Lost Ballad- Lost Souls

'Welcome to the Dream Realm, Miss Emily", Emily was greeted as soon as she entered through massive gates made of gold.

She spun her head around to see what was around her. The person who led her seemed to be a small child wearing white robes and holding what appeared to be a notepad. He took small steps but was still walking faster than one would expect.

"On the left side you can see the room for the Dream Apparitions", the small child spoke.

"Dream Apparitions?" she looked to her left side and saw a room filled with hanging robes with smiley faces drawn on them. One of the lifeless robes suddenly detached from the rest and turned into a young female with long brown hair and cute features. The girl moved to the door labeled 'Exit 5'.

"Dream Apparitions are fill-ins of the characters in one's dream. They accompany the souls on their journey to the dream world, based on their recent memories and what they were thinking about. They become the people that one sees in their dreams."

"So they act like the people the dreamer has in their life?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, they are provided with the role from the Dream Diary. When the dreamer falls asleep, the first seven minutes till they enter the dream realm is used to analyze how their dreams will play out."

"Oh! I see..." she said as she looked at the Dream Apparitions busy in their work.

The child entered a small room and told Emily to follow him inside.

The room seemed to be of a boy considering all the tech magazines piled on the table. There was a person lying on the bed. He was napping peacefully. He wore a lab coat and was sleeping with his shoes on. 'Eh? Where do people who sleep inside the dream realm go?'

As if reading her mind the child replied, "They enter the dream within a dream, it is one of the most complex dream paths, and mostly only vivid dreamers tend to enter them"

"Mister Greyhound, I would appreciate it if you could wake up" The child poked the person's cheek.

The napping person finally opened his eyes, "Mom just five more minutes", he yawned and turned over. The child was annoyed and kicked him in the gut surprising Emily.

"Get your lazy ass up", the child demanded, Grey sat upright with full attention.

"This is Miss Emily, she is going to join you as the new Dream Regulator", he introduced them.

"Ah, how do you do? My name is Emily, please take care of me", she spoke politely.

"Yeah yeah, likewise," he said uninterested.

"You have to show her the realm of the Underworld, do you understand?" the child ordered him.

"Why does it have to be me?" Grey said groggily.

"Because you are the only Key Holder that is available."

"Agh, I wanted to sell some organs though," Grey complained.

"Organs?" Emily felt disgusted.

Grey looked at her and scoffed. "Fine Princess, I shall accompany you to hell"

He stood up and told her to follow him.

He opened an old crooked door and there seemed to be a large entity standing outside. Shiver ran down Emily's spine.

"Do not worry, that is the Soul Reaper. He has come to take some souls as they sleep." he turned to look at Emily, "Since you are already dead then you have nothing to fear"

'Dead,' the way he said it was unpleasant. The Soul Reaper seemed over 120 meters in height. He was covered from head to toe in dark robes and held a book in one hand, while a scythe in the other.

"Alright Princess, watch your step, beyond this door is the realm of the demons. Do not make eye contact with them. Do not listen to their whispers and most importantly, do not show fear"

"Wait, why do I have to go there? I don't want to go to the underworld."

"It is protocol, the dream master has ordered all dream regulators to overlook the underworld as well. There are times when dreamers end up stuck in the underworld and have a hard time escaping, so we have to make a way out for them." Grey explained as he walked down the stairs beyond the door.

"So are there like, actual demons down there?" Emily grabbed the back of Grey's lab coat to prevent herself from getting lost.

"Of course, just like the angels that exist beyond the paradise realm."

"So there are three realms within the dream realm?"

"Correct, Paradise, Worldly, Underworld"

"Okay, I think I understand a bit now."

"No Princess, there is still a lot you need to learn"

"Like what?"

"Like when to trust the entities in the dream realm" Grey smirked as he turned back to look at her.

Emily was surprised by his words and instinctively let go of his coat and Grey suddenly disappeared.

She was now lost in the underworld.

...

I grabbed my father's gold club as I walked towards the front door.

'I am so done with all this.'

I peeked outside the house and everything was too foggy to see anything. I couldn't see anything properly, so I decided to find a torch.

As I turned back inside, my family was sitting on the sofa watching a tv show, my parents and sister were there, and again, my brother wasn't.

It caught me off guard and I nearly dropped the gold club.

"Mary, what are you doing there? The show has started already! Come and watch with us", my mother smiled.

"Ahan,..." I slowly walked behind the sofa to see what they were watching.

What I saw, turned my stomach.

[Someone was dragging a body throughout our house for fun. The person in a black hoodie was laughing hysterically as he dragged a familiar body from my room to the front door.]

The body was of Yaya.

"EMBRACE THE MADNESS AND BE SAVED!!!"

The dreadful voice of the narrator had returned. He laughed.

"You have messed with me enough..." I replied with my lips shaking.

"I am going to kill you" I threw the golf club at the television and broke it.

The narrator was amused.

"Come and get me then!" He laughed.

My parents and sister, who sat on the sofa suddenly rose up, and they stared at me furiously.