/////

--- DREAM RECORDED IN THE SERVER ROOM 0000

"Tu as ignoré ma question."
His hair softly swayed, as if a breeze was blowing through it, but I couldn't feel it at all.
"Ran? Tu peux me répondre?"
"What is it?"
He laughed at my question, then gave me a warm smile.
"Tu as oublié?"
I nodded slowly. Something in his eyes seemed to change; a glimmer disappeared.
"Quelle est la dernière chose dont tu te souviens?"
I searched my memory. Where was I? The grass was white, and the sky was lavender. This wasn't home. The man before me had cold, dark eyes, and his skin was tan. His clothes... I'd never seen clothes like these before! A red cloak that looked like suede, a white suit that looked like it was made from snake or another reptile’s skin, equally white pants, and knee-high boots. He held a black feather between his teeth.
"Ran." He walked closer to me, and I could smell a faint scent of... peppermint.
"Laisse-moi t'aider." He placed his hand on my head, his heavy ring brushing my forehead on its way.
--
I was on a farm, back home in Eridan. In the distance, someone was chopping off a chicken's wings - a tradition here when a chicken reaches maturity.

But that person wasn't from Eridan. They had long, shimmering blond hair and threads between their fingers that reached the ground and sprawled all around them like a spider's web. Their black cloak and sunglasses concealed most of their identity.
They stood up, releasing the chicken, which fluttered away without apparent pain. Then they waited.
I walked towards them, but before I could say anything, they spoke.
"I see. You're lost, Ran Eridani. You're not supposed to be here. Guess he made a mistake." Their voice trailed off, then they added, "Here. Before he sends you back." They held up some black string and wrapped it around my neck.
"I don't understand..."
They gave me a weak smile. I noticed a wasp embroidered in dark grey on one of the cloak's pockets. Then the world turned green.
--
Sand. That's all I could see for miles on end. Warm sand that heated up my leather boots. Soon enough, without any sort of transition, the sand turned into cruel snow, and the further I walked, the colder the air grew.

Finally, I reached a cliff. The ocean looked like dark clouds beneath me - a rumbling monster ready to eat me whole. But in the middle of this black storm, I saw a statue: a bust sticking out of the water. As I walked closer to the edge, the cliff began to lower into the water and extended like a stone snake toward the distant figure.
It was a statue of a girl who seemed younger than me. She had short, straight hair with a rose tucked into it and wore a dress that seemed frozen in movement. The waves crashing around her made it seem like she was covered in freckles. As the water receded, I could read at her feet the answer to the question that was haunting me - her name.
I had no idea who she was.
The dark green sky soon turned black, and as darkness surrounded me, I saw her standing in the void. If it weren't for the golden light enveloping her, I wouldn't have been able to see most of her body, as she was wearing a black dress.
"How dare you..." she gritted her teeth and marched toward me. "How dare you forget about me?"
"Then tell me who you are!" I yelled back, scrambling away from her.
She stomped the ground with her left foot, and huge onyx wings unfurled behind her. In her hand was a flaming double-pointed spear, with a pentagram carved into its shaft.
And that's when she spoke.
"I am the Lord of the Ruins, the Crow of the Morning. I am the shadow that shields and the darkness that heals. I gave you the rich black soil you've sown your food in and the dark wine you drown your worries in." Her voice cracked as she continued. "I predate your existence, as others do. You were created three cycles after me."
I tripped and fell, but to my relief, she slowed down.
"But something went wrong... someone cheated... Ran, you weren't supposed to die."
"What?"
"It's her doing... Ran, for all of us, you have to fight her! I've tried to kill her over and over again. Nothing works. Please!"
As she said that, a loud crash made me cover my ears. I watched in horror as her body convulsed and lit up, arcs and sparks of electricity crackling all around her. She collapsed, and her spear rolled to my feet.

From the shadows behind her, a dark figure emerged. It plucked a feather from her fallen wings, then stepped into the ethereal light - a girl with cold eyes, dressed in a black shirt and pants, and brown boots.
"Ran Eridani." A cruel smile twisted her face. "Don't be afraid."
"Who are you?" I grabbed the spear tightly and jumped to my feet.
She giggled, extending her right hand toward me. "My name is Belphie, successor of the Holy Ram. I have come to take your life."
"But why?" My eyes darted from her face to her outstretched hands, trying to guess when she'd strike.
"You're not supposed to exist, Ran." Her voice dropped almost to a growl. "You don't remember anything about your past, do you? You had a castle, Ran - thirty-three faces carved into the walls. All of Eridan was yours. Do you remember any of it?"
I hesitantly shook my head. She smiled in triumph, a predator savouring the inevitable.

"That's because you were never there, Ran. A mirage created by Samhain that everyone believed in so much, you just... came into existence. I am here to rectify this, so please, do not resist."
I yelled and charged at her, but she was too fast. I felt her hand hit my chest, then pain like I had never felt before. My mouth filled with saliva and blood.
"I know your name, Ran; fighting me was futile. I'm not like the rest of you." She pulled her hand out of my chest and held my heart up as I fell to the ground. "It's not your fault. Everyone knew your name, little one. Rest easy."