Harbinger of the end

She stared at him in disbelief, her breaths coming in short gasps. "Adam? Is that really you?" she stammered, "Were you kidnapped as well?"

Adam stared at Stella, shocked by her words. For a moment, he was frozen, he didn't know how to react to her question. But then relief washed over him, and he felt his heart hammering in his chest. She was okay. She was safe.

"You haven't been kidnapped, Stella," he said, jumping down from the leopard-bug creature. "You're safe now."

Adam moved towards Stella, his heart heavy with guilt and concern. He approached her slowly, his eyes never leaving her tear-streaked face. As he closed the distance, he opened his arms, inviting her into his embrace. Stella didn't hesitate, she instantly fell into his arms, her body shaking as sobs wracked through her.

Her voice was a mere whisper, trembling with raw emotion as she began to recount her terrifying ordeal. 'This is my fault,' he thought as he listened to her.

She told him about the picturesque meadow that turned into a nightmarish hunting ground, the threatening fox, and the large cat that saved her life only to send her fleeing from it. She described the panic and despair she had felt, her words choked by the tears that continued to stream down her face.

Adam held her tighter, his heart aching as he listened to her recount the harrowing experience. He could hear the terror in her voice, feel the tremors running through her body. The guilt that had been nagging at him intensified. He had brought her into this world, a world that was far more dangerous than he had let on. He had been so consumed with his own mission that he had failed to consider the potential dangers she would face.

He gently stroked her hair, whispering words of comfort into her ear.

'I need to make this right,' he resolved, 'I need to keep her safe.' He made a silent vow to himself then and there: He would do whatever it took to ensure her safety.

From that point on, he would be more transparent, he would prepare her for the challenges that lay ahead. He thought, 'she's my responsibility. I brought her into the Dreamverse, and I'll ensure she stays safe within it.'

Adam berated himself for his shortsightedness. The idea that Stella might be pulled into the Dreamverse had never crossed his mind. Yet, in retrospect, it was glaringly obvious. She was a member of his cult, after all. How had he planned on interacting with her or fully utilizing his talent if his cult members were only on Earth? His oversight now seemed painfully clear.

Still, he couldn't help but feel responsible for her terrifying experience. "I'm sorry, Stella," he murmured, tightening his hold on her. "I didn't realize you would end up here. I would've prepared you, if I had known. I'm so sorry."

Adam could feel Stella's body starting to relax in his embrace. Her sobs subsided gradually, replaced by deep, uneven breaths as she fought to calm herself down. He waited, holding her in his arms, offering her the comfort and support she needed. After a moment, Stella pulled away slightly, her hand moving up to wipe the tears staining her cheeks. Despite the recent fright and the tears, her eyes sparkled with a mix of relief and curiosity.

"I'm glad you're here, Adam," she said, her voice soft but steadier than before. She looked up at him, her gaze questioning. "If I wasn't kidnapped, then where are we? What is this place?"

Adam took a deep breath, beginning to explain. "Stella, we're in a place called the Dreamverse. It's a realm where sentient beings from different realities meet through dreams. Our souls are here, but our bodies are still on Earth."

Stella gaped at him, her eyes wide and disbelieving. "You're lying, right?" she asked, her voice tinged with excitement. "Does that mean... aliens are real?"

Adam chuckled, nodding his head. "Yes, Stella, in a way, aliens are real."

He then told her about the system, and how leveling works in the Dreamverse. "You receive messages from the system. It allows you to level up. You might have seen some of these messages already."

Stella's face lit up with excitement. "I thought that was my mind playing tricks on me!"

Adam held out his hand to her, his face serious. "Stella, there's so much more to see and learn in the Dreamverse. I haven't even left this planet yet, but I hope we can explore more together soon. Right now though, I need to be clear about something."

Adam knew he had to tell her the truth, there was no point in hiding it any longer. "Stella, something bad is about to happen, there's an apocalypse starting. I didn't want to scare you, but..."

Stella's brows furrowed in confusion. "What apocalypse are you talking about, Adam?"

Adam took a deep breath, his gaze focused on Stella. "The Dreamverse... it's starting to incorporate people into it, then eventually Earth itself. I wasn't sure how it was going to do it, but you being here has made it clear what's about to happen. That's the apocalypse I'm talking about."

"How do you know all of this?" Stella's voice was a whisper, her eyes wide with fear and shock.

Adam hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I... I received some information from someone I trust. There are things that I couldn't explain before, but now I need to."

Stella looked at him, her eyes reflecting the shock that was quickly spreading across her face. "And what does this have to do with your cult, Adam?"

"That's the thing, Stella," Adam said, a strange sense of relief washing over him as he finally let out his secret. "My talent, it makes me immortal in the Dreamverse. I can come back from death here. And since you're part of my cult, you can do that too."

His words hung in the air, a tangible truth that Stella had to grapple with. The apocalypse, their new reality, and their shared immortality - it was a lot to take in.

