Lowly Ascent

Braun explained himself. "We tried multiple times, but the further we advance in our research, the more we find it impossible to merge the dream worlds. We were perhaps hoping you could help Sir Raven."

'So it's this again...' Cain lowered his head in thought.

(There's a possibility, but it will require me as the test subject. It's why I've held off from saying anything up until now. I am not immune to the negative effects this substance entails. I was hoping to help in this endeavor once the drug was perfect, but from what you've shown we can try it now if you wish.)

The scientists immediately rejected, "No way! Sir, you are far more important than an if! We don't even know if it's possible!"

(Nothing is impossible, some things require effort no one can give. But this isn't too much effort; I insist.)

Racking their heads, the scientists huddled together and discussed. Once they were ready, Braun relayed their thoughts on the matter.

"Sir can get his wish, but give us a week so we can fix everything beforehand. We must be sure the current drug is the safest to date or else we won't allow it."

Cain was amused, he could now confirm he entered their inner circle.

(Fine, a week, but no more. The research must continue.)

"Of course Sir, we'll start right now."

The scientists got to work, and Cain was brought back to his quarters. For the next week, all the scientists pulled all-nighters, making sure the drug was perfect in terms of safety.

At this stage, there were still issues with the drug, even if minor, but the scientists spent day and night fixing even these small problems, and then the ones that would crop up after that. Finally, a week later, Cain was brought back with one of the pods empty and ready for him.

"Great One! We've prepared everything! Enter the pod when you are ready, oh, and here is the pill!" Ivan shuffled over and revealed a small red pill in his palm.

(Good. Hopefully, I can fix the issue and we can finish up this project.)

Using his soul energy the pill began to float and followed Cain into the pod. He wasn't a human, so straps were in place to keep him from sliding around.

"Ready sir?" Braun asked.

Cain ate the pill. (Yes, commence.)

Under the effects of the drug, Cain felt woozy as his vision split into sporadic hallucinations before he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

...

"Cain...Cain! Wake up, you're going to be late! It's your first day at the Union Headquarters, you can't be late!"

Shifting in bed, Cain's eyes opened slowly, his blurry vision becoming clear as a pristine face entered his eyes.

"I...I know you?"

She laughed, "Of course you know me silly. Now get up!" She tugged him to sit up. 

Cain was almost entranced by the woman's chestnut hair and a smell he hadn't caught a whiff of since forever ago entering his nose.

Although Netherane was an earthy and muddy land, candles were popular, Luna had an entire collection and would rotate them daily.

'Luna....why did my imagination go here? Shouldn't the drug no longer try to bring out memories like X? Is it because I'm technically a bird?'

The drug was meant for humans, but Cain was a different animal entirely. The work the scientists put in was based on the data from human use. Trying to fit the drug for a bird would have been all new territory, all that could have been done was fixing the drug to the standards of humans.

Cain's soul was human at least, meaning most negative effects shouldn't kill him at minimum.

'I suppose I should follow the dream to get an understanding of everything, for now.'

Standing up, Cain felt Luna's touch on his back and shoulders.

"That's more like it, I'll make breakfast."

She got up and went downstairs. Her silhouette played tricks on Cain's eyes. 

Cain sighed at himself, "If I remember correctly, Luna already joined the Union by now, she purposely took off today so I can look presentable on my first day. But I know her true nature, she desperately wanted me to appear good in front of others. She needed to think our life was perfect and used other opinions to verify that. What else did her twisted personality want again?"

Luna was a twisted person that Numineer didn't need to manipulate much to have his way. She was a paranoid and obsessive person who needed to be perfect in front of everyone, especially Cain.

Getting dressed, Cain went downstairs to a sandwich and some peeled oranges.

"Finish it all before you get there, don't want your colleagues thinking little of you. An unprepared Plague Doctor is a dead one." Luna spoke in an all-knowing, loving tone.

"Will do, I'm off." Taking an orange and putting the sandwich in his mouth, Cain headed to his job.

The streets were the same as ever, clean in the core ring, where Plague Doctors resided. He made it to the Union on time, having finished his meal.

"This place is in ruins now, to think I could see it in its peak state in a dream."

Standing tall, the massive church-like building stood above all else. Its sheer width was more than the farms outside the city and its height was taller than the outermost walls which reached stories high, overshadowing the swamps themselves.

Plague Doctors went in and out of the grand architecture. Cain joined those going inside and watched scores of people moving about. People were eating at restaurants, others running around with papers in their hands, and the rest like Cain were heading to their sectors.

The Union had thousands of ongoing projects and there were numerous categories for bacteria, viruses, and the diseases they caused. To organize all of this, there were sectors for general association. Cain's sector was for augmentation.

The Augmentation Sector was newer, and it had fewer staff. It mostly focused on how to adapt pathogens to the body and had some projects on weaponizing animals with augmentations and such.

'My department should be in human symbiosis, but let's not go there. Let's see just how real this dream world is.'

Cain pushed through the crowd and entered a dead end where no one was. He knocked on the wall in a pattern. Waiting a few seconds, the wall opened to reveal the inner workings of the Union.

Later in his career, Cain would join the inner circle, his first project helped greatly in this endeavor. He was given access to the inner part of the building, which he was using now to explore his dream.

"Who are you? How did you know the knocks?" There was a woman with a metal plate seared to her skull on the other side, electronics running through her body.

'I don't remember this...' It was the first time Cain saw the woman.

"Hello? Are you going to answer?"

Red came from Cain and it devoured the woman, leaving the skeleton and nervous system behind, as well as the metal plate and electronics.

Stepping over her corpse, Cain entered what was supposed to be the pristine white halls that seemed to go on infinitely. Yet all he saw now was black, the hall's colors had switched with its polar opposite.

"This will be way harder to navigate. Thankfully, I have a map of this maze in my head already."

Finding his way through the halls based on memory, Cain quickly came to a familiar room. There, he saw a brain in a jar sitting on a desk.

It was surprised to see him. "W-Who are you?!"

Grabbing the jar, Cain spared no time ripping the wires attached to it and slammed it on the ground.

"Alright, let's see if that tree is still there." Winding up his arm, Cain prepared to push open the sealed door surrounded by black sickly roots.