SWNOVELS Chapter All hell broke loose.
“The French in me feels insulted by your Yankee worldview,” Maddox retorted prim and proper. “We like pizza fine, thank you – just not every day.”
Rafael chuckled between blows on his tomato soup. “Personally, I prefer the red sauce to the dough, which is probably why I’m partial to soup.” And the soup in front of him tasted almost as good as his mum’s.
Poppina steered the discussion back to safer ground. “Okay, what do we do now?”
Rafael was stumped. The weekend had arrived, and there was nothing on his agenda. No soccer training, no family time. Heck, not even cleaning chores. Who knew he would miss all that?
“Where is the soccer field I’ve heard about?”
“I dunno. Maybe we should explore a bit to see if we can figure it out?” Poppina offered. “There’s also supposed to be a Media Room, libraries, an indoor sports area, and more.”
Maddox shook his head. “It’s too late to go out. Let’s wait until daylight. We can scout inside tonight.”
They dumped their plates in the nook and headed down the corridor.
Their rooms were positioned in one of the main wings, midway between the kitchen and the outer edge of the mansion. True to the mansion’s “snowflake” architecture, the vast, opulent corridor branched off into smaller, convoluted halls. Five wings were dedicated to different teaching areas. But judging from the many entrances to the kitchen, the mansion had many more sectors.
Rafael felt a twitch of excitement at the prospect of exploring with his friends, and now there was a spring in his steps that almost matched Poppina’s bouncy gait. Alone, he would have stayed in his room, unwilling to brave a chance encounter with Bobby.
Solitude didn’t bother him, though; he liked his own company and always found something interesting to keep him busy. Why people disliked alone time was beyond him. If they couldn’t enjoy their own company, what made them think anyone else would? He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Like curious explorers, they poked their heads into various rooms along the way. If the number of study rooms they encountered was any indication of how much classroom instruction awaited, the future looked depressing. He was glad most of the places were empty.
Before long, they found the room labelled “Media Room” – and the majority of their classmates inside it. It was an airy space brightened by large multi-colored pillows that covered the floor from wall to wall.
However, the most exciting feature was a gigantic multi-player video game, which commanded the attention of almost every kid in the room. Judging by the number of grunts, insults, and self-compliments flying around, they were having a blast.
“I thought Centisom didn’t have electricity?” Rafael observed.
“Technically, that’s true,” Poppina answered him, pointing upward. “I heard Centisom prefers the medieval to the modern – something about natural energy balance. But since people on Earth had the gall to invent electricity, followed by computers, then video games, all those things had to be reflected on the dream plane too.”
Rafael’s mind drifted off to planning a new Minecraft map. Lennart would love it. But could he transfer the maps from the dream plane to the Earth plane?
Maddox’s voice cut into his musing. “Oh, I see. Everything on Earth must be represented in some form here in Dreamland, so people’s dreams are consistent with their realities. Otherwise, some knowledge areas would be missing, and people would be unable to apply what they learn in their dreams to actual life, which would be a problem. Because, as Mr. Zhou taught us, all human progress comes from the dream state. So, this representation of electricity we are seeing must be a compromise of sorts.” He sounded like an impassioned professor.
While Maddox’s explanation caused Rafael’s mouth to drop open in astonishment – Maddox had actually listened to the haughty teacher’s diatribe – it seemed to be lost on Poppina.
“I wonder why we didn’t see this room earlier?” she asked.
“Because it just opened,” Kiano said, without looking up.
They leaned in to peek over his shoulder. His fingers were busy drumming and gliding over the surface of a notebook-sized device that looked like the offspring of a tablet and a game controller.
Rafael liked Centisom’s style.
Compared to the gaming world’s sophisticated, multi-dimensional landscapes that Rafael was accustomed to, back on Earth, the banal green shrubbery and indigo-colored sky depicted on Kiano’s screen looked drab. Only the huge size of the trees and their strange-shaped leaves, which were dotted with holes, set it apart from a regular Earth landscape.
On the other hand, Kiano’s Guardian character on the tablet screen, which was an exact replica of him, was stunning.
Motionless, the vigilant Guardian waited at the edge of a clearing, his futuristic combat helmet – equipped with sleek communication gear – chirping and blinking. On the device, neon red words pulsed across the screen. They read: “Alert! High concentration of Nightterrors in your sector. Prepare to engage.”
