"So you're telling me I need to wear this?" Ray asked. He held up what looked like a sleeping mask made of slightly see-through material.
It had been one day since the initial diagnosis from Dr. Nara had managed to do two things. Order what she called a dreamer's mask and book him an appointment in a hospital special testing facility. She told him, "You should for now. Dreamers have enhanced senses. I think your headaches are caused by an overdose of light. You wouldn't be the first dreamer that has that problem." She pointed at the sleeping mask, "That mask should help."
Ray looked at it. "Will I still be able to see?"
"They're designed to block off just enough to lower your sight sensitivity to that of a normal person. The only difference will be that things might look a little darker through it. It'll be like wearing sunglasses all the time. A little annoying at most."
Ray muttered, "If you say so." Holding up the mask and putting it on, he looked around. Weird.
Dr. Nara walked ahead of Ray as he tested out his sight. "Huh." He could still see very clearly. "Hey, wouldn't sunglasses work as well? Why does it have to be something like a face mask?"
"Your eyes would still be strained by light from above and from the sides of you were only wearing glasses. It's possible to train your eyes to be less sensitive but at least for now you should wear the mask. It'll make things easier for you."
"I see." Following behind the doctor, he looked around. The two were underground, having entered a testing facility located somewhere underneath what she called the 4th building of the hospital. For what, he only got "physical testing" for his answer. He figured it shouldn't be too bad so he went along with it. It seemed like something that she thought was necessary to get the results from.
Before long, the two made it to the end of the hallway. Opening the doors at the end, Ray felt himself still needing to cover his eyes to protect it from the light on the other side. After walking in, he watched as the little doctor ran to a plain looking guy in a doctor's coat nearby, said something to him then ran back with a comical speed.
She explained, "Okay, so. I have some preparations to do before we can get your testing done so you should wait over there." She pointed him towards a few chairs nearby, "I'll call you over when it's time. Oh, right! Also," she handed him a small stack of papers, "I should give you this too. You can read it if you want. It'll help you later."
Reading the title page, he asked, "What's this?"
"It's a general explanation of what Dreamers are along with some other material on related subjects. I went ahead and made this after our talk yesterday. I figured it could be useful for you."
"Got it." She really had high hopes for him.
She waved him bye as she walked away.
As he sat down, he started reading. So, imaginary vessels. They served as imaginary pathways through which magical energy or mana would move through. Channeling this mana through the brain was how magic manifested. In normal mages, this process often required additional material for the brain to base the manifested magic off of. Usually this would be through magic circles or chants. For Dreamers though, this was unnecessary and often inefficient. They could do it without this help.
As for the magic system, it was what could be expected from fantasy. Elemental magic, healing magic, etc. It was actually something else that caught his eye. Soul Type and Espers.
For the first, Soul Type was described as a physical power linked to one's soul. There were a total of six known common types. Fire, water, wind, earth, dark and light. Additionally, two extremely rare types, time and space also existed which gave unique effects. When used, Soul Type would boost the target physically, with the form of boost being determined by the type. Soul Type was able to directly block magic so Soul Type users were often used against criminal mages. Sufficiently powerful magic could get through it though so it was thought of mostly as just a check and not full counter.
Espers on the other hand were linked to the mind and despite similarities, existed separately from magic. It was a power that only needed the mind to work, no mana required. Although it seemed to not be as versatile. Esper abilities tended to be limited to a few specific forms like telekinesis. Esper abilities also seemed to have some interplay with magic.
Combining certain forms of fire magic with telekinesis for example would give access to pyrokinesis. A weaker but more controlled and versatile form of specialized fire magic.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he finished reading. There wasn't much else beyond that unfortunately. Most of it just covered specifics of how magic could be used. He did also note that Soul Type and Espers also had answers to Magic's Dreamers. Soul Type had Gladiators and Espers had Clairvoyants. Unique amplified versions of each.
"Hey, Ray! It's time for your tests!"
"Huh? Oh." He stood up and walked over to her. "Alright. So, how is this gonna work?"
"Just follow me." Led to another room by the little doctor, the two walked into what looked like a gym facility. "This is where the tests will be run."
"Right. So you'll test what I can do?" He thought for a bit, "Like a physical benchmark."
"Something like that." She explained, "You told me that you can't use Magic or Soul Type so the tests we'll run will be marked as unenhanced."
So there were enhanced tests too, then? Dr. Nara explained, "These tests should give a good idea for your physical abilities like strength. It'll be good to know this to measure just how potent your imaginary vessels are. Are you ready?"
