The air at Skybase was cold and still.
Eon stood alone in the meditation chamber. Candles flickered. The crystal lights above him dimmed as he closed his eyes.
He held a piece of Draumon's shadow, taken from the dream-plagued town. It pulsed with dark energy.
"Time to find you," he whispered.
He pressed his hand to the shadow.
Golden flame circled his fingers.
His system screen flashed:
[SYSTEM ACCESS: Dream Gateway Protocol]WARNING: Entering unstable mental plane.Protection Buffs Applied:— Origin Mind (Passive)— Soul Anchor (Active - 5 minutes only)
The room spun.
Then silence.
Eon fell—not in body, but in spirit—into the Dreamrealm.
---
He landed on a dark field where nothing moved.
The sky above was full of stars—but they bent and blinked out like dying memories.
The ground was made of mirrors.
Each one reflected a different moment in time: people sleeping, people screaming, people trapped in endless loops.
"Draumon," Eon called out. "Show yourself."
A whisper slithered through the air.
"You do not belong here, Flamebearer."
Shapes formed—twisted copies of Eon's own face.
They lunged at him with black blades.
Eon's eyes glowed.
"Flame of Ages—Soulflare!"
Golden fire burst from his chest and swept the copies away.
But the world rippled again.
This was Draumon's realm—he had home advantage.
Eon's screen blinked again:
[DREAM DISTORTION: 87%]Stay focused.Mental Stability: 92%
He walked deeper, passing visions of people Mira had seen in her dreams.
Then he saw her.
---
Mira stood in a cage made of glass.
Dark vines wrapped around her legs.
Whispers filled her ears.
"You're not strong…""You're not meant to carry light…""Give up…"
Mira covered her ears and fell to her knees.
"No… I'm not weak."
Suddenly, a spark of white light formed above her.
Her system activated:
[Skill: Soul Beacon – ACTIVATED]Radiating inner flame…Mind Lock Broken.
A wave of soft, white light burst from her chest.
The vines shattered.
The whispers vanished.
She stood, her sword glowing.
"Let's try this again."
A figure stepped from the shadows—tall, thin, faceless.
Draumon's Dream Shard, a fragment of his mind.
It hissed and threw a spear of black light.
Mira rolled and slashed with her sword.
"Radiant Slash!"
The beam cut through the darkness.
But the shard kept changing shape—sometimes a child, sometimes her mother, sometimes herself.
It whispered her doubts in different voices.
"They will leave you…""You are just a mistake…""You will burn out…"
Mira screamed.
"Enough!"
She planted her sword in the ground.
"Soul Beacon!"
A second pulse of light exploded outward, purging the dream.
The shard screamed—and cracked.
Then Eon stepped through the mirror behind it.
"You're doing well," he said.
She ran to him.
"You're here?"
"I couldn't let you fight alone."
Together, they turned to face the burning shard.
Eon held out his hand.
"Let's finish this."
"Together," Mira said.
Their lights joined—gold and white.
They struck the shard in unison.
It burst into sparks and faded.
The sky calmed.
---
Mira gasped as she woke.
She sat up in the Skybase infirmary, covered in sweat.
Eon sat nearby, his eyes opening slowly.
Zahid entered.
"You're both back."
Mira stood.
"We found one of the sources. Draumon's trying to infect Sparks through self-doubt."
Eon nodded. "And he's learning."
"What do we do now?"
"We train. We protect each other's minds. And we prepare for war—not just with blades, but with spirit."
---
In the Skybase training yard, Rin stood with Rosa and Leo.
They reviewed their dungeon logs.
"Where's Jin?" Rosa asked.
"I told him to take the morning off," Rin said. "He's been… edgy."
"More like dangerous," Leo muttered.
"You don't think he'd… betray us, right?"
Rin looked down.
"I don't want to believe it. But something's not right."
As they spoke, Rin opened her personal log. Her system flashed:
[SECURITY WARNING]Trace Log Detected: Private Rift Data SharedOrigin: Squad Device – Jin.K
Rin's heart dropped.
She looked up.
"Leo. Rosa. I think we have a traitor."
They looked at each other.
"What now?" Rosa asked.
Rin's hand trembled.
"We find out who he's talking to. Quietly. Before he does something we all regret."
---
In a dark room, Jin kneeled before a small glowing stone.
A voice crackled through it.
"The Flame is weakening. The girl is becoming a threat."
"I'll take care of it," Jin said.
"Do not kill her. Yet. Just make sure she doubts herself."
"Understood."
As the voice faded, Jin stood and turned.
Behind him, his eyes flashed with strange violet light.
Draumon's mark flickered for just a second—then vanished.
---
Back in Mira's room, she stared at her screen.
She smiled.
[SOUL TREE UNLOCKED]Class Advancement Path: Light Sentinel (Balanced)— Soul Ward (Lv. 1)— Dream Cleanse (Lv. 1)— Radiant Core (Passive)
Outside, a new Rift opened in the ruins of Petra.
A black mist poured from it.
The Herald of Draumon stepped through, its form shifting like a living shadow.
"The time has come… to silence the light."