Little Nemo really amazed his parents with his new improvements. At such a young age, he already became proficient in fencing, mathematics, ballroom dancing, history, Latin, horse riding, and a dozen or more skills.
They were not as surprised as Nemo was himself. He thought that his adventure that involved rescuing King Morpheus and killing the Nightmare King and ended with a kiss from Princess Camille was all a dream…until he returned to King Morpheus' palace the next night. And the next. And the night after. Being the jolly but fierce old man's heir to the kingdom wasn't a dream. Well, not completely a dream. All the tutoring Nemo had in his dreams stayed with him into his waking world.
What was even weirder was that he met the circus ringmaster, organist, clown, and the performer that looks like Princess Camille in real life. He thought that his dreams were influenced by things he had seen, like the toy train he had seen causing his nightmare and the characters in Slumberland being based on the circus.
Nemo's mom was relieved at first. Not only did her son stop waking up from constant nightmares and sneaking pie from the ice box at night, but also became quite talented.
At everything.
Then she noticed her baby boy sleeping more and more. She even caught Nemo sneaking spoonfuls of laudanum from the medicine cabinet to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
"I don't know what to do, John. I'm worried about Nemo. He's been sleeping more and more."
"Nonsense, dear. He's a growing boy and besides, have you seen how hard he is working? I couldn't be more proud of him."
Meanwhile in Slumberland, Nemo was having the time of his life with Camille and Bon Bon. For some reason, Icarus the flying squirrel went to the dreamland with him. Apparently he was Little Nemo's familiar, just like the creatures owned by spellcasters, and was bonded to him.
He even worked hard under Professor Genius and the rest of the tutors' instruction.
Flip wasn't welcome in Slumberland anymore, but his pet crow still Flap was. Nemo played with it, even ordering the servants to give it a bath. The bird's feathers looked absolutely beautiful afterwards.
He patiently listened to King Morpheus' instruction. Ruling over the kingdom of dreams is a once in a lifetime opportunity that only a few people in the history of the world possessed.
Compared to Slumberland, the real world seemed horribly dull.
One day, they had an important visitor to Slumberland.
His arrival was announced by a fleet of black creatures that blotted out the sun with their gaunt, black forms, carrying humans. They were carrying a platform filled with more people. The arrival was greeted by a fanfare of trumpets.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" a loud mouthed herald said in a shrill voice "Please rise for the entrance of Kuranes, King of the Land of Celephais in the land of the Ooth-Nargai, near the Cerenerian Sea. Master of Dreams and creator of our land."
A regal-looking man rode his horse into the palace, flanked by armed guards.
"Greetings, old friend!" Morpheus said joyfully as he went to hug the man who dismounted from his horse.
"Likewise, Morphy." The other man said with a grin.
"Let the feast begin!" Morpheus announced.
Nemo was so unnerved by the shadowy black creatures with membranous black wings, long horns, and worst of all, no face, that he lost his appetite.
"Don't worry about the Nightgaunts, little friend." Kuranes said from a nearby seat. "They just took me and my people here for a friendly visit to this sky place. The god Nodens lent them to me for a favor. They won't hurt anyone. They have no mouths and don't use their claws. They're only dangerous because they make absolutely no sound, tickle their victims with their tails and drag them off for other creatures to eat."
Nemo gulped nervously.
After the feast Nemo, Camille, Morpheus and Kuranes assembled in Camille's room.
"Nemo, allow me to formally introduce you to Kuranes. Just like you, he is a human from the waking world." King Morpheus said.
"What?" Nemo asked.
"I am glad to meet another dreamer again."
"You're from my world?"
"Yes, Nemo." Kuranes said. "You're the reason I'm here, to talk to you as a fellow king and creator of a dream land."
"But Morpheus is the king! And what do you mean, creator? I didn't create anything!"
King Morpheus let out a bellowing belly laugh. "Oh, really? Why do you think we're based on things you've seen in the waking world, my boy? A circus that you've seen, flying machines based on the things in your room, a nightmare about a train that was just like your toy?"
It began to make a lot of sense. He was right, Nemo thought.
"But this is not the only thing we need to talk about." Kuranes said "How have you been sleeping, Nemo?"
"Really well." Nemo stuttered "Not good, actually. It's hard to fall asleep. I sleep most of the day, but cannot sleep any more than usual."
