I floated in a black, endless space, my senses disoriented, unsure of where I was or how I had gotten there. There was nothing—just an empty, hollow void that stretched on forever. I tried to move, but everywhere looked the same, like I was trapped in some endless purgatory.

Bael was there, too. He floated beside me, his small white body glowing faintly in the darkness, but he wasn’t looking at me. Instead, his attention was locked on something ahead, something I couldn’t see.

Without warning, Bael started to drift away, moving further into the void. Panic flared inside me.

“Wait!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the vast emptiness. I tried to run after him, my feet finding traction on a ground that didn’t exist. I pushed myself forward, my heart pounding as I chased after the small dragon.

In the distance, a faint light flickered—something I hadn’t noticed until now. It was small, almost insignificant against the backdrop of nothingness, but Bael was heading straight for it.

I ran harder, determined not to lose him. The light grew brighter as I closed the distance, swelling in size as I drew nearer. Bael stopped in front of it, his tiny form silhouetted against the glow. I reached out desperately, trying to grab him before he disappeared, my hand brushing against the light just as he entered it.

The moment I touched the light, everything changed.

Branches appeared—dozens, hundreds of them—springing out of the light like limbs, reaching out in every direction. The light became blinding, swallowing me whole until all I could see was white. Then, a voice rang out, clear and familiar, echoing in my mind.

[Royal Revenge]

[Draconic Faeling]

[Champion’s Physique III]

[Soul Bond II]

[Archangel’s Touch II]

[Demon Claws]

The words and songs washed over me, flooding my senses until I couldn’t tell them appart from each other. I felt power thrumming through my veins, threatening to overwhelm my mind.

And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it all vanished.

I jolted awake, gasping for air. My heart hammered in my chest as my eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the tent. The world slowly came back into focus, the familiar smells of the forest, the crackle of the fire outside.

Bael was curled up on my stomach, his small body warm and soft against me. He was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the strange dream I had just experienced. My hand instinctively moved to pet him, my fingers brushing gently over his smooth white scales.

I took a deep breath, my heart still racing. What had just happened? That dream—it felt too real. Too vivid.

I stared at the ceiling of the tent, my mind still a bit numb from the experience.

But as I looked down at Bael, his soft little snores filling the quiet, I couldn’t help but feel… comforted.

I carefully lifted Bael from my chest, his small body warm and still sleeping as I slid out from under him. He didn’t stir as I gently set him down on the blankets. The morning light was filtering through the fabric of the tent, and I could hear the faint sounds of Lance moving about outside.

The air hit me as soon as I stepped outside. It had been getting chillier each morning, and today was no exception. Lance was sitting by the fire, his hood pulled up over his head as he poked at a skillet resting above the flames. The scent of cooking breakfast filled the air. I saw the eggs Tania had bought from Vermilion Post and what looked like a wild hare, probably caught in one of our traps during the night.

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I stretched, yawning as I walked over to the fire and sat beside him. The warmth was a welcome relief from the cool bite of the morning air. Lance didn’t say anything as he handed me a wooden spoon, and I took it gratefully, digging into the meal in comfortable silence.

For a while, there was only the crackling of the fire and the occasional chirp of birds in the distance. But eventually, I couldn’t hold back anymore.

“I had a strange dream,” I said, my voice breaking the quiet.

Lance glanced at me from under his hood, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing.

“I know it was just a dream,” I added quickly, “but it felt… weird. Almost too real.” My thoughts drifted back to the black void, to the light, to the branches. I found myself lost in the memory, my spoon pausing midway to my mouth.

Lance didn’t interrupt, but I could tell he was listening.

I shook myself from the reverie, taking a deep breath. “Anyway, I was thinking... I want to explore the deeper parts of the outskirts. We’ve been here too long.”

Lance didn’t respond right away. He stared into the flames, his expression thoughtful. I waited, unsure of what he would say, but I was relieved when he finally nodded.

“Makes sense,” he said quietly. “We’ve been doing far too little for far too long.” His tone was calm, but I could feel something else in his words. He, too, had been restless. The uncertainty of our path had been eating at us both.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, relieved that he agreed. It felt like we’d been stuck in the same place for ages, with no real progress. But now, the prospect of moving forward, of facing something new, brought a spark of energy to my chest.

“It’ll be more dangerous, though,” Lance warned, his gaze shifting from the fire to me.

“How much more dangerous could it be?” I asked, trying to play it off. “We’ve handled ourselves pretty well so far.”

Lance didn’t look convinced. He leaned back, his spoon resting on his knee. “We haven’t had a single attack during the night since we got here. And most of the monsters we’ve fought were ones we tracked down, not the other way around.”

I frowned, realizing he had a point. It was strange. We’d been here for weeks, and while we’d fought plenty of creatures, we hadn’t faced the kind of danger you’d expect from a place as infamous as the outskirts.

Lance glanced at me, his eyes serious. “The deeper we go, the worse it’ll get. More monsters, more attacks. And they won’t be the kinds of creatures we’ve been fighting. People go into the deeper parts in large groups—and they still disappear.”

“More monsters means more power,” I countered, holding up my hand and transforming it into the sharp black claws I had grown accustomed to. I couldn’t help but feel a thrill at the sight of them—I felt truly dangerous.

But Lance wasn’t impressed. “You haven’t even advanced them once yet,” he said bluntly. “And we’re talking about creatures that hunt people in packs. This isn’t going to be easy.”

I knew he was right. The outskirts were dangerous, and we’d been lucky so far. But still, the thought of pushing myself further, of growing stronger, was too tempting to ignore.

“Then we get more people,” I suggested, my mind already racing with possibilities. I could imagine it—a team, no, an army of powerful allies by my side. Together, we’d be unstoppable.

Lance scoffed. “And where are we going to find these ‘people’? Tania’s barely with us now that we left Vermilion Post.”

“Then we go back,” I said, the idea forming as I spoke. “We’ve got the hooded robes now. We can blend in, stay under the radar. And if we’re smart about it, we can recruit people. Build our own team.”

Lance looked skeptical, but he didn’t immediately dismiss the idea. He poked at the fire for a moment, lost in thought, before finally nodding.

“A quick trip,” he said cautiously. “We’ll need more supplies anyway if we’re going to push deeper into the outskirts.”

I grinned, feeling a sense of excitement build in my chest. “Exactly.”

Lance didn’t share my enthusiasm, but at least he wasn’t arguing. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was a step forward—a step toward something bigger than just the two of us hiding out in the woods.

But we’d jinxed it.

As soon as we left camp for Vermilion Post, we heard the skittering.

Five enormous ants, each the size of a small dog, were barreling straight toward us. Their mandibles clicked menacingly as they moved in perfect formation, their shiny red exoskeletons gleaming under the morning light. Lance and I barely had time to react.

“Ants?” I muttered, my heart skipping a beat. “Of all things…”

“Get ready!” Lance shouted, drawing his sword.

I instinctively reached for Bael, who had been trotting along beside me, but he was still too small to fly. He chirped anxiously, his wings fluttering in panic as the creatures closed the distance.

“Stay close!” I commanded, positioning myself between Bael and the oncoming swarm. I flexed my fingers, letting my claws extend, the sharp black blades glinting as they caught the light.