I sit idly in my chair. With a hand propped under my chin, elbow on the desk, and my other hand spinning a pencil, I neatly scribble in the last answer to the test. After checking over my paper twice and ensuring there are no errors, I put down my pencil and sigh. Around me, the other students are focused immensely on their papers. I recline and observe the tense scenario.

Only the sound of lead scratching and paper flipping can be heard. Otherwise, silence. Everyone’s in test mode – some in better focus than others. This is the math accumulated units exam, summarizing everything we learned in the first four units plus some prerequisites. This is probably the biggest test we’ve taken in this class so far and alone this test accounts for 10% of our quarter 3 grade, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but actually is massive considering it’s a single grade. Hence, the extra diligence. I was and am completely prepared. Right now I’m studying quarter 4 unit 6 material, and since this is a unit 1-4 exam, the material covered in the first two-quarters and early third quarter, all I needed to do was brush up on some formulas and with some practice problems and then I was completely prepared. This test was a breeze, to put it highly. I take a deep breath, which didn’t seem to blend with the 20-some other students practically holding theirs.

Ding~ Ding~.

The school bell rings, signifying the end of 2nd period and now lunchtime.

“Time’s up! All students, put down your pencils. Pass the tests forward,” the teacher says.

Sighs of relief and some out of frustration are being let out all at once. The shuffling of paper and tapping of pencils finalizes this somewhat grand event, and soon the teacher had all the papers. The common link between all the sighs were tinges of anticipation.

The teacher flips through the papers, skimming each one. He stops at one, then smiles. He looks up at the class.

“Make sure you work on the homework discussed earlier in class today. Reassessments are happening next week, make sure you book a time at the meeting's log. Have a good lunch, everyone. Also,” the teacher looks at me. The rest of the class’ gazes follow with some people already getting up and leaving the classroom for lunch. “I would like to see Ely Codeman. Please come up when you’re ready.”

People begin chattering all around me. I spare no time walking up to the teacher, ignoring the glances aimed at me. “Yes, Mr. Hoffman, what is it?” I say stately.

“Well, Mr. Codeman, I have to say: I’m impressed. I just looked over your test quickly and it looks superb!” My teacher, Mr. Hoffman, pulls out one particular packet out of the stack and displays it his hands, clear for the world to see. “I didn’t look into the specifics yet, but everything looks really good. All the work is shown, plus you’ve provided all alternative ways to solve each problem. Even the bonus question, which covers late quarter 3 material, is done fantastically. Everything looks accurate, and neat as well. That’s dedication. I have no doubt you aced this exam, which is a hard thing, you know. My tests are notoriously hard. In general, you've really stepped it up this quarter. Your interim grades recently were really amazing as well.”

Voices begin to pick up again around me. I heard a variety of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’. It's a bit embarrassing, to be honest. I’m still not used to such public praise. Earlier in the day, my English teacher complimented me on my written report, and in gym class, I ran more laps than I usually do, which garnered praise from the gym teacher. Physical training’s paying off, though, not in the way I expected. I guess you could call this a good day, but still, it’s different than how I imagined - the fruits of my labor I mean. I suppose every day's like that in some form or fashion, never within complete expectation.

“Well done, Ely.” The teacher smiles and returns to his desk, immersing himself in his work on his computer.

“Thank you. It’s an honor,” I humbly respond.

I walk back to my seat, enduring the looks of the remaining students and some students who have just walked in to have lunch with their friends. In our school, we have a 1-hour lunch period where you’re free to wander the halls and classrooms. It’s fairly unrestricted, with the main rule being there has to be some adult supervisor on the premises. Otherwise, it’s all open. At my seat, there's a certain someone waiting for me with a thumbs up.

“Heyo, Mr. Mathematician,” Mark says playfully.

“Hey Mark,” I ignore his underlying intentions and respond stately.

“Seriously, though. What happened to you in the last few weeks? I knew you were smart, but not this smart.”

“Thanks, Mark. I can always count on you to believe in me.”

“No problem!” Mark winks at me and sends another thumbs up my way.

I shake my head. I smile back at him and he meets my smile with a wide grin.

