I've always wondered… Just what is a dream?
Everyone has always said that a dream is a state of being, showing you multitudes of images that blurs the line in-between the truths and lies. It brings a person's hidden, and deepest, secret into light, uncaring about the cruelty it brings.
People have always said that a dream… is intending to show a hidden message, or meaning, that one holds deep into their heart.
A type of symbolism…
I wonder… am I currently inside a dream…?
My eyes are closed shut, unable to open them as the heavy nebula of the ocean water surrounds my whole body.
Somehow… I could still breathe…
Finally having control of my eyes, I slowly opened them, only to be greeted by the familiar red flame in the distance. Still submerged in the ocean water, I extend my hand towards the flame. Soon, a bright beam of light filled my vision, forcing me to close my eyes once more.
As I felt the light dwindle, I opened my eyes. I now find myself in an empty white space with nothing in existence.
I look around, trying to see just where exactly I am before I see the red flame in front of me once more. I slowly walk towards the flame, looking questionably at them. "... Azar, did you bring me here?"
They didn't utter a single word. After a few moments of silence did they finally begin to speak. "... I didn't actually expect you to be able to learn how to sense mana... I was joking when I said it, but…" They hesitated to speak. "You exceeded my predictions. If it's you..."
They stayed silent once again. The sound of their flame burning filling the whole space around us. "If it's you.... Then you may have the potential to reach the third ring."
"The third ring…?
"Yes. There is a huge difference between a person with a second ring and a third ring. While the second allows you to manifest your elements using mana, the third ring allows you to manipulate the elements into what you call magic. With this power, you'll surely be able to accomplish your goal..."
Azar began to fly forward without stopping, I began to follow them as they were getting farther away from me, traveling throughout the endless space with no end.
"I know you still have many questions to ask regarding your situation. I understand, but we have no time now. I didn't tell you this earlier since you're still young, but as you continue to get stronger, some of my restrictions are permanently removed, allowing me to be of more use to you."
"... Then does that mean I can finally ask about my siblings?"
Azar stayed silent once again as they continued to move forward. "... You must get stronger if you wish to ask such questions..."
Moments of silence filled the empty white space as we continued to move forward. As I was getting tired from the constant walking, Azar suddenly stopped. "... Because you were able to attain the first and second ring around your heart, I am able to show you something that I couldn't previously do before."
The floor in front of Azar quickly began to shatter, exposing a dark abyssal hole that seemed to stretch with no end.
"Jump into this gate, and you'll soon learn of something important: The memories of the original Lysander."
I tensed up for a bit, the original Lysander... The one who became a villain that only created violence wherever he went…
Does that mean… that the events of the novel have already happened before?
As if knowing what I'm thinking, Azar quickly spoke out. "Time is limited. But through this experience… I hope for you to attain the third ring around your heart, and finally be able to protect the people you care about."
"I see..."
A moment of hesitation came through my mind.
But… that very same hesitation was soon clouded by the thought to save mother. I walked towards the edge of the hole before looking back at Azar, whose flame turned blue.
My gaze continued to shift between Azar and the empty void. The more I gaze into the abyssal black hole, the more I can remember the eerie sensation just before I died…
It was something that I never want to remember… something I wish I could forget…
But...
I didn't hesitate to fall on my back... I didn't hesitate to let the familiar dark space consume me once more…
As my senses slowly began to dwindle, I looked up to see Azar standing on the edge of the hole, uttering the final words before my consciousness disappeared.
"I truly hope that you can change the fate of the characters in this story...."
With those final words, the blue flame dispersed into the empty, white space. The little blue fragments falling into the hole that the white-haired boy went through, guiding him in his journey.
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I slowly opened my eyes, gazing at the familiar room of the mansion. I tried to move my head and body, but for some reason I couldn't…
But shortly after, my gaze shifted into the paper filled with countless ineligible words before looking at the nearby mirror of the room.
I look to see myself all grown up.
The same white hair and pale skin with my hazel and white eyes. Wearing a black long-sleeved button down with a white coat over my shoulders. A sword resting in the arm of the chair I'm sitting down on.