He nodded. "I see. I guess it couldn't hurt."
Running speed, 135 kilometers an hour. Bench press, 1,754 kg. Punching force, 783,105 units. Grip strength, 354 kg. Reaction speed, 0.0367 seconds. Dr. Nara watched, slack jawed as Ray repeatedly beat the unenhanced world records in all categories.
This spectacle went on for nearly an hour as she tallied down all the results. Then, after finally finishing, she muttered, "Y-You're a monster."
"That's not nice." Ray playfully added. He asked, "Is what I did really that crazy?" He had noticed how blown away she was within the first few minutes. Wasn't it often a trope that people were just stronger in general in fantasy worlds? How exceptional was his strength? Sure, he wasn't superhuman back on Earth but wouldn't it make sense for him to be this strong now? He was in another world after all.
He thought about this for a second. "Dr. Nara, do you know what the world record bench press is?"
"Uh, I think it's about 750 kilograms." So people of this world were stronger, just not as much. Weird that they also use kilograms here by the way.
He thought about this, "Do you think that this has something to do with my dense vessels?"
This seemed to snap her out of it as she started thinking, "Hm, maybe?" She explained, "I don't think there's been something like this before. I wouldn't put it past this being the case though."
A voice appeared behind them. "Hoh, you're quite a good theorist, Ray Vallia."
He recognized that voice. "I assume you have something to tell me, Dr. Arias."
The unkempt doctor chuckled. "Yes, yes. I'm here to make sure this doesn't get too out of hand." He walked over to Dr. Nara and asked for the records. Reading through them, he smiled. "Regarding your physical records. I believe it would be best that we keep these results a relative secret and discount them from being counted amongst official records."
"And why is that?" Ray asked the strange man.
"It is unfair." Dr. Arias added, "See, you wouldn't be the first person to achieve these numbers."
"Huh?" That caught Dr. Nara's attention. "I haven't heard of something like that before."
"Of course you haven't. After all, the man that achieved those numbers was Hero Leon."
Ray listened as Dr. Arias calmly explained with a smirk. "The Hero Leon was the man that ended the Demon/Human War 750 years ago. There were quite a few things that were special about him. One of which being his unique power. Many people do not know this but he was a Dreamer."
He turned to Ray, "A strong one at that. So strong that by the time he was 18, he had already manifested his Final Dream."
"What's a Final Dream?" Ray asked.
The doctor smiled, "I can't say I am able to give you the exact details right now but to sum it up, the Final Dream is a manifestation of your goal in life that a Dreamer can manifest into reality subconsciously. Or at least, that's the book definition." So that's not all. Got it. He turned away from Ray, "Anyways, Leon's Final Dream was quite interesting. It was called Hero's System. It was a real life video game system that he could use to amplify himself. Due to this, Leon was much stronger than everyone around him, hence his incredible scores."
He turned back to Ray, "As for how this relates to you. While I can confirm you are by no means at the level where you can manifest a Final Dream yourself, you do have a similar advantage. Thanks to your overwhelming amount of imaginary vessels, you passively house too much magic. So much so that without something to regulate it, you very well could explode." Ray's eyebrow went up. "To fix this, your body seems to have adapted to passively shed its magic through Enhancement Magic. Your body is constantly using magic unconsciously to amplify your physical body. It really is quite a marvel."
Ray looked at the doctor with a look of annoyance. He didn't have to add the Leon name drop. He was so hard to read.
"It's weird that you know all this. Based on Dr. Nara's reaction, it doesn't seem like those results were open to the public." Ray pointed out. "Why are you privy to something like that?"
The doctor smiled. "I choose to not answer." He looked away from Ray, "Anyways, now that that is out of the way. Come. Follow me."
Later, Ray silently stood alone in what looked like an isolated testing room as he looked at the two doctors on the other side of bullet proof glass. Through a microphone, Dr. Arias explained. "Ray Vallia, I have brought you here because I figured this test was more valuable to you."
"Can I ask what test requires bullet proof glass?"
The strange doctor chuckled. "Fair, fair." He explained, "The reason why this is done is these tests can occasionally lead to the subject releasing a large amount of magic particles. Mana is harmless to the originator of the outburst but can cause some damage to others. Especially if the one running the test is not a powerful magic user like yours truly. An overdose of magic can lead to poisoning."
The mic went silent before Dr. Arias added, "If you want, I could go in with you. These precautions are mostly just to ensure Dr. Nara's safety."
"No, I'm good. Just tell me what I need to do."