“I’m shocked. Not only did you surpass my grades, you even brought up all your grades to an A-plus. In the first quarter, you only had middle-to-low B's, but now, you’re in the top percentile of top students. That’s mind-blowing. Seriously, what happened to you? Before you didn’t care, but now, you seem to be going all out. Did you finally realize that you’re lacking in life and that slacking in school won’t pay off in the future?”

I look at Mark and scrunch my eyebrows.

“No, Mark, for your information, I didn’t ‘realize’ that. No, I don’t feel my life is lacking. I just feel like being diligent and working hard, that’s all.”

“Just like that? Do you have any specific colleges you want to go to?”

“No, I didn’t think about that either. Although now that you mentioned it, I should. I mean, we should; we’re juniors already.”

“Yep. In no time, we’ll become seniors.” Mark glances around him through the corners of his eyes. “Also, you’ve become pretty popular.”

“What do you mean?” I ask indifferently.

“You seriously haven’t noticed it? Ever since I walked in, peoples’ eyes were glued to you.” Mark moves closer to me and whispers in a hushed voice only we could hear. “Even right now, some people are talking about you. Listen.”

I follow what Mark said and focus carefully. I begin to subtly hear the conversations of some of the surrounding classmates. Male and female classmates alike are chatting discreetly.

“That’s Ely Codeman right? From honors literature?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Mr. Hoffman just said he might’ve aced his test.”

“No way! Aced? One of Mr. Hoffman’s tests? When has that ever happened?”

“10 years ago, I think. It’s an urban legend.”

“It’s not confirmed yet. But still, it’s nothing to shed over.”

“You think he can tutor me? My mom’s been getting up on my grill because of my grades.”

“Dude, I don’t know. He seems out of our league.”

“Has Ely always been this way?”

"I heard that he's rising up on the quarterly rankings. Judging from what I've heard from students in the student council and some faculty, he's most likely broken into the top 10!"

“Eh? Really? Dang, he’s so smart!”

I realized what Mark was talking about. I could hear the chatter, but I never paid it any mind. I had no idea I was being thought of this way.

Also, an urban legend, really? This is a first for me…

And you, the person who asked for tutoring, study harder – then your grades will go up. You barely pay attention in class at all, firstly.

"Oi!" Mr. Hoffman interjects. He sweeps across the room with his eyes, landing on one person in particular. "Dustin, don't complain about your grades. Be like Ely and step it up. Pay attention in class and actually turn in your homework, then your grades will go up. Got it?"

"Y-yes Mr. Hoffman," Dustin, who's also in my math the class, the class previous, replies submissively. Mr. Hoffman's a very assertive figure with a vigorous stare and a very authoritative voice when he's serious, and can easily make any student feel uncomfortable, pressured at the least.

I shake my head in preconceived grief.

Mark continues, “You hear it now? It was like this during my English class last period. Mrs. Hasson was complimenting you in class today. Even a few days ago, I heard some people mention you, and how you’re climbing the quarterly ranks. You’ve changed. Keep it up, man. Haha, now people will regret not getting to know you for the last two quarters!”

I blush. I really am no good in these types of situations.

“It's a new quarter, so for everyone, the plate's fresh. I just upped the ante starting third quarter. Rivenburg high school also offers a generous amount of extra opportunities to boost your grades. That plus doing well on all the tests and quizzes and classwork and homework, and making up any lost points with extra credit and reassessments when available – it’s formulaic.” I stop myself short. I feel like I’m spoiling the secrets to some easy trick that teachers HATE, even though it’s just the standard method behind the results. Jokes aside, I meet Mark’s praise frankly. “Thanks, Mark,” I say respectfully.

“No problem man. Even though you were a pitiful loner for the past 10 years I’ve known you, things are finally changing for the better! Great job man.”

“… Thanks.”

“To be honest, it was kind of pathetic. I know that you honestly prefer to be alone and that you’ve survived perfectly fine to this point, but it was kind of hard on me too, you know? Back in grade school, people were all like, ‘Eww, why are you hanging with the class mime? He never talks.’ And I was like ‘Hey guys, that’s rude, he’s actually a pretty cool person once you get to know him’. And they were like ‘Shut-“

“Okay, you can stop now Mark.”

“Sorry.”

Mark hands me a boxed lunch. Despite what most people think of high school cafeteria food, Rivenburg high school actually offers some pretty good food. They serve actual, fresh food, and their menu is very diverse. There’s a lot of variety. One of their services include boxed lunches, which are convenient and have different things each day. Mark usually buys my lunch for me. I try paying him back, but he never accepts my cash. In this sense, he’s a good friend.

