Ordeal Rewards (part 1)

Upon returning to the familiar darkness and loss of sensation that made him doubt his own existence, Jake reacted with a stoicism befitting a king. No longer was he the ignorant and easily impressed neophyte who had not yet faced his first Ordeal. He had grown in strength, in knowledge, and in the ability to face whatever challenges the universe threw at him.

But this return was different. His mind, still in Lucid Aetherdreamer mode, struggled to make sense of the torrent of information and Dream Aether flows that accompanied his repatriation to the Red Cube. Even with this precaution, he was overwhelmed and disoriented, left without a sense of his body or surroundings.