(Scars do not appear to be cause of death –shock ... - Bad Request

stranger... what's yer name? You look familiar."
"I have no n- er, Adahn," I lied.
"No, no! I recognize you," he insisted, stabbing a finger towards my chest,
"Of course! Argh, I should've known the moment ye set foot here. I have
finished my great-grandfather's work -- the work that you commissioned --
the dreambuilder! Are you ready to claim the use of it now?"
"A dreambuilder? What's that?"
"It is both machine and ritual. It is a state of mind and a construct of steam
and blood. It grants dreams to those who enter its confines. It was built for
you, and it's waiting for you. Are you ready to finish it off? It has been
waiting for you for decades."
I raised an eyebrow skeptically, "How do you know it was built for me?"
"Because my great-grandfather, Xeno Xander, set your face in stone so that
we would know you when you returned for the work you commissioned. He
always thought you'd return, but no one else truly believed you would. Our
family completed it because we said we would... and now, here you are," he
paused, looking me up and down, "Well, minus a few scars and that
gods-awful hair, you're the spitting image."
I ran a hand through my bead-woven dreadlocks. What was so bad about my
hair? "Do you still have this stone?"
He shook his head sadly, "No. It was stolen from me a year ago. I saw only a
shadow flitting away. It was the only item taken from my home. I have no
idea who'd take it, but I'd memorized the features."
A shadow. For some reason, the mention of it made my skin crawl. The
thought had hit that primal, reptilian part of my brain that said something
was wrong.
But to be able to dream again... after all those sleepless nights turning over
in bed too terrified to face the gaping void of unconsciousness. To finally
know what it feels like to encounter flights of fancy as I slept. Until now I'd
been living like an amputee, resigned to the loss of that part of my soul. I
had tried to adapt, occasionally fumbling at the ragged edges of my psyche
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