"…Huh?"

Ken slowly opened his eyes and saw a pale orange ceiling in front of him. He sat up quickly and shifted his body around, scanning his new surroundings that seemed very familiar. It was dark in the room, so it was difficult to make out everything but thanks to the moonlight outside he could see a few things such as his Featherman Ranger action figure sitting on his desk along with the other toys scattered around his room. He gasped, realizing where he was.

I'm in my room…but does that mean…?

He bolted out of his bed, dodging the toy obstacles on the floor and opened the door, finding himself in the dark hallway with only puddles of light from the moonlight outside the windows. He gulped and raced to the door at the end of the hallway to the right. He could feel his heart pounding faster as he felt anticipation rise in him, hoping to see the person he missed the most. The person that was most dear to him. The person that was…

"Mom!"

He opened the door with no hesitation and ran into his mother's bedroom. A woman jolted up from her bed, startled by the sudden outburst of her son. Sleepy brown orbs met an energetic pair as the small boy leaped towards his mother and embraced her into a tight loving hug. Light muffled sobs could be heard as Ken nestled his head onto the crook of her neck, feeling her long light brown locks upon his face. He took in a breath of his mother's fragrant scent that she always had, feeling nostalgia spread in his body.

She was real. He felt her warmth against his body, her presence existent to him much to his delight.

"What's wrong, honey? Is something wrong?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around him as well but had sounded confused. That sweet and motherly tone in her voice that Ken missed; it was still there. She was here and in his arms. Ken looked up at his mother with tears in his eyes and a weak but joyous smile.

"I'm just so glad you're here," he murmured and embraced her tightly once more, wanting to feel her presence again after so long. His mother chuckled lightly, a laugh that sounded like beautiful music to him.

"Of course I'm here, sweetie. Did you have a bad dream?"

Ken nodded his head as he wiped the tears out of his eyes. His mother smiled warmly at him and pulled him in, her long soft fingers combing through his brown hair. She bent down and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead with her soft plump lips.

I missed you so much, mom…

"Come, maybe a midnight snack will help you feel better," she said and got out of bed, revealing her pale pink pajamas. He held her hand tightly and they both walked outside of her room, heading towards the kitchen. Ken looked around his house and took in every detail, seeing it all before the 'accident'.

So…was it all a dream? Personas, Nyx, Yumewa, and mom's death?

He plopped down on a chair in the kitchen and became excited when his mother brought out the cookie jar they had. As she poured him a glass of milk, he was busy eating the homemade cookies that were always the best to him.

"My, you must be very hungry," his mother chuckled as she combed his hair with her fingers again. "Don't eat too much or you'll get sick~"

Gulping down the last bits of a cookie he threw in his mouth, he chugged the glass of milk, forgetting his great dislike for it in the past.

It's all real. She's really real!

"Not anymore."

He froze, hearing the deep and dark disembodied voice speak out to him. He looked at his mother whose eyes were wide as well and they both looked outside the window to see a teenage boy on the ground, clutching his head and screaming. Ken clearly remembered how this would end as he felt his stomach churn at this realization.

No…!

"K-Ken!" Her mother shrieked as she felt his small hand tug on hers suddenly, stumbling over her steps as they dashed towards the door. They stopped momentarily when they felt the house suddenly shake and their household items toppling to the ground. She watched it all in horror and looked down at Ken who had a grim expression on his face.

"Ken…?"

He knit his eyebrows as the house began to fall apart, the debris from above already crashing down. Opening the door, he pulled on his mother's arm with all the strength he could use so she would not face the same demise as before.

"A-ah!"

They managed to escape the building before it completely collapsed; however, his mother had fallen over, followed by a shriek of pain.

"Mom!" Ken cried and as the dust in the air faded, he could see his mother more clearly. Most of her body managed to escape except for her leg that was caught under the debris. More screams could be heard from the teenager and when Ken turned around he saw a dark glowing entity above him, feeling his heart to lurch at the familiar horrifying sight. A knight with long flowing platinum blonde hair flowing and a blade impaling his chest, the ebony armored horse appeared before them.

Castor.

The demon that had taken his mother's life hovered above the agonized boy. He not only took her life, but his as well. The only difference was that his mother's was physical while his was emotional.

But something seemed…off about Castor. The eyes on the horse seemed to have emitted a strong red flame as well as Castor's. He looked at what seemed to be the younger Shinjiro who was on the ground motionless. The teenager began to slowly get up, a manic laugh escaping his lips. He snapped his head up, revealing golden eyes that glowed amidst the darkness of the night. His mouth formed into a sadistic and twisted grin as he maintained his posture.

Ken stared in disbelief at the boy who was definitely not like the Shinjiro he knew. His mother struggled under the debris and gasped when she laid eyes on the monster. She had let out a shrill scream after a moment of shock.

No, this isn't…it isn't him. It's just—

A Nightmare.

"It isn't? The person who stripped you of everything you held dear?" The disembodied voice asked in a rather mocking tone.

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Ken spun around and began lifting the heavy debris off her helpless mom who was still screaming in fear and squirmed around in attempt of getting out.

