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Chapter 3 - Chapter 2

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The Dream

10 Years Later .....

Nicolas walked through the school gates, looking around at the crowded hallway. He just wanted to go fast and avoid trouble. But trouble found him anyway.

Joseph and Logan, the school bullies stars, blocked his path. They taunted at him, and Nicolas knew he was in for a beating.

"Hey, Nicolas, what's up?" Joseph taunted. "Still think you're a superhero?"

Logan joined in, by gripping his fists towards Nicolas. "Yeah, or maybe you're just a freak who can't defend himself?"

Nicolas tried to stand up for himself, but the bullies were too strong. They hit him again and again, until he fell to the ground.

As they walked away, Joseph called out, "Hey, Nicolas, let's get some ramen! You can buy it, loser!"

Nicolas struggled to his feet, his nose throbbing with pain. He made his way to the school infirmary, where the doctor looked after to his wounds.

After this , Nicolas headed home, feeling sad and alone. It was his eighteenth birthday, but it didn't feel like a celebration

to him.

When he got home, his little sister Emma ran to hug him. "Happy birthday, Nicolas!" she exclaimed.

Nicolas forced a smile. "Thanks, Emma."

As they ate a simple birthday dinner, Emma asked, "Nicolas, do you think Mom and Dad would be proud of us?"

Nicolas looked at her and said, "Absolutely, Emma. They'd be proud of us for being brave and taking care of each other."

Later that night, Nicolas lay in bed, his little sister Emma snuggled up beside him. As they drifted off to sleep, Nicolas felt a sense of peace washing over him.

But his peace was short-lived. Nicolas fell into a deep sleep, and his dream began.

He found himself standing in a vast, dark land. The ground beneath his feet was dry and cracked, and the air was thick with an eerie silence.

A figure stood before him, shrouded in shadows. As Nicolas drew closer, the figure slowly turned to face him.

Nicolas's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the person before him. The man wore a long, white coat, like a scientist.

"Welcome, Nicolas," the man said. "I have been waiting for you."

Nicolas felt like he knows him but he cannot remember him so after long thinking he asked directly "Who are you?"

The man smiled. "I am a guide," he said. "And you, Nicolas, are a dreamwalker."

Nicolas's mind reeled as the man's words How does he know that I am a dream walker in my dream ?

Nicolas was confused. "How do you know I'm a dreamwalker?" he asked.

The man smiled again. "It's easy. I can figure it out, because I am watching you from many years Nicolas

Nicolas asked, then you said you are a guide them "What kind of guide are you?"

The man replied, "I can answer any question you have."

Nicolas thought for a moment, then asked, "Who am I? And who are you?"

The man's expression changed. "You are a result of a failed experiment," he said. "You were created by mistake. And I'm the head scientist who created you. But I'm not alive anymore. I'm just a consciousness."

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