"Dreams are prophecies twisted from memories."
- Illusion Notes, Volume IX [Act One - Jack's Whisper]
Yami Aoi was jolted awake in the middle of the night.
But the world before his eyes... was not Eastcloud Academy.
He stood in a checkerboard of black and white, the sky inverted above him, and all around him were shattered fragments of a magic tower - as if countless battle memories had collapsed into an endless nightmare.
In the depths of the twisted space, someone was sitting on the shattered remains of a tall tower.
It was a boy in a red and black cloak, a faint smile playing on his lips, his eyes darker than the night itself.
He held up a card: the Jack of Hearts.
"Yami Aoi, welcome to my world."
Yami frowned and tried to pull out the Queen's phantom card - but found he could not react.
Jack reached out and the space around them shattered into swirling illusions, trapping Yami inside.
"You have made your queen's vow. Now it's time to face your true cost - the thing you fear losing the most is not your strength.
It's your emotions."
The illusions tore at him - the figure of Sayaka Oudo appeared, shattered, rebuilt, and broken again, countless times.
"Are you willing to protect her again and again... until even she can no longer recognize you?"
Jack's whisper cut into his soul like a blade.
"Act Two - Magic Tower Lockdown
In Reality- The perimeter of Eastcloud Academy's Magic Tower was alarmed.
The administration announced, "Due to unknown illusion anomalies, the Magic Tower is now under full lockdown.
All members of the Magic Club were forbidden to leave, and upperclassmen from the Defense Division were assigned to maintain order.
But the truth was far more sinister: the Vice Principal and the Principal had already issued a secret directive - "The Jack personality has awakened. The Queen's Vow is complete. Yami Aoi must be contained.
Fonk contacted Kamima Satoma urgently.
"We have lost control.
Yami's consciousness is trapped in a dream cap.
"We have lost control.
Yami's consciousness is trapped in a dreamscape created by Jack, and the Magic Tower is sealed."
"I'm going in," Satoma said, grabbing his summoning whip as three spirit beasts materialized around him.
"Me too," Sayaka Oudo said, putting on her illusion feather uniform, her eyes filled with determination.
"Act Three - Magic Tower Attack
Yami's body hovered at the core of the Magic Tower, sealed in the depths of his consciousness by Jack.
Meanwhile, Fonk led a small strike team to break through the lockdown:
Kamima Satoma, Sayaka Oudo and Akane Shinra formed the "Rescue Assault Squad".
They faced two Illusion Operatives sent by the Seiyu Foundation.
A battle erupted!
Satoma used his whip technique, Shadow Binding Ring, to take control of the tower gates by force.
Akane unleashed her twin-blade formation, Crossed Ten Slashes, clearing a bloody path through the narrow corridors.
Sayaka unfurled her winged illusion, Fanciful Bubbles, peeling away layers of hallucination fields.
[Act Four - Queen × Jack's Domain]
Inside the dreamscape, Jack smiled mockingly.
"Can you accept it?
To become an incomplete version of yourself, to carry her trust into a battlefield from which you can never return?"
Yami slowly raised his hand, the Queen card materialized again, and with all his strength he answered:
"I can't accept it.
But I can't run away either."
The powers of Queen and Jack collided in his mind - the Jack of Hearts began to shatter.
Jack roared - but a hint of satisfaction crossed his face.
"Well... it seems you are worthy to inherit the next card."
The Dreamscape began to collapse.
[Act Five - Return × Lockdown Lifted]
At the core of the Magic Tower, the twin sigils of Queen and Jack manifested.
Yami slowly opened his eyes, both the Queen and Jack cards orbiting around him, his illusion energy swirling violently, suppressing the entire room.
Sayaka rushed to him without hesitation and grabbed his bloodied arms.
"You're back," she said.
Yami answered in a low voice, "No... We came back together."
At the top of the tower, Fonk looked up at the stormy sky and murmured:
"The true King of Cards... is finally beginning to awaken."
"Undercurrents Within the Academy
In the Principal's Office - The Vice Principal sneered as he reviewed the failed lockdown report.
"He has awakened...
The next step is for the king to appear."
The Principal rose to his feet, opened a secure vault, and revealed not documents, but a staff forged from otherworldly materials.
He put on black-gold gloves.
"Eastcloud Academy... is our final proving ground."