A few days had passed and Jean’s head hurt a little less than before.

He was the first to wake up and so he decided to handle the chores.

He lit the candles and visited the river to refill whatever containers needed refilling.

When he returned home, he saw a sleepy Ayden, only something was different.

He was a little… taller.

Jean let out a grunt before rubbing the boy's hair, which hadn’t stopped glowing a dim red.

Almost as if his skull was radiating heat.

“How many times do we have to tell you to stay put?“ Ayden asked as he downed a cup of water.

“Hey, the moment I stop being useful I become a burden. Like Fea.”

“I heard that,” Fea said from beneath his blanket.

“Mmm… we’d never think of you as a burden,” Ayden said with a pained expression.

“Bah! This old man needs some wine. Oh and don’t think too hard about what I said, ok?” Jean asked as he rummaged through some crates that were in a corner.

He eventually found what he was looking for.

Jean’s face lit up only for Ayanna to grab the bottle in his hand.

“Hey!” Jean cried as Ayanna walked away.

“I just want a sip, is all.” He cried as he followed the giantess, only for her to wave him away.

Jean sighed as he sat on one of the chairs surrounding a certain table.

“This night sure is long,” Jean said before crawling into his blankets.

“hehe, fine. I guess I’ll just sit in the corner by my lonesome.” He muttered.

“What’s with you? Is there thing you want to talk about?” Ayden asked.

Jean remained silent.

That silence continued for some time, but it wasn't long before Jean spoke.

“I’ve been watching your other self, in the reverie plane.” He said.

Fea popped his head out from his blankets and joined everyone as they stared at Jean.

“To what end?” Fea asked.

“I don’t know. It just feels like something I should do. In that world, you’re all alone and I like popping by and keeping you company.” Jean said as he looked into Ayden’s ethereal purple eyes, which looked slightly bloodshot.

Jean lowered his head in defeat.

“Ugh, all that nursing has made me feel wistful, I suppose.” He said.

Ayanna walked up to him and rubbed his hair.

Jean held her hand gently as it moved across his head.

“Mmm… has the other Ayden displayed any changes of any sort?” Fea asked.

“No, not really. He’s usually sleeping when I get there and he awakens when I approach him. Maybe I should ask Yar’ ley about all this.” Jean said.

“Maybe.”

Jean then crawled into his blankets and after taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he then fell asleep-

Jean’s eyes popped open as Ayanna removed the cork from the wine bottle.

“Hey!” Jean cried as Ayanna took a greedy sip.

“So that’s how it is.” Jean sulked as Ayanna smiled disarmingly.

He begrudgingly closed his eyes and awaited sleep’s tender embrace.

.

..

Jean awoke in the garden and as usual, Àlainn sat by the fountain at the centre.

Jean looked up to see Yar’ ley in all his horror.

“Umm… Yar’ ley?”

[Yes?]

“Do you know what Ayden is?” Jean asked, his knees trembling under the weight of fear.

[The boy is royalty. Why do you ask?]

“I need you to be a little more specific there, pal. What is he? Where did he come from and why are his dream self and physical self so different?”

[Mmm… the boy is the product of two mothers. An apathetic one who barely acknowledges his existence and a loving one who remains blissfully ignorant.]

“Are you talking about Ayanna? Who’s the other one?” Jean asked and just as his mouth closed, Yar’ Ley raised one of his six muscular limbs before lowering it towards Jean.

[She is the one who gifted you with this place.]

Yar’ Ley said as a high pitched noise pierced the air.

“Mmm… is she a great one as well?” Jean asked.

[No.]

Yar’ Ley said as a low drone filed the air.

Jean was about to ask Yar’ Ley something else, but he felt something on his nose and when he reached to touch it, he saw it was blood.

[That is enough for now.]

Yar’ Ley said before looking up at the crescent-

Jean’s eyes widened as he stared at the moon, which was slightly bigger than before.

“The waxing fast approaches,” Àlainn said.

“What do you mean and don’t be vague like Yar’ Ley?” Jean asked as the light of the half-moon clearly lit the garden.

Jean’s heart then shook as a tear rolled down Àlainn’s face.

She then looked into Jean’s eyes as he ran to her side.

