Scene 2.1: Smiles Beneath Lingering Dreams
…On the night when that invisible bridge still stretched across someone's heart, the skies above Skyperion remained calm—unaware, it seemed, that a storm might already be forming…
Akira's unease had followed him all the way into his dreams. Though what he dreamed of at first wasn't particularly ominous—it was merely a memory. One of those carefree times when he used to play a Three Kingdoms game. He was controlling a warrior, mowing down hordes of soldiers and dueling famous generals from history. Back then, it was just for fun.
But tonight, he jolted awake, drenched in sweat, his chest heaving. Because near the end of the dream, that harmless memory had shifted—morphed into a nightmare. He had been surrounded on all sides by a sea of enemies, a tide of soldiers stretching to the horizon. And then, the familiar game characters warped into faces he now knew: people from Noren's side… from Kalan's… and worst of all, Evan appeared. His presence so menacing, so overwhelming, that Akira snapped awake.
Still breathless, Akira stared at the ceiling, the remnants of the battlefield clinging to his senses like smoke in his nostrils. He muttered to himself,
"It was just a dream. It's not real. I've met them… they're not bad people. They were kind."
Just then, he noticed a white cloth being held out to him. He turned and saw—
"You had a nightmare, didn't you, buddy?"
Draco's familiar voice soothed him more than the cold cloth ever could. Akira took it, wiping his face with a small sigh.
"Yeah… Just a dream. Nothing more."
And yet, even in waking, the dread still clung to him—until the cold cloth touched his skin. The chill was like water washing away the smoke… grounding him once again in the real world.
Draco sat down beside him, slinging an arm around Akira's shoulder in a familiar, brotherly way.
"I know you, Akira. You worry too much. Maybe it's because you're too smart—you try to plan for every possibility. But don't forget… you've got us. You're allowed to fall. And when you do, we'll be there to catch you. Heck—if we can help it, we won't let you fall in the first place."
Akira turned to him with a grateful smile. Draco's sincerity had never once wavered.
"Thanks, man."
Draco grinned and held out a fist.
"Don't carry everything alone, okay? We're friends now. A team. Whatever happens, we face it together."
Akira chuckled softly, the weight on his heart finally lifting a little. He bumped his fist gently against Draco's.
"Haha… Alright. I'll let you carry a good chunk of it. You've got gravity magic anyway—might as well put it to use."
Draco stood up, his well-trained figure still glistening slightly from his early morning workout.
"Damn right I will. Now hurry up and wash your face. The girls are waiting for breakfast."
Akira headed to the sink with a smile. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror—Draco behind him, getting dressed—and something warm flickered in his chest.
"Right. I'm not alone anymore. Even if I came from a different world… I still matter here. And the people here matter to me. Sure, there are moments when it gets lonely. But if I just look around… there's always someone standing beside me."
He splashed water on his face, then looked himself in the eyes with renewed determination.
"Alright, fate. Bring it on. People always fantasize about being whisked away to another world—but they have no idea how hard it really is. Still… I'm already here. I've been given this chance. So I'm gonna give it my all—for those dreamers back on Earth who'll never get to live it themselves."
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After preparing himself to face the storm of political intrigue ahead, Akira descended the stairs with newfound resolve.
He could already hear the girls' voices downstairs—light-hearted, cheerful, full of laughter.
"This… this is the peace I want to protect."
"But they're not just people I want to protect. They're people I can count on too. If we're all together like this—there's nothing to fear."
As he stepped into the dining hall, a familiar voice greeted him brightly.
"Why are you so late, big bro? I already came to get you twice! Didn't Draco wake you up?"
Yue pouted and walked up to him.
Draco followed behind with a smirk, glancing around for someone.
"I did wake him. But he was in way too deep a sleep. I mean—I could've punched him in the stomach like we do in Draken… but that felt a bit much."
Mirelle burst out laughing as Akira and Yue turned pale.
"Whaaat? You guys punch each other awake in Draken? That's brutal! Haha!"
Keela gave a soft chuckle.
"Good thing I was already up making breakfast."
Elina raised an eyebrow.
"Do I need to sleep with a barrier around my stomach now or something?"
Osiris poked Elina gently in the tummy.
"I don't think Brother Draco would dare touch you, sis. Actually… more like the opposite."
That one comment shut everyone up.
The room suddenly went quiet—too quiet.