A sudden knock emerged from the door before it slowly creaked open. A gray-haired butler hesitantly entered the room, shaking with slight fear as they bowed down with all their might. "Y-Your grace…! We have locked Seraphina in her room as per your orders!"
My mouth slowly opened, getting ready to respond to the butler words. Despite not knowing the situation at hand, I somehow knew what I was going to say and do despite not having any control. "... I see, you may leave then."
The butler bowed once again before leaving the room in a hurry.
I slowly placed paper down on the table in front of me before letting out a deep sigh. All the current thoughts that this body is having are flooding throughout my head.
The way that the current Lysander is using mana also felt peculiar to me...
I only know how to sense mana within me and the people around me while also manifesting it into a materialized form, the state of having the first and second ring around your heart.
But the way he is using mana... is peculiar. He spread it thinly throughout not only the room, but around the mansion, the garden, and even the forest near the estate.
I could sense the presence of every living being within the vicinity.
Because of that, I felt nine individuals isolated in the forest region. If I could feel those people's presence, then that means that the current Lysander can also feel it too.
I stood up, grabbed the sword near the chair before attaching it to my waist. An intrusion of thoughts once again filled my head. An insignia filled with many different patterns and symbols, all with complicated and unknown equations that I have never seen before.
"... Teleport..."
My location suddenly changed from the bedroom to an empty plain in the forest.
The nine people were gathered at one location when I was in the bedroom, but are now dispersed, surrounding me as they hid in the nearby trees and bushes.
Once again, an insignia appeared in my head once more. With a different set of equations and patterns than the one before.
"... Vermin's like you truly don't know how to give up now. Is the power of the spirits truly something you wish to attain in exchange for your life?!"
I slowly adjusted the black glove around my hand, fiddling with as I continued to have the insignia stuck to my head. "Well.. In the end, you will all die by my hand as painfully as possible."
I quickly flicked two of my fingers upwards.
The insignia in my head activated and soon a thick spike of ice formed underneath the people before impaling them right through their hearts.
Seven bodies were brought to the air as they began to slide down the spike of ice with their hearts still pierced. Two of them were still alive, and the people had died... their presence began to fade from the mana that was thinly expanding around me.
The two people, who were wearing hoodies to disclose their identities, that survived instantly dashed towards me with two short blades. By the smell of it, it seemed to be covered with poison.
An insignia once again appeared in my head, different from the last one, but looked somewhat similar in terms of calculations and patterns.
A wall of ice soon emerged and blocked the attack. After their attacks were deflected, they immediately took a step back, but in that moment, the same insignia that was used for the teleportation earlier appeared in my hand.
I quickly appeared behind one of the two people, silently placed my hand near their heart, and another similar insignia from the one that summoned the spikes of ice appeared, but once again different.
A huge chunk of ice shards stabbed right through the person's heart and killed them instantly as their presence faded. The last person soon stumbled, hesitating to attack me.
I began slowly walking towards them, extending my arms so nonchalantly with a subtly angry expression. "What's the matter? Getting cold feet now, are we? Well... I guess that's to be expected when the whole place is now filled with ice."
My angry expression slowly formed a smile. A smile that displays true sadiscity… "But don't think I'll be sparing your life just to capture or interrogate you."
The last person standing clenched their teeth before dashing towards with desperation. As they got closer to me, I could feel my face letting out the continuous sadistic smile.
Multiple insignia were already formed during the small conversation, the same one used at the beginning. Once they got close to me, the insignia activated.
In an instant, a spike of ice impaled them from different areas of their body, restricting their movement. From their knees, elbows, arms, and joints.
As the person coughed out blood, I walked towards them once more. Finally standing in front of them, I quickly aggressively grabbed their hair.
"From the moment you stepped into this land, your fate was already sealed." A sadistic smile emerged once again. "You don't deserve any pity. You don't deserve any mercy. The only thing you deserve is the most excruciating death that I can bestow on you..."
After uttering those harshful words, I aggressively grabbed their mouth before freezing it shut. A few muffled noises can be heard as they try to beg to live, but they are met with no avail.
The person's body slowly began to freeze. From their legs, the ice slowly reached their torso before it began to shatter and dismembered their body.
The muffled noises soon transformed into screams of agony. Slowly… the ice reached their lower abdominals, heading towards their chest before finally reaching their head, completely silencing the scream before their whole body shattered into many pieces.
