After an interesting journey through gray mists, waters made of crystal beads, magic castles populated by familiar faces (and flying fish!), Jynx and his companion, Brishen, have made their way to a strange building that resembled the Temple.

Ghosts walks its halls. Savanites who signed to nobody, or who ran from nightmarish apparitions. Still, they were harmless, and – all things considered – the building seemed to be the safest place for now. There was edible food and drinkable water… and a soft place to sleep.

After a bit of urging, Jynx had managed to convince the Eeee that they needed to rest after their adventures and they both finally colapsed into sleep – and into dreams.

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Darkness seems to swirl around Jynx's form. He feels wispy tendrils of it touch him and then pull back as if frightened. Slowly, things around the Khatta begin to take shape…

The ebon Khatta slowly opens his eyes, blinking at the darkness as his eyes try to adjust. Slowly and achingly, he rises to his feet. He stares hard at the forming shapes, not sure what he's looking at. "Brishen? We'd better get up now."

No answer from the bat. It appears Jynx isn't alone though. A pair of green eyes stare at him just a few yards in front.

Startled, Jynx leaps back, and returns the strange eyes' gaze. He blinks with curiosity, but nonetheless gives a shiver at the eerieness. "Who… who are you?"

As Jynx leaps back, he feels his shoulder bump into something smooth and slightly cool. All around him, more eyes open and shapes start to form in the darkness. "I am Feli Kurai," comes the answer from ahead. "Shikouju," another voice answers. "Moon-Fur." "Meow." "Jynx." "Prince Shiahd bu-Ahlmarahat." And so on and so on…

One voice slightly to Jynx's left answers with a bestial snarl. Behind him a voice whispers, "Morpheus."

Jynx looks around wildly, extremely confused. "No you're not," he replies, "those are all my names!" He looks at the eyes worriedly, then his worried brow switches to anger. "Shut up! All of – huh?" He spins to face – or at least try to face – the voice that answered with the name of the dream world. "Wh-who are you? M-morpheus is a world, not a p-person… "

The scene lightens around the Khatta and he finds himself standing in a ring of mirrors. One mirror is of a Savanite with white fur, another holds a black Khatta assassin, another has a calico, another holds an image of a tabby, another shows a young black Khatta in common clothes, another shows a lion in finery. The mirror in front of Jynx shows only what might be his silhouette, as if a black paper cutout of Jynx had been animated and placed behind a window of glass. A mirror on one side of the silhouette shows a pitiful monster of something that might have held sentience at one time, but now is nothing more than a black Khatta beastman. On the other side is a black empty mirror that refuses to reflect anything in its depths.

"You are correct. Morpheus is a place," the silhouette answers.

The young Khatta stares at all the felines one by one, slowly recognizing them, or most of them at least, as himself. As his eyes come to rest on the beastly cat, Jynx jumps back, eyes wide at the malformed creature. Shivering, the cat turns to regard the silhouette, "Wh-what is all this? Where am I?"

"Dreaming. It shouldn't be all that odd of an occurrence really. You ARE on the planet of dreams after all." The mirror image shifts a bit, prompting an angry hiss from the creature next to it.

"A dream? That's what this is?" Jynx once again turns to regard all the mirrors in turn, "I-I suppose that makes, sense… but I've never had d-dream like this before. Its so real!" He turns back to the shadow, "I guess I should be asking, why?" He watches the beast out of the corner of his eye warily.

The shadow presses his hands against the glass of his window. "Why not? I wished to speak to you; the rest was your mind's choosing."

The black feline approaches the silhouette's mirror. "Speak to me?" His brow wrinkles, "About what? And how can a planet speak at all?" The cat's tail twitches nervously. "And when did I choose this as a setting?" He shivers, the questions coming endlessly to his mind.

"I am not a planet," the mirror answers. "But I may name myself after one if I so choose. As for the setting… are these not your shapes? Shapes you have worn by choice or by circumstance." He gestures to the animal in the mirror at his side. "Or shapes you hide from yourself."

Jynx swallows hard, and nods, "Y-yes, I've been all of these in the past, e-except that one." He points to the beast, "Or at least, I don't remember being him… " The cat's mind mulls over the meaning of the words of the shadow, but he shakes his head clear. "But that doesn't answer my first question." He looks back to the silhouette. "What did you need to speak to me for?"

"I wished to thank you," comes the answer.

The Khatta freezes, then blinks in total confusion. "Thank me? For what?" He cocks his head sideways.

A pair of eyes – without pupils – flash open on the silhouette's face. They glow slightly. "Before, I only had what was given to me. I did as I was created to do. Now that I am here, I have become something different." The eyes blink, a flicker of light that was snuffed out and then reignited just as quickly. "As you were the one who brought me here, you are the one I wish to thank."

At first, the meaning of the shadow's words are alien to Jynx, and he just stares back in confusion. But slowly, as he ponders over the words, grim realization dawns. "Oh… no… " The cat's eyes widen, and his ears are set back as a wave of terror washes over him. "S-so you are y-y-your own now… " He backs away from the mirror, fighting to keep from breaking down. "W-what are you g-going to do?"

