The night was unnaturally silent.
Toshio stood in the middle of the courtyard, the silver glow of the moon spilling down like liquid light. The wind was still—too still. His heart pounded as if the universe itself held its breath. He didn't remember falling asleep, yet everything around him shimmered like a dream.
Then he heard it—a voice, soft and ethereal, echoing from every direction at once.
"Toshio Shinji… you have crossed the veil of dreams."
He turned sharply, his golden hair catching the moonlight. There, standing before him, was a figure wrapped in flowing silver robes. Her eyes were galaxies—vast, infinite, and painfully beautiful. Every step she took made the air ripple like water.
"Who are you?" Toshio demanded, though his voice faltered. "And how do you know my name?"
The woman smiled faintly. "Names are threads of fate, Toshio. I have watched yours tangle with another's for many lifetimes."
"Another's…?" His voice trailed off. "You mean Aika?"
The goddess's eyes shimmered. "You remember her name, even here. That alone means your bond defies the threads of mortality."
Toshio took a hesitant step forward. "Where is she? What have you done to her?"
A flash of light—he blinked, and suddenly they were no longer in the courtyard. They stood in a vast expanse of stars, each one pulsing like a heartbeat. Beneath his feet was nothing but air, yet he didn't fall. The goddess hovered gracefully, her silver hair floating like starlight in water.
"You wish to save her," she said softly. "But do you even know who she is?"
"She's Aika," he said. "My neighbor. My friend. The girl I—"He couldn't finish the word.
"—Love?" the goddess completed, her smile bittersweet. "Even now, that love blinds you."
Her tone darkened, and suddenly the stars began to fade, replaced by swirling shadows. Aika appeared before him—pale, trembling, her hands bound by shimmering chains of light. Her eyes were the same, but her aura felt… different.
"Aika!" Toshio shouted, running toward her—but the moment he reached out, the chains flared, hurling him back with blinding force.
He crashed to the ground, pain tearing through his body. The goddess's voice thundered across the void.
"She is not who you believe her to be, Toshio Shinji. The girl you cherish is a vessel—a fragment of divine power imprisoned within mortal flesh."
"You're lying!" he spat, forcing himself to stand. "Aika isn't some vessel—she's real! She feels pain, she laughs, she dreams—"
"And yet her dreams are not her own," the goddess said, her tone sorrowful. "She was created to carry what once belonged to me."
The truth struck him like lightning. "What do you mean… created?"
The goddess's eyes glowed brighter. "When the balance of dreams was shattered centuries ago, a piece of my essence fell into the mortal realm. That piece… became her. The girl you love carries the Dreamfire—the last spark of divine consciousness left within your world."
"So she's part of you?" Toshio's voice trembled. "Then why chain her?"
"Because," the goddess whispered, "the longer she remains human, the faster that spark will consume her. She will burn away—body, soul, and memory. You would lose her forever."
He staggered backward, the stars spinning. "Then there must be another way. I'll find it—I'll save her!"
The goddess looked at him with an expression that was both sorrowful and proud. "You speak as you once did, countless lives ago."
"Lives ago?" he echoed, confused. "What do you mean?"
She raised her hand, and suddenly visions flashed before him—lifetimes of him and Aika meeting under different skies. A warrior and a healer. A prince and a peasant. A scientist and an android. In every version, they found each other—and every time, one of them vanished into light.
He fell to his knees, breath ragged. "This… this isn't possible."
"It is fate, Toshio Shinji. You and she are echoes of a broken promise. Your souls are bound, destined to find each other until one of you finally breaks the cycle."
He looked up, desperation in his eyes. "Then tell me how! How do I break it?"
The goddess's form began to flicker, her voice fading like the last note of a song. "Find the Mirror of Dreams. It lies beyond the waking realm—hidden where memory meets oblivion. Only there can the cycle be undone."
"Wait!" he shouted, reaching out. "Tell me where it is!"
Her eyes met his one last time. "When the shadow returns, so too will the truth. Until then… protect her. Even from yourself."
A blinding light engulfed everything.
When Toshio opened his eyes, he was back in his room—sweat-soaked, trembling, the echoes of her words still ringing in his mind. He stumbled to the mirror beside his bed, half-expecting to see her reflection instead of his own.
Instead, he saw his eyes glowing faintly—silver, like the goddess's.
"The shadow returns…" he whispered.
And from the window, he saw Aika standing outside in the moonlight, staring up at his room, her expression unreadable. For a brief moment, her eyes flashed silver too.
[Quest Updated: Unveil the Dreamfire's Secret – Aika's true nature revealed.][New Objective: Locate the Mirror of Dreams before the shadow awakens.]