"So.... young master, can you explain it for me one more time?"
In a room bounded by three immaculate white walls;
The fourth was no wall at all, but a single, seamless mirror that perfectly reflected the whole room.
There was almost nothing inside.
A lone white chaise lounge rested facing the glass, its presence deliberate, as though meant for long, unbroken contemplation.
Beside it stood a simple white stool, close enough to reach the chaise lounge without any effort.
Nothing else intruded.
No color, no ornament, no sound.
Only the pale stillness of the walls and the unblinking mirror, holding the room in perfect, unnerving balance.
On the chaise lounge sat a boy not more than 8 or 9, he had distinct white hair and blue eyes with a dark skin tone and was dressed like a child from the noble families.
Beside him on the stool sat a old man with a white goatee dressed in a saffron robe with the symbol of the imperial ruling family on the chest.
"Y-you don't believe me right?"
The child said while sobbing, his voice trembling with an unnatural fear.
"I do believe you young master, but to treat you right, I need to perfectly understand what you are experiencing"
The old man replied in a tone comforting the child.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU WANT TO HEAR?! WHENEVER I SLEEP AT 12 MIDNIGHT EXACT A NIGHTMARE STARTS WHERE I AM TRANSPORTED TO A WORLD WHERE I NEED TO RUN AND RUN AND RUN AND RU-"
"Young master, calm down please!"
"NO, IF I DON'T RUN AN ARROW KILLS ME. IF I RUN MANY TRAPS AND AURORA BEASTS KILL ME AND AT THE END THAT WOMAN KILLS ME!!! HOW MANY MORE TIMES DO YOU WANNA HEAR IT YOU FRAUD PRIEST?!"
*BANG*
Just as the child uttered the word fraud priest a loud bang was heard through on the mirror.
The child flinched and instantly apologized for his rude behaviour to the old priest.
....
The mirror in the room was an one-way mirror connected to a lavish guest room adorned with all kinds of luxurios items where one man and one child stood.
Although both the man and the child didn't care about the luxury as if it's normal for them.
The one who caused the bang on the mirror was the man who looked not more than thirty, to warn the child in the white room to behave properly.
The man was the child's father. His name was,
"Sir Riven, why did you bring me here?"
The little girl together with him who looked the same age as the child in the white room with violet hair an eyes asked the man timidly.
"You like my son right? you should see for yourself what you are signing up for"
The man replied in a serious tone without even looking at her.
....
Back in the white room,
"Young master, I know this is getting too pressuring for you but I am just trying to help you."
The child as if understanding the genuine feelings behind the words apologized again.
"Now, young master as you have already been informed i am a priest from the current imperial family with the spark of dream walker, i will enter your dream at exactly 12 midnight when you said it begins, so please lie down and sleep"
The child desperate to get rid of the nightmare he was plagued with, did as per the instructions of the old priest.
He laid down on the chaise lounge and relaxed himself to sleep.
The priest peeked at his wrist watch it was a minute before midnight.
Right as it the hour hand hit 12 midnight, he closed his eyes.
His body began to shine,
Multi-coloured auroras were being formed from his body.
One of the strands of auroras floated towards the child's temple as if it had a mind of its own.
Just as the strand brushed the child's temple, the child's eyes flew open.
In that instant, the thread of aurora disintigerated and with it, every shimmering veil surrounding the priest collapsed into nothingness.
The light faded.
The priest gasped awake at the same moment, his eyes snapping open as the last trace of his aurora vanished.
The room fell in an unnatural silence neither the child who now stared blankly at the ceiling nor the priest who stared blankly at the child said anything.
The man in the other room noticed the sudden strange silent atmosphere and instinctively felt something was terribly wrong.
Right as he decided to act against this strange silence.
*SPLORCH*
Before he could he even react the priest's head exploded and his blood sprayed all over the white room, staining the once white room with blood.
The white purity of room the room was stained with the red malice of the unknown force.
The child didn't even flinch and just stared blankly at the ceiling even as the blood was spraying on him from the headless body as it collapsed to the ground.
The girl witnessed the sudden horror across the mirror,
Her face went slack with shock, then twisted in pure terror as she watched the red spray.
She froze, too small to understand, too terrified to look away.
The girl collapsed on the floor as her knees became weak.
Her little mind not being able to comprehend what had just happened was only able to scream,
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
The man although a war veteran couldn't help but momentarily pause at the obviously horrifyingly supernatural scene before him but still he recovered.
Forming a fist he instantly shattered the mirror with a punch and rushed to his child.
Holding the shoulders of his child he frantically called out to him,
"WAKE UP WILL! WAKE UP!!!".
The light in the child's blank eyes returned as he was shook, the child still a little disoriented asked,
"Wha- what is going on? what is happening?"
The man didn't answer his question specifically but, as if to return the clarity of the child asked,
"What is your name? tell me, do you remember your name?! TELL ME!!"
The child abruptly answered the man,
"M-my name is....
William Hollowcrown".