Welcome Home [Event-Halloween]

[E-Rank] Anchoring Oneself
[D-Rank] Exploring Your World
[C-Rank] Finding Monsters
[B-Rank] Giving Form to the Formless
[A-Rank] Nightmares Have Dreams
[S-Rank] Nightmarish Avatar, Devourer of Dreams

Total Ryo Reward: 38,750 Ryo
Total AP Reward: 192 AP
Total Dream Tokens: 100 DTs + Dream Waiver
Total WC Required: 15,500 WC

Child Version of Kurai:

Kurai slept restlessly that night after helping resolve the issues. She found herself earlier that day in the tents of her family. She had wanted to see her parents again but alas when she pulled the curtain back it was just their mission that she saw on the other side. It was a terrifying thought to consider but she was alone and scared. She felt like a kid once more and her nightmares were real that night. She found herself as a younger version, standing at roughly 140 cm, 4'7'', in her attire with her bow, she was out of place in her surroundings. She ran and ran as she saw fires encase the show tents that were set up as part of the con her family was pulling off. Terror and fear filled her thoughts as she ran into the darkness around her. Eventually, she found herself alone once more, far away from home and the Land of Demons. She had run all the way to where she was becoming more familiar with, Konohagakure.

She stood, tiny against the walls of the village she had resided in briefly, her crimes following her in her dreams. She felt the space around her warp and distort as she drew her bow aiming outward into the ethereal sea of dreams. It was a glow of hues that she could not quite place her finger on. She was scared and as a child version of herself, it was exacerbated significantly as she formed the surroundings of the Kage Building in Konohagakure behind her as she found herself waiting for someone to reach out to her. She posted herself and sat down eventually as nothing came her way initially. She found solace in knowing that if she remained there, someone would likely make their way to her, and from there she could help them sort things out and perhaps leave this space once and for all. She realized quickly that there was likely no turning back from this encounter in the Land of Nightmares.

WC: 340, TWC: 340 | TMWC: 340 / 15,500

Holloween Ryouta:

The events of the prior day had left the white haired male feeling sluggish and tired. The amalgamation of information and data he had collected from the anomalies that plagued his home had finally been put to rest somewhat, but even then a larger threat had loomed over the world. Before he had decided to retire for the night, he had pulled out his notebook that had been filled to the brim from front to back with information that he had jotted down per the request of his father. Red eyes would begin to scan over it all while pulling out a scroll that after opening he would begin to transcribe his notes along with a detailed drawing of what he had seen for better assimilation of the data. He was still a tad confused on something his father had said previously as if he had an inkling or even had been apart of something like this before, but it would not surprise him given his age and knowledge. None the less he continued on his task before the warm embrace of sleep finally took him over. Ryouta probably spent the better half of an hour re-writing his notes and adding the pictures before his tools were slowly sat down and a yawn escaped his lips. Leaning back only barely he would begin to look out of the crack left in his curtains into the depths of the moon as best he could wondering if the same events would play out again tonight. For now the village had been quiet though he knew there were other shinobi on the move trying to assure if someone's nightmare manifested it would be taken care of quickly and smoothly. With the village being on alert this time they should not catch anyone off guard, but he felt as if today was only the beginning. Sitting up slowly he would finish about three or four more pages before he felt the touch of sleep waning over him. Slowly his eyes would begin to close, and his breathing began to slow and steady. He knew that it was time for him to sleep and if he continued he would wake up with ink all over his face.

Removing his jacket and shirt he would slide into the depths of his covers and nestle into the bed for a moment to get comfortable before his eyes rested upon his window. The soft swaying of the curtains helped him fall into a slumber that soon fell into a deep sleep and from there...his dreams began. What should have been a night full of dreams turned into the Land of Nightmares as he opened his eyes and found himself in a world not his own. He did not let out a yawn nor did he feel tired, but as he looked around and at himself he would notice his attire...was different. This was nothing that he would normally wear and upon inspection he would pull a kunai from underneath the long and rather comfortable cloak to look over himself. His hair and eyes had changed as well as his facial features which were...more pronounced, older even. A smile appeared on his face as he stashed the blade and chuckled," Wherever I am they have a good sense of style but if I had to wager this might be the Land of Nightmares that was previously the Land of Dreams...If it had truly been corrupted then the events are not over yet. Shame I can't write all of this down," he pressed his left index finger against his left temple. For the moment he had stood still to take in the sounds and sights of the area as a whole, trying to find anything to place a pin or a common tether on to start his investigation to figure out the truth of the world. As he did this he could feel his form or at least the concept of it writing and moving as if he was trying to truly exist. Taking his mind off of his current predicament he began to focus on his form, filling it from void to true existence. He started from the bottom slowly filling in the points of existence until finally...he was whole. Looking back over himself once more, he would be pleased with the results and went back to the task at hand.