Eyes flicked around, avoiding contact, everyone pretending not to look at each other.
The awkward silence stretched on a bit too long.
Finally, Draco cleared his throat and broke it—albeit a little flustered.
"Alright, alright! Why's everyone so quiet? Come on, let's eat! We've got a fun day ahead, remember? Don't let our adventure time slip away!"
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As soon as Draco mentioned going out, the girls lit up again—chatting and chirping like a flock of birds, their voices lively and overlapping with excitement.
Still, in between the giggles and the planning, quiet whispers began to flutter between a few of them…
Meanwhile, Akira stood just behind, smiling and chuckling softly before joining them at the table.
Osiris leaned in toward Elina and whispered,
"His heart rate spiked this morning. I think he had a nightmare."
Elina nodded gently, her voice low.
"Then let's make sure he gets a relaxing day."
On the other side, Mirelle whispered to Keela,
"Hey… doesn't he seem a little worn out today? Should I give him a little buff?"
Keela shook her head with a small smile.
"Nah, that'd be too obvious. Let's just play it cool—serve up some kindness with good food and nice words."
Mirelle gave a subtle nod in agreement.
Not far away, Yue leaned close to Draco and murmured behind her hand,
"Draco, is Akira worrying about something again? That forced smile of his—it's not fooling me."
Draco replied quietly,
"Beats me. He probably just had a bad dream from all the stress."
Yue frowned.
"That won't do. We need to take him out and refresh his spirit."
Even though they tried to keep their voices low, Akira heard everything—thanks to the enchanted Earring of Compassion he'd received after defeating Nagaria, the Sin of Envy.
The earring heightened his focus and clarity toward voices he subconsciously cared about…
So even though he hadn't meant to eavesdrop, the whispers reached him clearly.
Still, he pretended not to notice, smiling inwardly.
"Guess I really let my worries show on my face, huh?
But… I'm happy. Happy that they care this much.
We haven't even known each other that long, but look at us now…
They're already precious to me. My comrades. My people."
He then leaned forward, pretending to be absorbed in the food before him—masking the fact that he'd heard every soft word shared between them.
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Breakfast that morning wasn't just any breakfast.
It wasn't the quantity that stood out—but the level of care, precision, and top-tier ingredients in every single dish.
Keela took pride in presenting each item, and even if we'd tasted some of them before, the quality felt a league above anything we'd had elsewhere.
So much so that Akira couldn't help but comment as he took his seat:
"This meal's dangerously good, Keela… Mirelle… I'm in trouble."
Yue blinked, confused.
"How can you be in trouble when it tastes so good?"
Akira raised an eyebrow.
"Because if it's this good, I won't be able to stop.
And if I can't stop, I'll balloon into a golden flying blimp in no time."
Mirelle burst into laughter, beaming.
"Then I guess I'll just have to hitch a ride and fly around on your Blacklight Express!"
Osiris shot her a sideways glance.
"That'd be way too fast. You know how insane his Blacklight Step is."
Mirelle grinned—but suddenly went quiet, her cheeks flushing pink. She mumbled to herself, just barely loud enough to hear:
"Yeah… he even carried me with that light. Like a princess, too… and then forgot how to land. Geez, idiot…"
Still chuckling at her own memory, she didn't notice the others side-eyeing her.
Keela, meanwhile, placed a hand over her chest and spoke with composed pride.
"Akira… I can only pull off something like this while I'm here.
This castle has the best ingredients, the best kitchen, amazing assistants…
So if you're already addicted to this kind of food… maybe you'll just have to live here."
As soon as she said it, her face turned bright red. She tried her best to keep her cool expression, but failed spectacularly.
Akira, just as flustered, didn't even know how to respond.
Everyone else caught the true meaning in her words instantly—
except perhaps Mirelle, still lost in her own thoughts, and Yue, who interpreted it a little differently.
"That won't work, Keela. We still have to travel across so many continents!
If Akira doesn't take me along, I'll definitely fail my mother's trial!"
Elina looked over, puzzled.
"Trial? Wait—your mom is the Gatekeeper of Celes, right?
Wouldn't that make her challenge, like… the hardest?"
Yue tapped her chin.
"Hm… maybe? She didn't really say anything specific.
She just told me to stay by my brother's side—even when the world is at its darkest. That's all."
She turned to Akira with her trademark closed-eye smile.
