We stumbled back to the dorms after the event, our minds still buzzing from the impossible vision at the lake. It was like we'd been flooded with the infinite universes endless dimensions, with infinite infinity's, all stacked in a dizzying tower of infinite knowledge beyond comprehension.
For a moment, we became something else—something all-knowing. But as quickly as it came, the vision faded, slipping through our fingers. We could barely remember more than a fraction of what we'd seen, the rest lost in a land of forgetting
.
Andrew was restless, eyes wide even though it was late. "What did you guys dream about?" he asked.
No one was eager to answer at first. Then one by one, we began sharing bits and pieces of our dreams, trying to piece together what the King might be telling us.We stumbled back to the dorms after the event, our minds still buzzing from the impossible vision at the lake. It was like we'd been flooded with the infinite universes endless dimensions, with infinite infinity's, all stacked in a dizzying tower of infinite knowledge beyond comprehension.
For a moment, we became something else—something all-knowing. But as quickly as it came, the vision faded, slipping through our fingers. We could barely remember more than a fraction of what we'd seen, the rest lost in a land of forgetting
.
Andrew was restless, eyes wide even though it was late. "What did you guys dream about?" he asked.
No one was eager to answer at first. Then one by one, we began sharing bits and pieces of our dreams, trying to piece together what the King might be telling us.
Lexi spoke first.
"I saw the forest... but everything was shifting. Like the trees were alive. Watching. And the spiders—God, I hate them."
Hana nodded slowly.
"I was walking through a store... then a man tried to attack me. I had to fight him off."
Andrew hesitated before speaking.
"I dreamt I was a millionaire. Everything was perfect... but then I got framed for something I didn't do. I lost everything."
I rolled my eyes.
"Lucky bitch. I had a dream of some giant shadow hand trying to claw me from under my bed."
Josh swallowed hard.
"I—I don't remember all of it. It was weird. I was in this endless void, surrounded by infinite mirrors... and each one showed a different parallel universe. Then this shadow — shaped like a dragon's head — appeared, and the mirrors shattered. The void shattered too."
A long silence followed.
Hana finally spoke.
"...That's a lot to take in. But it seems like... this entity, whatever it is, it knew our fears before we even got here."
Andrew rubbed the back of his neck, thinking.
"Maybe it's a warning?"
I shook my head.
"Doesn't add up. The villagers said the King enjoys our stay. Maybe it's something deeper... something we're not supposed to understand yet."
Lexi sighed, pulling her blanket up.
"Let's just talk about it in the morning, okay?"
Despite Lexi's suggestion, none of us fell asleep right away.
We layed in our beds, eyes wide open, each of us haunted by what we'd seen — and maybe more by what we couldn't remember. The dorm was quiet except for the soft hum of night insects outside and the occasional creak of the wooden floor. But eventually, sleep came.
And with it came those horrible nightmares
Josh dreamed first.
—
He was underwater. Not in a pool or an ocean — but something else entirely. The space around him was impossibly vast, yet suffocating. The darkness here wasn't just the absence of light. It was deeper than black, It felt like the end of all color and meaning. He couldn't see his own hands. Couldn't hear his heartbeat.
He floated downward, the water pulling him toward something.
Far below, a presence stirred.
Something impossibly large, bigger than skyscrapers — maybe bigger than cities — lay beneath him the King. Though he couldn't make out his shape, he could feel his size, the pressure of it weighing on every atom of his body. It didn't move, but it was. A sleeping mind without form, a consciousness so overwhelming that it pressed against his own, threatening to destroy it.
Josh opened his mouth to scream, but the water filled his lungs. And then it began — his soul tearing from his body, pulled toward the King below.
He never reached it. He simply disappeared into the black.
And then he woke up, gasping, drenched in sweat.
—
She was a child again, maybe eight, standing in the living room of a house that no longer existed.
Everything was quiet. Too quiet. She could feel a storm of emotion building behind the door in front of her. She knew what was coming.
A loud banging on the door. Her father's voice, slurred and angry.
"Hana! Open the goddamn door!"
Her small hands shook as she reached for the knob. She opened it.
He stormed in. The room seemed to shrink as he grew in size, towering over her, eyes bloodshot, fists clenched.
She tried to run. Tried to scream. But the moment froze — like time wanted her to relive this over and over.
The first hit landed like thunder.
Then another.
And another.
The pain wasn't just physical — it was memory, shame, fear. Every second of it carved into her like scars.
She collapsed, sobbing, but then—
She woke up. Gasping, heart pounding, eyes wet with tears.
She sat up slowly in the dark room, trying to breathe.
—The others woke up, startled by Lexi's gasping for air, her chest heaving and her eyes wide with panic and disbelief.
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, my voice softer than I intended, trying to comfort her.
"I—" She started, but her words caught in her throat, her gaze distant.
"Wait, where's Josh?" Andrew interrupted, his eyes flicking nervously around the room.
"Fuck…" I muttered under my breath, dread crawling up my spine. "You guys check outside. I'll stay here with Lexi."
"Uh, alright." Andrew nodded, but his hesitation was obvious. "Come on, Hana."
They both hurried out the door, leaving me alone with Lexi. I could hear their footsteps fading as they headed toward the back, but my mind was already racing.
A moment later, they came back into view, their faces twisted with confusion and fear.
Josh was standing by the lake — naked, eyes shut tight, his arms in a praying position whispering in a language none of us understood. His body was still, but his presence felt… wrong.