Stars Of Madness

Chapter 10: The Great Dreamer

"I assume this form is pleasing. Or bearable considering what I do to people when they gaze upon my true form." The Dreamer said while inspecting himself. It had a strange disposition standing in front of me as though it was cherishing my presence like an old friend. It had a strange aura around it like it had voices, almost echoing screams of unintelligible words of madness. Its appearance was of a young handsome man however, its eyes a piercing sea green almost glowing in a ghost-like haze. Its hair was almost floating on its head as if it was in water despite its tapered appearance.

"Wh-What are you?" I asked, my voice shaking from the aura this "person" emitted.

"Well, isn't that a delectable question? One I'm quite sure you would like to know, considering you have infinite questions and zero answers. Well let us just say I'm the one in that pit you're so afraid of." The Dreamer smiled.

"Ho..." My voice got stuck in my throat as the gravity of the situation crushed my voice into obscurity.

"How am I here? Oh, don't worry now, I'm just a dream. I just wanted to have a talk with my Herald, the one who will set me free to do what is required." The Dreamer spoke curiously.

"Herald?" I asked questioningly.

"Oh, that is right, you know nothing about your true role or even your purpose in this grand scheme of mine. That friend of yours is surprisingly helpful in keeping you alive. You see, I need you alive to set me free so I can show those above me what terrible power is and pay them back for what they did to me. Imprisoning me for all these years was a mistake I intend to show them. And I must have a talk with my brother in person, for he is the one who tricked me into my imprisonment, a friendly family venture I assure you." The Dreamer said with slight annoyance in his voice.

"Oh, but look at you, so lost and confused in a world that is so beyond your realm of understanding, I wonder if I should give you a taste of knowledge as to satisfy your need for answers. But I will not, I just enjoy knowing you're helping me without even knowing how."

"I will not help you." I spoke.

"Oh, aren't you special?" The Dreamer responded. "This is one of the things I admire about you small humans, that your determination and emotions are all you have in the face of the unknown amongst the cosmoses."

"I don't know what's going on sure, but I will not let you take everything I care about." I responded with anger.

"There you go again with those emotions of yours." The Dreamer said while sitting down letting his legs hang off the cliff. "They will not save you or your world from me. If anything, I'm doing you a mercy, I have been here awhile to see what kind of monsters you can be even by my standards. When I come up from that pit and reveal myself to the world, they will all bow to me in ignorant bliss. I will not eradicate you all, that would be wasting something that is useful, instead I will forge you all into what I need to conquer the stars. Evil right? By your standards I'm sure it is, but I rather think that being used for higher purpose above killing and bickering with each other until the end of your world must be better in some right, or in my right at the very least."

"You're sick and twisted if you think slavery is to be preferred over death." I said with disdain, there is no benevolence in this foul creature despite what is says.

"Is it? Most of you humans try so hard in your lives to convince yourself that you have some kind of purpose when in actuality you're just waiting for someone to tell you what that purpose is because you don't have the strength or courage to find it yourself out of fear...anxiety...depression even...it's pathetic from my perspective but I guess it seems impossible from yours. I in my new reality I will create will give you a purpose that you sorely lack and make you my instruments in the orchestra that is my conquering of the universe. Like I said before, you're going to help me whether you know it, like it, or want it or not. Your option of choice has been stricken from you, Herald." The Dreamer said with calm conviction.

"I won't give up that easily." I responded with equal conviction.

"Ah...you humans, so determined out of your depth that you don't realize the gravity of your predicament. I have had a long time to think about this Herald, you were chosen for a reason, not by accident, not by chance, I chose you for this specifically. But you will never know why, and I just revel in always knowing more than others." The Dreamer said with a sadistic smile spreading across his face.

"I refuse to be your Herald, Dreamer. I will not allow you to escape your prison." I said with what little defiance I had. The Dreamer gaze had a dizzying effect on me making my mind barely able to make concise words. This Dreamer had the power to overcome the strength of the Necronomicon and enslave millions just by gazing upon his "true form" as he called it. Then what chance did we have at all?

"As a gift of courtesy, I will allow you to have your name back, as an investment in your continued sanity. You will also get to gaze upon my true form without the effects it would naturally have upon your kind since this is only a dream after all, you should consider yourself honored Herald." The Dreamer said ignoring my previous statement.

"Wait, why do you have to change into your true form to give me my name back?" I asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Before I could continue further the young man in a tailored green suit disappeared into thin air, the air stood still for the first time in the Dreamlands as the aura grew to be uncomfortably quiet. Not even the ambience of the air moving through the leaves or the distant moaning of the ocean upon the shore was present. Without warning when I looked back beyond the cliff, I was now upon a shore with the ocean ahead of me obscured by a thick endless fog, then I heard it. A loud thundering boom coming from beyond the fog beneath the water, I recognized the sound. Then more booms followed each other in unison as the fog began to dissipate and the veil over the Dreamer began to fade before I knew it a creature resembling the mask from the beginning of this stared at me through its sharp eyes. I could not find words to say as I fell onto the ground behind me in awe of the Dreamers "true form." A split-second action occurred here which I barely saw, an amorphous arm raised itself and before I knew it, I was awake in the cabin once again.

"Oh my god you're back!" Aella said noticing me awake.

"My name is Howard."

"What?" Aella said baffled.

"My name...is Howard."

CHAPTER 11: The First Step