"You wound my heart, Mr. Vallia." Sure. "Anyways, if you look to your left, you'll see a chair with a metallic helmet on it. Go ahead and put the helmet on. The machine should do its job on its own."
"Do I need to sit down for this to work?"
"I would recommend it." Ray groaned as he put on the helmet and sat down. After a few seconds, the doctor spoke up. "You can take it off now."
Ray asked, "So, can you tell me what that was?"
"It was a test to measure your compatibility with Espers. It is a fairly accurate method used to see if the subject is an Esper or not. I am afraid to say, it appears that you are not one yourself."
So he wasn't an Esper then. He sighed. It wasn't like he could complain, knowing he was a Dreamer and all. "I assume next comes Soul Type?"
The doctor chuckled, "If you wish it so, then of course. The reader is to your right. Do you see the small metal box sitting on the table?"
Ray looked around and spotted it. "Yes."
"Very good. Soul Type is quite the fickle thing. It is linked to the nature of your soul so I unfortunately will not be able to tell you very many specifics about the smaller properties of its current state. However this will be more than enough to get a reading on its type at least. I will leave it up to you and your assigned doctor to find out the rest." Ray watched as the doctor walked over to a computer.
"Make sure to follow my instructions correctly to make sure the reading is accurate. The box has a handle on it. I want you to grab and pull it." Ray followed along. "Do you see the sensors behind it?" He nodded. "The sensors are magically charged. Grab each one by one and place them where I tell you. They should stick. Ready?"
"I'm ready." Ray made sure to yell out.
"Very well. Now, place one on your forehead, one on each side of your chest, one on one of your wrists and one just above your belly button." Ray went ahead and placed them as instructed. "Well done. I will now start the test. I suggest you do not move while it is running. A moving Soul Type could skew results by a small degree."
"Alright." Dr. Arias counted down. "3, 2, 1." A small shock ran through his body as the machine activated then faded away near immediately.
He watched as the doctor analyzed the screen with a look of interest. "This is quite the odd result."
That confused Ray a bit. "What do you mean?"
"It appears your soul is healthy from the little we can tell but…you don't have a type. There is no affinity to any one specific type of soul."
"Is that a rare thing to see?"
Dr. Arias put a hand to his chin as he thought. "Well…how do I put this? I do not think I have ever seen or heard about this being the case before."
"What does that mean?" Ray asked.
The doctor shrugged, "Can't say. Whether or not this is good or bad is beyond me." He smirked, "It's interesting though. Wouldn't you agree?"
This bastard. "Can you give me theories, then? At least give me something."
Dr. Arias thought for a bit. "I got nothing."
"You…" He sighed. "Fine, I'll figure it out myself."
"I wish you luck in your endeavors." The doctor typed something on his computer before turning back to Ray, "Shall we get to the good part?"
Ray understood what that meant. It was time to read his magical potential. He turned to the final machine in the room. This time though, he didn't need to get an explanation from Dr. Arias to know how to operate it. This one was the most self-explanatory if fantasy was at all accurate to real magic. He locked onto a large machine that appeared like a pyramid with the top cut off holding a levitating blue orb around chest height.
He silently walked over and raised his hand to it, almost as if he were about to take it. But he didn't, he merely held his hands to it and let the machine do the rest. He recoiled back a bit as the machine activated and the orb began to glow bright blue. As expected, this was how it worked. The light shot outwards in all directions as Ray felt the machine tug at his imaginary vessels, reading them.
Behind the glass, Dr. Arias chuckled while handing a pair of tinted glasses to Dr. Nara. Startled, she reached out and put them on.
She had remained silent the whole time due to how weird the past few days were for her. Just meeting Dr. Arias so much was odd enough. The man was a rare sight. But Ray as well. She shook her head, pushing those thoughts out of her head. No! She had to stay professional! She had to stay reliable! This man was her ticket to fame!
She couldn't fail now! She put the glasses on.
Dr. Arias smirked at the look on the little doctor's eyes. So he had made the right choice.
The light of the orb suddenly grew way brighter, overtaking both the main room and the spectator room. 30 seconds went by as the light got brighter before finally, the orb cracked and shattered as the intensity of Ray's magical potential became too straining for the device. Luckily for him, the shards of orb that blasted outwards didn't hurt Ray. The orb was made entirely of magical power and thus dissipated into nothing before hitting him.
All that was left was Ray and the pyramid. He stood there a bit shocked. The light didn't hurt his eyes. Likely due to the magic being his.
However, at this time neither Ray's nor Dr. Nara's thoughts mattered. What did matter was that Dr. Arias was more than satisfied with the result. The experiment was a success.
