“It’s good to see you again.”

A woman’s voice called out to Jun as a soft breeze rippled the fabric of his shirt.

“Are you going to get up or just lie there like a rock?”

Jun’s eyes fluttered open after hearing her harsh tone. He was currently lying on his back observing the cloudy sky being painted gold by a fading sun.

“I’m up, I’m up. Geeze, so aggressive.”

He sat up and scratch the top of his head.

“Aaahn!”

He let out a deep yawn while reaching his arms overhead for a lethargic stretch.

“You’ve been sleeping ever since you got here. That was half a day ago.”

Half a day? So… about one hour of class time.

“What’s the rush? Did you miss me? No? Of course not.”

Jun looked around once more. He was currently sitting in the same spot he always appeared, which was within the encirclement of beautiful trees.

He still remembered the day that Ana created these trees on a whim. Since that day, she had done many more incredible feats of nature.

Of course, these things were only possible because he was inside a dream world.

“I don’t know what I’d do if time flowed normally in my dreams…”

He murmured under his breath, but Ana still picked up on his words.

“Why do you say that?”

She floated towards the boy before gracefully sitting opposite of him.

“Because then I would be forced to spend less time with the amazing and beautiful Ana.”

He smiled wickedly as he complimented her. He didn’t know why, but his inner consciousness always liked to be complimented. Did that mean he was secretly vain?

Well, perhaps I am fairly vain. Maybe it makes sense.

Ana simply crossed her arms over her chest and looked the other way. Despite this, it was clear to see that her mood lightened considerably.

“So? Tell me about your day, or rather, days.”

Ana turned back to him and adopted an intrigued expression. She floated about in the air out of boredom, weaving between the tree trunks.

“Well, I entered PSI World. Of course, I didn’t want to, but whatever.”

Jun snorted in irritation.

“I already hate the place.”

He soon began to rant and rave about how unfair the system was.

“So then I picked the name Altruistic Reverend. Who the hell names themselves that? Of course it was taken. Even if I picked plain names such as Joby Lenq; still taken. I swear if I meet any of these people, I’m going to have a few choice words with them.”

He had cooled down considerably by the time he was done with his monologue, but overall he couldn’t help but be agitated.

“I can’t imagine calling you Joby Lenq… pft!”

Ana quickly covered her mouth as a stream of giggles came from all around the boy. Most of the names that Jun had come up with were fairly ridiculous to her.

“I would also have a hard time calling you Xin, but perhaps I can get used to it.”

She calmed down and her face was restored back to neutrality.

Although Jun didn’t tell her what name he had chosen, he didn’t need to. It was fairly normal for her to already know everything that he knew, it was only customary for her to ask him about his day to give himself an outlet.

“Alright mister. Your break is over.”

She knocked the top of his head with a stick that she conjured from thin air.

“Ow! How can I never detect that coming?”

Jun grumbled as he stood up, catching the spare stick that Ana threw toward him. Over time, they had built a routine, and this was the first thing that would usually happen.

Many years ago, it started out as play fighting. They were both bored and Jun, being an adventurous young boy, started waving a stick at her in a playful manner.

Generally speaking, one wouldn’t take too kindly when assaulted by a wooden stick, but Ana wasn’t just anyone. In fact, Ana had already been pondering how to begin this young boy’s training in such a way that it wouldn’t scare him off.

Their play fighting soon ramped up in severity over the years as she slowly taught him techniques for close quarters combat.

With time moving drastically slower in this space than reality, their time added up to be decades worth of free time that Ana used to effectively mold the boy in any way she saw fit.

Combat was only a single facet of her endeavors.

The spar quickly became fast paced once it started. Jun received a blow in a vulnerable area for every two successful blocks he made.

“You’ve gotten better!

Ana smiled as she relentless beat down on the boy. She flourished her stick, which sent Jun’s weapon flying into the distance.

“Clearly not…”

Ana created another stick out of nothing and threw it towards him.

She wasn’t lying when she said that he had gotten better; it’s just that she always increased the difficulty in small increments, making it seem like she was an unbeatable foe, which she was.

“Again!”

She said just as she swung her stick down forcibly.

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Clack!