This... This is so cruel...
I tried to close my eyes from the obscene scene in front of me, but could only continue to see the cruel deaths of the people in front of me.
Just as the shattered ice of the man reached the floor, I slowly looked up at the night sky. My arms extended towards the moon, my eyes closing as I can finally see nothing.
"... I'll do whatever I can to protect you, Seraphina. Even if it means making you hate me..."
As I continued to see nothing but the darkness, I could finally control my eyes. Slowly opening them before being greeted by the familiar empty, white space. I looked in front of me to see Azar floating there silently once again.
"... Did you see it?"
I stammered to create an answer. I looked down at the floor, slowly clenching my hand before looking at Azar. "... Those memories… Was the original Lysander really that cruel?"
A moment of silence filled the room as Azar didn't answer my question. He slowly floated closer to me, finally speaking. "It seems like you were able to view the memory, how fortunate... I presume you were able to memorize magic?"
I stare at Azar for a few moments. Judging by how they are avoiding the topic, it seems like a taboo topic to talk about.
I still have questions regarding the vivid dream that I experienced.
The original Lysander… was indeed the cruel villain described in the book.
So cruel and merciless.
But despite the cruelty that I saw, I continued to feel the same subtle emotion behind the stoic face he expressed: Sadness and Loneliness.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that any of my questions will be answered at the moment.
I slowly closed my eyes, trying to remember the feeling of spreading my mana as thinly as possible, just like how the original Lysander did to find those people.
In the dream, I was able to sense the presence of all living beings at a radius of around... three kilometers. But currently, the maximum I can extend it is about fifty meters...
"The more rings you have around your heart, the more distance you'll be able to sense."
I looked back at Azar. "I see... Then what about the magic I saw in the dream?"
"Try and recall every single detail that came with the insignia. Normally... to reach the third ring, you must have a superb understanding of the fundamentals of magic and mana. But... you're a special case. Memorizing everything like you saw is more practical and faster at this moment... Once you successfully cast a magic spell, you will have attained your third ring."
"Is casting magic different then summoning ice or fire...?"
"I suppose so. Summoning your own attribute requires no calculations, like using ice to freeze an object. That is a law that ice must follow: To be cold and to freeze. But magic… Magic is manipulating that law to do something that ice wouldn't normally do, like create a shield to protect or create a spike to kill. You're changing the law that it is required to follow in exchange for mana, that is what magic is in essence- "
"I see. It seems simple enough then."
During the whole conversation, I instantly remembered the insignia alongside the calculations and patterns for the wall of ice that the original Lysander summoned.
"This is quite... something. You succeeded in your first try. Even with the Blessing of Mana, this is normally impossible..."
Azar stayed motionless before quickly flying through my body, dispersing into tiny fragments as I felt my vision deteriorate. "I guess this is enough to get you out of here. With this, you'll surely be able to save Isabella."
"Save her…"
Sudden cracks began to emerge around the white space before completely shattering, forcing me to fall down in the black abyss once more as my vision slowly faded.
"Listen to my voice, my child, for you're not alone. I will help you guide you in this long journey."
I slowly closed my eyes, hearing the voice echo through the space. It seems… familiar.
Is it Azar...? No, their voice has a different pitch than the one who is currently talking. But still... Their voices make me feel a sense of warmth within me...
It sounds so familiar... so nostalgic...
It kind of sounds like the voice of my past life... but at the same time... not...
I slowly opened my eyes, seeing the blurry figure endowed in a strange light that was creating the darkness that was consuming me. The more I look at the light, the clearer I can see a man-like figure, probably the one that is talking to me...
My eyes slowly closed once again and soon... my consciousness faded. I continued to experience this tranquil feeling within me despite being submerged in everlasting darkness.
"This world is your present, and your past, and will soon lead you to a new future where Hope remains in your heart. No matter the challenges you face, no matter the choices you make, I will always be on your side. For this present is not only a gift from me to you. But also, an apology for what I have done..."
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Under the whimsical moonlight passing through the open window… the pink haired girl points the tip of her sword to the people laying down in the bed. Mia continues to position her two swords in front of her, ready to protect the white-haired boy and the duchess with her life.