Yep, a good friend.

“Hey Ely, I just bought the new Phantasm DLC that came out today. It’s absolutely amazing. They raised the level cap and added a whole bunch of new items and monsters. When are you going to be online? We can co-op through it. I didn’t progress too much into the storyline yet. Knowing you, you must’ve probably beat it by now. But then again, you’ve been so focused on school. When do you find time to play nowadays?”

“I don’t” I admit honestly. “I’ve held back on games recently. I’ve been more focused on school and… umm… physical training.”

Mark drops his jaw in disbelief. “No way… You..? You stopped playing games? That’s unbelievable. And you’re also still exercising?”

That was one of the things that connected me to Mark. It started with our love for old JRPGs. We’ve been friends ever since. Other kids had no interest in such an old, niche subject. Due to Mark’s family circumstances, all he ever had were old games and systems, if any at all. He had a unique love for the old 8-bit Phantasm games. That was where our friendship started.

The Phantasm DLC he was referring to earlier pertains to the most recent game, "Raising Knights", which along with the game system was my gift to him last Christmas. Unfortunately, with his situation, there would've been no other way he would've had access to such "modern-day luxuries"...

But despite our many gaps, our love for all things Phantasm stays.

“Yes, I am. I haven't given up on it entirely, I'm just taking a break so I can focus on school.” I look away awkwardly but speak honestly.

“… You’ve changed.”

“…”

“Not only that, you even changed your look significantly. You got a new haircut and a lot of new clothes too. Not only are you smart, but you’re shaping up stylistically as well.”

The other day, I prompted my family to bring me to a professional barber to fix my hair as well as shop for new clothes – practically replacing my wardrobe. I reasoned it was about time, since I'm changing myself I might as well go all out. My mother was reluctant at first, but after I mentioned the whole reward subject for my interim grades, she jumped aboard. My little sister was ecstatic, too ecstatic, actually. She’s all about fashion and stylizing, and in the past, she’s always pressured me to dress up and ‘look suave’. I let her take initiative of the whole drive since she’s the knowledgeable one, and since she said she had the "hook-up" on men's clothing. Mom and I were wary at first, but in the end, she wasn't kidding; her connections saved us a great deal - time, money, and stress. My sister is also fairly stylish herself. If it weren’t for her inherent messiness and sloppiness, she’d be a picturesque girl. I guess that’s another thing I’ve been blessed with. With my family comes our decent looks - it's not Graham level amazing, but it's definitely workable. I’ve never thought about it too much since I’ve been so preoccupied with just getting by in honors in school and playing games. But, I really am thankful. ‘Good looks’ aren’t necessarily important, and it doesn’t take much for anyone to be stunning no matter their physical appearance, I believe, but in our adolescent age, I’m appreciative of this detail. The whole ordeal cost a lot of money, but my parents didn't seem to mind. I guess me asking for something other than games is something foreign to my family, so they embraced the new feeling.

My father on the sidelines just didn’t care. He’s only concerned with two things – good coffee, and good suits. Once I start talking either, then he will engage. Unfortunately, he doesn’t share my joy for cookies and JRPGs, and I don’t share his enjoyment of piping hot black coffee and voluntary nooses around my neck (ties). He's a thorough businessman, all in all, raised by his father who was raised by his father - and so on.

At least when the time comes when I need to look professional, I know who to call.

And when my father inexplicably finds himself in a bakery struggling over what to get, he knows who to call.

Spoiler alert: cookies, that’s what I’ll tell him. And a whole lot of them, too.

But I digress.

The result of the whole endeavor was a closet filled with trendy millennial clothes and lots of exquisite moving rubber hair gel. ‘Millennial clothing’ is too harsh. I actually have to give props to my little sister. All the stuff she picked out was actually really nice looking – it puts my former wardrobe to shame, and this is a person who’s never paid any mind to clothing. I ended up with a polished black look with an eye-brow length side-swept fringe and a dark, short, clipped side with a step detail hairstyle. I have lots of elegant yet casual clothing, and in all honesty, it makes me look like I just came out of a K-Pop photo-shoot. It's a love-and-hate sort of thing.

