We found ourselves on a silvery rock surface under a sky full of stars. Instead of the endless images of other worlds, which I'd gotten used to seeing, the stars overwhelmed the expanse above us, painting the sky with their cold, distant light.
"We got out…" I muttered, pulling myself up to a sitting position.
"I really thought that was the end…" Rem sighed, still sprawled out on the ground, her wings twitching slightly from exhaustion.
Kran, unusually quiet, nestled near my neck, his tiny metal body hidden almost entirely beneath my hair. He was blending in with the silver-gray strands so perfectly that it was easy to forget he was even there.
"So, what happened to Asha?" I asked, remembering Kran's earlier comment. "You said she was gone."
(Her mother came to pick her up. I'm sure she'll be fine,) Kran responded from my mind, his voice lacking its usual energy.
If you say so.
Though I still felt a nagging sense of unfinished business.
I couldn't shake the feeling that there were so many questions left unanswered, especially about Noa. It was a shame we got separated like that.
"Ehm, if you're done, mind telling me what just happened back there?"
The voice snapped me out of my thoughts. The blue-haired woman who had saved us stood in front of us, arms crossed and eyes sharp, demanding an explanation. Her vibrant blue eyes seemed to cut right through us, and I could feel the weight of her curiosity pressing down.
Rem sat up, brushing off her clothes before turning to answer. "I'm Rem, and this is Ashborn. We were trapped in a time loop with a nightmare." She kept her answer simple, introducing us quickly.
"That's it?" The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "A nightmare shouldn't have been that much trouble for Noa. He's dealt with worse."
"The loop was caused by a little girl," I explained, still feeling the remnants of that strange encounter with Asha. "Noa was trying to find a way to break it without harming her. That's what he told us."
The woman sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead. "Hah... That sounds like Noa. Always finding the most complicated way to solve something simple. But I suppose that's what keeps him sane, unlike the other Enforcers of Time."
"Huh?" I blinked. "There are more of them? I thought every Rule only had one Enforcer."
She tilted her head slightly, studying me like I was some kind of oddity. "You came from the Third Plane recently, huh? That question practically gave you away."
I nodded, feeling a bit foolish, but she just waved it off.
"Normally, you're right," she began. "Each Rule only has one Enforcer. But there are exceptions, and the Rule of Time is one of them. Time is… more complex. There are three Enforcers of Time: one for the Past, one for the Present—that's Noa, by the way—and one for the Future. Noa's a bit of an oddball compared to the others. He doesn't like using the Authority of Time unless absolutely necessary, which is how he ends up stuck in situations like the one you just saw."
"So you know him well?" I asked, curious about the strange relationship between them.
She shrugged. "I guess. Out of the three Time Enforcers, Noa's the only one who isn't completely off his rocker. The other two... well, let's just say they make Noa look normal in comparison. So, when I need help with certain… long-term experiments, Noa's my go-to. I owe him quite a bit for that."
The woman turned away for a moment, scanning the vast, flat landscape around us. The empty stretch of silver ground beneath a starry sky seemed almost peaceful after the madness of the manor. She adjusted the brim of her oversized hat before facing us again.
"Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself," she said, giving us a slight nod. "My sisters and friends call me Mirella, but most people know me as the Witch of Blue. I'll be sticking with you until we reach the nearest inhabited world."
The name seemed to hit Rem like a shockwave. Her eyes widened, and her voice came out in a rush as she bombarded Mirella with questions, her excitement clear.
I couldn't keep up with their conversation, though. The names and titles felt like a blur of unfamiliar information.
Kran's voice chimed in my mind. (Yeah, you should know her. She's one of the Seven Colored Witches, offsprings of the Witch Queen, Irisenna.)
Great, another overload of information. Care to explain that a bit more clearly?
(Well, it's a long story,) Kran began, clearly settling in for a bit of a lecture. (Irisenna was one of the few who survived the War of the Rules. She witnessed the fall of Reality itself. Over time, she became known as the Witch Queen, ruling as one of the fourteen leaders of the First Plane during the Age of Wanderers.)
So, Mirella's her daughter?
(Not exactly. See, nobody, not even someone as powerful as Irisenna, is truly immortal. Everything living under the gaze of the Rule of Life and Death is destined to die one day, even if they can live for eons. And Irisenna... she wasn't ready to face that reality.)
I could feel Kran's tone darkening as he continued.
