Ripples in the waking world
The morning sun spilled lazily through the cracked blinds of Kael's room. He stirred awake, groggy, blinking against the thin golden light that draped across the floorboards. His body felt heavier than usual, as though he had spent the entire night wrestling shadows in his sleep.
And maybe he had.
He sat up slowly, clutching his head. "Dream or not… it felt too real."
The events of last night — the Beyond, the strange light that chose him, Talia, and Juno — replayed like flashes of lightning across his mind. His chest tightened. There was no way that was normal.
His phone buzzed, snapping him back. It was a message from Talia.
Talia: Meet at the old library. Don't be late. Juno's freaking out.
Kael sighed. Great. It wasn't just me then.
By the time he reached the library, Juno was pacing in frantic loops. Her auburn hair bounced with every step, her expression wild with the kind of panic Kael had expected. Talia leaned against the dusty bookshelf nearby, calm as ever, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
"Finally," Juno hissed the second she saw him. "Tell me I'm not insane. Tell me you saw it too."
Kael rubbed the back of his neck. "Depends. Did you dream about cosmic light, creepy whispers, and—"
"Yes!" Juno threw her hands up. "Exactly that! Except it wasn't a dream, was it? Because my alarm rang at five a.m., and I swear I could still feel it." She clutched her arms as if afraid her skin still carried the residue of whatever they'd touched.
Talia pushed off the shelf, stepping closer. "It wasn't a dream." Her voice was steady, but her gaze betrayed a flicker of unease. "We were chosen. That light… it wasn't something ordinary people experience."
Kael frowned. "Chosen for what, exactly?"
"Protection," Talia answered immediately. "Or war. Maybe both."
The word war lingered like a foul taste.
They sat around the long oak table, the library's silence wrapping them in a bubble. Dust motes floated in the sunlight like fragments of another reality.
"What if this is some—some hallucination?" Juno said at last. "Some collective freak-out?"
"You'd rather believe we're all hallucinating together than accept what's happening?" Kael asked.
"Yes! That would be so much better!"
But even as she said it, her tone cracked. She knew. They all knew.
That night proved it.
When Kael collapsed onto his bed hours later, sleep came instantly, dragging him into the Dream Realm again. Except this time, there was no gentle pull — it was violent, like being yanked underwater.
The trio landed on a sprawling expanse of glowing sand beneath a sky woven with streaks of violet and gold. The air hummed with energy, so thick it almost buzzed against their skin.
And standing before them was a figure draped in robes stitched with constellations. His face was hidden beneath a hood, his presence commanding.
"You three have been touched by the Beyond," the figure intoned, voice echoing as if from the stars themselves. "And therefore, burdened with its duty."
"Duty?" Kael echoed, crossing his arms. "What kind of duty? Because I didn't exactly sign a contract."
The figure tilted his head. "The corruption festers at the edges of this realm. Its whispers gnaw at the threads of creation. If it leaks into your waking world… your Earth will not survive."
The words sank like stones into their stomachs.
"Wait." Juno raised her hand as though in class. "So, you're saying… our literal dreams are under attack? And if they break, reality breaks?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's just—" she gestured wildly "—fantastic! Wonderful! We're doomed!"
Kael groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can you not spiral for one second?"
Talia's voice cut through sharply. "How do we fight it?"
The hooded figure extended a hand, and orbs of light hovered before them — three distinct colors. One shimmered with flames and water swirling in harmony. Another flickered with shadows laced in starlight. The last pulsed with crystalline energy, sharp and unyielding.
"These are fragments of Astral Flow, the force that unites the Beyond and Tranceeds. They will awaken your potential."
The orbs shot forward, embedding into their chests. Kael gasped, clutching his heart as warmth surged through him. Fire roared in his veins, water rippled beneath his skin, and darkness whispered at the edges of his mind.
Juno staggered, clutching her temples. "Too much… it's too much!"
"Control it," the figure said calmly. "Or be consumed."
Talia dropped to one knee, sweat beading her brow as her orb's power rumbled through her bones. Her jaw tightened, but she forced her breathing steady.
Kael clenched his fists, sparks dancing at his fingertips. "This… this is insane."
"Not insane," the figure corrected. "Necessary."
Then the sand around them began to shake.
From the horizon, a black mist seeped across the glowing dunes, devouring light as it moved. Whispers slithered through the air, promising power, promising release.
Juno gasped, covering her ears. "It's—It's inside my head!"
Kael stepped in front of her instinctively, fists igniting in a blaze of blue fire. "Back off!" he shouted at the mist.
The figure's voice echoed again. "This is your first test. Survive."
From the darkness emerged twisted silhouettes, humanoid yet distorted, their bodies fractured with cracks of red light. The Corrupted.
Kael gritted his teeth. "Guess we're doing this now."
Talia unsheathed a blade that materialized in her grip, shimmering with astral energy. She twirled it once, settling into stance. "Stay focused."
But Juno trembled, panic written across her face. "I—I can't—"
"You can," Kael barked, though his tone softened. "You're not alone. We're in this together."
The first Corrupted lunged. Kael's fist blazed as he swung, fire exploding across its body. The thing screeched, dissolving into smoke.
Talia dashed forward, slicing clean through two more, movements sharp and precise. She glanced at Juno. "Now! Find your strength!"
Juno's breath hitched. Her hands sparked, a storm of crystalline shards bursting forth, striking the enemy with jagged precision. Her eyes widened in shock. "I—I did it?"
"Congratulations," Kael grunted, punching another into dust. "You're officially terrifying."
For a moment, despite the chaos, the three of them grinned at each other.
But the mist thickened. More shadows crawled forward, endless.
The hooded figure's voice thundered above the battlefield.
"This is only the beginning."