The Guardian stirred when the trees rustled but settled back after a brief glance at the sieve-shaped leaves. “Astral body incoming,” he spoke into his helmet while he checked a list of parameters on his screen.
Seconds later, a thick, semi-transparent substance formed on the bottom of the leaves and seeped up through the leaves’ holes to form big, shivering drops. Each drop was identical, and Rafael suspected that the perforations were a means of calibrating the size of the drops.
The sky darkened, and he held his breath as a star broke loose and streaked toward them at incalculable speed. The star looked so real that Rafael and his friends were compelled to step back in unison.
“Relax, that’s an incoming astral body,” Kiano said with a chuckle.
“Oh, I get it now. This is a simulation of Dreamland!” Poppina exclaimed as she dropped to the floor next to him, her eyes never leaving the screen.
While the star grew on the screen, fat droplets of the substance rose from the surfaces of the leaves, defying gravity. The next instant, the glowing star landed with a soft whoosh in the clearing. A thin, translucent tube connected it to the depths of the firmament.
“Is that normal?” Poppina asked, pointing to the tube.
“Yep, that’s the astral body’s link to its physical body. Now hush,” Kiano answered, his eyes fixed on the screen, “until the Glab is fully formed, the child isn’t safe.”
As if prompted by his words, all the leaf droplets rushed to the pulsing globe of light and merged to create a perfect, iridescent outer shell around it – the Glab, Rafael presumed. Within a heartbeat, the pulsing globe inside coalesced into a human form.
“There you are,” Kiano crooned when he saw the small child curled up in the fetal position and sound asleep in the Glab.
The Guardian raced into the field and took a defensive position in front of the Glab. As he looked all around in vigilance, more droplets arrived, strengthening and thickening the almost-transparent shell around the child.
Before Rafael could ask Kiano about the rules of engagement, a flurry of activity from the tree line made the Guardian snap to attention. A cluster of spherical objects emerged from the forest. The spheres were coconut sized, rainbow-hued balls of fur. They floated and swayed just above the pocked terrain on their way to the shimmering Glab. The Guardian relaxed.
“Hey,” Rafael blurted, “I saw Ms. Renvoizé holding one of those furballs in Nurture class. Are they dangerous?” He couldn’t imagine they were. But. Never. Assume.
“What? No!” Kiano said with a chuckle. “Those are Dreamlings. They support astral bodies during dreams. The Glab monitors dreams and brain activity and also serves as an interface for Knowledge transfer. Watch and learn.”
“How do you know all this?”
“There was an introduction video for the game.”
Rafael was impressed. Even in Dreamland, they used e-learning. He shifted to get a closer look at the cute Dreamlings. Now the first had reached the sphere and sprang onto its elastic surface. A thin tube sprouted from its fur and connected to the Glab.
“Why is the Guardian in a defensive stance? The Dreamlings look pretty docile.”
“That’s right,” Kiano said. “They are the good ones. I need to protect them from the bad ones. The Nightterrors.”
Soon, all Dreamlings had arrived at the Glab and were gliding and dancing in random patterns on its surface. With each of their motions, the Glab emitted a kaleidoscope of colors that rippled outward and illuminated the surrounding landscape. Rafael spotted all sorts of shapes and movements within the light show and heard the sweet sound of gentle bells and whistles again. The beautiful, ethereal scene soothed his soul. He almost wished he were the sleeping child, recipient of the Dreamlings’ ministrations.
“Is this how we dream?” he wondered aloud, mesmerized by the scene.
No one answered because they were just as enthralled as he. Rafael leaned forward, feeling his natural inquisitiveness stir. He wondered to what extent the Dreamlings influenced dreams, and if his dreams ever were his own.
Rafael’s attention swung back to the forest when a new group of furballs streamed out. Though the new group moved in a sluggish, drunken way and weren’t as lively and bright as the others, they still looked adorable. Pointing to them, he asked, “Why do they look duller? Are they sick?”
“Oh, those are just regular Nightmares,” Kiano mumbled. “They only want to recharge. They’re harmless. I’m on the lookout for–”
His words halted mid-stream when a dark mass of fur and fangs came thundering from the forest and paused at the tree line, its glowing amber eyes fixed on the Glab.
It was a ragged, terrifying creature with enormous fangs that dripped greenish saliva. Shaggy, black fur enveloped its wiry frame, and its slanted shoulders reminded Rafael of a hyena’s crooked, sturdy build. But what disturbed him most was the creature’s eerie stillness and vicious eyes that held nothing inside but the promise of death.
