Dreams.
Dreams are sequence of thoughts, images, sensations, and emotions that occurs in the mind during sleep.
Dreams can be vivid, abstract, bizarre, or emotionally intense, and they often incorporate elements from waking life.
Ever since I could remember, I've always been attuned to dreaming. Be it daydreaming, or in my imaginations.
Dreams weren't foreign to me. I've experienced them even when awake. Daydreaming, imagining this, imagining that. Yet they seem ever elusive, in the sense that I never truly believe they were real .
"Come down for breakfast dear!" My mother's voice echoed from downstairs.
'I Must have dived into my useless thoughts again I guess' I thought as I stood up from the study desk in my room.
I've literally dreamt of everything. From being the richest, to having godlike powers, and even being in a fantasy world.
It was to get away from daydreaming that I took on another hobby, webnovels. But instead, it made my dreams, imaginations, and what ifs? even stronger. The struggles of the protagonists, their powers, their villains, and some main characters even getting reincarnated.
These were the reasons why even at twenty-five, I had no girlfriend, or even close friends, and was still living with my parents.
"Morning Mom" I greeted as I reached the already set table.
"Aren't you going to work today?" My mother inquired with a kind smile.
"Of course I am" I replied.
"Then why are you still not ready? Don't tell me you were daydreaming again?" My mother said with a knowing look.
"I was not... daydreaming, and I'll get ready after breakfast." I said somewhat embarrassed.
"Oh, what will I do with this boy? Seems..."
"Man." I interrupted her.
"What..."
"You said boy. I'm a man!" I declared with a bit of flair gesturing at myself.
"Okay, don't interrupt me young man. Seems I'll never see my grandchildren in this life." She continued–shaking her head.
"It's not my fault, it's the girls." I hurriedly said.
Truthfully it wasn't my fault, girls were just too clingy, and demanded too much attention. Attention that I couldn't give.
"Yeah right, who would want to be with someone always lost in thoughts?" my mother scoffed.
"Give him a break, besides people don't get married early nowadays." said my dad stepping into the room.
"Thanks dad." I gave him a high five.
My dad was more like my brother, or perhaps best friend. We played games together, watch movies together, you name it.
"Tch, you're always supporting him." my mother's mouth twitched. "Anyway eat up before it becomes cold."
"So which novel are you reading currently?! asked my Dad.
"It's a pretty interesting one called 'Ascendants Arise'." I replied.
The novel was about a usual fantasy world the protagonists and his party go to an academy, while the world is fighting against some beings called Hollows.
I went on to tell my dad about the novel with him giving insights or criticisms in some areas. Truthfully, I could move out anytime. I had the means. But who in their right mind would want to? Not me. I'd savor these days with them while I still could.
After eating, I went back to my room, freshened up, and got ready for work.
"Bye Mom. Bye Dad." I said as I opened the door out.
"Alright, stay safe." They echoed.
I took my car, and headed for work, happily humming as I drove. I loved my life. My parents who were proud of me, my job, and most importantly, my freedom. I had no wife or girlfriend to impose upon my life, which I very much liked.
Oblivious to me, as I was musing about how I loved my life, a truck was suddenly before my car. Make no mistake, while I usually imagine stuffs, my awareness was quite special, in the sense that I would have noticed the truck before it even came close to coming that close. And it was a one way lane on top.
It was as if time slowed, My last thoughts were, 'Mom, Dad. What a cliche way to go'. The bumpers of the truck, and that of my car collided, and then, darkness.
I was dead, or so I thought. 'I'm still alive?!' It was the only logical conclusion I could make as I found myself standing on the middle of an unfamiliar road.
' Is this the "watching your life flash before your eyes" stuff? Nah, must be some sort of hallucination one experiences before death, or one of my dreams' I thought. '
It had to be.
I was more convinced of this when I saw the situation on said road. People were scrambling about chaotically, while monsters... no stuffs of the nightmares combined into some kinds of grotesque abominations were moving about, attacking the people.
But I didn't move an inch, maybe because I knew it wasn't real, or maybe because I thought I was dreaming, the last dream before my death.
I didn't move, even as one of the creatures came in front of me. Seeing it this close, I realized that calling it a grotesque abomination was an understatement. The thing was just that ugly. My sinuses clogged as a result of the baleful stench emanating from the creature.
The abomination raised one of it's limbs, if you could call it one, and smacked me flying through the air. I have but one question though. If this was a dream, then why did it hurt like a bitch? It felt like a train had run me over. That was my last thought, before.... darkness... once again.
....
My eyelids fluttered open, struggling to process my surroundings. But before I could fully orient myself, a searing bolt of pain lanced through my chest. I clutched my chest, gritting my teeth against the agony.
