The night sky in Velross never really got dark. Towering apartment lights, giant digital billboards, and non-stop traffic made the city feel like it never slept. But tonight felt… off. Somewhere in the west part of town, the streetlights flickered. Faint purple lightning flashed in the sky—like a storm was trying to break through.
Reina stared out her bedroom window. Her eyes were puffy. She had just gotten back from the hospital, where her mom was lying in a coma from kidney complications. On her desk was a nearly finished application for a scholarship abroad. All that was left was the final admin fee—and it wasn't cheap.
She sighed deeply and sat back down. In her notebook, she absentmindedly sketched something that had been showing up in her dreams a lot lately: a red triangle with a dagger in the center.
"Why do I keep drawing this…"
Reina stared at her scribble. It felt weirdly familiar. Like a memory that didn't belong to her. Then she closed her eyes.
A year ago, things were easier. Her mom was still up and smiling. Reina was a straight-A student, always winning essay and math competitions. But everything crashed fast. Their savings vanished for hospital bills. Her dad? Left years ago and never cared. Siblings? None.
She worked night shifts at a convenience store and sometimes did college assignments for classmates just for extra cash. But it still wasn't enough. Professors had high hopes for her. But in the real world, hopes didn't pay hospital fees.
"You have to stay strong," said her friend Mila.
Reina was crashing at Mila's dorm room that night.
"Rein, get some rest. You need it."
Reina just nodded, but her eyes stayed open, staring at the Velross skyline. Her mind kept circling back to one thing.
Should I just give up? Or… is there another way?
She returned to her own room.
That's when the weird dreams started.
She found herself walking through a ruined city floating in the sky. The clouds above twisted like a massive black eye. That triangle symbol was everywhere—in the walls, on the streets, even on faceless people.
Then came the voice.
"You want a way out of all this, don't you?"
She ran. In the middle of the wreckage, she found a mirror. Behind it stood a figure in a dark cloak. Its glowing red eyes weren't scary—but… calling.
Reina woke up drenched in sweat. On the window, the condensation formed a faint triangle shape.
The next night, the dream returned. This time, she was in a floating hall with massive black pillars. The cloaked figure stood on a levitating throne.
"You're not ready yet to find the way out. But time will bring you there."
She woke up with a nosebleed.
Days blurred together in exhaustion. Reina started noticing things—tiny sounds, weird shadows, triangle symbols showing up in newspapers, on billboard corners, even in people's facial expressions. Was she losing her mind?
Then came that night. She was reaching for a notebook on the floor… when she saw it.
A glowing red stone, the size of a marble. It pulsed with a dark purple light. Reina picked it up—and everything around her froze. The cars outside went silent. Her digital clock stopped ticking. The air turned thick.
"Your ambition is the key… Reina."
She froze. Her heart pounding.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
No answer. But in the mirror—there it was. The cloaked shadow, face hidden in darkness, red eyes glowing slow and steady.
"Take it with you. If you want the world to bow to your ambition."
A flash of light. Reina staggered and fell. When she looked up, everything was normal again. The stone was still in her hand. And on her desk… was a dagger she had never seen before. Its handle carved with a triangle. The blade was slim, but heavy—like it was pulling something out of the air.
She picked it up. The moment she touched it, a low hum echoed in her mind. Thousands of whispers in some language she didn't understand.
From then on, she couldn't sleep properly. She felt watched. The stone would sometimes blink on its own. And the dagger? It kept showing up in her dreams.
One time, at work, the cash register glitched and flashed the triangle symbol. At a bus stop, graffiti of the same symbol appeared on a wall she swore was clean two days ago.
It felt like reality itself was melting, creeping closer to her.
Then one night, walking home from the hospital, it happened.
A drunk street performer tried to snatch her bag. Reina ran into a narrow alley, but the guy chased her down. When he tackled her, she panicked. Her hand reached into her jacket—and pulled out the dagger.
She had no idea how it even got there. But the moment it touched the guy's arm, he flew backward and hit the ground. No blood. But his face froze in pure terror. He ran off without looking back.
Reina stood there, shaking. The dagger pulsed gently in her hand—like it was alive.
That night, she sat on her room floor, staring at the blinking stone. She started drawing triangle symbols on paper, the wall, even the mirror. Her left hand moved on its own. The dagger beside her whispered softly—almost like it was trying to speak.
In that daze, she heard her mom's voice from long ago. The voice that taught her how to write. The proud voice that cheered at her graduation. All those memories… the hopes, the dreams, the ambition.
Then that voice was drowned out—replaced by something darker.
"Your desire, your hope, your ambition… you want it all, don't you?"
She shut her eyes. In the darkness, she saw herself again—standing beside a triangle made of blood, holding the stone and the dagger. Someone screamed. No idea where it came from. The sound shook her whole body.
She opened her eyes.
She was already standing.
Blood dripped from her hand. The dagger had cut her palm. But she didn't feel a thing.
She stared at the blood on the floor. Slowly, it formed a triangle. The same symbol.
A few days later, her phone lit up on its own.
The digital scholarship form she saved showed a triangle symbol. Then the screen went black. Then on again.
A new email popped up: "Make your wish."
Only one question on screen:
WHAT DO YOU DESIRE MOST?
Her hands trembled. She looked at the dagger on the table—it was pulsing, like a heartbeat.
She typed: I want out of this world. I want to control everything.
The screen went black again.
Then she heard footsteps near the window.
She turned—and saw it.
The cloaked figure, standing in the air outside her window. Glowing red eyes stared straight at her. Its mouth moved—but no sound came out.
"Then prepare to pay… with blood."