Kiano swore and sprang into action with a flurry of finger movements on the controller. As though prompted by the avatar’s battle readiness, the nasty thing shot straight toward the Glab, its enormous claws shredding the ground.
The Guardian unsheathed a glistening blue sword, vaulted over a bunch of tardy Dreamlings, and plunged the sword into one of the hellish monster’s legs just as it reached the Glab. The creature dissolved in a flash of black light.
A soft ping announced Kiano’s score going up, and they released a collective breath.
Maddox, hunched over Kiano’s shoulder, was the first to unfreeze. “What was that thing?”
“I have no idea, Nightterrors don’t look like that. They–” Kiano’s explanation was stopped short by a growl. His eyes widened when not one, but three more black monsters emerged from the forest. “I’m under attack.”
The Guardian jumped between the vile creatures and the Glab and dispatched a distress call to the other players in Media Room. A few heads went up.
“I’m engaged. Sorry, pal.”
“Too far from your position. Good luck!”
“Where are you? I don’t even see you!”
“I’m on my own,” Kiano uttered, his dark brows lowering in concentration. “Fine, more points for me.”
The Guardian produced a shimmering electric blue whip and swung it in tight circles. The menacing, ravenous creatures advanced at a steady pace. Not deterred by Kiano’s weapon, they jumped to avoid the whip, flanked him, and charged with ferocious snarls.
“Where’s the third one?” Maddox whispered.
The Guardian turned on his heels, but it was too late. The third assailant had snuck around him and was now lurking an inch away from the sphere.
Rafael could see the spark of triumph in its amber, cunning eyes. The creature was taunting them, taking its sweet time to claim the last centimeters, never taking its eyes off the Guardian. Before Kiano could even twitch, the beast’s monstrous fangs pierced the Glab with a disdainful, delicate bite.
All hell broke loose.
The bright Glab wobbled, dimmed, and then turned a putrid shade of gray. Wrenched from their joyful dancing, the sweet Dreamlings shrieked in agony and tumbled down in a writhing mass. The two remaining monsters bolted past the Guardian and sunk their teeth into the sphere’s ugly remains with gleeful ferocity.
Kiano grunted in disbelief while Maddox swore, and Rafael watched in morbid fascination. New shapes emerged on the wrinkled surface of the once-resplendent globe. Pretty rainbows and butterflies morphed into grimacing bloody clowns and other terrifying characters. It was like watching the caress of a loving hand turn into a hateful slap. Bile rose in Rafael’s mouth as he witnessed the unbridled ugliness. Poppina let out a heartsick sob.
A few heartbeats later, a bone-chilling wail escaped from the all-but-destroyed Glab, startling them into horrified gasps. The tube that linked the astral body to its physical form yanked the flailing astral child out of its failing shell, rocketed skyward, and winked out like a fading comet.
Meanwhile, the monsters had turned to the Dreamlings and were tearing through them in a gory orgy. One of them – the sly one – eyed the Guardian. Rafael was motionless, spellbound by its malevolent gaze. Then, without a blink of warning, the creature catapulted toward them, jaws wide open.
In a knee-jerk reaction, Kiano threw the device away, and it landed screen-up on the floor.
They watched in dread as the image of the sickening creature stared at them from the screen, frozen, harmless, yet still terrifying.
Poppina recovered first. She picked up the device with two fingers and fumbled until it shut down.
“Rude awakening for that poor kid in the Glab,” she remarked in a shaky voice.
Kiano’s complexion had turned grayish. “That was crazy,” he said with a strained laugh. “I mean, the last time was nothing like that.”
Maddox gulped. “That was creepy as hell. And it made no sense at all. Who designed such a piece of crap?”
“Nobody told us about that kind of monsters,” Poppina said in an accusing tone, rubbing a nervous finger along the side of the device.
“I don’t get it, Poppina,” Kiano said, looking around the room. “This run was entirely different from the last one. It’s as though the game switched to another level.”
Rafael felt sick to his stomach. Despite his aversion to violence, he had been so captivated by the action that he couldn’t look away. He had even let himself worry about an unknown child... who was just a pile of computer code. Brain damage from the disturbing visual aside, he had another, more immediate concern on his mind.
“Wait. If that’s Dreamland, it’s dangerous!” he exclaimed, pointing to the device.