The silhouette shrugs. "You're expecting me to say I'm going to destroy you or torment you no doubt." He waves his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I do not know what I am going to do. You do not ask a newborn baby what it intends to do with its life the moment it emerges from its mother's womb, do you?" Jynx's shoulder bumps into another mirror, the one with his own image.

Jynx turns to look at the mirror, but tries to keep one eye fixed on Morpheus, the shadow. "B-but most babies don't have the power t-to control worlds." He gives another swallow.

The mirror mouths Jynx's words as he speaks them. In fact most of the mirrors seem to be reflecting Jynx just as normal mirrors do, except they do so in different forms. Morpheus snorts softly, "That is right, they do not."

If possible, Jynx's fur stands on end even stiffer than before. "Y-you're just a dream! You can't do anything!" His tail slowly moves back and forth. "Be-besides, we're not on Sinai anymore, and there's no one h-here for you to torment!"

Morpheus stiffens. "I NEVER tormented people!" His eyes flash angrily.

Jynx flinches, "Wh-what about all those children at the caves? A-and Lord Calderas. Y-you turned them all into beasts!" He stands back up. "Y-you tormented them all!"

"I gave them what they asked for. I did as I was told… just as I was created to do." Morpheus points a finger at the Khatta. "You do not blame the dagger for a murder when it takes a hand to thrust it into flesh."

"M-maybe not," replies the cat, "b-but it was you that made it possible, just like the dagger makes killing easier, y-you and whoever… whatever created you."

"So I was a tool, but I am a tool no longer." Morpheus spreads his hands. "My creators are the creators of Morpheus and Sinai; my purpose was to give happiness. Did you not feel happy when you held me?"

Jynx comes to a stop, confusion returning. "Y-yes… but it wasn't real happiness, just my being drunk on power!" He stops, suddenly remembering the first part of the shadow's comment, "What did you say? Creators of Morpheus and Sinai?" The cat's brow furrows. "That's ridiculous; no one can create an entire planet!"

"Why is it that you insist to know the truth when in fact you know nothing?" the silhouette asks. "Your Bat companion insisted that the image she saw of her lost love was a fabrication… when it fact was his own dream. Is there something about my voice that screams 'liar', or is it just a habit of people to deny things that do not appeal to them?"

"I-it's just that the things you say are hard to believe," replies the feline. "Wh-what you say is too wild to be true; it goes against everything!"

Morpheus shrugs. "Then don't believe. It does not affect me in the least."

Jynx swallows. "S-suppose I did believe you, and if so, then who are the ones who did all this?" He steps a tad closer to the shadow's mirror, "How did they do it? A-and why did they create you? What for?"

"Beings who wanted godhood," Morpheus answers. "I do not know if they were ever sucessful in their quest."

The Khatta moves even closer to the mirror, "A-and now I suppose that you intend to carry on their quest? Am I right?" He grimaces. "I can't s-see you settling down for less."

The silhouette sits down and taps at the window of glass in front of him. "Why would I want to be a god? All I ever wanted was to bring people happiness." A claw screeches across the glass. "There is so much here, so much to see. I am learning how beings think and why they do things. This is an amazing place."

Jynx stops walking just in front of the mirror, "It's a scary place is what it is." He looks down at the silhouette. "How do you intend to make people happy? Everything here is just dreams." He spreads his paws in emphasis, "Nothing is real, except Brishen and myself."

Morpheus rests his chin on an outstretched finger. "So what do YOU think I should do?"

The Khatta forces a weak smile. "Umm, stay here on this world? Leave people alone?" He sits one the floor, across from the shadow. "I-if you want your own life, you could try that, but people are fragile. If they knew what you were… I don't know if they could take it. And there are still those who wish to possess you back on Sinai." He frowns.

"I do not think I would like going back to Sinai." Glowing teeth flash in the silhouette's mouth, the same tint as his eyes. "What are you afraid I will do here?"

Jynx tail thrashes. His muscles look relaxed, but are ready to spring if necessary… for what good it would do. "W-well, this is where people's dreams take place." He looks the shadow in the eyes. "I-I guess you could… control them through their dreams… I-If that's what you intended that is", he adds.

Morpheus' eyes narrow. "So I should sit here quietly and no nothing. Does that sound like an appealing existance to you?"

"N-no… no no!" Jynx says quickly, "N-not that at all… i-it's just… " The feline searches for the words, but comes up short with a sigh. "It's just that… I don't know… I've seen and heard what you're capable of, and it doesn't exactly s-set me at ease." The cat looks up to Morpheus. "I can't make up your mind for you."

The silhouette studies the back of his hand. "Actually, you have made up my mind. Part of it at least. I have learned sentience from you and your companion. I am still trying to decide how this will affect my function." His eyes flick upward. "So what do YOU plan to do now, Feli Kurai?"

"M-me?" Jynx asks, startled. "I-I don't know… I just want to find that cheetah girl, then go home." He sighs. "I don't like it here that much. And y-you… well, if you plan on making problems with people," he closes his eyes, "I'll have to stop you. That's what I came here for… "

Morpheus goes back to looking at his hand. For the moment he does not answer.

