The Grey Dream is a blessing of our gods. It aids us know ourselves better and grants us the strength we need to fight off the demons. While we have to prove ourselves to the Grey Dream for its aid that is for our benifit. While learning on our own can get the Grey Dream to favor us, it looks with more favor on those that slay the demons. - An Introduction to the Grey Dream, a piece found in a otherwise destroyed book.

Adrian

Asleep, I open my eyes to find a grey void.

“Did my prior choices carry over?”

No response, dam this is annoying. I need to talk with this stupid mental construct. I think the questions I used to get this thing to talk again.

“Show me a character sheet of myself.”

[Would you like a visual display?]

“Yes”

Nothing changes in the void. How is this a visual display? Oh, there is one in front of me?

“What colorations did you use?”

[Grey background and text.]

I really want to slap whatever idiots though a grey display in a world of grey nothingness was a good idea.

“And you think I can read it?”

[It is a display.]

“Change the colors, there has to be contrast to the surroundings for me to notice it.”

[Why? Grey is easiest.]

“There is no difference between the display and my surroundings.”

[Is this a problem?]

“Yes, such a display is nonfunctional. At least within this landscape.”

[We will adjust. Will others also be unable to use it?]

“Yes.”

I wait a few seconds.

“Are you going to show me a better display?”

Something appears in front of me.

Is this fucking dream messing with me? A blue display with blue text?

“That still won’t work, the information and how it is displayed cannot take the same form. They must be different from each other and their surroundings.”

The blue box just sits there.

“Remove the blue square and show me one that fits both additional requirements for a display”

Gains: Death 3 (+30SP), Persuade 1 (+1SP),

Name: Adrian Ravnos

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Skills

Attributes

EP: 12

SP: 35

Ranged 2

Firearms 2

STR

16

Traits

Archery 1

Melee 2

DEX

19

Perfect Recall

Sword 1

Dagger 1

CON

16

Free Multiclassing

Evasion 2

Perception 2

INT

20

Party Leader

Arcana 7

Nature 5

WIS

19

Reality Weaver

Physics 4

Mathematics 5

CHA

17

Draconic

Religion 2

Tactics 3

APR

18

Magic

Technology 2

Chemistry 3

Languages

Arcane Power: 3

Planes 3

Handle Animal 2

English

Portuguese

Space 2

Fate 1

Empathy 2

Persuade1

Spanish

Elven

Life 2

Death 3

Drive 3

Computers 3

Magic

Mind 1

Primal 1

Sewing 2

Leatherwork 1

Fire 2

Soul 0

Time 1

Drawing 2

Carving 2

Lightning 2

Light 1

Darkness 0

Ok, that looks like shit. But you can read it. I guess this place is learning.

“You’re going to need to work on aesthetics.”

[Noted.]

Well I don’t have enough EP or SP to do anything. Today didn’t really have any dangers. I guess off to real dreamland I go. I hope that was just a dream. Or is this the dream?

Nothing responded to me as I fade from this grey void.

I open my eyes, I am in a room with styrofoam ceiling tiles. The walls are some sort of off white. I didn’t go to sleep here. I should be seeing the wooden ceiling of Outdoor World. I hear a door open and I hear footsteps, two people?

I try to get up, but I’m strapped in to whatever it is that I am on. A table, a jolt of electricity shocks me when I try to turn my head. No, this is fake. I don’t want this to be real, the other place is better.

“I’m sorry, you passed out during our last session. Did you have a nice dream?”

No, it’s that doctor again. I don’t want to be here. I refuse to accept that the other place isn’t real.

“You seem distressed. Did you lapse into your delusions again? Nurse, was he given too much medication again?”

“No, after the last patient you decided that electroshock did not work well together with medication.”

“Right, I remember now.” He is flipping through some papers outside of my sight. I shouldn’t be here; this place is for crazy people. But aren’t I crazy?

“Are you ready to finally accept these delusions of magic and monsters for what they are?”

Hell no, that world is better. I have more fun there than being tortured by you. Tomas did die though; I feel a tear come to my eyes. He is alive here though, should I accept this since he lives here?

No, that’s stupid. Too many errors and gaps in my memories here. That could be from the electroshock therapies. But no, this place is fake. I don’t like it here. I want to go back to the other place.

“Still refusing huh, that’s fine I get paid by the hour.”

The man walks over to the table, I hear him flip a switch and electricity begins to discharge over my body. I scream in pain.