His eyes would once again look around as the world in had found himself in looked more like his home, Konoha, and as he began to walk around he would find that most of the buildings resembled it. His eyes would lower as he slowly slid his hands into long, fur covered jacket he had been wearing and stayed silent to himself. Whatever incorporated the Land of Nightmares took shape in the form of a place you knew or thought of....but why Konoha. His first thought was to head to the Kage Building, only because it was a prime location to get a look around and it was a place he knew all too well. As he walked and eventually got to the building he would notice something that at first would pass as something insignificant, but in the end stood out the most. What looked like a child, at least to him, had been nestled against the building wall. What had stood out about this mysterious person was the fact that they were the only being he had seen that showed life in the sense that they were not meant to be here like him. Those glowing amber eyes fixated on the being until he had gotten closer and saw it to be a female. His frame had stood at about six foot three but he would crouch down to get a better look at her and offer a smile," It would seem you are lost here just as I am... How peculiar this land seems to be but are you waiting for anyone?," He'd ask her offering his right hand to help them up.

WC: 1,008/ TWC: 1,008 | TMWC: 1,348 / 15,500

Spoiler:

Yukio rose from his bed, stretching to allow his body to begin waking up. He blinked his eyes to clear the sleep from them, looking around his room. Something seemed…off. He peered at his belongings, the furniture and decorations around his room when it suddenly hit him. ’Why is my room decorated as it was when I was a little kid?’ His voice caused him to do a double take and after hearing it he rushed toward the small mirror near his desk, but stepping down off the bed and seeing just how tall all of his furniture stood was almost all the proof he needed.

His seven year old face stared at him from the mirror, looking unbelievably confused and mildly concerned. Yukio looked down at his hands, so small and lacking all of the callouses from his many years of shinobi training. Suddenly, he panicked and quickly cycled through his chakra. It felt just as strong as it did in the real world, as Yukio was nearly positive this was the so called Land of Dreams, or was it Nightmares now? In addition, he confirmed access to all three of his elemental chakra natures, which meant that his current form was a reflection of this strange dreamscape. Well, if whatever entity concocted this invasion and disturbance, if it wanted him to kick ass as a seven year old, he’d be more than happy to oblige.

’The last thing I remember was entering into that rift in the warehouse and returning with that strange scroll. Why am I here now? Is anyone else here?’ Yukio looked through his house, finding no one. It would’ve been too convenient and easy if his parents were also here to assist him. ’Well, that doesn’t mean no one is here. I better get moving and try to get to the bottom of this.’ The teenage Senju, or…well the seven year old Senju left the building after gathering a few supplies, and quickly found that he was not in the real world. The buildings of Konoha were vague approximations at best, more like if an artist glanced at a photograph and then tried to paint them with their eyes closed, nothing looked quite as it should. The entire place was almost ephemeral, as if it were waiting for a strong breeze and then it would simply fade away. As he wandered through the area, Yukio quickly noticed the Hokage building was much more defined and “real” feeling than any other buildings. He made his way there and stumbled upon two others, one a tall, white haired man who Yukio was unfamiliar with, and the other being Kurai. He recognized her from both his time spent with her, but also the revelations she shared with himself and Asami through her Ninshu. She too appeared as though she was much younger, almost as he had seen her in that small memory shared between them. He approached the two, who appeared to be waiting near the entrance to the Hokage Building.

”Well, I’m certainly glad to see you, Kurai.” The young boy nodded by way of greeting as he neared the two. ”It’s Yukio, in case you couldn’t tell due to my…” Yukio made a hand gesture towards his entire self, clearly indicating his strange appearance. ”I’ve not met you before. I’m Yukio, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” The Senju held out his hand for the tall man to shake, which probably made for quite an interesting sight, all things considered. After the greetings, Yukio looked around the area, trying to discern any information he might be able to.

