AN: Just as a head's up for this chapter, it's going to mostly be backstory for Ray and playing catch-up with Azrael, but I wanted to get it done here so as to have the rest of this arc be more focused on the actual vacation aspect of the cruise. Also, I'll be trying a "2-in-1" style of storytelling, where each chapter will tell two stories instead of one to get more vacation moments for you all to enjoy. With that all being said, here's the newest chapter of "Dream Keeper Chronicles"!

Ray's Beginnings

After meeting Ray and his team the previous day, Gabriel was still curious about his gamer counterpart and decided to spend the day with Ray while Jasiri, Sisu, and Lop hung out with Azrael and his friends. The raven met with his counterpart in Ray's room, where the cat had somehow managed to turn his entire living space into a gamer setup.

"Woah, that was fast. We haven't even been here a day and I'd think you just lived in here," Gabriel chuckled as he stepped inside.

"When your world makes frequent use of hammerspace, it pays to know how to efficiently store things," Ray responded. "Plus I may or may not have spent a month in the Animal Crossing universe to master the art of carrying furniture in your pocket." To demonstrate, Ray touched one of his pillows, and in a puff of smoke transformed it into an easily carriable leaf.

"Neat," Gabriel said, taking a seat on the couch and grabbing a game controller. "So then, what's the Gamesphere like, and your world in general?"

"Well, the first thing you should know is that my world is a lot more futuristic than yours is, despite it still being the same year as your world," Ray explained. "Because of that my world is more used to technology being more readily available and affordable, meaning that gaming as a whole is even bigger in my world. Of course, that also came with a big issue when the Gamesphere was first discovered. The Gamesphere is where all original video game creations and worlds reside, existing as a parallel universe much like how the Magical World or Epic Universe operate. Instead of being tied to a theme park, however, the internet itself acts as the conduit."

"Sounds about right," Gabriel said.

"Where I come in is how I first got to the Gamesphere. You see, if you know how to get into the Gameshpere, you can access it from anywhere that has an internet connection, meaning that I can jump from it to the real world and back anytime I want," Ray continued. "What they don't tell you, however, is that upon first getting into the Gamesphere, you're essentially stuck there until you complete the tutorial mission. So imagine my shock when I thought what was just some fun indie game turned out to be a completely different world. Luckily for me, I quickly made some new friends, though not before literally falling onto one of them…"

Ray's Flashback

Ray screamed as he flailed his arms, not quite sure what was happening. One moment he was in a VR character creation screen, and the next moment he was his virtual cat avatar, falling from the sky within a world that looked to be many different planets connected by cables between them. Just as the ground rapidly approached him, Ray suddenly hit something else instead; something big, scaly, and red in color.

"I got you, darling!" a feminine voice said. Ray looked down in shock to see that he'd landed on top of a dragon, one with mostly red- and cream-colored scales.

"Brunhilda!?" Ray said in shock.

The dragon laughed. "I'm happy that you could recognize me, darling. But please, try not to make a habit out of falling out of the sky. There won't always be a dragon around to catch you."

Ray flushed as the two landed safely on the ground, sliding off Brunhilda's back. The dragon then disappeared in a flash of light, being replaced by her human form, Mym. "So, the rumors I heard online, about the Gamesphere… they were real…" Ray muttered to himself.

"Ah, so you're a newcomer here," Mym said, as if that explained everything. "That must explain why I was called to come to this place, then. I've heard from my friends that new users of the Gamesphere have one of their favorite characters called upon to join them for their tutorial mission."

"Tutorial mission…?" Ray repeated. The cat looked around, seeing that he was now standing in what looked to be a grassy field with medieval structures set up in various places. "Wait a minute… this looks like Artisan's Home World from Spyro!"

"And the tutorial level is usually from one of their favorite games as well," Mym giggled. "Now then, shall we get to figuring out the puzzle of this area? I'm sure you'd rather be out exploring worlds than being stuck here."

