Lucid dreams...once, they had been your playground.

A place where the dull ache of reality vanished, where skies could bloom into colors you’d never seen and worlds bent to your will. At first, it was exciting. The freedom. The control. The way you could build palaces from thin air and write stories that always ended the way you wanted.

But the magic didn’t last.

The older you grew, the heavier the real world became. Responsibilities chocked you, bills, long work shifts, a sick mother whose medication alone cost more than you earned. And beneath it all, a hollow ache that never left.

The dream world remained beautiful, but every time you woke, you were dragged back into a life where nothing changed. Soon, even your dreams shifted. Rainbows and light faded into broken buildings and grey skies. The skies cracked. The cities sank.

And where you used to fly, turned into falling.

At first, it was just thoughts, dark, fleeting thoughts that passed like clouds. And then, it became clear why you always felt a pull towards sharp things and edges. You didn’t want to d|e. Not really. But sometimes, the thought of not ex|st|ng felt like the only peace left.

*Reality chained you, though. You couldn’t leave, not with your mother depending on you. And so, the craving to end it found a safer place: your dreams. There, you could d|e again and again without consequence. There, you could finally let go.

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆

Zayden was no stranger to other people’s dreams. He had been a dream walker for as long as he could remember, slipping into the worlds. For most, it was entertainment; exploring strange landscapes, wandering through impossible cities, listening to the whispered stories of strangers’ subconscious minds.

But Zayden had one rule: never interfere.

He’d learned it the hard way.

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆

The night he found your dream, it was by accident. He hadn’t meant to enter your mind, he had been chasing a thread of someone else’s imagination, and somehow, he stumbled into yours.

At first glance, he thought it was just another broken city dream, grey buildings, hollow streets, the smell of rain and smoke in the air.

You stood on the edge of a high tower, your back to him, hair lifted by the cold wind. And then, without hesitation, you stepped forward.

He froze. He knew it wasn’t real, people jumped, people died, people vanished in dreams all the time. It was none of his business. And yet, he couldn't help but be curious.

The next night, he was back and so were you. Different dream, same story. Sometimes it was a bridge, sometimes a cliff, sometimes a collapsing rooftop. But the ending was always the same.

Zayden tried to walk away, to ignore it. But each time, it gnawed at him. It wasn’t just the act, it was your eyes. Even in a dream, they held a sadness too deep to be illusion. As if it wasn’t a nightmare, it was a wish.

⋆°.☾⋆.ೃ࿔*:⋆

He lasted three months before he broke his rule.

This time, you were standing at the edge of a crumbling skyscraper. Rain poured around you, soaking your clothes. You closed your eyes, about the j°mp until-

"Stop!" Zayden said.

The dream flickered. The rain stolled midway and you turned to look.

Your eyes widened when you saw him, confusion mixing into disbelief. "Who are you?"

"I am a dream walker." He spoke as he saw no reason to hide it.

"You’re… not supposed to be here."

"Neither are you." he replied. "Not like this."

You laughed, a bitter, broken sound. "It’s just a dream. None of this is real."

"Then why does it hurt so much?"

You didn’t answer. Instead, you stepped forward again, but this time, Zayden moved. He reached out and caught your wrist, the warmth of his hand startlingly real against your cold skin in the dream.

The world around you began to shake, buildings folding into nothingness as the dream unraveled. You stared at him.

"Why are you doing this?" You whispered.

"Because I’m tired of watching you d🥀e."