Chapter 1
It wasnt the scratchy sheets that finally convinced him he wasnt dreaming. Nor was it the watery gruel that seemed to get thinner with every meal, or even the dull ache of his missing arm. Rather, it was the strange, movie-like dreams he had of a young man named Garrett Klein whose life scrolled out before him, unreeling in a jerky blur. With every dream, memories of his life on Earth twisted, merging with the moments of the body he had come to inhabit. After four days of drifting in and out of hazy wakefulness as his weak body tried to overcome the life-threatening blood loss hed suffered, he finally woke up for real, a clear certainty in his mind.
He wasnt on Earth anymore. Hearing harsh shouting outside his door, he tried to swallow, nearly choking as his sandpaper tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. There was a rough mug of water on the floor by the pile of ragged cloth serving as his bed, but as he reached for it he remembered that he lacked a hand. It had been shocking to wake up missing his right hand, but right now, getting a mouthful of water was the only thing occupying his mind. The shouting seemed to be getting louder, and as he rolled over and reached for the cup with his left hand the door burst open, shaking the room.
A burly man stomped into the room, his jaw set and his lips pressed in a grim line. Behind him, a young woman followed, trying to grab his arm and suffering a backhanded slap for her efforts that sent her tumbling into the wall with a thud. Despite the flash of pain that crossed her face, she jumped right back to her feet and rushed toward the burly man again, only to stop in shock when she saw that Garrett was awake, shakily carrying the mug of water to his lips.
Hurrying past the burly man, who had stopped in the middle of the floor, she helped Garrett lift the mug up, supporting his back as he tried to prop himself up. His waist seemed unnaturally weak, but he managed to get himself high enough to get a mouthful of water. He wanted nothing more than to pour the entire mug down his throat, but he knew from experience that, in his current state, it would do more damage than help.
Feeling the cool water trickle down his throat, he took another mouthful, holding it in his mouth and letting his parched tongue absorb as much of it as possible. Swallowing was hard, so rather than take another drink, he lay back down, his strength all but exhausted. Seeing he was done, the young woman put the mug down on the rough floorboards and turned to face the burly man.
See! He isnt dead!
Doesnt matter if hes dead or not, I told you, your time is up. Youve stayed as long as your coin will last, so its time for you to get out. Either you leave by lunch time, or Ill drag both of you out myself.
Without giving the young woman any chance to respond, the burly man turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door. Like a deflating balloon, the young woman sagged, her shoulders trembling as she slumped on the floor. Behind her, Garrett couldnt help but raise one eyebrow, a habit brought from his previous life.
Excuse me, he said, his voice like rough paper brushing together. I dont think I know you.
No matter how he wracked the new memories that swirled through his mind, he couldnt recall ever having seen this young woman before a few days ago when he woke up in this sorry excuse for an inn. This shouting match had repeated every day for the last few days, ending with the young lady handing over a small copper coin, but today was clearly different. When she heard his voice, the young woman jerked in surprise, spinning around to stare at Garrett, her eyes carefully tracing his pale face.
Her direct stare allowed him an equally good look at her, noting the large burn scar that ran across her nose, cheek, and half her upper lip. Her matted brown hair, cut raggedly into a bob, didnt look particularly good on her, but he supposed its utility made up for its mushroomness. Surprise and excitement mixed with a natural wariness colored her eyes, which were so dark they looked black, but the excitement faded as she took in Garretts weak body.
Telryn. You can call me Ryn.
Nice to meet you, Ryn. My name is
Trailing off, Garrett blinked. What was his name? Two sets of memories swirled around his head, merging and diverging in a dizzying mix. On Earth his name had been Paul Geller, but as of four days ago he had woken up in the body of the young nobleman named Garrett Klein. He had no idea why, but his memories from this world and the memories of the middle-aged man from Earth had intertwined, becoming inseparable. Was he Paul? Or was he Garrett? With a wince, he tried to clear his head. As always, survival was the most important thing, even if it meant reconstructing his identity. Only hesitating for a moment, he pretended to cough to cover for himself.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience
Excuse me. My name is Garrett. Thank you for saving me.