"I want to go home…" Ray groaned, putting his hands to his face.

"Well, you can't exactly leave unless you complete the tutorial. That's the rules," Mym shrugged. She looked at the distressed boy and sighed, kneeling down and smiling. "Hm, perhaps what you need is a bit of my fiery passion to get you going. So, why don't you show me what powers you have. Surely you made sure to pick some out before dropping in, right?"

Ray looked at Mym, remembering her kind heart, despite some initial misgivings when she first appeared in her home game. The cat nodded before saying, "Well, I did pick out a few powers, but to use them…" Ray looked down at his hand, holding it out steadily as he felt something new welling up in his body. The was surprised to find an energy sphere was now held in his hand, which he quickly tossed like a baseball, the energy dissipating as it hit the ground.

"Oh, what power is that from?" Mym asked excitedly.

"Well, one of my favorite games is "The World Ends With You", so I picked powers based on the Psyche Pins in that game," Ray explained. He gasped as a menu suddenly appeared in front of him, showing his current three Psyche powers: Force Rounds, Street Jam, and Vortex Saber.

"Hm… That first attack must have been Force Rounds," Ray muttered to himself. He tried out his other Psyches, finding that Street Jam summoned a speaker to blast out sound waves, while Vortex Saber created an energy blade that slashed in a circle around his body.

"Very good, darling," Mym clapped. "Now then, how about we get on with this tutorial?"

"Yeah… I think I'm ready to try that now," Ray nodded, letting Mym lead the way through the area.

End of Flashback

"After that we went about completing my tutorial mission, which ended in a battle against Toasty from Spyro," Ray said. "Once we defeated him, the entire Gamesphere was open to me, including the option to come and go as I wished. Mym was going to take her leave after the tutorial, but I surprised her when I asked her to stay with me and join my guild."

"You didn't just ask her because you had a crush on her, right?" Gabriel asked with a smirk. "And don't deny it! I had a crush on her when I played "Dragalia Lost" too."

Ray blushed. "That… might have been part of it, but Mym and I quickly realized we preferred to be just friends after a particularly disastrous date. Anyways, to solidify our new friendship, Mym asked me to become her new pactbound, which is what this gem here represents." The cat motioned to his crystal necklace. "With it I can call on Brunhilda to act as a temporary super form. Our new bond also showed me a new way to earn powers: by making bonds with others and completing quests, I can unlock new Psyches that I can use, even ones that copy the powers of my friends."

Ray opened up his personal menu for Gabriel to see, showing off some of his new Psyches: Aura Sphere, Flames of Passion, Remote Bomb, Megidola, Shadow Strike, etc. "Not long after founding the Dragalia Guild, Mym and I joined up with Morgana after he saved our butts when we accidentally got caught in the Resident Evil world being chased around by both Mr. X and Nemesis. He acts as my mentor, and in return I give him moral support, like a big brother. Probably helps that I have experience in that department…"

"And how about Mineru? How did that happen?" Gabriel asked.

"Well you see, despite it being a world of video games, I still need to play the actual games in order to know how they work. That's why I'm still a gamer, even if I can just visit their worlds in the Gamesphere," Ray explained. "I met Mineru by chance during a big "Tears of the Kingdom" special preview event that was going on that allowed for select guilds to explore the new game world first. I may have accidentally stumbled upon the Spirit Temple during my exploration of Hyrule, and met Mineru's spirit there as a result. She joined our guild to be our tech girl, and one day I managed to obtain a Phoenix Down from a Final Fantasy quest. With both that item and Morgana's healing magic, we managed to restore her original Zonai body… and it was after the time we spent as a team that I realized that I loved her."

Ray smiled as he recalled confessing his feelings to Mineru. "We've been together for about two months now, and this cruise is something to commemorate the Dragalia Guild's one-year anniversary. I want to make Mineru feel special, but sometimes that can be hard for me. When I'm gaming or on missions I'm super focused, but social settings… not so much."

