Alex took a deep breath, excitement and nerves mixing in his chest.

  Sorting out administrative issues was usually a chore, but being here, surrounded by the hum of servers and the blinking lights of network switches made it feel real. This was his domain. The place where he’d spend hours learning, troubleshooting, and inevitably breaking things just to see if he could fix them.

  They arrived at the admin's office, surprised to find the hallway empty. No line.

  ‘That’s odd,’ Alex thought.

  Students were notorious for their impatience, especially when it came to missing grades. Panic usually drove them here in herds, demanding to know if they had passed or failed.

  ‘What are the odds?’

  His thoughts were broken by Marcus’s sturdy knock on the door.

  “Come in,” a weary voice answered.

  The trio entered a sanctuary of organized chaos. The air hummed with the steady drone of computer fans and carried the distinct, metallic scent of ozone mixed with stale coffee.

  A large L-shaped desk dominated the room, its surface a landscape of monitors displaying scrolling code, network diagrams, and a dozen open ticket requests. A mechanical keyboard, worn smooth in the center, sat flanked by a fortress of empty soda cans.

  A digital nameplate flickered on the edge of the desk: [MR. BRIAN MILLER - IT ADMINISTRATOR].

  Brian looked up, his expression shifting from neutral to gloomy the moment he saw them.

  “What is it now?” he asked, clearly not thrilled by their presence.

  Alex and Marcus exchanged a glance.

  “The portal is… acting up,” Carner ventured.

  “I don’t handle those anymore,” Brian replied instantly, swiveling his chair back to his screens. “They introduced Student IT Support for that.”

  “Where?” Marcus asked.

  Brian sighed, rubbing his temples. “You didn’t read the memo?”

  “Memo?” Alex chimed in.

  He vaguely remembered a notification popping up in the class group chat, but like most sane people, he had muted that chat months ago. Marcus, however, usually lived for gossip.

  ‘If there was a memo, surely Marcus would know,’ Alex thought.

  Marcus shrugged. “You read the memo, didn’t you?” He turned to Carner, raising an eyebrow.

  “Oh,” Carner muttered, realization dawning on his face. “Yeah… I kind of forgot.”

  He pulled out his phone, scrolling frantically. “It mentioned system updates and re-registration… and something about a new support office because the admins were overwhelmed.”

  “And you’re telling us this now because…?” Marcus asked flatly.

  Alex stared at Carner in bafflement. “Why am I not surprised?”

  Carner was the type of guy who would forget his own head if it wasn't attached. Last semester, he forgot to tell them exam slips needed to be printed a week in advance. They had spent the morning of the exam scrambling in a line that stretched halfway across campus.

  “Classic Carner,” Marcus muttered.

  “Next time, just forward the memo, okay?” Alex chuckled, shaking his head.

  Carner grinned, waving his phone. “Hey, at least I’ve got it saved.”

  “Yeah,” Marcus drawled. “Shame it’s saved in your phone and not in your brain.”

  Brian Miller groaned loud enough to cut through their banter. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

  “Fine. Sit down. I’ll sort it out now, just so you don’t come back later and give me another headache.”

  “Appreciated,” Marcus said with a smirk.

  Brian typed furiously for a few minutes, muttering curses at the slow interface. Finally, he hit Enter with a definitive clack.

  “Done. You’re registered. The system is still under maintenance, so it won’t show up until this afternoon. Now get out.”

  *****

  It was around noon when they stepped out of the IT Center.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  The sun greeted them with a blinding glare, forcing them to shield their eyes. Winter had officially ended weeks ago, but the heat today felt aggressive, as if summer was impatient to take over.

  “It's too bright out here,” Marcus complained. “Aren’t we still in spring or something? Why is it this hot?”

  “Technically, winter just ended,” Carner noted.

  “Come on, you still aren't used to how District Sixteen operates,” Alex said. “You and I are from the southern districts, so we’re used to seasons making sense. But here?” He pointed at the cloudless, blazing sky. “It’s just summer with different labels.”

  “You guys don't know anything,” Marcus sighed. “Anyway, let’s hit the benches.”

  “Can’t do it, guys,” Carner said, checking his watch. “I have to go meet my sister. My parents are in the district, so we’ve got a family dinner.”

  “Alright, get out of here, man. Talk to you later,” Marcus said.

  “Take care.” Carner turned to Alex and offered a fist bump.

  Alex bumped it.

  “Alex… keep dreaming,” Carner said with a wink.

  And with that, he turned and jogged away.

  Alex stood there for a moment. The words settled over him, strangely heavy.

  ‘Keep dreaming.’

