The Voice Within a Dream

Yuushin knew he was dreaming for two reasons; the excruciating pain was gone, and he was standing on top of a lake, both feet touching the cool water without sinking.

At least, he hoped it was a dream.

“…the afterlife wouldn’t look like this, right? Yeah, there’s no way…” as Yuushin mumbled under his breath, there was too much uncertainty to soothe his shaken heart.

Yet all he could see was an endless lake and its black waters. No one or nothing else.

「Why you did that?」

The voice startled him. A sound that came from nowhere, yet all places at the same time—a sound so soft and ethereal, it made his heart stop for a moment. Yuushin looked around, seeing not even a bug in sight.

“Could you be a bit more specific?”

As the silence stretched, he thought he had imagined it. He was dreaming, after all.

「You saved her from death knell plight. Why?」

However, that voice reached him again. Intrigued, poised, calm. Speaking things that confused him even more. Given their context, the only thing that made sense was…

“Are you talking about the dragon?” No reply came, yet Yuushin smiled all the same, his eyes brimming with pride. “So I was able to help them, right?! Hah, I can’t believe I did it!”

Before he got overtaken by his own excitement, the voice spoke again.

「You will regret this, soon.」

His smile faded. There was no hostility or malice in that tone, making him even more confused.

“Why? Isn’t this plight a bad thing? Or are you saying the dragon shouldn’t be left alive?”

Silence, one that lasted longer. And when it was finally broken by the voice, Yuushin saw.

The dark waters moving with its sorrow.

「They will target you. Once they learn what you did, they will not let you live in peace.」

Yuushin kept staring at those waters, how they resonated with the voice’s mournful tone. And then…

「Regardless of your reasons, you will regret this choice. I’m certain.」

A face. A person, staring at him from the water’s reflection. Yet “person” was not the right word.

“…who are you?”

Vertical pupils, bright, glowing eyes, purple skin. Her long hair was blacker than a raven’s feathers, a pair of curved dark horns growing from her head. Yet those lilac eyes…

They looked at him with pity.

「…I never thought I would do so again. Yet I hope you will stay alive.」

Before he could ask what she meant, whatever was making him stand on top of the lake collapsed—his body sinking deeper and deeper into those black waters.

As he sank, Yuushin started wishing that wasn’t a dream.

For he really hoped to hear that voice again.

And see those eyes, at least, one more time.

                                                                         ▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

The moment Yuushin opened his eyes, he knew he was alive.

“…”

Because his body composition had changed, and it was now 99% pain.

Trying to move, he let out a small cry before finally managing to sit on the bed. And as Yuushin shifted his gaze, checking the new surroundings—

“You’re awake!”

He was jumpscared by a woman.

And what made him truly uncomfortable was not how much skin she was showing, with only her chest and waist being covered by a dark leather. But by how close she was standing to him, while staring into his eyes.

Her smile got brighter as she turned around and shouted.

“OI! Get your ass here, he’s awake!” Then she turned back to him, grinning even more. “I said you would wake up by the end of the day, but he didn’t believe me.”

Yuushin blinked.

Then he blinked again.

And as he opened his mouth to speak—

*BANG*

The doors burst open, rushed steps closing in until a faint and sweet scent reached him.

“Please, there’s no need to shout. You’re both recovering,” the newcomer spoke, dressed in light-colored religious robes. A priest, perhaps? Although deep and low, his voice was comforting and warm. He then glanced at the woman, narrowing his eyes. “I thought I told you to stay in your bed.”

“I tire myself if I stay still for too long.” She stretched her arms as she replied, flinching for a second when she rotated her shoulder.

With a sigh, the newcomer placed a small water bowl by the bed table, his features softening once he met Yuushin’s gaze.

“I’m sure you must be in a lot of pain, right now. I couldn’t do it before, but since you are awake, I will do my best to help you recover. Let me know if you feel any other discomfort or—”

“Wait!” Yuushin raised his hand, his voice almost desperate. “Just…just give me a moment, please.”

The more he stared at the “woman”, the more he was certain she was the dragon who tried to kill him. Not only her hair matched the dragon’s scales, their eyes were exactly the same. And if those weren’t enough proof, there were around six dark horns—no higher than a few centimeters each—protruding from her forehead.

As for the newcomer, were he back in his world, Yuushin would think he was some kind of yokai. Wolf ears and tail, his fur so white it resembled snow. Long and sharp nails, pointy canines, and eyes so blue and piercing they looked frozen.

From the moment he got transported to that place, he had encountered a pack of goblins and their magical shaman, a hobgoblin, and had almost been crushed and burnt to a crispy by a dragon.

He…was a little bit overwhelmed.

Yuushin sighed, finally processing the new place he was. Sunlight poured from the open windows, the room made of bluish wood walls and floor. There were a total of five beds, and one double door on hi left. It appeared to be an infirmary.

Yeah, this checks out.

He then turned back to the otherworldly beings, unsure of how he should even ask first.

“Could any one of you tell me where I am? This may sound odd to you, but I’m not originally from—”

“Oh, we know you are from another world.”

Both spoke at the same time, yet it was the wolf priest who continued, after clearing his throat.

“Well, you see, how can I explain this kindly…hm…well, you see…”

“This happens all the time,” the dragon spoke as nonchalant as she could be, falling in the empty bed beside his.

The priest widened his eyes, turning to her in a blink. “All the time? The ritual only takes effect once per century.”

She rolled her eyes, some annoyance surfacing in her tone. “Certainly feels like it happens a lot more, considering how annoying it is.”

“Seriously, you….” With a sigh, the priest shook his head, meeting Yuushin’s gaze once again. “Perhaps there is no kind way to share this, so I apologize in advance. You see, a long time ago, in order to save this world, our God performed a ritual. One that…took quite an aggressive stance, despite our God’s wishes.”

“I…don’t understand.”

The priest exchanged glances with the dragon for a moment before turning back to Yuushin.

“To keep itself from imploding, this world needs to expel an immeasurable amount of energy. Yet the way it does this…it can be quite nefarious.”

Yuushin knew, by the priest’s tone and words, he didn’t want to know.

He asked all the same.

“What does this have to do with me?”

The priest clasped his hands together, the long nails clicking against each other.

“When the ritual takes effect, once per century, it connects this world’s energy with another’s. And once the connection is made, a thousand living souls are transported here.”

I definitely don’t like where this is going…

"If you know why this is happening, then all you need to do is send us back, right? Does this ritual take a lot of time to prepare?”

The fluffy white ears dropped.

“The real problem regarding that, well, considering how the two worlds’ energies function once this happens…you see, due to the nature of the ritual, and all other things considered…well…”

As the priest struggled to speak, the female dragon cut him off, her eyes locking with Yuushin’s.

And that gaze made him shudder.

“No one has any idea how to send you back. And from all the hundreds of worlds that were connected to ours through this ritual, since the very beginning, not even one of the souls who got transported here was able to return.”