When he asked if I wanted my dreams to become true, I probably should've been more aware of the context. For anybody else, this would have been a dream come true. If only I was a fan of sci-fi or superhero movies when this happened. Unfortunately, I was really into steampunk.

I put on my 1800s steampunk top hat and nearly scolded my entire head. There was actual steam coming out of it. I had a hat filled with boiling water. I tried to put on my coat and was stabbed by a rusty pipe. Now I need a tetanus shot. I needed to get out of this convention as soon as possible.

I made my way to the parking lot, and couldn't find my car for a while. I finally found it, but it wasn't actually my car anymore. It was an 1880s "motor vehicle". The fuel tank was full, but I doubt that I had enough coal and water to get home. I got in, almost having my arms torn off by the decorative gears, which were actually working now.

I got to the nearest hospital. They diagnosed me with a rare disease that was thought to be wiped out before the 20th century. Apparently my gear came with typhus. Whoever did this had an amazing attention to detail.

If only I was a part of a more mainstream aesthetic. Imagine if I was into wealth punk or something. I could've payed off my mortgage.

I probably should have inquired about how literally would I like to see my dreams come through part... This armor feels so weird, having such low reaction time and I mean low as in amount of time to react to something just like in the game... Is overwhelming, not fan of actually carrying the real assault rifle so I quickly set it inside of my arm armor.

I got to admit while I was in the convention I felt nervous as hell, moving around looking like fridge with a serious DARPA and ARS written on it. Thankfully the armor despite it's look is quite light and can take today's infantry fire power like no issue, however, when I got outside of the convention, I had to try it out, I started running and then transition to slide.

"Holy crap!" I said out loud and just started sliding around in 80 kilometers per hour, that is nuts but, man I like it. Just need to be careful with grass though. I decided go through some of my pockets. I pull out pack of Malboros, well. I 'ill be, not one into smoking but, these things are real as real can be.

Sam Gideon probably would have had much more fun with this armor if he wasn't being fired at constantly, even if you do have the grounds to call him crazy for enjoying what he does. I let the generator to recharge then test the Augmented Reaction Suit's name part. Augmented Reaction... I vault over a fence and leap high... It is breathtaking, deflating, overwhelming and beautiful.

I wonder what kind stunts I can get away with and I should polish this piece of wonder and leave a note as thanks. (If you are confused of what is in question feel free to ask).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

(I was thinking about writing about a female cosplay for this prompt but, I will let you ask for it if you want to me write it)

I stood stunned as I read the note, and nevously looked over to the dark armor that now held the shine of polished steel instead of 3D printed plastic, and the ridiculously huge sword that leaned against the wall behind it. Somehow it hadn't crushed the wall or the floor it rested on, thank god. The armor was what concerned me the most. Did I want to know what my darkest thoughts really were? I didn't have a goal worth literally tearing myself apart for, but I was dangerously, morbidly curious.

The helmet was in the shape of a skull, before Guts had put it on for the first time. Would it turn into a wolf again, or something else? I didn't necessarily have to do anything strenuous, I could just put it on and sit down. It would turn back into harmless decoration in a few hours anyway, I would only have this one chance to know what it felt like to wear. My curiosity won.

Piece by piece I put on the armor, leather belts snug against my underclothes. Piece by piece, I felt sensation vanish from my body parts. It was like my limbs had vanished even though I was looking at them. The sore back I didn't know I'd been dealing with suddenly didn't hurt, and I sharply reminded myself that it was still there. The gauntlets were next, and then I took a moment to stare into the eyeholes of the skull-like helmet. Everything below my neck was numb, this was the last piece. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as I put the helmet on.

I walked up to the mirror on my closet door. The armor fit like a glove, why wouldn't it? I'd never looked scarier. A voice like wind hissing through grass and whistling through broken glass laughed in my ear, and I frantically looke around for the source.

"Why so jumpy? It's only you here. What, scared of your own shadow?" the voice taunted. I reached for the hemet, voices were NOT a good sign. "Running away? How predictable." I stopped. "Thaaaat's it. I'll only be here for a few hours anyway, right? We can get to know each other before then. Go ahead, ask those burning questions rattling away in your head."

"Fine." I took my hands away from the helmet and sat down. "I know you're some primal part of my psyche, the id if we go by Nietzsche's model."

