Somnium

Aimless footsteps walked along the non-existent ground, which was perfectly solid despite it arguably not even being there to begin with. To an outside observer, Haungu appeared to be walking through empty space, surrounded by blackness. But a moment later, the blackness had been replaced with a starry night sky that lacked the moon or any planets. The ground was now a floating platform of stone bricks, a regal throne sitting at the top of a staircase at one end. As if a world suddenly coming into existence around him was a completely normal occurrence, Haungu slowly strolled up to the stone stairs and up to the throne, before sitting down upon it. As he looked out into the stars, spheres depicting various worlds and situations floated around freely. If he so desired, he could enter any one of them and place himself within the dream inside, but tonight he had a different idea. In response to a silent command some of these dream bubbles began to float over to the stone platform before him. As they hovered just above the stone, he put his thumb and middle finger together and snapped. The bubbles popped, and from them fell those whom the dreams belonged. Then he simply waited for the dreamers of Rivers Pointe to realize they were no longer in the dreams they were mere moments ago, and to see the enthroned lord of dreams who sat before them.

She'd always been able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, and when she was out, she was out. It was a talent of hers, or maybe a medical disorder. But ever since she'd moved into the Autumn dorms, the student house her parents had lived in together, she'd almost been restless, either waking up feeling like she hadn't slept at all, or tossing and turning in her sheets, dreams distorting into night-terrors. Dreams about her dad, standing up on stage in front of the school, gunshots blasting from the crowd. Crawling under the sheets after a long day felt bittersweet, and she'd drift off missing her old bed, her old pillows, her old blankets, her posters and shelves full of manga... Mostly having a kitchen all to herself. That was the worst part, but she couldn't go running back to daddy now, not after she'd committed this much.

And after some criminally overpriced carne asada fries, a long walk back to a shuttle stop, two flights of stairs, and some hot tea, she'd flopped into her twin mattress and passed out in minutes, without thinking about anything at all. Cailin was winding down the stairs in Poké Ball pajamas, back home, her real home not this cramped prison cell of a dorm room. Rain streaked down the windows, and aroma of sizzling meat and fresh cut peppers wafted out from the kitchen. A broad-shouldered man stood over the stove, flipping the fattest breakfast omelette she'd ever seen onto a fine china dish.

"Gordon Ramsay?"

He turned, gently guiding her toward him, his rough, calloused hands delicately working to knot an apron around her back. A floppy chef's hat was sliding off her head as she craned her neck to look up at him, his fingers brushing across her cheek. "Cailin, you're America's next MasterChef. But I have a more important question for you."

Her heart seized up, time freezing around her. "Yes, Chef?" Chef Ramsay sunk to one knee, and kept sinking, and within five seconds, he had sunk halfway down his torso into the floor boards. Cailin jumped back as he flailed, the wood rippling and warping around him like quicksand. His eyes flashed blue-green before his face submerged into the floor, bodiless hands clawing uselessly for purchase. Thunder cracked, shredding the walls of her house, menus for her father's diner fluttered around in the tornado that wrenched the building from the ground, lifting it up, up, up, dizzyingly upward, spinning, until she was sprawled out across the ground in front of the man on the throne.

She rose up on her knees, hands flying frantically to make the sign of the cross. Oh goodness this was what heaven looked like? Was this the Lord Jesus? Her face fell to the ground. The words tumbled from her lips in a near incomprehensible stream. "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women, blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus—..."

"That thing is nasty! Disgusting! It has to be gotten rid of!"

"No it's not! I know it's not!" The tiny little bundle of fur squirmed around in her arms. So it had three eyes and two tails. Black as night with strange white eyes, the wriggling kitten was a little... unorthodox, but it was just that! A kitten! A weird, cute little animal that she wasn't about to let this raggedy old woman take away from her!

It was all a conspiracy, she knew. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew if they managed to get a grip on this precious little thing, the international league of clowns would have absolutely nothing to stop them. It was weird, but there was no time to stop and thing about that. The only thing she had to do was run. Run away so they couldn't get them!

