The head cultist's voice cut through the stillness of the cabin like a blade.
"It is time to rest. The King's blessing comes in dreams. Do not resist. Do not stray."
No one answered. We just looked at each other—wary, uncertain. Sleep felt like a betrayal waiting to happen, but staying awake seemed just as dangerous.
One by one, we gave in.
As I lay back, the dark pressed in fast. And then the dreams came—twisted, vivid, too real to forget.
—
Josh's eyes snapped open inside a void without end. Mirrors stretched in all directions, infinite reflections of infinite worlds. Each shimmered with strange versions of himself, of us. The whispers started then—faint, urgent, too fast to follow. From the dark, something stirred. A shadow of a dragon's head emerged, massive and silent, scales darker than space. It loomed over the mirrors, then exhaled. Wind howled like a storm through glass. The mirrors shattered, shards flying like razors. Even the void cracked and splintered like old wood under strain. Josh screamed—and woke, heart racing, chest tight.
—-
Hana found herself on a street she hadn't walked in years. Familiar. Yet wrong. A man stepped from the shadows—his eyes cold, empty. He came at her fast. No words, no reason. Panic hit, but muscle memory kicked in. She fought, barely thinking. Her hand closed on a knife, and then—it happened. She drove it into his neck, again, again—until the hole in his throat was wide and wet and silent. He fell. She woke up gasping, hands shaking, mouth dry with fear.
—
In my cabin, the walls breathed. Something scraped just beneath the floorboards, like claws on old wood. Shadows danced along the ceiling, stretching long fingers toward my bed. A shape loomed above me, all teeth and black eyes. I couldn't move. I couldn't scream. Then, with a sudden jolt, I was awake. Drenched in sweat. Alone. But not really.
—
Lexi walked through a forest choked in mist. The only sound was the crackle of dry leaves underfoot—until she stepped on something soft. A pop. Then writhing. The egg split open, and a tide of tiny spiders spilled over her shoes, up her legs, into her sleeves, her hair, her mouth. They bit. She screamed. The forest twisted into a blur of motion—and she snapped awake, slapping at her skin, eyes wild.
—
Andrew's dream looked like a fantasy come true. Champagne, applause, flashing lights. He was rich, respected, adored. But it all unraveled. The cheers became shouts. Headlines. Handcuffs. People turned away. The money vanished. He stood alone in an empty office, staring at the hollow version of his life. He woke up with a start, jaw clenched, and that sick feeling of loss coiling deep inside.
—
We all woke at once.
The air in the cabin shifted—colder, thinner, sharp with something we couldn't name. None of us spoke. We didn't need to. The nightmares clung to us, too vivid to explain, too strange to forget.
Whatever the King's "blessing" was, it felt like something else entirely.
Maybe a warning. No… a promise.
Morning took its time. When the sun finally pushed through the trees, it brought no warmth.
We stepped outside together, quiet, still shaken. No one mentioned the dreams.
From the far edge of the clearing, Merea approached—calm as ever, her expression unreadable. That calm made her seem even more unreal, like something half-lost in a dream.
"Did the King show you your blessings?" she asked. Her voice was soft, but something in it twisted the air, made my skin prickle.
We looked at each other again, unsure how to answer.
I swallowed. "Yeah. I guess you could call it that."
Josh spoke next, slowly. "It felt like… everything. All at once. Mirrors. Shadows. A dragon's head."
Hana wrapped her arms around herself. "I was fighting. I think I killed someone. I don't even know who."
Lexi rubbed at her neck like she could still feel the bites. "Spiders. Thousands of them. They were inside my clothes, my mouth…"
Andrew let out a dry laugh. "I had everything I wanted. Then it all vanished. Just like that."
Merea nodded, studying us one by one. "These are not mere dreams. They are the King's signs. Warnings. Invitations."
She let that hang in the air.
"You'll need to be strong. What you saw was only the beginning."
The forest around us seemed to hush, like it too was listening.
"We need to prepare," she said quietly.
"Tonight, the King's presence will deepen"
Then she turned and disappeared into the trees like smoke.
For a moment, no one moved
.
Then the cabin door slammed open.
Jonny stumbled out, tears streaking her face, eyes wide and terrified. She looked like she'd been through a war.
Rodger followed, jaw tight, fists clenched. He looked just as shaken—but buried it faster. Too fast. Like he needed to believe it hadn't broken him.
"What happened?" Hana asked, her voice gentle but urgent.
Jonny wiped her eyes with shaking hands. "They're real. The dreams. Every part of them. The King's curse—it's in us now."
Rodger nodded grimly. "You think you're safe when you wake up?" He looked at the ground. "You're not."
Silence fell.
The sun was still shining, but the world felt dimmer. The woods around us no longer felt like shelter.
More like a cage.