"Spot on; I'm the lizard brain, the bedrock, the survival instinct, that last little bit of caveman we all push down," the voice agreed. "Surprisingly little divides the common man from a beast. Two missed meals and 24 hours are all that seperate us from the animals."

"If that's the case, it's no wonder why Guts was so dangerous in this thing," I thought aloud. "A life like his, where he shoved down all of the unpleasant things in his life, which was A LOT, and it all ended up where you're sitting."

"Mmhm," it hummed in agreement. "You may not be a Guts, but you shoved some garbage down here too. How about we take a trip down memory lane?" My eyes widened.

"Don't." I said quickly, holding my head in my hands. "Don't say another word."

"So quick to run away at every turn." It sounded like it pitied me, I could easily imagine a shaking head. "It's just your memories, your own history, your thoughts... especially your thoughts. What better therapy could you hope for than speaking directly to the garbage man in your head?" I was silent. I couldn't feel my pulse, but I could tell it was hammering at a mile a minute. Either I face this now or I prove this voice right and keep running away... I covered my eyes with my hands.

"Tell me what I put there." I said quietly. The voice chuckled.

"Heh heh heh, not much by any metric, but enough to bring so much shame to you. Let's get started!"

It listed off every thought I'd ever berated myself for even having. Guilty pleasures I hid behind locked doors, secrets I kept from even close friends, thoughts I had about the people around me, lies I told myself so many times I believed them. I had to constantly remind myself to not use any strength or risk breaking bones and tearing muscle with strength beyond what my body was built for. A few minutes later it ran out of things to say and I sighed in relief.

"So much clutter all aired out at last. Like I said, not much." I nodded. It was painful, but hearing the truth often was, and I could move forward from here. I looked in the mirror again, and did a double take. The helmet had changed from a skull to a face. My face, molded in dark steel. Every bump and tiny scar looked hammered with care into the metal. "You faced your own demons, allowed yourself to hear the truth. Now the inside matches the outside. Now you don't hide behind masks and armor. It's there for everyone to see."

I didn't know if I would be able to tell other people the truth like I had myself, but I could try. It was right: no more masks.

Crazy. I had to be. Or dreaming. I looked at the note. I looked at the jewelry. Back and forth between both, multiple times over, and finally up at the two animal-like creatures floating in front of me. I nearly fainted, but I happened to land on my bed instead, hitting my head on the case I had pulled both the ring and the earrings out of.

Ouch, definitely not dreaming then. I won't rule out the crazy part, though, and sit up on my bed, rubbing the newly rising knot in pain. One of the creatures, the one that resembled a weird red and black doll-ladybug hybrid, floated over to check on me with a worried look on her face. Then she started to talk.

"Hey, it's OK! We're not gonna hurt you! I'm Tikki, and it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm the kwami of creation, and that grump over there is Plagg, the kwami of destruction."

I look over at the other creature, what looks like a small black kitten with antenna on its head. It seems to look at me in a judgy manner. Then it speaks too, because of course it could. "Kid, you're not crazy, and it's not a hallucination. I'm also not a genie, and I don't grant wishes, so don't ask. But right now, you need to snap out of your stupor and get a move on. We've got work to do."

I have work to do? If this is anything like the show, im probably about to fight a man controlling pigeons and...

The black kitten, err, Plagg, stops my train of thought. "No, it ain't Mr Pigeon if that's what you were thinking. But there is at least one Akuma out there for now, and this one's a real beast. We only have until tomorrow morning to find and defeat it, as well as any other akumas it creates. Otherwise, it will shift realities and dimensions again, and we start this whole process over again with someone else. It's been a pain to try this the last 3 times, and I'm getting sick of it. You had better get it done, and make sure to feed me too."

"Unfortunately, what Plagg is saying is true," Tikki chimed in. "The past few temporary holders were unfortunately unable to beat this particular Akuma, but unlike the others, this time seems to be different. The last few holders only got one of the miraculous. You got two, and you got the most powerful two. However, I will warn you, along with using both our miraculous together, it will try to have you grant a wish. Whatever you do, don't use the wish. It will have devastating consequences on your world, and there is no taking it back once you do. Do you think you can handle this?"

I look back and forth between the two kwami and i smile. This is gonna be fun.

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* No AI-generated reponses 🤖 >* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* [RF] and [SP] for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

🆕 New Here? ✏ Writing Help? 📢 News 💬 Discord

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.