Ashton dreamt of something, but he wasn't in control of it.
Normally, that would be fine. But see, Ashton's the Sorcerer of Dreams, that's literally his title. He had gained the ability to control and manifest dreams into reality. So for him to not be in control of his own dreams, was bizarre.
In this dream, he traveled. He had no idea how long, and he also didn't know where. All he knew was that he traveled for quite some time and arrived at a place he was not familiar with.
It wasn't Fantasia, nor anywhere in the Last Bastion. Actually, he doubted if this place was even on this planet.
This place was a lot more beautiful than Fantasia though. This is what he wanted Fantasia to be like in his mind, except this place was a lot bigger and more prosperous than Fantasia could ever be.
He's aware that he's dreaming. He has to be because this place just doesn't exist in his memories. He thought that he was either dreaming about the future of Fantasia or something else entirely. He has to see more to confirm though.
And thus, he walked. He arrived at an empty field of trimmed grass. He could see an amazing sight on the horizon but something makes it incredibly blurry for some reason.
He could see people around him as well, but what's weird is that he could feel that they could see him.
They're acknowledging his presence yet they didn't make any attempts to talk to him. What a weird dream this was, truly.
So, Ashton walked until he reached some kind of barrier that's separating this place from the rest. He held out his hand and touched the barrier.
He got surprised because, for some reason, the barrier felt...real.
Ashton had never seen a barrier like this before. He literally has no idea how it works but the way it reacted to his touch felt so real to him that it almost gave him a whiplash.
Pursing his lips, he touched it again. And to his absolute surprise, the barrier formed a slit big enough for him to fit in.
It's like an invitation for him to come in.
He was skeptical at first, but he saw other people around him entering just fine so he thought, he might as well try and see what was on the other side.
So he stepped in, and again to his absolute surprise. What was on the other side of the barrier was something he wasn't expecting.
See, he was expecting some form of perspective. A view of the place that the barrier was hiding from him.
What he got instead, was the view of a palace interior.
It was grand, majestic, beautiful, extravagant, and classy. It's unlike any he had seen before, which further added to the idea that he might actually be dreaming about an entirely different place. Cause he just can't see something like that ever appearing in Fantasia even in the future.
"Ah, you're here...we've been expecting you. But certainly not this early."
Ashton turned around and saw an old man wearing an elegant robe and exuding a noble aura and grace. The old man sported a majestic grey beard that he stroked while inspecting him. He's also wearing a monocle for some reason.
"My name is Edgar, Chief Butler of this Palace. It is my pleasure to finally meet you, Foreigner."
"Foreigner...my name is Ashton, I'd prefer it if you call me that instead. And um...I really don't how I got here? Ah, gosh what a weird dream this is." He practically whispered the last part to himself.
"A dream you say." The old man apparently heard it. "Pardon me but, let me show you how you currently look right now."
The old man then produce a mirror out of nowhere and had it face Ashton. And for the first time in this dream, Ashton saw his reflection.
"What...?" He asked in a baffled manner.
His reflection showed him a soul. An almost transparent being that somehow manifested into reality and managed to hold its shape despite not having a container. And this soul, had his face, his features, his voice, and his expressions.
This soul was him...
Unable to believe what he was seeing, Ashton looked down at his hands, and he saw that it was the same. He's indeed a soul in this current environment.
How did this happen? This doesn't make sense! And why he hadn't thought about checking this earlier himself?
"Wait! So like...I'm not dreaming?" He asked because he was literally puzzled by all of this.
"I suppose you're not, by the looks of it." The butler replied. "Instead of Dreaming, I'd say that you're here for a Spiritual Journey."
"Spiritual Journey...okay, but how? The last memory I had was getting on my bed to sleep. I had no thoughts about going on a Spiritual Journey whatsoever or even Dreaming. I just wanted to sleep. Wait, didn't you say that you were expecting me somehow?"
"Yes, we are indeed expecting you."
"But not this early."
"Indeed, not this early."
"Okay, I'm going to need a little bit more than that, old man. I need some explanation or something. I literally have no idea what's happening and I think you know something since you said it yourself, you were expecting me, so spill! What's all this about?"
The butler adjusted his monocle before saying: "As much as I would like to tell you, I'm in the dark for the most part as well. But I know someone who can answer your question."
"Who?"
"Who else? The Master of the Palace, of course! Sadly, I'm afraid that it has to wait since Master's currently entertaining a guest right now—"
Ashton saw the old man turning frigid for a bit, making him feel weird. Then, after a few seconds, the old man adjusted his monocle again and continued:
"Nevermind. Master will see you now...please follow me."
Ashton blinked and started following the old man. Along the way, Ashton couldn't help but think about his current situation.
It was extremely bizarre. He had never expected something like this ever happening yet here he was. What exactly is going on? Ashton needs answers pronto before he starts losing his marbles.
Thankfully, it didn't take long. They arrived in front of a massive door. The Butler opened them up, struggling as he did so and only managing to part them just enough for him to fit.
Wiping his sweat, the old man gestured for him to enter, signifying that he won't be following him inside.
Ashton steeled his nerves and stepped inside the room. And to his surprise yet again, he felt as if he entered another world entirely.
He arrived at a garden filled with all sorts of flora and fauna he had never seen before. Light danced around him like they were alive and profound laws manifested before him, looking at him curiously like he was some sort of a lab rat.
He walked deeper into the garden and heard a faint voice which he followed, as he went closer, their conversations started ringing in his ears.
"...outsourcing? Really? How in the world did you think of this idea?"
"I mean, I certainly didn't. I was just there at the right place at the right time. I call that fate. Plus, we don't have any for the Reality Marble anyway, so I thought I might as well give it to him."
"...you know that 'he' will make you miserable for doing this right?"
"He doesn't have to know."
"Hah! Bold of you to assume that you can keep a secret from 'him'. Do I need to remind you what the words 'omnipotent' and 'omniscient' means, and how 'he' is the literal embodiment of both? To be honest, I'd be surprised if he didn't already know about this."
"...I'll worry about it later. For now, why don't we entertain our little guest?"
And just like that, two pairs of eyes landed on Ashton.
The fact that he couldn't get an accurate read on these two, didn't help at all. Just from a single glance, Ashton could tell that he was outclassed. It wasn't even remotely close, at all.
"Ashton West, right?"
The man with wild blonde hair and deeply tanned skin asked. He's wearing a majestic brown robe with golden linings. From him, Ashton could sense the strength of a God Beast.
Next to him was a man who had long crimson hair and a pale complexion. His red wine-colored pupils reflected a sea of blood that not even the phenomenon brought on by his scythe could ever match.
"Y-yes, that's my name."
Ashton was cowed by their earnest gaze. For whatever reason, he feels extremely threatened and awed at the same time. He also felt like it was blasphemous for him to look them in the eye but he also couldn't peel his eyes away from them.
He had never felt this kind of thing before. And to be completely honest, he's at a loss on what to do at this very moment.
"You've grown up a little too quickly." The blonde man stated, sounding as if he was familiar with him. "I guess it can't be helped, you did end up in a troubled world so you didn't have many options available for you."
"I'm sorry...what?" Ashton was confused.
