A peal of thunder rolled across the cloudless sky, the sound swelling and cresting like a tidal wave before splitting into a symphony of chaos - battle cries, the visceral clash of steel, and the sharp, breathless exhalations of immortal warriors locked in combat. It was a dissonant roar, an orchestra conducted by war itself.
As Dom focused, she saw two forces colliding in a celestial struggle, neither side yielding an inch. White-winged beings - angels, or so they appeared - fought with relentless precision, their wings slicing through the air as they maneuvered with lethal grace. Opposing them were shadowed figures, moving in a flicker-flash pattern, appearing in one place and then in another, as if existing only where the light didn’t reach.
The heavens shuddered with the force of the battle, and Dom’s heart raced as she watched, her skin tingling with the electric thrill of danger. One of the wingless beings was struck mid-air, spiraling earthward with the speed of a comet. She barely had time to register what she was seeing before the figure crashed nearby, sending a tremor through the ground beneath her feet.
System Notification: New Encounter Detected: ???
A notification flickered in her periphery, the words hovering with a faint, pulsing glow. She glanced down to see the fallen figure, her breath hitching as her gaze settled on details both grotesque and otherworldly - massive horns spiraled from its head, clawed hands clenched in spasms, and a pointed tail twisted and coiled like a trapped serpent.
The creature's ruby eyes opened suddenly, meeting her gaze - or so it seemed. But in a moment, she realized it wasn’t looking at her; its attention was locked on the celestial chaos above, like she didn’t even exist.
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Curiosity - or perhaps instinct - urged her to look up, and what she saw sent a chill down her spine. Twin suns flared in the sky, their light intensifying until it felt like her skin was burning. Then, a third beam - a bluish-white light - erupted from the ground, a burst of energy so intense it shook the air itself. The beams collided, creating a cascade of plasma that streaked across the horizon in a deadly dance of light and force. It was like the very sky was being ripped asunder.
One by one, the combatants in the sky began to fall, struck down by an unseen hand, crashing to earth in waves that painted the sky with blazing trails.
Quest Unlocked: "Witness to the Fallen" Objective: Survive the aftermath of the celestial battle Reward: ??? Threat Level: UNKNOWN
Dom’s pulse quickened. She was in the eye of something incomprehensible, and the sense of destiny thrummed in her veins, as palpable as the tremors that still echoed through the ground.
The searing light became blinding, a wave of pure energy that swept over her, the air so thick with magic it felt as if she were breathing through water. The light was unbearable now; she could feel her skin tingling, her vision darkening at the edges.
A flash of white-hot pain seared through her, and she barely stifled a scream - then, she gasped, clawing at the air as she woke, disoriented, her pulse racing.
It was over. Or was it?
As Dom jolted awake, the phantom feeling of heat lingered on her skin, her senses heightened. Every sound felt sharper, every movement amplified. She cast a quick glance at her clock - barely enough time to make it to her first day at school.
Status Check:
* Current Status: Exhilarated
* Trait Boost: Awareness +1 (Dream Residue Effect)
This dream - if it was just a dream - felt too vivid, too real. She touched her cheek, expecting to feel heat, her fingers trembling. But her skin was cool, normal. Yet her instincts were telling her that something had shifted, an unseen boundary crossed. The System had registered something, though it gave no hint of what she’d truly witnessed.
System Message: New Ability Unlocked
* Dreamer's Insight: Able to retain knowledge and residual effects from dreams of higher realms.