Author's Note: Thanks to all my reviewers, and even more thanks to Sugarmakesmeangry, who helped me come up with an idea for this and the remaining chapters of the story. You guys are the best!
The Dream
Dojo wasn't sure how far he had fallen before he came to a sudden and painful stop. All he could tell was that he had apparently hit the ground fairly hard, since even after opening his eyes and blinking he was still surrounded by an endless maze of swirling, inky darkness.
"Really dropped the ball on that one, didn't you, Dojo?" He grumbled to himself as he rubbed his head. He could see lights flickering in the distance, beckoning to him. The dragon felt an irresistible attraction to those lights, almost as strong as his attraction towards meatloaf.
It did not take him very long to get to where the lights were almost blinding him. "Hello?" He called. "Is anyone there?"
"No," replied another voice, a clear, sweet one that seemed to echo from all around him.
"Oh, that's very funny!" Dojo said. "Listen, I've got a really bad head injury and there's a maniac about to take over the world, so if I could get some help with getting out of this place then I would really appreciate it."
"You can't get out of here. Not now." The voice said.
"What?" Dojo demanded.
"This is your brain, Dojo Kanojo Cho." The voice explained.
Dojo shook his head. "Why is it so empty then?"
"Again, this is YOUR brain, my child."
"I get what this is now!" Dojo exclaimed. "It's a hallucination. I bet my friends are trying to wake me up right now! I can hear their voices already…"
But the only thing he could hear was the echo of his own voice and then…total silence, save for the chattering of his own teeth.
"They can't wake you, because you're not with them any more. You're inside your mind, in another world entirely. The dream world, to be exact."
Dojo yawned. "Wait, so now I'm dreaming too?" He shook his head again, and this time he assumed an indignant expression. "Look, could you get me out of here…wake me up…do whatever you need to do to get me back in the game! I don't want to have it go down in history that when my family needed me most, I was snoozing at the bottom of an entire ocean and listening to disembodied voices."
The voice did not speak again and Dojo found himself regretting having yelled at it. He began pacing back and forth, mumbling as he tried to think of a way out of this dark, empty prison. There was something very nerve-racking about the place and the sooner he was free the better.
"So, are you just going to give me the silent treatment?" Dojo sulked.
"…Dark forces encroach upon your world, young dragon." The voice said. "And the only way to defeat them and save your world…is to look to the power within."
"The power within?" Dojo murmured. "Is that it? Master Fung gives me much better sayings and he doesn't make me go through a dream sequences to get at them!"
"…Power within…look to the power within…and all shall become clear. Do as you are told, young dragon!"
And before Dojo could respond to that, he felt a sudden freezing sensation and woke up from the dream.