”I don’t suppose either of you two might know what’s going on? I’m getting a little sick and tired of being blindsided by these dreams and nightmares like this.” He stuck his hands into his pockets and pouted, before realizing just how immature that would look, given his current appearance. ”Do you think anyone else might be out there?” He asked, looking around at the many buildings nearby.

---

WC: 672 | TWC: 672 | TMWC: 2,020/15,500

Spoiler:

Asami had fallen into a deep sleep the night following her experimental escapade into the Land of Dreams. She, like so many others in the village, had been putting off sleep for so long that this slumber was inevitable, as were the events that would follow. For as she lay sleeping on her soft futon, so she was waking in another world, her pale eyes slowly coming into focus as she gazed at the soft glow of her paper lantern.

It was her bedroom, yes. But something felt odd about it. As she sat up slowly, the first thing that she noticed was her clothes. She was wearing a stunning violet kimono, with a soft pink and white obi tied around her waist with a braided cord. The kimono was made of fine silk with long, flowing sleeves, and was dyed in an intricate floral pattern, meaning that it had to be costly. There was something about it that tugged at Asami's mind, and she frowned softly. Shifting slowly, she shuffled over to her mirror and took a long look at her own reflection. Her long hair was tied up in an elegant fashion, a white floral clip holding it all in place. The clip as well stood out in Asami's mind, and she racked her brain for the reason why.

Finally, it clicked. These clothes were the same ones that her mother had worn on her wedding day. She remembered seeing it in an old photograph that her father kept hidden away... From what her father had told her, this very kimono and hair clip were meant to be in her dowry, for Asami to wear on her own wedding day. But why would she be wearing them now...? Frowning, Asami turned back toward her futon, where she saw a fine katana resting on a stand above her pillow. Reaching over, she picked it up carefully, drawing the blade slowly. The sharp silver gleamed in the lantern light, and she gazed for a moment at her own eyes reflected back at her. She was in this dream world for a reason. She needed to find out what it was.

Snapping the blade shut again, Asami stood up and walked to her sliding door, pulling it open and gasping at what she saw. It was the courtyard of her home, yes, but it had been twisted and muddled, as a watercolor painting with too much liquid. She stepped out onto her porch, walking toward her front steps. The world felt eerie and silent, as if there were no one around for miles - at the same time, it echoed and thrummed with wisps of feelings, memories... A white butterfly fluttered past, dancing above Asami's head. It's wings seemed to have an almost ethereal glow about them, but as soon as Asami tried to get a closer look, it fluttered a few feet into the distance and began dancing again.

'Curious,' Asami thought, as she walked toward it. It hovered now just off her porch, and so she slid her zori sandals onto her feet and walked forward. The white butterfly continued to guide her down the road, past distorted buildings and twisted shadows. From what she knew of the layout of the village, it was leading her towards the Kage building. As she approached, she was surprised to see a group of figures standing about, and she walked closer as the butterfly fluttered away. There was a young boy and girl, accompanied by a strange, white haired man. Upon closer inspection, the girl looked just like Kurai, only she was much younger... and the boy, now that she thought of it....

".. Kurai-san... Yukio-kun?" she asked hesitantly. Then her eyes turned toward the man who stood with them, her pale eyes appraising him cooly. ".. Hyuuga Asami," she said, bowing her head gracefully. She didn't know the man, not in the slightest. But if her companions had come here as well, then she was sure that they would be able to work this out together.
______________________________
WC: 672 | TWC: 672 | TMWC: 2,692/15,500

Accepting the stranger's hand, Kurai felt like her mind was melting between herself as a child and what she remembered as an older teen traveling. There were a lot of mysteries to solve here but seeing a person was more than welcome at this moment. Standing up with his help, other voices came calling out. Higher and lower pitches as Kurai turned to see strangers now associates of Asami and Yukio. Blinking in confusion, it looked like her call to make it to the tower or dream up the tower in this scenario, was the right call. Still soft spoken as before, her voice is a lot cleaner tone compared to the normal world. As it appeared they too had no clue who the man was Kurai still holding his hand looked up at the person who would normally have been eye to eye with her, "Hello..." She finally spoke before looking outward towards silhouettes in the distance. They appeared to be more directed towards something else out of sight and mind of the group that had met here suddenly. Kurai turned to Asami and Yukio and nodded, "Yeah... It's me." Confirming that the smaller version of Kurai was indeed herself.

