Into the World of Dreams [Kenzo's B-rank Exam]

So. The Commander wanted him to kill a demon, and some fool dark wizard who'd bound said demon to his will. Kenzo smirked slightly. This he could do, and would do with pleasure. The Commander seemed to know him well. Thanking the soldier, the Demon Slayer took the incense burner and regarded it. Apparently, this purple incense would send him into a world of dreams, where he would hunt a demon who was stealing people's magic. Kenzo had heard of such things. His research had turned up books of theory that touched on the subject of Tel'aran'rhiod, also called the Unseen World, or the World of Dreams. Supposedly, it was an infinite, parallel realm that touched all possible realities. Both of those worlds and apart from them, the World of Dreams, as the name suggested, was often touched by people in dreams, but few stayed longer than a few seconds. Those few could be grievously injured or driven mad, as imagination becomes reality in the World of Dreams, and what happens to you in that world happens to you in the waking realm. To enter the Unseen World fully was perilous, even for those who knew what they were doing. It was all to easy to be pulled into someone else's dream and be lost for all eternity, or have your sanity broken.

Kenzo assumed the dream demon, Babarnar, would shield Ashke from the worst of the Unseen World. He had heard of such demons as well. Called Dream Stealers by some, Dream Eaters by others, they lived almost fully in Tel'aran'rhiod, entering people's dreams and stealing their essential life force. Kenzo had heard tell that Dream Stealers most often took the form of wolves, leading the World of Dreams to also be called the Wolf Dream. Dream Stealers were deadly hunters, masters of ambush and deception. Rumor had it that they could create multiple 'dream layers', dreams within dreams, inside the Wolf Dream. If Kenzo wasn't careful, he could easily lose sight of what was real and what was the dream.

As Kenzo was thinking of this, he was heading to his quarters in the Throne Hall. It was the safest place he could think of to lay sleeping for an unknown length of time. Upon reaching his room, he locked the door behind him and first went to take a long shower. Running water grounded magical energies, and he wanted to make sure he didn't carry any latent spells into the dream world. They could take on life and cause him any number of troubles. Thus cleansed, he dressed himself in a white robe and went around the small, plain room, lighting numerous candles with his magic. They burned with pure white flame, and he infused each with his will so that they would keep burning even as he slept. He also wove threads of magic through them, a spell taught to him by Almoth. According to Kenzo's once-mentor, all demons, and those who wielded the power of a demon, could exert some small influence over the World of Dreams, the world where spirit was made flesh and spiritual power ruled over physical might, but none as deeply or strongly as Dream Eaters. These candles would serve as Kenzo's wardflames, and would pull him out of Tel'aran'rhiod should anything go wrong. He hoped. If they didn't work... He could wake with his soul, his sanity, torn asunder. He could wake with grievous physical wounds. Or, more frighteningly, he could not wake at all, his soul set adrift in the World of Dreams, forever to wander, lost far from his body. The Demon Slayer shuddered. This seemingly simple task was easily the most dangerous he'd ever undertaken. Far more dangerous than any of Almoth's tests.

Taking deep breaths, Kenzo banished his fear, losing himself in the ritual of lighting candles, binding their flames to his will. Once his room was brightly lit, every white wax candle burning with an unwavering white flame, he put the incense burner on his nightstand and laid down on his bed, continuing to take deep, relaxing breaths, preparing himself to enter the Unseen World. When he felt that he was ready, he reached out and touched the tip of the incense stick, lighting it and letting it burn for a while before blowing it out. He closed his eyes and laid back, breathing in the smoke. It smelled pleasantly of sandalwood and lavender, but had undertones of something he couldn't name, but was a little unsettling.

After what felt like an hour, Kenzo sat up and opened his eyes, intending to find Commander West and tell her the incense didn't work. But when he looked around, he was no longer in his room. He was, in fact, no longer in Earthland. The environment around him looked identical to his quarters except for a few subtle differences. First, everything around him seemed hazy, as if he were viewing it through a thin veil of mist or smoke. Second, all the candles around him were not burning, but the room was still lit with an even brightness, as if he were outside under a full moon. As quick as thought, Kenzo found himself in the open, in an area he didn't recognize. Again, it was bathed in light, but no moon was in the sky above. The Demon Slayer cursed under his breath. He was certainly in Tel'aran'rhiod now, where imagination was reality. Any stray thought could now become real. Just by thinking of being outside, suddenly he was.

Fortunately for him, Almoth had taught him to master his thoughts. He took a fortifying breath and marshaled his defenses, holding tightly the reins of his mind so as not to allow his thoughts to slip out. With that in hand, Kenzo set out, not knowing exactly where he was going.

What seemed to be hours later, he stopped. He was now in an area he recognized. He was just outside Hargeon Town. It seemed that every footstep covered miles in this realm. Cursing again, Kenzo looked about himself. Commander West hadn't given him any idea where to find Ashke and his pet demon. He would never find them this way. But... He remembered another way. Almoth had once said that by focusing upon one's 'need', the Unseen World would take them there. So, the Demon Slayer closed his eyes, focusing all his will upon one thing: His need to find the Dream Thief. The world around him seemed to lurch, and when he opened his eyes again, he thought he was in Magnolia, but there was a sense that he was not yet where he needed to be. He closed his eyes and focused again.

