In every era, a Sovereign is born. Like Echoes, they must undergo trials to claim their rightful place.

But unlike an Echo, a Sovereign is the guiding force of their era, leading humanity to glory and shielding them from the assaults of foreign races that seek to invade this world.

A Sovereign wields immense power, for they alone command the Dream Realm, a vast domain that is both their body and their will.

The Domains within it are their limbs, extensions of their authority, forged to protect and to conquer.

Legends say that when a constellation shaped like an eye appears within the Dream Realm, it is a sign—the Domains are about to open, and a new Sovereign is about to rise.

In the current era, no Sovereign exists. That is why it is called the Common Era, a time of stagnation, where no one stands at the pinnacle to guide or protect humanity.

Anyone can become an Echo, but a Sovereign is chosen, not made.

Before a Sovereign dies, they mark their successor, leaving behind their will and power. That mark grants the chosen one the right to enter the Dream Realm and face the trial that determines their fate.

But in the previous era, history was rewritten.

For the first time ever, a Sovereign was slain before choosing a successor. It was long believed that Sovereigns were invincible, their power absolute.

Few had ever been killed by weapons—most simply faded with age, their duty fulfilled.

Yet this time, the cycle was broken.

A Sovereign had fallen, and with them, the certainty of the future.

As morning broke over the southern continent, the sun's rays illuminated the landscape, casting a warm glow over the carriages making their way toward the Dream Realm.

The air was thick with anticipation and nervous energy, as students from various noble and commoner families prepared to face the trials that would determine their futures.

Would they emerge as Echoes, imbued with the power to shape reality, or would they remain unknown, their potential unfulfilled?

A loud, booming voice echoed through the air, "We will now enter the Dream Realm! All students, exit your carriages and form your groups!" The carriages came to a halt, and the students disembarked, their faces set with determination.

They formed a large, intricate formation, with the noble-blooded students at the core, surrounded by those from noble families, and the commoners making up the outermost ring.

Their teachers, wise and experienced guides, moved among the students, offering words of encouragement and caution. "Remember, do not travel alone in the Dream Realm," one teacher warned. "If you become separated from your group, you risk losing not only your way but also your life."

As the students stood at attention, they gazed out upon the landscape before them. The Ashenveil Woods stretched out, a seemingly endless sea of trees that appeared to swallow the horizon.

The students had been traveling through this forest for six days, and yet, the woods seemed just as vast and mysterious as when they first entered.

"Where is the Dream Realm?" Anderson, standing alongside Levi, whispered the question that was on everyone's mind.

They had expected a clear boundary, a defining line that would separate the Dream Realm from the Ashenveil Woods.

But as they stood there, the trees seemed to loom over them, casting long, ominous shadows on the ground.

Levi, his eyes gleaming with a knowing intensity, turned to Anderson and whispered, "What can you expect from a dream?" He paused, his gaze sweeping across the landscape. "The teachers have miscalculated. We are already within the Dream Realm."

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Anderson's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Levi. "What? When?" he stammered.

As if in response to Levi's words, the scene before them began to shift and distort. The trees seemed to melt away, replaced by massive, twisted vines that rose from the earth like colossal serpents.

The air was heavy with the scent of autumn, and the ground was carpeted with fallen leaves that crunched softly beneath their feet.

An oppressive silence fell over the group, a silence so profound that it seemed to take on a life of its own.

It was as if the very woods themselves were watching them, waiting for them to make a wrong move.

"Attention, students!" a teacher called out, his voice low and urgent. "We are within the Dream Realm. Remain calm, focus your minds, and do not touch the vines. Think of the Temple of Erytheia, and repeat its name continuously as we move forward."

As the students began to move, their voices whispering the words "Temple of Erytheia" in unison, Anderson turned to Levi with a look of concern. "Young Master, don't be afraid. If any danger arises, I'll—"

But Levi was nowhere to be seen. Anderson's eyes scanned the group frantically, his heart racing with fear. "Young Master! Where are you?" he cried out, his voice echoing through the silence.