With that settled and sorted out, it appeared that the group now consisted of a macabre family once more, almost resemblant of her own minus the fact that her sister, Hotaru, was a female, unlike Yukio who stood and shined as the proud Senju that he was. Even equipped with her gear she was ready to discuss further issues that the group may have identified but it was only a matter of time before something came up, and yet, almost like clockwork, something did. Their time frame to sort things out was not as spread out as before and they needed to figure out the solution before it became too late. As still a foreigner, the Phantom who stood in but a shadow of herself now felt the eyes of her past haunting her before what appeared to be the creatures turned their focus from the distance towards the group. "Likely will have to stave off and move forward." Kurai proposed looking towards the road that shifted in front of them eventually fading downward towards a darker area of the Dreamscape Sea.

Letting go of Ryouta's hand finally, she drew her bow, something that thankfully was an appropriate size for herself, and looked forward before around them as the scene almost shifted to corral them towards the path. "I believe we are expected," Kurai said, an undertone of fright and fear laced her words. Unsure if what they had nightmares about would rise and become an issue for them to handle. It was not long before the flock of creatures came closer to the group. Once in Kurai's range, however, she breathed in silently before unleashing an arrow outwards toward the grouping. It was not nearly as fast as the other arrows she had launched that Asami and Yukio had seen before but there was something different about how it turned. As it graced the center of the group, multiple creatures began to contort toward the arrow as a strong force was pulling them toward it. Suddenly multiple began to drop under the vacuum pressure that the arrow forced into the space itself.

"Good thing air exists. Wasn't too worried but..." She began to say before in the distance more began to form and gather aiming to regroup and move towards the group. Staring at them she nodded before looking at the group, "One way forward right? Answers must be elsewhere... can't remain here before something else is dreamt up and sweeps us away.." She added before waiting to see what the others did before beginning the trek toward the darkness that was presented before them. She was unsure but when she looked down she could see that her quiver still contained 5 arrows as before. This was great to know she was not going to run out of arrows but it may be something to be concerned about running out of energy and chakra. A fear to be worried about but hopefully one that the group won't face.

WC: 700, TWC: 1,040 | TMWC: 3,392 / 15,500

As his hand was taken he would wait until the girl had stood up tall and proud, and once she did his hands would return to the depths of the black and midnight colored cloak that adorned his body. His eyes followed hers as she appeared to be looking at something in the distance and once he had seen what it was, initially he was on guard but something told him that everything would be fine. At first it would be a singular person, a child much like the female in front of him which initially made him think he was going to be babysitting, but even his own appearance had been deceiving so maybe this was not their true corporeal forms. As the new person introduced himself, Ryouta would initially see that the two had known each other, at least enough to recognize each other in an altered state which meant that memories and thoughts were not affected by this landscape but their forms were. That was an interesting thought that he had to remind himself of before noticing that the younger male had introduced himself. Looking at the hand the ashen haired male would unfurl one of his arms to move his hand to shake his and offered a half-smile as he spoke," Ryou. Nice to make your acquaintance though it would seem as if you already know this one here," he would not ask how he knew them, that would be prying and even if information was his forte some things were just not meant to ask. With the introductions out of the way he would see that Yukio posed a question to the small group in which he would shrug and look around for a moment.

He had a working theory but like most theories he needed more information to go off of before he said what was truly on his mind, but for the moment he could shed some light on the situation at hand," It would appear that this...landscape is reminiscent of the plane of dreams people go to when they slumber though something has corrupted it for the worst. What has done that or has the power to I know not but that could be why we are here," he would trail off slowly but something kept poking and prodding at his mind a bit about the situation. What it was however he could not seem to put his fingers or mind around it. The sound of another voice caused his thoughts to be temporarily shelved as he looked up and toward the voice, another one he did not know but they seemed to know the other two. Focusing his amber gaze upon the other that had just joined he would watch the exchange between the three before he had noticed the gaze of the new girl fixed upon him. He was not going to say anything out of pocket nor was he going to ask what she had been looking at. She could have been observing him to see if there was something about him she could remember or maybe he just looked or something. Either way once she had introduced herself he would chuckle lightly and give a light nod back," Ryou... At first I wasn't going to pry but ones a coincidence and two is an oddity. So how do the three of you know each other enough to recognize one another looking differently?," he had told himself he was not going to pry, but when something like this happened he had to know or at least get something that would show him what had been going on.

