Croxer: Welcome to the CDA

"Dreams" are the whispers of possibilities, reminding us that reality is only a canvas for the imagination.

***************

After the interview, I returned home that evening. Since my mother and sister were not at home, I decided to head up to my room to think about what I would ask Mr. Alex later that night.

I guess I didn't realize how tired I was because, while deliberating on my questions, an overpowering urge to sleep took over, and I had no choice but to surrender.

As I slowly opened my eyes, all I could see were blurs. I blinked continuously to regain clarity. Once my vision cleared, I realized I was standing in the middle of my bedroom.

I looked around to orient myself and then my gaze landed on a man sitting at the edge of my bed—Mr. Alex. It became clear to me that I had drifted off to sleep and found myself transported into my dream.

"Good evening, Mister Lucas! Or is it good morning? I can never tell with how this place operates."

I suppose I'll have to get used to the extra titles being added to my name if I want to work with him.

By the way, do we always have to meet in my bedroom? I don't believe the CDA would not have provided a place for their agents to gather, especially in a "realm" that's supposed to be under their protection.

As if reading my mind, Mr. Alex said, "Sorry for the inconvenience. It is standard protocol for apprentices to finish their training before they can be brought to headquarters." He smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head and continued, "So we have to make do with what we have."

I can accept that, as long as nothing affects my pay. Come to think of it, I didn't check if the money came through before I fell asleep. That will be the first thing I do when I wake up.

"So does that mean we will be training in my bedroom? No offense, but I want to make it clear that I am not interested in men."

I don't know if I was imagining it, but I think I saw a sad look in his eyes when I said that; however, I'll just chalk it up to Mr. Alex being his usual, eccentric self.

"Don't worry; the place where we will be training is designed to get you the quickest results. The CDA doesn't need little chicks to babysit. We already have our hands full with the constant threats trying to destroy the collective."

I got a rough idea from Mr. Alex's explanation about what the CDA was trying to achieve, but I was still curious about something: "How will I know when I am done with my training and ready to advance?"

Mr. Alex raised his hand with three fingers outstretched after I asked the question. He then brought one finger down before saying, "That would be your first question."

When he invited me to ask him questions tonight, I had no idea it would be limited to only three. It must also be part of their protocols, so I have to think carefully before asking any questions.

'I guess the bedroom question earlier wasn't considered a serious question.'

Focusing back on Mr. Alex, he said, "Well, if you want to know when you have ranked up, there's no need to think too much about it. You will instinctively feel it. But if you want a more detailed representation, just click your left or right molar—whichever one you're most comfortable with—and you'll be able to see it."

Following his instructions, I clicked my left molar, and then I saw a screen displaying all my values.

*Isn't this trope a bit cliché?* I thought to myself.

There were values I could understand, and there were some I couldn't wrap my head around.

The display showed:

**CROXER: LUCAS DOUGLAS** 

**RANK: NONE** 

**ENERGY: 1** 

**BUOYANCY: 5** 

**CHARGE: 6** 

**WHISPERS: NONE** 

My mind was filled with many questions about what each of these statistics represented. However, with a limited number of questions I could ask, I quickly calmed my thoughts. The most important question to consider now is what will help me advance steadily within the CDA, and to do that, I must fully understand what I am protecting.

I exhaled gently before asking, "What does the CDA understand about the 'collective'?" I recalled that he had previously mentioned that no one fully understands the collective, but as an organization dedicated to its protection, there must be something they have realized. Since I work for them, I need to understand it as well.

"Well, that's a good question," he said. He paused to think, and after a while, he continued, "Based on your current rank, I can't tell you everything, but I can share enough for you to grasp the concept."

"The collective is not a dream, nor is it a parallel world; it exists alongside us here as the combined subconscious of every living thing in the world."

"It acts as a code to which reality must adhere. The only exception to this rule is those who are aware of its existence—the Croxers."

He stopped to catch his breath before continuing, "In simpler terms, the Collective is like a rehearsal, and reality is the main play. The Croxers are the security that protects the rehearsal from those who wish to disrupt it."

"The encroachers," I said subconsciously.

"Exactly," Mr. Alex confirmed.

Mr. Alex's explanation added to what I already knew about the Collective. If we consider the Collective as a rehearsal, it makes sense that there would be a specific time for this rehearsal—' the Devil's Hour,' I thought.

During my experiments to determine what abilities I could gain from the Collective, I noticed one tiny detail: every day at exactly 3 AM, I would be transported into the Collective. It didn't matter whether I was asleep or awake; I still ended up in the Collective. After what felt like a whole day there, I would return to find that only a minute had passed in the real world.

After doing some research, I discovered the reason for this phenomenon. At 3 AM, supernatural activity is heightened due to the veil between the physical world and the spiritual world becoming thin. In this case, the spiritual world is the Collective, while the physical world is reality.

While I was contemplating what I had just heard from Mr. Alex, the man in question stood there quietly, allowing me to fully digest the information. After a while, he said, "You have asked two questions; there remains one."

It was a no-brainer to decide which question I wanted to ask: "Anytime I think of the CDA I always feel it is an ancient organization that has lasted through the ages so I want to know if it is a normal thing or if I am just being paranoid ?" I asked directly

Some people might gloss over this detail, attributing the feeling to common sense by saying, "Of course it's ancient. For an organization to serve as the official protector of the collective, it must be ancient."

