It''s empty. Meaningless. Full of darkness. Yeah, my dream turned out to be… nothing. But I can feel peace. Strange, isn’t it? While I''m slowly being devoured. By endless. Painless. Darkness.


    I found it. The place I was looking for. Please. Devour me whole. Don''t let me wake up. In that painful world again. It hurts. My heart bleeds. Broken apart. There is a hole. All over my body. I wonder. Am I still human? Alive? This pain is slowly fading away.


    Then it came, a strange sensation. It felt like a gentle breeze, soft and light. Penetrating my skin pores. My hair lifted slightly, carried away by the fresh air. Warmth followed, wrapping around me like sunlight on a summer day. This was the first time in a dream that everything felt so real.


    I opened my eyes slowly and saw it: a big tree towering above me, with grass beneath me. Not long after, I heard them—voices. Birds chirping. Insects buzzing. Rodents scurrying. The sounds were vivid. Alive.


    Wait a minute… Am I still dreaming? It all feels too real. I can feel the dirt and grass through my hands, coarse and earthy. The fresh air fills my nose, crisp and clean. This doesn’t feel like a dream. What’s going on here?


    Is this some kind of lucid dream? Because I feel like I’m in the middle of a forest. Trees stretch out everywhere, bushes dotting the ground. Birds fly overhead, their wings cutting through the sky. Stand up. But too lazy to do it. It''s too comfortable. Even more comfortable than my cheap bed. It felt like… I’m in another world.


    Time passed as I stayed lying there. Comfortable. Peaceful. I haven’t felt this way in months. Since the last three dragged me down into emptiness. Yeah, maybe this is the best dream I could ever hope for.


    Then I saw it. a small bird perched on a branch right above me. Black feathered. Blue crest on its head. What kind of bird is that? But before I could think more about it. The bird looked at me. Stared. Then it stuck out its tongue. It was long. Too long. Like a snake’s tongue.


    “What a bizarre bird.” I said after seeing that.


    Not long after, I heard a snort. Loud and sharp, startling me. I tried to sit up slowly, but my body felt stiff. Like rusted gears grinding against each other from lying down for too long. When I finally managed to wake myself fully. I saw it. An animal standing nearby.


    White fur. Horns like deer, but bigger like an elk. Its fur was thicker, fluffier, hanging down around its head in a way that made it look almost regal. Is this a white elk? An albino elk? Is that even a thing? Then I noticed it—the feathers. They were too different from any elk I’d ever seen, and its expression… confused, almost human.


    It stared at me with big black eyes, as if I were a criminal caught red-handed. Somehow... even in my dream, animals treat me like garbage.


    Then it moved slowly, approaching me step by step, grunting softly as it walked. I wasn’t afraid. Why would I be? This is just a dream, right? Yeah… a lucid dream. There couldn’t be any other explanation. Anything else would be absurd.


    The creature came closer, sniffing the air like a dog searching for something. I let it. Didn’t stop it. But then I realized—it wasn’t me the elk was looking for.


    Not far from where I lay, half-hidden in the grass beside me, was something familiar. A card. The same card the strange person had given me earlier.


    Why was it here? More precisely, why did the card appear in my dream? What did it mean?


    Then the ''elk'' approached the card. Sniffed it. Then suddenly stopped. And looked at me. Like it was trying to tell me something. Something like, “Take this card.” Curious, I picked it up. Examined it closely. But nothing seemed different. It was still the same card as before. The one that said “Dream.”


    This made me realize—this is a dream card. So, does that mean the reason I’m having this lucid dream… is because of this card?


    While I was still lost in thought. Trying to make sense of it all. The ''elk'' then tugged at my shirt. Like it was telling me to go. My long-sleeved shirt. That I usually wear when sleeping. Now this shirt is full of saliva from the ''elk''. Gross. But since this is a dream, why should I care?


    Yeah… why overthink it? This is a dream. Might as well enjoy it, right?


    I just went with the flow. Because the ''elk'' wanted to take me somewhere. I followed. When I stood up, I was amazed. The forest felt so real. The sun’s glare tried to push through the dense foliage, but it barely made it. Big trees towered everywhere. Bushes and grass spread out around me. Little birds flitted between branches. Things that looked like bees or maybe other small insects. Crawled over the grass and bushes.


