I felt my essence being mercilessly torn apart and stitched back together, a relentless cycle as cruel as dust caught in a tempest—or, perhaps more aptly, like a frog mercilessly spun in a blender. The physical agony was profound, yet it paled in comparison to the tempest of despair that ravaged my souls. Both halves of my consciousness—Dream and Nightmare—cried out into the void of our shared essence, engulfed by waves of fear, sorrow, and raw, seething hatred. A hollow ache spread through me, heralding a truth I refused to accept: I couldn’t feel Aurelia. Was she gone? Erased from existence? The mere possibility was a terrifying nightmare I could not, would not accept.

With all my will, I fought to pull myself back from the brink, straining against the darkness that enveloped me, but to my despair, I could not prevail. I was dying... The figure with the shimmering golden crown had obliterated my body with the force of an atomic bomb, dismissing me with a mere swipe of his hand as if shooing away an insect. My remnants were splattered and scattered so far and wide that I could barely sense my own existence. For all I knew, speckles of my pudding flesh were still dissipating across the entire moon, falling like black rain. Each droplet was a cacophony of sensations, relentlessly bombarding me as I speckled everything.

Deep within my mindscape, two shards of me, separated yet clinging to one another, curled up in a dying embrace as we—I!—felt the whole of my existence slowly ebbing away. This time, there would be no resurrection from a dungeon core and no second chances. I was truly dying... In those final moments, enveloped in darkness, my only hope was to be reunited with Aurelia in whatever life lay beyond.

As both sets of my eyes slowly closed, the sound of approaching footsteps reached my fading awareness. With profound effort, I attempted to lift my drooping heads to identify the newcomer, but my strength was failing as I drifted further away. Just as my eyes shut completely, gentle hands caressed Dream and Nightmare’s cheeks, infusing me with an unparalleled wave of maternal love and affection. Forcing my eyes open, black tears streamed down my faces as I gazed upon my mother, the Goddess of Dreams, Duskara.

With Dream, I started to ask, “Am I…”

“Dead?” I finished with Nightmare in her darker, harsher tone.

“No, just asleep, my dearling,” my mother replied, her smile tinged with pain she struggled to hide. She had appeared not as an old crone, nor as a skeletal figure hidden within a hood, but as a young woman, radiant and brimming with affection.

Within the mindscape of my subconscious, both bodies asked the most important question in unison with a single word, “Aurelia?”

Mother closed her eyes briefly, then slowly shook her head from side to side. She whispered so gently, as if afraid that I might shatter, “I’m sorry, my dear, but she’s gone, and not even I can sense what happened to her soul, for she never appeared in the Realm of Dreams…”

She paused for a long moment, searching for any reassuring words, “Though, things are operating somewhat oddly now that my other—the presence of my missing mother—is starting to remerge with this realm.

“Say what you will about Magic, but she’s bringing Life back to the realm with the convergences, and with Life’s return, the cycles of reincarnation are turning once more. Perhaps your love—your soulmate—has already reincarnated; I cannot say for certain,” the Goddess of Dreams spoke. Yet, I could hear the doubt in my mother’s voice; she didn’t believe the words she had just uttered, and by the black tears oozing down my faces, she knew I hadn’t believed them either.

With slumped shoulders, she continued to caress my cheeks, her touch gentle in the heavy air of my mindscape. As she spoke, her voice carried the weight of the only certainty she knew, “Wake up, my little nightmare. Death has taken the battlefield, and if anyone can answer the question that might soothe your broken heart, it’s her.”

“How?” I gazed into the goddess’s eyes with Dream’s reflective sorrow.

I gritted Nightmare’s teeth as I seethed in anger, “My body exploded like a bloody mist, scattering too far to even attempt pulling myself together to wake up.”

“That wasn’t your only flesh, now was it?” Mother whispered.

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As soon as she uttered those words, I mumbled a single word with both bodies in realization, “Phantasia!” With that, Mother began to fade away as I began to awaken.

~

It was as if reality paused to breathe after the battle ended. A few airships limped away, their survivors gazing over the edges, clutching the railings to avoid being tossed overboard by the high winds of the mana storm. They stared at the figure who had appeared beside a dragon. None knew who the figure or the dragon was, but they had their suspicions, and they cheered in celebration. Even the vampires and refugees stood atop the city, overlooking the valley where the next battle loomed, watching in dread.

