(Opening sequence – the camera glides above a map of Aetherion. Lines of light connect the realms; half are dim, two now blaze – Ignara and Glaciem. A low rumble follows as clouds coil around the continent.)
"When warmth and frost joined hands, the world remembered fear." — Old Council Proverb
Scene 1
(Interior – The Auric Hall, capital of Zephyria. The ceiling turns slowly, projecting the seven elemental sigils. The thrones of the Seven Princesses flicker as illusions for those not present.)
At the central dais sat Queen Seraphel, ruler of the Neutral Realm, her golden crown gleaming faintly. Around her: envoys of Terranova, Noctra, Zephyria, Ignara (empty seat glowing red), and Glaciem (blue-lit crystal projection).
"The second resonance has occurred," Seraphel announced. "Fire and Ice have merged."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber.
A Terran general slammed his gauntlet on the table. "Impossible. Elemental balance forbids it."
"Yet it happened," replied Glacielle's holographic voice, calm as snow.
Another councilor hissed, "Then the Heart Protocol truly stirs."
Seraphel's golden eyes narrowed. "And if it does, everything we built will shift. The hierarchy, the Status system, even immortality itself."
From the shadowed side, a woman cloaked in grey spoke softly. "Then we must contain it. Before the Nullborn exploit the breach."
"Contain?" Glacielle's tone sharpened. "You speak as if warmth were a disease."
"Perhaps it is," the grey woman said. "Two fragments resonating without oversight — who controls them? A mortal."
The word fell like frost.
Seraphel turned her gaze toward Glacielle's projection. "Is it true? A human bearer?"
"Yes," Glacielle said. "Ren Arclight."
The room buzzed with disbelief.
A Zephyrian minister whispered, "He's the anomaly the Ignaran archives warned of. Nullborn lineage, unregistered status … a void given flesh."
The Terran general growled. "Then this union is treason to natural law!"
Lightning cracked across the ceiling projection.
Glacielle's eyes hardened. "He risked his life to restore balance while your armies watched the skies. If that is treason, then loyalty means nothing."
Seraphel raised her hand. "Enough. The council will not descend into shouting. We require observation, not hysteria."
She leaned forward, her voice lowering. "But make no mistake — two fragments united means the Heartbearer's echo grows. If it reaches four, the cycle resumes."
The grey-cloaked envoy smirked. "Then perhaps we should ensure it never reaches three."
(Camera focus: her sleeve shifts, revealing the insignia of Umbra — the Shadow Realm.)
The hall dimmed, as if someone had drawn a curtain over the sun.
Seraphel noticed. "Umbra sends threats now?"
"Warnings," the envoy replied. "The dream-veil weakens. Already the barriers between sleep and waking falter. Tell your anomaly to stay away."
The lights flickered, her figure dissolving like smoke.
Seraphel exhaled slowly. "Political storms indeed."
She turned toward Glacielle's projection. "Where are the pair now?"
Glacielle hesitated. "En route to the Umbra border."
A silence sharper than ice fell across the hall.
Seraphel spoke the words no one wanted to voice: "Then the third fragment will awaken before we can stop it."
(Camera pans upward – lightning arcs across the map; the symbol of Umbra flares violet-black.)
Scene 2
(Exterior – snow gives way to blackened earth. The airship skims low over plains that flicker between day and night, as if time itself stutters.)
Ren stood on the deck, watching the horizon split in half: one side still glimmered with ice, the other pulsed with shifting shadows.
Ignis joined him, cloak snapping in the wind. "That line ahead — Umbra's dream-veil. Cross it, and reality starts arguing with itself."
Ren half-smiled. "So another relaxing trip."
Behind them, Glacielle monitored a crystalline compass, its needle trembling wildly. "Our coordinates drift each minute. Spatial anchor weakening."
Ren leaned against the railing. "Feels like we're sailing into someone's nightmare."
"Someone's?" Ignis said. "Everyone's."
(Camera sweeps – the sky above twists; constellations rearrange themselves. For a heartbeat, one forms a gigantic eye watching them.)
Ren blinked. "Did you see that?"
Glacielle nodded, tone steady. "Umbra's defense mechanism — Manifest Perception. It projects your fears to discourage intruders."
Ignis muttered, "Then this ship's about to get crowded."
The compass flashed violet; alarms hummed.
ALERT: ANOMALOUS ENTITIES APPROACHING.
Shapes emerged from the mist — figures made of smoke and half-formed memories. Their faces flickered through people Ren once knew, blending and distorting.
"Nullborn illusions," Glacielle said. "Ignore them and they vanish."
Ren frowned. "Easier said than done when they look like —"
The nearest phantom solidified — a mirror of himself, eyes hollow.
It spoke in his voice: "You steal power you don't deserve."
Ren froze.