A figure emerged from the carriage behind Anderson, a young boy with emerald green eyes and brown hair. "Why are you shouting so loudly?" the boy asked, his voice low and even. "Think of the Temple of Erytheia, and repeat its name, just as the teacher instructed."

Anderson's eyes widened in relief as he realized that the boy was Levi, or at least, a duplicate of him. He had been so caught up in the moment that he hadn't noticed the switch.

As they moved deeper into the Dream Realm, Levi's duplicate walked alongside Anderson.

The figure, identical to Levi in every way, glanced over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the surroundings as if searching for something or someone.

His thoughts, a jumble of confusion and concern, echoed in his mind.

"Did he really mean to abandon us? It's sheer madness to venture into the Dream Realm alone. Doesn't he fear getting lost forever?" The questions swirled in his head, each one laced with a growing sense of unease.

"I thought it was just youthful bravado, a reckless impulse driven by excitement and curiosity."

"But to actually go through with it... Levi Veyrathis, who are you, really?" The duplicate's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with the implications of Levi's actions.

As he fell into step behind Anderson, the duplicate's lips moved in a silent litany, repeating the words "Temple of Erytheia" like a mantra. Fear lurked in his eyes.

____________

While other students and teachers embarked on their trials to become Echoes, Levi did not. He was not meant for an Echo's trial. His path was different—a trial for Sovereigns.

Levi moved forward, pushing through tangled vines that coiled and twisted like living serpents.

A hollow of light floated before him, pulsing with an otherworldly glow, guiding him deeper into the unknown.

The world around him was in constant flux, scenes shifting, warping, unraveling into new realities with every step he took.

One moment, he found himself trapped within a labyrinth of mirrors, countless reflections of himself standing in twisted formations.

They did not mimic his movements. They screamed his name instead. Their voices overlapped, rising into a deafening cacophony that clawed at his mind.

Some reflections wept. Some laughed maniacally. Others simply stared, empty-eyed, as if waiting for something unseen.

Before the madness could consume him, the light pulsed and the world shattered.

Now he stood in a place unlike any other. A grand library, but not one built by human hands. Vast galleries of books floated in midair, pages fluttering though there was no wind.

Some whispered secrets in forgotten tongues. Others bled ink that dripped endlessly into the void below.

Levi reached out instinctively, but the light flared, warning him. Temptation here was a trap. He withdrew his hand and stepped forward.

The scene collapsed again.

Now he was in a valley of blood, stretching as far as the eye could see. The air smelled of iron and decay.

Floating upon its crimson surface were beasts beyond comprehension, colossal entities, their sheer size making him feel insignificant.

Their forms were grotesque, shifting between the monstrous and the divine. Some had too many eyes, others none at all.

Their hollow gazes fell upon him, but none dared approach. The light protected him.

He blinked, and the world changed again.

Water. Everywhere.

It stretched infinitely in all directions. No sky. No ground. Just a vast, endless ocean with no waves, no sound, only stillness.

He took a step, and the surface rippled, distorting the stars reflected in the water. The light flickered, steady yet fragile, as if aware that this place was different. More dangerous.

Levi knew he was being watched. Not by creatures of flesh, but by the Dream Realm itself.

This was its nature.

It did not kill. It deceived.

It lured travelers with familiar visions, twisted memories, whispered promises of power and knowledge.

It reflected their desires, their fears, their curiosities. And when they stepped too close, when they allowed themselves to believe in the illusion—they were lost.

Trapped for eternity.

But Levi had something they didn't.

The light.

No matter how the Dream Realm shifted, how it bent reality to tempt or terrify him, the hollow of light remained his anchor.

It was the one constant in this ever-changing nightmare, shielding him from the illusions that sought to consume him.

And so, he walked forward, deeper into the unknown.