Deep Sea Embers
chapter-520

Heidi’s intuition was sharp, almost precognitive. She could sense a distinct change as she stood in the dream realm. The intruder, an unwanted mental presence, had faded. And not because she had expelled him, but because he had managed to elude her. He had slipped out of this warped dreamscape, a twisted version of reality shaped by the subconscious mind.

She looked around, her eyes narrowing. The representation of her own consciousness, an avatar she had dispatched into this dream, sent her constant feedback. And from what she could sense, the situation was not normal.

The room she stood in had resembled a grotesque and decaying version of a sick room, its walls eerily imitating rotting flesh. But now, as the intruder’s influence waned, it rapidly reverted to what it should be: a sterile, pristine medical facility. The burnt, deteriorating floor repaired itself, and the overall oppressive aura that once pervaded the entire structure vanished.

However, Heidi remained on high alert. She understood the fundamental rules of this dream realm. In its natural state, a twisted dream creates a closed-off world, sealed and contained. Like the intruder’s, an invading consciousness might be an antagonist in this space, but the dream’s parameters would still confine it. To forcefully exit this realm should have caused a major disruption. Only an extremely adept dreamweaver could make such an exit discreetly, and Heidi doubted the intruder had that capability.

Having trained under the best tutors at the Academy of Truth, and with the rigorous teachings of her father from a young age, Heidi was confident in her mastery over dreams. The very notion that the intruder could leave without her detecting it was unsettling. She surmised he might be hiding, perhaps tucked away in a blind spot or a cognitive void within the dream.

Pausing to think, she moved towards the bed that dominated the center of the room. An unfamiliar elven girl lay there, seemingly lost in a deep slumber. Her forehead was creased, indicating some form of distress. The girl was the dream’s epicenter, and the corruption of the dream had transformed her peaceful sleep into this surreal medical nightmare. With the intruder’s influence waning, logic dictated she should have awakened.

Because, in the vast and bizarre world of dreams, there’s one thing that remains consistent: one cannot remain asleep within their own dream. Even in dreams nested within other dreams, the dreamer’s consciousness in the innermost layer is always active and alert.

As Heidi approached the bed, she took a moment to closely examine the state of the elven girl. Unsure of what she was about to do but compelled to act, she gently lifted the girl into a sitting position and then, with a swift motion, pushed her back down onto the bed. This motion was intended to induce a “falling response,” a jolt of alertness which often pulled people from the depths of sleep.

Yet, despite Heidi’s efforts, the girl remained entrenched in her deep slumber.

Sighing in frustration and concern, Heidi murmured to herself, “The falling technique didn’t work…” Her brow furrowed as she contemplated the situation. “Could it be that this isn’t her deepest layer of dreaming? Is this just an intermediate layer, a dream within another dream? But that doesn’t make sense… Even in such a layer, the falling response should have stirred her to consciousness.”

Absent in thought, Heidi suddenly froze. A realization seemed to dawn on her. Without a word, she swiftly turned on her heels and rushed out of the sick room.

Her quick and purposeful footsteps resonated through the vast medical facility. As she sprinted, she passed by avatars of herself she had previously dispatched in the dream realm. Each “Heidi” held a golden spike, continuing to inspect various parts of the facility, whether it be long hallways, winding staircases, or eerily quiet rooms with doors slightly open, waiting for an observer. They all seemed to have a task, a purpose.

Yet, as Heidi sped by these avatars, they would turn and trail behind her one by one. Each would rapidly integrate back into her, strengthening her essence. Even avatars from remote parts of the facility sensed her urgency, converging and reuniting with her main form.

This dream version of the medical facility seemed to defy logic. The very structure of the dream was out of place, with hallways leading to nowhere, perplexing forks in the road, and staircases that twisted in impossible ways, connecting rooms in patterns that defied the laws of space and gravity. The very layout was akin to a surreal painting—uncanny and unsettling.

But for Heidi, who had navigated countless dreams before, these complexities were mere puzzles to solve. She expertly navigated the confusing terrain, sidestepping traps, and dead ends until she reached her destination.

A towering door stood before her, boldly marked with the word “Exit.”

She paused, catching her breath, as the remaining avatars sprinted from various directions and merged into her. Taking a calming breath, she slowly moved towards the door.

This door represented more than just an exit from the facility—it was potentially the boundary of the current dream layer.

Gripping the cold handle, she took a moment to steady her racing heart. Dream boundaries were treacherous. They signified the limits of the dreamer’s perception and understanding. For an outsider like Heidi, trespassing on these boundaries risked entering an undefined space where the dreamer’s control fades, and the subconscious takes over. In such regions, intruders might face unpredictable dangers or even encounter sinister entities lurking at the fringes of one’s psyche, residing in the spiritual abyss.

