"Sometimes, the answers we fear the most are the ones waiting right under our noses."
Notty sat cross-legged on the floor of her studio, her fingers trembling as they traced the edges of an ancient, leather-bound book. The smell of aged parchment and forgotten secrets filled the air, a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded at the fashion show. Her enchanted gowns hung eerily still on their racks, as though even they were holding their breath.
Ludikrousz leaned against the worktable, his suit disheveled and his mask of indifference barely intact. His dark eyes were fixed on the book, his usual smugness replaced by something quieter—concern, perhaps, or maybe just exhaustion.
“Where did you even find this?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“It was in the attic,” Notty replied, her voice tight. “Hidden in a trunk beneath piles of fabric. I almost missed it.” She flipped the book open, her gaze falling on pages filled with intricate diagrams, runes, and strange symbols. “This belonged to my great-great-grandmother.”
Ludikrousz straightened, his interest piqued. “Your great-great-grandmother? The one no one ever talks about?”
Notty nodded, her chest tightening. “She must have known what I was. What I’d become.”
He crossed the room and crouched beside her, his hand resting lightly on the edge of the book. “Then maybe she left this for you. A way to understand what’s happening.”
Notty’s throat tightened as she read the faded words aloud. “Dreamweavers… creators of worlds unseen. Their threads bind the waking and the dreaming, but their power comes at a price.”
“A price,” Ludikrousz repeated, his voice flat. “Why is there always a price?”
Notty ignored him, her eyes scanning the page with feverish determination. The text spoke of Dreamweavers as rare and powerful beings, able to shape dreams into reality. But it also warned of a darkness that hunted them—a malevolent entity drawn to their magic, feeding on their creations until nothing remained.
“It’s the shadow,” Notty whispered, her voice trembling. “It’s been hunting me because I’m a Dreamweaver.”
Ludikrousz exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “So what? It just wants to… consume you? Your magic?”
“It wants control,” she said, her hands clenching into fists. “And if I don’t stop it, it’ll take everything.”
He frowned, his gaze darkening. “Then how do we stop it?”
Notty turned the page, her heart pounding as she read the next passage. It spoke of a place within the dreamscape, a nexus where the threads of creation and destruction intertwined. It was there, the text claimed, that a Dreamweaver could confront the entity and sever its connection.
“We have to go into...” she said, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her chest. “We have to face it head-on.”
Ludikrousz stared at her, his jaw tightening. “That’s insane. You said it yourself—the dreaming could be dangerous. What if we don’t come back?”
“We don’t have a choice,” she said, meeting his gaze. “If we don’t do this, it’ll destroy me. And it won’t stop there.”
He cursed under his breath, standing abruptly and pacing the room. “You’re asking me to walk into a world where I have no control, no understanding. That thing nearly killed you the last time you were there, and now you want to invite it to tea?”
Notty rose to her feet, her chin lifting defiantly. “I’m not asking you to come with me, Ludikrousz. This is my fight.”
He stopped pacing, his eyes narrowing. “Do you really think I’m going to let you face that thing alone?”
Her breath caught at the intensity in his gaze, and for a moment, the tension between them felt like a tangible thing. “You don’t have to do this,” she said softly.
“Yes, I do,” he replied, his voice firm. “If for no other reason than the fact that I can’t let you get all the credit for saving the world.”
Despite everything, a faint smile tugged at her lips. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re stubborn and ridiculous,” he shot back, his smirk returning. “We make a great tandem.”
Hours later, the room was dimly lit, the enchanted orbs casting a soft glow as Notty and Ludikrousz prepared for their journey. The ancient book lay open on the worktable, its pages detailing the steps required to enter the dreamscape consciously and deliberately. Candles flickered around them, their flames steady despite the tension in the room.
“Are you sure about this?” Ludikrousz asked, his voice quieter now.
“No,” Notty admitted, her fingers brushing over the page. “But I have to try.”
He nodded, his usual bravado giving way to something more solemn. “Then let’s get this over with.”
They followed the instructions carefully, weaving together threads of enchanted fabric that would serve as their tether to the waking world. Notty’s hands moved with practiced precision, her magic flowing into the threads as she worked. Ludikrousz watched her in silence, his expression unreadable.
When the final thread was tied, Notty took a deep breath and stepped back. “That’s it,” she said, her voice trembling. “We’re ready.”
Ludikrousz reached out, his hand brushing hers briefly. “We can do it.”
She nodded, her heart hammering as she closed her eyes and focused on the spell. The air around them seemed to shift, growing heavier with each passing moment. The hum of magic grew louder, resonating through the room like the low notes of a song. Then, without warning, the air crackled, and a blinding light filled the studio.
When the light faded, a figure stood before them, tall and imposing. Its form was shrouded in flowing fabric that shifted and swirled like smoke, and its eyes burned with an ethereal light. It carried an air of power that made Notty’s skin crawl, and when it spoke, its voice was deep and resonant, echoing through the room.
“You seek to enter the astral plane,” it said, its gaze fixed on Notty. “But you are not prepared.”
Notty swallowed hard, forcing herself to stand her ground. “I don’t have a choice. I need to stop the entity that’s hunting me.”
The figure tilted its head, its expression inscrutable. “The path you seek is fraught with peril. You will face challenges that will test the very fabric of your being. Are you willing to risk everything?”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation.
The figure’s burning eyes shifted to Ludikrousz. “And you, mortal? Why do you walk this path?”
Ludikrousz didn’t flinch under its gaze. “Because she’s not doing this alone.”
The figure studied him for a long moment before stepping forward, its presence almost suffocating. “Very well. But you should know, this is not a place for the weak or the unworthy. Only those with true purpose can get through it.”
It raised a hand, and the air around them grew colder. Threads of light and shadow began to weave together, forming a barrier that pulsed with magic.
“To prove your worth, you must face me,” the figure said, its voice reverberating like a distant thunderclap.
Notty and Ludikrousz exchanged a glance, their resolve hardening. As the figure’s power swirled around them, they braced themselves for the battle that would decide their fate. Would it make or break them?