After eating all the meat, Li made some water for them to drink and some to wash their hands with.
"I can't get used to the fact that you can just make drinkable water, that's really helpful both here and in the Waking World." Iseul was feeling rather envious.
"Not to mention it's really refreshing, I feel better every time I drink it." Gael added after Iseul, "How's that work?"
"Well, it's a bit complicated." After a short pause, Li continued, "putting it simply: my Aspect lets me create elements out of thin air, but it needs a fuel for it. So it lets me gather the essence in the air or of the world, really. And using that, I can create the desired element."
"So in a sense, you're drinking pure essence now." Essence is something that every Sleeper can use or manipulate when they Awaken, and it's a valuable tool the more you ascend.
"I think it's still cheating—wait." After a short pause, Gael continued, "Doesn't that mean you could theoretically never run out of essence? That's busted as hell."
Gael was feeling more and more envious by the second.
"I guess? I wouldn't know till I Awaken." Shaking his head, Li yawned.
"Don't worry about standing guard, it's really safe here."
"Plus, I would notice anything dangerous in our vicinity. So sleep sound."
After looking at each other for a moment, Gael and Iseul shrugged and lay down before being stopped by Li.
"Oh no no no, you think I let my friends sleep on the dirt? Let me." Raising his right hand, Li made some iron and mixed it with the coral around them.
It gathered in a ball, hovering above his hand. It grew and expanded, hardening and breaking into itself.
Till it resembled the shape of a bed and mattress. Gael and Iseul watched in amazement as Li made pillows and covers from iron.
Taking in a breath, Li ushered his friends to go on and rest.
Approaching the beds, Gael touched the covers. It was soft and smooth. He lay on the mattress next and sank right into it.
Gasping, he got up and looked at Li; he looked like he was on the verge of crying.
"I can make it softer or firmer, whichever you'd like."
"A bit firmer would be nice…" Gael answered, looking at his bed as it hardened.
He plopped down and rested his head on the soft pillow. After a while, he got up and ran towards Li. He hugged him with all his might as he started crying.
"Thank you… god Li, thank you." He muttered under his breath.
"It's good that you like it. It took me a while to master this trick." Li said with a smile. He didn't like to sleep on the bed here, not in the dream realm. It didn't feel right to him.
But it wasn't like that for his friends, so he put extra work in making the iron as soft and flexible as possible.
"But how tho? You couldn't make something this… complex back at the Academy." Said Iseul.
"I don't really know myself… I just… visualize the thing I want to create and then BOOM." After a short pause, he added. "My head has been clearer and sharper since I've gotten here a week ago, and there is also this weird voice—"
"—What? What did you say?" the voice seemed to have belonged to Iseul, but Li wasn't sure.
"Can you repeat that—RING—Goodnight Li, thanks for the beds, really, you're a god-sent."
"Arghhh," Li grabbed his head with a hand and grimaced in pain. His head was exploding.
"Fuck…" he muttered. "Yeah… goodnight to you two as well."
"Why does my head hurt all of a sudden…?"
"—RING—"
"…"
"No matter. I should get some sleep, too." He whispered.
…
[Good night, Li.]
"What…"
"…"
Li jumped to his feet in a flash as the unfamiliar sound whispered in his ears.
"…Was that?"
"…"
"Wait, what I was thinking about—Oh right!!! It's morning. I need to go hunting!" he face-palmed at his foolishness. He needed to make a lavish breakfast for his friends.
He always does.
Looking around, Li saw Gael and Iseul sleeping on their beds.
"Good," he whispered and promptly disappeared.
Looking up, I saw him standing on the edge of their little [Camp.]
"I'll make it quick." With that, he jumped down to the coral forest below.
[It's a shame if anything happened to him. Wouldn't you agree?]
***
—Thump—
The sound of the two Scavengers' bodies hitting the ground reached Li's ears after a short pause.
"YES, it worked."
He said as he fell from the sky and landed in a soft, slow motion.
He had killed the two scavengers up in the air, with something that he calls "Air Bullets." Smh.
"I can't believe that worked!! Why did I never think of that?"
"My mind has been a mess since I've come to the DreamRealm, that's why. I keep forgetting stuff and hearing voices."
It had creeped him out the first time that he had heard my voice, sorry. "His" voice is the right way.
Anyway, it started after his first night at Dream Realm. It was funny and unexpected, but oh well.
[I should tone it down tho.]
"Tone what down?"
[Oh, you heard that? It's no good.]
"Yes I did. What is n—"
"…"
Silly me, I've gotten rusty.
But this should do it.
—Ring—
"Wha—Ahhhhhhhhhh."
"Shit what the fu—
His words were cut off as he was thrown into the dark seawater.
'What is happening? Why am I underwater? Wasn't it morning a little while ba—Ring—
"Ahhh—ghhu—
'shut your mouth, stupid'
'calm down, I need… to… find the way… up.'
[Focus Li, you wouldn't want to drown, right?]
'My head… hurts… again…'
'Look for… light'
…
'THERE'
With a massive explosion, Li pushed himself out of the surface with a burst of wind. Finally, his head broke the ocean surface, and he gagged his guts out with his first breath.
"If I—Cough—had a nickel…"
"Pft—hahahahahaha—stupid dog… focus—pft."
With that, he jumped into the air, preparing to fly. But at the last moment, a massive jaw came out from under him, moments away from swallowing him whole.
Li had only a millisecond to panic, which showed on his face clearly.
[That he was fucked.]
"A nickel—
It was the last thing he said as he was devoured whole and disappeared. Leaving the night sky silent and still again.