Dream

The Nightmare's Acting was excellent... So this was a dream? That made sense. If it weren't, how could the Abundance Church be packed? Pastor Norris probably only dared imagine such a thing in his dreams.

But I was pulled into a dream without even noticing... When did it happen?

Abner thought back carefully and soon spotted a few things that didn't add up.

For instance, the inn where he had stayed was only a block from the Abundance Church. Why hadn't he thought to fly over under cover of night?

And that hired carriage had stopped right in front of him the moment he stepped outside... Stranger still, the driver hadn't charged him!

Seeing realization dawn on Abner's face, Judy's mother, the brown-haired woman, smiled faintly. "Looks like you've noticed... Yes, I used a Sealed Artifact to draw everyone in the surrounding blocks into this dream. The mask's negative effect came on too suddenly. To avoid a major disturbance, I had to satisfy its little 'hobby' this way for now.

"And it helps the patient you brought, too... He'd done a terrible job digesting his Beyonder Characteristic. No, you could say he'd barely digested it at all. Letting him do some Acting in this setting should help his treatment."

At this, the brown-haired woman glanced at Abner and continued with a teasing look. "I sent a carriage to fetch you because I wanted to ask about the mask... But you're remarkably capable in a dream. You've stayed lucid this whole time..."

Staying lucid probably has something to do with the Pure White Eye... Still, I'm no match for Klein. He can stay lucid and immediately realize he's in a dream...

Of course, experience matters too. If this happened to me more often, I could probably tell.

Abner considered this but