"I get that. I was a shut-in when I was a kid too," Gabriel nodded. "The difference between you and me is that while I managed to find a way to become more extraverted, you remained mostly introverted, and there's nothing wrong with that. But with your guild, your friends, I'm sure that you'll be able to open up more to them and others. Heck, Azrael and I will help you with that as well."

"Heh, thanks, Gabriel," Ray chuckled. He then picked up a game controller and turned on his console. "So then, how about a few rounds in Super Smash Brothers?"

"Oh yeah, you're on!" Gabriel cheered.

[***]

A Golden Cat, a Sharptooth, and the Scion of Death

One day during the cruise, Azrael took Gabriel aside to hang out at one of the private bars onboard the cruise ship. The wolf was eagerly trying all the different drinks the bar offered, while Gabriel decided to simply drink some root beer himself. "I never thought you'd be into drinking, Azrael," the raven mused.

"Oh, part of being a Scion of Death is that I'm completely immune to the effects of alcohol," Azrael explained. "This stuff is basically just a really fancy soda to me. Helps whenever Puss in Boots invites everyone to one of his parties at least." He finished his latest drink, giving a satisfied sigh before looking at the raven. "So, I bet you noticed that I have some more friends now, huh?"

"Yes, yes I did," Gabriel replied. "Have you made friends with the Dream Keeper counterparts as well?"

Azrael shook his head. "Nah. For as much as I'm trying to be more open with other guests, I don't think it's right to try and force a friendship between myself and others just because an alternate universe version of myself is friends with their alternate selves. If it happens, it happens, but I'm gonna let fate decide that one. So far, it's just Alex the Koopa that I've started bonding with, Logan's counterpart. Oh, and Julie, Rachel's counterpart. She's been helping me prepare for Halloween Horror Nights, coming up with strategies to face whatever new houses get put in this year."

"Right, you guys basically have to contain multiple horror movies from causing too much trouble for an entire month, including dealing with the Horror Icon that runs the show during the event," Gabriel said, recalling that HHN was.

"I've got money down that "Five Nights at Freddy's" is going to show up this year, so I've been calling Ray to get tips on how to deal with those crazy animatronics," Azrael said. He shook his head. "Anyways, what I really wanted to tell you about is how I became friends with Mei Ling and Chomper. They're both tied together in how we met, if you can believe that."

"Storytime!" Gabriel said, raising a glass.

Azrael nodded, holding up his own glass and tapping it to the raven's. "Storytime indeed. It all beings when Porsha and I were visiting the Kung Fu Panda world, on a request from Lord Shen to help him with something. As you know, Shen is one of the souls I can summon with my powers, and one I'm quite fond of myself. The peacock had called me to the Lake of Tears, and there is where the story truly starts…"

Azrael's Flashback

Azrael and Porsha arrived at the Lake of Tears, a misty village located in the mountains of Ancient China and home to many tortoise families. When the two wolves got to the location they were greeted by Shen, the peacock looking regal as ever in his white robes. "Ah, you finally got here," Shen said. "I won't dull you with the details, so here's the problem: a dinosaur was spotted here at the Lake of Tears, and I need you to deal with it."

"A dinosaur? This far out from Jurassic World?" Azrael questioned.

"I know it sounds farfetched, but the tortoises are complaining about it, and they won't help me in my personal journey until it's gone," Shen replied.

"Personal journey? What's that all about?" Azrael asked.

Shen gave a sigh, putting his wings behind his back as he looked out towards the lake. "Since my death at the hands of that panda I found myself in the company of Death. Most see Death as a dreadful force of nature, but in my final moments I felt a certain… peace come over me. In death I have no more expectations, no more ambitions that I need to see come true. So, with my new life in the Epic Universe, I've decided to figure out what I truly want to do, who "Lord Shen" really is."

"Sounds extra… that world that means out-of-body," Porsha said.

