There's a girl in front of you.
Your senses are off so you can't quite see who she is clearly, but the sight of her back turned to you looks familiar somehow.
Her hair glows like an amber with the pulsating light. She walks away from you towards that light.
(if: $belief is true)[You look down at yourself. You have a body. You have legs. With those legs, you [[will chase after]] her.](else:)[You [[chase after]] her back.
(if: $loop is 1)[Even though she's only walking at a slow pace, you run at a rate that causes [[your feet to throb in pain]].](if: $loop is 2)[You're sick of the dream deciding what you do for you. You're [[sick of having no control]].](if: $loop is 3)[She said you didn't have to suffer. [[Wake up.]]]]She walks away from you.
(live: 1s)[She walks away from you.]
(live: 2s)[She walks away from you.]
(live: 3s)[She walks away.]
(live: 4s)[She walks]
(live: 5s)[away]
(live: 6s)[(if: $wake is true)[[[Wake up.|away]]](else:)[(goto: "away")]]You can't reach her.
(if: $noBody is true)[You have no way to reach her.
She goes off into the light, [[leaving you behind]].](Else:)[Even though you're [[running as fast as you can]], the distance between you two doesn't get any smaller.]
(if: $loop is 1)[Yet, despite that, you're [[determined to reach her]].](if: $loop is 2)[...why can't you reach her? Who took away your physical presence? You're [[here right now]].](if: $wake is true)[[[WAKE UP!]]]Running? How are you running?
[[You don't even have a body|away]].
(set: $noBody to true)The lights in the night sky are sparkling.
She is [sparkling]<spark|. (click: ?spark)[Ah, wait. That's wrong.
[[She's burning.]]]She's burning. The fire travels slowly but surely.
[You're burning.]<burn| (click: ?burn)[No, you don't have a body.]
(live: 4s) [It hurts.]
(live: 5s) [it hurts]
(live: 7s) [it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts burning burning it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it stop the burning hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts no stop it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts please no it hurts it hurts it burning burn hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it stop stop stop stop hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it stop it stop it stop it stop hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it no no no hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it fire burning hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts ]
(live: 8s)[(goto: "face")](text-color: #696A76)[
(live: 2s)[*Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!*]
(live: 4s)[(if: $loop is 1)[It's your [[alarm again]].](else:)[It's [[your alarm]].]]]
For a moment, you can almost see her face as she turns around.
She opens her mouth and
(live: 3s)[(if: $loop is 2)[(goto: "awake third")](if: $loop is 3)[(goto: "bad end")](else:)[(goto: "awake")]](text-color: #696A76)[Running after her, and then that fire... it was all a dream.
You're only laying in bed, completely safe.
She, too, is [[sound asleep]] in her bed on the other side of the room.](text-color: #696A76)[It was all just a dream. There's no real danger.
It was [all fake]<fake|.
(click: ?fake)[It was [all fake.]<fake2|]
(click: ?fake2)[[[It was all fake.|Start]]]](set: $loop to 1)
What?
You've experienced this before. You should know already that you have no body in this world.
Why do you think your feet are in pain?
Are you trying to change the course of events by asserting that you have a body? That's foolish and purposeless.
After all, [[you have no control here.|chase after]](set: $count to it + 1)This feeling is purposeless.
Your determination means nothing.
[[You have no control here.|leaving you behind]](set: $count to it + 1)(set: $count to 0)(text-color: #696A76)[You had the same dream yet again. You wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't the last time you'd have it.
Nothing changed. (if: $count > 0)[Even though you tried to change it, nothing worked.]
This made sense, though. After all, [[you have no control there.|Start]](set: $loop to 2)]Give up. There's no point to your suffering over your lack of ability to control the situation.
It'll always end up the same. People cannot control their dreams.
*You* cannot control your dreams. This nightmare will repeat over and over- you [[have to accept this.|chase after]](set: $count to it + 1)*No, you're not.*
Your body is asleep in your bed. There's no way for you to be here.
Only dreams exist here, and you are a real person. All you can do is watch.
This is not your world. [[You have no control here.|leaving you behind]](set: $count to it + 1)(text-color: #696A76)["Hey, [[wake up]]!"](text-color: #696A76)[The girl looms over you, lightly shaking your shoulder.
"Are you okay? You haven't seemed to be sleeping very well recently..."
This was the first time anyone had pointed this out. It was surprising to hear it acknowledged out loud, so you weren't sure whether you [[wanted to]] talk about what was bothering you [[or not]].](text-color: #696A76)["...no. I haven't been okay. I've been having the same nightmare every night for days in a row now."
It was hard to get the words out, but you knew you couldn't keep it to yourself. It was building inside you, and would've gotten to the point where it would burst eventually; and besides, you know that she could read you like a book. If you had tried to lie and hide it, that'd only make her more concerned.