The other trainees looked up, surprised by his outburst.
Kiano, who had already bounced back, shook his head. “Oh, come on, dude, I told you it wasn’t a normal run. Look around. Nobody’s having trouble.”
They paused a moment to observe the other players.
“You’re right. They’re having fun,” Poppina conceded.
Rafael moved to the next kid. “Look, he’s not playing the same game,” he said after a glance at the screen. “He’s battling totally different monsters. They’re gray. And not nearly as evil.”
The others joined him while a frowning Poppina inspected Kiano’s device.
“And look at the graphics, they’re not the same,” Maddox affirmed. “They’re not as realistic.” He took a quick trip around the room to sneak a peek at the other players’ screens. “Kiano’s game is completely different,” he reported back with a puzzled look.
“Hey guys, I’ve got something there,” Poppina called to them, holding up the device.
She showed them an almost-invisible engraving on the bottom side of it. “It reads T.P.O.D.”
“T-Pod?” Kiano asked, “What’s that?”
“No, T.P.O.D. Look, it’s a handwritten engraving,” Maddox pointed out. “Maybe it’s the name of the tablet’s owner. Or of the game developer.”
“I agree,” Rafael said. “Kiano probably stumbled on someone’s personal device or testing platform.”
Maddox shrugged. “But who?”
“I bet it’s an acronym – four words.” Poppina sighed and put the device on a nearby table. “It’s not important right now. Tonight, let’s have some fun and find out what else Centisom has to offer.”
“Mind if I join you?” Kiano seemed to have had enough gaming for the day.
“You don’t have to ask,” Poppina answered, regaining her usual perkiness, “just come along.”
Rafael was eager to leave the room. “Do you think they have foosball somewhere?”
He couldn’t help casting one more worried glance at the device before closing the door.
Niklas was conversing with Chen Zhou when the door opened and Medeor strode in. The Headmaster paused, as though taken aback by their presence in his office.
Niklas rose from the couch, reacting to his friend’s weary posture. “How much?”
“Too much. We lost parts of Jubail.”
Stunned silence greeted his words.
Chen Zhou’s folded hands whitened at the knuckles. “It’s getting worse. That’s the biggest hot spot we’ve ever had.”
“Don’t I know,” Medeor answered, moving to the sitting area. “There are simply not enough trees left in the bigger cities to anchor the planes.”
When Medeor took a seat and closed his eyes, Niklas sighed upon witnessing his friend’s quiet despair. He knew how crushing Medeor’s responsibility was.
After the Great Breakup of Dreamland, back in 1945, the gift necessary to repair the natural decay of the connection between the planes had disappeared. Since then, the task had fallen back to the Maintain Department, which was currently headed up by Medeor. Since the Maintainer Guardians lacked the ability to restore the energy field, they used a roundabout way to anchor the planes together by growing Worg Trees. The tree’s magical roots reached deep through space and dimension and meshed with the available root systems on Earth, forming vital anchor points.
That stop-gap strategy should have been enough to prevent the planes from fatal, irreversible separation. But unexpected population explosion and deforestation on Earth had accelerated the energy field’s decay and now precious anchors were being destroyed faster than new ones could be established.
Urban areas suffered the most, where planes sustained a higher volume of astral body traffic while at the same time losing trees. Jubail, which Medeor had referred to, was a typical example of sudden decay – a hot spot.
But a recent development had brought him and his colleagues a new hope. It was a program headed up by Elvina Renvoizé and Chen Zhou, and its goal was to share crucial knowledge and awareness of the ecological imbalance with the new generations. Guardians were now rallying green activists on Earth and encouraging young people to embrace and solve the long-standing environmental issues that their parents had neglected.
Still, even with full Guardian mobilization, they were approaching the fatal tipping point fast. What was once a mere concern was now a full-fledged emergency, and Niklas prayed their combined forces would be enough to save Dreamland.
Seeing that Chen was staring ahead with an expression of sadness and regret, Niklas steeled himself and asked the inescapable, tragic question. “How many children did we lose?”
A hot spot occurred when the planes tore apart without warning. Each event was a staggering blow to the Guardians, a risk of unspeakable, unbearable loss. Most astral bodies rerouted their journey to Dreamland, a process that was spontaneous and lifesaving, but distressing for the dreaming children. But for an unknown reason, a few didn’t. Instead, their astral bodies stayed in the netherworld, the chasm between the planes, and they fell into a coma.