The pink-haired girl quickly covers her sword with a light pink aura. In response, Mia also began to cover her two blades with her peach aura, glaring at the pink-haired girl.
During this moment of a standoff, Mia quickly grabs the red crystal shard in her pocket, holding it to her mouth before speaking to the people on the other end.
[Mia here! The magic swordsman is currently in the room where I'm protecting the young master and her grace. I request immediate support!]
[This is Nilo, me and Qadir are currently unavailable. There is a sudden surge of mercenaries on our end, so we can't go to you.]
[Veda here. Just like Nilo said, there are more pawns who have infiltrated than expected. Currently unavailable.]
[Same goes for me and Priya. A group of strong mercenaries suddenly appeared. I'm sorry, Mia, but we can't provide any support at the moment!]
Mia clenches the red gem in distress. "The situation seems to be getting worse. Many of the mercenaries with five rings and above have started to move. I'm not confident enough to defeat the person in front of me, even if I give up my life. But I made a vow to protect her grace and the young master…!"
The pink-haired girl quickly dashes towards her. Mia struggles to block and deflect the attack before another voice echoed out through the red shard.
[Mia, are you there!?]
Mia backs away in an instant, bringing the red shard to her mouth once again.
[Your Grace, is that you?!]
[Mia, if you can handle the magic swordsman for at least five minutes, then I should be able to reach you.]
[Okay, I'll try and protect them as much as I can, your grace!]
The pink-haired girl suddenly appeared behind Mia. "You dare be distracted?!"
But just as the girl was about to slash Mia's back, Mia was able to narrowly block the attack, but lost one of her swords in the process as it was flung far across the room.
Not even a minute had passed before Mia was being overpowered by the pink-haired girl. So many cuts on her arms and clothes while blood began to ooze everywhere. Nevertheless, Mia continued to protect the people behind her, even at the expense of her own life.
The girl clicked her tongue at her constant pestering before kneeing Mia in the stomach.
Mia collapsed on the floor, but continued to try and protect the people behind her at all cost. She slowly reached out for her sword fighting the girl once again.
Mia's and the girl's sword clashed against each other once again, before Mia's sword was flung to the ground. Just as Mia was about to grab her sword, the girl kicks the sword away from her and puts one of her feet on top of Mia's back. She positions the tip of her sword on Mia's back, getting ready to stab her in the heart.
"This is the end."
She put all her force onto the sword, but a spike of Ice suddenly emerged around Mia and was close to impaling her. She quickly dodges, getting as far away from Mia.
"Ice...?"
The girl looked around the area to see who could've cast the spike of ice. Her gaze then lingered at the bed, seeing the white-haired boy awake while desperately extending his hand. "Get away from Mia!"
A huge spike of ice appeared below her once again and almost impaled her. But just like before, she was able to dodge by jumping back up. However, the young boy predicted such an evasion before summoning another spike near her face.
Once again, she dodged it by slightly bending her back. Just before she could be at ease, a third spike appeared in front of her face and was about to impale her head.
"... You intentionally aimed for this?"
She grabs her sword and destroys the ice in front of her. But by that time, Mia had gotten up and had both of her swords in front of her.
Blood began to trickle from Mia's arm and into the hilt of the sword. Her breathing got more unstable as time went on, all while looking exhausted.
She quickly looks back at me. "Young Master, please don't worry about me! Just stay there until his grace gets here!"
"No! I don't want you to risk your life for me. I know you want to protect mother and me, but I also want to protect you too!"
The eyes of the young child sparkled as he continued to keep the girl at bay with his magic.
Mia's eyes widened but smiled brightly at the determined eyes that she never saw in the young master before. "You're quite the cheeky child... But are you confident enough to support me, young master?"
I smiled at her remark. "Don't worry. No matter what you do, I'll make sure not to let my magic hit you."
"Alright then. But make sure to stay inside the barrier!"
Mia dashes towards the girl in front of her, all while I continue to summon spikes of ice underneath the pink-haired girl at different intervals.
Mia continues to use both her swords to slash the girl. As the girl moves in one direction, I use magic and try to hinder her movements and allow Mia to do more damage to her.
