Rami had stopped thinking.
His academic failure, his struggle to find meaning in life, his inability to find a girl to soothe his loneliness...
All of it seemed faint compared to what had happened.
What happened defied logic.
He had felt everything.
Touch, sound—even pain.
It wasn't a dream.
It was another reality—with a different texture.
"Do I need to see a doctor?"
he whispered to himself.
"Can the human mind create something that real?"
Thoughts clashed in his head like a storm.
His heartbeat quickened with every possibility that came knocking.
"I have to tell Marwan..."
He left the house, heading for the nearby park where he occasionally met his only friend.
Marwan was sitting on one of the worn-out benches, holding a soda bottle, staring into the horizon like a man waiting for a miracle that would never come.
Marwan, like Rami, barely attended classes.
He was addicted to lottery games and often fantasized about winning, despite knowing deep down it was just another illusion.
Rami approached and sat beside him, skipping all pleasantries.
He wasn't in the mood.
With a voice tinged with unease, he said:
"Marwan... I'm going to tell you something strange, and you might think I've lost it—but I just want you to listen. No judgment."
Marwan nodded silently.
Rami began recounting everything.
From the train, to the soldiers, the strange man, the glowing portal...
Every detail. Every feeling. Every second.
When he finished, Marwan's face showed no mockery or shock.
Only an odd calmness in his eyes.
He put the bottle down and said:
"I know you well, Rami... your tone, your eyes, your uneasiness—you're not lying. You really went through something."
Rami responded anxiously:
"I'm not claiming I'm crazy, but... what I experienced wasn't just a dream. I felt it all. I was there."
Marwan asked seriously:
"Could this be a case of possession? Should we visit a sheikh? Or maybe a psychiatrist?"
Rami paused, sighed, and said:
"Before I woke up... that man said, You've become one of us.
It was like he knew I'd return."
He then smiled faintly:
"Why don't you spend the night at my place? It's been a while since we had one of our old hangouts."
Marwan laughed:
"Great idea. At least if they come back, you won't die alone!"
....
Midnight was approaching, and Rami felt tired from playing video games.
He turned off his console and said in a low voice:
"Let's agree on one thing, Marwan."
— "What is it?"
— "Watch my body. Just… don't fall asleep before I do. I want to know if I act weird in my sleep."
— "Okay. I'll stay awake."
Rami set up his bed, played his usual podcast, and lay down.
His eyes fluttered quickly.
His body slowly went numb.
As if some unseen force was pulling him down into darkness.
He saw Marwan standing in front of him, moving his lips—but Rami couldn't hear a thing.
His heart pounded.
And then...
Darkness.
A black cloud stormed into his brain, scattered with unintelligible voices.
And then…
He opened his eyes.
But he wasn't in his room.
Nor in the field from before.
The place was different.
Too real to be just a dream.
He was lying on the ground, unable to move.
Then he heard a somewhat familiar voice:
"You've slept for a long time, John."
As if drugged, Rami muttered:
"My name is Rami. I'm not John. Why are you calling me that? And why won't you explain what this place is?!"
No immediate reply.
The voice returned, closer this time:
"Don't worry... Just a few more minutes and your body will fully detach from your reality."
Rami stayed on the ground, breathing slowly, trying to grasp what was happening.
He looked up—
The ceiling above him was partially collapsed, revealing a sky filled with galaxies, unlike any sky on Earth.
"You can stand now…"
The strange man in a white cloak appeared—his face still hidden.
"You can call me Telegraph."
"In this reality, you are John."
Rami's thoughts spiraled.
"John? What is this? Is it the Matrix? A parallel world?"
Telegraph walked a few steps, pulled out a strange key that resembled a lighter, and opened the door in front of them.
"Follow me."
Rami followed—nervously, curiously.
As they stepped through the door, something odd occurred.
A field of energy expanded around them.
The rundown house began to dissolve.
A completely different place began to form...
The man turned to him:
"Welcome to the Split Consciousness… Wonderland."
They walked down a vast corridor.
Another door appeared—this one larger, more ornate.
Above it:
"The Door of Entry and Exit."
Telegraph stood aside:
"You may enter now... to meet the Prince."
"Prince?" Rami echoed.
He stepped inside.
The room was dim, reminiscent of an old sorcerer's den.
Rami sat in a chair before a candlelit desk.
Then a voice spoke:
"I imagine none of this makes sense to you right now."
The tone was calm. Comforting.
Before Rami could respond, a hand reached toward him slowly:
"John… You've managed to succeed. Your other side is still confused, but it will understand soon."
Rami interrupted:
"Just tell me what this is. Why me? How?!"
The man exhaled softly:
"John... All you need to know for now is this: You are no longer the same as those you knew in your past life."
"You can no longer sleep the way others do. You've become dual."
"This place—let's call it a strange world—isn't separate from your world, but it's drastically different. And now that you're aware, you'll begin to see the truth—bit by bit."
"This isn't the Matrix. Nor a parallel dimension. It's closer to... the Dream Realm. The subconscious of all humans. Wonderland."
Rami's eyes widened, stunned.
"The subconscious…?"
"Yes, and you'll wonder: why you? How did this happen?
But it did happen.
You've become someone else."
"And the reason Telegraph brought you here… is to choose your fate."
"You can either become... the Child Prince..."
"...or a Dream Hunter."
End of Chapter Two