"K-Ken! What is that?!" Ken remained silent for a moment as he kept his focus on getting her out of here. Explaining can be done later; they needed to get out now. 'Shinjiro' slowly dragged his feet towards them as if he were a rotting undead, his head tilted to the side with that disturbing slasher grin stretched upon his face. In his hand he dragged a large battle axe that plowed through the ground.

Grunting, he managed to flip the chunk of debris off of her leg and grabbed both of her hands, immediately helping her up. His mother scrambled upwards but because of her injured leg, it was difficult for her to move.

"ThErE iS nO eScApE."

Ken pulled his mother's arm onto his shoulder and ran while minding her injury. The neighboring houses changed into ruined and abandoned buildings and only a large dense forest surrounded the area. Nightmare Shinjiro was laughing like a madman as he twisted his head to the side, approaching the two.

"I'm CoMiNg FoR yOu, KeN aMaDa," he screamed in a sing-song voice, as if he were enjoying this greatly.

"Come on, mom! This way!" Ken shouted as he decided that their only escape route was through the thick dark forest. His mother was too confused and scared to comprehend their situation so the only thing she could do was follow her son's lead. As they made their way through, they could hear Nightmare Shinjiro's laugh echo into the night.

"YoU cAn RuN bUt YoU cAn'T hIdE!"

They sprinted through the forest as fast as they could, hoping to find an escape from the two demons chasing them. Suddenly, Ken tripped over a root and tumbled down a short hill they nearly ran down to. He ended up getting a couple bruises and scratches but he didn't care about that because his mother's safety was his first priority now.

"Ken, are you okay?! I'm coming down!" His mother shouted down to him. Just as she was about to go down the slope, a gasp escaped from her mouth and her eyes widened.

A sharp ebony horn pierced through her chest suddenly and she hung upon it like a rag doll. The horn was revealed to be from Castor's horse as he came into Ken's viewpoint. A large stain of blood began spreading across her shirt as drops of it seeped out onto the grass below her.

"Uuu…"

Ken felt his entire body freeze in place and was unable to move because of the sudden scene that happened before him. His bottom lip trembled in fear as he stared at his mother's hanging body dangling upon the horn. He closed his eyes and resisted the tears that threatened to fall.

"UUWAAAAAHH!"

No…no…it's all just a bad dream…

A bad dream. A…—

Nightmare.

When he opened them again, he saw Nightmare Shinjiro leaping straight at him, holding the giant axe above his head. He quickly scrambled out of the way as Shinjiro planted the axe deep into ground in the spot he was at a moment ago. Nightmare Shinjiro effortlessly pulled the axe out and stared down at the boy who was backing up frantically.

!

He had backed up against a tree and small thin vines began to wrap themselves around his wrists and ankles. As he struggled to get out, he stared up at Nightmare Shinjiro with widened eyes. Nightmare Shinjiro raised his axe up in the air, preparing to swing down at the trapped boy.

"No EsCaPe."

Suddenly a strong gust of concentrated air shot out from their side, blasting Nightmare Shinjiro away towards a large tree and dropping his axe. The axe plummeted out of his hands and landed between Ken's legs, inches away from his body.

…Ack!...n-no comment…

He slid up the tree trunk and carefully avoided the sharp blade of the axe while moving as fast as he could. Nightmare Shinjiro seemed to have recovered quickly, despite being blasted into a tree and nearly tearing it apart within impact.

Well of course, he isn't human…I think.

Beginning to back away slowly, he spun around and prepared to sprint but was met with a rather strange sight; a pale blue gazelle bracing itself for battle, clear silver eyes glowering at the monster. Small mystical-like trinkets hung off its long sharp horns.

What the…is this a part of the dream too?!

"Come on, this way!" The gazelle shouted to him, baffling him completely. It didn't seem like it was going to wait as it turned around quickly and began dashing off. He realized he had no choice but to follow it since Nightmare Shinjiro was already reaching for his axe.

It was difficult to maneuver through the heavily dense forest, especially with no light source to be found with the exception of the small glowing orbs on the tip of the creature's long ears. Even when he felt the branches scratch against his skin and the roots that threatened to hinder his escape, he was still determined to get away. But there was one thought on his mind that made him feel a pit of despair in his chest.

Mom…

"Look out!" The high-pitched voice cried. He turned around to see Castor charging straight at him, his horse's horn aiming directly at his back. Before Ken could react, he felt one of the large roots block his foot from moving any further.

"Gah!"

As he fell forward, he felt his heart stop for a moment as Castor hovered over him. Pushing himself up, he saw Castor swiftly spin around and prepared to charge at him once more but was blasted away with a gust of strong wind.

The creature quickly made its way towards Ken and prodded him impatiently with its snout.

"Hurry! Hurry!"

Suddenly the antelope nipped his shirt and flung him up into the air all within a few seconds. Ken had let out a cry as he involuntarily flipped in the air and luckily landed right-side up on the antelope's back. It then leaned downwards into a running stance.

"Hold on tight!"

He blinked for a moment but instinctively wrapped his arms around its neck as it suddenly propelled itself through the thick and dark forest, leaving a whirlwind of leaves, branches and dust behind.

