Scene 1: Fractured Voices
"Wait, Ron... please save me first," Dream's voice echoed faintly in my mind.
"What? Where can I find you?" I asked silently, my pace slowing.
"I'm trapped here... You noticed how I can only speak to you briefly? This place is suppressing me. I can speak only because of you... Ron, please, he—"
Her voice faded out.
I spun to face Sami. "Is there anyone else trapped here?"
Suddenly, purple translucent screens appeared in front of me.
YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE SCENARIOS
HERE IS YOUR REWARD
1. Blade of Vengeance (Weapon)
2. King of the Mirror World (Fable)
Carter's POV:
YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE SCENARIOS
HERE IS YOUR REWARD
1. Dark Faith (Weapon + Ability)
2. Mental Barrier (Ability)
Ron's POV:
The message disappeared. I turned back to Sami.
His expression darkened. "I'm sorry, Ron. I can't help you with that."
I grabbed the edge of his cloak. "Please, Sami. She's important to me."
Sami narrowed his eyes, smirking. "She? You've never gone this far for any random woman."
"She's my wife," I lied.
Sami blinked. "Your what?"
Carter, still groggy, shot upright. "Wife?! Did he say wife?"
Rad, who had just stepped into the hallway, doubled over laughing.
> [IF UGLY RON CAN GET A WIFE, THEN MAYBE I CAN TOO]
(Only Ron can see this message. Only Ron can see Dream.)
"You jerk," Ron whispered in his mind.
Sami finally sighed. "Alright. There are people trapped here. But I don't know where. I've only heard whispers... There are two women. One is the daughter of the Watcher of the Universe. The other—his right-hand man's daughter. Both powerful. Both trapped for centuries."
"Why?" I asked.
"No clue. They're stuck in the darkness that exists before a scenario begins." He turned to Rad. "You can take him there."
Scene 2: Gateways and Burdens
I turned to Rad. He looked nervous, like a secret had been exposed.
"Why'd you tell him in front of everyone?" Rad hissed at Sami.
"Help Ron," Sami insisted. "He's our old friend."
Rad groaned. "It's hard on my body when I use dimension travel."
"I know, but he's trying to save his wife," Carter added.
Rad sighed. "Fine. Ron, I'll help you."
I hesitated. "Th-thanks."
Rad motioned. "Place your hand on my shoulder."
Carter joined in on the other side. Rad closed his eyes.
Reality bent. Time unraveled. We passed through layers—dimensions, timelines, parallel universes. We arrived back in the hallway. Rad opened a swirling, unstable portal.
"Hurry up and enter the damn portal," he grunted.
As we stepped through, Sami asked, "Why did you make them touch your shoulder? You can open portals freely."
Rad smirked. "I was exhausted. I borrowed a sliver of their power to stabilize us while we drifted through multiversal currents. Once I recovered, I created the portal."
Scene 3: Reunion Across Time
Carter and I landed in a vast, colorless plain—flat, featureless, endless.
"This must be the place," Carter said.
"You think?"
"Looks like a prison for gods."
I stepped forward and felt resistance. An invisible wall. I pushed my Ki into it.
A voice rang out like thunder.
RECOGNIZING KI/VOICES
CHARACTER RECOGNIZED
WELCOME, RON
"What the hell?" I muttered. "How does it know me?"
"You sure you haven't been here before?" Carter asked.
"First time," I replied.
We walked further. Another invisible barrier. I touched it. It began to dissolve.
A door appeared before us.
We exchanged glances.
"Let's go," Carter said.
Inside was a futuristic apartment—sleek, cold, and strangely serene. Two women stood before us, shocked.
I whispered, "Dream…"
Both women stared at me. One had purple eyes and was wrapped in white cloth from head to toe—only her eyes visible. The other looked familiar but I couldn't place her.
> Thanks for finding me, Ron, Dream said in my head.
Dream (from my mind) stepped toward the woman in white. The real-world Dream moved toward her as well. They touched hands—light burst out.
When the light faded, only one Dream remained—the purple-eyed one.
The other woman looked at Carter. She ran forward, but caught herself and stopped.
Dream turned to me. "No need to be shocked, mister. The original me split into three. One version stayed in your mind. One was trapped here. The third… I don't know. But now two of us are one again."
I asked, "And her?" I pointed toward the second woman.
"That's the future Lia. She came from a timeline where Carter died. She's… his wife from that world."
"Future?" I blinked.
"Ask her later," Dream said. "She deserves time with him."
She turned to me. "Thank you, Ron. I always knew we'd meet."
"No, thank you—for being with me when I needed you most."
Scene 4: Return
We walked back through the fading door.
I used my teleportation and brought everyone to Sami's house.
We parted ways there.
I took Dream with me. Because, well… I had lied. I had to keep up the act.
Lia stayed behind with Carter. After all, she had waited lifetimes for him.