Pausing at the threshold of the door, Heidi felt a momentary unease. Venturing beyond was not in accordance with the dream-treatment protocols she was trained in.

Her fingers unconsciously reached for the purple crystal pendant around her neck. What usually gave off a gentle warmth was now conspicuously cold against her skin. It was a simple piece, often mistaken for a mere trinket, but its present temperature was anything but ordinary.

The unexpected chill emanating from the pendant solidified her resolve. Throughout her time using it, the pendant had never deceived her. She decided to heed its warning but was also curious about its reaction.

Taking a deep breath, Heidi jokingly whispered to herself, “Venturing in might dock me fifteen marks off my professionalism score.” With that, she took a bold step and thrust the door open.

To her surprise, she wasn’t met with an expected void of shadows or a perilous abyss. No grotesque beings or spectral phantoms awaited her.

Instead, Heidi found herself gazing at a verdant forest stretching endlessly in all directions. Unlike any she had ever seen, colossal trees stood tall, their broad canopies intertwining and forming a leafy roof that obscured the sky. The forest floor was carpeted with a riot of colorful flowers, shrubs, and saplings intertwined with vines crawling everywhere. Birds she couldn’t recognize sang melodies that were both enchanting and foreign to her ears.

Golden rays of sunlight pierced through the gaps in the foliage, illuminating patches of the verdant undergrowth, showcasing a kind of vibrant life Heidi had never experienced. Raised in urban environments, this wild and untamed landscape was utterly alien to her.

The dense forest presented her with a sensory overload: the unfamiliar sights, sounds, and smells were bewildering. Her academic achievements— being a top-tier student who had earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees with full scholarships from the Academy of Truth— felt meaningless amidst such unfamiliarity. For a fleeting moment, she felt lost, disconnected from her purpose.

Yet, her rigorous training and strong mental resilience didn’t allow her to be overwhelmed for long. Within seconds, Heidi pulled herself together, taking a deep, steadying breath, grounding herself to regain her analytical perspective.

Glancing back at the direction she had come from, the incongruity of the scene struck her. The “medical facility” she had just left appeared oddly juxtaposed amidst the thick woods. Its sterile, man-made exterior looked entirely out of place amidst the wild greenery. Plants she couldn’t recognize grew around it, their tendrils embracing the building.

Piecing together her observations, Heidi made a rapid deduction: “It seems the dream’s boundary might be confined to that medical facility. The vast landscape beyond this door doesn’t align with the usual dream constructs. Could this be an atypical ‘periphery of consciousness’?”

As Heidi surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, she couldn’t find any recognizable features related to the Pland city-state. The only things that caught her eyes were countless unfamiliar plants and trees. She wondered, could this be a manifestation of the elf’s subconscious memories? Yet, even renowned elven city-states such as Wind Harbor or Mok didn’t boast such vast, dense vegetation.

“Could it be that beyond this boundary lies the final, deepest layer of the dream?” she contemplated aloud. “But the sheer expanse of it and the intricacy of every detail… Such intense mental projection should have exhausted her cognitive abilities by now.”

Vanished in thought, Heidi fumbled in her bag and retrieved a bright ball of yarn. Holding its end securely, she lobbed the ball with force into the distance. As it unspooled, it bounced and skidded across the moist stones, rich soil, and tangled underbrush.

She observed its movement with keen interest, looking for any distortions or glitches in the yarn’s path. If she noticed any, it would be a telltale sign of concealed “cognitive voids” within the dream – gaps she would have to be wary of to avoid getting entrapped in a nightmarish realm.

To her relief, the yarn traveled unhindered and settled at a distance without a hitch. With newfound confidence, she began following its trail, taking her first steps into the dense forest.

While Heidi had decided to holster her revolver for the time being, she firmly gripped a protective golden spike in her left hand. This place, despite its picturesque beauty, echoed with silence, and she couldn’t help but feel that potential dangers might be lurking unseen. It was imperative to avoid drawing unnecessary attention and awakening any entities that might dwell on the periphery of consciousness in this ambiguous space.

As she trod cautiously, her mind raced with speculation. Was it possible the elusive cultist had not woken up but had instead navigated to this very peculiar area outside the dream? Could he have set a trap for her?

But amidst her spiraling thoughts, an intuitive nudge took hold of her. Instinctively, she snapped her gaze in a particular direction, drawn by an inexplicable feeling.

And there, partially hidden amidst the towering trees in a clearing, was a figure. Their back was to her – dressed in a light-colored, southern-style coat and with unruly blonde hair that cascaded down. But it was the distinct, pointed tips of elongated ears peeking out that truly caught her attention.

Could it be… another elf?