    Then I noticed pieces of wood scattered on the ground, covered in green moss. But what really caught my eye was… mushrooms. Or something like them. They were stuck to the wood, glowing faintly. Yeah, glowing. Sounds strange, right? I’d heard of bioluminescent mushrooms before, but they’re usually seen at night. These, though—they glowed brightly even during the day. The dense canopy blocked most of the sunlight, letting their light stand out clearly. It was the first time I’d ever seen anything like it. Fascinating.


    Then I saw it. Among the trees, there was a path. Leading somewhere. Calling me. Inviting me. Curiosity took over. I left the ‘elk’ behind. I walked through the dense forest until I reached a wide-open expanse.


    It felt like stepping into a living wallpaper. A field of flowers stretched out before me—white and red petals all over the ground the scent grew stronger with each step. Carried by the gentle wind. Beyond the flowers, I could see hills and mountains in the distance. They didn’t seem too far away. Their presence shows at how vast this forest truly was. Much bigger than I’d imagined.


    I moved closer. Drawn to the scene. Yeah... I want to feel it. What freedom feels like. These flowers. Soft. Strange. Something I’ve never seen or felt before. Maybe this is what I’ve been looking for. Maybe that’s why I’m here. I spread my arms. Letting the wind hit me. Feeling it. The soft petals brushing against my fingers. Immersing myself. In everything around me.


    “Is this what it feels like to be free? From all the burdens. Pain. Everything.” I said.


    Tears fell. Dripped down my face. I don’t cry. Not usually. Or maybe I just held it in. Always. But now… something feels different. Lighter. Freer.


    Something better… Something healing…


    Free from suffering. The ties that bind me. The hands covering my eyes and ears. Gone. I can feel the warmth now. And also, happiness? It''s been so long since I felt it. So, I''ve forgotten what it feels like. To be happy. Blissful. And grateful.


    It’s like going back in time. But without the wounds. Without the scars. To a place where I can feel human. Feel alive.


    This reminds me of Aristotle. Something he said once. “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life.” The whole aim. The end of human existence. Maybe he’s right. He’s the expert, after all. That''s why people remember him. Sadly. They remember the man, not the words. The meaning behind them.


    Heh...thinking about people. Ruining the mood. There’s a reason modern society feels absurd. Because there are not many wise people. Too many fools. And wisdom? It’s treated like some dusty antique. Left in the attic to rot. A relic of the past.


    I never regretted reading the ancient Greek philosophers. Never. The old men left behind gold. Eternal gold.


    Gold that doesn’t rust. Doesn’t fade. Timeless.


    My feelings started to improve. Then I realized that the ''elk'' was actually waiting. Standing in the distance. Watching me. Head tilted slightly. Like it was staring at a crazy person. Not wrong, though. If insanity could put me in a different category than most people… I’d be happy to take it.


    But the elk seemed to be calling me. Its head moved again. Again. Signaling. Trying to tell me something. Unfortunately, I don’t speak animal. Never learned that skill. Besides, from the start. I was a person without much talent. Or skill.


    Still, I went toward it. Why not? It’s been my “guide” so far in this dream. Might as well follow the script for now. Curious where the story will go next.


    Let''s see. If I look at the common plot. Then there is a possibility that I will meet a witch? A talking tree? Forest guardian? Ah... Elf! Maybe there were elves in this dream, right? Then I’ll remember this dream. Never forget it. My life would feel a little better if I could just keep remembering it.


    It makes sense now. Wasn''t there an elf riding an ''elk'' in one of the movies? That was the second trilogy where this appeared. If that’s true… maybe this forest is the home of elves. No wonder everything feels strange. Unreal. Mushrooms that glow during the day. Small birds with snake-like tongues. And this white ''elk'' doesn''t look normal either.


    So, I followed the ''elk''. Walking quite a distance through many trees and bushes. There were no roads here, just uneven ground and thick forest. Moving wasn’t easy. Sometimes along the way I see strange animals or plants. Creatures like hamsters or rats, but with horns. Flowers glowing faintly for no reason. Weird. Unusual.


