Vyre was walking through Nothollow. A place for those who feel like they've lost something. A mirror reality, where everything seems reversed. A place he had spent so much time in. A place he used to try and forget.
This strand was a shared space. As he looked around, he saw the other lost souls wandering, searching for something. They all wanted to forget. Most had lost something they cared deeply about.
For Vyre, he had lost someone who meant everything to him. Since then, he had spent so much time trying to think less about it. About what they did to him. How they left him feeling.
In Nothollow, people could manipulate things around them. Vyre had always been obsessed with mechanical parts and machines, wanting to know how they worked. Waving his hand, he spun gears and parts through the air, inspecting them one by one. Then, bringing his hands together, the pieces clicked into place, forming a beautiful clock. All the parts moved in harmony.
He heard a voice to his right.
"Wow, that's really impressive that you know how all those parts fit together. All working perfectly to make something so beautiful."
He looked over and saw his reflection in a mirrored fragment. After a moment, the fragment faded and someone else was sitting there.
They caught his eye. There was something about them, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. They sat there waving their hand, and Vyre watched, stunned, as a castle emerged in the air. It was like they were creating a moving story in front of him. Creatures of all kinds roaming around the castle grounds. It was mesmerizing.
"Wow," Vyre said, "I've never seen anything like that before."
The person, still manipulating their little fairy tale, looked back and smiled.
"Thank you. These are the things I love. To most, it probably seems really silly. I can't help but imagine things like this. A fairy tale world. One where mermaids exist. Where I get to control what happens."
Vyre tilted his head, processing what they had just said.
"It's nice to meet you," the they said. "My name is Lunea."
"It's nice to meet you as well. Everyone calls me Vyre. What are you doing in Nothollow?"
A long pause hung in the air as Lunea continued shaping their story. Vyre watched in awe.
"Honestly… I'm not sure. I guess you could say I'm trying to heal."
Vyre was struck by the mystery of the person in front of him. So soft spoken, yet their presence felt so warm.
"Yeah, I get that. I suppose you could say I've been doing a lot of that myself lately."
Lunea paused again, eyes still fixed on their creation, clearly thinking about what he had said.
"Well, it's good to meet someone else here," Vyre added, glancing back at his clockwork piece, the gears spinning in harmony. "Hey, would you want to share links? I have a strand I really think you'd like."
Lunea froze at his words, visibly caught off guard. Then, after a beat, their cleared her throat.
"I can't link with anyone."
Vyre blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
Lunea exhaled, lowering their hands to their sides as their creation faded away.
"I'm unable to form a full bond with another Dreamline user. Because of my past."
Vyre's breath caught in his throat. He remembered months ago, when the same thing happened to him. He had never fully understood why he couldn't form a full link bond with anyone either.
"Oh… I see. I've experienced that before," he said quietly. "Well… maybe sometime I can show you my strand. If you want, we can just half link. I'd really like to hear more about your stories."
He smiled.
In Dreamline, users can form emotional links with each other. These links allow one to enter the other's strand freely. A deep connection, different from simply visiting a copy. It's letting someone into your real, personal world in a way no one else can. However, a half link allows at least a limited connection enough to stay in touch and share fragments of experience.
Lunea smiled back. "Sure. We can do that."
They reached out and took each other's hands. A soft glow formed between them, pulsing once before fading.
They now shared the half link. They have been Synchronized.