Since Doctor Schneider considered the news Shade had brought back so serious, Shade did not try to persuade him further:
"Very well. Do I need to avoid this for the time being?"
"No. On the contrary, I need you to act with me. There are risks in what I am doing, and I need you to watch over me."
"Then what preparations do we need to make?"
"No preparation is needed. We only need to enter the Dream World and seek answers at the boundary between reality and illusion."
Doctor Schneider had plenty of sleeping draughts. After making some simple preparations, he tied Shade's wrist to his own with a black thread. Then the two lay down on the sofas in the reception room and fell into a deep sleep.
Closing his eyes felt like his body was falling, but his consciousness soon shifted from half-asleep to fully awake. Shade looked around and found himself still in the clinic's reception room.
The curtains were tightly drawn, and the lights were unusually bright. This was the doctor's dream, and the doctor was currently busy by the fireplace. Hearing Shade's footsteps, he said:
"Next, I'll take you into my Deep Dream, until we touch the edge of that power. Other than following me, Detective, you must keep an eye on the dream environment at all times. If everything around us suddenly turns black, or if my eyes turn black, kill me directly in the dream and force us awake."
"No problem. I'll watch carefully."
With a roaring burst, black flames ignited in the fireplace. The doctor stepped into the fire first and vanished. Shade immediately followed him in.
A flash of cold made him shiver. Beyond the flames lay a dimly lit corridor. It was extraordinarily narrow; even two people walking side