He responded in kind with a perfect parry, before retaliating with a vicious counter. Of course, it didn’t work, but it was a notable attempt nonetheless.

The smacking of wood echoed throughout the environment. They quickly began moving at unnatural speeds as they lost themselves within their duel.

“Huff! Gaahhh.. How are you so fast!”

Jun sat on the ground gasping for breath, while Ana continued to leisurely float around him in circles.

“Who knows.”

She shrugged her shoulders with a whimsical smile.

One of the more sadistic things she had grown to appreciate over time was the look of defeat on the boy’s face. It was like a euphoric oil filling her with a sense of delight that couldn’t be explained with mere words.

“You only have a few hours left… Anything you want to practice?.”

“Nothing that I want to practice with a demon like you!”

Jun pouted pathetically. This was all he could do knowing that he would never beat her in a fight.

“Ow! Ow! Lemme go!”

Ana pinched his cheek ruthlessly before releasing him. He rubbed the sore spot and spoke in a small voice.

“Geeze, so ruthless… You have to apologize now.”

He looked at her with hurt eyes, which she knew were fake.

“Fine, fine. I’m sorry.”

She played along regardless. Despite the decades he spent within this space, Jun’s body was still that of a teenager, but his mentality was something of a mixed bag.

If one knew that Jun had mentally spent years upon years within a different dimension, they would easily assume that he would have a higher degree of maturity. While this was true in some circumstances, overall he was just as playful as he had always been.

“I’ll only accept your apology if you can entertain me.”

Jun pouted while Ana merely smiled, tilting her head to the side.

“And how will I do that?”

“I don’t know. Tell me a story!”

She gently tapped her jaw with her knuckles as she pondered what to say.

“If Little Jun insists…”

She paused for a moment of silence before letting out a soothing stream of words.

“There was once a beautiful world, with many wondrous inhabitants. The sun was a beacon of life, and the moon was a breathless work of art. Trees soared into the skies, and grassy plains littered the lands.

The people of this world were happy and prosperous, and the animals that inhabited the great wildlands were thriving. Of course, some conflicts couldn’t be prevented between the two, but a certain balance was eventually maintained.

If nothing should disturb this peaceful world, then it would eventually grow to be an apex reality. However, this future wasn’t meant to be…

One day, an unknown entity made its nest within the deepest depths of the oceans. A forgotten trench that even the greatest masters of the world would easily overlook.

Years went by. Many years of adventure, many years of neglect. During this time, the entity slowly grew in strength. Eventually, it began to infect those around it, multiplying within the ocean like a devastating plague.”

Ana smiled mirthlessly as her eyes assumed a distant look.

“The supreme ruler of the land was lost in a fairy tale and had forgotten its core duties, and unknown to anyone, the hidden entity’s forces had grown out of proportion. By the time that same ruler had realized what was happening, it was too late.

Help could no longer be called, the world was isolated from the rest of existence to fight a lonely and losing battle.

A united resistance was formed by the world’s remaining residents. Together, they took up one last stand against the hordes of darkness. All of this to protect the final trace of paradise still remaining. All of this, to protect its worthless ruler.

The ruler watched in regret as defenses failed and lives were reaped. That mighty and carefree spirit could now only silently weep for the death and destruction of its land. The anguish of a dying world was all that remained to accompany its hallowed soul, which swiftly gave in to the shadows.

Corruption won the day. The ruler was controlled by the dark entity to reconnect the severed world to reality, but they were no longer themselves. Unable to recognize friend from foe, the lonely spirit returned to the source, where it would fight to its death… or so they thought.”

Ana cast her gaze back towards Jun, who was simply stared at her with a frown.

“Ana-”

Before he could say another word, he disappeared from the spot.

----------------------------------------

“Ugh”

Jun palmed his eyes as they slowly adjusted to the bright lights of the classroom.

What a crazy story, and why did it seem so real?

Before he had the opportunity to respond to it, someone had the audacity to wake him.

“Mr. Candor, class has been over for a few minutes now.”

The professor spoke down to him with a concerned gaze.

“These naps of yours are out of control.”

Jun shook his head.

“I thought class, what?”

“You thought class would be longer? Do you have some sort of internal timer that allows you to nap for the exact duration of my class time?”

