"Where the heck…oh, it's just you again."
Thena opens her eyes, becoming conscious of the environment that she's in. She finds herself in a mystical dimension that resembles a palace; fluffy and colorful cotton candy-like clouds surround the area, above them are dazzling stars that glow many different colors that resemble a rainbow. Though the scenery may be breathtaking to Thena, the god who reigns over it from his throne isn't.
"Now now, is that how you should address me, lass? I'm a god for crying out loud, at least pretend to be ecstatic to see me. Reverence, awe, inspiration, fear, something!"
Using just her eyes, Thena scoffs.
"You are so pathetic. No wonder why you're only a minor deity."
"Excuse me lass, I'll have you know that…oh, just forget it. You're not even listening, are you?"
"What could have possibly given you that idea?"
She rolls her eyes, not even bothering to dilute her sarcasm. Such a reaction deflates Esperaunce, causing him to shake his head in hopelessness.
"I swear, you mortals these days…"
"Are you going to explain the situation that I'm in yet? I ate some weird fruit, fell asleep and met you, then I had some elaborate dream. I'd rather wake up and return to my friends."
"Aren't you curious about your dream? The reason why I allowed you to see that dream specifically?"
"Um, not really. It was just a dream anyway."
"'Just a dream'? That's complete nonsense–there's no such thing as 'just' a dream! Dreams have purpose and meaning to them, especially when I am directly involved."
"To be honest with you, 'Mr. Dream God', I don't even like to discuss my dreams with my parents. Why would I make an exception for a stranger like you?"
I definitely don't want to talk about that dream…I don't even want to think about it any more.
With the weight of her dream on her mind, Thena looks down towards the foggy ground somberly.
"Lass, I'm the god of dreams. I was inside your dream firshand, watching everything unfold. If there's anyone you can talk about dreams with, it's yours truly."
Esperaunce flashes a colorful grin, full of neon and pride. Despite the sight, Thena brushes him off, refusing to look at his face.
"...will you let my party and me pass into the oasis?"
"That is within the realm of possibility."
Hearing a reasonable response to her concern, she takes a deep sigh, then directly faces Esperaunce, beholding his radiant presence.
"Then I suppose that there is one thing about my dream that I am curious about. That dream felt like I was reliving the past, it all felt so real…"
"Yes, that's all intended design, lass."
"But at some point, the events became altered as if I was sent to an alternate timeline. Everything was just as I remembered it happening in real life, until I encountered Vex. This time I managed to defeat him, but I used the pendant to do so. I know that I actually swallowed it, but talking? Speaking to my mind? Enhancing my curse power? None of those things ever happened…so why did you make me dream that?"
"Everything that you dreamed was in your heart–I just used those elements to let you see an alternative reality."
"So you're saying that I really killed everyone? I was even betrayed by my friends…"
"There's a reality where that could have happened."
"But I'd never do such a thing, or even think to do that! How could a stupid pendant make me do that? It's just a piece of jewelry!"
"Indeed, it is a simple period pendant. However, to the spiritual eye it is a container for a soul. You see, the goddess who created your world decides what happens to the souls of people after death. My hunch is that a soul was cursed to be bound by that pendant, possibly as punishment. Other than that, the pendant was essentially a regular object that could do nothing on its own, until you swallowed it. By consuming the pendant, the soul was then bound to your body and could use you as its vessel."
"That's way too much for me to take in! So if I am understanding this correctly, if I got away with swallowing that pendant…I would have eventually lost my mind?"
"Highly likely to be the case. Once your own heart fully agreed with that spirit, you became one with it. In the end, you really were that murderer."
"But it wasn't completely unjustified! Didn't you see how everyone was treating me? They acted like I was an evil criminal that they never knew! My peers would never treat me like that, not even the ones that share a mutual dislike!"
"You are correct in that they would never behave that way towards you…because they didn't."
"Are you trying to gaslight me? I know what I saw in my own dream!"
"I'm not the one who was gaslighting you."
"Then it was…that soul within the pendant?"
"Bingo! You were being fed delusions to make you think everyone was your enemy. As you can see, it made you even more susceptible to its influence."
"Wow…that's pretty messed up. I should probably be more careful about the kind of treasure I steal. I managed to dodge a huge bullet there."
It's creepy how close I was to having my whole life radically altered, and not in the good way I planned.
"Okay, discussion is over. Can I return now?"
"Whoa, not so fast young lass. Are you really sure that you were the one who dodged that supposed bullet?"
"Huh? Yeah I…! Oh no, I see where this is going. You want me to acknowledge THAT bastard?"
"Well think about it, if it weren't for him forcing you to cough up that pendant…"
"..."
Vex…the guy who made a fool of me. He interfered with my treasure heist that I rightfully earned–of course I'm going to hate him! It only served him right that he ended up swallowed by my sister…
But…
Thena crosses her arms, furrowing her brows as she ponders uncomfortably.
"As much as it pains me to admit it, I can't deny that that bastard–Vex, did inadvertently save my life. Maybe, just maybe that man isn't so bad…but that doesn't mean I like him though!"
I can see why Lily fought so hard for Vex even though she was outmatched. She was probably saved by him even more directly than I was…
"I was only haphazardly considering it, but I'll try harder to make sure that we really give Vex back to Lily. If possible, I might assist him with returning to his normal size. That's as close as a "thank you" that I'm going to express to him."
Clap clap clap.
"Beautiful, Thena–simply marvelous. I give you a standing ovation! It brings me pleasure to say that you passed. Please wait just a little longer, patiently."
"Wait patiently? For what–"
Snap
With a snap of his fingers, Thena fades away, completely disappearing. The once disappointed god now dons a satisfied grin.
"I love it when mortals learn something from their dreams. It really makes the beauty of dreams more apparent."