1. The box
I scream and try to jump, only to find myself lying in my bed. What a fever dream… I check my head, and, of course, there’s nothing wrong, and definitely aren’t any horns. But everything feels so real. I even know my “dream” name - Myrtille. A bizarre dream indeed. Oh, I overslept my alarm. Crap, I need to hurry.
Bathroom, breakfast, bus stop… I really hope I will be on time.
Sitting in the bus and looking at the passing scenery, I notice that I can’t get rid of thoughts about the suspiciousness of the oncoming interview. The company hardly has any online presents - only a tiny business card site and a few mentions besides it. But it is my last chance to get a job. Our small town doesn’t have a lot of opportunities, and I haven’t had much luck with my education. With all my part-time jobs I had to do then, I didn’t have much chance to remember anything from the university. And now they posted a vacation for laboratory assistants. And it includes professional education, so I just need to pass some basic knowledge test, I guess.
Eh, but spending almost three hours changing four buses just to get to the main company building? Yeah, they said they provide transportation for employees, but I need to get here on my own for the first time.
After getting off the bus, I see a long line of fences and a small guard booth. The old guard has been informed, so he passes me without any problems and directs me where I should go.
The building itself feels empty and somehow uncomfortable. I want to make it quicker, so I just go straight into the desired room. Thankfully, it is right after the entrance.
“Welcome. Please, sit here.” A man in his forties points at the single chair in the middle of the room. Huh, he scared me with a sudden welcome. Phew, I need to calm down…
I gulp, sit where he points and look around. The room is completely empty, besides a single chair and a table with a strange metal box on top of it. The man who offers me to sit is, apparently, my interviewer. I desperately need a job, but this place is almost screaming suspicious. But I haven’t seen anyone except the security officer who walked me to the destination and the man standing before me.
“Are you ready for the interview?” His voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“Yes, sir.” I swallow and focus on the man himself. Honestly, he looks like an average office worker in an office suit. The only concerning thing is his lack of emotions. I have absolutely no clue what he’s thinking.
“So, your goal is to guess what is inside the box.” With these words, he approaches the table and clicks something on the other side of the box. With a soft knock, the front side opens. Now I can see that there’s a small ornate casket inside.
“Erh, it’s a casket..?” I’m confused. It’s totally not what I expected. At the same time, everything feels so unreal, so I want to see what will happen next.
“No, I mean what’s inside the casket you mentioned. Please, make an assumption without opening the lid.” He still looks at me with the same blank expression.
Hmm, so is it one of the tests where I need to use all my erudition and logic to solve a highly complex puzzle? I see… But, honestly, I have no idea how.
The casket looks pretty old. It’s made of some stone, maybe malachite. Initially, I think it is probably for jewelry, but it seems too big for that purpose. Oh, am I expected to think aloud?
I glance at the interviewer, but his expression hasn’t changed.
“Erm, so… The casket is probably old, based on how the outer layer of its material lost its color. I guess it’s malachite. It’s too big for a simple jewelry casket, and I assume it’s more for storing something bigger than it. Maybe, some works of art such as small sculptures.”
“Anything else?” His cold voice makes me shiver… Think, man, think. I should provide some unique answers that could impress him.
“Maybe it has some religious value. So, it could contain some …various things, from works of art to some parts of bodies, like mummified hands… Or even some parts of sacred animals. Or a part of an animal like a big claw or tooth that could be wrongly assumed for a mystical creature trophy.”
“Hmm…” For the first time, he looks a bit interested. So, am I getting closer? “Anything else? Please, look carefully.”
Though, it feels like a strange suggestion. What else should I notice if I keep staring at this box for so long? Okay, whatever…
I lean forward a bit, and, to my surprise, I notice a shallow relief image on its side. Wondering, I lean forward a bit more. Is it some kind of temple? I can identify columns and many holes that could be windows or doors… The more I see, the more details I recognize. But are they the same as before? At the place where the column was, I now see a tunnel. A light illusion? My head starts hurting…
“I see. Now the connection is established.” Intervier’s voice sounds far away… With a quiet click, the casket opens. And everything goes dark.
When I open my eyes, the first thing I notice is fog. Fog is everywhere. A totally gray world.
What? I try to remember what was going on before, but my head feels empty. What am I doing here? I was going to the interview, I guess? My head still hurts… I think I need to go home, but where am I?
After a few steps, I find a gray wall. So, I’m somewhere in the city, at least. Though, I haven’t seen such thick fog anywhere near my home. Have I traveled to another town for the interview? I don’t remember… I think I should find some help first. Collapsing onto the ground is definitely not a good sign.