"But even if she hadn't said it, I'd have done that anyway."
Akira raised an eyebrow as he poked at a piece of meat.
"That's all she said? She barely even spoke to me when we met… and it was only for a moment.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Gryp already feels like… part of the family."
Keela gave a soft smile and whispered under her breath—so quiet that no one else could hear:
"…Part of the family…
I'm glad… that you feel that way."
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Some of us glanced at Keela, then turned to listen as Yue mumbled, a slight pout in her voice.
"You probably didn't know, but my mom can only say a limited number of words.
She's the Oracle of the daughter of Chronos—the god of creation and time.
So every word she speaks carries divine weight… She has to be extremely careful about what she says."
Akira's eyes widened.
"Wait… God of Creation? Like, an actual god? A real, living one?"
Everyone turned to him. Even Draco made a face.
"Uh… yeah? Of course there is. You seriously didn't know?
Even I knew that. I thought you already did."
Mirelle asked gently, smiling with warm curiosity.
"Akira, does your world… not have gods?"
Akira set down his fork.
"Well… I don't really know if they actually exist.
No one's ever seen one, not in real life anyway.
But there are people who believe in religions, and lots of myths and legends about gods—so many it's impossible to count."
Yue tilted her head.
"But behind the Gates of Celes, there are real gods.
That's what Mom told me. Chronos lives in the origin-dimension, in a village called Alteria.
He sent representatives to watch over the stars beyond the Gates.
There are temples in every realm!"
Keela lit up, her voice excited.
"Then let's go to Skyperion's temple later! There's a big one really close to the castle!"
Osiris tapped her holographic screen open with a flick.
"Then our first sightseeing stop today is the temple."
She glanced up.
"Keela, mind sending me the coordinates?"
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Keela gave a small nod, just as Elina spoke up.
"So today really is a day off, huh? I think I'd like to go clothes shopping."
Yue stood up with a sparkle in her voice.
"And I want to try out all the must-visit cafés in Skyperion! I've already got the list—I'll send you the coordinates! Hehe!"
Mirelle teased with a smirk.
"Wow, someone came prepared. Then I'll tag along too—but I need to restock my mana supplies first. I'm completely out."
"I'm coming too," Akira chimed in suddenly.
"I'll cover the cost."
Mirelle laughed.
"You sure you've got the funds? That stuff's pricey."
Akira opened the item box that the Valkyrie had given him and pulled out a small ornate chest.
"All I've got are these. I don't even know what they're worth.
Hopefully… enough?"
Everyone leaned in to help spread out the coins. Mirelle let out a sympathetic sigh.
"Hmm… These are actually worth a lot, but they're way too old. Nobody uses these anymore.
You'd need to auction them off to collectors if you want to convert them into usable cash.
Keela, is there a collector's auction house nearby?"
Keela looked unsure.
"There's a big one around here, but I'm not sure how specialized it is.
I don't know much about these things… I'll call Norren and ask."
Osiris took charge.
"Alright, then. First stop: the temple.
Then Yue's café.
Then the auction house.
Lunch at Yue's recommended spot.
Then Mirelle's magic shop, another café, and finally, Elina's fashion hunt.
Anyone else have a request? Draco?"
Draco tapped his chin.
"Not really. Normally on my days off, I just lie around doing nothing…
or I train. That's it.
So honestly, I'd be happy just tagging along with you all."
Akira turned to Osiris.
"What about you? Got somewhere you'd like to go?"
Osiris looked down slightly, her voice tinged with sadness.
"If I'm honest…
I really want to reach out to someone.
I want to talk to him, but I don't have any way to contact him.
So… I guess I'll just hope we meet again someday.
For now, just being part of this trip is enough."
Keela then declared with queenly authority at the breakfast table,
"Well then! Our schedule is set. Let's charge up and enjoy this day to the fullest.
I'll have dinner prepared and waiting for us tonight.
But for now—eat up, everyone!"
With Keela's proclamation, we dove into a breakfast that could rival anything we'd ever imagined. It wasn't the quantity that overwhelmed us—it was the quality. Every dish was made with top-tier ingredients and plated with meticulous care.
Each bite felt like it could lift you straight to heaven.
Truly worthy of Arcadia's royal domain.
The only issue? The food was light.
Painfully light.
Thankfully, Keela had made plenty.
So in the end—we all left the table, fully satisfied.
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