The Mystic World (BOOK 1): Lost Ones

Chapter 2: Words of Wisdom Never Betray

What the old man had told Arman had puzzled him. "Follow the dreams that were never clear-cut." He asked himself, "And even if they do, what good would they do to change my life?" He thought to himself, "I don't even know why I am thinking about what he said, like seriously? What am I even thinking? A dream is a series of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and images that typically arise involuntarily in the mind during specific sleep stages."

He leaves his mother behind and goes back to his room, not wanting her to become involved in his troubles. Arman was aware of his mother's over-protectiveness toward him and her dislike of the thought of her son being physically assaulted by a rift-raft who attempts to negatively highlight his strength.

He attended to his wounds before moving to his desk and taking a seat to study. Though he was making a lot of effort, his thoughts were diverted by the old man's words. Despite his reluctance, he secretly wished to find out if his dreams would actually help him solve his problems. However, on the other hand, his mind refused to accept the existence of anything that was illogical or untrue.

He continued to struggle, but his thoughts kept returning to the same evening's events. "It's useless; I'm simply too upset to focus on my studies. This is not how I can focus. Why did he have to stand before me to impart his "words of wisdom"? If only he hadn't appeared that way, I could have studied without difficulty by now.

Arman was taken aback by how much had happened in his life, but he had never been so unsettled that he was unable to focus on his books. Despite having the books in front of him, he lacked the motivation to read and learn stuff. In the end, he made the decision to eat his dinner and go to bed early.

Arman went to his bed after supper and jumped on it. He covered himself with his blanket and closed his eyes. He attempted to sleep but was unable because he was not at ease. The same words were repeatedly taking up space in his mind. He was terrified of what he would see in his dream and worried that his dreams would start revealing things to him that he wasn't ready to hear. He wasn't even sure if he was ready to accept that there was any significance to his own dreams.

He did eventually nod off and begin to dream. It was the identical dream to the one he'd had in the morning. A lonely, dark room with just him in it. He enquired, "Is anyone here?" with interest. "I realize that believing in something like this is foolish, so..."

"Words of wisdom never betray"

Something in the dark spoke up and interrupted Arman. He had the impression that he had heard this voice before, but he was unable to place it or comprehend it. "Hello? Who are you?" Arman begged in desperation, "Please respond to me!" However, he did not hear back. He tried running and followed his heart, but he was unable to locate anyone. He feels as though someone has rested a hand on his shoulder all of a sudden. He quickly turns around to see a dark figure staring at him with angry red eyes. Arman was startled out of sleep by the terrifying presence of this entity. He wiped the perspiration from his brow and said, "What the hell was that?"

He had the implication that something in this dream was clearly off. He had the feeling that he knew this person, but he couldn't quite place them. Arman eventually found the courage to approach the window, even though he was too afraid to leave his bed. "Did I dream this or was this real life?" he asked himself.