Mirage
Mirage is a dimension tied to one's subconscious. The realm transforms to suit its visitor, and just a simple thought can cause Mirage to warp into something new. Mirage has two main forms, the Dreamworld and the Nightmare. Mirage takes its form based on the subconscious thoughts of its visitor. The realm may shift if the same person visits more than once, but it will never appear the same for two or more people.
Sorcerers often draw magical energy from Mirage. It fuels an unending number of spells and potions, many that deal with the manipulation of dreams and nightmares. Mirage is often considered the physical manifestation of ecstasy, manipulation, and torture.
Entering this realm causes your soul to leave your body. While your soul traverses Mirage, your body hangs in a lifeless state in the air, wherever you were before you entered the realm.
Geography, Location & Climate
A person with fulfilling, positive subconscious thoughts will experience Mirage as a dreamland. Thick fluffy pink clouds conceal floating islands, gigantic runes etched into hovering cliff faces. The world in this state is perpetually dawn, a flickering pink light ever out of reach, illuminating the realm in a warm glow.
Mirage, in its dream form is completely harmless. If you happen to jump off a floating island, you will slowly drift back up and land on your feet. These islands are coated in cloudlike moss, with healing lakes and a soft breeze rustling the abundant pink trees.
Nightmare Mirage is the stark opposite of the Dreamworld. Where the Dreamworld has floating islands, this realm features a fractured world remnant of wherever the visitor lives, if anywhere. Nightmare Mirage has been described as many things, each one personal to the visitor.
This version of the realm feeds off one's fears, using whatever it can to cause excruciating pain and terror. Careful not to stare at the distant eyes watching you; maintaining eye contact with these orbs are said to cause an unbridled, unstoppable scream that can only be heard by the affected.
Ecology
Creatures native to this realm generally have two different forms, exclusive to the Dreamworld or the Nightmare Mirage. Dreamworld inhabitants are passive, many friendly and curious, while their Nightmare counterparts are hostile, some seeking out visitors to prey on.
Dreamworld features a number of important creatures in a flourishing ecosystem. Mirrseers show you visions of your future successes and endeavours. They promise you great riches. Lysopods in the Dreamworld flutter around the crown of your head like a halo, using their magical prowess to calm one's inner thoughts.
Mirrseers in the Nightmare Mirage like to haunt people; they lurk from afar, staring at those daring to enter Mirage, cursing them with truly horrific nightmares. Lysopods in this version of the realm nip at one's feet, infecting them with all manner of magical diseases, that cannot be rid without the aid of an experienced witch.
Accessing Mirage
Actually entering this realm is one of the most challenging tasks of a sorcerer. In random points in a dream, you may come face to face with a pink door. You need mastery of your own dreams and the ability to control them in order to enter this door. Too deep a sleep and you will not be able to control your unconscious actions.
A witch with true control can manifest this door in any one of their dreams. Sadly, most witches are cursed with insomnia, so actually falling asleep is the most difficult part.
There are a couple of other methods to access this realm, less commonly known.
Manifesting The Door
One can manifest this door in the real world, outside of dreams. It requires immense willpower, and only those with a true connection to the subconscious world can achieve it.Lucid Realm
The Lucid Realm contains many pathways into Mirage. As two realms that manipulate the subsconsious, either one has doors to the other. Look for sinkholes in the Lucid Realm, and glowing puddles in Mirage.Mirrseer in the Living World
Occasionally a mirrseer finds its way into the real world. They latch onto one person at a time, stalking them for months before tearing them out of the Living World and imprisoning them in Mirage.Nightmare
Oh I love this, and adore the imagery. The duality of dream and nightmare is such a fun way to frame such things (I'm enjoying it too in a very different vein) and can open so many creative doors as well. I am curious as to if there is ever a reason you'd want to end up in the Nightmares, like darker magics of terror and nightmare for example. Like I would assume there would be such dichotomy in the art of magick given the duality in its source, in Mirage, however perhaps not? So many unique angles to explore and further understand. Well written Mochi :) Am certainly tucking this one in my collection.
aaa thank you Keon! I really hope to draw up some images for this realm, I think it'd be so pretty! The Dreamworld, as least. I'd like to explore Mirage more in general, I think it has so much to offer. <3