The One of Pink Clouds

Chapter 1: An Introduction To Dreams

In this world of dreams and nightmares, there isn't much she fears.
She's faced countless horrors, all with a determined look.
Monstrous, eldritch, demonic, supernatural, name it and it is a near certainty she's dealt with it. And not just in the department of a Nightmare's appearance and abilities.
She's died a lot as well. Temporarily, since death in a lot of cases is nothing more than a mild inconvenience, but she has experienced many deaths and injuries.

Limb loss? Happens on a regular basis.
Eaten alive? Unpleasant, but just a matter of dying quicker to get out easier.
Corruption? ... We don't talk about corruption.
Auto-cannibalism? ... That was a weird time. Only happened because she was being driven mad by her surroundings. Not an experience she wants to repeat, by any means.

Regardless, when it comes to herself, there is not much she fears. Her form is made of dreams, after all. And dreams don't bleed. As long as her consciousness remains, she will fight.

There are two things that makes her afraid, other than Corruption.

The first is anything concerning her true body, which lies in a marble temple within a mountain cursed so that anyone who trespasses on the grounds falls asleep. If someone manages to get past the barrier, the enchantment, the curse... her body is in danger. In truth, there are two bodies that would be in danger, but she knows they won't find Aiterna. Only she knows where Aiterna is, and she would rather die forever than to tell.

The second is anything that means danger to the Dreamers, the people she is tasked to protect. And considering the size of the human population (and the population of people who aren't humans, but she digresses), it's impossible to protect them all at once.
So, she prioritizes.

Go after the ones dealing with a threat they could never handle themselves.
Go after the ones dealing with Nightmares, entities created from pure negativity.
Go after the ones who dive too deep into dreams, dangerously moving closer to the edge that separates the dream worlds that live and the dream worlds that are dead.

It is an endless task; one she cannot perform at all hours of the day. Even if she no longer requires sleep, she still needs rest. And sometimes, she finds Dreamers that just need a friend. When the attacks hurt more than they should, and the failures pile on to an insurmountable point, she switches the expectation to be the 'Guardian of Dreams' into the title of 'friend'.
Instead of fighting tooth and nail dealing with whatever beast she is faced against, she simply has to listen. And talk. Maybe give some advice. Though, it is best taken with a grain of salt. She's not exactly up to date on everything in the world.

One of the Dreamers she enjoys being with the most is a lovely young woman who goes by the name of Jezelle, who tends to have the regular kind of nightmares. The ones that only last for an hour or night and never do any real damage, don't have a will of their own. So, in turn, the easiest kind of nightmare to dispel. From what she has learned, Jezelle is a woman fighting against the expectations and standards the others have of her. She's going to become who she wants to be, and she won't let anything stop her. But she frequently must deal with the common problems of being a woman. More specifically, the wrong kind of attention. No physical or sexual assault, yet, but verbal assault is a common occurrence for her. She is afraid of the day when the former does come to pass. Hence, the regular nightmares. But she refuses to let it consume her. And therefore, it never becomes a true Nightmare.

Jezelle is a favourite for a reason, and her resolve to persist despite the circumstances are admirable. Reminds the poor Guardian of a younger time, when she too felt as if the world itself was at her fingertips.
When she could do anything. When she could explore everything.
... If only she held off going on that one trip for a later date.