Ah… I’m dreaming again…
As I breathe in, the crisp air fills my lungs, carrying the refreshing scent of pines. The sunlight dances on my skin, warm and tickling.
This time, I’m back in Canada in the midst of summer. Lake Moraine in Banff is just so breathtaking, with its water a surreal shade of turquoise blue, reflecting everything above it like a giant magical mirror. Far away, the Rocky Mountains stand in the background like colossal walls, the rugged shores are lined with dense piney forests, and beside me, there’s a nine-year-old girl with blonde hair and a cute hat, humming a catchy anime song that she has been listening to nonstop for the last twenty days.
“Jack…” Anna suddenly holds my finger. The touch of her hands brings a whole wave of emotion crashing onto me. “Do you think there are bears here?” her voice shivers a little.
“Oh, are you scared?”
“N-not really! I’m just curious!”
“Well, bears do live here,” I say, “but don’t worry, I have my bear spray with me.”
Hearing my answer, Anna exhales, her face relaxing. “But do bears really attack people? I thought they only eat honey and fish?” she continues.
“Oh, that is true, but if food is scarce, they will have to find other things to eat, right?”
“Other things…? Like humans?”
“Yes. Like humans, And among humans, there’s one specific type that bears love to eat the most. Do you know?”
At that question, Anna tilts her head, looks at me for a while, and five seconds later, she gives up.
“Well, it’s the ones who peeked into others' memories without permission, then impersonated others' loved ones.”
….
As I say that, I swiftly pull out my knife and point it at her. Anna, or rather, the entity impersonating her, looks at me with a tearful face that quickly morphs into a wicked grin.
“You!” I shout in anger. “Don’t you dare make that face!”
“When did you know?” it now asks, using Anna’s voice. Now, this really makes me sick.
“Since the beginning.”
I’d realized something was amiss with 'Anna' in my previous dream and in this one. But sometimes, people cling to lies, desperate for them to be truths. Even if she is just a phantom, an illusion, that existence alone is still more than enough to entrap me for a while. I want to stay here like this forever. I really do.
But I can’t.
“And how did you find out?”
“How could I not?" I answer. "She is my sister!"
But I have to admit, this entity is incredibly good at acting. The way it speaks, its voice, even the way it walks and moves, all resemble Anna's perfectly. However, it's the eyes that give it away. The same eyes, the same sparkle, but for some reason, there's always a subtle uneasiness that I feel when looking into them.
“Seems like my plan didn’t work after all. You really are something else,” it says.
And as it speaks, it morphs into another form, a human without a face, eerily pale, neither woman nor man. It looks just like a figure sketch that an artist draws on paper before proceeding to the actual drawing.
“I guess this is your true form?” I question.
“No, my true form is far more terrifying for humans to witness,” it explains. “Imagine a sun that can literally burn your soul when you gaze upon it.”
“Then, who the heck are you?”
“Take a guess. I know you already have your answer.”
Well, not really a concrete answer, just a suspicion.
“An angel?”
“Close enough.”
And with that, their existence is basically confirmed. Back on Earth, I’ve read various tales of angels, depicted in literature and art. Most of these tales feature angels as beautiful people in white robes with feathery wings, singing mesmerizingly well, bringing miracles and blessings. Yet at other times, they are portrayed as monstrous divine entities with wings, wheels, and many, many eyes that are utterly horrifying.
I also did some research on near-death experiences. As far as I know, people often see things when they are close to dying. Sometimes, they see loved ones coming to comfort them, and at other times, they see angels welcoming them to Heaven.
This matches what I have been experiencing right now. Last time, this angel appeared when I was dying. And this time, I’m not dead yet, but my body is surely in a peril state. Perhaps, it had been taking on Anna’s appearance to comfort me?
“Just so you know, I don’t intend to die yet,” I declare. “Not before I get to see my sister. And by that, I mean my real sister.”
“You are an interesting one, Jack,” it responds calmly. “But rest assured, if I really wanted to take you, then you wouldn’t have survived even with that resurrection ring.”
“Then what the hell do you want from me?” I shoot back. “Why are you doing this, creating this lucid dream?”
“This realm? Oh, it’s not for you, it’s for me.”
I pause for a moment, processing this information.
“Excuse me, what!?”
“You see,” it continues, “because you are an interesting one, I want to study you.”
“Huh? Studying me?”
“Yes,” it confirms with a nod. “By studying, I mean delving into the depths of your soul, unraveling your deepest secrets. Your love, your fear, your hopes and dreams, your deepest drives – I want to understand it all. You are just a mere human; you were supposed to have your memories wiped and corrected. Yet, how could you resist the unbreakable laws created by God Himself?” The entity's voice intensifies with each word, “How did you do something that even we, beings of higher realms, cannot possibly achieve!?”
“Wait, you mean the World Correction?”
“Exactly!” it exclaims. “God doesn’t like illogical things, you know? Everything in the physical realm must obey the laws of physics. Everything has to make sense. A person simply cannot vanish into thin air, so when they did, corrections were needed to restore perfection to the world. Think of God as an author who detests plot holes and cannot resist fixing every plot hole that he sees. Yet, you, Jack – you are the biggest plot hole I’ve seen in His story.”
“Haha, that’s interesting,” I laugh. “So, you’re interested in me because I’m a ‘plot hole’?”
“Precisely,” it nods.
“But I’m still confused.” I cross my arms. "Shouldn’t God have prevented illogical things from happening in the first place? If the world is so perfect, then how did these summoning circles appear and take His people away?”
“Oh, that’s another reason why I’m here. And since we are having this conversation, let’s make a deal.”
“A deal? What do you want?”
“You’re searching for your sister, right? I can help you with that. But in exchange, there's something I need you to do.”
