Purple droplets of water dripped from tree branches, some left suspended in midair while others formed puddles. Lumi sat alone, wrapped in the dark blanket of the dream realm. She carefully carved a line into an ancient tree, signifying that it had been twelve years and three days since she had gotten locked in this world. She could remember the day one of the vile witches punished her by trapping her here. Witches, and not the kind with broomsticks, were short-tempered beings that took their anger out on mortals by cursing them for the dumbest reasons. 

Now, Lumi was a part of this strange place. No words you could think of could describe such a place. Tree branches twisted into strange shapes, day and night had no definition, ripples sent an array of colors through water, and creatures that only existed in your wildest dreams made this place like a fairytale. Still, Lumi wished that she could go home; that she could wake up. While the dream realm was incredible, many things made it dangerous. Nightmares and dream demons were typically violent beings, or at least scary and supernatural.
Sighing, Lumi got up, deciding to take a walk through the mystic land. Hours seemed to go by as she passed dream pools and bioluminescent trees. Leaves crackled from someplace nearby, making Lumi spin around. When silence followed, she turned around. Her eyes met bright, golden eyes and she screamed, falling backwards.

“Mimzee!” Lumi hissed at the cat-like dream demon. Mimzee smirked, or at least it looked like they smirked, it was hard to tell when a zipper replaced an actual mouth. No dream demons looked alike. Mimzee, in particular, was a rather large cat-looking demon with three golden eyes.

“Why do you insist on startling me like that?” Lumi asked with an edge to her voice.

“It’s amusing, and you know how I like to mess with people,” they snorted, “However, this time, I needed to find you to show you something.”

“You could have just told me,” Lumi grumbled. She dusted herself off, sitting on a large, glowing mushroom. Mimzee padded over to Lumi.

“It wouldn’t have been as funny,” they replied.

“Just show me what you found,” Lumi muttered impatiently.

Silence reigned over Lumi and Mimzee as they trekked through the dream realm. Lumi anxiously tore apart a leaf that she had picked up along the way, wondering what mysterious thing her only companion had discovered. The duo came across a clearing, but instead of the usual, or rather unusual, landscape, there was something new to even Mimzee. Some of the world was missing, and a strange black mass replaced it. Tiny white dots that resemble stars filled the odd void.

“What is this?” Lumi whispered half to herself.
Mimzee shrugged, gazing into the darkness. Lumi settled down in front of the dissolving pieces of the dream realm. She stared into the abyss, her soul seeming to get dragged into it with each passing second.

“Lumi,” Mimzee alerted, their eyes uncharacteristically serious. The girl ignored him, her attention glued to the mass of darkness.

“Lumi!” they called again, beginning to panic. Lumi shook her head and returned to her surroundings. She noticed how close the hole was coming to her. It ate the matter that made up this world. Something tickled Lumi’s finger and she looked to see dark goop forming on it.

“Haha! Mimzee, look! Some of it’s on my hand. This stuff tickles,” she laughed. Lumi went to lift her hand to show them, but it was stuck. The starry darkness traveled up Lumi’s arm, immobilizing it.

“Mimzee, help! I can’t get my arm out of this!” Lumi cried. Fear unraveled in the dream demon’s eyes. They rushed over and attempted to pull their mortal companion back towards the familiar land. The sludge was now covering Lumi’s arms and feet, making her scream in terror. It started closing in over her, covering her stomach and back. Suddenly, a fuzzy feeling started on Mimzee’s paws, which were holding onto Lumi. They pulled, but their paws were now attached to her. Darkness enveloped the two, sucking them into eternal darkness.
Voices echoed through the absence.

“Am I alive?” Lumi asked herself, or was it a thought? Everything seemed to like it was gone. There was no light, no ground, no surroundings, and no sound. It was almost like being in a place so dark you couldn’t see your own hand. Suddenly, a blinding light appeared and Lumi jolted up.

“What is this place?” she mumbled, taking in new surroundings. There was slight pressure on her belly. Lumi looked down to see a cat sleeping on her. She poked its ear, which the cat then flicked. It opened its eyes and Lumi stared, oddly haunted by the familiar being with three golden eyes. The only familiar thing in an existence so empty and mysterious.