-built figure, which is hard not to notice due to his toga exposing his chest. His dark hair contrasts his colorful toga and accessories that have a tie-dye aesthetic.
"I am Esperaunce, the god of the dream realm. It's a pleasure to meet you all, especially that sleeping lass you have there. Thena is an interesting character, I tell ya!"
"You're a…dream god?"
"Not a dream god, THE dream god. I'm the one and only, lad. If anyone else claims to be, he is a blasphemous fraud, and I will dispose of him swiftly!"
I can't believe it. Despite being a believer of the goddess and the existence of other 'minor' gods, I never have seen one in person. The feeling is so surreal…though for a god, Esperaunce gives off casual vibes. He even casually mentioned Thena as if he knew her!
"Excuse me, but how do you know Thena?"
"I've met her in my dream domain, of course. How else, lad?"
"Why do you speak in a matter-of-fact tone? How was I supposed to know that?!"
"Eh? None of you knew about my REM fruit? Man, what are they teaching you mortals these days? Anyway, it's simply a fruit with my godly essence inside of it. If a mortal consumes it, she will fall into a deep sleep, as your friend did here."
"Is she still alive? I checked her pulse, but it's very low, so I wanted to confirm."
"Of course, of course. Do you die when you fall asleep? If so, you are beyond saving, lad. Though, she will never wake up from that state."
"What?!"
"You see, once my fruit is consumed, the physical body stays in the mortal realm, but the consciousness remains in my dream realm–unless the mortal is a male. Then his mortal body will disintegrate completely."
"Why would that happen?"
"I like to see sleeping beauties, and I don't find males to be beautiful. It's simply my preference, nothing more to it."
Phew, I guess it was divine intervention that prevented me from eating that fruit. Thank you, goddess! But what am I thinking, how could he be so nonchalant about this?!
"Anyway, why are you folks here anyway? Come to see me or something?"
"Excuse me, Mr. Esperaunce…"
Lily steps up to the god, speaking in a light, reverent tone. Esperaunce's eyes light up, as though he were looking at a cute animal.
"Oh, and who might you be, little lady?"
"I'm Lily."
"Thank you for remembering my name! Sniff, You mortals just don't understand how much that means to a god."
Is he sobbing?!
"Well anyway, ask your question little Lily. I'm in no rush."
"Are you Miss goddess lady's brother?"
Esperaunce's face suddenly frowned up, looking bewildered in response to Lily's question. I never imagined that the goddess would have any siblings, but I suppose that it's not unreasonable.
"Sweetheart, do you know how many goddesses there are? That hardly narrows it down. I do have a younger sister, but I doubt she has met you before."
As Esperaunce rubs his chin, Lily reaches into her pocket and takes out…a gem orb?
"The goddess lady met Lily in her dreams. She helped us find this crystal."
Esperaunce's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape.
"Fascinating. So that's why she…"
"???"
Esperaunce starts murmuring to himself, leaving the rest of us in a state of confusion. I hope that whatever he's thinking about, it turns out to be a good thing for us.
"No doubt about it, Twinkles was the one talking to you. I remember, she used to be quite fond of those crystals, though I never got their appeal."
"Then do you know where these crystals are?"
"You can find some of those crystals at the oasis, if I recall. Though I know it as Sparkling Cove."
"Really? Please take us to the oasis! Please please please!"
Lily leaps up and down, begging the god to fulfil her desire…well really, it's our desire. Esperaunce seems to find her begging endearing. I'd better calm her down though…
"Hold on, Lily. I want to see the oasis too–we all do. But we can't go without Thena. We need to wake her up first!"
"Agreed. The treasures at the oasis are meaningless to me without my sister. God Esperaunce, would you please restore my sister's health before showing us the oasis?"
"Whoa whoa everyone, request overload! You all want to see the oasis and you want me to 'heal' your friend here. Talk about greedy–though that's to be expected of mortals, haha."
"Can you do it? Please?"
After asking humbly, I bow my head as though I would when praying. I prompted the others to join me to increase our effectiveness.
"How could you be so bold to ask a god for favors, yet offer nothing that I would want? If only your etiquette were on par with your begging…sigh."
"Then...what would you like us to offer?"
"Great question, lad. That's what I wanted to hear! I promised Twinkles that I would guard her oasis from mortals since I owed her a huge favor and all, so I'm not supposed to let you pass. I could just seal you in the dream realm like the other mortals who made it this far, but since you already presented me with this sleeping beauty, I'm willing to work out a deal. Ready?"
Everyone looks at each other, then nods.
"Excellent!"
SNAP
With a swift snap of his fingers, the god summons a portal. The portal appears to be flowing from Thena's mind? Does he want us to go inside that?!
"What I want is simple to understand: entertain me."
"???"
"Entertain" him? I don't like where this is going; especially with that toothy grin on his face.
"Ah, I see by the look on your faces that you want me to explain the details. I want to watch you all face the darkness deep within your hearts. I've been in the mood for those kinds of dreams lately. If all of you can do that for me, I will let you pass. Deal?"
"I hesitate to ask, but what would happen if we aren't able to fulfil your standards for entertainment?"
"Oh don't worry, I'm sure you will bring me great amusement. Besides, it's not like you'll remember in the midst of your dreams if I told you."
"Wait, God Esperaunce–"
"Young lass, this is the second time you have addressed me, yet you have not introduced yourself."
"My name is Aisha. Aisha Tackle."
"Please continue, Aisha, but do hurry–I don't want to leave this portal open for too long."
"Your deal seemed to not include my sister's healing. I don't want to accept any deal without her being involved."
"Think about it this way; if you reject my deal and stay out here, will that solve your problems?"
"..."
I hate to admit it, and I'm sure Aisha feels the same way, but he's right. We cannot afford to reject the god's proposal since we can't progress from here ourselves. Our odds of success are much higher by accepting the deal, even if it seems more risky.
I look towards Aisha, raising my brow to communicate my thoughts.
"Aisha…"
She closes her eyes for a moment, then nods, signaling her acceptance.
"Lily…"
I do the same for Lily. Her head and tail nod several times, with a determined look.
I look towards Thena. I know that she has no say in the matter given her current condition, but I never want to forget to include her. Levitating right beside her, Esperaunce crosses his arms, awaiting our response.
"Esperaunce, we accept your deal."
As soon as I finished those words, as if he already knew this outcome, Esperaunce's grin widened and radiated a mix of psychedelic colors that changed the color of the entire courtyard.
"I love mortals who aren't idiots! Thanks to this sleeping beauty being a host, I could open this dream portal from her mind so that you mortals can cross over, even with your physical bodies. Go ahead, jump in. No wait, how rude and inefficient of me. I'll do the honors! You don't need to move a muscle."
WHOOSH
"?!!!"
The once mesmerizing, but silent portal suddenly grew in size and started to pull us in like a black hole. One by one, we were drawn in and consumed.
"Eeeek!"
"Aisha!"
I try to grab Aisha, but to no avail.
"Hehehe, it-it kinda tickles!"
"Lily, hold my–"
"Eeeee!"
Too late. All that remains…is me.
"We'll save you, Thena."
There's no reason to try to resist the inevitable. I release the tension in my legs, and close my eyes. As I feel my body flying closer and closer to the portal, I can just barely hear the words of Esperaunce."
"What version of reality will they see? Nothing is more beautiful than a dream."