“You really have changed, Ely.” Mark stands back helplessly.

“I guess I have.” I don't know what else to say.

We continue having lunch and talking about stuff. Despite the initial differences, we’re still the same people. It doesn’t change the fact that we’ve known each other for 10 years, and we both love Phantasm, despite my fall-off. We have no shortage of things to discuss. It's like nothing changed at all, even though my world's changed significantly.

“I’ll throw out our trash. Be right back.” Mark steps off and waves off to me.

“Hey, hold up!” I try calling out to him, but he's already gone. He always does this, throwing away our trash on his own. Since he buys my food, the least I could do is throw away our trash, but he doesn’t even let me do that. He insists he will do it. I always try to find an opening to do it for him, but he’s always a step ahead.

“Sheesh. What am I going to do with you?”

I recline back into my chair and smile helplessly myself.

Suddenly, I hear approaching footsteps.

I turn my head and look up.

It’s Mia, the class representative.

“Err… H-hey Ely. Mr. Hoffman just finished grading the papers…” Mia says timidly.

“Hmm? Oh, already, that was quick,” I respond normally.

“Ah? Yeah! Yeah, you’re right.” Mia starts fumbling over her words awkwardly. She seems to be turning red.

“Class rep, are you okay? You seem to be flushing.” I start getting concerned. I’ve been taking online courses in first aid and other medical basics. Flushing or turning red usual signifies fever.

“Huh? Oh, umm, s-sorry! I’m totally fine! It’s okay, totally!” She starts flailing her arms around in an attempt to signify that she's okay. She only becomes redder. I begin to get genuinely worried. My smile drops.

“Mia, excuse me, but allow me to check something.” I put my hand to her forehead. Her face flushes even more. She stands there dumbfounded with a shocked expression.

“W-w-w-w-w-ha-“

I pull back. “I’m terribly sorry. I was just checking to see if you have a fever. You have to be serious about these things.” I wear a deliberate and concerned expression. “Please forgive me for imposing on you. Fortunately, it’s nothing of the sort.”

“Huh? I-It's okay...” Mia steps back and hits her arm against a chair, dropping all the papers. The stack separates and messily scatters all over the floor. “A-ah… I-I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. Let me help you.”

Together, we pick up the papers. Shortly thereafter, all the papers are back in a neat stack on the desk.

“Be more careful. Not only with the papers, but you yourself. It’d be bad if you were to get seriously hurt due to unawareness,” I reprimand her.

“I-I’m sorry,” she apologizes earnestly.

I smile. “Well, as long as you know. May I have my test back?” I point toward the single paper in her hands. She stands there in a daze staring at me. I sit there confused and lock my gaze. She hurriedly looks away.

“Ah! Yes, yes. Umm… here…” Mia hands me my test.

“Thank you.” I take the paper orderly. I read the top. 105%.

“C-Congratulations on the test grade.” Mia awkwardly praises me.

“Thank you very much. You too. You must’ve gotten a 105% as well on this test, didn’t you?” I ask.

“Actually, only a 98% this time. I missed the bonus and a single question, unfortunately. B-but next time! I won’t lose to you, okay?” Suddenly, she became earnest. A light shines in her eyes.

I laugh lightly. She’s taken aback. I look at her and smile honestly. “I’m looking forward to that.”

“Huh? Umm… yeah…” Mia finally smiles. Mia’s our class representative. She has the top grades in our class, even now, her grades cumulatively are higher than mine. She’s a very diligent student, in the top 10, maybe even 5 in our grade, but also very timid. I never see her with anybody besides when she's engaged in her class duties. We’re both reserved in our own ways. But, unlike me, she’s always been diligent. She’s a good girl, a fantastic student, characterized by her intricate and unique braid and large glasses that accentuates her small face. Today, she’s wearing a cute frilly long sleeve and jeans; conservative set of clothing that doesn't expose much skin, compared to other girls. I really do wonder why she isn’t closely acquainted with anyone. Unlike me, she’s a wonderful girl, albeit a bit shy. It makes me wonder about the order of high-school society, although that’s not a mystery I’m going to wrap my head around.

Mia begins to walk back the other way, back to her seat. She stops midway and turns around suddenly.

“T-Thank you… for being, umm… concerned about me…” Mia thanks me genuinely.