“It means the time for mourning has yet to end,” Àlainn said as she wept.

“What do you mean? Who shall we mourn over?”

“I don’t know,” Àlainn said as her lips trembled.

Jean bit his teeth before looking up at Yar’ Ley, whose head was still raised high.

“Yar’ Ley!” Jean called.

“Yar’ Ley!” He yelled, but the giant being didn’t respond.

Jean wrapped his arms around Àlainn until she calmed.

“How do you go back to the waking world?” Jean asked as he gently wiped her tears.

“I cannot leave until you have left.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know” Àlainn cried.

Jean gently rubbed her head in an attempt to calm her.

He then felt the garden tremble.

His vision darkened, but he didn’t let Àlainn go, even as everything before him disappeared.

.

..

Jean awoke to find a panicking Fea who frantically flapped his wing as the world shook.

“What’s happening?” Jean asked as he stood up.

He then heard a cry from Ayanna’s bedroom.

Without a moment of hesitation, Jean ran into the room to find Ayanna holding Ayden, but something was different.

His hair had become a fiery red and his skin was grey.

“What’s happening?” Jean asked.

“I don’t know!” Ayanna cried.

Jean inspected Ayden to find that the boy's veins had blackened.

His nails bled and his little body convulsed violently.

“What happened to the Ayden in the dream?” Fea asked as the world continued to shake.

“I don’t know! I got distracted by Àlainn and Yar’ Ley.” Jean said as Àlainn crawled off the bed.

“Shit!” Jean cursed as he sat crossed-legged on the floor.

“What are you doing?” Fea asked.

“I’m going to see if I can find out what’s happening,” Jean said he rested his head on the wooden wall.

A strange howl filled the air, but Jean ignored it as he focused on a certain feeling.

A clarity that he only ever got when he entered the Sealladh doorway.

Then, in a flash, he felt it again.

.

..

Jean stood up to find a red-haired adult man on Ayanna’s bed.

His sickly body twisted and convulsed with the red aura that sounded him.

“Ayden!” Jean called out as he reached out to touch him.

The world then suddenly darkened and Jean felt a copious amount of blood falling from his nose.

He quickly retreated as he frantically wiped his nose.

“Ayden!” Jean cried as the man’s body twisted and morphed.

For a moment, it looked as though it shrank and enlarged simultaneously and Jean had to watch as Ayden’s eyes bulged and slipped back into their ever-changing sockets.

Jean’s vision blurred extremely for a moment, but he shook his head in defiance.

“Ayden, can you hear me?” Jean asked only to receive loud cracks and splintering noises in response.

Jean took a deep breath before jumping onto the bed where he proceeded to hold Ayden.

Jean held on tight even as he bled.

His vision rapidly faded, but he didn’t let go, even as he fell into the dark.

.

..

Jean awoke to find Àlainn frantically wiping blood off of his face.

He looked to the side to find that Ayden had calmed down to a certain extent.

“How is he?” Jean asked as he tried to stand.

“Sit down! The boy’s condition has bettered, but you… what happened??” Fea asked.

Jean looked at Ayanna as she continued to hold Ayden before sitting back down.

“He was growing… and shrinking… at the same time,” Jean said.

His thoughts felt a little muddled, but other than that, he felt ok.

“Maybe he has fallen ill and the fact that he is a great one is compounding the illness's effects,” Fea said.

“Maybe,” Jean said.

Silence then befell the house.

Ayanna wasn’t going to let Ayden go and everyone accepted it for the time being.

.

..

Jean stood up after some time.

Àlainn had gotten him several cups of water and he did feel a little better, but that wasn’t what concerned him.

He slowly approached the bed and reached out to Ayanna.

He gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Ayanna,” Jean called and Ayanna slowly turned her tear-soaked face toward Jean.

“Let’s take a look at him,” Jean Suggested and Ayanna slowly nodded before slowly releasing her hold on the boy.

Everyone watched in awe as Ayden’s skin returned to its normal state.

His hair also stopped glowing.

All this prompted Àlainn to run out and grab a bucket and a wet towel, which she used to wipe the blood off of Ayden’s nails as he slept.

Ayanna then stood up before grabbing Jean’s hand.

“Take me to him,” Ayanna whispered.

Jean’s eyes trembled.

