The Interpretation of Dreams

Dream.

Deep sleep.

Dreaming in a deep sleep.

Dreaming and realizing that you were dreaming.

Horn rarely dreamed. He had been like that even before he crossed over, and afterward, even more so. His memories of the night were always hazy, like raindrops returning to the sea.

If his old boss and slacking-off buddy from before he crossed over were here, he'd surely quote chapter and verse about how Hypnos and Thanatos were twin brothers. But now, beneath a deathlike, profound sleep, Horn fell into a dream that felt strangely familiar.

[--The Path Back to the Dream--]

Some memories were rough sketches of dreams. But some crossed the border of dreams and reached the Woodland and the dwellings within it.

A road paved with moonlight coiled like a giant serpent along the mountaintop, stretching upward until it touched the bright silver atmosphere. Below, it narrowed, leading toward a forest that grew, tangled, and clustered around the edge of something or somewhere. Even beneath the cobalt light, it was so dark.

--This was a dream.

He had never been so certain that he was dreaming. He didn't try to follow the road upward, nor did he look back toward the source of the cobalt light. Under the influence of Foresight, Horn stepped onto the downward path without a second thought and descended along the mercury-like moonlight.

--This was the starting point.

And so the dream began to flow.

As it flowed, colors like impurities peeled away from Horn and mixed into the ever-narrowing path, which was beginning to break apart. The light, airy moonlight slowly grew heavy and murky.

--Like a stream.

A thought suddenly rose in Horn's mind.

And so Horn fell into a stream.

The rushing water roared. Vortex after vortex dragged at the colors on Horn, blurring the boy's outline until he seemed on the verge of dissolving into the stream like a stubborn spot of ink.

--I can't let this go on. I have to break free.

"تغییرات (Change)!"

The urgent, forceful words burst from his mouth, commanding the stream. His searing authority brought the whirlpools to a standstill for an instant, and the rocks blocking the way downstream cracked open, leaving a gap large enough for a person to pass through. The dream shuddered and heated up, and the smell of hot copper mysteriously filled the air.

Then the scalded stream twisted over, as if it had unexpectedly taken a sip of hot water, and spat Horn out in disgust.

"Hei~tui!"

With a strange sense of regret, Horn, who had failed to reach the bank, drifted downstream and through the broken gap.

[The Woodland's waters are cold and deep, but never clear. The knowledge of Change alone won't get you there. You must bring passion to bear.]

[You drifted into another dream.]

A moment later.

"Glug, glug."

The outline of a colossal creature's back slowly emerged from an icy blue lake. Four curled tentacles tipped with hooked claws stretched out, sweeping over the whole lake in confusion.

How strange. There had been the scent of flames just now, and that bright light, the most noticeable thing of all. How had they vanished in an instant?

It couldn't make sense of it.

But the confusion lasted only a moment. The lake monster's nebulous mind soon dissolved again, happily returning to a state of ignorant chaos.

After all, this was the [Woodland]. Nothing strange ever happened here. If it got startled every day, it would have gone mad or died, just like that swarm of fluttering moths.

Crunching the wings of some unknown little creature it had just caught, it savored the unexpected treat. Satisfied, [Kraken] settled back into the swamp's depths, where it would remain until the next time something woke it.

--Sigh, it still kind of missed the taste of those glowing things. Who knew when it would get to eat them again?

That was its last thought before going dormant.

The morning sun shone through the blinds that had been left open and fell on Horn's face. His eyelashes twitched as he woke from a deep, peaceful sleep.

"Ahhhhh—what a good sleep."

His stiff muscles and bones sprang to life as he stretched. Feeling power coursing through him, Horn summoned the light screen without thinking and looked it over.

Thump, thump, thump.

His heart raced. Hot blood surged through him, sweeping away the last of his drowsiness. On an action box he had never seen before, gray-white fantasy symbols were piled like clouds, and the progress bar beneath them had reached its end.

At Horn's light touch, the entire action box crumbled into dust and vanished, leaving only the faintest trace behind.

[When you don't use the correct solution for a dream, you cannot reach the correct place—perhaps that isn't a bad thing.]

[You entered the hustle and bustle of sleep.]

[Deep and peaceful sleep—you dreamed of nothing, but this quiet time alone left you feeling refreshed.]

"Dream Entry carries risks. Be careful in your pursuit of knowledge." Professor Olive's words rang in Horn's ears again, bringing a tangible chill. Horn hadn't even finished yawning when—

Holy crap, was the Dreamlands actually real?!

What if next time he dreamed of a cheerful, broad-shouldered Black man? No, no, Nyarlathotep was probably more likely... Ugh, what was he thinking? Bad luck, bad luck.

He patted his forehead, interrupting his overactive thoughts in his spiritually invigorated state, then looked at the unexpected gain lingering on the desktop.

The pink card trembled in time with his heartbeat. An ivory-white cross overlapped an abstract heart, signaling its pulsating nature.

[Influence gained: Vitality!]

[Today, your heart beats with greater strength.]

[Vitality: Exercise, or some other rarer thing, invigorates me and fills me with energy. [Studying Vitality is good for your health.]]

[Aspect—Influence: A certain response, resonance, or harmony. It will soon fade.]

[Aspect—Can Be Improved: This is only a glimpse of the future.]

[Aspect—Heart: To protect the surface of the world we know, the undying heart beats on.]

Recalling the brief glimpse he'd caught in that Prevention and Suppression Bureau booklet, Horn made a quick comparison with his own situation. He was genuinely relieved that no dream-related dangers had come after him.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

"There's no specific value, so I can only tell it belongs to [Heart]? I'm lucky. Anyway, a little more vitality can't be a bad thing."

For the time being, Horn couldn't find any use for [Vitality], so he withdrew his consciousness from the desktop as if nothing had happened. Without realizing it, he began to walk with a light step, a post-exercise flush on his cheeks, and started washing up.

A bright future in alchemy awaited him. Work, work, ready to work.

Amid the Lower District's usual clamor, he put on his alchemy uniform and gathered the personal items he would need. Carrying his case in one hand, Horn set out for Birmingham Alchemy Academy in the cool morning air.

Compared to the late autumn morning when he had first crossed over, the wind in Birmingham had grown ever colder... while Horn's eyes had grown brighter. The curiosity with which he once surveyed everything had shed some of its uncertainty, replaced by a hint of familiarity.

For the last time, Horn descended the apartment stairs and walked forward into the dawn.

He didn't look back again.