(Madness slowly took Irisenna, in her desperation, she severed seven fragments of her own soul, hoping to reincarnate through them after her death. But things went sideways. Each fragment fed on the somnium around them and eventually became entirely new beings, independent of her. Those seven beings... Long story short they came together to end the madness that had consumed their mother. After that, they became known as the Seven Colored Witches.)
That was the short version?
(Yeah,) Kran said like that was obvious. (Told you it was a long one. The full tale would take hours to unravel. This is just the gist of it.)
I glanced over at Rem, who was still eagerly chatting with Mirella, trying to absorb everything she could. The more I learned about this world, the more amazing everything seemed. The layers of it were endless, and each thing I saw amazed me.
Freedom is truly worth the destruction of a world.
"Okay, okay, we'll have time later." Mirella finally put a stop to Rem's flood of questions. Her tone was light, but I could tell she was enjoying the attention, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"We're in Silvershade Canyon now—our original destination before we ended up in the Manor of Mirrors," Rem explained. "I know the way to the gate that will take us to the Fallen Worldtree. I'd love to travel with you, but I'd feel bad if we're holding you up. We can manage on our own."
Mirella gave a small smile, shaking her head. "Thank you for thinking of me, but I wouldn't feel right leaving you two alone. This is a favor to Noa, after all. Besides, I needed a little break. Don't worry about me—I'll travel with you to make sure you reach a safe place."
We began walking, the place was called Silvershade Canyon, but it was just a plain ground stretching out endlessly. Rem was once again leading the way, the wind tugging lightly at her small frame as we walked through a linear path. It was truly remarkable how she knew the way even though there was nothing in sight.
I looked around and asked, "Can't we just teleport? Like how you brought us here?"
Mirella glanced over her shoulder. "My way of teleporting only works between worlds, not within them. I picked this spot because it was the closest. Unfortunately, this part's on foot."
Well, that was disappointing. I expected more after everything I just learned about her. I kept that thought to myself as we walked on.
As the path unfolded, Mirella struck up a conversation with me. I told her how I ended up here, sharing our story—carefully avoiding details like my encounter with the Rule of Destruction, or the heart of the Dragonlord in my bracelet.
"So, you're trying to reach the Land of Dreams to find your sister," she repeated thoughtfully. "Have you tried getting accepted by one of the nations?"
"Noa mentioned something about that, but I'm not sure what he meant."
Mirella tilted her head slightly, considering how to answer. "It's a long topic, especially if you're unfamiliar with the Dreamscapes history…"
She paused, then began explaining. "The First Plane is ruled by thirteen nations—it used to be fourteen, but that's another story. These nations were founded by the first Wanderers, people who witnessed and survived the fall of Reality and established their own nations in the First Plane of Dreamscape. They were incredibly powerful, rivaling even the Rules themselves. They lived and ruled for centuries, even eons, but they were still mortals, bound by death. Some of them accepted their fates gracefully, while others—like my mother—tried to defy death, which led to… madness."
I listened closely, piecing together the history she laid out for us.
"The last of these rulers passed away about a thousand years ago," she continued. "He was the emperor of Aurelia. Before his death, he established the Golden Order, a council meant to keep peace between the nations. Each nation sends representatives to the council, but..." she trailed off, her expression darkening.
"But...?" I prompted.
"They're terrible at their job."
Rem's eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting that blunt response. She also seemed a little afraid, like that wasn't something she should have said out loud
"Has there been a war?" I asked, sensing there was more to the story.
"Not yet, but there will be soon. The Golden Order was supposed to be a neutral party, but they've proved to be not. They favor the Aurelia Empire in every dispute, which has been making tensions worse, especially with Azdria. The relationship between those two nations has always been bad, and the death of the Fourth Highlord of Azdria didn't help."
"Wait, he's dead?!" Kran suddenly shouted from my shoulder.
"Huh?" Mirella turned around, her sharp eyes searching for the source of the voice. "Who said that?"
"Oh, shi— uh… hi." Kran's tiny voice came out sheepishly. His voice came out somewhat different.
I quickly explained. "I forgot to introduce him, that's Kran. He's been with me since I entered the Second Plane."
Mirella raised an eyebrow, inspecting Kran closely. "I didn't even notice him there... Interesting."
She shook her head, refocusing on the story. "As I was saying, the Highlord's death made everything worse. A nightmare cluster of an unseen scale attacked Azdria, killing thousands."
"Sorry, but what's a nightmare cluster?" I asked.
Rem jumped in to answer. "It's when hundreds of thousands of nightmares merge into one. It usually happens in abandoned worlds and takes a long time to form."