Her heels echoed throughout the seemingly endless halls and buildings.

She wasn't as fast as Dad or as Lily, or as strong as her mother, but it wouldn't stop her from slipping out of their grasps. She had to do it, for the little -

"Wh-haaa[i]Aa- A strange scream escaped her as the very floor beneath her feet turned to water. She tightened her grip around the kitten and braced herself, the feeling of falling so strong as she slipped into the darkness that the girl half-expected to jolt awake or die right then and there.

When she opened her eyes, she was collapsed on the floor, in a strange, bright room - and with the kitten absent from her arms. Her blue eyes grew wide and she scrambled to her feet, whipping her head around until settling on some boy on his throne. A throne of all things, in a place like this... What was this place?

Marion drew in a deep breath and barked. "What did you do with him?! You dirty, clowning, thieving-!"

He was running as fast as he could! Noel knew he was smaller than the man, but he was faster! No matter how fast the blond kicked out his legs to run, he moved an inch at a time. Pissed off green eyes stared back at the misshapen face of the man. Noel was powerless to fight back. No! He would not let the man have his lunchable, his brother gave him his candy to have--but told him not to share. Because they don't share with weirdos. If only he had powers like dad to scare the man away. One boom and he'd be gone for sure. Noel forced a hand out, screwing his eyes closed, attempting to feel something coming from his hands.

Very suddenly he fell.

The small boy hit the stone floor with a heavy thud. Jumping to his feet, he stared up at the night sky. Very rarely did they see this kinda' night sky! Only a few stars. His big brother said something about the light messing it up. Which was weird because the stars were made of light. Green eyes followed the milky way to the tall throne that stood not too far away. "Woah!" The young boy breathed, "Are you the boss fight?"

Haungu leaned back in his throne and crossed one leg over the other, looking down at the three who were now before him. He couldn't help but crack a bit of a grin at the different ways they each chose to respond to seeing him. First he set his gaze upon the girl who appeared to be praying to him. "I believe you have me confused for a different god. He doesn't have any power here, no matter how much you try to pray to him. But, you have nothing to fear." He turned next to Marion. "My apologies, I believe this belongs to you, doesn't it?" Slowly he rose his hand up, his thumb and middle finger pressed together as he snapped, the sound echoing out as the strange, three-eyed cat re-appeared in front of Marion. Haungu found it odd that she continued to care about it even after she grew lucid, but it was hardly the oddest thing he'd seen in peoples' dreams. Finally, his eyes drifted over towards Noel, who received a simple, mildly amused shake of the head in response to his question. In the back of his mind Haungu considered making the answer to the boy's question become a 'yes,' but that wouldn't be a very gracious of him, would it? After all, he brought them here for their benefit.

He looked back in the general direction of the three, not focusing on any one of them in particular as he spoke. "Well, hello. I am Cyrus, and this is my domain. You were all dreaming before I brought you here, and you still are right now. You are here now because I want to show you what your dreams can really do for you. Any questions?"

Two others sprawled out on the ground beside her. By instinct, Cailin threw an arm around the little one, pulling him back from the figure on the throne. Raw strength and authority flowed off from the thing that had them imprisoned here, turning her legs weak, but she planted her feet and locked her knees, flashing Him a look like a cornered animal. His mocking words were like a dagger slipped between her spine. They were irreconcilable in her head. There was one God, and he had power everywhere. "You can't trick me with your devil words." She cast one look toward the creature in the other girl's hands, and was quick to look away, quietly shuffling the boy in her grip a few steps to the side, to give them good distance. "What do you really want?"

"Your domain?"

The girl's gaze fell to the floor, the dark shape of her dear, nameless companion appearing again before her. She fell on her knees, the distant sound of music left long behind her, lost in Cyrus' strange world. The cat curled up into her arms, digging it's head into the curve of her neck. "What are you going to do with... with us?" She glanced over at the other two with wide eyes. They'd looked just as real and utterly lost as Marion had been herself.

