On the lone Carpathian roads, a small mottled convoy of minivans stopped at the waist of a mountain. They looked like ordinary tourists, dressed in colorful garb, and even occasionally stopped to take photos of the beautiful mountain scape. The only thing that stood out among them was that they were predominantly asian, but that in of itself wasn’t too odd. Even Murphy wouldn’t second guess it in this day and age.What truly stood out to Morpheus was instead a cottage, half-hidden in the woods on a cliff not far from here. A poorly maintained gravel road lead from the tourists straight to Eleanor’s doorstep. Hers was the only house in a thirty mile radius, so it became clear to him this dream was no mere coincidence.The tourists lingered even after the sun settled, and cars on the main road dwindled one by one, until the whole region slept.Then, colorful garbs were replaced for pitch black carbon. Bulletproof vests, helmets, and military grade comms. There were also guns… so man

A small two by two hole was dug in the ground, just beneath his couch. Fresh concrete with thick rebar formed an impenetrable bunker, albeit a very small one. Murphy’s last job was in construction, after all. It was all too easy to make an impromptu safe haven for him. Just before the sunset, Ellie and Lucky descended in there and locked themselves from within. Inside, there was water and food for two whole weeks, as well as a few tanks of oxygen should the vents fail. A few monitors were linked up to the camera feed, giving her insights into what was to come. The assassins had already arrived, and were seemingly taking scenic photos of their roadtrip. ‘Stay safe,’ Murphy mouthed, then covered his head in a thin camouflage veil. Over the past few hours, while feigning an interest in the local flora, the hitmen had already scouted the place with a few drones. Murphy would have preferred if Ellie left the compound altogether, but they couldn’t lure them in without showing signs o

A week later, atop the same bridge he leapt off of before. Murphy sighed and looked down at the inviting hole, but he knew there was no redo this time. He could only cope with the hurt, with no end in sight. [Chinese Corporation Hunts Down Critic in Europe][The Next Step After Censorship] [A Gross Overstep of National and Ethical Boundaries] These were just some of the excerpts from headlines around the world. As was typical with the mass media, they made it seem like an overblown conflict about to kickstart world war three or something. Murphy scoffed and nearly tossed his phone off into the void below, unsatisfied with any of the articles. After all, none of them could encapsulate what truly mattered. Neither of them touched upon his true loss — Eleanor. How could they? The journalists didn’t have all of the story, and he wouldn’t give it, either. What little they found was from government agencies and leaks, as well as the fact that the incident kickstarted a massive wild fir

« Congratulations on achieving the third tier of a Numen Power. Oneiromancy Code set complete! »The cyan text continued to stream across his retina, but he had little interest in it. It was soulless now, in painful contrast to how things were when she inhabited it. Still, with the code complete, he intuitively knew the name he jokingly chose as a child had now come true. He was indeed Morpheus, God of Dreams, an omnipotent being in the imaginary worlds. The third power was tremendously powerful, and a little scary. He could absorb dreams, and in doing so pull other people into his own realm where he was all-powerful. On a whim, he could simulate entire lifetimes worth of scenarios, learning one’s deepest secrets or even going a step more nefarious to brainwash them.The subconscious mind was unprotected to him. On a layer even deeper than hypnosis, he could subtly manipulate people and change their behavior. Unlike the acid state-sponsored brainwashing schemes, however, his contro

As early as 5 AM, Murphy departed his hotel in the darkness of night. The court session was due at 10:00, so he had ample time to attend even if he left at 9:30, but there was one obstacle he had to get rid of beforehand.Dressed like a common jogger, Murphy bypassed a small park and entered a residential building. He lowered his face behind a hoodie, ensuring none of the cameras could get a clear angle of him as he slipped through. Inserting the code he received in advance, he ascended up the elevator, all the way to the roof. There, a cache laid hidden in a janitor’s room, who conveniently called in sick for the day. Retrieving the hidden key, Murphy went in and changed his clothes, then lounged on a bucket and waited for his prey to arrive. By now, his plan should be perfect.As expected, at roughly 7 AM, three homely girls arrived in a taxi. The man at the gates readily let them into the complex, and even offered to help with the luggage. They naturally denied his aid, seeing a