COLD WATER

Caspian was unpleasantly surprised to find out that the water felt just as if not more unbearably cold than in reality. 

It stung when stung every cell in his body scorching his flesh as he pushed deeper and deeper into the lake. 

Soon he could barely see a thing. The entire lake was shrouded in deep exaggerated darkness.

Caspian could assume that it had something to do with how his younger self had remembered this moment. 

He was only a child there for the fear and powerlessness must have warped his perception of reality. Now the water was colder than it should've been and the darkness was even blinding. 

If that was the case… would what he had encountered here as a child worsen as a result?

If so he was already retreating his decision. But unfortunately, it was already too late to retreat. 

Fortunately for him, it didn't take long till he found himself. Maybe it had something with him being the owner of these memories but either Caspian soon saw himself swaying in the water with his eyes open and bubbles escaping his pale blue lips.

His body at this point was still that of a Calamity. It would've taken up to a day for Caspian to die from lack of oxygen, meaning he hovered there in the dark with the horrifying discomfort of a suffocative death. 

Watching himself drown Caspian's heart had begun to race. It was almost like he was reliving the moment, so vividly that he was suddenly that five-year-old self again, drowning and dying a slow torturous death. 

He had replaced the young boy he watched drown, and when he looked up his older sledge was nowhere to be seen. 

He was now drowning alone. He wrestled trying to free himself from his chains, all the while battling the mental pressure drowning caused. He couldn't see a thing he couldn't hear anything– besides the wet splashes. 

It was suffocating.

Something like this was hard to un-live. He had no idea how he had managed to live above it but somehow he did. At least until he watched the lady light a smoke before throwing him into the lake. 

That was enough. 

He went further down the exaggeratedly deep lake, there was no escaping it. Caspian was going to die. 

"You can't drown in your sleep silly."

Caspian suddenly heard, as soon as his mind registered the words that were spoken to him his eyes immediately shot open. 

With that came air rushing into his lungs as he heaved laboriously. 

Caspian was on all fours coughing and panting as he tried to regain composure. As he did he noticed something strange.

'I'm not even wet.'

How was that even possible? He had been submerged in freezing water mere seconds ago now he was out of it and when he looked back he could still see the lady in black with the cigarette still in her hands. 

He couldn't wrap his mind around what had just happened. 

"You can't drown if you don't want to. At least in here."

Caspian heard from behind, panicked he immediately turned to face the childish voice. 

When he turned he saw a young boy with black hair and ruby red eyes. The boy was dressed in white and was the spouting image of Caspian. Only his black hair seemed to be alive dancing like some magical wind blew on it. 

Caspian was stunned. He first thought it was one of Makima's, but that couldn't be true. This one seemed much less sinister, and it could speak. 

It didn't look completely like the ones Makima had been sending, and neither did it look exactly like him. 

"What are you?"

Caspian asked with a cautious stare.

The dark-haired Him seemed to think for a while before it said;

"I am a monster."

"…That's good to know. So what do you want from me?"

Caspian asked. 

"For you to be a monster just like me."

"I'm good thank you."

Caspian replied as he rose to his feet.

'What the hell did that even mean.'

The eerie part wasn't even the strange bird-like gaze the 'monster' placed on him. It was how casually it spoke, it was strange. 

The thing was he had no idea if the monster was a friend or foe. It hadn't really done a thing to hurt him, but it hadn't helped him out either.

It didn't speak like it wished to hurt Caspian, but he couldn't help but wonder what it'd do now that he had declined. 

With how it kept gazing at him with wide blood-red eyes, Caspian couldn't help but shiver.

Just then the Him-named monster took a step forward, Caspian in turn backed off till his back was against a tree.

Monster only came nearer till they were face to face. Caspian was actively trying not to look into the monster's eyes, but the monster made sure they held each other's gaze.

"…Well there is no leaving here without becoming one." 

The monster said.

"What do you mean by that?"

Caspian asked. 

"You aren't in your head, you're in my dream world shaped like your head. Even Makima doesn't know this." 

Monster said with a chuckle. 

"I don't understand."

Caspian muttered. What did he mean by a dream world modelled after my mind? And even if it meant what it just said why would it ever?

"Wait did you do this to deceive Makima?"

Caspian asked as he took his back off the tree. 

"Yup. Now you don't have to run around till she eventually consumes you. And trust me she would've."

Monster chuckled again. 

Caspian watched Monster closely as he considered its words. 

If all it had said was true then does that mean that…

"So she can't kill me?"

"No, she still can. But I won't just let her."

Monster answered as it looked around the forest. 

"And how do I trust that you can? and what do you get in return?"

"Well, all I want you to do is tame that."

Monster said pointing to the lake, just then the water surged and out of it came to a massive paw. 

"Wait what?!"

Caspian stuttered. 

"And don't bother yourself about whether or not I can hold her off."

Just then the corpses that stood frozen all over suddenly began to move, their eyes stark white and lifeless. 

"Dreams are my Domain."