POV: Akir

I woke up in a foggy mental state that only cleared up once I managed to raise my face off of the ground and look around.

I furrowed and then raised my eyebrows in quick succession when I found the dome of mirrors was no more and that there was a beacon of white light reaching high up in the distance.

'What's going on?' I wondered as I got up to my feet, slowly but surely. 'We were separated, and I was thrown into an illusion. Now, why is there a light in the distance? Am I supposed to go to it or run from it?'

The situation couldn't be properly described without using the word confusing, and it seemed like my job was to make it not be that way, so I started heading towards the light as theories formed inside my mind.

'The one in control here is likely the wielder of that voice, which makes you see dreams where you are tempted to drop your guard and let yourself be killed. Just based on that, you can figure out that the best option is to engage it in combat, assuming it has a physical body. If it doesn't, then you have to attack the people in your dreams. No, that's unlikely since I killed two of the people in the dream and the ruin hasn't let us out. But what if there are two voices? No, that's unlikely,' I thought as I ran towards the white light with a pace that wouldn't tire me out and affect my performance when I arrived.

Then I came to my conclusion, 'There is one opponent who can only make one person go into a dream that tries to kill them. If there were two, they could make us both dream at the same time, which would make separating us pointless. The fact that the voice waited until we were separated to strike means the person affected by its voice can likely be saved from dreaming by being physically woken up by another person. The being can seemingly control the mirrors and light inside the ruin, which are abilities that explain the things happening right now and why Calvin couldn't find me even though I was right next to him. He probably broke the mirrors in my direction and saw that I was gone and didn't think to walk in my direction, which led to the separation being successful.'

'Also, is that beam of light a distraction or a luring method? I assumed the being could achieve very high speeds in the ruin since she managed to be out of sight straight after I woke up, so if she needed me, she would just find me, right? A distraction doesn't make sense either, though. Why waste energy on something like that if it could simply leave me to wander around in the darkness?'

Then I realized the most likely possibility, 'Screaming at myself didn't seem to work at all in the dream. It was only when I calmed down, assessed the situation thoroughly, and gave myself a simple command in a calm manner that I managed to gain control. In other words, a calm mental state is essential when going through a dream. So if I were the being, I would try to get my targets into an unfavorable state of mind. That means the light is there to lure me in and make me see something that will make my mental state as erratic as possible.'

I put a considerably larger amount of power into my steps and launched myself forward at the light, running nearly at top speed with only one thought in my mind, 'Hold on, Calvin.'

***

After running at top speed for several minutes, I arrived in front of a dome of mirrors with sweat dripping off of my forehead.

I wasn't worried about my energy levels currently, though. All I was worried about was Calvin's well-being. If he was dead, my time would soon come to an end as well. We had to fight together.

Straight after arriving, I proceeded to summon my dagger, break one of the mirrors with the pommel, and hop inside the dome before the mirror was reconstructed.

Then I saw him. Calvin lying on the floor, unharmed. I briefly exhaled with relief before rushing to wake him up.

I took a hold of him and shook him a bit, but he didn't wake up.

"Hey, Calvin!" I yelled and shook him some more.

That was when a wound suddenly appeared on his chest.

My brows furrowed, and I loosened my grip. "Huh?"

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I remained shaken for a while, but blood started gushing from the wound at a rapid pace not long after its sudden appearance, which made me snap out of my confusion and put pressure on the wound.

"Calvin, wake up! Calvin! Wake up!" I yelled as loudly as I could, not quite sure who my anger was directed at.

'How did this happen? Wasn't Calvin like me? How could he die like this?' I thought and looked up, only to see my own pathetic figure reflected off of the mirrors up above.

My eyes were watery, as if I was about to cry. 'Is this how far I've fallen? Reduced to tears every time something horrible happened.'

I looked back down at my dying companion and gritted my teeth while I focused on clearing my mind, at least for the duration of the following events.

Knowing that Calvin was beyond saving and aware of what was coming, I started preparations.

'I'm sorry that I can't save you, but I'll make sure to avenge you and survive. I won't surrender," I thought before switching my dagger into a reverse grip and stabbing my left hand.

Then the voice entered my mind.

"Dream."

My body went limp immediately afterward, and I collapsed, but the pain from my hand kept my mind clear. I focused on the pain and became one with it, letting the sensation overtake my whole body. The pain was felt in every body part, and I was slowly regaining control.

I eventually managed to squeeze my injured hand into a fist, and the pain grew even greater, allowing me to start getting up.

It was then that the mirrors up above shifted, letting through a bright-eyed woman dressed in white robes.

As I was having trouble sitting up, the woman directed her soft gaze at me with a look that was similar to those people give to stray dogs.

'You!' My expression twisted.

The woman finally ended her descension right as I was getting back to my feet, just so that she could stop me in time.

She took a hold of me and pushed me down gently. I would have liked to make a rapid movement of my hand and end her on the spot, but my movements were too strained and slow.

She took a hold of my injured hand. "Relax."

In an instant, my pain was gone, as if I had been put on the most effective pain medicine imaginable.

My head was lowered slowly to the ground as I entered a lying-down position, but my murderous gaze stayed on the woman at all times.

Then the woman leaned in close and repeated one simple command that haunted my mind, "Dream."

The muscles in my neck loosened, and my face rolled to the side, my eyes closing and opening multiple times in a second while I desperately fought the effects of her voice.

"Aaaagh!" I grunted, burdened by all the stress being put on my psyche, and the woman looked at me with pity in her eyes.

My fury grew. A death like this was unacceptable. I didn't care anymore. I was ready to die in this ruin, but I wouldn't let it be like this.

'That's right. I'm ready to die. So come on. Move, hands. Move!'

It was no use.

Why did I want to kill this person so much that I was fine with dying because of it anyway? Did she just hurt my pride with her gaze? Did I even have that much pride anymore that it would make me this angry?

'Right. I want revenge. But do I really care about Calvin that much, or do I just want to unleash all my anger on this being in front of me? I don't know..."

My eyes were going to shut, and it would be all over. My mind wasn't stable enough.

"Haaah," I let out all the air in my lungs and decided to breathe no more.

'Am I strong? Whatever. Judge me one more time. I want revenge... Revenge for my friend,' I thought, and what followed was a familiar process that made my eyes open wide.

"Graah," I let out a sound of pain, and the woman gave me a surprised look.

My chest burned as if something was melting a hole in me and making its way through my body. And when the burning eventually stopped, an electric shock took my body by surprise and made me experience something akin to a mini-heart attack. However, I didn't care much for the pain and simply waited in suspense for what was to come.