A WEEK LATER.
Darkness pressed in from all sides, thick and suffocating, like water weighing down on his chest. Luke stumbled, knees shaking, heart hammering against his ribs. In the center of the void stood a figure bathed in pulsating blue light—cold, merciless, alive.
"Didn't I tell you to stop bothering me?" Luke's voice trembled, barely a whisper, swallowed instantly by the oppressive dark.
The figure's grin spread unnaturally wide, impossibly stretching across a face that should not have moved that way. Its eyes glowed like twin stars of pure malice.
"Nonsense," it said, its voice vibrating through Luke's bones, echoing inside his skull. "No living being tells me what to do."
A jagged crystal erupted from its chest, floating between them. Inside, Luke saw himself—not as he was, but as the figure wanted him to be: broken, twisted, memories shattered, fears magnified. Every fragment of his life screamed in silence.
"When I take over," the figure hissed, voice curling like smoke around his mind, "I will consume you. Every thought. Every heartbeat. Every hope."
Luke's knees gave way. Panic clawed up his throat, burning. "No! No! NOOO!" he screamed—but the darkness didn't retreat. It pressed closer, folding in on him, crushing space and time alike.
Tentacles of cold, unseen energy wrapped around his consciousness. Every memory he held dear felt like it was being ripped apart, twisted into shapes that weren't his. His lungs burned as if the very air had been stolen.
Then—light.
A flare of heat and life tore through the nightmare. A sharp, unyielding voice cut straight through the void:
"LUKE! FOCUS! WAKE UP!"
The figure shrieked, twisting, as its grip unraveled like a thread. Shadows splintered violently. For the first time, Luke could breathe.
He gasped, jolting upright. Sunlight poured across the ship's deck. The sea rolled beneath them, waves gentle and real. The cold, blue presence had vanished entirely.
Sora was there, crouched beside him, one arm steadying him, eyes hard but calm. "Finally," he said, smirk faint but real. "Took you long enough to come back to us. Don't let a little nightmare scare you before the Academy even opens its doors."
Luke swallowed, chest heaving. "I… I almost…" His voice faltered, disbelief and lingering fear clinging to him.
"You were seeing shadows," Sora said firmly. "The real fight is still coming. But for now… you're awake. And alive."
Luke's gaze drifted to the horizon. There, the Saint Academy rose in solemn majesty, sprawling and unyielding against the sky. Vast. Intimidating. Real.
For the first time since the vision began, a spark flared inside him. Fear ebbed, replaced by something sharper, hotter: determination. And somewhere deep inside, he felt it stir—the echo of power waiting to awaken.
"Looks like the hyperactive boy finally turned into a crybaby," Lucy said, stepping out from the shadows, her smirk sharp as a blade.
Luke's eyes snapped wide. "Crybaby? Me? You've got to be kidding! I—"
"—I am the bravest boy alive!" he roared, voice cracking slightly, but full of dramatic flair.
Sora's eyebrow arched lazily. "SPIDER," he muttered, flat and heavy.
Without warning, Luke leaped with springing force, arms outstretched, landing straight into Lucy's embrace. "HAAAA!" his voice echoed like a battle cry—half triumphant, half terrified.
Lucy caught him effortlessly, holding him steady. "Epic as always," she said, tilting her head. "Bravest boy alive, huh? You really know how to prove it."
Sora shook his head, letting out a low chuckle, while Luke struggled like a tiny whirlwind in Lucy's arms, heroically determined to stay "brave."
"Hey, can you guys keep it down? My head hurts," Rin called lazily, strolling onto the deck, eyes squinting against the sun.
"I just wanted to say—wait—" Rin froze mid-sentence. His jaw dropped.
Luke and Lucy turned to him. Time seemed to stall.
"It's not what you think!" Lucy exclaimed, dropping Luke abruptly to the deck with a thud that echoed across the waves.
"HEY! You could've been gentler, Lady!" Luke roared, springing up, hair plastered to his face, pride bruised more than anything else.
Lucy smirked. "Gentle? That's not exactly your style either, hero."
Luke scrambled upright, glaring. "I—I am the bravest boy alive! And I—"
"—still somehow manage to make everyone look bad," Sora interjected dryly from a few steps back.
Rin groaned, rubbing his temple. "I can't have a peaceful day…"
Luke jumped up, pointing dramatically at Rin. "You… you understand me? Finally!"
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Bravest boy alive… yeah, sure."
Luke's face turned red. "I am incredible! And fearless! And the bravest boy alive!"
Sora rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, the bravest boy alive who just got dropped from a standing jump. Got it."
All of a sudden, the ship's horn blared—a deep, resonant sound.
A calm, commanding voice followed:
"Prepare yourselves. We've arrived… at the Saint Academy."
Excitement rippled through the crew. People rushed to the railings. There it was: an island rising from the mist, cliffs jagged and imposing, sprawling towers and terraces glinting in the sunlight.
Sora leaned against the railing, eyebrow raised. "Hey, Lucy… you mentioned the City of Lao, but all I see is an island."
Lucy's smirk returned, cool and knowing. "Names can be deceiving. The City of Lao isn't just a city—it's everything on this island. Welcome to the Academy, Sora. Things are about to get interesting."
Sora's fists tightened. "Mom… I hope you could see this," he said, smirking as his fingers brushed against the chain around his neck, a reminder of everything he fights for.