My eyes open once more to the sight of my dark bedroom where there’s only me, curled up against the bed hugging my knees.

The heavy rain beating the window puts me at ease as recall my situation. That’s two dreams now, and they’ve both successfully broken my mind. Even though the dread permeating my chest feels like it will cripple me at any moment, I find relief in the calm darkness of the room, and breathe easy.

However, I soon grow restless, and desire human contact. The thought of seeing Mirei drives me to my feet, but it’s not only her. The words of the man I cursed in my last dream offer me a shred of hope that I might truly be in control of my fate in this world. After all, I was not consumed. I was broken, but I overcame even that. Something tells me I’ve lived my life that way for some time.

The world of my dreams may yet throw more at me, but his words, along with Mirei’s light and my own strength, feel like freedom.

Determined to indulge in that freedom, I set out. I recall Mirei’s assertion that we are unable to reach each other in the dreamscape, and only in our deeper dreams. In that case, I should still be able to reach him.

Passing through the dark, tidy living area and exiting onto the walkway of the second floor, I withdraw my phone and swiftly dial. “Hello, Mary,” he answers in a polite tone. “I was about to call you, but what possessed you to reach out to me first?”

“I think you owe me some answers, JC,” I respond, my tone firm but not hostile.

“Certainly,” he says. “Like I said before, I do not know everything, but the dreamscape is designed so that we may regain our memories as we progress. Therefore, there are some things that I can explain to help guide you. That is part of my role here, after all.”

“Do you mind explaining just what your role is, again?” I ask, descending the stairs until I reach the flooded ground level, where I stop and remain under the building’s cover as I watch the crushing rain up close.

“Yes, like I said before, I am here as a proxy of Aku, to aid you both in maneuvering this very complex and layered dreamscape- with the ultimate goal being the inheritance of Aku’s own power, the very power that created this place.”

“What about you? What do you get out of it?” I respond, shuddering as the storm’s cold air sweeps over me.

“I am very committed to my role as Aku’s proxy and your guide, I can assure you that. All my life’s work has led me here. And, I did say this before, but since I am here with you, that does technically make me a participant as well.”

“But how exactly are you participating?” I ask.

“Right now, I do not know any more than that,” he says, raising his tone to match the rain’s volume. “I think that wherever we go from here is up to the structure of the dreamscape, as well as your ability to navigate the different wavelengths of the dreamscape.”

“Wavelengths?” I ask, covering my idle ear and holding the phone close. “Like the dreams I’ve seen, and this fake real world that I somehow manipulated?”

“Precisely- you catch on quick, as always. This dreamscape is layered by different waves. You have the fake real world that serves as the foundation for everything, and you also have the deep dream world that you’ve visited twice now.”

“So, when you say wavelengths, you’re referring to those two separate worlds?”

“The distance between, rather,” he says. “Whether in science or social, wavelength refers to the distance between. For example, if in the real world I approached you at a bar and offered you a drink, and you scoffed at me with that glare of yours, you might say that you and I aren’t on the same wavelength, right?”

“Yeah, I’d say that’s accurate,” I quip, staring as the rain and wind suddenly dies down, leaving a dark, clouded sky. I depart along the flooded sidewalk, ignoring the cold water soaking my boots.

“Same goes for you and Miss Mirei,” JC continues. “You got along famously from the start, so it’s safe to say you two are on the same wavelength, so to speak. Following that same line of thought, the two of you share a physical wavelength in this dreamscape, one that varies based on your depth in the dream world.”

“Depth…like the original fake world, as opposed to this one I’ve manipulated?”

“Yes, that white train, and the fake real world can be considered a blank slate, a threshold,” he replies. “You could say that we all shared a wavelength there, one with zero distance between; that we existed on an even plane- we truly saw and felt each other’s presence.”

“And those… NPC’s, you called them- they aren’t on that even plane with us?” I remark, looking around the empty street.

“Indeed, they do not seem to share our wavelength. They couldn’t see us for who we are, but they did notice our existence.”

“But as the depth changes, their perception of us changes?” I ask, narrowing my gaze as I reach the depths of the city. “That’s why you were so nervous about them…”

“Well, I can’t be certain, but you could say that,” he says with some hesitation.