Jynx stares hard at the silhouette, trying to figure out why he is so interested in his hand, and to get a better look at him overall. "How did I make up your mind?"

"Proximity. Your personality was rather easy to read, and we were close for such a long amount of time." He looks back up. "If I promise to not 'make trouble'… you will go away and not bother me?"

The Khatta blinks at the first part, then continues, "I-I suppose… but then what would you do? You already said you didn't want to sit around for all time."

"Explore, gather more information, perhaps even try to build." Morpheus shrugs. "Define 'making trouble'."

"Trying to control people, changing their lives, messing with their minds through their dreams." He stares at the shadow. "You have a lot of power, and you may hurt people. And what would you build? There's no one here!"

The silhouette scratches a claw against the pane of glass again, prompting a pained yowl from the beast in the companion window. "So if I promise that I will not willingly do anything that would cause harm to a dreamer's mind or body you would not try to destroy me?" He shrugs. "Why must there be people here for me to have the desire to make things? The dreamers are not really here, yet they have built most of the things around here."

Jynx nods. "And none of it is real, only fantasy." He eyes the shadow suspiciously. "I guess I would leave you alone, but how can I take your word?"

"How can I take yours? If you brought me here hoping to destroy me, I have just as much reason to fear you as you do me," Morpheus answers.

The black Khatta grimaces. "I-If your mind is partly like mine, then y-you should know the worth of my word," he replies. "I brought you here to keep people from taking over the world. I-If that isn't your goal, then I'm through with you, b-but if it is, then I must do what I must… "

Jynx stares over at the beastly image in the mirror, shivering at its protests.

Morpheus taps his chin. "What can I offer to show my sincerity? I am still creating a body; I have nothing to give."

"Just… just by your actions!" Jynx shrugs. "I don't think I'm going anywhere soon, at least not until we find Last-Daughter, so don't do anything… destructive I guess, while I'm still here. If you can do that, I'll leave you be." The cat sighs, feeling like he's gotten nowhere. He looks back to Morpheus, and tries to change the subject. "Making a body? W-what are you going to look like?"

"I am still deciding. You will know me when you see me, though." The silhouette stands again. "Who is Last-Daughter?"

The black Khatta shifts uneasily, occasionally glancing at his alter-egos, then back to the shadow as it stands. "I'm not sure, to be honest. She's a Savanite cub, somewhere on the ship. We saw her, or what looked like her, back at my sister's dream, and she needed help."

"Ah. The sleeper. I've felt her dreams… they have a different taste to them." Morpheus' teeth flash again.

Jynx gives a startled look. "Sleeper? T-taste?" He slowly stands back up, to stay even with the silhouette. "What do you mean by that?"

"You are asking me to describe sensations that I am new to." Morpheus holds out his hands. "Your dreams taste more fresh, more new. There are others that seem more stale… as if dreams are all that are left. The sleeper's dreams are more aged… like a cross of the two."

The black Khatta's ears perk forward, his face at attention. "You can see her dreams?" He steps right up to the mirror, "Do you know where she is, where we can find her? And what is wrong with her; why did she appear as a dream? She mentioned something called 'stacey'… no, that wasn't it… ah, 'stasis' I think… "

"She is being forced to sleep, as was everyone in this building." Morpheus leans against the glass. "What if I guided you to her? Would that make you trust my word?"

Jynx nods, "If you were to help me and my companion rescue the cub, I would trust you. She needs our help. She's said she has been trapped here for longer than she can remember."

"Very well then… " The silhouette puts his fingers to his head. "You would have to explain things to your lady companion, of course. I believe she thinks I mean harm to whomever it is that resides in the castle."

"She's just confused," says the Khatta. "This is all new to her – you are new to her. She doesn't know as much about your past as I do, and I haven't gotten a chance to explain." He looks around the dream room. "But you can prove her wrong by helping us. Now, what do I need to do?"

"You need to wake up." Morpheus smiles, flashing those glowing teeth again. "I think I have my idea for my body now. I will meet you where you are and guide you from there."

Jynx nods, "Okay… Now how do I do that?" He looks around. "Do I pinch myself or something?"

"How does one normally wake up?" The silhouette folds his hands behind his back.

The Khatta blinks. "Well, I do it like this… " He stretches with a yawn, as though he had just awoken from a long slumber.

The silhouette glances around and lets his eyes fall back on the Khatta. Nothing changes.

"Okay," says Jynx. "That didn't work." He grimaces. "I usually just wake up when… I wake up!"

Morpheus' ears perk at something. "Perhaps some outside help is needed… " He closes his eyes and seems to concentrate on something.

The Khatta blinks at the silhouette, "Outside help? But how can you do that?"

Brishen's voice can be heard from somewhere above, "What are you dreaming about, hm?"

Darkness starts to form around the Khatta again. The images fade out slowly until there's only a ring of glowing eyes staring at the Khatta.

Jynx slowly feels his muscles staring to get that recently-awakened, groggy feeling as the world of dreams fades to bring him back to the… World of Dreams.