It had been hours since our last encounter with Zoogs or Dreambeasts.
We wandered through the eerily silent woods until the faint sound of flowing water reached our ears. A stream. We moved toward it with renewed energy and emerged into a wide clearing by a vast riverbank.
The river was massive....calm in its surface, but the current pulsed with quiet power.
The water shimmered in an ethereal starlight. It wasn't normal. Something lived here, some Dreambeast, or perhaps the river itself was alive.
A golden haze hung over everything. Birds hummed in musical tones. Bees pulsed with radiant energy as they moved through honey-slick air.
I knelt and took a cautious sip.
Warm and Soothing....
Then I drank in gulps. The battles, the chaos, cultivation... all of it had worn me out.
Tasi perked up suddenly. "There's a settlement a few miles downstream," she chirped. I washed my face and followed the river.
After a few hours of walking, we spotted smoke in the distance.....cooking fires. A riverside settlement.
Finally. Civilization. Maybe I could find a map, some guidance. I had no idea which way was north, let alone how to reach the Forbidden Lands.
As we approached, I recognized the shape of the inhabitants.
Zoogs.
But... different???
This was no savage tribal encampment. The buildings were structured, the layout organized. Children played while others worked. A proper village.
As we neared the entrance, several larger male Zoogs stepped forward, spears pointed at me.
"Halt!" one barked. "What business does a Hunter have with our village?"
Hunter?
They looked determined, but I can see the tremble in their hold....Fear
I kept a respectful distance. "I come in peace. I seek directions. I mean no harm."
"…But the blood on you says otherwise, Hunter," one replied, gripping his spear tightly.
Before I could respond, a gravelly voice interrupted.
"Calm down now. Is that how we treat guests?"
An old Zoog walked toward the gate, leaning on a staff.
"Elder," the guards muttered, stepping aside.
The old one grinned. "Oh, my nose didn't disappoint. You're even more handsome up close, brat."
I blinked.
That pressure… He was hiding it, but I could feel it. This old man was strong... terrifyingly strong.
"Come on now. You gonna stand there like a statue all day?" he laughed and motioned me in.
The villagers watched me with a mix of caution and curiosity.
He led me into what he called a "hut."
BULLSHIT!!
This wasn't a hut....it was a full-blown house, beautifully crafted and massive inside.
"Sit, sit. Rui, dear, bring some tea for our guest," he called.
"Yes, Grandpa!" came a soft voice. A younger Zoog peeked at me curiously before disappearing into another room.
"She's my great-granddaughter. Sweet girl." He smiled proudly.
I nodded, noticing paintings on the walls. One showed a younger Zoog standing proud. "Is that you?"
"Back in my prime," he chuckled. "Not much has changed."
I gave him a surprised look. He was clearly old now, but he just laughed.
Another painting caught my eye. A huge group portrait with him in the center, surrounded by dozens of female Zoogs.
"A family portrait?"
"Ah, yes. Me and my wives. Took that when I first built this village."
"…Wait. Wives?"
"Oh yes." He grinned.
There were over seventy in the painting.
'This Old Man is a Real Player.' My respect for him skyrocketed.
We sat as Rui returned with tea and placed it gently on the table.
"Please.." he motioned as we took the tea and drank...
As I sipped the drink, it was warm, nourishing, and unlike any tea from the waking world,
the old Zoog turned to me.
"They call you a Hunter… but that's not quite right, is it?"
I placed my cup down and nodded. "You're right, Elder."
"Ha! Where are my manners? I'm Oltho'Zuun. Founder and keeper of this village. And that's my great-granddaughter, Rui."
"I'm Grey. A Dreamer."
He raised an eyebrow. "Dreamer, huh? No… you're not."
"…I'm not?"
"You think you are, because you come from the Waking World. But Dreamers sleep to reach this place. You, boy, are something else."
"Please, enlighten me."
"A Dreamer is one who enters the Dreamlands through Dreams...well, while sleeping," he said, to which I nod, and even his granddaughter is immersed in our conversation,
"And you are not sleeping, aren't you?... You are a Walker, more precisely Dream Walker" he said with a smile.
"This..." I am genuinely shocked to see that he could see such a thing without even entering the Waking world.
"Dream walkers are people who can enter Dreamlands at will, without need of sleeping, by being in a suspended animation state."
"Their Main Goal is to draw the Energy of Dreamlands to further their Goals while also being capable of doing everything a Dreamer can do.....
A Dreamer Enters this World through the Dream Body their mind creates for them....While people of your kind enter with your mind itself.
