Haruto, still shaken by the events of the previous night, stumbling out of the bathroom. His hand, now devoid of any glow, feels cold and numb. The fleeting sense of something darker—more real than just a nightmare—lingers in his mind.
He looks at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. The dark circles under his eyes have deepened, and his face is drawn. He tries to convince himself it was all just a bad dream, Haruto says "It was... just a bad dream. Right?" but the terrifying voice and the mysterious figure haunt him.
The next morning, Haruto wakes up late for school. The sun is shining through his window, but it feels distant, as if the world around him has subtly shifted. He hurries to get dressed, but as he walks out of his room, he notices something odd: a drawing on his wall that wasn't there the night before. It's a crude sketch of the Nightmare Lord, with glowing red eyes. There are also strange symbols surrounding the figure, ones that Haruto can't recognize.
His heart skips a beat. He doesn't remember drawing it.
When Haruto meets Mika at school, she immediately notices he looks even worse than usual. She teases him about his tiredness " So Haruto were you still playing on the game, you should get some sleep y'know", but there's genuine concern in her voice. However, Haruto doesn't tell her what happened the previous night. He brushes off her questions and pretends everything is fine, but Mika knows better. She senses that something is wrong.
During class, Haruto's mind drifts as he tries to concentrate. His hands are still trembling from the night before. Suddenly, he hears a voice in his head—the same voice from the nightmare—but this time, it's clearer, sharper.
"You can feel it, can't you? Your power grows. But so does your fear. It will consume you, Haruto."
Haruto stands up abruptly, startling his classmates, but he can't focus. His vision begins to distort. The room seems to warp, and the floor cracks open, revealing endless darkness beneath. He blinks rapidly, shaking his head, but when he opens his eyes, everything is back to normal. His classmates look at him with concern, and the teacher asks if he's alright.
Confused and frightened, Haruto excuses himself, rushing out of the room.
Haruto stumbles through the school hallway, feeling like he's losing control of his mind. He finds himself at the school's rooftop, trying to clear his head. But there, waiting for him, is the mysterious figure from the night before—the same dark, looming shape with glowing red eyes.
The figure speaks again, its voice cold and commanding.
"You're afraid, Haruto. But you must choose. Embrace your power, or it will destroy you. The Nightmare Lord will come for you, and when he does, you'll need strength to face him."
Before Haruto can respond, the figure vanishes, leaving only a shadowy imprint in the air. Haruto is left standing on the rooftop, his heart pounding in his chest.
In that moment, he realizes something terrifying: this isn't just some strange dream. Something has crossed over from the world of dreams into reality, and it's coming for him.
As Haruto stares at the spot where the figure vanished, a voice suddenly breaks through the stillness:
"You're not the only one who can control dreams, Haruto."
Haruto turns around sharply. Standing in the doorway is a new figure—a young man in his early twenties, dressed in dark clothes, with wild, unruly hair and a stern expression. He's holding a strange artifact: a pendant with a glowing symbol that seems to pulse in rhythm with Haruto's heartbeat.
The man steps forward.
"I'm here to help you. But first, we need to talk. Your nightmares are just the beginning."
The End