Jacob slowly opened his eyes. The ground beneath his back felt wet as he sat up. All around him was a familiar darkness.

"You have to be joking. This again?"

Slowly, the water below him turned rough as something walked towards him. It was the white skull of his old friend, Skelly. Jacob didn’t know what it was, but their presence felt much more threatening. He stood up and raised his chin confidently. No fear was being portrayed in his eyes as he stared into the lightless sockets of Skelly.

"Missed me that much, huh?"

"Indeed. It has been quite some time, my prince."

The voice echoing from the skull made Jacob shiver.

"Yah, it sure has been. Well, if you’re here that means you came to give me another philosophical lecture. Am I right?"

Skelly seemed to hesitate.

"Not necessarily."

"Well, why are you invading my dreams then? And how come you never invade Maria’s dreams?"

Weirdly, it looked as if the skeleton was upset from Jacob’s comment.

"The commander only follows you. I am unable to access their being without your permission."

"Huh? What do you mean my permission? Why do you need my permission to enter her being but not mine? And did you just call her commander? What the hell do you mean by that?"

"My my, do you ever stop asking questions?"

"Yes. Now start talking or I’ll figure out how to banish you from my being as well."

"Very well. I need permission to enter her being because she is your right hand. Your orders are the only ones she will follow. As for how I can enter your being, it is because you are allowing me to. Or rather, your soul never seems to turn me away when I try to enter. It really makes me wonder, my prince. Are you truly the person you say you are?"

Jacob’s heart dropped slightly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Just a little idea I’ve had. After all, we wouldn’t mark just anyone with our brand. Your destiny is quite an interesting one."

"You never answered my question before. Why did you call her a commander? And why do you keep calling me your prince?"

The ends of the skulls mouth seemed to curve upward, trying to imitate a smile. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"It is because that is your frozen destiny, my prince. You will be the last one who witnesses this world crumble to dust. That can’t be possible without power and influence."

"Do all your followers talk as ambiguously as you do? If so, I may have to hunt you all down like dogs until I get a straight answer from one of you."

A dark laugh resounded from inside the skull.

"You are so entertaining, Jacob Vice. It has come to my attention that you are aware of our powers and what our names are. Are you a bit curious about me sharing some truths with you?"

"Truths? What kind of truths?"

"What exactly our group is after, what our end goal is, why we marked you. Things such as that."

Jacob’s heart trembled. He desperately desired to know all of these things. He wanted to gather as much information not only for himself, but for all of humanity. If the Epigones were going to reset the world, Jacob needed to do everything he could to prevent that. Therefore, he needed all the information that he could gather.

"Tell me."

"Oh, certainly. I will tell you. However, I need you to do something for me in return."

"What the hell do you need from me? What can I possibly do for a random skull that appears in my dreams?"

The skull clattered its teeth together.

"I need you to bring me your grandfather. Doc, as you call him."

Jacob’s heart started racing.

"Doc? What do you want with a narcoleptic old man?"

"Once you bring him to me, I will tell you."

"How the hell can I bring him to you if I don’t know where you are? Unless you somehow want me to bring him into this dark expanse of nothingness. What exactly is this anyway? My brain?"

The skull looked at him wearily.

"This is simply the realm between consciousness and unconsciousness. This is also where people stay when they dream. As for your other question, I need you to take him to one of my followers."

"And where can I find those creepy followers of yours?"

"Nowhere near where you are now. In fact, I would recommend you leave this place whenever you get the chance. I don’t think any of you realize what it is."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Ah. It seems like we are already out of time. Dreams really do fly by fast, don’t they?"

The expanse around them started to rumble and break. Jacob jumped on the skull and grabbed its cloak.

"You’re not going anywhere bastard. By the way, your deal can go to hell. There’s no way I’m going to give up my one living relative."

The skull struggled under Jacob’s grasp. Suddenly, its entire body started vibrating with dark energy.

"Fool. Your aggression will only make things worse for you in the future."

Jacob was sent into the air at an incredible speed. He crashed into the celling of his bedroom and fell back into his bed. Dust started falling from the small cracks he had left. Jacob’s body ached as he laid motionless.

’What a terrible way to start the day.’

Maria rushed into his room, still wearing a long white nightdress. Her face was a complete mess, there was dry drool on her chin, and her eyes were still adjusting to the light.

"Jacob? Is everything okay? I heard a loud bang."

Maria looked up at the celling in horror. There was a large Jacob-shaped crevice in the stone above his bed.

"What? What the hell happened? Did something throw you into the ceiling?"

Jacob was still rubbing his head, his body aching in pain.

"I just had a bad dream. That’s all."

Jacob slowly stood up from his bed and walked past her, stretching his arms. Maria watched him walk away with amusement.

"Seems a little different than my bad dreams."