The Interactive Dream Dimension

The girl sighed. "My name is Saki. And I don't think I can drag him over here." She took the plants gently and held them in her hands. "Thank you though. These cloths mixed with the plant juices should help. He should be waking up soon. I think he is named Shane... Ah no! It was Shen." Saki bowed her head in thanks to the mermaid and ran off into the forest. She arrived to find Shen still unconscious and some man trying to shake him awake. She ran over and pushed the man as hard as she could. "STAY AWAY FROM HIM! DON'T HURT HIM! GO AWAY!" Saki turned around and began to address Shen's wound. The gash had grown even deeper, and there were new cuts and scratches on his face. Saki immediately began to wipe the dirt and grime off his face. She squeezed the juice into Shen's wounds and gently wiped around the edges. After Saki had cleaned away most of the blood and dirt, she tied the cloth around Shen's gash as a bandage. Then she sat in silence as she waited for him to wake up.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM! DON'T HURT HIM! GO AWAY!"

Finn suddenly felt himself getting pushed aside but a little girl. Why so strong!? He though as he fell back into the leaves and watched as she started cleaning the other mans wounds. I know I'm not that strong but..getting pushed like that by a little girl? He felt a little depressed and slightly slouched his shoulders. Pathetic.... He stayed silent as the girl continued cleaning and applying something to the dark-haired boys wounds until she was finally finished and sat back. Finn wasn't really sure if he should say something to break the silence or just stay quiet until the other person woke up. Either way, he couldn't just sit here. It was awkward. He straightened himself out a little bit and moved into an Indian-style sitting position and placed his hands in his lab. "Uh..uhm..is this guy, your dad? Or something...maybe your brother?[/i] He asked, looking over at the girl. She looked rather worried. "Were you in the village? Do you know what happened there?"

Serena watched the little girl walk away. Then she looked up at the Getsus girl.

"What you said earlier, about giving those people a choice and them choosing the wrong one. You of all people should understand that if they run away, and find another village, they will have to leave there too soon enough. Once you've gotten rid of all the villages, you'll get rid of the people and creatures. They know that. No place is safe from you monsters, so why would they not try to fight back right away?"

Serena felt anger boiling up inside her.

"Oh and also, you say you're just doing what is ordered of you to do. Why don't you just think for yourself instead of being their dog?!" She was yelling now. "Everyone has a choice and I don't believe killing innocent people and children is what you really want! Or is it?" Serena stopped for a second and took a deep breath. "I don't understand how you can sleep at night."

Noah watched the little girl run off with the plants that the mermaid had given her. Whoever was wounded was probably hurt from the destruction of the village, but it wasn't much of a surprise.

"What you said earlier, about giving those people a choice and them choosing the wrong one. You of all people should understand that if they run away, and find another village, they will have to leave there too soon enough. Once you've gotten rid of all the villages, you'll get rid of the people and creatures. They know that. No place is safe from you monsters, so why would they not try to fight back right away?"

She turned her head to look down at the mermaid in the water with a blank expression. The woman was angry, and Noah knew she had every right to be. Getsus hadn't done much to the waters of the Dream Dimension yet, but the destruction on land was probably becoming a problem for all of the water creatures as well. The mermaid started yelling now about Noah thinking for herself. Thinking for myself? She blinked a couple of times as she thought about it. She'd never really thought for herself, at least not any time she could think of. Her life was always about following orders and doing what she was told. "I've never killed anyone before." She replied. It wasn't really a lie. People have died because of Getsus, but not once has Noah ever gotten blood on her sword. "And.." she stopped herself. It wasn't like she had much of a choice. She'd taken her missing fathers place and now she had to finish doing what he started. She looked down at the grass in front of her where the little girl had been sitting before. "I give them the choice to move and live a peaceful life just a little longer. That is better than nothing."

Aron
Aron's eyes started to open as he realized there were two young girls around him, and there was a large fire around all three. Aron quickly got up to his feet, not thinking about the pain still in his ankle, (although it wasn't as bad as before) and said,
"You girls gotta get outta here! now!!!"

Aron started to run and motioned them to come with him. When Aron got to the clearing that was blocked off by the shadow bugs, he pulled out the jar, and said, "SWITCH!!!" The shadow bugs changed back into dust, and transported back into the jar. It was almost like sand being swept up into a vacuum cleaner.

Once Aron got out of the burning village, he kept running through the forest, until he made it to a beautiful beach with white sand. It looked out into the ocean, and Aron could see the orange sun setting against the horizon.

