It was rather compelling to have watched clips and have read stories of what twenty-first century humans would think it would be like to have their minds uploaded to a quantum matrix, or at least whatever technology they could conceive in their imagination that would be capable of running and maintaining the vast virtual realities they had dreamed of and had nightmares about. There were worse fates than dying or being trapped somewhere forever.

  And these ruminations of Iker were relevant because while he remembered his conversation with Fatima, Camilo trapped him in a headlock. Perhaps it was once upon a time in a long past timeline or past life, but Iker was certain it was possible, at least most of the time, to remember a memory all at once. However, these strange timelapses he experienced was the first hint that the reality he was in was not as real as it seemed to be.

  And Camilo took advantage of the inherent darkness of the basement that was more Prunus Tantalum than concrete, and Iker did whatever he could to bash his sneakers into the bark below, however Camilo tapped into the kaya form he probably used to heal him earlier. Iker had no choice but to have his knees scrapped against the shiny bark.

  IKER! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO TAP INTO KAYA YET! I AM SENDING YOU BACK TO YOUR DREAM SELF!

  Who are you? Why am I hearing voices? Iker yelled in his head.

  Even with how much power Camilo could tap into, there was gentleness in it. It became clear his only objective was to choke Iker into unconsciousness. However, after the being spoke to him through his mind, the reality around Iker became dusty plasma. Past the luminous sandstorm was the autumn battle stage he was in earlier with Bastian. Except there was no Bastian, Uzi, Primetime, or... his father.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Past the numinous moonlight and the overhanging clouds, Iker never noticed it the first time, but there was a dilapidated mansion in the distance. Perhaps Primetime blocked the view when she spawned into the stage, but either way, startling Iker to his core, he realized there was another presence with him. Already in a fight or flight response he reacted with raising his fists up, but whoever was with him was perfectly still.

  Iker turned his gaze slowly, and a tail of a trench coat came into view, made up of digital, magical, and sleek black tatters, a piece of wearable technology suited for a god. The leather tatters and torso was as dark as activated charcoal, the mystical netrunning jacket was paradoxically killing peripheral starlight and radiating with a holy glow. Before he had the courage to meet vis gaze, an autumn gust brushed against them both, making the tail of the trench coat whip like a lightning bolt lanced by Zeus. Around vis popped collar and the hands poking out of vis elegant cuffs, was translucent flesh that protected a metal skeleton, vis body the pinnacle of biotechnology and cybertechnology coming as one. And what was once upon a time a tooth of an elder god bouncing upon vis head like a helmet, grew to encase vis head sleekly giving the eldritch enamel a godlike yet digital glow. What were once a pair of voids in the eyeholes of the helmet were now ignited with glowing irises, one being pink and the other being sky blue. Iker took a few steps back in terror, covering his eyes from the blinding lights coming out of the white helmet until they dimmed slightly.

  "Come with me," an older Spiderland told him.