    Eventually, I came across ruins. Big rocks carved into shapes. Now covered in moss. It looked like a place that had been looted or destroyed long ago. As I moved further, the ruins became more frequent. It felt like stepping into a historical documentary, surrounded by remnants of something ancient.


    Then, out of nowhere, a voice whispered, soft but clear.


    “Welcome. I''ve been waiting for you for quite some time.”


    It sounded like a woman''s voice. But I didn''t see anyone else around. To make sure I even turned my body 360 degrees. But empty. Just me, the ruins, and the white elk.


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    Is it possible that there is a ghost in the dream? No, that doesn''t make any sense at all.


    The voice came again, calm and patient.


    “You look confused. Come to the temple. I’ll meet you there.”


    Temple? In the middle of this forest? It explained the ruins maybe, but not why it was here. Still, the elk seemed to know where we were going. He led me confidently toward a large. Half-destroyed building at the center of everything—a temple, or what was left of it.


    The temple is shaped like a circle that is located right on the hill, reminding me of ancient Roman or Greek temple buildings. In front of it was a plaza, its ground covered with stone. What caught my eye wasn’t just the green moss eating away at the ruins but also the wildflowers scattered around. Some glowed faintly, like the ones I’d seen earlier. The whole scene felt… beautiful. Natural. Something ancient yet alive.


    But then I noticed. The white elk didn’t waste time. It walked straight toward the temple and started climbing the stairs. From where I stood, I could make out a figure at the top. A woman. She was watching me.


    Curious, I moved closer. As I approached, details became clearer. She wore a thin white cloth that… too thin, honestly. I could see the curves of her body even from a distance. Her long blonde hair framed her face, and near her ear. She had a white flower pinned delicately. She wasn’t an elf. No, but her beauty or maybe more accurately. Her charm was undeniable.


    “Come here, you don''t need to be afraid.”


    The whispering voice returned, smooth and inviting—almost hypnotic, like it was reeling me in to enter the temple.


    I didn’t hesitate to follow. It wasn’t like I had much choice in the matter anyway. This whole thing felt painfully scripted. This white ''elk'' definitely had something to do with this place and that woman. He was sent to bring me here from the start. The entire setup felt contrived. Straight out of a second-rate novel or a cliché-ridden comic book. Honestly. At this point, I could only hope this wasn’t setting up yet another brainrot plotline. Overused trash plots with zero originality. Heck, I’d be disappointed if I ended up stuck in one of those garbage tropes even in my own dreams.


    And speaking of disappointment… no elves. Not even one. Seriously, come on. If we’re going full brainrot with mystical creatures in mysterious forests, can’t we at least pick the best of the worst? Where’s the elf? This is unacceptable.


    But if I think about this logically for a moment. That woman… she’s probably either trapped or sealed here somehow. Classic setup I would say. she’ll charm me into breaking her seal, then boom—I’m suddenly responsible for whatever chaos unfolds because of my “heroic” mistake. Overused trope alert.


    Then again, maybe she’s just the guardian spirit of the forest. That would actually make sense given that we’re standing in front of a temple. Guardians tend to hang around temples, after all. Still, knowing my luck, she’s more likely some ethereal forest goddess who’s going to ask for my help. And if I agree? Surprise! She’ll grant me some absurdly overpowered ability. Because apparently, solving ancient magical problems requires turning random passersby into demigods overnight.


    Yeah, these kinds of plots are predictable enough to make me roll my eyes before they even happen. Brainrot incarnate. But hey, who needs originality when you’ve got it for free in your dream, right?


    I followed the script. Climbing the stairs of the old temple one step at a time. From here I could clearly see the area of ??ruins was quite large. When I reached the entrance, the interior came into view: half-destroyed, with broken walls and shattered pillars framing what must have once been an altar. And there she stood, right in the middle of it all.


    Around her were white flowers, scattered like fallen stars along the wall. Matching the ones woven through her hair. She wore a thin white cloth that clung to her figure, almost transparent against her smooth, pale skin. Every curve of her body was unmistakable, impossible to ignore. As a straight man, let’s just say my attention was... fully engaged.


