The Revelers (Serial 1)

Act 1 - Chapter 18: Cithara

I return to my messy laboratory workshop with Ruby lying on a gurney, her head resting, her face up, looking peaceful yet nervous. Sticker probes attached to parts of Ruby's body continue to monitor her vitals. So far, everything looks stable. Just to the side, I spot Ms. Kelshar placing the passed-out Milani on the black leather couch near the entrance to my workshop. The wealthy boy is waking up, his eyelids struggling to open.

"Mr. Sorsha," Ms. Kelshar asks, "would you like something to drink?"

"Coffee is fine," Milani mumbles while orienting himself upright on the couch. "One cup of nondairy creamer, no sugar, please. Thank you." After he receives his coffee, he lumbers towards the other side of the workshop table. "Cithara, how are things?" he greets, followed by a quick sip of his coffee. "Oh! This is some strong stuff."

"It's how I prefer my coffee," I say, glancing at his white porcelain cup. "Strong and black. Anyway, Ruby seems okay. Her vitals are stabilizing, but I need to see what she's dreaming about." I pull out a key from a hidden compartment on my desk and use the key to open a safe box on the wall. Inside, I pull out a visor-like gadget resembling a virtual reality headset. It's called a Dream Recorder, a device capable of analyzing brain waves to recreate the dreams of the wearer into a three-dimensional virtual recording. I invented this five years ago when I became curious about Ari's dreams. It analyzes brainwaves and eye movement; and then recreates those images in real-time using advanced AI imaging. So far, I've been having some great success with it.

"So, what's the news about Ruby?" Milani asks.

"I'm recording her dreams now," I answer, adjusting the visor over Ruby's eyes. "I theorize her nightmares are becoming more rampant. Previously, the recordings would show Ruby surrounded by dark, shadowy beasts and white, angelic warriors. Occasionally, a figure in a blue cloak would appear, though that person's significance is unknown to me."

Milani scratches his chin. "Can you hook that device to a projector? Is it possible to see the dream in real-time?"

"Of course." I press a button on the side of the visor and an image forms above the holographic projector on my workbench. The workshop's lights dim and my room instantly fills with four-legged beasts with sharp teeth and unnatural growls. Some black like the shadows, others white like monsters from a holy land. Monsters from an unknown world. Above us are a mix of white owls, black ravens, and winged warriors of both shades.

"I never thought I'd see a world where angels and demons can get along," Milani says, letting out a gasp. "Ravens and owls are rivals in nature. Here? That seems to be the opposite."

"I actually never knew that," I say, regarding owls and ravens. "I thought it was a WarGames thing between The Monument City Ravenwolves and The Emerald City Owlbears, a rivalry dating back since the first season. Didn't think the rabbit hole went that deep."

"It's true. It's a random fact I learned at the academy. With that aside, I wonder what's going on in this picture."

"Let's figure out where Ruby is in this scenario." I swipe my hand, rotating the scene, attempting to get a complete picture of the scenario.

"How do we find Ruby in this desolate wasteland of black and white demons?"

"Easy," I answer. "We are actually in the point-of-view of Ruby. What we're seeing around us is what Ruby is looking at right now. So far, these strange creatures are not pursuing Ruby."

"Well, this is an interesting and captivating experience. I wonder what makes her dream about these things," Milani says, pointing at a black-winged, gargoyle-like creature.