Jun shamelessly confirmed with a nod. This was almost exactly the case.

“Well sorry to cut your nap short then, but class ended early today. Many students in the class have just started the journey in the tutorial, and time in that place is most precious. I guess that leaves someone like you without much to do, but that’s your decision.”

The professor didn’t spare any further words and stalked off, leaving the boy alone in the middle of the classroom.

“Haaahhh… Why do I still come here? Is it for Amon? Perhaps to break up the monotony of life?”

Although he said this out loud, he knew the real reason why he continued to show up to class. It was because that was the last thing he had ever promised to Auntie Lisa, before she passed away.

He stood himself up and made his exit.

Apparently his class had been released off schedule, because there were currently no students roaming the halls. He didn’t bother waiting for Amon because it would still be quite some time before his own class ended.

Even if he did wait for his massive friend, he didn’t want to face him.

He knew by now just how embarrassing it was for him to have wasted his time picking a name. There was a strong chance that Amon was already neck deep in adventure, while he was just barely starting out.

He pulled his hood over his head and sulked through the empty halls. Eventually, he heard a couple distant voices after he turned a corner.

“Myra, I told you to stop this. Why do you continue to act like this?”

“What are you talking about. I’m doing this for your own good. Do you not even see? Why is it that you can’t understand me anymore?”

Jun slowed his steps. His footsteps normally made no noise when he walked, and now even his presence had been erased. This was something he learned to do early on from playing hide and seek with Ana—of course, he always lost.

“I do see. I do understand. But please Myra, whatever you’re thinking, it cannot be.”

Hina spoke softly to the fiery woman. Her voice was like a cooling agent that was constantly trying to guide the conversation.

“You don’t even know what I’m thinking. You really don’t understand me. We used to spend so much time together when we were young, and now… You’ve abandoned me Hina. Why have you left me alone all these years? You were all I had, you’re all I’ve ever had.”

Jun leaned his back against the wall.

The two girls were currently having a deep conversation just around the corner. At this point, he felt like it would be rude to suddenly interrupt.

“You know it’s not like that. I have my own duties to my family, just as you do to yours.”

Hina one again tried to reason with the emotionally distraught princess.

“But our families are not the same! Your father doesn’t treat you like some tool and you can do as you wish. You don’t know what it’s like to be me. I’m surrounded by people, but I’m so alone. I’ve been alone ever since you stopped seeing me.”

“Myra-“

Hina couldn’t speak more than a word before she was interrupted.

“No! I don’t want to be forced into marriage. I don’t want to be a princess! I don’t want to lead a nation, or a company, or… or anything else! I just want to spend the rest of my days by your side. Why can’t anyone see that? Why can’t…hic…”

“Myra, don’t cry.”

Oh boy, now I really can’t show up randomly. Pretty sure she’d target my head for the rest of my short life.

Jun let out an internal sigh as he patiently waited for them to finish their touching moment. A soft thump reached his ears.

“Hina, don’t leave me for that guy.”

Myra whimpered quietly as she hugged the woman before her.

“Myra, please don’t make a scene. I know your feelings, I do, but I just can’t. There’s someone else in this life for me. I know they’re for me. They’re all I think about. They’re my anchor that keeps me grounded. Do you understand? Without them, I’m nothing.”

Hina tried to console her old friend once more while trying to explain her thoughts. Myra shook her head and dropped her one-sided embrace.

“No, I don’t understand. You’ve only met them once, and that was last week. How can they have such an impact on your life if you had never met them before? Why can’t I be that anchor? Why can’t you rely on me?”

Myra slowly grew increasingly angry as she thought more and more on how bizarre Hina’s point of view seemed.

“Myra, let me make this clear. You can’t give me what I want. You have an obsession, and you’re just trying to shift the blame for the lack of control on your life.”

There was a small silence as the stared at each other. One’s eyes held anger, the other pity.

“Myra, I offered this to you years ago. I want to offer again, please listen to the voice of my savior. Listen to his words and let it change your worldview.”

“I refuse. Not only is it childish, but I also hate that person to my core. I will never forgive that man for stealing you.”

Hina shook her head and made a wry smile before asking a question that caused time to crawl for Myra.

“Do you know why… I stopped seeing you?”