Following the wall, I find a tunnel that leads to another one. And another one. All of them are empty. No signs, no doors, no windows. Only blank gray walls and fog. Is it a maze? I have no idea.
I keep wandering through this place. Despite the scary emptiness, being surrounded by a fog feels somehow relaxing. Like the moment of silence after a long, long, long workday… It can’t be a real place. So, am I daydreaming? Probably. If that is true, I shouldn’t really care about anything here.
The whole landscape starts changing. The gray concrete walls are turning into medieval stone ones. I start seeing some patches of grass between the paving stones. Some of the walls are now destroyed. Was it by time or by someone’s attack? It doesn’t matter. The fog remains thick and silent.
Hm, somehow, I found myself inside an enormous stone structure. Apparently, a castle. Plain corridors change into narrow stairs leading up and down. I try to get higher as possible, but loopholes in the walls show only the fog. It looks like I can’t escape it. No path to the roof either.
Strangely, I don’t feel tired after crossing so many stars. So, it is a dream…
If it is a dream, let its flow move me then. I stand relaxed and breathe in when fog pours into the room. I barely see anything now. After a while, the white shroud fades. Now I’m in the middle of a much bigger space, with several columns and stairs everywhere. And I’m standing on the one leading to a stone table. Hmm, there is something on it. A malachite casket? Why it feels so familiar?…
I slowly approach the box. Why is it here? Why is it surrounded by fog? What is inside the box?
But I know. I know that it is the core of this place. The beginning and the end. The one and only, the most precious item in the whole world. Now the relief on the sides of the box has become clear. It is a history of its creation. The fall of civilization. A very lonely time afterward.
With a click, the casket slowly opens. As if being hypnotized, I step forward and put my hand on the item inside. The cold of thick chain armor. The heat of a blazing heart. An egg, covered in purple scales with glowing letters of an unknown alphabet, which immediately scatter around. The world begins to crack. The fog rises and recedes as if it’s panicking itself. I close my eyes and fall into the dark abyss.
With a short gasp, I wake up in the room. Oh, I’m still here, trying to pass the interview. The interviewer himself glances at me with undisguised curiosity.
“How do you feel? You have been studying for two minutes, but you look like you are completely lost.” He smiles halfheartedly at me. Is he mocking me?
Oh, what about the troublesome casket? I freeze, stunned by what I see when I glance at the box. Instead of the casket, I see only a pile of cracked malachite… How? Has he replaced it while I was unconscious? But why?
“Hm, I see you still have some problems with your memory synchronization. It happens, don’t worry about it.” He pats my shoulder. “Anyway, welcome to the dream laboratory. If your brain is still functioning, you’ve passed the test.”
Oh, I’ve passed. Wait, what?!
“What do you mean by “have your brain functioning”? Could it kill me?! What on earth was that …thing?” I’m so overwhelmed that I can’t find better words.
“Calm down. I will explain everything you need to know.” The man pats my shoulder again and returns to the opposite side of the room. “We are a laboratory that studies distortions of reality, known as dream worlds. While they function like a dream - they don’t exist in our reality and defy laws of physics - they can trap human consciousness inside. The main difference with actual dreams is that you can’t be forced to wake up while your consciousness is wandering through that distortion. And the second feature - they are bound to some objects of our world, like the box you have seen before.”
Dreams? Trap objects? Huh…
“I totally understand your confusion, but it works as it is. Our last assumption is that it is the alternative world. A special dimension. We have evidence that different people could meet inside it and then correctly recall each other actions.”
“So, like a multiplayer dream?” I’m confused… “And why is the box destroyed now?”
“Eh, young people tend to gamify reality… Yes, you can think of it like this for now.” He shakes his head. “And about the box. Each object creates an individual space in that alternate dimension, known as a bubble. Basically, if the root cause of the bubble is neutralized, it collapses, releasing all consciousnesses trapped inside. You, intentionally or not, destroyed the root and returned to our reality. For your information, you managed to do it surprisingly fast. You have potential.”
Ugh, trying to remember what happened makes my head hurt. But I feel that I haven’t destroyed anything. I’ve just …grabbed something?
“Don’t worry. Like with dreams, our brain needs to develop an ability to transfer memory from one dimension to another. You will get used to it.” He contemplates for a bit, and then slightly widens his eyes as if remembering something. “Oh, my bad. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Harold Floyd, co-founder of Labyrinth Co. Welcome to the company. Your name is Terry Blake, right?”
“Yes, nice to meet you…” I keep scratching my head. There’s too much to think about…
“I understand that you are overwhelmed with information, so we are transferring you home now, and tomorrow we will continue introducing our facility to you.” Harold looks out of the door. “Dana! Prepare the car; we’ve finished.”