So everything you do and gain will carry over to the Waking World."
"This is a wonderful Insight. I thank the Elder for enlightening this Young one," I nodded, awestruck.
"Just call me Old Man Zu," he chuckled. "And judging by your aura, you're doing well. Two familiars already, huh?"
"Teehee~ We've been spotted," Tasi giggled as she and Ezizh dropped their concealment.
'He saw through them that easily…'
"I didn't mean to hide them out of disrespect....."
"It's fine," he waved. "I'd do the same in your place."
He sipped his tea. "So, what are you really looking for, Dreamwalker?"
"A map," I admitted
"Map of Dreamlands and maybe a compass....I don't know where I am....literally walking blind," I said, a little embarrassed.
"HAHAHA Typical Youngsters. I've got what you need." He called Rui again.
I can provide you with a Map of Dreamlands and a Guiding compass.
Which you can use with a map to mark a point on it, and it will show the direction for you to take.
leading you to your destination..." He said merrily.
As she fetched the items, he gave me a long look.
"...So tell me now, what are you really looking for in the Dreamlands Brat
Don't tell me you came here for a vacation."
I hesitated. Then said it: "I want to enter the Forbidden Lands."
He paused. Then grinned.
"Finally… someone with balls. You remind me of myself. Back in my day, I fought knights and fcked drago-coughs...It seems I got carried away, HEHEHE"
Rui returned with a map and a shimmering compass.
"This," he said, spreading it out, "is a living map of the Dreamlands.
And this compass is bound to you now. Feed them your mind essence....go on."
I channeled my power. Something clicked. I gasped as I felt them bind to me.
"Now look—this is the Enchanted Forest. We're by the River Oukranos. Follow it downstream to Hlanith, a great port city by the Cerenerian Sea...."
....
We stood, walking toward the village gates.
"Before you go," he said, taking my hand, "hold still."
He scribbled something onto my palm. It glowed, then vanished.
"That mark lets you convert Dreambeast essence into Dream Runes, the currency here. More essence, more runes.
Just… don't absorb beasts one by one."
"Why?"
"You'll reek of blood. Blend multiple essences together to mask the scent." He winked.
"…So that's why the others were afraid of me," I muttered. He nodded.
"That's it, kid. I hope you get what you're chasing. Trust your instincts. And when danger comes, don't flinch. Overcome it."
He grinned. "And next time… we drink. With women."
I laughed as I waved goodbye.
Now, with a map and a compass in hand,
The Forbidden Lands await.
....
River Oukranos ---> Hlanith,
"We followed the Oukranos downstream for days. It sang of ancient trade and deeper monsters. Hlanith was our first stop."
He said, "From there, take a merchant vessel across the sea.
Watch out for the Deadmen Zones, Dreambeasts nest there.
Pay well, stay low, and avoid Celephaïs. That city's a trap of politics and madness."
Cerenerian Sea: Boarding a Trade Vessel,
Aboard a creaky vessel, the night sky glows with constellations.
The Cerenerian Sea… They say if you sleep here, you dream forever.
We didn't sleep.
Deadman Zones loomed beneath the waves. Dream Leviathans that devoured ships whole.
But coin talks louder than fear, and our captain was greedy enough to bite it.
Landing East: Avoiding Celephaïs,
I could see the shining towers of Celephaïs in the distance. The City of Dreams...Quite literally....
I sigh, it was not the time to go see it.... I'll come back, for sure.
I kept my head low as we got down before the ship entered the Dock.
Valley of Ooth-Nargai,
The air is still. Trees don't sway. A bird's wingbeat hangs motionless mid-air....
Now that's something you don't see every day.
Ooth-Nargai… the timeless valley. Time doesn't flow here.
You bleed, but you don't clot. You breathe, but never tire. Even madness stalls.
We moved fast. Potions at the ready.
Every minute here felt like moving through photographs.
It's weird, I must say the least.
With that, we came to the edge as the final warning of the Old goat came to my mind,
"Finally, you'll reach the edge of the Forbidden Lands, a volcanic wasteland where reality breaks down.
The King Kuranes has warded it off. You'll need to use fractures in space, like portals, to enter."
He handed me a small map fragment.
"These are the fracture point locations.
Got this from the local dwarves, they use these to prevent slipping in by mistake."
I followed the fragment to the nearest fracture....
It is nothing extraordinary, just a plain old looking rocks....but as soon as I touched it, I got sucked in...
[ DING! HOST HAS SUCCESSFULLY ENTERED 'FORBIDDEN LANDS' ]
{ THE EYE QUIVERS }