I felt a sense of ease but the terror continued when I saw just how far the dark void had spread. The grand hall's ground floor was a third of the way consumed and the wing I had just left was gone. Even though the windows seemed to still illuminate from the moon, the windows swallowed by the darkness did not suddenly become holes in the mansion. Instead it was as if the darkness was starting to eat at the reality of this world.

I decided to head towards the other end of the hall where I originally heard the laughter.

It was calm, no squeaky doors or loose stones. There didn't seem to be any doors throughout the entire hall save for the one at the end.

There was no lock or anything that hindered me from opening the door. Beyond the door was a spiral staircase that made the interior of the tower. I made my way up the stairs, still in the back of mind there was the inkling that something wrong could happen at any moment.

Nothing ever did as I went up to the very top of the tower. It was empty and desolate.

I looked outside and noticed a shining object in the distance. It was strangely floating above the mansion below. The window I noticed it through was directly level with where the object was laid.

The note from the page in the study came to mind. I remembered the strange floor of the dojo's false room.

I placed my hand passed the edge of the window and found that it could not go further down. There was the same invisible barrier that made a surface I could walk on.

I'm already used to this trick so it doesn't cause me as much distress to climb out of the window and trust the invisible path to the shining object.

At the end of the path was a bird cage. It didn't look like there was any bird inside of it. I attempted to get closer and inspect it but I suddenly took a step and knew immediately the path ended here. Balancing myself back onto the invisible path, I felt gravity pull me making me nauseous. If I hadn't been careful I would've plunged right into the mansion and likely splattered over the stone roof.

I observed as much as I could and realized there was still a ring around the bird cage that was still made up of the air walkway. However, none of the circular path was any closer so I had to make due and examine from the distance I was limited to.

The change was nearly translucent as if a clearer material than glass was used to construct it. I tried reaching it with my wooden sword. The sound of the bird rattling the cage echoed into the night. My sword gripped onto the cage before coming loose after a careful pull. I felt the edge that had latched onto the cage, it was painfully cold.

If not glass, then ice. I was never someone who had much fondness for puzzles, but the simple and obvious solution came to me in such a way that I felt a hint of pride.

I carefully balanced the candle onto the edge of my blade and leaned it over the cage. Like I imagined it would, the cage started to melt, a sizable hole was now open. 

There was a flutter and then a glittering light descended down back to the mansion. I almost dropped the candle from the suddenness of the bird's flapping.

As soon as I had begun to feel the least bit of comfort the pit began to swallow this side to, starting from the invisible platform.

I quickly jumped back in through the window and descended the tower. Looking back up at it the entire structure collapsed and became swallowed by the emptiness.

The same happened to the hall as I made my way back to the balcony.

There was hardly anything left. The entire grand hall was nothing more than a black space in my retina. The floor itself had pits in it of pure void. The only object spared was the radiating open door. A white light poured from its edges.

I didn't hesitate to throw myself in.

"Hahahah! That was simply hilarious, I can't believe you ran through all that and only screamed a single time. Ah. This has been quite fun."

"Who are you?"

I stared blankly to the girl who just finished wiping away a small tear of joy. She still smiled as she put her attention to me.

"In a way you could say I'm like a teacher, but I'm much too young to be that. Oh, I know of a better idea. I'm your dream godmother!"

This strange girl made even my old self cringe. I knew she noticed my confused expression because she proceeded to pace around the room and rub her head.

"What's going on?"

"Well, it's a little complicated. And you asked me who I am but I can tell you're not happy with what I said. Oh, this is much too hard for me to explain."

"You could at least try to."

"I wish my father was here, he could clear this all up. Hmm."

"You can start with where we are, it shouldn't be that hard, it could be on a map you have or written on some sign a walk from here away."

"That's just it, we aren't in some physical place this is a dream."

"A dream, no way, is this some lucid nightmare then?"

"That's the right word, lucid, but no this isn't a nightmare, it's just a dream. My father told me to put as many frightening things inside of it as long as it's someone who wants to learn how he fights. It's been lonely so I'm glad you haven't given up yet."

"Wait what? How he fights? Was your father someone who fought with a sword style?"

"Yes, he was good at it. Although one day he told me to stay put and that he'd love me forever, but he hasn't come back. He left me with this small task of scaring anyone who starts thinking about his way of fighting."

"Okay but isn't this my dream? How are you in my dream?"

"I'm not in your dream, you're not really in my dream either. See? It's complicated."

"So, it's like a bridge then, one between my dream and yours. Then-"

I couldn't finish speaking something was dragging me away.

"Time's up. Go on and wake up, maybe we'll speak the next night."

"What about you!"

I managed to yell back somehow.

"I can't wake up anymore. So, I'll wait, like always."

The dream was over. I could hear my yell echo in my room. I might've yelled out my last words to her as I awoke.

One thing was certain, the memory of this dream would never leave me. The nightmare turned dream ended up leaving me rested, something about the end got rid of my tension and replaced it with sorrow.