Nothing was ever as it had seemed but for the moment he would follow along and see where this path would take them. His eyes would once again return to the path and their surroundings as he could piece out a few things. The path that they stood on was linear at least, and it looked as if it was the only one that they could took. What's more is that something...or someone had been on the path as well what he did not know was when they arrived. The younger girl, who had a bow now, had sussed them out and acted accordingly but when she had the weapon it made him smile for a moment. The way this world worked was similar to a dream and in this form things that they would have or be familiar with could be given form. The male was not as good with weaponry as his father, but he had an underlining understanding of how to use them. For now he did not think he would need such a thing, but if things became heated he knew he could draw on the power of his mind to assist him. She was definitely right about there being only one way forward and once the others had made their minds up he would begin to move forward in silence. He took notice of a few other things, but only time would tell what would truly be needed to escape this place and set things right. Kurai was right about one thing however. The answers were somewhere and he would definitely find them.

876 WC/TWC: 1,884/ TMWC: 4,268

No sooner had Yukio finished introducing himself to the white haired man standing next to Kurai, then Asami arrived, although unlike he and Kurai, she was an older version of herself, looking resplendent in a formal wedding kimono, with a larger and elegant blade attached to her waist.

”Asami, it’s good to see you.” Yukio nodded to her after her approach. The man told the group his name was Ryou and asked how they all knew each other. Yukio motioned towards the other two while answering, ”We all worked together in Konoha against these nightmares and eventually helped fight against that big rift that opened in the warehouse district. I’m happy to see that the land of dreams, or perhaps nightmares now, has seen fit to throw is in together again. And a new face to join our party is always welcome.” Yukio gave Ryou a bright smile, the young Senju always trying to bring joy to his companions.

The group started finishing their polite introductions when Kurai glanced towards the lingering darkness just beyond themselves. Yukio had tried not to look to long into that roiling blackness, filled with shapes and figures that moved in unnatural ways.

”I believe we are expected.” The quiet girl called out. She had her bow in her hand as several of the strange nightmares began making their way toward the group of shinobi. With unerring accuracy her arrow took flight, and then the entire group of creatures seemed to be crushed by a large area of strong force and pressure. With that group dispatched, Kurai asked the group if they wished to move forward. They all agreed, and down the road they traveled.

The first thing Yukio noticed was the murkiness and distortion that existed throughout the landscape. Things seemed to move and shift about, and if you took your eyes off of any particular piece of landscape or building, when you next looked it would be vastly different, or even gone altogether. In addition, some things were drifting in and out of the area which Yukio quickly realized were probably the dreams or memories of others as they slept.

”I think these are dreams.” Yukio called to the group, watching as a swing set formed a short distance away, with a young girl giggling happily on it. As they approached, she looked toward them and seem confused before the entire vision faded away. ”I wonder if any of these could hold some clues as to our whereabouts or what we need to accomplish here. I don’t think it was coincidence we find ourselves together once again.” He pondered these occurrences as they progressed forward, the darkness always on the edge, seeming to stay exactly the same distance from them. Suddenly, he heard a loud roar off to the left of their group. He saw a young teenager cowering in fear as a large bear towered above him on its hind legs, preparing to strike out at the child. Yukio had no time to think and gave a shout, forming a single snake handseal as a large wooden spear was formed from his body. He grasped it with one hand and pulled it from himself, hurling it at the bear. It struck the center of the bears profile along its abdomen, impaling into it and knocking the creature back 5m from where it stood over the child. With a look of intense focus, the wooden spear sprouted four branches that began to wind and constrict the bear and it quickly faded from existence. A look of shock was on the young teenager’s face as he looked at Yukio. He appeared to try and speak, although no sound could be heard and then he too faded away, although this action appeared much more peaceful than that of the bear. Yukio turned back toward his companions, ”Okay, I am almost positive that was a nightmare of someone from outside this space. We should be on the lookout for anything that sticks out to us.” Yukio kept alert, eager to learn more about this strange place they found themselves.

