“Aggh, it’s not doing anything” grunted Aletha as she sat on the ground with a grumpy attitude.                              

Aletha lied on the ground with frustration. She threw away every effort, closed her eyes and relaxed. But soon she started seeing a film within her mind. It was certainly a weird experience. Almost as if she was watching a  movie.    

In the movie she was watching Jessica was there. She peered towards her while giggling. Then the camera, the first person point of view that showed Jessica moved. She heard her own voice, speaking to Jessica. 

"What time is it?" said the voice. 

The Point of view got up and looked at Aletha's desk drowned in books. The place was exactly her room.    

“Aletha? You seeing this?” asked Jessica in the Dreamscape world. 

“Y-yeah. What is going on?” asked Aletha. 

“It’s our real-life versions. They are doing what they would do in their
everyday life” said Jessica.    

The Jessica in Aletha's vision looked at the desk walked towards the door and the two of them exited Aletha's bedroom.

Aletha snapped out of the vision in her mind and turned towards Jessica. 

“Wait. You’ve seen something like this before?” asked Aletha intensely.

“Yeah. It’s been happening ever since I got here. Everytime I relax and close my eyes I could see visions of what the me in the usual world is doing. I don’t think that they know what we’re doing. They are as clueless as ever” said Jessica with bitterness.

But a smile formed on her face and she looked at Aletha.

“And thanks, Aletha. You saved me from my psychotic mother”  

Aletha looked at her and smiled. She closed her eyes and lied there, looking at the images silently. But soon she got up in frustration.

“We have to do something to get back!”

“I would have agreed with you. But all my attempts in the past were hopeless” whined Jessica.

“Then maybe it will work this time, when you’re with me. Come on!”

The two of them went down the stairs. The scenery that awaited them was a dark hallway that stretched out. Within the darkness it’s end or beginning could not be seen.

“I-its kind of scary isn't it. I was walking along this path to meet some of my friends. Then I sensed your soul” said Jessica.

"Y-you can do that?" asked Aletha. 

"Yeah".   

“Umm where were you going to meet your friends?” asked Aletha.

"It's far away. But I heard this dark pathway does lead me towards it if I go at that direction" said Jessica as she pointed towards the abyss with her finger. 

"Okay, then let's go that direction"

The two of them walked along the stone slope. Images still played within Aletha’s head.

*********
The usual world

Aletha and Jessica were happily making dinner with Sarah. But the door opened and Ace came in. With surprise in his face he greeted his new guest with a bow.

“Welcome home” said Sarah with a pretty smile and took the coat off from his back.

Ace looked at the girls and spoke:

“Hello there. And who may you be?”

“O-Oh, I’m Jessica. Aletha’s friend. Pleased to meet you” 

“Ah, pleased to meet you” said Ace with a low voice.

Aletha looked at her father’s green face and sweaty forehead.

“Dad, Are you feeling okay?”

Ace looked at her daughter with bewilderment and flinched.

“Oh, it’s fine. It’s just that I’m tired” 

Ace went past them and fell on the couch of the living room. He was panting and wheezing.

“S-should I get some medicine?” asked Sarah but Ace did not respond.         
 
*********       
Dreamscape

Aletha stopped suddenly. Something pulled her strongly. She could feel fear and anxiety. But it was not his own. It was Ace's, her father's. She was sure of it.      

“A-are you feeling this, Jessica?” she asked with a pale face.

“What? I don’t feel anything” said Jessica with no clue. 

“My father’s soul. It’s…calling out to me. He is suffering” said Aletha.

Yes, she could feel it. Even in the image she was seeing in his head, his father isn’t looking physically good. But the cause wasn’t just fatigue. Aletha was sure of it. Because her father was calling out for help in this Dreamscape world.

Aletha quickened her pace and ran.

“Wait, where are you going?” cried Jessica as she ran after her.

Aletha didn’t want to waste any breathe answering. He was close and he was suffering. After running for five minutes Aletha felt exactly where her father was.

“There” she shouted as she pointed at the narrow corridor at her right.

Without giving a chance to Jessica for a reaction, Aletha ran into the corridor. Turning around a few corners and running across a narrow path she arrived at a square area. It was an urban place with walls made of bricks, strange signs and syllables were drawn on them.

The single light bulb high up on the wall was the only light source. Within this dimness, Aletha could see a black-haired man with tattered clothes sitting next to an orb that emitted blue light in one corner.

And the blue light, it was her father. Aletha could feel it. It had the same energy. But a closer inspection revealed that the orb’s lifeforce was being sucked by the man in tattered clothes.

“Y-you…stop it! You're hurting him” yelled Aletha.

“Aletha, why did you-“ said Jessica but cut her sentence short when she saw the man sitting on the floor in the corner.

The man turned around to show his amber eyes and grumpy face. But soon the man grinned and yellow teeth were visible within his mouth.

“Leave him alone!” cried Aletha.

The man giggled.

“Why should I? It’s been darn long since I finally got hold of a soul that’s compatible with mine” said the man as he showed an uncaring smile on his face.

“You sick bastard! Jessica do something! take this guy out!”

“Ahh, oookay”

Jessica closed her eyes and immediately an old rusty car appeared mid-air and fell down upon the man. But surprisingly the man was able to lift the car on his shoulders. Quite a feat considering that the care should weight a ton or more. From the man’s eyes, red light were being emitted. And his body was now engulfed in a strange dark reddish aura.

Is this, the man’s soulnature? Aletha thought.

With a battle cry, the man threw the car towards the two girls. They both jumped towards different directions in order to dodge the vehicle that plunged towards them. The man gritted his teeth and ran towards Aletha with super speed. Aletha jumped to the right to evade his dash but now she was completely trapped in the corner.

The man rushed towards her and flung his arm at her but she sidestepped and dodged the attack. She tried to run but immediately a hand grabbed her from behind and pushed her to the ground.

“Aletha!” cried Jessica.

The man sat on top of Aletha’s body and formed a small knife within his hand. The knife emitted dark energy from its blade. Pressing the knife on Aletha’s throat the man grimaced.

“Do anything stupid and your friend here is going to be annihilated”.

Jessica’s whole body froze. Her body shook and panic began to form on her face.

“W-what do you want?” she asked with fear.

“Tch, you are the people who attacked me while I was feasting. You tell me” said the man with irritation.

He looked around the corners of the alley and soon spoke:

“Come over here”