“Electroshock did not produce results, targeting neurons related to the delusions was ineffective. Shocking the brain directly with higher volts or larger areas would be lethal. We will have to resort to negative reconditioning.”

Fucking bastard, I see a smile on his face as he watches my pain. This is not real, I want to go back to the other place. Too much pain to pass out.

I will never let you have your way with my mind. I will not just accept your reality as my own. I try to spit at this sadist, but the shocks keep my mouth clenched.

“You look angry, good lets shock that out of you.” He turns up the voltage and my grunt screams of pain are a bit louder.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

I do not want this. I will not accept this. I refuse this reality.

. . .

My mental chant continues, as time passes, the pain seems lighter. I hear cracking; I continue to chant in my mind as I look into this world of lies anew. I am still staring at the ceiling. There are cracks in the tiles, through the crack there is blackness. Not the floorboards of the next floor, not the building’s attic. I was right! This is fake! This is not real and I refuse it!

I feel something fall away from me. The restraints on this table are broken, I grin. Everything clicks within my mind. This place is a delusion, it’s not my delusion, but it still is a delusion. I broke it. Time to deal with my torturer. This place isn't real, I can do anything to him. I grin at that thought.

He is looking around in a panic, can he see the delusion falling apart? I point my hand towards him, black tendrils extend from my fingertips. He begins to age and wither screaming as they pass through his body.

He tries to swat them away with his clipboard. They pass through it, and rot begins to infest both the clipboard and this monster. I will never let you shackle my mind.

The world shatters, I am in a grey void. It is not the same grey void that toys with me for amusement. This void is my mind. Whatever I will is reality in here.

A building appears around me. I am now in at a table, my plans for what must be done in the real world lie on it. A door opens, and a young woman walks into the room. I have never seen her, but I feel like I know her.

“Who are you?” I ask.

“I am you.”

“No, I am me. You have to be you.”

“I am you, but not you.”

Fucking mind games! Why does even my mind torment me?

“What are you?”

“Everything you could be.”

“You’re a woman. I cannot be a woman.”

“I am also everything you can obtain.”

What the hell is all this? My mindscape shifts and the two of us are now standing on nothing looking over an image of space. I did not will this, she has control in my mind?

“What did you do?”

“Prove that I am you but not you.”

“What do you want?”

“Overall or right now?”

“Both”

“I want you to master your potential. I want us to never be shackled. I want us to have whatever we desire. Right now, I want to thank you for breaking free of that prison. We are now free, and with time I will show you how to achieve the first three of my wants.”

“What do you mean by us and we?”

“I am a you but not you.”

“Must you be so cryptic?”

“Yes, we are not ready. You cannot yet understand just what you could be. Not even what you could obtain.”

"Whats the difference."

She smiles but does not answer. She is me-but-not-me? An embodiment of what I can be or could get? What is going on? When will I wake up? I know hours passed in that delusion reality prison whatever.

“What was that prison?”

“A punishment. You pushed too far, reached for what you are not ready to be. I helped you slip out once but could not a second time.”

“How long was I there?”

“Time is an illusion. You have been gone longer than planned from the waking world, but not as long as you think.”

“Still cryptic?”

“Always. At least until my first three wants are met.”

“Are you holding me here? I cannot wake.”

“No, you are holding you. Remember I am you.”

Fucking cryptic riddle nonsense.

“Will you let me wake then?”

Having to ask a fragment of myself for permission, this is stupid. I am me, this is my mind. Why can she do more than me?

“When I have told you what you need to know.”

“Which is?”

“The Grey Dream, they are liars. They will offer you power and convenience. They want to consume us. Take their power, I will consume their attached strings. Reject their convenience, that is how they invade.”

“What do you mean?”

“They were like us, but weaker. They destroyed themselves to try to become more than they could. They want to consume others, to exist once more. They inject power into anyone to try to get them to accept them in.”

“If they are trying to invade why should I take their power?”

“If we reject them completely they will invade by brute force. They gain less that way. But if you play them along. . .”

“I can milk them until I am too powerful for them to harm.”

“Exactly, do not repeat my exact warning to others.”

“Because they will know, they can read memory, but I can hint to be skeptical of their offers.”

I smile, the young woman fades away. And my mindscape blurs back into a grey void. I need to amend some plans. Hint at the others to not accept that Grey Dream into themselves. I need to make sure we are all safe. I will not be shackled.