As I quickly calculated where to summon the magic, Mia continued on with her fierce strikes. The amount of damage began to accumulate as pink-haired girl movements slowed down.
Mia tried to strike the girl's neck, but she was able to dodge the strike. I summoned a spike of ice behind her head, but she moved her head slightly to the right. Not long after, Mia placed the tip of the sword near the girl's chest and was about to stab her before a barrier around the girl appeared, deflecting the magic and Mia's attack.
"This is getting too annoying!"
Her pink aura began to cover her sword before she closed her eyes. Fire began to cover the sword as she quickly dashed towards Mia, her burning sword ready to strike.
Mia managed to block the attack with her sword, but the fire quickly began to burn her hand. Nevertheless, she continued to block the attack before parrying the sword away from her.
Once again, I summoned a wall of ice to separate the two, but the girl slashed through it. She glares at me before dashing towards me. "I'll eliminate this annoying brat first!"
Mia tries to stab her from behind, but the girl continues to ignore her and dashed faster than Mia can reach. Her sword was about to strike the barrier that surrounded me and mother.
But…
Annoying her to this point and getting her to attack me.
This is all part of the plan.
The same magic that the original Lysander used on the last guy to incapacitate… I will make use of it on this person. I planted the magic beforehand and waited for her to walk right into the trap. Even the slightest milliseconds of delay, she will notice and dodge the magic once again.
I can't fail here!
In that single moment where her sword was about to strike the barrier, the magic activated. All the spikes of ice instantly impaled the girl: shoulders, knees, arms, wrist, and torso.
She was completely immobilized, unable to finish her strike on the barrier.
Mia took the opportunity to finally stab her in the back before kicking her away from the barrier
Coughing out a substantial amount of blood, the girl tried to stand back up, using her sword as a balancer, but only managed to get up to her knees. "To think I will lose like this...? To the child and maid of THAT Duke..."
She gritted her teeth and squeezed the handle of the sword supporting her. "No! I won't die here! Not until I kill the wife of the duke who killed my sister!"
Her eyes glared at me with pure madness. "I'll kill her and the child and let him know the misery of losing someone. I'll make sure to see him grovel in despair as he mourns their deaths!"
She began to laugh hysterically as she stared into the ceiling. The light suddenly illuminated her whole body as she reached for her pocket.
"Let him know the consequences that his actions incurred and make him realize all his mistakes. Make him realize what I felt throughout these years!" She gazes at the pill. "I was supposed to use this on the duke… and make him go mad and kill everyone he cares about..."
She clicks her tongue before putting the pill down her mouth. As she cracks the pill with her teeth and swallows the pill, the color of her mana slowly turns sinister and disgusting that even from here, I feel a continuous sensation of chills.
Her eyes turned black with her pupils turning purple and dark blue. Dark cracks began to appear in her body. She suddenly stood up once again, despite the many fatal injuries to her body.
She grabs her sword and quickly dashes towards Mia. She instantly grabs her by the neck, lifting her up into the air. Mia struggled to escape her grasp and tried to slash her with the swords, but failed.
The girl then grabs Mia swords and throws them into the floor, far away from her, before pointing the tip of her sword at Mia's torso. "I'll make sure to kill you slowly and painfully..."
I tried to cast as much magic as I could to separate her from Mia. But the barrier around her deflected them.
"What can I do at this moment to rescue Mia?!"
An idea suddenly appeared in my mind: Teleportation.
Although it's risky to leave the current barrier, I must save Mia!
I tried to remember the insignia for the teleportation magic. My body suddenly moved from the bed onto Mia's shoulders, hugging her from behind before using the same magic to transport both Mia and I near the bed.
The girl stays there motionless, trying to process what just happened before putting her arm that was strangling Mia down. She then looks at us with dead eyes. In an instant, she dashed towards us with her sword still on fire.
I quickly summoned an Ice wall once again, but she managed to destroy it in two slices.
I continued to stare at the pink-haired girl in front of me. The rigid bloodthirst in her eyes that signal no sign of hesitation to kill even a child, alongside the insanity and madness over something.
It was an emotion so clear… That I couldn't help but stare at her despite the danger I was in.