I can hear distant “sure-sure.” So, they are going to transfer me here. Though, have I agreed to do it? That altered world sounds too dangerous. Yet, I need money to live. Welp…
Only after I’ve got home, I realize that I could have asked the driver about a lot of things. Eh… Anyway, I still have my computer and some information about this …phenomenon.
I keep finding some random forum posts about weird dreams, nightmares, esoteric possessions… Some of them look like they could be the results of interactions with dream worlds but all of them are written as “a friend of a friend told me.” Meh…
Well, after spending almost the whole evening on this, I find something useful. It is an article about a pretty old incident in a nearby town. It is described as an explosion in a stadium. Something exploded during an auction, some part of ventilation system was broken, and a gas leak occurred. That gas caused people to fall into a comatose state for several days. Strangely, all respondents mentioned about hallucinations about being tortured by a monster. The stadium was closed for repairs, and all victims have recovered.
So… If I summarize what I’ve been told, actually, some item on the auction got somehow activated and pulled all visitors inside. I wonder what it was - maybe I could ask about it tomorrow.
By the way, why do I feel so tired after that dream world thing? I was just a dream; I haven’t done any hard work. I definitely should ask about it too. Time to sleep…
Am I dreaming? I look at my hands and see clawed fingers, covered with small scales. Huh. It is not what I expected. I look around and confirm that I’m still in my room, but in a very dark version of it. Then I notice that my tail and scaly legs. Is it a lucid dream? I haven’t had one in a while… But why am I a kobold? I remember that I was Myrtille in that weird fog world. Oh, my memory of that dream is back!
My joy turns into fear instantly when I hear a soft giggle behind my back. I’m not alone here… Is it another dream world? But I was at home!
I slowly turn my head and see a pair of glowing yellow eyes looking right at me. Suddenly, the creature jumps. My body reacts faster than me - I roll out of my bed and dash to the side of the room. Now, I can see the creature as a whole - is it a humanoid dragon? The creature’s head is crowned with several pairs of big horns. Purple scales cover most of her body. Her mouth twisted into a grin baring her sharp teeth. Her hands and feet ends with huge sharp claws. Long thick tail, covered in big scales, twitches impatiently from side to side.
“Hey, little one, have you got a good look at me? Are you ready to play?” She grins even wider and prepares for another jump.
“Calm down. Let’s talk, ok?” I slowly straighten and notice that she is way bigger than me. Or, better to say, I’m now smaller than usual. All items around feel slightly bigger. I’m really a kobold now… So, fighting with a larger opponent is not an option. Maybe I could solve everything diplomatically? “Erm, I see, you are dragon, that’s very cool, but could you tell me who you are and why have you come to my house?”
“Who am I? Are you kidding me?” The dragon roars. She steps towards me, making me squeeze into the wall. “You have awoken me, take me to this space, and now you are asking who am I?” She closely looks into my eyes. “But you are not lying… Huh.” She suddenly stops, puts her hand on her head and immerses herself in thoughts.
“Erm, could you tell me your name at least?” I assume I could continue talking while she is not aggressive anymore…
“I don’t know…” She mumbles. What? She doesn’t have a name? Interesting. I just want to ask another question, but she continues: “I don’t remember! Is it you who has corrupted my memory?! I know that I should do something important, but I don’t remember anything!”
“Please, calm down. I swear, I don’t understand anything happening here.” Crap, she is angry again…
She peeks at me with her now sad eyes and releases a breath. “Yes, you look like a person incapable to do any damage.” I feel a bit insulted.
“So, why are you here? It is my dream, my home… I remember the purple scaly egg I saw in the dream world, but that world is gone now. Or at least, I’ve been told that.”
“Egg, huh… You are not like me, right? The dreamer.” As if she decided about something, the dragon nods to herself and grins again. “I have bad news for you~ This is my world now.” She points her long dangerous claw at me. “I live here, and you will follow my orders. If not, I’ll make you follow them.”
“You said you will live in my dreams now, right?” Or should I ask if I will have every dream about her? Honestly, that sounds very weird.
“I said that this world is mine now. I don’t know if it’s your dream or not, and I don’t care.” She frowns. “And as far as I can see, I will need to do a lot of work to turn this place into a nice comfortable lair…”
“Sorry, what? This is my room…” But before she reacts, I suddenly feel nausea, as if I’m losing consciousness.
“Heh, it looks like your time has come. Good morning, dreamer. See ya…” She grins and pushes me into the darkness.