MC’s Dream from Lucid Dream Myth
Since Caleb returned to me, I rarely had nightmares about him. But I dreamed of him that night. There was no sun. He floated within a dark green jungle. The ropes that bound him morphed into vines sprouting from sturdy branches. They wrapped around his wrists and ankles like venomous snakes flicking their tongues. Every muscle swelled under the vines' encroachment. Tiny hair-like thorns pierced his skin and greedily siphoned nutrients from his flesh. They then injected new toxins into his nerves. His body trembled, like a beast caught in a trap, struggling against the restraints that only grew tighter with every move. Finally, he crashed into the dirt, buried by leaves carrying the scent of decay. A wilted leaf fell down slowly. It covered his hollow eye socket. The jungle devoured his body, leaving him as a withered tree choked by its grasp.
From The Fall of Philosian Civilization, Preface
Immortality once brought lasting prosperity to Philos. And yet even it couldn’t prevent the stagnation born from unchecked desires. When time ceased to be a limitation, the Philos civilization was unable to escape its inevitable decay. With the exception of the capital and its surrounding regions, which still clung to their luxurious lifestyles, most of the land had fallen into ruin. Remnants of advanced technology lay scattered across the planet, but a majority no longer worked. Or they were simply forgotten. Philosians longed for their former glory, but they had to accept the bitter reality of societal and technological decline.
The ruling elite in the Central District maintained their authority via strict surveillance. But beyond that illusion of grandeur lay something far worse. The more you traveled across the planet, the more you saw an empire in decline and the signs of an unavoidable demise. Strike raged tirelessly across the land, and the regime could only cling to life by relying on devastating weapons. Among the rebel leaders, a piece of intel circulated between them. The secret weapon that had crushed countless uprisings was a modified combat android designated as A-01.
Experiment ID: AX-42-B
Date: Philos Calendar Year Recorded By: OTHAN-17798
Objectives:
Determine the nature and interrelation of A-01's and X-02's powers.
Observe their behaviors and responses under various environments and stimuli.
Assess the planetary impact of their powers.
…
—Othan Research Bureau Report No. 8341
Experiment ID: A-01-UW-175
Date: Philos Calendar Year
Objectives: