*BOOM!*
Inside Penacony's Dreamscape, the place that should have been peaceful and filled with happiness was now filled with despair.
At this moment, the sky had cracked, collapsed, and disintegrated inch by inch as a massive vortex leading to the Memory Zone appeared beneath the halovian territory.
Many grand and beautiful buildings, which carried the history and glory of the halovians, crumbled like cookies bitten into by an invisible beast, instantly turning to dust before being sucked into the chaotic vortex of nothingness.
In the sky of the Dreamscape, a glowing yellowish-gold meteor slowly fell, emitting terrifying energy.
"I-It's the Stellaron! It has been activated!"
"Which damn fool threw the Stellaron into the Dreamscape?! And right in our halovian lands!"
"Damn it! RUN!!!"
A group of men, women, and children with wings behind their ears ran while screaming in all directions, but sadly, as the ground beneath them collapsed, some who were too slow fell into the abyss.
Dreamscape—it was a world of sweet dreams, built by the blood and sweat of countless people of Penacony, a place where one could be considered immortal.
However, when it involved a Stellaron, any sane person knew that nothing good would come of those who fell into the abyss—especially when it was known that if one went to the Memory Zone inside the Dreamscape, one could die in reality as well.
As a result, panic spread, and people fled in all directions, wailing and screaming in terror.
Some halovians prayed in sorrowful songs for salvation, but unfortunately, their god's gaze never came.
"Mama!"
A little boy's voice, sounding sharp and filled with tears, resounded loudly.
He was a cute boy with fair skin, golden eyes, soft silver-grey hair, with wings of a similar color behind his ears, and a golden halo with details resembling eyes behind his head, which represented his halovian heritage.
Beside him was a cute little girl with long lilac-silver hair and green eyes, and like the boy, wings could also be seen behind her ears, as well as a halo, which slightly tilted to the right.
Any player who followed the original story of the game would instantly know who they were.
Indeed, they were none other than Sunday and Robin, though they were still children now.
However, unlike the teary Sunday, Robin, although younger, surprisingly looked more composed and did not shed a tear at all.
Robin simply clung to their mother, Serfina, gripping her wrist tightly with one hand, while the other reached out for her brother.
Serfina, the mother of the two little halovians, was a beautiful and elegant halovian woman with a fair complexion, long silver hair, a golden halo, and, just like other halovians, a pair of wings behind her ears.
At this moment, she spread her arms wide, using all her strength to pull her children into her embrace, trying to form a fragile shield—one as fragile as a candle flame in the wind, appearing so small in the face of the utter chaos brought about by the Stellaron's corrosion.
Beneath her feet, the ground continued to collapse and fall, while above her, the Stellaron approached little by little, destroying everything in its path, making them like three small birds trapped in the eye of the storm, with no place left to escape.
"Oh, Triple-Faced Soul, please protect my children... Let them be safe..."
Serfina, her body trembling and her breath coming in quick, uneven bursts, kept praying again and again, which, to the young Robin, who saw her mother's lips moving and her chest rising and falling, looked like singing.
Sadly, Serfina's prayer was in vain, because the next moment, as if fate itself had laughed at her plea, the Stellaron descended directly behind them, severing their final escape route.
"No..."
Sunday muttered in hopelessness as a flash of despair passed through his eyes.
"Mama!"
Robin, finally overwhelmed by despair, exclaimed in fear, closing her eyes and burying her face deep into her mother's chest.
Serfina held her children tightly, bracing herself to face their final destruction.
*Rumble—!*
In that instant, the ground where they stood crumbled, causing them to fall, as the sensation of weightlessness immediately gripped them.
They tumbled toward the vortex that led to the Memory Zone, the symbol of their end, along with countless fragments of the Dreamscape.
""AAAAAAHHHH—!!!""
As the wind roared in their ears, Sunday and Robin screamed in fear as they saw they were getting closer to the vortex.
Just as they neared the brink of doom, however, a figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere, stepping firmly on the void beneath their falling path—the position was so precise, it was as if the person had already calculated their fall.
"Where the hell is this? Is this Penacony?"
Casually looking left and right, the newcomer, wearing exquisite black and gray robes, mumbled to himself, his tone light, as if complaining about Monday traffic.
Looking as casual as ever—who else but Lucian?
Just as his words fell, Lucian heard someone screaming above him, then looked up and saw three people falling from the sky toward where he was standing.
A little girl, a little boy, and a gorgeous, beautiful woman.
"Wings behind their ears, no doubt..."
Lucian's face remained expressionless, but his movements were as quick as lightning.
With a swift motion, his left hand shot up and grabbed Sunday by the back of his collar, pulling him up with precise force—the action was so practiced that it was like picking up a squirming chick in a market.
"AAA—MPH!"
Sunday, being suddenly yanked into the air, had his scream muffled by his collar, his short legs flailing uselessly.
At the same time, Lucian's right arm smoothly scooped up the closed-eyed Robin, pulling her into his chest, feeling her soft little face crash against his chest.
In that instant, she went silent, her big eyes opening wide in fear as she stared at the unfamiliar chin.
Of course, it didn't end there.
As Serfina was still plummeting downward, Lucian, not even looking back, simply shifted slightly to the side, raised his shoulder, and bent his back.
*Thud!*
In that instant, two soft, fragrant lumps landed firmly on his back.
"Ah!"
Serfina let out a short gasp, instinctively clinging tightly to Lucian's neck.
Thanks to the gravity pulling on them downward, he could clearly feel the soft, warm sensation of two lumps pressing against his back.
Now, Lucian held Sunday with his left hand, Robin with his right, and had Serfina on his back, with Serfina clinging to his neck.
"T-Thank you!"
Serfina, waking from her daze, expressed her gratitude tremblingly.
She had thought it was the end, but who would have thought someone would be on her falling path, and even be able to stand in mid-air?
"Sunday! Robin! Are you alright?!"
Suddenly remembering something, Serfina quickly turned to check on her children and saw that Sunday was still shaken, his eyes filled with tears, while Robin now looked relaxed.
"We're alright, Mama." Robin replied, nodding softly.
Seeing the two of them, Lucian could tell that Sunday was not as strong as Robin when they were still children.
"Hold on tight. We gotta move away from here first."
As soon as these words left Lucian's mouth, he blinked, his figure flickering so quickly that only faint afterimages were left in the air.
Strangely, the chaotic energy flows and falling debris seemed to have eyes, automatically avoiding him.
Sunday, still in Lucian's grip, stared wide-eyed at this strange phenomenon, forgetting to even struggle.
In just a few breaths, Lucian had already rushed out of the chaotic zone, landing on a relatively stable floating ground at the edge of the Dreamscape, which was filled with a group of halovians still in shock.
Lucian gently set Sunday down, then carefully placed Robin beside him.
Serfina, who had been hanging on Lucian's back, quickly slid off, her legs weak, but she immediately pulled both of her children close to her.
""Mama!""
Sunday and Robin, having survived the catastrophe, threw themselves into their mother's arms, and only then did the tears fall from Robin's eyes, while Sunday pressed his lips tight in defiance, holding back his cry.
"Hey, you four! Come over here! Quickly! It's safer here!"
Seeing the four newcomers, one of the surviving halovians called out to them.
Lucian looked around and saw that the area was filled with people with wings behind their ears.
Men, women, old, and young—all were present.
From what he knew, the well-dressed halovians were like the stars of the universe, worshiped by many because they had enchanting voices and appearances since birth, and their radiant halos and wings made them appear sacred, which commanded the attention and admiration of other races.
Now, he could see it firsthand—all these halovians were not only handsome and beautiful, but the aura they emitted was also truly sacred, making them look like natural-born holy priests or angels.
Looking at the woman and her two children again, he assumed that since Robin was the protagonist of this script, he probably had to address Robin's childhood trauma.
As for the beautiful woman before him, dressed in a holy and solemn gown, she had to be Robin and Sunday's mother.
'I gotta protect her in case it might turn out to be one of the conditions required to complete the script...'
Lucian thought seriously, thoughtfully stroking his chin while walking toward the group of halovians alongside the family trio.
'But what if these halovians are also one of the conditions?'
As this thought crossed his mind, Lucian felt that there were too many goals to focus on, which made him unsure about which one to prioritize.
Just then, he finally noticed that some of the halovians had gathered together, forming a prayer posture and singing a hymn in unison.
Evidently, they were praying through their song, praying for their god, Xipe the Harmony.
Seeing the scene, Lucian's eyes suddenly lit up.
'Hey, isn't this ready-made music?'
Lucian thought of a brilliant idea and then walked toward the singing halovians.
"Halovians!"
He spread his hands wide and exclaimed with a solemn expression.
"I will grant you the power to become invincible—immune to any harm!"
"As long as you keep singing the hymn, you can protect your people, protect your homeland, and save Penacony!"
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[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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