I look at her and blush slightly. Only now did I realize how beautiful she was. My heart skips a beat, but I somehow regain my composure. “Don’t mention it. I just did what I thought I should.” I never really talked to her that much during the past two quarters. In fact, I never really talked to anyone outside of Mark. Unlike her, I had a faithful friend. I don’t know much about her, but I don’t think she’s ever had anybody like Mark is to me. I feel saddened at the thought.

“Hey Mia,” I call out to her.

“Y-Yes!” She turns red again.

“Sometime, not now, but would you like to hold a study session together? For our next upcoming exam?”

Mia stands there shocked. She looks down and twiddles her fingers innocently. “Y-Yes! I-if you’re okay with me…” She smiles the second most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen in my life.

The second...

I wash away the thought and again try to regain composure. "Remember Graham!" I mentally speak to myself.

“Alright. I’ll contact you sometime later so we can discuss it.” I pull out a small half sheet of paper and scribble some numbers. I pick up the paper and hand it to Mia. “Here’s my phone number. Text me whenever you feel like it.”

“Of course!” Mia suddenly says enthusiastically, raising her voice. You can just feel the innocence. I guess this is how it feels to finally make a friend, to get someone’s phone number. I remember back in middle school fantasizing about those things. And likewise, to reach out to someone feels,

Nice. Really nice.

Awfully so.

Mia takes the paper and bows aptly. She makes her way to her seat, making slight glances my way. After sitting in her chair, she stared at the paper wholeheartedly, with sparkles in her eyes.

This girl…

I can't help but smile.

I sit back in my chair. After that whole ordeal, I feel as if all my stamina is sapped. That took more mental strength than I thought. After thinking through what I just did, I cringe in my seat.

What what what what what did I just do?

With the phone number and the papers and the fever check...

I think back to my previous actions... I can't believe I so casually acted in such a daring manner! If it wasn't a fever, it...

What?

Ah....

I begin to turn red.

I bury my head in my hands discreetly. Only now do I realize the gravity of what I've committed and my folly in my lack of realization in regards to what would be blatant common sense to any other high or even middle functioning member of secondary education society...

You know I'm really flustered when I begin to speak borderline jargon...

I’ve... I've never done such things in my life! Haha! Wow!

When did I become so shameless?

Oh yes! My phone! I get to actually use my phone for things besides reading and checking status updates on Phantasm servers! Is this how it feels to be social? I never did really get to experience pro-active texting and/or calling with peers. My only real contacts are my family, and it's unfortunate that Graham doesn't have a phone...

I take a deep breath in and out. Cool down... Draw out my inner Graham...

I suppose... the real innocent one is me.

I steal a glance back at Mia's seat to see if she saw any of my embarrassing mishaps, and I am greeted by her turning her head and glancing back at me...

I panic and look away. I think she did the same but I reflexively turned my head too quickly for me to see or process if I did see.

Ah! Graham, where are you when I need you...

“Yo wassup, I’m back.” Mark finally pops in, drawing the gazes of the crowd like he usually does. His casual entrance and break from the imagined tension allows me to snap back into motion. I cool down with some subtle deep breaths finally and fortunately. “Sorry about the delay, I just remembered I had to drop by a teacher for something. Yo, you okay? You look less miserable than usua-“

I glare at him.

“-I mean happier than usual. Yeah, that’s it.” Mark cooly covers up his blunder and slides my way.

“I guess... I do." I refresh my state of mind and have successfully returned to ground zero. I take another breath in. "Hmm… take a guess,” I suggest with sudden, brash confidence.

Mark appears confused momentarily then commits to looking around. He walks in between the rows and circles around. He stands in front of the class and surveys the area. His face suddenly lights up and a stupid grin covers his face. He walks over to me and laughs heartily, too heartily in fact that it could be easily heard outside.

“Hey, you there, stop being so loud,” Mr. Hoffman interjects.

“Sorry,” Mark apologizes empathetically.

Yikes. Mr. Hoffman is stern as usual.

Mark turns towards me.

“I was wondering when you would come around and talk to her already. I always thought you would make good friends. Nice job man.” Mark fist-bumps my arm. He didn't tease me like he usually does, he just genuinely congratulated me.

I breathe out resignedly. “Thanks, man.” I uncharacteristically mimic him likewise with a fist bump of my own.

