"slowly... the world around him dissolving into darkness, aether reach out trying to touch Emily's hand but his fingers slip through her hand, eventually... he falls into the darkness"
"Aether looked up... and saw him. Someone who looked like him, but older—clearly in his late twenties. Though the features were similar, the calmness he carried made him seem sharper, more sorrowful. He looked weary, sitting there with his scythe across his lap, his cloak covering him from shoulders to toes. He glanced at Aether with an air of indifference."
Aether stammered, "Y-You're not... Who are you exactly? What are you doing here? Where are we?"
The man replied, "Here we are again... awake once more. We are in the realm of consciousness—specifically, within your consciousness. I know what you're going to say."
Aether tried to interrupt, panic rising as he began calling out, "Emily!... Scar!... Shadow is still out there!"
He fell silent, stunned. The man's words had perfectly synchronized with his own—every syllable, every word, in an uncanny harmony. Aether stared into the man's eyes, terror gripping him. The man spoke calmly:
"Either you let me explain, or you return to the cycle, for you are not yet ready."
Before Aether could respond, the man continued, and Aether had no choice but to listen, desperate to understand.
"Listen, boy. First and foremost, I must warn you—you are not the Hero of Nivar. And before you start questioning everything, hear me out until the end. To understand what has happened, trace your memories back... to that moment you opened the book and saw your name. At that moment, the book plunged you into an illusion. Yes, everything that happened after that was not real."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in, then continued:
"That doesn't mean it was meaningless. When you suffered a major shock—like your defeat against Shadow—the illusion fractured, pulling you here. If you doubt me, reexamine the events. You'll find they lack coherence. Have you never wondered why the kingdom's guard didn't kill you on sight? Or why he didn't capture you the second time?"
Aether nodded slowly, urging him to continue.
"You may wonder what is required of you now. You've entered a cycle of illusions you never intended to join. Your task is to break free. You've been trapped here for a long time—living through illusions of Nivar for what feels like seven thousand years. I suspect you've forgotten most of it, but not all. I will help you escape, but you must find a way to prevent yourself from reliving the same events. When you do, the choice will be yours: return to Nivar and restore order, or refuse the journey entirely and forget everything. At that point, you will be in control."
"As for me... my story is entirely different, and I don't have time to explain in detail. But my name and identity? I am you—or what you will become once your journey is complete."
The man stood tall, majestic, his scythe and cloak defining his presence. His dark hair and striking features made him seem beyond reach—someone Aether could never become, no matter how hard he tried. At that moment, the man looked into young Aether's eyes and said with optimism:
"Trust yourself... because I trust you."
"Then, he embraced Aether warmly before dissolving like mist into the air. That moment of warmth brought tears to Aether's eyes. And finally, he woke up."
"In the library in Scotland, at dusk, the glass doors of the library were enchanting in the orange glow of the setting sun. Aether lifted his head, unaware that his eyes still held remnants of tears. He wiped them with his sleeve, looked at the book, and hugged it to his chest."
"Perhaps he had lost a friendship with Emily that was never possible to begin with—they were never really friends. But... Aether had gained something far greater."