Abel looked at him for a moment, seemingly reluctant.
"Those new prosthetics and chips the military is working with do wonders." He stated plainly, looking down at the floor.
Ryven gave him a look, pressing the button to activate the elevator.
"Are they powerful enough to restrain and even kill dreamers?" he asked.
Abel chuckled. "They're capable of far more than that. They're our future," he continued, his expression unreadable. It was difficult to discern whether he considered that a positive or negative development.
*Ding*
The elevator doors opened to reveal the bottom of the parking garage.
"You're taking this far better than I would," Ryven commented as he exited the elevator.
Abel's face scrunched in annoyance and disgust, but he remained silent.
Ryven smiled as they made their way toward the hospital entrance. "Have you ever dreamed of visiting the moon?"
Abel gave him a strange look.
"I know very well that the moon you visit every night, and the moon that orbits our planet are not the same."
Ryven chuckles awkwardly as they enter through the hospitals sliding doors.
"Regardless, whether it's a hallucination or a shared dream, it's incredibly realistic."
Abel scoffed.
"Really!" Ryven continued. "You'll understand when I fall asleep." He said, a hint of excitement in his tone.
It was only then that Ryven and Abel simultaneously noticed something, causing them to fall silent mid-stride.
The nurse behind the counter was watching them, more specifically, Ryven. And it wasn't just a quick glance, but a hard and obvious stare.
The silence stretched.
Abel glanced at her, then at Ryven, then back at her with a small smirk forming on his face.
"I think she's into you." He said, releasing a small chuckle.
"She thinks I'm insane," Ryven muttered through a fixed, polite smile, giving the nurse a small nod as they passed. "From her point of view, I just walked in talking to absolutely nobody."
The nurse opened her mouth to speak, but Ryven quickly walked away.
"It hasn't even been a day and your already causing me problems."
…
"So how does this thing normally work?" Abel asked.
"Well… this is only my second night, so I don't really know, and last night, I got knocked out by some Lunar creature, so I really have no idea what to expect." Ryven admitted.
Abel who was sitting on his couch turned his head. "What?!… this is your second night?! And what's this about getting knocked out?!"
"I don't know!" Ryven said, halfly annoyed. "Shut up and let me sleep." He commanded, yet Abel continued talking.
Ryven pulled the blanket over his head.
"You're telling me this is your second night as a dreamer, you got knocked unconscious on your first attempt, and now you're just going back in like that's a normal thing to do?"
"Goodnight Abel."
"I'm just saying, some preparation or concern would—"
"Goodnight."
"—seem reasonable given the circumstances—"
Ryven closed his eyes and kept them closed and focused on his own breathing, slow and deliberate, tuning Abel's voice down the way you tune down a radio, letting it become background noise, then texture, then nothing.
The white hospital light pressed through his eyelids.
And then even that faded.
…
Everything was dark, but he felt a hard cold against his back.
"Hey wake up! Ryven wake up!"
"Mmm" Ryven groaned
"There's an old guy here, and he's just here staring at you!" Abel continued screaming.
"God…" Ryven muttered, sitting up as his eyes fluttered open, coming face to face with a familiar looking old man.
"Welcome back." The old man commented, his voice mature and deep.
"It took you a while, I was just about to leave you here." He chuckled, holding out his hand.
Ryven looked up at him, a hint of confusion evident on his face
"What happened?" He asked taking his hand.
"Those clickers knocked you out." The old man said calmly, moving back toward his little silver flame.
"Did you save me?" Ryven asked.
"Mhm." He nodded. "I thought you proved yourself enough, killing most of those tier 1 lunar creatures without knowing how to use your abilities."
Ryven smiled. He enjoyed the praise.
"Still though," the old man continued. "You are unbelievably weak."
Abel chuckled, staring at Ryven who was dressed in only a pair of orange boxers.
Ryven shot him a brief side-eye before turning back to the old man.
"How come when you knocked me out earlier, I woke up right away tied to that pole?" he asked, pointing toward the moonstone pillar at the back of the ruined house. "But when those creatures knocked me out, I woke up back in the real world?"
The old man studied him for a moment before answering.
"Well, that's simple," he said calmly. "When I knocked you out, your body was still exhausted. But when they knocked you out, your body had already rested enough to wake."
Ryven nodded slowly, though he wasn't entirely sure he understood.
For a moment, the only sound was the soft crackle of the silver flame.
Abel stretched lazily, looking out at the earth above. "Its beautiful…"
"What's your name?" The old man asked.
"Ryven." He replied calmly. "My name is Ryven."
"I see. My name is Silas," he responded. "I'm part of a small group of Dreamer mercenaries. I've been sent to visit a settlement near the current terminator line."
"Why do you want to go there?" Ryven asked.
"I'm meant to negotiate with representatives from a small corporation regarding a contract proposal."
Ryven frowned slightly.
"A corporation?"
"Mhm," Silas replied.
Abel groaned.
"Oh, fantastic," he muttered. "Capitalism made it to the moon."
"And while I was on my way there, I stopped here and happened to meet you," the old man continued. "I didn't expect to run into anyone here, especially not a new Dreamer."
"I see…" Ryven said awkwardly. "What are you getting at?"
"Well," Silas said, "since you're already here… I suppose you're welcome to come along."
Ryven blinked.
"Really?"
Silas nodded.
"It would be a long walk otherwise," he said. "Besides… you might learn something useful."
Ryven stayed quiet for a moment, scratching the back of his head.
"What's there to think about?" Abel asked. "This guy saved you, and he's clearly way stronger than you. I say we follow him and learn what we can."
Ryven scoffed.
"You don't get a vote," he muttered. "Besides, I'll probably have to put you back in your body soon."
He turned back to Silas, who was staring at him with a puzzled expression.
"Who are you talking to?"