Ah… I’m dreaming again…
As I breathe in, the crisp air fills my lungs, carrying the refreshing scent of pines. The sunlight dances on my skin, warm and tickling.
This time, I’m back in Canada in the midst of summer. Lake Moraine in Banff is just so breathtaking, with its water a surreal shade of turquoise blue, reflecting everything above it like a giant magical mirror. Far away, the Rocky Mountains stand in the background like colossal walls, the rugged shores are lined with dense piney forests, and beside me, there’s a nine-year-old girl with blonde hair and a cute hat, humming a catchy anime song that she has been listening to nonstop for the last twenty days.
“Jack…” Anna suddenly holds my finger. The touch of her hands brings a whole wave of emotion crashing onto me. “Do you think there are bears here?” her voice shivers a little.
“Oh, are you scared?”
“N-not really! I’m just curious!”
“Well, bears do live here,” I say, “but don’t worry, I have my bear spray with me.”
Hearing my answer, Anna exhales, her face relaxing. “But do bears really attack people? I thought they only eat honey and fish?” she continues.
“Oh, that is true, but if food is scarce, they will have to find other things to eat, right?”
“Other things…? Like humans?”
“Yes. Like humans, And among humans, there’s one specific type that bears love to eat the most. Do you know?”
At that question, Anna tilts her head, looks at me for a while, and five seconds later, she gives up.
“Well, it’s the ones who peeked into others' memories without permission, then impersonated others' loved ones.”
….
As I say that, I swiftly pull out my knife and point it at her. Anna, or rather, the entity impersonating her, looks at me with a tearful face that quickly morphs into a wicked grin.
“You!” I shout in anger. “Don’t you dare make that face!”
“When did you know?” it now asks, using Anna’s voice. Now, this really makes me sick.
“Since the beginning.”
I’d realized something was amiss with 'Anna' in my previous dream and in this one. But sometimes, people cling to lies, desperate for them to be truths. Even if she is just a phantom, an illusion, that existence alone is still more than enough to entrap me for a while. I want to stay here like this forever. I really do.
But I can’t.
“And how did you find out?”
“How could I not?" I answer. "She is my sister!"
But I have to admit, this entity is incredibly good at acting. The way it speaks, its voice, even the way it walks and moves, all resemble Anna's perfectly. However, it's the eyes that give it away. The same eyes, the same sparkle, but for some reason, there's always a subtle uneasiness that I feel when looking into them.
“Seems like my plan didn’t work after all. You really are something else,” it says.
And as it speaks, it morphs into another form, a human without a face, eerily pale, neither woman nor man. It looks just like a figure sketch that an artist draws on paper before proceeding to the actual drawing.
“I guess this is your true form?” I question.
“No, my true form is far more terrifying for humans to witness,” it explains. “Imagine a sun that can literally burn your soul when you gaze upon it.”
“Then, who the heck are you?”
“Take a guess. I know you already have your answer.”
Well, not really a concrete answer, just a suspicion.
“An angel?”
“Close enough.”
And with that, their existence is basically confirmed. Back on Earth, I’ve read various tales of angels, depicted in literature and art. Most of these tales feature angels as beautiful people in white robes with feathery wings, singing mesmerizingly well, bringing miracles and blessings. Yet at other times, they are portrayed as monstrous divine entities with wings, wheels, and many, many eyes that are utterly horrifying.
I also did some research on near-death experiences. As far as I know, people often see things when they are close to dying. Sometimes, they see loved ones coming to comfort them, and at other times, they see angels welcoming them to Heaven.
This matches what I have been experiencing right now. Last time, this angel appeared when I was dying. And this time, I’m not dead yet, but my body is surely in a peril state. Perhaps, it had been taking on Anna’s appearance to comfort me?
“Just so you know, I don’t intend to die yet,” I declare. “Not before I get to see my sister. And by that, I mean my real sister.”
“You are an interesting one, Jack,” it responds calmly. “But rest assured, if I really wanted to take you, then you wouldn’t have survived even with that resurrection ring.”
“Then what the hell do you want from me?” I shoot back. “Why are you doing this, creating this lucid dream?”
“This realm? Oh, it’s not for you, it’s for me.”
I pause for a moment, processing this information.
“Excuse me, what!?”
“You see,” it continues, “because you are an interesting one, I want to study you.”
“Huh? Studying me?”
“Yes,” it confirms with a nod. “By studying, I mean delving into the depths of your soul, unraveling your deepest secrets. Your love, your fear, your hopes and dreams, your deepest drives – I want to understand it all. You are just a mere human; you were supposed to have your memories wiped and corrected. Yet, how could you resist the unbreakable laws created by God Himself?” The entity's voice intensifies with each word, “How did you do something that even we, beings of higher realms, cannot possibly achieve!?”
“Wait, you mean the World Correction?”
“Exactly!” it exclaims. “God doesn’t like illogical things, you know? Everything in the physical realm must obey the laws of physics. Everything has to make sense. A person simply cannot vanish into thin air, so when they did, corrections were needed to restore perfection to the world. Think of God as an author who detests plot holes and cannot resist fixing every plot hole that he sees. Yet, you, Jack – you are the biggest plot hole I’ve seen in His story.”
“Haha, that’s interesting,” I laugh. “So, you’re interested in me because I’m a ‘plot hole’?”
“Precisely,” it nods.
“But I’m still confused.” I cross my arms. "Shouldn’t God have prevented illogical things from happening in the first place? If the world is so perfect, then how did these summoning circles appear and take His people away?”
“Oh, that’s another reason why I’m here. And since we are having this conversation, let’s make a deal.”
“A deal? What do you want?”
“You’re searching for your sister, right? I can help you with that. But in exchange, there's something I need you to do.”