"Existential, to question your own existence," Azrael replied. He gave the peacock a nod. "It's good that you're trying to find something else to do with your life, Shen. At least until they bring you back for "Kung Fu Panda 4" of course."

"Even I'm in the dark on what my role there is," Shen shook his head. "Either way, please go find the dinosaur and kindly ask it to leave. Or beat it up, whichever works better."

"Time to put that dino training with Owen and Claire to use," Azrael nodded. The wolf marched forward, carefully jumping on lily pads to cross the lake, with Porsha right behind him. Azrael mused to himself that it was like being in a level of a video game. As the duo crossed the lake, they eventually arrived at a large temple structure, stopping there to take a rest.

"I'm so glad I've been keeping up on my physical training," Porsha said, pulling out a bottle of water to refresh herself. "And Dad always said I didn't need to have those gymnastics lessons… hah, guess I'm proving him wrong every day now, huh?"

"Jimmy Crystal might not be as evil as Voldemort, but he's still detestable for neglecting you and your talents," Azrael nodded. He looked to his partner and smiled. "Have I mentioned that I'm glad that have your by my side for these kinds of missions?"

"Not recently," Porsha smirked, touching her nose to Azrael's. "And you can make it up to me by taking me somewhere more romantic…"

As the two wolves chuckled at their flirting, a loud roar suddenly echoed from inside the temple. "The dinosaur is inside!?" Azrael growled, drawing his khopesh.

"Indeed it is," said a voice, hopping onto the ground behind them. The wolves turned to see a golden cat carrying a bo staff, the weapon leveled their way. "Wolves at the Lake of Tears… who are you guys working for? I heard most of the wolf army went into hiding after Lord Shen's death."

"We aren't part of the wolf army, Master Mei Ling," Azrael said calmly, recognizing the golden cat. "I am Azrael, Guardian of Light and the Scion of Death. This is my partner, Porsha Crystal. We came here to investigate the dinosaur disturbance, as I assume you are here to do as well."

Mei Ling shifted her stance, lowering her staff but staying on-guard. "Indeed I am. So, you're the Azrael the Crane told me about in his letter. He could have mentioned that you were a wolf… I'm sorry for misjudging you at first glance but know that my weariness isn't out of prejudice. My village has just had trouble dealing with the remnants of the wolf army for the past few years, and only recently has the conflict been resolved."

"Guess that explains why you didn't appear during the events of "Kung Fu Panda 3" at least…" Azrael muttered. "Still, if you're here, we might as well work together to get this dinosaur back to where it belongs."

"If it can fit inside this temple, I'm betting it's one of the smaller ones," Porsha said. "Like the raptors or the spitters." She held up her hand, gathering light magic in her paw. "I'll try to blind it for a moment, then you two can totally knock it out with your fighting skills."

"So she can use Chi as well…" Mei Ling mused.

"You know of Chi?" Azrael asked in surprise.

The golden cat nodded. "Yes. After the war with Kai Master Crane and Master Viper both came to visit my village and teach those of us at Lee Da Academy the secrets of Chi. Of course, you need a certain mindset in order to use such a skill, and I was the only one to truly master it." Mei Ling went up to the doors of the temple, before focusing on her staff. The weapon glowed a golden color before she started swirling it around, the mist from the lake gathering around it before Mei Ling thrust her staff forward, blowing open the doors with the technique.

"Impressive," Azrael nodded.

"I found that with my village being high in the mountains, my Chi connected me best to the fog and mists. I call that one my "Revealing Mists" technique, since it can open up locked doors and such," Mei Ling explained.

"Okay then! Close your eyes everyone!" Porsha warned, tossing her light magic attack into the room. The other two turned away as the flash bang went off, before running in to apprehend the dinosaur.

"Ah! My eyes! I can't see!" a childish voice exclaimed. Azrael and Mei Ling halted immediately at the voice.

"Dinosaurs don't usually talk…" Azrael said. Looking at where the voice came from, the wolf was surprised to see a little purple T-Rex, rubbing at his eyes (or at least attempting to because, you know, little arms).