They were going so fast, Ken could barely open his eyes to see where they were going but could already feel the presence of Castor and Nightmare Shinjiro following them closely.

"Up there," the antelope shouted. He forced his eyes open as he looked upwards and saw a large dream-catcher hovering in the air, its pale orange feathers hanging down close to the trees. Suddenly, the doe came to a halt and raised its rear.

Due to the momentum, Ken screamed as he soared through the air towards the dream catcher, flabbergasted and confused. He grabbed ahold of the web instinctively after impact and held on tightly.

Looking behind, his eyes widened as he saw an approaching battle axe aviating towards him. As he quickly moved to the side, he managed to avoid the blade; however, his sleeve had gotten caught in it as it lodged itself into the dream catcher.

"Uwah!"

He kept pulling and pulling with his left hand but he was still stuck. Ken suddenly felt his feet give way and slip from the web lines. He felt himself plummet as the axe tore a part of his sleeve and thrashed in the air, hoping to grab something in desperation.

"YoU wOn'T eScApE!" Nightmare Shinjiro roared as Castor charged at the falling boy. Ken screamed as he continued flailing helplessly. Below, the gazelle narrowed its eyes as it dashed towards the dream catcher, bending its legs at a certain point.

As it leaped into the air, feathered wings sprouted out of its back and the gazelle flew upwards, catching the boy with its mouth before the two demon-like creatures could reach him by a second. However, its flank had been grazed slightly as they soared up towards the center of the dream catcher where a large red crystal floated. Ken gasped as he still had trouble comprehending the situation around him.

The winged gazelle flung him upwards towards the crystal; however he was only high enough to reach the hoop. As he grabbed ahold of it, he suddenly felt a strong grip on his foot and he turned around to see Nightmare Shinjiro staring at him with horrific grotesque features on his face. His sclera was pure black and only his golden small pupils glowed within the darkness. Ken screamed and thrashed his leg around to try and loosen his grip.

No…this…this isn't Shinjiro at all! He doesn't look like this at all!

I…I…

"Leave me alone!" He screamed and proceeded to stomp his face with as much power as he could use within his leg. It was very effective as Nightmare Shinjiro released the boy, and screamed in agony as it fell off the dream catcher, plummeting towards the ground.

"Touch the crystal!" The gazelle told him hastily as it flew towards it, disappearing with ruby orbs of light engulfing its entire body as it entered through it.

With no hesitation, Ken reached towards the crystal and felt himself become engulfed within the crimson light.

…

Where…am I now?

As the light faded, he found himself on the ground lying in soft spring green grass. Sitting up, he saw two thin trees holding small orbs of light in their branches, resembling little stars.

Between them was a large silver tree that was big as an oak, and looked similar to the two smaller trees with the exception of it having different bright colors within it. A door made purely of ivory was embedded into the tree and small flowers bloomed around it.

He looked around and saw two waterfalls close to each other, its water pure and crystal clear; due to the dark interior, it appeared that he was in some sort of underground cave.

Or a spring, I think…hmmm…

"I'm glad that I was able to rescue you in time."

!

He turned around to see the same creature that took him away from the forest walking towards him. Now that he could get a closer look at it and not be in danger, he could see faint white swirl patterns on its fur that glowed along with transparent flowing fur above its silver hooves. He could see its wings fold back and disappear within its silky smooth fur.

"W-who…who are..er, well what are you?"

The antelope sat down and bowed its head for a moment before lifting it back up. Its glowing silver eyes met scared yet curious milky brown ones.

"Um, I'm...I'm…," It trailed off, sounding very unsure of itself. It began pawing the soft grass with its hooves as it averted his curious gaze.

"Y-you don't… know who you are?"

The gazelle shook its head embarrassedly and continued averting his gaze.

"It's not important now…you can call me Phi," it stammered. Judging by the pitch of its voice, he assumed that the gazelle was of the female gender.

I see. It seems like she's not comfortable discussing herself now.

"Well, thank you for saving me back there Phi. But I ask…this is all just a bad dream, right?"

Phi tilted her head upwards and nodded.

"Yes…in a way. You see, you're the first one I was able to successfully reach. I couldn't really locate the others and find them."

Wait, others? So they've had a horrible dream too?

"Ah- it seems that light is returning where you are in your world," she said as she looked outside the cave, a bright blue sky before them. Before he could do or say anything, he felt his vision become blurrier and his body feeling lighter. "Maybe…maybe we'll meet again."

She turned around and began galloping out of the spring. Ken weakly reached his hand out to her in a last effort of figuring out his situation.

"Wait, Phi-!"

…

"Ah!"

Ken sat up promptly with a gasp, beads of sweat rolling down his face as he slowed his heavy breathing. With a gulp, he scanned his surroundings and found himself back in his room in the Yumewa dormitory. Sunlight was already shining through the curtains covering the windows.

So it really was all just dream...

With a sigh, he sat up and walked towards the window. He pushed the curtain to the side and allowed himself to bask in the warmth of the sun for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Today is the first day I start school."