When Erik had come to, he found himself laying flat on his back, in the middle of a large, empty field. However, it was not the same field he arrived in just previously. Everything about this place was odd... surreal, even. The color of the grass was a bright teal rather than a deep green, the sky glowed a slight purple, and the atmosphere was itself soothing and otherworldly. As Erik sat up, scanning his immediate surroundings, he was both taken aback and in quiet awe of where he found himself.
"This, this is..." he whispered aloud. "This... this isn't the border of Esteri, is it?"
Erik took another quick look around him - the caravan he had been traveling with, as well as the bandits that had attacked him, were gone, without a single trace. It was as if they weren't ever there to begin with. Erik then quickly stood up, anxious.
"H-How... did I get here?"
"You are currently in a deep, deep sleep, young Child of Man."
Erik spun around, trying to find the source of the voice that had just spoken to him. Despite this, he couldn't see who - or what - the voice was coming from.
"Hey, who are you? Show yourself!" he shouted.
"At ease, Child. I am not here to hurt you. I am merely here to guide you."
"Guide me?" Erik questioned. "Then why can't I see you? Not much of a guide if I cannot follow."
"Here in the Dreamscape, the need for a physical form is unnecessary," said the mysterious voice. "Here, were are free to be one with the Dreaming."
Erik stood quietly for a moment. "Uh... OK... So... Am I...?"
"Worry not, Child," the voice assured, "you have not departed from the Land of the Waking. You were merely incapacitated, and brought here in your hour of rest."
Erik scratched his head and sighed. "So, you're telling me that those bandits and their flatulence was so strong that it knocked me into a sort of coma? Jeez... for all I know, this is just some insane hallucination..."
"You were unfortunate enough to be greeted in a rather unsavory manner, yes," the voice continued. "Though know that you are not bound for this realm for much longer. You will awake and return shortly."
"Then, why am I here at all?" Erik asked, still looking for wherever the source of the voice may be.
"The Dreamscape has chosen you to receive a blessing," the voice answered. "Your time in this new land will be difficult, and we wish to imbue you with the strength necessary to continue if your efforts."
Erik wasn't buying it.
"Nonsense!" he shouted. "I've been on many adventures in my travels - a few farts are hardly enough of a challenge for me! I don't need some hand-out from... whatever you are!"
The voice was silent for a moment. All Erik could hear was the subtle blowing of wind that drifted amongst the teal grass at his feet. Then, the voice spoke again.
"There is more to this land than you understand, Child of Man."
"It's Erik," Erik replied. "Just call me Erik Leif."
"Very well, Erik Leif of Man," the mysterious voice responded. "This land of Esteri is nothing at all like the rest of the lands you've traveled whilst in Waking. There is a slow, creeping sickness brewing in the midst of the shadows, unbeknownst to you or your fellow Men."
"Yeah, there'd have to be a sickness if the people's farts are anything to go by..." Erik said in a snarky tone.
"Merely a symptom," the voice continued. "This part of the Land of Waking is very in tune with the Element of Wind. But the Element is being corrupted by an unseen force..."
"A Nightmare..."
That word echoed in Erik's mind. It was clear from the tone of the voice that whatever this "nightmare" was, it was malicious, however nebulous. Erik could barely comprehend what the significance of what was even happening to him, likely because he barely believed it was even happening. The entire experience felt akin to a strange lucid dream... if that lucid dream was brought on be a barrage of bandit farts.
If it was a dream, then it was an oddly foreboding dream - not even an hour into Esteri, and Erik was being warned of a sort of corrupting evil force making its way in the shadows. It was as ominous as it was weird.
"So... you're calling upon me to stop this force?" Erik replied in an unsure tone. "I couldn't even stop a group of bandits..."
"Worry not, Erik Leif of Man," the voice answered. "Follow the Flowers - they will guide you."
At that moment, the grass in front of Erik's feet began to illuminate softly, as a path of flowers grew and bloomed in mere moments. The flowers made a straight path up towards a nearby hill, with a single tree at the top.
As Erik followed along the path to the top of the hill, then placed his hand on the tree - the tree bark was a deep blue color, while the leaves were a bold red. The surreal mix of colors was surprisingly soothing to Erik.
Erik then looked back down to the ground. The path of glowing flowers continued down past the other side of the hill, and stretch along a flat valley. The trek gave Erik the time to absorb his surrounds, take in the soft atmosphere. Despite his questioning earlier, he found himself at ease. It occurred to him that perhaps this really was a dream after all. And yet, if that was the case, how could it have felt so real at the same time?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------
After a few more minutes of silent walking, Erik arrived at the end of the path of glowing flowers. The voice then spoke once again.
"Erik Leif of Man... Before you is a blessing courtesy of the Dreamscape. Take it, and let it imbue you with its power. Find the source of the illness that befalls the Land of the Waking, and bring peace back to the Element of Wind."
Then, a bright flash burst from in front of Erik, revealing what it was that was bestowed upon him. Once he opened his eyes, Erik saw--
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