"Have you taken anything to help you fall asleep easier?" Kuranes asked.
"N…no." Nemo said nervously. "Just a glass of milk. It's not like I took any drugs to help me fall asleep."
"You are such a terrible liar, Nemo." Camille said in frustration.
"Okay, I took just a bit of laudanum."
Kuranes sighed "I knew it. But it's not too late. You are still young. I hate to say it, but you need to spend more time in the waking world. And gods forbid, never take drugs, because they will shorten your life like I did. Yes, you will continue living in Slumberland for all eternity after your death and become its ruler, just like me. But that's an even greater reason to stay alive. You must live out your life."
"And why should I? It's boring, and my mother yells at me. I love it here, and I'll never get tired of Slumberland."
"Let me tell you my story." Kuranes said. "You might want to take a seat. Have Bon Bon bring refreshments if you want to, while I talk."
"I was born a British aristocrat, the last of thirteen generations living in my childhood home. I spent too much time in the dreamlands during my life, writing stories about my dreams. Unlike other writers, I did not write about how ugly the world is. Instead I wrote about how beautiful it is. Everyone laughed at my stories.
I started dreaming about my childhood home in Cornwall, before adults woke me. From the dream of my home, I went to the dream valley of Oooth-Nargai, filled with ginkgo trees.
Forty years later, I visited Celephais again. Nobody has aged in my absence. Me and Captain Athib sailed to the horizon where the sea meets the sky through the clouds, where we come to the pink marble cloud kingdom of Serannion.
For many nights afterwards, I couldn't reach Celephais, and I was forced to resort to drugs, especially hashish, under whose influence I've met the talking gas S'ngac in an area of space where form doesn't exist and barely escaped a horrible figure in a yellow silk mask.
Having spent all my money, I lost my mansion and spent the rest of my life living on the streets in Innsmouth, Massachussetts in America in poverty, until my knights came to take my soul, while my body washed ashore near my old home, now owned by a rich beer brewer. How do I know that? My subjects told me."
"Well, that won't happen to me." Nemo said.
"Years later, I felt so bored of my perfect new life, that I even recreated my old house in Celephais, without bothering to participate in my city's affairs. So please, Nemo. I implore you. You have a whole eternity to rule Slumberland as its king, god and creator, and you did not need forty years to find it like I did. Please live out a full life and pay more attention to your family in the waking world, or you'll spend an eternity regretting it. I died homeless and in poverty."
"I'm a what now? A god?"
"I swear, you are so dense." Camille said as she scratched a Nightgaunt under the chin. Icarus the flying squirrel looked at them in envy. "Weren't you paying attention?"
"Yes, young one." Morpheus said with a laugh. "Haven't you noticed how I'm based off the circus ringmaster and Camille, Professor Genius, Bon Bon, even that rascal Flip, are all based on the circus, your nightmare about the train was inspired by your toy, and the whole Slumberland's main method of transportation was inspired by the toy flying machines hanging from your bedroom's ceiling?"
It all began to make sense to Nemo. Slumberland wouldn't exist without the real world. Sure, it allows him to learn skills every night that transfer to the real world, but every time he learns something in the real world, it gets copied into Slumberland, allowing him to study it. The only problem is if he learns about something traumatic and horrible or is traumatized in the waking world, he will experience it a hundredfold at night in his dreams. His unique power allowed him to get superhuman abilities in the waking world, but was a double edged sword that could harm him. This is why King Morpheus had to guide him.
The horrible realization was shown on Nemo's face. He gulped again. "Wow." he said. "This is even worse than when Flick convinced me to open the door with Morphy's key. Only this time it is not reversible. The real world-sorry, the waking world sure is boring though."
Kuranes nodded smugly. "There you go, Nemo. If you do drugs like I did, you will regret it. You need to spend as much time as possible with your family, start a family of your own"
"-but what about Camille?" Nemo interjected. "I can't be cheating on her!"
"Don't worry about it." Camille smiled. "It will be a great new experience for both of us."
"Remember, every new experience you have in the waking world will be transferred to Slumberland." Morpheus said.
"Yes." Nemo said. No more drugs. As soon as he awoke, he'll go straight to the library. His parents will be proud of him. There are only this many experiences he could get in the waking world over one lifetime. He will get as many as he could to strengthen Slumberland.