The dreams didn't stop.
They became clearer.
Stronger.
More real.
At first, Aiden thought they were just fragments of his imagination—strange visions caused by the same power growing inside him. But as days passed, he began to notice something unsettling.
They weren't random.
They were the same place.
Every time.
Aiden stood on the edge of a floating island, staring into a sky that burned crimson and gold. The air pulsed like a heartbeat, and the ground beneath his feet felt alive—like it was watching him.
He looked down at his hands.
Older. Stronger.
Different.
"This again…" he muttered.
Unlike before, he wasn't afraid.
Not anymore.
He had started to realize something—
This place… wasn't just a dream.
A sudden gust of wind swept past him.
Aiden turned sharply.
There—
Movement.
Dark shapes flickered in the distance, shifting unnaturally, like shadows that refused to stay still.
His body tensed.
"…Who's there?"
No answer.
But the air grew colder.
He could feel it now—that same presence from before. Watching him. Waiting.
Then—
A voice.
Soft.
Distant.
"Aiden…"
His eyes widened.
This wasn't in his head.
"…Who are you?" he demanded.
The shadows twisted violently. One of them began to take form—taller than the rest, its shape barely human, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.
"You see us now…"
The voice echoed—not around him, but through him.
Aiden clenched his fists. "What do you want?"
Silence.
Then—
"Soon."
The word hit him like a pulse of energy.
The sky above cracked faintly, like glass under pressure.
And for the first time—
Aiden felt fear.
He woke up instantly.
His breathing was sharp, uneven.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
Aiden sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"…It's getting worse," he whispered.
This wasn't normal.
Dreams weren't supposed to feel like that.
They weren't supposed to talk back.
Later that day, he found Mira sitting near the edge of the village, tossing small stones into the river.
"You've been quiet lately," she said without looking at him.
Aiden sat beside her.
"Just thinking."
"About what?"
He hesitated.
Then, for the first time—
"…Dreams," he said.
Mira glanced at him. "Bad ones?"
"…Strange ones."
She studied his face for a moment, then smiled slightly. "You always were strange."
Aiden huffed quietly. "Thanks."
"I mean it in a good way," she said. "You're different. Not like everyone else."
Aiden looked away.
If only you knew…
Days passed.
Then weeks.
And the feeling kept growing.
That pull.
That invisible force, tugging at him from somewhere beyond his world.
Even when he trained—even when he pushed his powers further than ever before—it didn't go away.
If anything…
It got stronger.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Aiden stood alone on the hill overlooking the village.
The wind brushed past him gently.
Everything looked normal. Peaceful.
But he knew better now.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Show yourself," he said quietly.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The air in front of him flickered.
Just for a second.
A distortion.
Small.
Barely visible.
But real.
Aiden's heartbeat slowed.
"…So it's not just dreams," he murmured.
The distortion vanished as quickly as it appeared.
But it was enough.
Proof.
Something was coming.
Something beyond his understanding.
And somehow—
It was connected to him.
That night…
The dreams returned.
But this time—
They didn't wait.