DREAMS (lucid dreamer)

CHAPTER 1: CROSSING THE VEIL

Hyannah’s days in the waking world were ordinary enough, filled with the gentle rhythms of daily life. She’d go to school, listen to teachers drone on about history and science, and laugh with her friends over shared secrets and weekend plans. But her nights held something altogether different—an extraordinary, private world that only she could touch.

Since she was young, Hyannah had been a lucid dreamer. At first, it seemed like just an extension of her imagination. She could float through clouds or leap over skyscrapers as easily as she took breaths. When she grew older, the dreams became more vivid, almost tactile, as if each detail were woven from threads of memory and magic.

Tonight, her dreams felt different from the start. There was an unexplainable clarity, a heaviness that both sharpened and weighed down her senses. She knew she was asleep—she always knew, but there was something else at play here. It was as if the very fabric of her dream was vibrating, subtly calling her to a place she’d never been.

She stood in the middle of a vast forest clearing. The moon hung low in the sky, its silvery light casting soft shadows that danced over the leaves. Around her, the air buzzed with life, with the hum of crickets, the distant rustle of unseen creatures, and a faint fragrance of jasmine hanging in the breeze. But it wasn’t just the beauty of the scene that struck her; it was the unmistakable feeling of presence.

Hyannah inhaled deeply, feeling the dream pull her deeper with each breath. She walked forward, guided by an unseen path winding through the trees. Her hands brushed against bark and leaves that felt far too real for any dream. Something’s different tonight, she thought, trying to shake the strange sensation settling in her chest.

After what felt like both an instant and an eternity, she reached a place where the trees opened to reveal a shimmering pool of water, perfectly still, mirroring the stars above. As she knelt to touch its surface, she saw her own reflection gazing back at her, but something seemed off. Her reflection smiled, a slow, knowing grin she hadn’t meant to make.

Before she could react, a soft rustling caught her attention. She turned, and her breath caught in her throat. There, emerging from the shadows at the edge of the pool, was the figure she’d glimpsed in her dreams before. Cloaked in twilight shadows, his form seemed to shift with every blink, like smoke caught in a half-light. He wasn’t entirely there, yet there was no mistaking the weight of his presence.

The Dream Traveller.

“Hyannah,” he said, his voice a low whisper, more felt than heard. It curled around her name like a secret. She felt a shiver run through her, but she stood her ground, meeting his gaze with equal intensity.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice steadier than she felt.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he extended his hand, and in his palm lay a single feather, shimmering with iridescent shades of green and gold. It seemed to pulse with warmth, even from a distance. She hesitated, her fingers hovering just above the feather.

“Do you know why you’re here?” he asked, his eyes gleaming in the half-light.

“I… I don’t know.” The answer felt true yet insufficient. She sensed there was more to the question, layers she didn’t yet understand. “I’ve been dreaming like this for as long as I can remember, but tonight feels… different.”

The Dream Traveller nodded as if he’d expected her answer. “There are places dreams cannot reach on their own. Realms that lie beyond what you call sleep. You’ve come close to them before, Hyannah, without realizing it.”

She blinked, trying to grasp what he was saying. It felt like he was speaking in riddles, his words a puzzle meant to lure her deeper. “What do you mean by ‘realms’? I thought… I thought dreams were just… just dreams.”