The dawn had fully broken over Ravin, but the village's quiet was laced with a new tension. In the shadow of the clocktower, Lior, Mira, Rhéa, and the enigmatic Soren gathered, the ancient map spread out between them like a portal to unseen realms.
Soren's eyes glimmered as he traced a finger over the parchment's strange markings.
"These shards," he began, voice calm but edged with urgency, "are fragments of the Dreamgate's original heart. Each holds a different aspect of its power — creation, memory, hope, and despair. The one you wield, Lior, is tied to hope. It chose you because of the strength of your belief, your light."
---
Lior studied the map carefully.
"But if there are others," Mira asked, "could someone else find them first? What if they fall into the wrong hands?"
Soren nodded grimly.
"Exactly. The Bleeding One was only one of many forces seeking to claim the shards. Others are more subtle — agents of chaos disguised as allies, or shadows lurking within dreams, waiting to corrupt."
---
Rhéa frowned.
"How do we find the others? How do we protect them?"
Soren smiled faintly.
"That is why I have come. I am a Seeker — a guardian tasked with finding these fragments before darkness can claim them. But my path has been long and perilous, and the Dreamgate's boundaries grow thinner every day."
He pulled a small, crystalline orb from beneath his cloak. It shimmered with a soft blue light.
"This orb will help us navigate the dreamscape — revealing hidden paths and lost realms where shards may lie."
---
Lior reached out, touching the orb. A wave of images flooded his mind — visions of distant worlds bathed in twilight, vast cities carved from crystal, forests that whispered secrets on the wind.
"The shards are scattered across realms beyond our own," Soren explained. "To protect the Dreamgate, we must journey beyond Ravin — beyond even the dreamscape."
---
A heavy silence settled over the group as the weight of their quest sank in.
Mira broke the silence, determination lighting her eyes.
"We've fought the Bleeding One together. We can face whatever comes next."
Rhéa nodded.
"The dream still lives in all of us. We won't let it die."
Lior clenched his fist around the shard.
"Then let's find the shards — and the guardians who can help us keep the dream alive."
---
Outside, the sun climbed higher, scattering the last shadows of night.
But far beyond Ravin, in realms untouched by light, unseen eyes watched and waited — heralds of chaos stirring to reclaim what was lost.
The true battle for the Dreamgate was only beginning.