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Tix looked thoughtful. “For years, I carried the secret of that exit. It drove me insane, wandering the prison halls for hours, looking for it. I couldn’t find it. I could spend a hundred years here and not find it. I gave up on it and thought I would never learn its location. Then, years later, I learned about Uhah. Rumors whispered that he wasn’t always the frail prisoner he appears to be now. Once upon a time, he was an intern, a young apprentice working on Ikmal’s construction. And if my friend was to be believed, then it’s highly likely that Uhah knows about this exit.”
A sense of excitement tingled at the base of my spine.
The idea of escape, of freedom, was a heady sensation.
I reached out, touching Tix’s arm, feeling the solidity of his presence even in this dream realm.
“So,” I began, my voice a mix of hope and determination, “if anyone holds the knowledge of that hidden exit…”
Tix finished my thought, his eyes burning with a fierce intensity. “It’s him. He might be the only person at Ikmal — maybe the only person in the galaxy — that does know.
* * *
“Tix,” I began, hesitating slightly, “are we really going to stake our escape plan on the words of a prisoner? What if he was delusional? What if the pain, or his deteriorating health, or the despair of being trapped in this place, played tricks on his mind?”
He turned to me, those soulful eyes piercing into mine.
I felt an almost tangible warmth emanating from him and the soft whisper of sandalwood, his signature fragrance in this realm, wrapped around us. “I’ve thought about that, Grace, countless times. I trust him. There was something in his voice, in the way he looked at me, that convinced me he was telling the truth.”
I frowned, the weight of our situation pressing on my senses.
The faint glow of the dreamworld dimmed slightly, casting shadows that danced around us, and I could hear the soft whispers of other dreamers in the distance.
“But, Tix,” I continued, “you’ve been trying for so long to tap into Uhah’s mind, to retrieve those plans. What if they don’t exist? What if it’s all a fabrication?”
Tix’s fingers brushed against my cheek, a gentle touch that still managed to send shivers down my spine.
“It could be,” he admitted. “Would you rather not even try? Uhah could have the plans locked away deep in his subconscious. Every time I try to reach out, I find barriers. Walls constructed from his fears, traumas, and memories.”
“Why don’t you just ask him directly? Instead of delving into his mind, why not confront him with your knowledge?” I questioned.
Tix hesitated, and I could feel a slight chill in the air, the dreamworld responding to his emotions. “Memories, especially those locked away, are delicate, Grace. Reminding someone of what they know, especially when it’s something they’ve hidden deep within, can be perilous. They might alter it, warp its details, or even convince themselves they never knew such a thing to begin with. The mind is powerful and protective. It can change memories to shield its owner from trauma or danger.”
I absorbed his words, the seriousness of our endeavor weighing on me.
I felt a cool breeze brush past us, a fleeting memory from my past. “So, what you’re saying is, we can’t risk confronting Uhah directly. We need to tread carefully to navigate his mind’s maze without alerting him to our presence.”
Tix nodded. “Exactly. We need to be stealthy. We need to work together and combine our dreamwalking abilities to find and extract that memory. It’s our only shot, Grace.”
A sense of determination welled up within me.
The thought of escaping Ikmal, of being free from this prison, propelled me forward. “Alright,” I said firmly, “let’s do this. Together.”
As I spoke those words, the dreamworld around us brightened, the shadows receding, and I could hear the distant sound of birds chirping, a harmonious reminder of hope and freedom.
Tix smiled a genuine, heartwarming smile that lit up his face. “That’s the spirit. We can do this, Grace. We just need to trust each other and be patient.”
With one final glance at the dreamy horizon, we returned to reality, finding ourselves back in the confinements of Tix’s cell at Ikmal.
* * *
The first light of morning filtered through the tiny gaps around the cell door, casting an ethereal glow over everything.
In this muted luminance, the harshness of Ikmal seemed distant, almost unreal.
We both knew that the coming hours would thrust us back into its cold reality.
We were lying side by side, with Tix’s arm comfortably around my shoulders.