But I wasn't convinced. Given the role of the collective, it's clear that it has been around since life on this planet began. For an organization to exist for that long is unlikely, especially one run by humans.

It seemed my question rattled him because instead of answering, he asked me a question of his own: "Why do you feel that way?"

'Hey, wasn't I supposed to be the one asking the questions?' I thought, but I quickly let it go and began to think about how to respond.

'It seems he doesn't expect me to attribute the feeling to common sense.' After a few seconds, I came up with an answer.

"It's just a gut feeling," I said honestly.

He looked at me strangely before responding, "Mr. Lucas, you're smarter than you look."

"Thank you very much," I replied subconsciously, before realizing the second meaning behind his words.

"Wait a second, what's wrong with how I look?"

He casually ignored my question and continued to explain.

"I can only attribute this feeling to one thing—resonance."

I stayed silent and allowed him to continue.

He then started looking around the room as if searching for something. When he seemed to find what he was looking for, he moved to pick it up. It was a waste bin and a single sock. He placed the waste bin by the door and said, "Let's take this sock to represent you and the waste bin to represent the rest of the collective."

I nodded in understanding, signaling him to continue.

"If I throw this sock into the waste bin, whether it goes in or not is not important. What matters is the force that propels the sock toward the waste bin." He then proceeded to throw the sock toward the waste bin to emphasize his explanation.

"That force is resonance."

"Resonance," I made sure to note mentally.

"It is a random phenomenon that seeks to connect everything within the collective. Because it's so random, the connections it tries to create will also end up being random, which is why most connections end up failing."

"Despite its randomness, a person who is sufficiently trained can still exert a little control over this force, allowing them to connect with others in the collective."

So, that explains why I couldn't get that meeting with him out of my mind. He must have resonated with me. So, what entity did I resonate with to feel this way about the CDA?

Mr. Alex seemed like he was done answering my questions, so I could only hold back my curiosity for now.

"Since we're done with the questions and answers, it's finally time for your induction."

"Induction? What induction?"

******************

Nestled in the heart of the city stood an array of towering buildings, each a distinctive monument to various ministries. The once-vibrant halls, designed to echo with the bustling chatter of government officials and clerical staff, now lay eerily still. A haunting silence enveloped the area, creating an unsettling atmosphere that made the surroundings feel like a forsaken ghost town. Shadows danced along the empty corridors, and the absence of life lent an air of desolation to the grand architecture as if time itself had forgotten this place.

It was nerve-wracking moving through this desolate area. It was understandable, for since the moment I became aware of the Collective, I had never left the confines of my home out of fear of what could be out there.

But at this moment, I didn't feel fear; all I felt was utter excitement. It seemed that leaving my comfort zone brought out something in me that I had no idea existed. *For Christ's sake, don't tell me I am turning into an adrenaline junkie.*

"Gen Ed," Mr. Alex suddenly said.

"Hmm?" I responded subconsciously to the spontaneous word he had spoken.

Noticing my confusion, he opened his mouth to explain. "Whenever I say 'Gen Ed,' I will be giving you vital information necessary for your training," he briefly clarified.

Oh, that was what it was. I thought it was another one of his eccentric quirks; luckily, I was wrong.

Noticing that I understood him, he went on to explain the situation we were in. He started explaining the reason for this "ghost town".

According to him, It is one of the responses the Collective takes whenever an encroacher appears. All the people present leave the designated area to prevent harm from coming to them, Mr. Alex explained.

This is a normal occurrence for encroachers that have just formed. Those encroachers that have lived long enough can cause chaos before the Collective can react.

Based on this explanation, I was curious about how reality would play out in this situation. Well, based on what I had observed in my family, the Collective would just patch it up like a bug in a computer system.

But wait, if everywhere is deserted right now, doesn't that mean—

"ROARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!"

Amid my thoughts, a bone-shaking roar suddenly echoed from the sky. A dark shadow blocked out the sun, and upon closer inspection, it was getting bigger.

*No, it's getting closer,* I quickly corrected myself.

In the next moment, a shockwave spread out from the epicenter where the creature landed. Looking up, my back immediately became drenched in sweat as I witnessed the monstrosity before me.

It had an unnaturally large, deformed appearance with red glowing eyes. Its sharp claws and fangs were perfectly designed for hunting prey, and its skin was covered in scales with spikes protruding from its back. It was a monstrosity, an abomination of nature—a being of chaos and destruction, the very embodiment of a creature wishing to end existence itself. It was an "ENCROACHER."

A sudden laughter brought me out of my shocked state.

"Gets them every time." Mr.Alex suddenly said in a tone not fitting this situation

"So, Lucas," I noticed he didn't add a title to my name this time, "what do you think is the most important thing you have to know if you want to become an agent?"

I couldn't answer because I had instinctively held my breath due to the pressure being released.

"If you want to become an official agent…"

The pressure wasn't coming from the monster.

"You have to know the steps to take when handling vermin."

It was coming from the man standing beside me.

"Pay attention, Lucas; this will be vital for your training."

At that moment, I felt something I wasn't supposed to feel. It wasn't fear, panic, or even hope. All I could feel was raw excitement. Raw excitement for the battle that was about to take place.