Jason swiftly navigated through the shadows, pulling Yua and Rob along. As they moved silently, he suddenly reached out from a shadow, grabbing Jeremy by the collar. Surprised, he barely had a moment to react before Jason yanked him into the shadows. A silent understanding ran through Jeremy as he gazed at the other three, not a word needed to be spoken. The group continued, cloaked in the darkness of Jason’s skill, without speaking a word until they emerged near where Sophia was waiting.

“Holy shit,” Rob mumbled, covering his mouth as he fought the urge to vomit the moment they stepped out of the shadows.

On the ground, Sophia lay torn nearly in half; her legs and entire right arm were missing. What remained was burnt beyond recognition, with a faint sizzling sound emitting from her charred flesh.

“I-Is she dead?” Yua whispered softly.

“Nope,” Jason shrugged, seemingly unaffected by the grotesque scene. “If she was, she’d be ash by now,” he replied, showing none of the horror and revulsion that gripped the others.

“Ash?” Yua looked confused.

“Oh, she’s a vampire now,” Jason answered nonchalantly.

“Where’s Blake or Aurelia?” Jeremy asked, scanning the area anxiously.

“Blake’s over here, over there, over there, over here again, and all over there,” Jason helpfully pointed out, indicating the tiny black globs scattered around. “As for Aurelia—”

Jason’s words trailed off as an immense presence suddenly materialized from seemingly nowhere. Except for Jeremy, who was preoccupied with trying to force a healing potion down Sophia’s throat, everyone turned to see a stunning woman standing in front of the man with the golden crown. Her skin resembled dark granite, marred by black cracks that ran across her surface. However, what stood out most wasn’t just her skin—it was her large puff of pink hair and the matching dress that adorned her, creating a stark, almost surreal contrast.

“Phew, and here I was worried I’d be ditching all of your asses down here with that guy,” Jason sighed in relief, ignoring the glares each of them shot his way.

“This potion isn’t doing shit,” Jeremy cursed as the last few drops dribbled onto Sophia’s charred lips.

“Dude, she’s a vampire! Slit your wrist or something and let her drink your blood,” Jason scuffed, shaking his head as he kept his eyes on the pink-haired woman.

“What are they saying?” Rob murmured to the group.

“Don’t know, I can’t hear them over the wind,” Yua replied, her surprise evident even with her keen elven ears unable to pick up any signs of a conversation.

“Look!” Rob exclaimed, pointing toward the dragon.

A wave of little black puddings pulled away from the dragon like a sea of butterflies—only, these were neither cute nor gentle. They were cruel and dangerous, all fluttering about with their tentacles waving in the air as they moved up and toward the pink-haired woman. Everyone recognized this as Blake’s skill, so they assumed she would attack the woman. However, the creatures converged on a small focal point beside the woman, never touching her as they slowly formed a figure. To everyone’s surprise, neither the woman nor the crowned man reacted, almost as if waiting to see who would act first.

However, just as all the black puddings merged to form Blake, the crowned man smiled, holding up an odd crystal that materialized from nowhere. It was rather large, perhaps the size of a small melon, and its surface was covered in intricate rune engravings.

A palpable shift occurred throughout the entire realm as the granite woman gazed at the crystal. It was as if darkness, anger, and rage spilled out from her, enveloping all of reality. Everyone on every moon of Völuspá felt the shift, as Death was enraged. Yet, the man merely smirked as the crystal flashed so brightly that Nyxoria could have been mistaken for a star.

When the light faded and everyone regained their sight, the only figure remaining was Blake. The crowned man, the pink-haired woman, the dragon, and his champion had all vanished, leaving only the lone black pudding.

Blake slowly turned away from the spot where the figures had vanished. None knew what had been said or what had transpired, only that something was different. With shaking legs, she started walking in an unexpected direction. Soon enough, it became clear that she was heading towards.

“Aurelia’s over there,” Yua pointed in the direction Blake was walking.

Unlike Sophia, Aurelia lay undamaged, with no burn marks or missing limbs. Yet, she showed no signs of life, remaining motionless and unresponsive. Blake fell to her knees before the still form and, with a shaky hand, clasped Aurelia’s in her own.

At that moment, none truly understood the change that had occurred. The Blake they had all known—the one who would laugh and smile with dark glee alongside them—had died.

All that remained was an enduring Nightmare of a Dream, both sadistic and cruel, a true villain to those awake and dreaming alike.