Ignis hurled a flame spear through the apparition; it dissolved into ashes that rained upward. "We're not doing self-doubt today."
The deck jolted. One of the masts cracked under sudden frost.
Glacielle lifted both hands, projecting a dome of ice that shimmered blue. "They feed on guilt. Keep your emotions neutral."
Ren exhaled slowly, forcing his heartbeat steady. "Neutral, huh? That's new for me."
(Camera follows inside the dome – outside, the sky churns like ink in water. The illusions press against the barrier, whispering half-remembered words.)
One whisper caught his attention: a child's voice saying, "Wake up before they rewrite you."
His orb pulsed once. Then silence.
The illusions melted away.
Glacielle lowered her arms, exhausted. "They retreat for now."
Ignis looked at Ren. "You okay?"
"Fine," he lied. "Just hearing things."
(Camera close – behind him, his shadow flickers … but doesn't move the same way.)
Scene 3
(Interior – Auric Hall, later that night.)
Seraphel remained alone, reviewing resonance data on a hovering sphere. A soft footstep echoed.
"Reporting, Your Grace."
The grey-cloaked Umbra envoy had returned, half-visible.
Seraphel didn't turn. "You risk much walking back in here."
The envoy smiled thinly. "You risk more letting that boy live. Our dreams already distort. When two fragments merge, the veil trembles."
Seraphel sighed. "And if we interfere, the Nullborn will exploit the fracture. It's a dilemma of balance."
"Balance?" The envoy's voice darkened. "Balance is a myth. Shadow is truth. Light only lies about it."
Seraphel finally faced her. "Then tell your princess this: if Umbra strikes first, the united realms will answer."
The envoy bowed. "If you can still tell dream from waking by then."
She vanished into smoke again, leaving only a faint scent of lilies and decay.
(Camera pans to the window – above the palace, the moon ripples, showing faint cracks like glass.)
Scene 4
(Exterior – night at the border.)
The airship landed on a plateau where snow met black sand. The stars overhead turned violet.
Ren stepped down first; each footprint filled with faint light that faded instantly.
Glacielle whispered, "The ground dreams."
Ignis drew her blade, flame humming along its edge. "Then let's hope it's not having a nightmare."
Ahead lay a ruined gate — half stone, half mist — the entrance to Umbra's outer realm. Symbols glowed faintly, spelling an ancient warning:
"Those who enter dream forever."
Ren glanced at his companions. "Cheerful."
Glacielle's expression was unreadable. "The Shadow Princess was once the Heartbearer's conscience. If she's corrupted, she'll twist perception itself."
Ignis muttered, "Can we just knock politely and hope she's home?"
Ren stepped forward. "We'll find her."
(Camera tightens – as he nears the gate, his shadow splits into two, one following, one lagging.)
A low hum vibrated through the air. The gate responded to his presence, glyphs shifting.
IDENTITY: RESONANT HOST (2 FRAGMENTS). ACCESS GRANTED WITH CONDITION.CONDITION: PROVE THE SELF IS REAL.
Ren frowned. "What does that mean—"
Before anyone could answer, the ground gave way.
The three fell into darkness.
(Cut to black – heartbeat – fade in to Thread B ending.)
Scene 5
(Interior – Auric Hall, the next morning.)
Envoys argued, voices overlapping.
"The border has collapsed!""Communications lost with Ignara and Glaciem's party!""Umbra denies involvement!"
Seraphel struck her staff once. Silence.
"Send search divisions to the Dream Frontier," she ordered.
A Terran general protested. "We can't enter Umbra — we'd lose ourselves!"
"Then send those who already have nothing to lose," Seraphel said.
(Camera close – for the first time, weariness in her face.)
She turned to the glowing map — three sigils now active: Fire, Ice, and a new one flickering at the border, Shadow.
Her whisper was barely audible: "The cycle begins."
Scene 6
(Cut back to Ren.)
He opened his eyes to find himself lying in a forest of glass trees. Every leaf reflected a memory — some his, some not.
Ignis stood a few paces away, looking around. "Where are we?"
"Umbra," Glacielle said softly. "Or what it thinks we are."
Ren turned — behind them, the gate was gone. Ahead, a figure in a dark dress waited on a bridge made of mirrors. Her hair flowed like ink; her eyes shimmered with shifting galaxies.
"Welcome," she said, her voice echoing both in air and in thought. "To the place where truth dreams and lies wake."
Ren's pulse quickened. "You must be Umbra."
She smiled faintly. "Names are fragile things here. But yes … you carry light and frost. Let's see what shadows you cast."
(Camera zoom – her reflection multiplies across the mirrors, each showing a different expression. The screen flickers between realities.)
[Next on I Can Upgrade My Status by Kissing the Seven Princesses of the World — Chapter 10: Dream Requiem]