“By breaking the haze and waking her up inside her dream. I need to do it quickly, or she’ll lose touch with reality and become part of the dream world forever,” I explained, recalling the account of someone who had allegedly escaped the Dream World. I wasn’t sure who this person was, as the book never mentioned a name. It only described the experience of leaving the Dream Prison.
“Please, do you not trust me?” I was starting to worry that if we kept arguing, we might lose Helanie to the Dream Prison forever.
“Norman is going to kill me for this,” Maximus muttered. “But fine, if you’re that certain, I’ll let you go in. Just know this: if you don’t come out, I swear I’ll jump in and stay there with you forever.” He finally relented, as I had expected. Despite our constant bickering, we were close-closer than anyone else.
Our dynamic was unique. With Norman, we always tried to be on our best behavior. He was more like a father than an older brother. Whenever we were in trouble-any kind of trouble-we knew we could count on Norman. We were his top priority.
With Emmet, though, things were different. He often made us feel judged. He’d scold us first and then offer help, and even then, he wasn’t as reliable. Once he started drinking, he’d forget about everyone, and we’d have to take care of him.
But Maximus and I? We were a mess together. We were everything Norman and Emmet weren’t. Maximus was Dad’s favorite, and even when we got into trouble together, I’d end up taking the blame.
So, the decision was made. I pulled out the rose and walked over to the bed.
“Bring me a purple ribbon,” I instructed Maximus, who still looked confused and worried.
“You think I keep ribbons lying around here?” he tried to joke, searching for something to ease the tension before sighing in resignation.
“I’ve got a purple tie. Will that work?” he asked, holding up a tie.
“Yeah, that’ll do,” I said, reaching out for it.
He handed me the tie, and I climbed onto the bed after taking off my shoes. I took Helanie’s cold hand in mine. As soon as our hands touched, I felt something strange. Her skin was so soft, and even though it was cold, there was a subtle comfort in her touch.
“Feeling a bit awkward lying next to your stepsister?” Maximus teased, snapping me back to reality. I forced a grunt, pretending not to be distracted by the fact that I was, indeed, lying next to my ‘stepsister.’
“What? No!” I quickly replied.
“She’s not my sister or even my stepsister,” I muttered inwardly, as I quickly tied the purple tie around her wrist and let her hand fall limp beside her.
Her touch had shaken my sense of reality.
I lay down next to her awkwardly, feeling Maximus hovering over me as he secured the other end of the tie to my wrist. The tension between us was palpable, though neither of us said anything.
Then, I brought the rose to my nose, inhaling its delicate, intoxicating scent. A wave of drowsiness washed over me.
It felt strange-yet somehow familiar.
Before I knew it, I was slipping into sleep. And the next thing I know, I am gaining awareness in a whole different environment.
Kaye:
“Hey, who are you?” I heard someone speaking right in my ear, making me wince slightly as I struggled to open my eyes.
“Hey, don’t you know black isn’t allowed?” A woman shouted, and I finally snapped into full awareness. I jolted up as if waking from the dead and looked around at the crowd, all gasping, dressed entirely in white.
They all looked like some kind of AI characters-almost as if they had been hand-drawn. Each of them wore the same expression, like one person’s emotions were copied across the others. If one appeared worried, the others mirrored the concern instantly. I didn’t need to think twice; I knew exactly where I was.
I was in the perfect dream of Helanie.
“Who are you?” A woman holding a white umbrella asked, her eyes scanning me from head to toe.
“I-uh-I’m here for Helanie,” I stammered. The moment her name left my lips, I watched them smile, placing their hands on their hearts.
“Oh, our sweet Helanie? Why are you looking for our beautiful child?” An elderly woman spoke kindly, nodding her head as she used such affectionate words for Helanie.
“Do you… know her?” I asked, unsure of how things worked here. I had learned a lot about this dream world. Yet, aside from one person-who many still called a myth-no one had ever escaped this prison of dreams.
“Of course we do. She’s marrying our king tomorrow. We all know her well,” the woman looked almost offended by my question.
“Can you take me to her?” Her statement terrified me. Marrying? Who was she marrying? And what kind of dream was this?
Did she want everyone to love her? Well, she could have just started acting nice and responsible in the real world. She didn’t need a dream prison to have her perfect life.
“Why? Why would we take you to her? She is pure-so sweet, and a virgin. Why would we take you, dressed in such dark clothes, to her?” A man stepped forward, clearly displeased that I even mentioned Helanie’s name.
“Because I’m her stepbrother,” I blurted out, realizing I needed to respond quickly before they turned on me. I knew nothing about these people or what kind of power they might have.
“Oh? Her stepbrother? That’s strange. But we’re heading to her special dance with the king. If you’d like, you can join us. I’m sure the king will know what to do with you.” The old lady’s smile was blatantly fake.
But she couldn’t fool me.
I knew full well they were taking me to this so-called king, and I had a bad feeling about him. I rose from the spot where I had landed and began walking behind them. They turned occasionally to cast quick, suspicious glances at me, whispering among themselves as we moved.
Before long, we arrived at a grand hall where everyone stood around watching a couple dancing. And that’s when the alarm bells started going off in my mind.
As I stepped inside, the crowd parted, creating a path for me. They looked at me like they might tear me apart, but my gaze settled on the woman in a golden dress. She was the only one wearing a color other than white. And that’s when my heart began to race uncontrollably.
Even though her hair was now black, Helanie was still unmistakable.
Her eyes sparkled, wide and vibrant, and her lips were fuller, tinted with a deep red. She had rounder cheeks, but her sharp jawline made her stand out from everyone else.
I had to take a deep breath and shift my focus to the man standing beside her as I announced, “I’m here to take my stepsister back home.”
I noticed a confused look on Helanie’s face, as if she had no idea what was going on. At this point, I began to wonder if the person who had been labeled a myth wasn’t lying after all.
That mythical person claimed to have escaped the dream prison, saying that the dream reflected something deeply desired in real life. They spoke of a master in the dream, someone who wanted to manipulate the victim into accepting him as their ruler. And perhaps that’s how the victim would remain trapped forever.
“You cannot be her stepbrother. Her mother is married to her father, and they live happily ever after. There is no stepson,” the man spoke in a sharp accent, one that was hard to place.
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