"Ugh... What the hell is happening?" It was a dull pain, thudding rhythmically as if it had a heartbeat.
"Young master Salvatore, are you all right?"
I instinctively turned toward the source of the voice and found a graceful woman with blonde hair and tanned skin, dressed in a maid uniform straight out of an anime. She stood there respectfully, as if awaiting orders, though a hint of disdain flickered unmistakably in her eyes.
"Wait, I'm alive?" My voice came out hoarse.
But without a doubt, it came from my mouth. Albeit unfamiliar.
What's really happening? First a truck hit my car, thought I'd died. Then I found myself in an unfamiliar place with abominations running rampant, which I thought was a dream, until one of them gave me the smack of the century and sent me flying. And now here, lying on a bed, with a woman in a maid outfit beside my bed.
I slowly scanned my surroundings, and only one thought came to my mind. 'Luxury', or perhaps 'royalty'. The room was massive, tall walls, and marbled floors. A ceiling adorned with exquisite chandeliers, with French style architecture, whatever that looked like.
"Ukhh!"
A light groan escaped my lips as the same dull thuds in my chest began beating again.
"Where... am I?" I asked the one question I should have asked the moment I opened my eyes.
The woman had a kind of look in her eyes which seemed to say, 'Isn't that obvious?', but I was too agitated to notice. I needed to know where I was. I raised my hand to remove the remove the sheets from my body.
But as my hand came into my view, my heart shuddered. 'wait... this isn't my hand'.
I hurriedly threw off the covers, and another realization hit, 'this... this wasn't my body!'
Pale skin, dense muscles, toned physique. It wasn't anywhere near my body. Sure I wasn't overweight, but I wasn't packed either. in fact I had quite the belly like my father. But this body had solid abs.
Suddenly, anxiety crept in....
Where the hell was I, and how the hell am I not in my body?
"Young master , are you unwell? You've been acting strangely since you woke up..."
"Young.... master...?" I uttered, unable to process what I'd just heard. "Is this some kind of lucid mirage?" I muttered under my breath. 'Yeah, maybe I hadn't actually die when the truck hit me, this must be some coma induced dream.' I tried to make reason.
But then, a creeping realization occured to me as dread washed over my heart. "What did you call me before?" I asked the woman.
"Do you mean 'Young master'?" she tilted her head.
"No—*before that!" I said as I swung my legs over the bed.
Seeing my intensity, she flinched, stammering, "F-forgive me, my lord. Perhaps I erred in addressing you. I beg your pardon—"
"Would you fuckin tell me what you called me earlier!" I roared in exasperation.
"Y-young master Salvatore" she stammered. That was it, Salvatore. One of the tier one families in 'Ascendants Arise'.
A dream, yes this must be a dream. But I knew it was impossible. I had had lucid dreams before, but none of them ever felt this real.
"W-where's the bathroom?" I asked the woman- my voice taking a somber tone.
"Young master are you alright?" The maid asked, though I could see she was barely suppressing herself from flinching.
"Just tell me where the bathroom is" I said this time in a softer tone.
"T-there!" she gestured at a door I didn't even register before. I bolted into the said bathroom. The bathroom was obscenely lavish, perhaps even more than you would see in seven star hotels, something fit for the British monarchy coupled with futuristic tech. But I didn't care. I located a big ass mirror on a wall and stood before it.
My reflection stared back, but it wasn't me in the reflection, or so to say, it wasn't the me I knew. Opposed to my generic brown hair and eyes coupled with an average face, the reflection before my eyes was perhaps the most handsome being I've ever seen.
A young man in his late teens, his intense, amethyst eyes held a mesmerizing depth, shimmering under the lights of the bathroom, matching his lustrous curly ashy storm grey hair. The strong, chiseled features of his face were accentuated by a well-defined jawline and a perfectly proportioned nose. A face sculpted with inhuman perfection.
Never in my life had I ever seen anyone this handsome.
A name inexplicably came to my tongue. One of the main cast and rival of the protagonist in 'Ascendants Arise'.
"Zereph Salvatore!"
[System synchronization initiated.] A screen flickered before my eyes.
[Zephyr Salvatore.]
"Zephyr what?!" I couldn't help but mumble in confusion. I had no recollection of anyone named that in the novel.
Wait... In a backstory about Zereph, it was said that he had a twin, but his twin died due to a neo gate that appeared unexpectedly. Another realization creeped behind my mind.
[A/N: If you like it, support me with power stones. This is just the start of the adventure. And also if you're reading someplace other than we novel, then you're in the wrong place.]