It seems it will be for nothing, Ryn said bitterly, shaking her head. Were about to get thrown out. You wont last more than a day on the street in your condition. If the scroungers dont get you, the rats will.
Which is why we need to change that, Garrett said, his voice barely a whisper as his eyes drifted to the door. Am I correct in thinking that youve used the last of your money and can no longer afford the rent for this room?
Staring at Garrett, Ryn took a moment to answer. On top of having a strange way of talking, there was a calmness to his words that gave her pause. Most people, having woken from a terrible fever, would barely be coherent, but he was operating with a cold efficiency that took her by surprise.
No more money, she finally said, shrugging. That greedy skinflint is charging us twice the normal rate.
I see. One of the curses of being powerless, but one we cannot change at the moment.
> Path of the Ghost
> Path of the Watcher
Realizing he could select each of the paths to learn more about them, Garrett opened up the first option to examine it in more detail.
Path of the Blade
Growing in strength through slaying those nightmares that stalk the dream world, the Blade learns to shape Aether into an unsurpassed weapon, using it to cut down their enemies. Powerful from the first, this path is suited to those with a fearless temperament who prefer facing things head-on.
Survivability: High
Growth Potential: Low
The path of the Blade appeared to be the standard warrior path, one focused on fighting against enemies directly. This feeling was confirmed as Garrett felt information appearing in his mind, detailing the two abilities the path of the Blade would grant him. The first was the creation of a weapon, while the second was the ability to accelerate rapidly. To Garrett it felt like he was in the middle of one of those video games hed heard about during his life on Earth. Though hed never played one himselfthere had simply been no timehe was at least familiar with how they worked, and the windows he was looking at seemed to mimic them.
As nice as it would be to be able to create a sword, Garrett had no familiarity with using a sword as a weapon and didnt like the idea of having to fight against nightmares, whatever they were, especially at close range. Apart from the high survivability, the path of the Blade held little appeal for him, so he closed the window and opened up the next option, the path of the Ghost.
Path of the Ghost
Growing in strength through taming those nightmares that stalk the dream world, the Ghost learns to use Aether to control the denizens of the Dream, commanding them to devour their foes. Largely helpless without their pets, this path is suited to those who prefer overwhelming their enemies through numbers.
Survivability: Moderate
Growth Potential: Moderate
Much like the path of the Blade, the focus on fighting the path of the Ghost took unsettled Garrett. Hed seen his fair share of fights during his past life, and had even participated in a number of them himself, but he much preferred settling things with other methods. As far as he was concerned, fighting was something you only did when you had no chance of losing. Just like the path of the Blade, as soon as he opened the window, information regarding the skills associated with the path of the Ghost appeared in his mind.
The first was an ability that would allow him to capture nightmares, creatures native to the Dream. He still had no idea what the Dream was, but he assumed it was this hazy world he found himself in. According to the mechanical voice it had loaded a Dream module, whatever that was, which allowed him to enter this room. The second ability would allow him to command the nightmares he controlled, with greater degrees of success depending on how strong his control was. Not thrilled with the idea of having to rely on others, even if he was controlling them, Garrett closed the window and opened up the final path.
Path of the Watcher
Growing in strength through observing the thoughts and actions of those who wander the Dream, the Watcher learns to use Aether to connect with those whose minds are touched by the Dream. Though without a way to defend themselves initially, this path is suited for those who know how to make hidden knowledge work for them.
Survivability: Low
Growth Potential: High
Like a light had gone off in his mind, Garrett stared at the window, reading it over three times to make sure he wasnt missing anything. Just the growth potential of the path was enough to make him ignore everything else and select it, but he wasnt one to rush into anything, so he did his best to think through the choice. Apart from the growth potential, he had a particular fascination with secrets, and a path built around them immediately sparked his interest. Though it would give him no direct advantages when it came to surviving, and even boasted a low survivability, Garrett had been surviving his whole life and wasnt about to stop now, regardless of his path.
