I was in my sports car-shaped bed, the dream of every grown man.
I slid my legs out from under the covers, stretching slowly as I slipped into my duck-shaped fuzzy slippers.
I looked around to admire my giant aquarium, filled with cauliflowers and carrots gently swaying as they floated in thick, violet grape juice.
I crossed the room, walking between a pine tree and a cypress, heading toward my cow-shaped wardrobe.
The cow greeted me, and I politely returned the greeting.
With a bit of laziness, I took off my unicorn pajamas and put on my white dragon suit with red eyes, ready to go to work.
Once I left my room, I arrived at my workplace: I was on an alien spaceship, and I was the second in command.
My job was to make sure the captain of our crew was always in a great mood.
So I approached my superior: an orange cat with white patches, slightly overweight, who at that moment was playing with the control panel of the planet-destroying laser installed on our ship.
He was… adorable.
As per his orders, I started petting his belly while he purred and rubbed his head against me.
Some people might think my job was easy, but they would all be wrong.
The hardest part was getting there on time every day.
I looked at the watch on my wrist, and as I frowned at the strange position of the hands, the dream ended.
I opened my eyes.
It felt like I had just had a wonderful dream, but as I tried to think about it, the memory was already fading—like sand slipping through my fingers.
I moved my head to see where I had ended up, and once again, I was surprised.
I found myself on what looked like a small circular island, roughly the size of a soccer field.
With a single glance, I could distinguish different types of trees, some exotic plants, a small lake surrounded by sugarcane, and various rocks scattered randomly.
Pretty normal… if you ignored the fact that plants from completely different habitats coexisted in the same space without any issue.
I walked for a bit, reaching the beach, curious to see what lay beyond the island's boundaries.
I wasn't disappointed: where I expected to see the sea, there was instead the sky.
For a moment, I thought the island was floating in the air, but that foolish idea was quickly shattered when I looked up.
Above me—where I should have seen the sky and clouds—stretched the sea I had been looking for earlier. Its waters were completely still, as if defying every natural and physical law.
The inverted sky and sea did not stretch infinitely: they occupied only a portion of space, beyond which everything was filled with that black, silent void I hadn't missed at all.
After seeing all this, someone might have thought:
"Alright, Kite, it's a bit strange, but after throwing yourself voluntarily into a tornado spitting purple lightning, this seems like a pretty mild thing to be surprised about."
And honestly, that was true.
To my eyes, that island wasn't unsettling—in fact, I found it fascinating.
If I had to describe the scenery before me in one sentence, I would say:
beautiful in its absurd uniqueness.
It seemed like a calm and comfortable place where I would gladly spend my summer vacation.
What left me puzzled—and made me doubt whether I was truly awake—was the behavior of two colored spheres that felt familiar to me.
The green sphere, which I would temporarily call Wind, was using its element to manipulate the clouds beneath the island, shaping them into a series of aligned rings.
Once the course was complete, it started darting through all the rings like it was on steroids.
After finishing, it moved the rings into different positions and… started all over again.
It seemed… to be having fun?
And the purple sphere?
Illusion seemed like a much calmer and more cultured type.
In fact, it was just there… floating above a couch… with some chips… and tissues… watching a romantic movie on TV…
I slapped my cheek, then pinched my arm just to do a quick reality check, but everything stayed the same.
So yes, I had every right to feel surprised, confused, and… strangely intrigued.
My two elements were, from what I could see, one a hyperactive and very intelligent bird, and the other a fan of '90s romantic dramas.
Also… how was a sphere even eating chips?
What were the tissues for if it didn't even have a nose or eyes… wait, how was it watching the movie without eyes?!
I stood there in contemplation for a few seconds.
I started seriously wondering if I was the problem.
After all, being sane in a world full of madness—wasn't that a sign of insanity?
So I decided to change my worldview: everything I was seeing was normal.
There was nothing strange about my surroundings, everything perfectly logical, no anomalies.
No… that wasn't working the way I hoped.
That's when I felt something.
A subtle connection linking me to Illusion and Wind, as if there were threads binding us together.
It wasn't something visible to the naked eye—it was more like a sensation.
I smiled as I realized that I could officially call myself awakened, and excitement immediately replaced confusion.
Those two… eccentric spheres were my elements.
Just how much could I do with a combination like Illusion and Wind in battle?
The Illusion element seemed incredibly powerful if used well.
Then an unsettling memory came back to me: as I approached the tornado, I hadn't even noticed that the gusts of wind weren't pushing me away. Normally, you shouldn't be able to get that close.
Was I simply too focused on my goal, or had Illusion influenced my perception?
And more importantly—could I do the same?
Just the thought made me even more excited: manipulating my opponent's senses, distorting the way they perceived reality, creating images where nothing existed and hiding what did.
But not only that—for someone like me, trapped in a situation where I was practically a prisoner, such a power would be incredibly useful for escape.
And that was without even considering Wind. I had enough memories of novels and stories to know that this element could become truly powerful if used correctly.
I gave them a dramatic bow and shouted:
"Thank you for existing, my elemental companions!"
Neither of them paid me any attention, but that didn't make me sad… at least, not too much.
Still, calling them simply Wind and Illusion felt wrong, considering the level of intelligence they were showing.
They deserved real names.
I approached the purple sphere.
"From today on, I'll call you Harry—the stage name of the greatest illusionist from another world. Do you like it?"
No response, but silence could also be considered a form of approval.
I turned toward the sky beneath me and shouted:
"As for you, your name will be Aurora! Zephyr felt too generic, and this suits you—okay?"
Still nothing. Well, maybe they were too focused on their hobbies to hear me.
In any case, I had informed them of my choice, and they didn't seem opposed—even if they had no expressions to show it.
"…Now how do I get out of here?"
The moment that thought crossed my mind, I felt something grab my consciousness and pull it away forcefully.
I didn't resist.
I just raised my hand in a quick gesture.
"See you, Aurora and Harry!"
The island dissolved as if it had never existed.
When I opened my eyes again, the cold walls of my cell welcomed me.