    Her face only added to the picture. Without a doubt, this is top-tier beauty. Flawless white skin, a pointed nose, and delicate features—the type of face that might pause your thoughts. Her posture was poised, slim but strong, like she’d stepped straight out of some supermodel catalog.


    Maybe I wasn’t too disappointed about not seeing an elf after all. Sure, the whole thing felt "cliché." but if this woman was part of the package. Perhaps that was not such an awful trade-off. At least something here seemed to be worth the journey.


    “May I know your name?” the woman said. But here’s the thing—her mouth didn’t move. Not even a little.


    Is this a glitch? A bug? Can dreams even have bugs? I mean, isn’t this supposed to be my subconscious doing its thing?


    Still confused, I just went with it


    “I''m Ryan.” I said. In a flat tone of course.


    My head is starting to go into overdrive. Something felt… off. Like really off. Is she a ghost? That would explain the whole “talking without moving her mouth” thing. But come on, what kind of ghost looks like that? Beautiful enough to make you forget you’re probably in danger? Or maybe that was the point all along?


    “You seem confused. What is confusing you?” she asked again. And yes, her mouth was still closed. Perfectly still.


    Okay, now this is starting to scare me a little. If I answer her, will she attack me? like in horror movies where the protagonist says one too many things and… dead. But wait, wasn’t this supposed to be some plot about mystical creatures in mysterious forests troupe? Why does it feel like a horror story now? Did someone mess up the genre halfway through?


    Then again, this is my dream. My own personal brain theater. So technically, I shouldn’t be afraid, right? Worst-case scenario, I could wake up tomorrow and just forget all this crap. With that thought, I decided to bite the bullet and ask:


    “How do you talk? How can you talk without your mouth moving at all?” I pointed my index finger at her for emphasis, because why not add some dramatic flair? It''s all just a dream after all. Might go all out play my role in this dream.


    She lowered her head slightly, almost like she was apologizing. “Sorry, I haven’t used my physical form for too long. This might confuse you.”


    Fair enough. At least she acknowledged the strangeness. But then she continued, revealing the plot twist:


    “Humans now call me, Poma. Goddess of the forest and nature. Though now I am nothing more than the guardian of this Rossa forest. Forgotten by time” The woman said introducing herself. Now she is speaking normally again.


    Oh great. She called herself a goddess but now she''s just a guardian of this forest? Quite a complicated background. And Rossa Forest? Really? What kind of name is that? It sounds like something someone came up with five minutes before the deadline. Uncreative, sure, but at least it’s original… sort of.


    “Okay... Then why did you call me here? That white ‘elk’ must have been your doing, right? He was the one who invited and brought me here.” I replied, pointing again at the white elk standing beside the woman who claimed to be a goddess.


    “Elk? Ahh, you mean Enyeka? Yes, you’re not wrong about that. I was the one who sent Enyeka to approach you and bring you here. She didn’t cause any trouble, did he?” she asked.


    Well, if we count my clothes getting bitten by her, it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. But maybe I should rewind for a moment. Looking back at how things happened might give me some information. First, in this dream, I was wandering through the forest when Enyeka appeared and led me to this temple. Along the way, I passed a field of beautiful flowers, and now I’m standing in this crumbling temple with a woman who claims to be a goddess.


    Sure, I still can guess where this plot is heading—it’s painfully predictable. And honestly, it’s kind of ironic. In the past, I was trying so hard to write a story with originality, something fresh and meaningful. But now, my own dream is following the most clichéd, brainrot plot imaginable.


    Even my subconscious can’t resist a trashy trope. This just goes to show how bad I am as a writer.


    “Why do you still look confused?” the woman asked, breaking the silence.


    I was confused… about this dream. About her, about everything. So many things felt strange, it was almost too deliberate. Maybe it was time to ask her directly, right? I started with a simple question.


    “Tell me where we are now? Can you explain it?”


    As I spoke, something clicked in my mind. This dream wasn’t as random as I’d first thought. There was a clear plot to it. Even if it leaned heavily on the kind of brainrot tropes I’d seen a hundred times before. But shouldn’t dreams be chaotic? Unpredictable? It was only after reflecting on all the events that I realized how oddly organized this one felt.


