Conscious, Conscientious

Lammy felt himself being rocked around. He heard the sound of wood creaking and bending, along with the deep, rhythmic thuds of horse’s hooves against the ground. The scent and sound of heavy rainfall filled the forest around him. Then he realized he was lying down on a hard floor.

He opened his eyes. His vision remained blurry for the next several seconds, but when it finally cleared, Lammy saw a round fabric roof above him held up by a thin wooden frame. The dull light from outside bled through the roof enough to cast a dim but visible shade on everything, revealing to Lammy that he was in the back of a traveling wooden carriage.

He turned his head to find Zayza lying across from him on the shaky floor, still asleep. Her gray beanie from Our Snowy Village was now gone, and her long hair spread out messily along the floor. She lay sprawled out awkwardly, as if whoever was handling her had carelessly dropped her there like a sack of hay. The dart from before was still stuck in her neck. Lammy felt his own neck to remove the dart that stabbed him, but found it was no longer there.

Lammy sat up, noticing their travel bags towards the front end of the carriage. Just behind those, he viewed something that infused his heart with dread.

Through the front opening, he could see Fewpar and Najinzu. Their backs were turned to him, and they sat in the rain on the front bench, steering the two horses that pulled the carriage.

Lammy’s heart raced. But…how? he wondered.

At any rate, he knew they couldn’t stay where they were. They needed to get out of there as quickly and quietly as possible. He turned his attention back to Zayza, leaning over to her to try and wake her. “Zayza…” he whispered softly.

Suddenly, the carriage slowed to an abrupt stop. Lammy lost his balance and fell over, immediately looking to Fewpar and Najinzu. They continued to sit in place.

“Did something startle your strong senses, good Najinzu?” Fewpar asked.

“Her friend stirs,” responded Najinzu. “I’ll see to it that he knows his place.”

“I shall accompany you.”

The duo turned and climbed inside the carriage, noting Lammy impassively. Lammy sat up, now shaking. He edged backward, closer to the rear of the carriage. Fewpar and Najinzu approached him and Zayza, standing above them.

“That fool Ryan apparently forgot to take into consideration that we had already used Fantasy Country magic to warp once,” Najinzu told Lammy. “After taking care of him, it was no issue warping again to find you.”

“Do not hope that you can escape with your criminal friend,” Fewpar added calmly. “We haven’t the patience to deal with your pointless attempts.”

Lammy stared up at them in terror. He was alone with two deadly men, and this time there was no one to stand up for him.

“I heard you trying to wake her,” continued Najinzu. “There is no use in attempting such a thing.” He walked closer to Zayza and grabbed the collar of her shirt, violently tugging her up into a sitting position. Zayza flopped, still unconscious. Najinzu shook her back and forth violently.

“Do you see, boy? She is deeply sedated.” He aggressively shoved her down. Zayza’s head and arms bounced against the hard floor lifelessly. “Your sadistic companion will not rouse for a while.” Glaring at her, Najinzu kicked Zayza hard on her side.

Lammy was speechless as tears clouded his vision.

“Najinzu, do restrain yourself from this roughhousing,” Fewpar said. “Wait until she is conscious; it’s much more enjoyable for you that way.”

Najinzu smiled darkly. “Then I wish she would awaken sooner,” he commented.

“I told you to give her a high dosage for a reason, good friend,” explained Fewpar. “It would be unfair if I let you have your fun without allowing myself a turn. I would like to have my own fun, as well.” His eyes lit up.

Najinzu chuckled. “Very well, very well…”

Lammy had never been so disgusted in his life. He felt a deep hatred for these men welling up within him. “You’re…you’re both…monsters,” he mustered the courage to say.

Fewpar and Najinzu stared at him, unmoved.

“It appears you have much to learn about your own friend before you label us ‘monsters,’” Najinzu uttered plainly. He turned to retake his place on the outer bench.

As Najinzu climbed out, Fewpar wordlessly began to follow.

“What did you do to my mom?” Lammy asked shakily, but clearly.

Fewpar paused. He stood in place for a few seconds, before turning to look at Lammy. “That determined little woman resembles you remarkably,” he noted.

