The towel hung limp in Kai's hand.
Outside the fogged windows of Café Somnium, a silver mist coiled through the cobbled alleys like lazy spirits dancing between sleep and memory. Gone was the black rain from before—now the air smelled like wet stone and old dreams.
Kai stood behind the counter, leaning against it with the casual grace of someone pretending everything was fine. It wasn't.
The ceiling fan creaked above. The espresso machine sat idle, blinking like it wanted purpose again. And deep in the back of his mind...
> [SYSTEM STATUS: ACTIVE]
Dream State: Stable
Dream Codex Progress: 2.0%
Potential Summoning Detected – Probability: 4%
Realm Link: Waking Realm – Secured
New Title Acquired: The One Who Hears
He squinted. "The hell does that mean?"
No answer. Of course not.
The System didn't speak like a voice—it whispered in symbols, stats, and strange impressions in his chest, like remembering a feeling before the memory caught up. He could feel it pulsing now, a rhythm beneath reality.
No one else knew about this. Not the old couple across the street. Not the mailman with his third-eye tattoo. Not even the shadow-cat that sometimes slipped under the café door like it paid rent.
Only Kai.
Only the Dream Walker.
He didn't even choose the title. It just… arrived.
And someone was dreaming again.
A pressure swelled behind his eyes. Familiar now. Like déjà vu laced with thunder.
---
He blinked.
And Café Somnium dissolved like sugar in warm milk.
---
He was standing on a boundless salt flat, under an orange sky too wide for comfort. Jagged obsidian towers jutted from the horizon, etched in glowing red glyphs that pulsed like heartbeats.
The air stank of sulfur and wilted lilies—like someone had tried to host a funeral in hell but brought the wrong bouquet.
In the distance stood a young girl, maybe thirteen, barefoot and wrapped in ceremonial robes far too big for her. Her eyes were swollen from crying.
"You came…" she whispered.
Kai didn't answer right away. He was still trying to figure out whether he was here because of the System, the summoning, or just really bad sleep hygiene.
The girl bowed deeply. "I offered the Rite of Lost Names… a drop of blood, three tears, and my favorite doll. I just wanted Papa to come home…"
She sniffled and raised a hand.
From thin air, a silk-wrapped object floated to him—weightless, warm, and trembling like it knew what it was for.
> [ITEM ACQUIRED: Candle of Veyne]
Emits Truthfire. Burns through illusions.
Standard Use: Requires life exchange.
[System Override Detected]
Life Exchange Nullified – You Are Dream Walker
Item Sync: Complete
Passive Unlocked – Lies within 10 feet now whisper audibly.
Dream Energy Absorption: +3%
Kai caught it with one hand.
The candle pulsed faintly in his palm—warm, alive, and humming with something ancient.
"Who are you… really?" the girl asked, her voice cracking.
Kai knelt slowly. "I don't know yet," he said honestly. "But I think I'm here because you wished hard enough."
She stared at him. "I dreamed of gods. You don't feel like a god…"
He smiled faintly. "Good. I'm allergic to worship."
The salt beneath her feet shimmered.
She faded, piece by piece, like sand pulled apart by wind.
---
The café returned around him in one smooth breath.
He didn't flinch this time. Just gently set the candle beside the old cash register, where its faint flame flickered even unlit.
> [SYSTEM NOTICE]
Dream Summon #2 Complete
Memory Imprint: Stored
Codex Sync: +1%
Skill Unlocked – Whisper of Lies [Toggle: ON/OFF]
New Trait: You exist where belief and desperation intersect.
You are not bound by cost. But you are always needed.
Kai sat on the windowsill, arms folded. Outside, the mist pulsed like breath.
"Two summons," he murmured. "Two artifacts. And a skill that lets me hear lies whispering like gossipy ghosts. All I need now is a coffee machine that doesn't hate me."
Ping!
> [Side Quest Available: Barista Blues – Repair the coffee machine and stop the café from sounding like a dying duck. Reward: ???]
"…Are you serious?"
He sighed. "Fine. But only because I'm tired of tea."
As he moved to inspect the ancient machine, a muffled whisper echoed from the candle.
Someone in the Waking Realm had just lied within its range. Kai paused. He could hear it:
> "I'm okay."
A lie.
The candle glowed faintly in sympathy.
Somewhere, someone was dreaming again.
And this time, it wouldn't be a child calling out for a lost father.
Kai wiped his hands on the still-damp towel and whispered to no one, "Let's see who needs saving next."
The fog outside danced.
And the Dream Walker waited.