Aron collapsed on the sands and started panting. He had been running for a while, and he was exhausted.
Once Aron regained his composure, he sat by the waves, and looked out into the horizon. He wondered whether those two girls made it out alive. Then he wondered why they had chosen to stay with him while he was unconcious from the poison. Why would the citizens grant so much kindness to the enemy? It only made Aron's depression grow stronger. The weight on his shoulders grew stronger, and he wished he could just fade into dust like the shadow bugs.

Brendan Getsus

Brendan watched as part of the green on the map turned into a bright red. Brendan made a devious smile as he learned that his mission was complete, and now 50% of the dimension was now under his control. He decided to wait until it was night. Then, he would tell all his assistants the wonderful news.

The girl nodded. "I am from that village. He saved me. He said he would help me find mama, so I will save him." She looked over at Finn. "They burned it down. The girl and the blonde-haired man. They work for some evil man. The evil man wants to take over our dimension. He will destroy everything. We won't have a home anymore..." Saki tightened her hands into fists. "Why don't we fight back against the evil man? At least Shen-" She pointed at the man, "tried to help by at least saving people from the village. Maybe if everyone fought together against the evil man and his helpers, we could save our home." There was the tiniest glimmer of hope in Saki's eyes as she spoke.

Serena took a deep breath. She was calm again and listened to the girl's response.

"I've never killed anyone before. I give them the choice to move and live a peaceful life just a little longer. That is better than nothing."

Serena shook her head. "Whether or not you're killing people, you're still helping Getsus. Part of the blood is on your hands."

"All of this is only the beginning," she sighed. Her father had always told her that Getsus could be stopped. She'd always believed him but she wasn't so sure anymore. "Getsus Enterprises has all the power and technology. Without humans from the other world on our side, this world doesn't stand a chance. If I were you I'd start thinking about what you want. Figure out which side you are really on."

Serena went down into the water leaving the river bank. She had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time she'd see the girl. She doubted the girl would leave Getsus. If she found her destroying another village, she would have no choice but to fight her.

Laz blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the light streaming over the new horizon. He stood up from the base of the tree he was leaning against, bracing himself against it for support as he did so.

"It's amazing how, even in a land of constant change, this spot remains the same," he thought.

Every time he entered this dream dimension, he found himself in this exact spot.

The sun was just going down behind two large mountains, and the two moons had begun to rise for their nightly arc. It was Laz's favorite time in the dream dimension.

He began to walk, no particular destination in mind. He'd grown somewhat familiar with the shifting universe and knew that if there was anywhere he needed to be, he would find himself there.

The silver glow of the moons illuminated the ground in front of him, his footsteps muffled by the soft grass. As he walked, Laz gazed into the night sky, the stars twinkling thousands of colors.

After walking for some time, Laz came to a small, clear brook flowing across his path. He stooped down and dipped his hand in the water, admiring its clarity and coolness. He scooped a handful and drank it. He hadn't been particularly thirsty, but the water was too clear and clean not to try it. Laz was instantly refreshed and energized.

He stood back up and continued walking, still lacking any specific destination.

"Wonder where I'll find myself this time?" He mused.

(Uh, guys? Where'd everybody go?)

Laz kept walking for what felt like hours. The colorful scenery was in constant flux around him, gradually fading from one vivid hue into the next.

Suddenly, he heard someone call out from somewhere ahead.

"Oi! You there!" Cried the stranger.

Laz glanced up and saw what appeared to be a small bat hanging from a tree.

"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you!" It yelled in an accent that strongly resembled that of someone who's spent a good deal of time in Brooklyn.

Lazarus simply stared at the bat for a moment, processing the current situation.

"Where do you think you're going?" It asked.

Lazarus shrugged his shoulders and continued to stare at the bat past drooping eyelids. His interest was quickly fading.

"I wouldn't keep going straight, if I were you," the bat said, "I saw some nasty looking thugs stomping around just over the next hill."

Laz blinked a few times, looked straight ahead, and then back to the bat.

"Why are you telling me this?" Laz asked.

The bat unfolded its wings, swooped down, and began to hover around Laz's head.

"Well, you don't seem to be armed. I'm just trying to watch out for a fellow dream traveller."

Laz raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"You betcha," replied the bat, "I can show you a way around those thugs, though... If you're interested, that is."

Laz was silent for a few moments. This little bat was certainly an interesting character, but whether or not he was trustworthy, Laz had no idea. He decided to take a risk and befriend the bat.

"Name's Laz," he said, "What's yours?"

The bat looped around Laz's head a few times before stopping directly in front of him.

"The name's Perrinicius. Everyone calls me Perry, though."

Laz nodded to the bat.

"I suppose we should get moving then, Perry," he said, "The night, as they say, is young."