“Then what happened to our wavelengths when I changed the world?” I ask, turning into the park that crossed paths with the street that lead to the lab.

“As you mentioned, the distance between them grew and perceptions changed. Our even plane became curved, and the three of us were no longer able to share the same wavelength- in effect, the same space.”

“But why is it I’m able to communicate with you in this world, and not Mirei?”

“Well, you changed the depth of the world when you created that storm,” he answers. “The world bent to the power of your emotions, your dreams, and like I mentioned, our even plane became curved, and we were-”

“Separated on either side?”

“That’s right,” he replies softly. “For example, you figured out that you could reach me in this changed world- that must mean that you and I share a wavelength in this world. If I were to draw a diagram, you and I would be two of the crests that make up the curved wave. And Miss Mirei-”

“She would be the trough.”

“Exactly,” he confirms. “She is on the opposite side as us, and therefore does not share a wavelength with us, which is why you cannot reach her here.”

“And when she and I are both in our deep dream worlds, we share a wavelength while you’re the one left out,” I declare, understanding of explanation.

“Yes, when you two have traveled to that depth of the world, you are among its crests, while I lie in the trough.”

“Wait,” I mutter, stopping in my tracks. “Then when am I the trough? When did you and her share a wavelength long enough for you to explain things to her?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” he answers with a relaxed sigh. “But after your collapse at the lab, I was able to reach her and not you, even after you changed the world.”

“But you brought me to my apartment, didn’t you?” I ask as I follow the park trail onto a bridge with a steep incline.

“We did,” he replies. “But when we laid you in your bed, something strange happened. Miss Mirei and I both fell asleep, and woke up in different places.”

“Like how I went from my apartment to the train, and then entered my deep dream world.”

“Similar, yes,” he says. “Anyway, I was able to call her twice immediately after, but the call cut off at the five-minute mark both times. Then, I couldn’t get through to her, but I was able to call you. I think that is the moment the world changed.”

“So, it happened just before I woke up.”

“Something in your mental and emotional state triggered Aku’s power to change depths, and that’s when the world began to change,” he says. “The storm clouds brewed while Miss Mirei and I talked from our respective locations; and when you awoke, your emotions completed the shift. It’s remarkable that you manipulated the world, as well as our own wavelengths.”

“Then what about those wavelengths?” I ask hurriedly. “Can we manipulate them like my mental state shifted the depth of the world? Right now, you and I are able to speak, but can’t we see each other if we somehow force our wavelength to shorten?”

“I believe so,” he answers softly. “Whether it’s Aku’s power allowing you to, or your own strength, I think it’s amazing that you two could talk in your deep dream worlds. If you continue that, even in the five minutes you have in each deep dream, I think it’s possible to bring her to our side of this plane, and shorten your wavelengths.”

“Got it,” I mutter, watching the dark clouds swirl malevolently above. “So, if I have power to change this world and our wavelengths, how would you suppose I can defeat this world of my dreams and gain Aku’s power?”

“I believe the ultimate goal is to return the three of us, as well as all the depths of the dreamscape, to the even plane, the absolute threshold,” he says with certain conviction. “Cut the distance between wavelengths and bring everything back together. I think that would serve as proof of your victory in overcoming your dreams.”

“But which is stronger?” I ask, approaching the peak of the bridge’s incline. “The structure of the dreamscape? Or is it our ability to navigate wavelengths? Which do you think is the true catalyst in changing the world?”

“As a scientist, I can’t be sure,” he answers with a chuckle. “It could be that the structure dictates the wavelengths and is merely forcing you to navigate them involuntarily, or it could be that our emotions and wavelengths hold a more voluntary power over the dreamscape. We are here, after all- and you’ve changed the world with only your emotions, so semantics of causality can certainly be argued.”

“I’m asking which you’d like to be true,” I urge him.

“Well, I think it would be more romantic if our wavelengths held more power, of course,” he responds, a comfortable effervescence pervading his voice.

“We’re the same, then, aren’t we?” I declare, smiling as I reach the peak bridge’s peak and stick my hand out. His shocked face appears before me just on the other side. The hand holding his phone drops to his side, and he sprouts an earnest smirk.

“Yes, then let’s go and bring Miss Mirei to us, shall we?” he says while our hands clasp in firm convention.