Magical Chaos!: Crossing Over-4 by Lynceus There are other forces in this universe, and as Las Vegas is plunged into Chaos, one of them decides to choose his own champion...

Alyssa

I remember Stefani kissing me before she left for the mall. I hadn't slept very well last night, I kept having strange dreams about a man wearing a purple cape. At least, I think it was a man. He looked pretty scary, but for some reason, I wasn't afraid of him. I think he was trying to tell me something, but I didn't understand him.

I was exhausted now, and I just wanted to sleep. And so I did.

-

For some reason, I was naked in my dream. I was sitting on a white rock, the sun shining down on my skin. It felt really good, and I closed my eyes, simply enjoying the warmth and the soft breeze.

“You gonna sit there all day or what?”

I opened my eyes, and looked around. All I saw was a raven perched in a tree branch. That was odd.

“Not much of a talker, are you?”

I blinked. The bird was talking to me? “Am I going crazy?”

“Doubt it. Wrong place for that, this is Dream's domain. Although that sister of his could show up anywhere.”

I blinked. “Dream...oh. This is a dream. I guess I should expect things to be strange.”

“...you don't remember me, do you?”

I frowned. “I don't think so, no.”

“That's too bad, I thought you liked me.”

“I might still like you, once I get to know you. What's your name?”

“Matthew. Pleased to meet you..again.”

“I guess I should be more concerned with why I'm naked.”

The raven chuckled. “Yeah, I gotta say, you sure filled out! But don't worry, I mean, come on, I'm a bird, all I can do is look.”

“You weren't always a bird, were you?”

“So you do remember!”

“No...not really. Just...I knew it, I'm not sure why.”

“Hm. Well, how about I take you to the boss? He might be able to sort this out.”

I leaped off the rock, landing in a crouch. Even though I'd lost my powers, I was still stronger and in better physical condition than I'd ever been before the accident. I was a lot more agile, that's for sure!

“Nice moves!”

“Thanks Matthew.”

“Any time. So, shall we go to the castle?”

“What castle?”

Matthew laughed and pointed a wing. I looked over, and saw a many-spired fortress that pretty much defied description. “That castle!”

“Oh. I feel stupid now, not seeing it before.”

“One thing I know, Alyssa, you're far from stupid. Come on.”

Despite being naked, the ground was soft under my feet, and I didn't feel cold. It was almost as if the very land was welcoming me...home. We reached the great doors of the castle in a surprisingly short time. Before I could even knock, a tall, thin older man wearing glasses opened the door.

“Ah, Miss Conover, good to see you again!” He carefully avoided looking at me. “If I may offer you a robe?” He handed me a white, silken garment. I slipped my arms into it; the material was soft and despite it's sheer nature, it revealed nothing.

“Thank you very much...ah...”

“That's Lucien, Alyssa. She doesn't remember anything.”

Lucien nodded. “Yes, I rather thought she might. But come, the Master will want to see you.”

I followed the two into a great hall. At the far end, I saw a figure on a throne, shrouded in darkness. As I walked closer, I saw that he was slender and handsome. The room brightened, and for some reason, I expected him to have dark hair, but instead, it was white. I frowned. “I...know you...but you're...different.”

He rose, smiling. That also seemed...wrong. “We've both changed a great deal, Alyssa. Please, call me Daniel.”

“..Daniel. Where am I, exactly?”

“In the place all humans go when they sleep. My realm, the kingdom of Dream. You haven't been here in some time. But please, sit.”

I looked around for a chair, and to my surprise, one had appeared behind me! I sat down. “Thank you, Daniel. I'm really confused. Why am I here?”

He sat down as well. “Because I need to ask you a favor.”

“...I owe you, don't I?”

He nodded. “More accurately, you owed the previous Dream, who was known as Morpheus.”

“You're not him?”

“It's complicated. I am, and I am not.”

“I can't remember why I owe you a favor, but...it was something important.”

“I hate to bring it up, truly. It was, after all, my fault.” He gestured, and a figure came out of the shadows. He was tall, wearing a blue tunic and a purple cloak. His face was shrouded in darkness, all I could see were red-glowing eyes.

I gasped. “You were in my dream!”

“He won't...or can't answer you. He is the Walker-in-Sleep, and I'm afraid he's not what he once was. The Walker is one of my champions, who defends mortals while they sleep from those who would assault their dreams. Many years ago, he entered the dream of a young man, and was trapped there. This allowed him to enter the mortal world while that man slept. He became a hero, of sorts.”

“I don't...”

“Patience, I will explain. This was another life for you. You were the young man's girlfriend. Both he and the Walker were fighting a creature of nightmares. And the monster forced a painful choice on the young man. Let you die, or allow the dreams of an entire city be corrupted.”

