From day one, I had this feeling that I had “landed on my feet”. This time was different, I was in the right place. When Shiki took me in, I just knew I was… safe. 

He and Arianna took care of me, and I sorely needed it. They built me up, and as the time passed, they brought me closer. I started to see them as family. 

So when only a few weeks later, I heard of Shiki’s death, it felt like a hammerblow that plunged me into uncertainty. Into darkness. Like a tent peg you hit “just right” so it hits no stones on the way down. Bam! 

“Where’s Arianna!” I thought, “Does she even know yet?”... It didn’t take me long to run the short distance from my place to the HQ. As soon as I saw her sitting in Shiki’s chair I realised, she knew. Thinking back on it now, her strength was remarkable. Clearly she was in tremendous pain, but within seconds she was talking of rising again and pulling together to “make this family whole once more”. That’s how she wanted to honour him, Shiki - her steadfast guardian and my dearly departed friend.I pledged her my gun on the spot. “Whatever you need” I said with a nod of my head.

With a little help from Brent, we were soon on our feet again. Arianna set-up, and the rebuild began. We were on the right track until Brent’s untimely passing. It felt like a hammerblow that plunged us into uncertainty. Into darkness. Like a tent peg you hit “just right” so it hits no stones on the way down. Bam! 

We mustered on, despite both feeling like perfectly struck tent pegs. Now Brent was gone, we had to work even faster… Arianna had a plan, and a twinkle in her eye.

“I want you to step up and set up for me, for Shiki, Brent and for Chicago.” She said, her words echoed around my empty head, bouncing around unencumbered by anything you could describe as a brain. 

“But I can’t even tie my own shoelaces”, I replied.

“That’s what I like most about you, Nincom.” Arianna said with a smile before adding, “Make me proud you nincompoop”.

That brings us here, to the formation of Sleep Token - Theater of Dreams.Together with Arianna, I hope to be a part in making Chicago great and prosperous and to make both her and Shiki proud. I owed them both so much…

They took me in, helped me build, and made me feel at home. A feeling I hadn’t felt for a very long time. I was gonna smash this! Like a tent peg you hit “just right”. Bam!

“I’m gonna smash this” I exclaimed to Arianna. “Like a cat would smash a glass by slowly, but surely tap, tap tapping it off the table”. With that I spun on my heels, and with a sense of raw determination stepped forward towards a brighter future. And tripped over my shoelace.