"A reoccuring nightmare? [[What happens in it?]]"](text-color: #696A76)["Everythings fine. There's really nothing to worry about."
Unfortunately, she could see through that.
"You're not sleeping well. [[I wouldn't say there's 'nothing to worry about'.]]"](text-color: #696A76)[Describing that you dreamt of watching her burn to death each night probably wasn't a great idea. You decide that it's best to keep that detail to yourself, at the very least.
"I keep dreaming that I'm watching someone walk right into their death, but I have no body so I can't do anything to stop them."
After hearing this, she had a mournful expression for a moment, before shaking her head and meeting you with an awkward yet [[encouraging smile]].](text-color: #696A76)["Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault."
You should've been more specific. She completely misunderstood what you meant.
"No, no, I don't mean *that*-"
"But you did, didn't you? Even if the dream wasn't actually about it, you were still dreaming about 'not being able to save someone'. You being afraid of that; it's definitely [[because of that]], right?"](text-color: #696A76)[She really *could* read you like an open book.
"An accident is just an accident. If you're really powerless, then that means you never could control it from the beginning; you can't blame someone who didn't have the power to change anything."
She said such ridiculous things.
"Of course you can! I-"
"Your parents wouldn't blame you for what happened to them. If they got the chance to see you again, I'm certain they'd hug you close instead."
She [[hugs you]] in their place. Considering the dream you've been having, her taking their place seemed fitting.](text-color: #696A76)["...I just wish I could actually have control over my life for once."
She lifts her arms off from the hug and takes a step back to stare at your face. After a moment, a sly grin appears on her face. She must've thought of something.
"What's that look about?"
"Have you ever heard of [[lucid dreaming]]?!"](text-color: #696A76)["I've heard of it, but what does it have to do with anything?"
She seems mildly exasperated at your clueless response.
"You want control over your life, right? And you've been having nightmares you couldn't control."
...you understood what she was getting at now.
"Okay, maybe that would help if I could do it, but I've never experienced it myself."
"I've read online that you can train yourself to do it! I'm not sure how it works, but it's worth a try if the nightmares continue, right?"
It's your turn to give an exasperated look, but she seemed [[confident]] in herself.](text-color: #696A76)["Believe in yourself. If you really believe in yourself, I'm sure you can do it. If you can't believe in yourself alone, then believe in me, okay? [[You can overcome this. I know you can.|Start]]"](set: $belief to true)(text-color: #696A76)["..."
"Well, what's wrong?"
"....."
You refuse to say. You don't want to worry her more. Of course, you [[can't shake her off]] that easily.](text-color: #696A76)["It's okay. I won't force you to say. But, I'm at least guessing you're having nightmares, right?"
"...yes."
You can say that much.
"[[I'm here for you.]] You don't have to stay stuck in them, okay?"](text-color: #696A76)["What, you'll wake me up when it comes? That doesn't make any sense. You need to sleep just as much as me... Wait, waking me up whenever I have nightmares would mean I wouldn't sleep at all!"
You expected her to give up in resignment after that outburst of yours, but instead she just stands there beside you, [[eyes focused]].](text-color: #696A76)["You don't have suffer. [[I'm here for you.|Start]]"](set: $loop to 3)(set: $wake to true)
(goto: "chase after")(text-color: #696A76)[You wake up with a start.
Just as promised, she's standing right beside you.
She's right there. She's fine. She isn't hurt.
*She's right there*.]
<h3>Ending 2 - Right There</h3>(live: 2s)[You never get to hear what she has to say at the end.]
(live: 4s)[Not that this matters.
Not that anything matters.
There's no point hoping, or trying to change your situation for the better.
You'll be trapped in this nightmare forever. After all, you have no control over it.
<h3>Ending 1 - No Control</h3>]"Wait! Please, wait!"
Not only do you have a body, you even have a voice. She hears you and turns around.
"What is it?"
"You shouldn't keep going that way. It's dangerous."
Saying that, [[you grab her hand to pull her away.]](if: $count > 2)[She follows the tug of your hand. You end up at a blossoming tree.
The petals following behind her is a beautiful sight.
"I'm so glad you're okay."
[[She smiles back at you.]]](else:)[She pulls her hand away from yours.
"I'm sorry, but it's really important I go this way."
"What?! What's so important that way?! You'll die!"
She didn't reply. [[She just turned and left.]]](text-color: #696A76)["I'm glad you're okay, too."]
<h3>True Ending - Freedom</h3>(text-color: #696A76)[You wake up to the sound of your alarm, as usual.
Not everything was "as usual", however.
You didn't save her... but that didn't mean you managed nothing.
You had changed the course of events in your dream successfully.
"Next time, I swear... I'll save you."]
<h3>Ending 3 - Promise</h3>Double-click this passage to edit it.