---

WC: 684 | TWC: 1,356 | TMWC: 4,952/15,500

'Ryou,' Asami committed to memory, nodding to the man in return. It seemed he was curious how the other three had met, and Yukio was ready with the answer to that question. 'He seems oddly cheerful,' she thought, considering their current circumstances. Then she heard Kurai speak, and watched as she drew her bow. Asami's eyes followed the point of the arrow until they landed on the group of creatures that now approached them. When Kurai's arrow flew, something shifted in the air, and the Hyuuga observed as the shot created a vacuum that decimated all of the surrounding creatures simultaneously. She had to say, it was rather impressive. They seemed to not be the only threat however, as more of them could be seen gathering in the distance.

At that moment, the scenery began to shift around the group, seeming to usher them down this dark road. 'One path indeed,' she thought, and followed the group's footsteps, the environment in a word, unsettling. She listened as Yukio began to hypothesize about the nature of the images that they saw. They were dreams, he thought, or perhaps even nightmares. Asami thought that there may be some truth to that considering their past experiences in the Land of Dreams, though she didn't have much time to linger on this thought before a loud roar pierced through the air.  To their left, a fearsome bear stood atop two legs, threatening to attack a frightened boy. Asami's hand gripped her katana, but Yukio was quick, summoning a wooden spear out of nothing and hurling it at the beast. The spear then sprouted twisting tendrils that crushed the bear's body until it disintegrated into a cloud of mist, floating harmlessly away. 'Again, impressive,' Asami mused, her brow raising slightly. It would seem that she had stumbled upon some rather skilled companions. She hadn't forgotten about the swarm of creatures on the horizon though, and they were drawing ever nearer.

"I've got these," she stated to the group, stepping to the front and adopting a relaxed stance, calmly observing the creatures as they approached, many in the air, and some on the land. As soon as the swarm came within thirty meters of the group, Asami draw her sword and slashed the air in a single motion. From the tip of her blade, an arc shaped current erupted, closing in on the swarm before exploding into a conical spray of microscopic senbon. Each needle was comprised of precisely formed air pressure which shredded through the bodies of every creature within range, laying seige to the chakra that formed their bodies. The Hyuuga watched as one by one, the creatures fell and vanished, finally sheathing her blade when the last one evaporated into mist. "I expect we'll see many more of those," she considered aloud, turning back to look at her companions.
___________________________
WC: 476 | TWC: 1,148 | TMWC: 5,428/15,500

As the group proceeded and delved deeper into the Land of Nightmares, it was an odd occurrence for the four of them. Two 'adults' and two 'children'. It was almost as if a family had stumbled into a den of monsters and creatures. Ryou appeared to take on a more investigatory role and option as the others took on the offensive approach. With a degree of understanding, someone needed to keep an eye on what was going on, and trying to do so while fighting was a task and a half to handle. Surely some degree of knowledge could be ascertained from the observation of combat as they went deeper into the space. There were many twists and turns as Kurai could tell that they were descending deeper into the sea of dreams. As much as she felt torn between her thoughts and dreams one thing was pressing on her mind, her sister.

Observing and launching arrows as she spotted creatures from far away, she did not opt to do so as swiftly as the need was conservation over explosive force. There were encounters to face and as they went deeper, there had to be some sort of catch to all of this. Kurai knew from past experience that there was always a catch. Even if you bought something her father always taught here there was something off about it. Thievery and becoming a con artist was part of the family business even if she did not partake due to her differing heritage but she was with family and they took care of her at minimum. It was in this moment of sulking with her head drooped that she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was as if something was forming where she could not see. She turned and it would remain not where it stood but in that corner. "I see something out of the corner of my eyes..." She stated, her voice rising in alarm. "I can't seem to look at it though." She confirmed to herself stopping where the group stood.

