While Basil was immersed in his dream, speaking with the mysterious woman, Serina moved silently toward him.
Her steps made no sound, as if she were walking over the void itself. Her eyes were fixed on him, watching him while he was lost in his private world.
She approached him slowly and raised her pale hand to touch his forehead.
Just one moment more, and he would be completely in her grasp.
Before she could touch him, the mark on Basil's hand suddenly glowed, and a strong, sharp light shone from it, lit by a hidden energy!
At that, Serina recoiled quickly and let out a low hum filled with pain.
Basil's body trembled within the dream, realizing that something unnatural was shaking him from within. He looked at the mark on his hand, then placed it on his forehead, nullifying the spell and awakening from the dream, his breath cutting off for a moment before he returned to reality!
He looked around quickly, his mind still confused, seeing the scene before him: Goran lying on the ground, lifeless. And Serina, standing a few steps away, her glowing eyes gleaming with anger as she stared at him, as if she had not expected him to escape her grasp.
There was no time to think. Basil realized he had to end this nightmare quickly, for the lives of his friends depended on it.
He tried to attack Serina, but was surprised when his fist passed through her body as if she were nothing more than an illusion. She had no true physical form, making her immune to direct attacks.
Basil sighed in anger, then said, "She can't be this powerful! I have to find a solution!"
At that moment, Serina slowly turned toward him, her eyes fixed on him, and her words began to crawl slowly from between her lips as she said, "You won't escape me so easily… your soul will be mine."
Then she lunged toward him with incredible speed. Her sharp claws extended toward him, aiming for his neck, trying to tear it apart as she had done to Goran.
In a split second, Basil raised his hand to block the sudden attack.
At that moment, unexpectedly, the glove Basil was wearing began to transform; the bracelet on the glove moved, and the iron glove extended rapidly to form a solid shield covering his entire forearm.
Serina's claws struck the shield, producing a loud metallic sound.
Then her body recoiled slightly, and her eyes widened in shock.
At that moment, Basil heard a familiar voice coming from the necklace he was wearing around his neck.
It was the voice of Zirs, saying, "Basil, you must use the necklace!"
So Basil quickly raised his hand and said anxously, "What should I do?"
Zirs replied, "Touch it and focus. It will transform into a tool to help you face Serina."
Then Basil reached for the necklace, and the moment he touched it, he felt a strange energy flowing through his fingers. The necklace began to change in his hands gradually, until it turned into a small piece decorated with fine engravings, resembling the beak of a bird.
Zirs continued, "Now, blow into it with all your strength. This sound will shatter the illusion Serina is hiding behind and make her fully visible, giving you a chance to finish her."
Basil raised the piece to his lips and blew into it with force, and from it burst a sound like the scream of a falcon mixed with the roar of raging winds.
A violent sound wave surged in all directions, piercing the fog and tearing apart the illusion that surrounded Serina.
Her body began to change, becoming clearer and more vulnerable. Then she screamed with a voice torn by pain, and her shining eyes faded for a moment.
Her body trembled as if it were losing its cohesion, as she screamed, "What did you do?!"
Then Basil clenched his gloved fist, and the bracelet began to move, and the glove gradually transformed from a shield covering his forearm into a long, sharp claw extending over the back of his hand.
He rushed toward her at full speed, releasing a cry of rage, delivering a swift strike to her chest. The sharp claw sank into her body and tore apart the illusion surrounding her.
Her scream, mixed with pain, echoed through the air before fading into the howling winds, disappearing as the illusion disappeared… and the real world returned, its hidden truth revealed.
Basil regained his breath with difficulty as he stood over the fading remains of Serina. Then he closed his eyes and whispered in a soft voice, bidding farewell to the departing dream, saying:
"If I had known that the dream would unite us,
I would have closed my eyes for all eternity.
And I saw you in my dream one night,
So I forgot all that had been of my sorrows.
And I thought my sleep in your presence was wakefulness,
Until I awoke to a second separation."
Then he opened his eyes, to find himself in a pale reality, unlike the warmth of the dream.