Mirella nodded. "Azdria asked the Golden Order for help, but they got no response. So, the Highlord and one of his daughters went to handle it personally. They managed to defeat the nightmares, but..."
She hesitated, then sighed. "More nightmare clusters appeared. The destruction was on a scale no one had ever seen. Azdria was on the brink of collapse, but then… something happened."
"What happened?" I asked, leaning in.
Mirella paused for dramatic effect. "I don't know."
"...What?"
"I wasn't there," she said with a shrug. "I only know the aftermath from what I hear. The Highlord was dead, but the nightmares were gone too. My niece went missing, and no one's heard from her since."
"When did your niece come into this?" I asked, confused.
"Ah, I meant the Highlord's daughter. He was married to one of my sisters, which makes his daughter my niece. My sister is ruling Azdria now, and as you can imagine, she isn't on good terms with the Golden Order. She cut off all ties, and a war between Azdria and Aurelia is practically inevitable."
That was… a lot. I didn't expect the conversation to veer so wildly. What were we even talking about again?
"That's an interesting story, but… what does it have to do with my question?" I asked, half-lost in the details.
Mirella stopped, blinking. "Oh, right." She slapped her forehead with a groan. "I got sidetracked."
I couldn't help but chuckle. "It's fine. You were saying something about getting accepted by a nation?"
"Yes, yes," she said, regaining her focus. "One of the things the Golden Order did was sealing off most of the worlds in second plane, there was already very few gates leading to first plane, but there is only one of them now. It's nearly impossible to reach the Land of Dreams the way you're trying to. But the nations occasionally send representatives to pick people with potential from the Second Plane and bring them to their realms. That's the easiest way in."
I turned to Kran, curious. Did you know about this?
(This is the first I've heard of it. But I guess it makes sense… I've been out of the loop for a while.)
"Rem, you knew this?" I asked, glancing at her.
Rem hesitated, scratching her head. "Well… it's not an option for me, so I never really thought about it."
"Huh? Why not?" Mirella asked, raising an eyebrow. "A skilled Guide like you would be in demand. They don't just look at strength, you know."
Rem's eyes widened. "Really? I thought it was like… some kind of fighting tournament."
Mirella laughed. "There's more to it than that. In fact, there's going to be a test in the Fallen Worldtree next month. You should stay and give it a shot."
Our conversation meandered through lighter topics after that—Mirella shared a few memories, recounting some of the strange and dangerous events she had experienced with Noa. Her stories painted a picture of a long history between them, far more than I initially imagined.
As we continued our journey through Silvershade Canyon, nothing particularly eventful happened. The landscape remained vast and monotonous, but eventually, a gate appeared in the distance—a shimmering silhouette on the horizon, ready to be used.
Something had been nagging at me, though, and I finally decided to ask. "Why is this world called Silvershade Canyon? This place is completely flat. There isn't even a small dip in the ground, let alone a canyon."
Mirella gave me a knowing smile, a glint of amusement in her eyes. She snapped her fingers, and suddenly, the world around me began to shift.
"Take a look from a different perspective."
Before I knew it, I was rising—higher and higher—until the ground beneath me seemed to shrink away. My feet no longer touched the solid earth, and soon, I was hovering far above, able to see the world in its entirety.
And what I saw left me breathless.
From up here, the world wasn't just flat as it had appeared. Far in the distance, an enormous canyon split the land, cutting deep into the surface like a jagged scar. It was vast—an immense rift that stretched endlessly across the horizon, so wide and deep that it seemed to swallow light itself. The canyon shimmered in shades of silver, its walls lined with metallic rock that gleamed like starlight. Each layer of stone reflected the light of the surrounding sky, casting a soft glow across the vast chasm. The depths seemed to stretch on forever, the void within holding an eerie beauty.
The sky above was a blanket of countless stars, flickering in and out. They mirrored the silver hues of the canyon, blending into the world below. From this height, it was as though the earth and sky were one—an endless expanse of shimmering silver.
The canyon's sheer magnitude left me in awe. From ground level, the world had seemed so ordinary, but from this view, it was a world of breathtaking beauty and impossible scale.
Mirella's voice pulled me from my awe. "Now you see why it's called Silvershade Canyon. It's a sight not many knows about."
I looked around to realize I was still on the ground. What I just saw was what Mirella showed me.
"That... was incredible," I said, still trying to process what I'd just witnessed.
Mirella grinned. "Everything in Dreams are more than they seem. It's all about perspective."
We reached the gate not long after, stopping right in front of it.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mirella said while passing through the gate. Rem followed her right behind, and I joined them after taking a last look around me.
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