2 The Infinite Void
On the other side of the sleepy veil, Xander's soul fragment assumed his corporeal form, dressed in the same clothes that he had on in the real world.
The part of his soul that remained inside his actual body only kept him alive, but had no consciousness of its own, while the soul fragment that crossed over to the Infinite Void contained the true essence of Xander's being.
As the Dreamwalker slowly opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of nowhere, inside a vast abyss with nothing but darkness stretching out in every direction.
The Infinite Void was a place where nothing made of flesh and bone could survive, yet the Dreamwalkers were always welcome here. In fact, for Xander, this place was like a second home.
Though to the untrained eye it seemed inhospitable and bleak, it wasn't as barren as it looked. The void had its own share of secrets, ones which it only divulged to a chosen few.
The only tangible object in this dark plain was a shattered oval mirror framed in gold. In it, Xander could see his own hazy reflection standing beside the woman who had been found hanging from the ceiling.
As he stepped close to the glassy surface, smoky gray letters appeared before him, welcoming him to the Infinite Void.
[The Void embraces the weary traveler.]
[You who walk between life and death]
[Beware the path of shadows.]
After the words disappeared, Xander touched the mirror with his left thumb, deliberately pricking his skin on the broken glass. As his blood trickled down the mirror, it turned scarlet red, and a string of glowing white letters flashed before his eyes.
[Dreamwalker System activated!]
[Dreamwalker's Name: Xander Nyxon.]
[Dreamwalker Rank: Adept.]
[Dreamwalker Level: 4.]
[Unlocked Skills:]
[1. Card Collector (Level 2): The Dreamwalker can store up to ten cards in his deck.]
[2. Dealer's Gift (Level 2): The Dreamwalker can carry a set of five cards with him.]
[3. Mystic Armory (Level 2): The Dreamwalker can store up to four Mystical Weapons in his armory.]
[4. Master of Arms (Level 2): The Dreamwalker can carry a maximum of two weapons with him.]
After taking a good look at his active skills, Xander stepped away from the mirror and clapped his hands twice. "Reveal your secrets."
Immediately, the dark void was replaced by a vast expanse of infinite space. The velvety night sky bedazzled with stars stretched out in every direction, as far as the eye could see.
Xander found himself standing on a broken white marble staircase with three paths in front of him.
The one on his left was made of three floating red stones, the one on his right was made of three floating blue stones, and the one down the middle consisted of four floating black stones.
Taking the path on his right, Xander reached an ornate chest with a gilded lid and a lock shaped like the crescent moon.
This was the Dreamwalker's personal armory and contained his collection of special weapons. Some of them had been acquired from idyllic Dreamscapes while others had been obtained from twisted Nightscapes.
However, these weapons could only be used in this world. There was no way he could bring anything back to his own world.
Having been on the path for two years, Xander knew the rules. He opened the chest by whispering an ancient incantation and pulled out two tiny clay tablets from inside.
Immediately, a panel of white light appeared before him, confirming his selections.
[Weapons selected:]
[1. The Eyeless Watcher (Nightmare Weapon)]
[2. The Dream Cleaver (Nightmare Weapon)]
Putting the tablets inside his jacket's left pocket, he returned to the starting point.
From there, he took the left path that led him to a red crystal statue of a blind woman holding a nine-sided dice in each hand. It wasn't just any ordinary sculpture but a manifestation of Amara, the Goddess of trickery and deception.
Xander whispered another incantation before the statue, and immediately a deck of glowing cards appeared before him. There were ten cards in the deck, each with a unique picture on it. He carefully selected five cards from the deck and pulled them out.
[Cards selected:]
[1.Eye of Truth (Dream Card)]
[2. Oracle's Protection (Dream Card)]
[3. Destiny's Child (Dream Card)]
[4. Beast Companion (Dream Card)]
[5. Arctic Kiss (Dream Card)]
The very next second, all other cards in the deck disappeared.
Once more Xander returned to the starting point. This time, the paths on his left and right disappeared, and only the one in the middle remained.
Breathing the cool night air, Xander stepped onto the floating black stones. They led him to a black marble arch with dark gray smoke swirling inside it.
Though Xander had traveled to dozens of Nightscapes in the past, there was no way for him to know what lay on the other side since every nightmare was unique.
However, one thing was certain. This Nightscape was going to be crawling with malevolent beings since it was a Death Nightmare.
"Another day, another nightmare," he sighed, stepping into the smoke.
A cackling laughter echoed from the other side, and the arch collapsed into a heap of stones.
Once the veil of smoke cleared away, Xander found himself in the middle of a graveyard with cracked headstones all around him. Strangely enough, none of them had any names, and the years were barely readable.
The sky above was dark with a blood-red moon peeping through the veil of fleecy gray clouds. A chilly wind was blowing across the Nightscape, lifting the dried leaves from the ground and making them dance around the Dreamwalker.
Xander could sense a dark aura in his surroundings. He felt like he was being watched from the shadows, and it made him feel anxious and jittery.
"Find me if you can, Dreamwalker!" A raspy female voice echoed in his ears, sending shivers down his spine.
He caught a glimpse of a white shadow from the corner of his eyes as it rushed past him and disappeared into the darkness.