Afterwards, Dr. Arias didn't say much. He just said Ray's power was magnificent and left. It was all up to Ray and his doctor to decide what to do next.
Dr. Nara eventually decided to leave him to himself as she went to write a report. He was free to wander from there as long as he didn't leave the hospital complex or went somewhere marked off limits of course. "Well, that was an experience." Ray muttered to himself as he sat on a bench looking out into the park located in the hospital's courtyard.
"Experience, you say? Mind explaining what that means to your big sister here?"
"Huh?" Ray looked at the purple haired lady sitting next to him. It was the translator from before. He was about to ask how she got here before she calmly put her finger over his lips to quiet him down.
She then put her other finger over her own. "Shh." She smiled, "Calm yourself." Removing her hands from either lip and moving to a refined sitting posture she asked, "Cain put you through quite the little experimental process, didn't he?"
"Cain?" That's…Dr. Arias' first name.
"Oh," she giggled, "You didn't know we talk casually, did you? Not many do."
"So you're on a first name basis then."
"Well I would hope so. We are dating after all." Ray got a look on his face that could only be interpreted as surprise. "Oh, surprised?"
"Well, I guess so," That guy can date!?
"I understand. He can seem quite unapproachable at first glance." She thought to herself, "That might be why I haven't told anyone yet, I guess."
Ray looked perplexed, "Why tell me then?"
She seemingly thought for a moment about how to respond. "Well, because you helped him."
"How so?" That guy can receive help?
She looked down, "I apologize, but I cannot answer that." She silently got up from the bench and looked around, "I just wish to let you know, he is more, let's say, down to earth than you might think." She smiled, "Perhaps even too much sometimes, but that is the kind of man I choose."
Ray's eyes sharpened slightly. The smile didn't reach her eyes. He chose not to pry.
She spoke again as she looked at the sky, "You're a smart man, Sir Vallia. That was clear to me from the moment I first looked at you. That is the real reason why I decided to come speak to you today. I just want to let you know." She walked in front of him and leaned over him. Ray leaned back a bit.
She was a bit of an eyeful. Beautiful beyond anything he had seen on earth.
But he stayed serious. "Sir Vallia. As Cain's lover, I know what that look in your eyes is, and it worries me." She warned, "Knowledge can be good and usually there is nothing wrong with seeking it out, but that is not always the case. Some knowledge can be harmful. It is in those situations that wisdom decides the ultimate outcome of such finds."
She explained, "In those situations, you must be able to come to a decision. Whether it be to follow the danger or avoid it." She stopped and sighed again before standing straight. "Sorry. This may seem like it's out of the blue, but I do believe this advice will help you in the future."
He told her, "You speak like leaving this hospital will be a huge new experience or something."
She looked at him. "Will it not? This world is quite different from your home planet."
Ray froze. "What did you…"
She started walking away, "Apologies. I think I might have gone too far." She muttered, "For now, I think this conversation has reached its conclusion. We shall meet again, Sir Vallia, when you have gotten to explore this world. I recommend you do not question Cain about this when he calls to meet with you. He is not going to give you an answer."
Ray jumped out of his seat and reached for her. "Until next time." She vanished. Some kind of spatial magic? "What the hell was that?'
Dr. Nara walked over to her with a concerned look, "Uh, Ray. Who were you talking to?"
"What? I was talking to that translator. I think you said she was named Diana, right?"
She looked even more concerned. "Miss Diana? But she doesn't come to work on Fridays. She says she has other responsibilities."
He stopped. Was that some sort of illusion? Wait. It had to be. She called herself his girlfriend in public. If it was still unknown, she wouldn't say it out loud.
Snapping back into reality, he jumped back as Diana's big green eyes got close. "D-Did the test hurt you? W-We might need to run a few more tests! I heard that messing with imaginary vessels can…"
He sighed. She really was an open book. Her concern was lined with a bit of greed. The personal doctor of the strongest Dreamer. Is that the position she wanted? "I think it was just the heat or something. You shouldn't panic. It's not a good idea to waste hospital resources," he advised.
"Oh…right!" As Dr. Nara motioned him to get up and follow her, he pondered Diana's words. Dr. Arias won't answer, eh? Well that much was clear. Be careful what knowledge you seek, eh? Is that a mistake Dr. Arias made? From the look on her face, that seemed to be the case. "But, why?"
"Huh? Why what?" Dr. Nara asked.
"Nothing." He got up and followed her to a more shaded part of the hospital. What a day.