“Eight coma patients have been reported. One died already. We’ll monitor the situation,” Medeor said in a defeated tone.
Niklas shuddered. One casualty, and seven children that would maybe – somehow – find their way back to consciousness or die. He understood his friend’s weariness all too well. Each loss was a tragedy.
“On the bright side, the Nightterrors haven’t made an appearance in a while,” Medeor continued, offering a weak smile.
That was, indeed, a good thing. The feral beasts were an enigma, but still a threat, nonetheless. Nightterrors first appeared in Dreamland a few years ago, attacking the Glabs and the Dreamlings at random. Dreamland’s emergency response was to eject an astral body whenever its Glab was damaged. Though the children awoke in a state of panic, at least they were safe.
Two problems and no solution in sight, Niklas thought. “I’ll monitor the Jubail’s children, if you’d like,” he offered to lighten his friend’s burden.
Medeor dipped his chin in agreement and turned to Chen Zhou. “Speaking of mystery, what can you tell me, dear Chen, about your newest project?” At Niklas’s inquiring look, he added, “Gateway Hall is sprouting a new door, and I asked Chen to study it.”
Chen cleared his throat and delivered a precise recounting of his efforts.
“So, you’re telling me you have no idea,” Medeor said with a small smile. “Yet.”
“Yet. But I have gathered some old books I’d like to study. The utmost important fact is, as far as I can judge, the doorway hasn’t progressed any further since morning.”
“Then I’ll leave you to your studying.”
Make it three problems, and still zero solution.
Medeor escorted Chen to the door and poured drinks for Niklas and himself. The ice jingled in the glasses while the fire crackled in the hearth, and the couch squeaked under Medeor’s weight as he sat down. For a moment, they sat in companionable silence, letting themselves soak in the peace.
Niklas suppressed a twinge of remorse.
Was he worthy of that peace?
For Rafael, the evening went from scary to happy. He and his friends found a room crammed with flippers, foosball, billiards, and so on, and they were having a blast. Well, until Kiano’s clumsy attempt to spin the cue sent all of their drinks splashing to the floor.
No amount of exploring produced the towels needed to clean the spillage. Rafael didn’t offer to manifest a rag, as his grasp on his magic was shaky, and he didn’t want to risk failure in front of his new friends.
Even Poppina was nonplussed. “Now what?”
“I suppose there’s somebody we could ask...”
“This is Friday evening, Maddox, I doubt a cleaning team is hanging around waiting to clean up our mess,” Poppina snipped.
Rafael squatted in front of the puddle. “I bet Centisom handles everything by using magic.”
Not wanting to leave an untidy room behind, he brushed the floor with his fingertips and sent a mental apology to Centisom. At once, the liquid rose in a mini swirl and vanished.
Poppina broke the astonished silence. “How did you do that?”
“I didn’t do anything. It must be Centisom’s cleaning service,” Rafael answered, as bemused as the others.
“Wow, I wish I could have that service back at home. No more nag, nag, nag about cleaning my bedroom,” Maddox said.
At his disgruntled tone, they broke into giggles and agreed to call it a night.
Rafael found a notice pinned to his door. Ms. Pepper wanted to make sure that he was all right and requested to see him in the morning for a quick check. She had added a smiley with a toothbrush to the end of the note. He snorted because he never forgot to care for his teeth; he was too afraid of the dentist to neglect them.
After a quick shower, he slipped into his favorite pajamas and plucked the photo of him and his family from the nightstand. He contemplated the grinning faces in the soft light. How was he supposed to sleep for six freaking months without his mum’s goodnight kiss? With a heavy sigh, he pressed the picture against his chest and reflected on happier times to curb his homesickness.
He was putting the frame back when he glimpsed another shape in the glass. Supposing it was a trick of the light, he angled the picture and squinted. But the form remained and sharpened into focus.
His heart did a somersault. It was his mum, a sad smile gracing her lips. She was standing over a small person, stroking his hair. But wait, it was him! In a foreign bed. Was Mum with him at the hospital? That had to be it.
She was so close yet so far away, frozen in time on the other side – on Earth. The confirmation that time had stopped for all his loved ones hit him. He was truly trapped in another dimension.
His eyes hugged the image, storing it in a secret part of his heart until it faded.
Did he have the ability to see across the planes?