I gasped. “I told him to let me go!”

“And he did. But he could not bear the sorrow, and took his own life. The tragedy of the event greatly damaged the Walker.”

“You brought me back.”

He smiled. “There were...extenuating circumstances involving your end. My sister agreed to let you live again. So we gave you a new life, you were born to a new mother.”

I frowned, thinking of my Mother.

“At first, you were happy. You walked these lands as you slept, and were treated like royalty. But, sadly, the nightmare was not truly dead. He slipped into your Mother's mind, and planted a seed. A tiny glimmer of an idea, but one that cost you the happiness you deserved.”

“What was it? What made Mother hate me?” I remembered how she had become colder, and started pushing me, trying to rule my life.

Daniel looked ashamed. “I should have known it, but it was so subtle. The idea that you were not her real daughter.”

I felt stinging tears begin to form. “No...”

“I'm so very sorry. Shortly after that, you stopped coming here, and you forgot us.”

I cried for some time, until I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder. “Alyssa. Words cannot express my regret. I had chosen such a different path for you.”

Looking into his eyes, old and ancient and vast...I could see that he too, felt pain. I wiped my eyes. “What was it?”

“I thought you could become a sort of, diplomat, if you will. A liaison between my world and yours.”

“I remember. They called me Dream Girl.”

“Yes. I had hoped you would awaken to your powers when you got older, but you had totally shut off that side of yourself. And then, proud Men and their Science tried to make you into something you were not.”

“It didn't take.”

“No. Which means we have a second chance. There are events happening in the city where you now live. Someone is turning human Dreams against them, creating anguish and chaos. It is too soon for me to act directly in your world, but you, you could help them.”

I smiled. “I could be a hero? Like Stefani?”

“Yes. I suppose you could.”

“What do I have to do?”

He gestured to the Walker. “You must let him enter your dreams. He will live there, a part of you, and grant you his powers in the waking world. And when you sleep, he will patrol the realm of mortals again, safeguarding their dreams.”

“...this isn't going to change me again, is it?”

“Does that frighten you?”

I sighed. “I just...I don't want anything to come between Stef an I. Things have been so hard for us, and I love her with all my heart.”

“I understand. When he is active, he will leave your mind. But you will have to give him a third of your life, during which time you cannot awaken.”

“Don't we spend a third of our lives here, regardless?”

He smiled. “Yes, but he cannot function for long under the sun's light.”

“Ah. So I can't be a night person anymore. Still...I do owe you, and I think I can work around that. Somehow. Even though Stef seems more of a night owl of late...”

“Is the sacrifice too much to ask?”

“No, of course it isn't.” I looked to the Walker. “Come here, big guy.”

The creature didn't so much walk as it glided, and I reached out, taking it's gloved and clawed hand with mine. In that instant, I felt it merge with my being, filling me with strange powers.

“Once again, you are the Dream Girl.”

And I woke up.

-

I could feel the Walker-in-Sleep in my mind. It had lost so much of itself; I felt pity for the once-proud champion. I hoped that, within my dreams, it would heal and become strong again. As for myself, I felt stronger than ever. I only had access to Walker's most basic powers; barely sentient, neither of us could access it's more potent abilities.

But when all you have is a hammer...well you get the idea. I didn't have anything in the way of a costume, but that wasn't important. Alyssa Conover was dead, after all. Opening a window I simply leaped out of it; I couldn't fly, but I could levitate, hover, or glide along the ground. And greatly slow my descent as I fell.

I found my gliding speed was a lot faster than walking anyways, so I sped towards the center of Las Vegas, my feet a few inches above the ground. I got more than my fair share of odd looks, but the closer I got to the Strip, the less worried I was about that fact. I could feel the wrongness, as if someone had unleashed madness itself upon the city!

“I'm coming, Stef, hang in there!”

-

Inside Alyssa's mind, the Walker-in-Sleep rested. The girl was changing, drawing upon it's powers. And it was changing as well. It knew not what form it would eventually take, but soon, very soon, it would be called upon to fight again. Vague memories of it's former host came to it.

It had failed Rick Sheridan. And that failure weighed heavily on it's essence. But Rick had loved Alyssa, and it was because of his sacrifice that Lord Dream had bargained with his sister, Death, to let her live again.

It would not fail her. It would repay it's debt.

To be continued....

Authors Notes: introducing the Retcon-Sleepwalker (Marvel), and a partial Retcon of Dream Girl (DC)! Guest starring Daniel/Dream (DC), Lucien, and Matthew, from Neil Gaiman's excellent Sandman. Rick Sheridan was the original host of Sleepwalker in Marvel continuity. In this story, Sleepwalker isn't an alien, but a creation of Dream.