But just as she was about to strike us, her movements suddenly stifled. Her limbs were chained down by a dark shadow emerging from the ground. Even as she continued to try and move her limbs, she couldn't break free from the shadow that restrained her.
Quiet footsteps suddenly emerged in the room.
I slowly looked away from the girl before seeing father walking towards us, his clothes, face, and sword covered with blood.
He continued to walk with his sword clenched tightly his hand, looking at the girl coldly and angrily.
The girl slowly moved her head, and finally saw father walking towards her. Her eyes widened with complete anger and madness. Her anger was so strong that she forcefully destroyed the shadows that bind her and immediately dashed towards him with her sword ready to slash him down.
Mia quickly covered my eyes, trying so hard to not let me witness the cruel scene that was about to unfold.
But in Mia's eyes, she saw everything.
As the girl continued to dash angrily towards the duke, he clenches the sword on his hand before dashed towards her, appearing behind her as he sheaths his bloody sword back in his wais, standing still. A few seconds later, the girl's body suddenly splurged blood before collapsing onto the ground.
She raises her face, and with her mad eyes, she sees her sword laying right in front of her. With all her might, she tries to grab it. "I can't... die here... not until I get... my… revenge"
The duke slowly walks towards the fallen girl and kneels in front of her. She looks at him, her eyes filling with more anger and madness as she tries to grab the sword in front of her and kill him. "You...! I'll never... forgive you!"
The duke only stares at her for a moment before grabbing something from his pocket: A pair of black glasses. He places it in front of her before walking towards Mia and the white haired boy.
She slowly looks at the thing he placed in front of her before her whole body trembled. Her face now filled with despair as she gazes at the glasses in front of her. Helplessly, she tries to reach out to them.
The same whimsical moonlight illuminates both the pair of glasses and the dying girl.
Once she touched the glasses, she saw the image of the same black hair girl with glasses in front of her, caressing and stroking her hair. Her eyes widened as tears began to roll down her face. "Sister...!"
Even though she knew it wasn't real, she couldn't help but cry silently. Silently until she finally collapsed onto the floor, letting out her final breath into this world.
The duke stands in front of Mia, who was still covering the white-haired boy's eyes. He silently grabs the red shard from his pocket.
[Mia, make sure to... clean up here while I talk to Lysander.]
Mia immediately nods before gently taking her hands off the white-haired boy. The duke kneeled in front of him to intentionally cover the dead body in front of him while Mia begins to clean up the mess.
"Lysander... are you alright?"
As he asked about my wellbeing, he slowly wiped his hand before gently placing his hand on my face.
Seeing his worried eyes, asking about my well-being… I couldn't help but smile. I couldn't help but realize that I finally have a caring father…
"Yes… I'm alright, father. Thank you for saving me."
He let out a small smile when he heard my answer, he moved his hand towards my hair before gently patting it. "... I'm sorry. I put you in such a dangerous situation… You must hate me."
I shook my head, slowly looking back at him with a smile. "But in the end, you managed to save me."
He let out a small chuckle. "Barely… Who knows what would've happened if you didn't help Mia out." He then looks at me sadly. "... I know you have many secrets that you want to keep hidden. I truly understand. But no matter what, you are my child. I promise to be there for you whenever you need it. I'll make sure to not let something like that happen again… I promise I'll do a better job at protecting everyone…"
I stared at him, trying to understand the meaning behind those words before slowly smiling back. "Thank you... father."
During this moment, voices began to whisper in the duke's head.
[Your Grace, this is Veda. The rear area of the mansion is finally cleared of mercenaries.]
[Nilo here. We just finished clearing the west section.]
[This is Nila. The east area of the mansion is fully cleared of threats now.]
The duke smiled once more at the relief of the mansion finally being cleared of enemies. The sunrise slowly began to shine through the window. He looked down at the white-haired boy, who was now sleeping peacefully in his arms.
He carefully carries him to the bed.
[Good work everyone. I'll make sure to prepare proper compensation for your work, alongside a feast for you all.]
Slight cheers and thank you's spread throughout his head due to the red crystal shard, but he continued to sit near the edge of the bed and only focused on the three people in front of him.
Isabella... Lysander... and the newest child in the family curled up in her mother's embrace.
Seraphina.