"What the hell?" I whisper, cradling my hands to my chest as my eyes search the darkness in bewilderment.

"You felt the pain?" the man asks. "Pain is a very real thing, just as real as this is. I'm sorry I had to cause you harm to prove it."

My heart pounds in my chest, confusion washing over me. The pain feels so real. Everything around me feels like it's actually here. I can feel the grass crushing beneath my slippers as I nervously move my weight from one foot to the other. I can smell the telltale scent of the trees surrounding me. As though-

"This is no dream, Lillian," he says, interrupting what I have concluded. "You needed us, so we came to you."

"Us? We? There are more of you?" I ask, my fingers tangling in my hair.

"The journey you need to take is going to push you past your breaking point. You are going to have to face things you've turned your back on and understand parts of yourself you've been neglecting. To do that, you need us to guide you through each step."

I don't speak. Confusion and doubt hold my tongue hostage. How am I here right now?