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=Bad Ending A=

*beep, beep, beep; beep, beep, beep*

It was six in the morning. The moment of lucidity had faded just as abruptly as it came.

Shinji: That soon already...? Urgh... So annoying...

Shinji was never fond of having to get up so early for anything; but life has to go on. He isn't a child anymore after all. No one waits for him.

*Click*

Shinji: The clock doesn't lie... I gotta get up soon. Need to get my stuff ready for the day...

Shinji: Still, what was that dream even about?... Surely it's not just a passing venture.

Shinji: There's no telling if I'm able to have that same dream again, but...

Shinji: I would like to have another try at this.

He left the room with a lingering sense of regret. He was close to finding out the truth of that dream.

And even if it was only a dream - he had this feeling that he couldn't ignore.

Hopefully this night will be better.

=Bad Ending B=

???: ... nji! Wake up! SHINJI!

Shinji: Nngh... Too loud...

???: The alarm's been ringing for ten minutes already! You'll oversleep AGAIN! Shinji, get up, you!

Shinji: Heeeeeey...

Reluctance.

For the first time in a long while, he felt reluctance.

Not due to his closed off nature, but due to his desire to see what happens next.

The curtains were drawn open and the bright light had assaulted his eyelids - guaranteeing his awakening.

Even going through the motions of the morning, the dream still lingered on his mind.

It was so vivid... How could he dream of this again?

There must be a way.

Perhaps he missed that thrill that was so foreign now.

=Neutral Ending=

Shinji: Ha... Ha...

Maboroshi: I regret to inform you, but you won't be able to defeat him like this.

Shinji: But I've won, haven't I?! Surely that should've been enough?!

Maboroshi: That was a narrow victory. I feel like with your current capabilities - if I had gotten a little bit overboard, you would've had a forced awakening.

Shinji: And?! This is a dream! I would've woken up anyway!

Maboroshi: Being abruptly forced to awaken from a lucid dream is not a pleasant feeling, believe me. Besides, if you're down, who knows what "he" will able to do now that you're out for the way.

Shinji: I—

Maboroshi: Please do not doubt my judgement. No matter how powerful you think he is, he is way more than that. I struggled to clinch the victory just like you did. And we fought several times at this point.

Shinji: Grrr! It's so stupid! If only I had the capability to manipulate that damned dream...

Maboroshi: ...

Maboroshi: If it makes you feel any better, I can offer a detailed tour of this dream.

Shinji: ... Fine.

Begrudgingly, Shinji stood up and followed Maboroshi. She began to tell the brief history of this place and showing various landmarks; but her voice became more and more distant by passing second.

Shinji: This is it, right?... All for nothing.

Shinji: Why did I have this dumb dream anyway? I couldn't even control my surroundings to my advantage.

Shinji: No one's here treating me seriously here.

He simply stood here as the world faded in front of his eyes.

At that point he was more eagerly awaiting his awakening.

Shinji: ...

Shinji: ... It's still night. I shouldn't be up this early.

Shinji looked up at the ceiling. He was back home.

While the feeling of finally attaining a lucid state was exhilarating, the dream itself was far from happy.

Was he really too weak?

Either way, it's no use contemplating such things, he needs to get as much sleep as he possibly can.

It'll be likely a blank dream like always.

However, he doubts that THAT dream will be easily forgotten after he wakes up for the second time.

Perhaps... He might be able to recreate it next time.

=Good Ending=

Shinji: Ha... Ha...

The battle was arduous. What he experienced before was truly just a begining.

So that what it means to go against the queen...

In that difficult fight, Shinji feels... Oddly honoured to have fought her.

The queen herself is also catching her breath, and after that she...

Shinji:?!

Embraced him. It was a surprisingly tight embrace as well.

Maboroshi: You've passed... Oh, I'm so glad that you've passed...

Shinji: Uhm... Lady?

Maboroshi: Sorry-sorry! I'm just... So glad!

Shinji: Damn, is everything that desperate?

Maboroshi: Well...

Shinji: Ah, that, the erasure. Guess it's expected then.

Maboroshi: While you're still leagues behind that man - I'm confident with proper training, you'll be able to go toe-to-toe with him.

Shinji: Yeah about that - I've had it with those battles for toda—I mean for tonight. They're cool and all, but I feel like my brain's frying off from this.

Maboroshi: Ah yeah, you're still new to the whole lucidity after all. Want to have a guided tour around this land?

Shinji: Sure. Go ahead. I haven't had a proper look around this place ever since I got here, because y'know...

Maboroshi: For this night - no one should be able to hurt you now. Can't say for the other nights though.

Shinji: Bummer.

Maboroshi began to tell the brief history of this world, telling him about the inhabitants that he met along the way - and when she was talking about the landmarks, an odd note of nostalgia was slipping through her words.

That place truly means a lot to her, huh?

Shinji diligently listened, it was nice to finally have a talk with someone - even if that person isn't real, and the person in question is a reminiscing adult.

And when she asked what's the real world is like, he would tell her all the various stories of his life. Like him, she was pretty inquisitive - though there was a rather nagging feeling of "she probably had heard all that before", like she was asking how the things were now compared to her old version of perceived reality.

Either way, with her: he finally felt like he truly belonged. Like his arrival was truly meaningful.

"Your Majesty!! Are you alright?!"

A lone soldier barged in, seemingly unable to hold off his worries any longer.

It was the same soldier that Shinji had fought on the way to the tower.

He was bewildered seeing his adversary and his master just standing there casually, having a pleasant conversation. The signs of battle WERE there, but it felt pretty surreal.

She smiled.

Maboroshi: Yes. In fact, I've never felt so elated before. Thanks for your concern.

The soldier then looked at the boy in front of him. He couldn't believe it.

Sanbou: You... What business do you have with the queen?

Shinji: Well, apparently I have to deal with a certain Lucid. Dunno how I have to deal with this, but I'll try.

Sanbou: So that distress call... It was for you.

Shinji: Oh? Ah yeah, that. And sorry about your soldiers earlier. I forgot to say that.

Sanbou: We, Ephemerals, are eternal. We will be reborn in another night, just see it.

Shinji: (What an oxymoron...)

Sanbou: While the remaining soldiers and workers will accept your pardon - the ones that you have mowed down will not be as merciful.

Shinji: Damn, no breaks huh?

Sanbou still has some distrust in his heart - is that the one who'll save this world?

He wished to take the matters into his own hands. He wanted to protect his mother.

However, humans are way more powerful than any dream creation. Unbound by the fantasy - he simply didn't stand a chance.

Noticing that the soldier has some doubts in his mind, he asked Maboroshi if he could spend the rest of the time sight-seeing the world while he still can - to which she happily obliged. She was just happy to finally see someone who would understand her.

Now that he is finally allowed to roam free - he realized just how beautiful this world is.

That carefree flight... It was something he always dreamed of as a child.

When he saw some familiar faces floating by, he waved towards them.

The cyan-robed figure averted his gaze from him, and the fluffy shepherd waved him back.

Eventually, he has to wake up. After all, dreams are not eternal. But he'll deal with it when the time comes.

It's been a while since he was this carefree. In a way, he missed this freedom. He missed being a child with no worries in his head.

And when the world finally became distant...

He woke up, with slight tears in his eyes.

He wants to go back.

Yet time waits for no one. He is still a human after all.

It's time to record this dream, before it becomes a faint memory.