"Ahhh…" A thunderous scream from Toki made the birds scatter from their perches.
He awoke, terrified, from that nightmare no one would ever wish to see.
"Hah… hah… this is way too real!…"
He covered his mouth with his right hand and examined his body with the other. He felt a chilling cold creeping through his extremities.
The scene from that nightmare haunted him—the part where he was killed, his chest pierced, his face drenched in blood, and his internal organs trampled.
"What is happening to me…!!" he muttered with a weary and frightened expression.
He turned to the window and opened it, letting the calm air soothe him once more.
Toki's mind was flooded with questions; he didn't know if what he had seen was merely a nightmare or a warning vision:
"What was that? I don't understand…"
He sighed, then went to a wooden bed to change his clothes.
"I must set these questions aside," Toki whispered to himself, gathering his resolve. "The most important thing is to move forward. There's no other choice."
He descended to the ground floor and greeted Shun and Luna.
"Oh, good morning. Toki, why do you look so tired?" Shon asked while preparing eggs.
"Good morning, Toki," Luna replied.
Today, Luna looked different, wearing a sky-blue dress and her hair tinted pink.
Yet inside, she felt the same unease as the first time Toki returned from camping, carrying the heavy weight of deep sorrow.
Sophie joined them with Anna and Rai for breakfast, while Shon placed the plate on the long rectangular table.
Toki moved his chair aside and asked, "Shun, what's the nature of this work?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Shon replied playfully. "You'll be working with Raizel to transport goods and resources to other villages."
"And why must we specifically handle exports and imports?" Toki asked.
Calmly, Luna played with a red thread in her hands and said, "You seemed startled when you heard Toki's decision in the meeting hall, didn't you?"
She smiled lightly and added, "I wonder why that is…"
A serious expression crossed Shon's face as memories surfaced…
---
Shun's past:
He had always wanted to visit the Dawn Kingdom, whose news was amazing and whose achievements were legendary.
He had heard of the legendary Twelve, the twelve strongest elites in the world, currently in its capital.
Born with the talent to wield lightning, some called him a prodigy, as he could use spiritual pulses at a young age.
He trained tirelessly to master this power, but upon reaching the kingdom, his admiration turned into bitter disappointment, especially because of the dark-eyed individual who had ruined his journey.
---
Back to the present...
——
To be continued...