Stella's face paled, shock and fear evident in her eyes. Anger followed quickly. "Why didn't you just tell me, Adam? Why didn't you tell our parents? They're not safe. Isn't there a way to wake up, to warn them?"

Adam shook his head, regret lining his features. "Stella, I don't have a way to wake up from here, at least not that I know of. If you attempt to sleep in the Dreamverse, you'll simply sleep here. We'll wake up when our bodies naturally wake up back on Earth."

Stella's face fell. Adam could see the defeat in her eyes and it pained him. He quickly added, "There's a high chance everything will be okay. The apocalypse has only just started and I'm still figuring things out. Maybe... maybe it's only people from my cult that can enter the Dreamverse right now."

Hope flickered in Stella's eyes. Adam was torn. He felt a pang of regret for how he'd tricked Stella into joining his cult. He should've been more honest, he shouldn't have worried about what his parents thought about him leading a cult. He couldn't choose his talent, and he could've explained that to them.

But it was done now. He needed to include his parents in his cult. If the Dreamverse was already taking people, there was a chance his parents would enter it as well. And if they didn't have the immortal trait, they could die. His mind was made up, he had to act as soon as he woke up, for their sake.

"Look, Stella, we can't change what's happened. But once we wake up, we can talk to our parents and ask them to join us. Right now, our priority has to be you - making you stronger and ready for this place," Adam said with determination.

He did his best to explain the system of the Dreamverse to Stella, detailing how leveling up worked and the importance of gaining strength. But Stella, her face filled with conflict, responded, "But Adam, I don't want to hurt anything..."

Adam looked at her solemnly, "Do you want to be helpless if a monster tries to kill our loved ones, Stella?"

She shook her head, "No, I want to help."

"That's why you need to level up," he insisted, "and that's non-negotiable, we have an apocalypse incoming and we need all the power we can get. But first, we need to get you some gear and heal your ankle."

He gestured to the leopard-bug hybrid creature – his Hive Unit – and offered his hand to help her mount it. After a moment of hesitation, she took his hand and climbed on.

They started to make their way back to the Hive, with Stella asking him about it. Adam explained about Empress Zara, his second mother and the leader of the Hive. He also mentioned she wasn't human but a Zentarran. Stella was fascinated and expressed her excitement to meet her.

With a deep breath, Adam said, "There's more, Stella. Time here in the Dreamverse and time on Earth don't match up. For every three hours we spend here, only one hour passes back on Earth."

Stella's eyes widened in surprise, "Wait, so that's why you're always ahead of me? You've had all this extra time while I've been trying to keep pace. It all makes sense now."

Adam nodded, a somber look on his face. "I've been coming to the Dreamverse since I was a baby, Stella. But it hasn't always been nice. I've... I've died here before, and I was brought up in a harsh military-like group."

Stella looked at him in shock, "Adam, why didn't you ever tell me any of this?"

He shrugged, "I tried telling people when I was younger, but no one believed me, except for my parents. Everyone else thought I was crazy. So, I stopped telling people. Only my parents and my therapist know. My therapist also doesn't believe me and thinks I'm a liar. So you can see why I'm reluctant to tell people."

Stella frowned, "I would've believed you, Adam."

He sighed, "I didn't want to risk you thinking I was crazy, so I never took the chance."

"But I would've never thought you were crazy, Adam," Stella reassured him, her hand finding his and squeezing it. Adam smiled, appreciating the comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry, Stella," Adam confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "I had to trick you into joining my cult. Otherwise, I would have died in the Dreamverse as soon as I entered."

Stella frowned, "Why?"

"When I awakened my talent at level 10, it gave me a mission. I had to gain followers for my cult," he explained. "These missions keep coming, each one demanding more followers. The latest one requires me to gain ten new followers in ten earth days, or we both die."

Stella turned around on the creature they were riding, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Adam. I had no idea what you were going through. What happens when you die here?"

"It's like the worst pain you can imagine," he confessed. "You wake up instantly on earth. It feels like your soul is being torn apart and then pieced back together. I think others would die permanently, their souls destroyed. I'm only alive because of my immortal trait."

Stella's face hardened. "If the apocalypse is starting or happening, then we need to add more people to the cult. Not just our family, everyone. We owe it to humanity to help them through the apocalypse. Are there other humans who've traveled to the Dreamverse?"

Adam shook his head. "I don't think any other earthlings have been to the Dreamverse."

"Earthlings?" Stella asked, puzzled. "Why not just say humans?"

"Because there are other humans here," he admitted.

Stella's eyes widened in shock. "Alien humans? That's... not important right now. Are you sure you're the only one here? There might be someone else who's been to the Dreamverse."

Adam lowered his head, his voice a mere whisper. "I'm the Earthlings' Dream Child."

Stella frowned, "What's a Dream Child?"

Adam looked up, his eyes full of pain. "The one who causes the apocalypse."

Stella's eyes widened in horror.