“I don’t know how-“

“Please.”

Jean closed his mouth.

He then took a deep breath.

“Let’s calm down first and eat first. We'll check if Ayden’s condition worsens. Then I’ll see if we can access your garden-“

A loud crash interrupted him.

He ran over to the window to see countless mud-soaked beasts of varying make as they crapt ever closer to the house.

Jean turned to face Ayanna, but she had already left the room.

He bit his teeth before handing Àlainn his dagger.

“Watch Ayden!” He barked before chasing after Ayanna as a barrage of high pitched squeals filled the air.

Jean ran into the living room just as Ayanna opened the door, claymore in hand.

The sea of beasts seemingly distanced itself from her as she walked.

Then, in a flash, she decapitated one of the beasts.

Its head fell to the floor and this seemingly led to the other beasts falling to their knees, except they weren’t facing Ayanna, but she didn’t care.

She hacked and cleaved off their deformed limbs as they continuously wailed.

Ayanna kicked one of the last ones in its hideous face and it fell over, revealing that its eyes were filled with pupils.

Ayanna stabbed the hairy humanoid creature in the face and she buried the sword far beyond the limits of its skull.

This left one last creature.

It trembled while it clasped its hands together as it faced Ayanna’s house.

Jean promptly stabbed it in the forehead before walking up to Ayanna, but just as he reached her, she walked into the house and grabbed a bucket.

Jean silently followed her as she filled the bucket in the river.

He then deduced that she wanted to wash off the blood that had covered her clothes.

Jean sighed as he entered the house.

He walked into the bedroom to find Àlainn nursing Ayden, who looked much better than before.

Fea hopped over to the door.

“Come, Àlainn. Let us prepare dinner.” He said while hopping away.

Àlainn sighed deeply before following Fea out of the room.

Jean then fell to his knees and his mind began racing.

He hunted whatever clues he could find that could prove useful, but every time he inched closer to what he felt was the truth, his thoughts became muddled and his mind entered a numbed state.

.

..

Ayanna entered the room to find Jean sitting beside the bed.

She sat next to him as the bright light from the half-moon lit up the room allowing her to clearly see his face.

“Have you thought of anything?” Ayanna asked, snapping Jean back into the present.

“Ah- yes. No. Every thought I have leads me to the reverie plane and I don’t want to cause any more harm.”

“What do you mean?” Ayanna asked as the smell of a rich stew filled the air.

“I think for me to learn more about the reverie plane and Ayden’s sickness, I need to enter all four of the doors, but I’m far too afraid,” Jean said.

“Far too afraid that I’ll awaken, disappear or worse, I’ll turn into a beast.”

“Mmm…” Ayanna droned.

“You can teach me how to access my doors.”

“No. I’ll do it. I’d rather I disappear. All that I ask is that you make my death swift, should I turn.” Jean said.

“Ok,” Ayanna said as she offered Jean her hand.

Jean gently accepted it as the two sat in an understanding silence.

.

..

After some time, everyone had dinner and it wasn’t long before Jean and Ayanna stood on opposite sides of the bed.

Fea and Àlainn would be sleeping in the living room, while Jean and Ayanna conducted their experiment.

Ayanna got into bed and he gestured that Jean join her.

The two then crawled into the blankets with Ayden in the middle.

Jean closed his eyes to sleep, but Ayanna placed her slightly cool hands on his cheek and he promptly opened his eyes.

Jean nodded before closing his eyes to sleep and Ayanna joined him.

.

..

Jean awoke in his garden and within it was the usual suspects.

He walked up to the fountain where Àlainn sat and looked into it to see it had a bit of water.

However, within the water was an image of a garden and within that garden was a rather tall woman who stood idly as the light of the half-moon bathed her dark skin.

“Umm… Àlainn. Can you see this?” Jean asked.

Àlainn turned around and looked into the fountain.

“What is it you’d like me to see?”

“Can’t you see? It’s Ayanna.” Jean said as he continued to inspect the image within the fountain.

“I see nothing,” Àlainn said.

“Mmm…” Jean droned as he reached out to touch the image in the fountain.

He felt himself sink in towards it.

His vision blurred as he dove into the image in the fountain and he had his fingers crossed during the entire process.