“What did you do to her?” Lammy repeated, tears intensifying.

Fewpar appeared slightly perplexed. “One would think the son of such a woman would have much more faith in his mother’s ability to protect herself,” he said. “You truly have no reason to fear for her wellbeing.”

With that, Fewpar turned and joined Najinzu on the outside. The horses began to pull the carriage through the rainy forest once more.

Lammy sat there, taken completely off-guard. Wait…what? he wondered. Does that mean she’s okay? But he talked about her like she’s powerful, or something. That doesn’t make any sense—Mom is just a housewife. She never even uses her powers for anything.

Having been frightened, disgusted, hopeful, and confused all in a short amount of time, Lammy didn’t know what to feel anymore. He looked back at Zayza. She appeared so helpless, lying slumped and still beside him. Then Lammy noticed something lying just beyond her head: her beanie from Our Snowy Village. He picked it up, gently lifted Zayza’s head, and placed the hat underneath her as a pillow.

Lammy quietly brushed Zayza’s hair from her face. I won’t let those guys hurt you like they think they will, Zayza, he promised.

~

(In the Dream World…)

“I’m a killer,” said Zayza.

The sky was covered in dark green, almost black clouds. Transparent yellow raindrops fell onto the Dream World’s ground, but none of them made contact with Zayza as she sat on a rock in the middle of a clear stream. Her green dress reflected onto the water, but in the reflection it was pitch black. Tall, thin trees with sharp white leaves surrounded the stream where she sat alone.

Zayza stared unblinkingly at the running water before her. She wanted to take a drink from it, but felt she didn’t deserve to.

A blue lily pad appeared on the water, precisely where Zayza was staring. It remained in place, uninfluenced by the rush of the stream. Then out of the sky fell an orange snake, landing right on the lily pad. He was furry had no mouth, and looked up at Zayza with tiny, beady eyes.

“Are you going to kill me?” the snake asked. His voice was high-pitched and filled with vibrato, as if someone were shaking him around. If Zayza were in a better mood, she would have laughed upon hearing him.

“I don’t wish to,” Zayza told him.

“You are not a killer to me,” the odd snake decided.

“If you spend enough time with me, I cannot promise that will last,” Zayza explained. “Those I wish to come close to eventually find themselves in danger on my behalf. Ryan sacrificed himself so I could live. Lammy wanted to help me find my memories, and now violent men wish to harm him. Lammy’s mother came to try and rescue us, and those same two men probably killed her. I’m sure if you stay with me long enough, something terrible will come your way, too.”

“Why?” asked the snake.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

The snake stared at her for several seconds. Now that Zayza had gotten past his strange voice, she found him rather pleasant. In spite of herself, Zayza smiled.

“I shall stay away from you, then. Goodbye,” the snake said. He leaped into the water and swam away.

Heartbroken, Zayza watched him leave. “Goodbye,” she said. She began to cry softly, out of both grief and understanding. She longed for company, but now she knew for sure that the snake wouldn’t face harm by befriending her.

“The Dream World is very lonely,” Zayza realized aloud. “Maybe it’s best for everyone if I try to stay here.”

A mystical sound suddenly faded into existence behind her. Zayza turned to find a purple orb of light floating in place within arm’s reach.

“A memory? Why didn’t I hear this before?” Zayza wondered.

The light launched at her head, and with a flash it disappeared before her. When Zayza’s sight recovered, she remembered the memory’s contents. Ingredients flowed into her mind.

“These are…ingredients for a magic sleeping potion,” Zayza recalled. “Why did I once know how to make this?”

One of the yellow raindrops splashed on her cheek.

~

Lammy couldn’t tell how much time had passed since Fewpar and Najinzu came to speak with him, but he guessed it had been about an hour. He continued to sit beside Zayza, waiting and hoping for signs that she was coming around.

A drop of water dripped onto Zayza’s cheek. Lammy looked up to the ceiling of the carriage and spotted a small rip in it. Another drop fell on her.