Lurch.
Clover.
Lurch.
Rose Garden.
Lurch.
Hosenka.

He continued on for subjective hours, until each step took him to places he didn't recognize. A forest of pink-flowered trees that must have been in Midi. A vast plain that could have been Minstrel. A mountain peak that may have been in Joya. A dozen other places, each more and more unfamiliar, until it seemed he was no longer in the world he knew. Of course, the World of Dreams touched all other realms.

Finally, with one last lurch, he found himself back where he'd started - his quarters in the throne hall. Upon his bed sat a thin, almost skeletal man with wispy white hair. The man grinned at him. "Hello, there. My name is Ashke. Are you looking for me?"

Before Kenzo could respond, a colossal howl split the night, and he whirled to face it. The last thing he saw was the maw of an enormous wolf about to swallow him.

Kenzo bolted upright, panting and covered in sweat. He was bare-chested, a light linen blanket bunched around his hips. Above his head was a piece of sturdy, tan canvas. A tent. A sleepy murmur sounded behind him, and his heart lurched. He turned, and found a pair of beautiful blue eyes gazing at him from a heart-shaped face framed by raven locks. Daena. He was... with Daena.

"Kenzo?" she asked. "What's wrong?" She started to sit up, but he shook his head.

"N-nothing... Just a bad dream." He replied. Of course, that was it. It was all a dream. Everything... Was a dream.

In a flash, he was in a circle of broken trees, blood on his face, Daena's broken body lying limply in his arms. Then he was back, clutching his face, Daena at his side, rubbing his back soothingly. "Just... A dream..." he panted.

It took time, but he finally went back to sleep, Daena snuggled against his side.

When he woke, he was in a dark cave, the sound of dripping water echoing around him. He shifted, and water splashed. Kenzo looked down. He could barely see, but he was standing in waist-deep water, in a hole ten paces deep. Something shifted under the water, and he screamed. A deep chuckle sounded above him. He was in the Pit, where Almoth would torture him for days. Screaming, his voice higher-pitched than it was before, he clawed at his face, clenching his eyes shut.

Kenzo opened his eyes. A wood beam stretched under his hand, a gorgeous moon-lit landscape in front of him. A balcony. His... balcony. That's right. This was his house, that he built with his own hands. In the mountains of Joya, the most beautiful place he could think of.

"Darling? Is something the matter?" came a voice from behind him. He looked down at himself first. Bare-chested, wearing only a pair of dark trousers. Sweat beaded on his skin. A nightmare. He'd been having a nightmare, and he'd gotten out of bed to stare at the mountains and calm down. He turned to say as much, and froze, his jaw dropping. Standing at the doorway, in nothing but a white shift, belly gravid with his child... Was that.... Illya?

"No. No. NO." he said, then shouted, clutching his head. This wasn't real. This... A pair of gentle hands framed his face, lifted it to look into deep blue eyes. Daena.

"It happened again, didn't it?" she murmured soothingly to him. "The waking dreams, where you can't tell what is real." Wordlessly, he nodded, and she planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. It was sweet, loving. "This is real, darling." she whispered. He shook his head, couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong...

Something was wrong. People were screaming. His mother was screaming. He looked up, his father's bearded face looked down at him as the closet doors closed. A terrible sound...

No.

This... This is wrong. He wasn't a child. He wasn't with Daena. He wasn't... He was Kenzo, the Demon Slayer, the Flame Exorcist. He was fire.

Fire ripped out of him, and the world around him turned to ash, burning away like cobwebs before a candle.

Before him, he saw a figure, hunched, wracked with pain, shrouded in heavy chains that stretched off into infinity. Kenzo stepped forward, and he was in front of the figure. It had a wolf's face. But under that face, was a young woman.

"Free me." she begged. "Once, I was a spirit of dreams. I gave children sleep, took away their nightmares. He has forced me to become a Dream Eater. I am not a demon. I am not a demon." She plead with him, repeating the last sentence over and over again.

A sword was in his hands. His sword. He looked at it. In the mirror-like blade, Ashke's face stared back at him, smirking.

Kenzo - he was Kenzo - roared. His sword swept up, severed chains. Freed, the spirit kissed him on the forehead. It was sweet, loving.

He was in his room, but something was different. The candles weren't lit, but he was bathed in radiance. A man sat on his bed. Ashke. His face was horrified.

"No. No. NO." he screamed.

A sword was in Kenzo's hands. His sword. He looked at it. In the mirror-like blade, he looked back at himself. His sword swept up, severed flesh. Ashke's head rolled onto the floor.

Kenzo opened his eyes and sat up. He was in his room. The candles were lit. A figure slumped at the foot of his bed, seeping blood into his carpet. He looked left. Yellow eyes - a wolf's eyes - gazed accusingly at him. On his nightstand, the incense went out.

With a sigh, Kenzo got out of bed, threw on his uniform, and went to find Commander West.