It was at this time even more nightmares began to form around the group. From scary 20-meter clowns to what looked like malformed senseis from academies, there were many child-thought-of monsters beginning to find their way toward the group. They needed to strike back before more came from the depths of the Dreamscape Sea. On the ready as always, her bow found her marks true as a few times she pulled forth techniques. It was when the 20-meter clown approached that she had her black threads hold her bow as she formed the seals for shadow clones. Now the group had 3 Kurais pelting down the clown making a pincushion of the nightmare. Though there was not enough force to down the giant, Kurai made sure to hold it off from the group with the best of what she could provide knowing that other creatures were beginning their assault on the group. She had wished by this time she could find other avenues to support the group but there was not much else she could do with the limits she had.

However, she noted to herself that the form in the corner of her sight was becoming solid. Fear crept into her mind as its form became clearer. Kurai was unsure of how she knew there was something absolutely wrong about what she saw but her mind was speaking for itself. The thought of running became more and more prominent as it was as if her childhood self lived on within her and screamed to run away. At this time, this age that she was, she was still with her family, her sister, and not living alone in the woods, hunting for animals to eat let alone finding her way on a ship to the western continent. But that silhouette she saw, she knew it from somewhere but she was so unsure of where she had seen the shadow cast. There was a familiarity about it that she had trouble placing her finger on it.

Hoping to hear from the others their thoughts and concerns, it was only a matter of time before whatever was forming gained its form and launched its attack on the squad. Even then the Phantom still pressed onward with her shots as the trio of Kurai tag teamed the clown with stone bullets and hefty arrow shots. Eventually, it had to come down and slowly it faced its end and Kurai hoped the child's dream was better.

WC: 760, TWC: 1,800 | TMWC: 6,188 / 15,500

“Just as I figured…They knew each other outside of this space,” he had thought this to himself as he gave a small smile to the group and kept it moving from there. He would not give out that he was also a Konoha native, after all how would they have known since he looked completely different. He would commit their names to memory just in case he had a run in with them, but with their looks he did not think he would remember them by appearance…Maybe by name however. The group would begin to move forward and Ryou for the most part would remain silent and observe the space around them. He knew of a few Space-Time techniques or areas that could be a space in which these things could happen, but judging from the feel alone he could not pick up any traces of chakra or even in its most basic of forms. Even if he was not a sensor type ninja most people could pick up on chakra at some capacity, but this felt more like a world all its own. The thought of it on its own caused him to be more curious as to who or what made this space or how their dreams brought them all here instead of their own individual dreamscapes. It could have been possible that this dreamscape was more of a hub, an intermediary plane of existence where through some form all dreams could be one or come together. That only make the situation worse because what if someone strong, like a Kage for example, had a nightmare and it appeared here? That was something he would try not to think about and the arrival of a new threat would derail that particular train of thought.

His amber eyes would watch as the bear spawned and tried to attack one of the children within the dreamscape, someone else who had been brought here but unlike them had been tormented by their own nightmares. The others were quick to help and avoid the dreamscape child from being mauled, specifically the Senju of the group. Ryouta watched in silence as the younger male produced a wood like spear from his form and shot it at the bear, and upon detonation watched as it created four more spikes or spears. It was interesting to finally see how the Senju bloodline worked in regard to the fabled Wood Release that they held. He would definitely ask his father about the bloodline more in depth after this but it would seem that more company would begin to show. The others definitely showed a combat prowess that was for the most part satisfactory. They were good at judging the situation and making the best of what they had to use it according to what had been going on. While he did not actively participate in the combat his eyes were elsewhere scanning the landscape and just as Kurai had noticed something in the distance so too did he. His eyes focused enough to where he could see a shape take form, however unlike what she had seen, he was probably seeing something entirely different.

What had been appearing within his eyes may have been a bigger issue for him, but at the moment he would simply remain silent. What he saw did not instill fear into his mind or heart, instead it pushed onto him a challenge of sorts. It felt as if something was put here for him to overcome, but even nightmares could have a reason for being. While the others fought he slowly moved forward towards the shadow unafraid for what had been coming his way. It could have been his way of shouldering his own fear in the face of adversity, but either way he would not let anything stop him. Something made him stop for a moment as he turned to look at the others and then back to the shadow he had seen himself,” Something about this place is pulling the nightmares of those outside into this landscape…and potentially pulling our subconscious fears in as well…be on your guard,” the words came out clear as day though he was even doubting the plausibility of what he had said.

WC: 708 TWC: 2,592 TMWC: 6,896