Cut it out, thought Lammy. Wait, maybe I can imagine a patch. He focused on the spot of the rip and tried to mentally place a white patch over it. The patch appeared, but another drip fell through it as if it wasn’t there. Crap—no good, he realized. Why has my imagining always been so inconsistent? If I could just get this down, maybe I can use imagining to surprise Fewpar and Najinzu and break us out of here…

He continued to focus on the rip, repeatedly attempting to imagine a version of the patch that would affect reality.

Between attempts, Lammy heard Fewpar and Najinzu discussing something, though their voices were muffled underneath the sound of the rolling wheels and jogging horses. Lammy looked over to them and watched closely as they talked. He couldn’t read Najinzu’s lips because of the mask over his mouth, so he focused on Fewpar.

Lammy was fairly certain he noticed Fewpar say something like “I shall return soon.” Najinzu nodded and their conversation ended, but strangely, Fewpar didn’t leave.

That’s weird…Lammy thought. Maybe I saw it wrong? Reluctantly, he returned to his attempts of imagining the patch in the ceiling.

~

(The Dream World)

Zayza continued to sit alone on the rock. For the most part, the yellow rain only fell around her. But for some reason, every once in a while a single drop would splash onto her cheek in the same exact spot.

“Did you really think the prosciousness boy could deliver you from us?” someone asked from the side of the stream.

Frightened, Zayza quickly looked to where the voice had come from. She gasped as she saw Fewpar standing underneath a white-leaved tree. He was drenched from the rain as it continually poured on him. Fewpar was dressed in the same clothes as when he and Najinzu had first ambushed Zayza: he wore a light blue button-up jacket, tight dark pants and dressy blue shoes. He stood glaring at Zayza coldly.

He’s a Dreamer? Zayza thought despairingly.

“Ryan blindly sided with you, and unknowingly supported evil,” Fewpar continued. “He wouldn’t be the first to make that tragic mistake. But he will hopefully be the last.”

For some reason, Zayza felt more courage here inside the Dream World than when she encountered Fewpar in reality. She was still terribly afraid, but had the boldness to overcome it. Zayza stood up on the rock and turned to face Fewpar.

“I truly wish to know…” she began. “What did I do?”

Fewpar’s normally calm face suddenly became enraged. He shoved his hand into the air and aimed it at Zayza. Out of his palm he shot a blue ray of light. Before Zayza could even process it, the beam crashed into her.

With a bright explosion, Zayza was propelled backward. She felt a throbbing pain all over as she zipped through the air. After a few seconds, Zayza finally hit the black grass. She tumbled and slid across it before slowing to a stop.

Zayza lie on her back in a vast black field. The soreness that spread through her body now throbbed less frequently. However, now she found herself paralyzed: she could barely move, but not enough to sit up.

To Zayza’s dismay, Fewpar suddenly appeared before her, looking down at her with a perturbed expression.

“Please…what did I do?” Zayza repeated weakly.

“Let’s play a game together, shall we?” Fewpar announced. “Instead of simply telling you of all the pain you’ve caused to our entire nation, I will show you firsthand. I will try to make you feel every single ounce of the hurt to represent what you’ve done to us. Since you cannot remember, maybe this way will help you truly understand.”

Zayza watched him fearfully, still unable to defend herself.

Fewpar pointed his hand at her once more, and a circle of blue light filled his palm. He raised his hand high above him, and with full force, threw the light down at Zayza. It collided with her and exploded. Zayza shouted from the pain. Without hesitation, Fewpar charged more light into his palm and prepared to hurl this at Zayza, as well. But right when he was about to unleash the attack on her, he caught himself.

Zayza’s eyes were closed and she lay still.

The light faded from Fewpar’s hand as he grew calm once more. He watched Zayza for a while. Finally, he let out a single, bitter laugh.

“You were knocked dreamless after only two blows? It appears you have also forgotten your Tolerance Training,” he observed. “No matter—I will allow Najinzu to correct that for you. I’m sure he’ll leap at the opportunity.”

Fewpar stood tall and closed his eyes. He brought his hands together as if for prayer, and then he disappeared from the Dream World.

Zayza lay alone in the large black field as the rain fell around her. That repetitive, single drop still fell onto her cheek.