"That was like staring at the Bright Circle for too long…" the T-Rex groaned. He blinked a few times before looking at the trio with a smile. "Oh, are you the ones that opened up the wood cave? I came in here because of the sky water, but then I couldn't find a way out…"

Azrael sighed, putting his khopesh away. "Looks like the "dinosaur" everyone was worried about is simply just a resident of the Great Valley," he chuckled. "This little guy isn't a threat, you two, just a bit far from home. Don't worry Chomper, we'll get you back to your friends."

"You can do that?" Chomper exclaimed, smiling as his tail shook with happiness.

Mei Ling put a hand to her mouth as she gasped. "Oh my goodness, he's so… so…" The golden cat couldn't help but squee as she jumped on top of Chomper, giving him a big hug, much to the T-Rex's confusion. "SO CUTE! The way his little tail wags, how small he is… it's so adorable!"

"Heh, I didn't think the great Master Mei Ling had a soft spot for children," Azrael chuckled.

"Doesn't Master Tigress have a similar weakness?" Porsha pointed out.

"Hm… Maybe it's more common than I thought," Azrael mused.

Mei Ling realized what she was doing and blushed, putting Chomper down and standing back up. "Sorry about that… I was expecting a more terrifying creature, not a little baby dinosaur. Sometimes I can't help myself when it comes to cute things."

"Someday I'll be a big Sharptooth, but I don't want to be mean like Red Claw is," Chomper said, giving a big roar like the one the trio heard earlier.

"He's got a good set of pipes on him for sure," Porsha said. "Don't worry, Chomper, we're going to get you back home in no time!"

Flashback Ends

"After that, Mei Ling helped us get Chomper back to his friends in the Great Valley, and she decided to stick around and join my team," Azrael said. "We all made sure to go visit the little guy from time to time, and eventually Chomper decided to join the team as well, wanting to learn how to be a Guardian so he could protect his friends the day he becomes a fully-grown Sharptooth."

"Sounds like you're steadily growing a friend group for sure," Gabriel nodded. "And what about Shen? How's he doing with his personal journey of self-discovery?"

"He's currently working with Diane Foxington and the Bad Guys to learn how to turn over a new leaf in life. Says he'd like to use his skills for more than just conquering," Azrael replied. "Shen also wants to meet and face Death himself one day, though he's training to get stronger before doing that. Not like he can defeat my father, but I have a feeling that the peacock just wants to prove himself worthy to Death."

"Things are going well for sure in your world," Gabriel said. "So, how about we go drag Ray of out of his room and actually do something instead of playing games."

"Yes, let's," Azrael grinned, the two heading out to enjoy another day of their vacation.

Author's Note

As I say at the top, I'm making this arc be all about "2-in-1" storytelling so you all get more vacation action. Hope you enjoy what I have in story for you all!
The first story is Ray giving his backstory and how the Gamesphere works. He's the "youngest" of the Gabriel's in terms of how long he's been part of his other world, so I decided to give you all his first time going into the Gamesphere. Ray also gets to show off his powers, having the ability to use Psyches and copy the moves of his allies like Mega Man. You'll get to see his pact with Mym/Brunhilda come into play later on. Also when it comes to the Gamesphere versions of Gabriel's friends, each of them run their own guild, meaning they act more like friendly rivals to Ray's Dragalia Guild than being allies. Most of them are on good terms, though!

The second story is Azrael recalling how he met Mei Ling and Chomper. If you didn't know Lord Shen is one of my favorite villains ever so Azrael has a connection to him as well. Mei Ling gets to show off her Mist Chi abilities, and Chomper continues to be adorable like always. It also seems to be a thing that feline Kung Fu masters are all enamored by cute children, hehe…

Next Time: Lop and Chomper go on their first water slide; the cruise makes a stop in Gotham City, where Gabriel meets a surprising version of one of his friends!