  It was just a callback to their earlier conversation about lucid dreams, a joke. But something about the way Carner said it felt… intentional. Cold.

  *****

  Alex and Marcus headed for "The Benches" a creatively named spot consisting of, well, benches that scattered under a grove of trees near the dried-up ponds.

  It was one of their favorite spots. Peaceful. Quiet.

  They claimed a bench near the cracked concrete of an old pond. Marcus kept checking his phone, fidgeting like he was expecting a bomb to go off.

  “Marcus!”

  The voice was soft and melodic, smooth as a trained vocalist.

  Marcus jumped up, a grin spreading across his face as a girl approached.

  Alex blinked.

  She was stunning. Slim and graceful, wearing a denim jacket over a light blue t-shirt and black jeans that fit perfectly without trying too hard.

  “Hey! How’ve you been?” she asked, stepping in for a hug. Her smile seemed to brighten the shade beneath the trees.

  “All good,” Marcus replied, squeezing her back.

  “Oh my gosh, it’s been forever, hasn’t it?”

  “Yeah. Four years,” Marcus said.

  Alex sat quietly, his imagination running wild.

  ‘Four years? That means high school.’

  He pictured Marcus back in the day, leaning against a locker, flashing that smug grin while this girl laughed at his jokes. Ex-girlfriend? Childhood crush? The dynamic was thick with history.

  For a moment, the daydream felt more real than the bench beneath him.

  “By the way, this is Alex, my buddy,” Marcus said, gesturing toward him.

  The girl turned, her melodic voice directed at him now. “Hi, Alex.”

  “Uh. Hi,” Alex replied. His voice came out stiff. Almost Formal.

  ‘Damn it. Be cool, Alex.’

  “Alex, this is Eli… well…” Marcus paused for a heartbeat, just a fraction too long. “My childhood friend.”

  ‘Why the pause?’ Alex narrowed his eyes slightly. ‘Definitely an ex.’

  “Nice to meet you, Alex,” Eli said. Her face lit up, framed by curly brown hair and big, expressive eyes. “Like Marcus said, I’m his childhood friend.”

  Marcus scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit Alex rarely saw. “Yeah, we go way back.”

  Eli tilted her head, smiling teasingly. “Way back is putting it lightly. We practically grew up together.” She laughed softly, then looked back at Alex. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Alex. Uh… you don't mind if I steal Marcus, right? He promised he’d show me around Sixteen.”

  “Going sightseeing, huh? Nice,” Alex said, a playful smirk touching his lips. “No, of course not. Go ahead. Don't let me keep you from the grand tour. It was great meeting you, Eli.”

  “Don't make it sound so dramatic,” Marcus said, shoving Alex's shoulder playfully. “I'll catch up with you later, man. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Get out of here.”

  *****

  After Marcus and Eli walked away, Alex was left alone with his thoughts.

  “Yup… sidetracked. Can you imagine?” he muttered and then stopped, realizing he was talking to an empty bench.

  ‘Really have to stop thinking aloud… especially in public.’

  He sat in the silence a while longer. He couldn’t quite shake Carner’s parting words: Keep dreaming.

  It reignited the spark from earlier, the idea of experimenting with dreams. But how did one even begin with something so abstract?

  ‘First, practical matters,’ he decided. ‘Time to head home.’

  He checked his phone. [14:45].

  The next train arrived in thirty-five minutes. If he left now, he’d make it with time to spare.

  However, excitement bloomed in his chest at the prospect of going home to research. He quickened his pace, bypassing the student crowds and heading straight for the Nexus.

  He boarded a Pod, lucky to find it nearly full. It descended immediately, dropping him at the lower gate.

  He walked past the school wall, the jagged mountainside rising on his right, the deep, dark forest stretching out on his left. He stuck to the mountain side of the road. Forests gave him the creeps.

  The train arrived a few minutes after he reached the platform.

  Boarding it, Alex felt a sudden wave of strangeness. The carriage was nearly empty. The silence was heavy.

  He chose a window seat. As the doors hissed shut and the train began to move, he pulled out his phone and began typing notes. Thoughts on dreams. Theories on lucidity.

  He smiled at his screen, not entirely sure why. Dreams had always been there, a nightly occurrence he ignored. Yet now, a profound feeling had settled over him.

  The idea was appealing.

  Was it the realism of the Tower? Was it the Web of Information? Or was it something else entirely?

  Something waiting just beyond the veil of his imagination.

  Arc 1: The Dreamer's World. It's been a journey establishing Alex's reality, his friendships, and the first cracks in his perception. Get ready the foundation is set, and the true descent into the dreams begins.

  Thank you for reading!