As she lay insensible, round, purple lights slowly descended from above and approached her. There were four memory orbs in total. As they neared her, they began to circle around her head. Then one by one, they leapt down at her and, with a flash, joined her memories.

~

Half of Zayza’s face was now wet from the raindrops passing through the rip in the ceiling. Disgruntled, Lammy pulled the sleeve of his shirt over his hand and wiped Zayza’s cheek dry. He would have simply moved her to the side, but he feared Najinzu would detect it with his heightened senses and assume they were trying to escape.

He returned his attention to the roof. Lammy guessed it had been a couple hours since he started trying to fix the rip, but there was nothing better to do as he sat in this miserable carriage. The only other option was to sit still and worry, and that had never helped him before. Besides, this distraction gave him an opportunity to strengthen his imagining and potentially give him a better chance against Fewpar and Najinzu.

Deon would have figured it out by now, Lammy thought. Heck, he would’ve gotten it on the first try.

Suddenly, Zayza flinched and let out a soft cry, as if she had been struck. Lammy instantly looked down at her—but he was disheartened to find she was still asleep. Only now, she was faintly frowning.

What’s happening to her in the Dream World? Lammy wondered, growing concerned.

After a few minutes, Lammy heard that Fewpar and Najinzu had begun talking again. Lammy hadn’t noticed until now, but they had remained totally silent since that last conversation Lammy tried to eavesdrop on. He couldn’t read Fewpar’s lips this time, since he was facing ahead to where they were traveling. He also couldn’t hear their voices at all—they were speaking quietly. Soon enough, they became silent.

More time passed, and nothing happened. Lammy tried to return to his imagining practice, but could only do it halfheartedly. He began to loathe the silence.

“Lammy…?” Zayza uttered groggily beside him. At last, she had awoken. She looked up at him from where she lay, both dazed and concerned.

Though Zayza appeared troubled, her voice comforted him. He was relieved to see her awake. “Hey,” he whispered. He leaned closer and helped her sit up.

“Where are we?” Zayza asked quietly, picking up on the fact that Lammy was whispering.

Lammy’s relief vanished and he grew somber. “They have us,” he explained.

At that moment, the carriage began to slow down. Lammy and Zayza looked nervously to where Fewpar and Najinzu sat.

Zayza rapidly turned back to Lammy as the daze in her eyes was replaced with worry. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?” she asked quickly.

Lammy shook his head. “But they want to hurt you,” he told her.

“They already have. Fewpar is a Dreamer,” Zayza explained. “He found me in the Dream World and—”

“And I’m far from done with you,” Fewpar finished. By now the horses had stopped. He stood from the outer bench and stepped inside the carriage, followed closely by Najinzu. “When you were knocked dreamless, you didn’t escape your fate, Zayza. In fact, you’ve only worsened it.”

Najinzu’s eyes gleamed menacingly.

“‘Knocked dreamless?’” Lammy repeated, looking at Zayza with worry.

“In the Dream World, a Dreamer can only tolerate pain up to the highest amount they’ve ever felt in reality,” Zayza explained soberly. “When they are harmed beyond that amount, they normally wake up in reality. But if their body is not ready to be conscious, they become ‘dreamless’—unconscious in both the Dream World and reality. And since I don’t remember my most painful experience, my pain tolerance is very low.”

Lammy, Fewpar, and Najinzu all stared at Zayza, dumbstruck by her sudden assertion of knowledge.

She must have recovered a memory earlier, Lammy realized.

“So you do remember some things, after all,” Fewpar scoffed quietly. “Then perhaps you recall this terminology: Pain Tolerance Training.”

Zayza winced at the sound of those words.

“Clearly we don’t have an official training clinic with us at the moment,” began Fewpar with a smirk. “But lucky for you, Najinzu here is quite the expert on how to make someone feel extreme pain. Soon, Zayza, you won’t be able to escape a beating in the Dream World so easily.”

All of the sudden, Najinzu appeared right beside Zayza—he had moved too quick for Zayza or Lammy’s eyes to follow. He reached to Zayza’s neck and plucked out the dart that was stuck in it. Then he grabbed Zayza by the arm.

“Come with me, princess,” he said excitedly. “It’s time to play.”