Chapter LV: The Dream
Morning sunlight spills across the quiet street as the low rumble of a motorcycle hums through the air.
Ryujin sits at the back, helmet on, arms lightly around his father's waist as they cruise toward the university gates. The city is still stretching awake as vendors opening stalls, students walking in clusters, and traffic slowly thickening.
They stop near Gate 2. Mr. Furukawa switches off the engine and turns slightly.
"Alright, here we are", Mr. Furukawa says as Ryujin hops off from the motorcycle.
Looking at the his son's face, looking worried or something is wrong, Mr. Furukawa asks him.
"Are you okay today, son? Is there something bothering you? You can tell me, it's still early though" he asks, voice gentle but observant.
Ryujin removes his helmet, brushing hair from his eyes.
"Yeah, Dad. I'm okay."
His father studies his face for a moment longer than usual, as if trying to read something unspoken. Then he smiles.
"Alright. Good luck, son. Do your best, have a great day at school."
"I will, Dad. I won't let you down."
Mr. Furukawa pats his shoulder and smiles at him.
"Now, I'll be going off then to work", he says to him.
He then puts his helmet back on, and rides off toward work. Ryujin stands there a moment, watching him disappear into traffic.
Then, he turns toward Gate 2, into the Aquarius District of the University, and a second or two, he starts walking.
The campus air feels normal, like a normal school day. Still with students chattering in the corners of the grandeur columns of the buildings, and the lights of each college.
Yet, instead of serene, and calming entrance, his mind isn't. He feels like it's bamboozled.
As he heads toward the Special Power and Defense classroom, yesterday's memories drift away and last night comes rushing back instead.
Last night, he just got from downstairs washing the dishes and helping Ichiro and Reina's homework. He then enters his room. Inside his room, it is dim and quiet. Ryujin changes into his favorite blue pajamas, soft and worn from years of comfort. He slides under his blanket, which is an Abel cloth from the Philippines, woven in rich earth tones, gifted by his aunt in Vigan City about 3 years ago.
He always sleeps better under it as if he feels a nice and soothing fabric, made of thin yet comfortable fibers. He reaches over his headboard and switches on his moon-shaped night light. Upon turning it on, a soft silver glow fills the room. He gets back into position, and tucking himself in. He exhales calmly, and closes his eyes. As he closes his eyes, sleep comes quickly. He dreams, and in his dream, he is walking. A street paved with cobblestone beneath his feet. The air is warm, slightly humid. He looks around, and sees old brick houses line a narrow street, yet alive with tourists. The house has wooden windows with Capiz shell panels. The distant clip-clop of horse-drawn wooden carriages echoes through the air.
"This... looks like the Philippines..." he murmurs.
One door creaks open at a building with 4 stories and has a different architectural style but still made of bricks, lime, and mortar. He walks up slowly. The door is inviting him. He walks toward it, and steps inside. And little did he know, the world shifts.
He feels warmth, and softness; lips unto his lips. A tender kiss is pressed on his lips. He opens his eyes yet still dreaming. His eyes grows larger as she is shock who is front of him. It's Saki, who is in front of him. Her eyes are still closed, yet she's kissing him.
She dons a white sundress that moves like light itself. He looks down, and he's in black slacks and a white polo. His heart pounds.
"S-Saki...?"
Saki opens her eyes, and enlarges as she too is shocked. Then, a mysterious force grabs her away. It's like a hand that appeared from nowhere, pulling her away.
"Saki!"
He reaches out, yet the floor vanishes. He falls into the void. Darkness is around him, then out came a new scene.
He is in the bushes near a lagoon of a park, and sees a college-aged guy stands before a huge old church. Its facade is cracked, scaffolding reinforcing it so that debris and damage can't be extendable. The guy writes in a notebook, expression peaceful like someone finally free.
The wind blows the pages. Then, the scene shifts again.
A face fills the darkness, and not just any normal face, but it's mechanical. Gray and dark blue. It dons large tubed breathing apparatus. It's like Darth Vader... but stranger, yet bigger.
The breathing echoes, and he can't move. Then, he jolts awake, gasping. His ring glows faint blue, a soft aura pulsing like a heartbeat.
"At ease, Ryujin" Pacificus' voice murmurs inside his mind. "You had a bad dream, so I woke you up."
"I'm... okay," Ryujin whispers.
The glow steadies him.
Back to the present, he reaches the classroom. Hageshi is already there, hunched over a brain-puzzle game on his phone.
"You're here early," Hageshi says without looking up.
"So are you."
Ryujin drops into his seat beside him. Haruto and Inoshiro arrive soon after.
Then, not long after, the bell rings and it's flag ceremony. They all head out, and after the ceremony, back again into the classroom. But again, it's another vacant time.
And like clockwork,
"Bro have you seen that new meme—"
"PewDiePie LWIAY classics never die!"
Ryujin, Haruto, Hageshi, and Inoshiro are back in meme chaos mode.
Nearby is just another gaming session. Takeshi, Aoto, Okaki, Kuebiko, Miran, Nakao, and Katsunan yell over a Mobile Legends match.
"Gank mid!!"
"BRO HELP!"
Meanwhile, across the room, Samero, Fujima, and Miku talk about school activities.
And, near the windows Kitsune and Rikiyo excitedly discuss My Hero Academia. But Saki is quiet.
"...Saki?" Kitsune asks.
"You've been spacing out."
Rikiyo leans closer. "What's up?"
Saki hesitates.
"...I had a dream."
Hageshi's ears perk. Ryujin freezes mid-laugh.
"...A weird one," Saki continues.
Hageshi elbows Ryujin subtly.
"Bro. Listen."
Saki describes it.
Falling. White dress. Ryujin. A kiss...on the LIPS. A hand pulling her away. Another girl, in a different dream. Then, the strange energy came out of her that night.
Ryujin's heart pounds. He stands without realizing.
"...Wait."
Haruto's, Inoshiro's, Kitsune's, Hageshi's, and Rikiyo's eyes turn to him.
"I had a dream too."
The room is almost like a deafening silence as he is at Saki's side.
"Ryujin? Bro, what did happened? Was it also in your dream?"
He tells them everything. The Cobblestone street. The Philippines. The kiss. The fall. The church guy. The mechanical face.
Deafening silence fills again the air. Saki stares at him.
"...That's... exactly also my dream."
Kitsune gasps. Rikiyo covers her mouth. Hageshi drops his phone.
"NO WAY."
Haruto blinks. "Shared dream??"
Inoshiro whispers, "That's not normal..."
Saki and Ryujin look at each other, both blushing. Neither each other are speaking.
Then, out of the blues, Mrs. Sato walks in.
"Alright class, settle down!"
Everyone scrambles back to normal. Saki glances at Ryujin before sitting.
"Hey Ryujin, talk to you later," she whispers with a kiss to his left cheek, and followed by a small smile.
Ryujin smiles back. And class begins. But both of them know... that something has connected. And it's only just beginning.