    “The Ardennse Continent, or what used to be called Arrendes,” she began, her tone calm and measured. “Human language has developed quite rapidly here. This Rossa Forest lies in the southern part of the continent. If nothing has changed, there should be a city called Madena not far from here.”


    Again, this level of detail was unsettling. Could dreams really be this structured? Or was my mind just… different?


    “Do you know chocolate? Or strawberry cake? Have you ever eaten them?” she suddenly asked, jolting me out of my thoughts.


    The question felt bizarrely out of place, but I answered anyway. “Of course, I know that. Though I rarely buy strawberry cake. But I KNOW what strawberry cake and chocolate is.” I emphasized the last part, partly because the randomness of her question threw me off balance.


    She smiled then, her expression softening with what looked like relief. It was as if she’d been waiting for my answer. That small shift in her demeanor changed the atmosphere entirely. The tension in the air seemed to dissolve, replaced by a strange calm. Her smile—it wasn’t smug or manipulative. It was genuine, almost comforting. For the first time, I wondered if she truly was who she claimed to be: a goddess.


    “So, you must have a card that you carry with you,” she continued, her voice steady. “A card that might feel ordinary.”


    This time, her question intrigued me. How did she know? Was this one of her abilities? It wouldn’t be surprising, given her supposed deity status. Curiosity got the better of me, and I pulled the card from my pocket.


    “You mean this card?” I said while showing her the card.


    Her reaction was unexpected. She didn’t smile or nod like before. Instead, she simply replied, “Welcome to the Ardennes Continent. You can stay here temporarily.”


    Her words hung in the air, leaving me more puzzled than ever. What did she mean by “welcome”? And why was she offering me a temporary stay in this temple? If I woke up, wouldn’t all of this vanish? Did she think this dream world was permanent? Or was there something more to it—something I wasn’t seeing yet?


    “What do you mean stay? If I wake up from this dream everything will just disappear.” I replied without hesitation.


    I was curious, though. She was, after all, a product of my imagination. A figment born from the chaos of my subconscious. What would happen if I confronted her with that reality? Would she spiral into an existential crisis or just laugh it off?


    But instead of crumbling under the weight of my logic, she smiled. Like she was holding back laughter.


    “Of course, I forgot. You must think this is all just a dream. But unfortunately, you’re wrong. This is a different place entirely from your previous world,” she said, her voice calm as she began walking toward me.


    Her words struck me hard—how could a figure in my dream say something like that? This whole situation was getting stranger by the second. And yet… there was something else. A scent. Faint but familiar, like the flowers I’d smelled earlier. It felt too vivid for a dream.


    As she drew closer, my brain betrayed me. The thin white cloth she wore clung to her frame almost teasingly, leaving little to the imagination. My mind immediately conjured an image of her naked, as if it had been waiting for the opportunity. It practically Photoshopped the image in HD no filter needed.


    Desperate to regain some semblance of control, I slowly turned my face away. Maybe if I avoided looking directly at her, the sensory overload would fade. Or so I hoped.


    She walked past me, her presence lingering longer than necessary. “Then why are you avoiding me? If this is a dream, can’t you control it?” Her tone carried a playful edge, like she knew exactly what she was doing and was enjoying every second of it.


    Her words struck a nerve. Wait. Wasn’t this supposed to be a lucid dream? Shouldn’t I have full control over this mess? Yet nothing about this felt scripted by me. Everything had unfolded naturally, almost unnervingly so. With all its trashy plot beats perfectly in place.


    And then it hit me. The possible outcomes are: Isekai


    No. No way. There’s no way someone like me. A mere background character in real life would get dragged into one of those stories. That’s not how these things work! If anything, shouldn’t I have been hit by a truck first? Isn’t that the standard procedure opening for this kind of nonsense? At least I''m spared the cliché. The painful part could’ve been skipped entirely.


    But still…


    If this really was an Isekai scenario, then what? Did some lunatic writer decide today was the day to shove me into their poorly thought-out fantasy plot? And what about that card in my pocket? Could it actually be tied to all of this? A ticket? A travel visas?


    The more I thought about it, the more absurd it became.


    And worst of all. What happens when I wake up?


    Or worse… what if I don’t?


    Damn it! Which crazy person wrote this?