It might’ve been something small, something generous, and something different, but it was something that the past me couldn’t do.

To reach out to someone and befriend them.

And also be so cringingly shameless but let's forget about that shall we - off with the middle school memories you go! Yep, yep...

I grin subtlety and look out the window, while Mark is rambling about the new Phantasm DLC besides me.

The sun is shining through the clouds, peeking its little head over the edges. The dew on the grass has more or less subsided, and the cool temperatures complement the peaceful atmosphere.

This wonderful school and family life - I never thought I'd wish it'd never end...

We spend the rest of the lunch like so. The bell rings and we return to class. The rest of the class get their test scores back, with looks of shock and surprise and relief and disbelief over their grades and the fact that Mr. Hoffman was able to get our tests back before the end of class. Mr. Hoffman teaches both honors Pre-Calculus and gifted Algebra II, which is a more advanced and in-depth Algebra II class with lots of Trigonometry and harder, more intricate equations and rules. The first is required for juniors, and the second is optional. Guidance, or the staff in charge of scheduling and other miscellaneous tasks, configured it so that most people who have both honors Pre-Calc and gifted Algebra II have it on the same days, in both 2nd period and 3rd period with Mr. Hoffman, so for both our A-day class is the same class with the same teacher. Both math classes are popular choices for honors students. I opted for those classes because I generally enjoy math more and I’m more proficient at math than my other subjects, which is why I was able to pull my math grades ahead with relative ease. Rivenburg High runs an A-day/B-day schedule, where periods 1-4 are on A-days and periods 5-8 are on B-days. They're not officially called A or B-days, but the name just kind of stuck with teachers and students and no-one knows what the actual name of the school days are called, as there is one but it was lost with time, possibly another school mystery in cahoots with the "urban legends". After some congratulating by the class and Mr. Hoffman for my perfect test grade and following that my humble acceptance, the day moved on per usual.

Yep, time for the school day to end. I meet up with my little sister and say goodbye to Mark. I notice Mia who was peeking through the hallways and I say goodbye to her as well. She timidly responds back and rushes out the other way. My little sister Lexi teases me on the way home and I ignore her, continuing to look at the sky and taking in the peaceful beauty of nature. The breeze and cold temperatures feel good – it doesn’t get too cold around here, despite being winter, and is often just right. Today is that type of day. Cold enough to feel good but not cold enough to freeze your socks off. That would be a terrifying mental image actually. Imagine it being so cold that your socks actually freeze off your feet. Logic doesn’t permit it. I still think it is an amusing thought.

Yet again, I digress.

I finally get home. I greet my mother, who’s taking a break from housework and watching T.V. I eat a quick snack and then I head upstairs. I study future material, review current material, then I exercise. I’ve been steadily increasing my exercise intensity and time. I spend about 35 minutes exercising each day, starting with 20 minutes three weeks ago. It’s not that much, because of how initially weak my body was and still is, but with time results will show. I’m still unsure whether it carries over to the dream dungeon. I know for sure clothes don’t; my hair is still the same in the dungeon - long and messy - and other miscellaneous happenings to my body in the real world don’t carry over either. I’ve also been exercising in the dungeon as well, and it’s better too because in the dungeon you don’t get hungry or thirsty – not entirely. I do know for sure that drinking water does replenish your strength. I’ve already started a routine here in the real world, so it’s beneficial if I keep it up. Doesn’t hurt to build physical strength in both worlds – you never know when you might need it. Finally, I work on my online medical course, which is a program offered by the local community college. I’m scheduled for a "hands-on" skills test in a few weeks, so I prepare for that too.

I’ve always been proficient at studying in my life, something my sister hasn’t picked up on, but back then I never had the drive to work hard, or definitely not as much as I could. Before I allocated my technical focus on games - Phantasm and the like - and for those purposes, it's paid off. But things have changed, in many more ways than one. Even if things haven’t really changed, I’m going to be the one to change them. Never ever will I allow a tragedy to occur in front of me.

Never ever.

I can't.

I promise. I'll grow strong enough. Until that day...

After an exhausting 6 hours of (non-continuous) work, I eat dinner, switch into more comfortable sleeping clothes, put away my glasses, ready for bed, and then doze into a peaceful…

Sleep…

..

.

I wake up, in the dream dungeon.

I frown.

Hello again, my old friend.