What? Not the boss fight? That didn't make sense. Then why was he here? Green eyes stared up at the girl, her arms protecting him from the man near the throne. Blond brows knit together, paired with a pout. Noel turned his head to the side, raising his hand in the air as if he was back in school. "Um," Noel began, small fist clinging to Cailin's shirt. "What is a domain?"

"I assure you, there are no tricks. Why would I try to deceive you?" Cyrus paused for a moment, shifting in his seat a bit. "Maybe you would be a bit more comfortable with things if we were all somewhere more familiar instead." Again the Dream Lord snapped his fingers, and what had been infinite blackness a moment prior had become the front of Beata Academy. The only noticeable differences from the real thing was the lack of any other people besides the four, and the fact that the gate was now being obstructed by Cyrus and his throne. In the back of his mind Cyrus feared this would simply come off as if he simply wanted to flaunt his power, rather than the reason he said himself.

Why would Lucifer lie to her? Good question. She felt her stomach twist as their surroundings melted away, shifting and blending until she was standing in front of Beata Academy. "How is this comfortable?! Answer the kid's question, what is this place?"

Noel blinked as the world changed, Beata Academy morphing in front of his vision. Owlish eyes wondered to the fountain. He got to visit once or twice before, but his parents wouldn't let him play in the fountain. But--his parents weren't here! Twisting out of Cailin's grasp, the boy skidded toward the fountain, leaning over the edge of the water dunking his hand into the fountain, running his hand over the flow of water, watching it seep down his arm. "What's a' domain?" He repeated, slamming his hand on the water below.

Okay, so this really was just a dream. A strange, crazy dream that some other strange crazy weirdo was bringing them together into. She guessed that... wasn't so bad. Marion's eyes floated back down to the cat in her arms. It was better to be here with her imaginary friend and some strangers, she guessed, then stuck in a nightmare with horrifying clown cults, of all things...

(Why Clowns? She didn't even know. She used to think they were neat.)

The blonde loosened her grip on her new friend, letting it crawl up onto her shoulder and sort of hover there, getting comfortable in it's own, strange way. It almost floated against her, like a cloud. "A domain is...a place that somebody owns, like a kingdom... or something..." She looked over at the young boy with a gentle smile. In other words, this strange boy was a psychic manipulator, like her. It couldn't be helped.

She took a few steps closer to them, embracing the warmth of the faux sun on her skin. It'd felt real enough. "I think a better question is, what do you want with us? Who are you?"

"You could call this place my kingdom, I suppose. But I don't rule over anything or anyone besides dreams, really. I don't really feel like much of a king besides the throne either." Cyrus looked around the false academy, apathy and boredom slowly growing in him. The purpose of this wasn't to give a class on himself and this place, after all. But if it was necessary for him to not be seen as the devil himself... "If you really want a deeper answer, this place is where all dreams meet. You could even call it their home. My home as well. Nothing here is real, because you all are still dreaming. But I decided to bring you here because I can change that to a degree. I can quite literally make your dreams come true, at least for a little while. Have I done a better job of explaining myself to you now?" Of course, his motives weren't entirely altruistic. While he certainly had no issues with being helpful in the process, what he really wanted was to see where his limits were; he knew damn well he wasn't really anything godlike, at least not outside of this place.

Her head flashed with half-remembered passages and Bible stories, Christ and Lucifer in the desert, and gosh dang, she knew Sunday school had been preparing her for something... "And why would you do that for us? What do you want in return?"

Dreams coming true? Noel perked at that, green eyes blinking owlishly. He backed up with water dripping down his arms. Droplets flung themselves into the air as he raised his hand, Noel dancing on his tiptoes."So, you give me--" He paused squinting his eyes. "I get" Noel paused again. "You get. We get--I..." The boy trailed off seemingly frustrated.

"Power!" He finished with a large grin on his face. Nailed it!