It begins with complete darkness, then as if a colorful brush has painted the blank canvas, the world blooms with a spiral of multiple Concepts.
Then the world came to an existence, the whole mindscape appeared in front of the little dream fox.
In his transparent form, the fox looked around in astonishment. "How is it possible!?"
Inside the mindscape unfolds an endless ocean of crystalline clarity, its surface shimmering with an ethereal light. Above is a transparent sky that stretches infinitely, speckled with countless stars that glimmer like scattered diamonds against the luminous expanse.
Each star pulses with secrecy, and mysterious light, casting a serenade radiance upon the tranquil waters below.
The Dream Fox looked towards the crystal-like sea, the young man's lone figure was standing in the middle. As their gaze met, Raphael's lips curved upwards, a radiant glow illuminated his features, making his eyes sparkle with mysterious glint.
"Do you think because we are inside the mindscape, your mind ability is stronger?"
As the fox listened, a bone-deep chill snaked its way down its spine, an utterly unfamiliar taste of fear it had never known before. It felt like falling into an abyss of pure dread.
Unknowing at first, the fox's eyes welled with tears. A low whimper escaped its tightly closed lips before it choked back a sob, its eyes now wide with terror.
Not hearing an answer, Raphael tilted his head and closely examined the lavender fox. A gasp escaped his lips at the unexpected sight
???
"No, wait, why you're crying?" He asked the question in a rush of panicked words, completely at a loss. Not knowing, how he made the fox cry!
Raphael remained unaware, but the Dream Fox wasn't looking at him. Its eyes were drawn to his back, where a myriad of stars, each a vibrant hue, blazed into existence, creating a magnificent display centered on Raphael himself.
Their starlight blazed in the bright sky, a dazzling array of brilliance, each star radiating a light that surpassed the very transparency of this place.
Anyone who gazed upon the scene will be mesmerized but to the dream fox, it appeared as a multitude of different concepts.
The overwhelming power of [Concept] petrified the tiny fox, its small body trembling.
Raphael noticed the fox wasn't looking at him but at something behind him.
Behind?
He turned his head, peering behind him to see...
"Stars?" he mumbled, his voice full of puzzlement.
What's scary about stars?
"Hey, weren't you all tough a minute ago?" Raphael questioned, he spoke with hesitant uncertainty towards the trembling fox.
Somehow causes the fox to cry even more.
"Mommy..." The whimper was so low it was almost impossible to hear, a sound that seemed to echo inside the mindscape.
You! You entered my mindscape without permission and now you're crying!?
Raphael stared at the fox, a perplexed frown furrowing his brow. Then, a sigh escaped his lips. "You are indeed... Pitiful," his voice softening slightly, "Let's go out"
One seemingly ordinary star, positioned just behind Raphael, transformed in an instant. It erupted in a radiant lavender light, embodying the essence of [Dream].
A wave of radiance washed over the mindscape, flooding the vision of both Fox and Raphael with blinding light. In an instant, everything went black.
.....
Raphael quietly lifted his eyelids. Instead of his villa's clean living room, a bizarre and unfamiliar place greeted his sight.
The whole place is distorted and in a surreal manner, the concept of gravity is non-existent, with multiple floating landmasses or pathways, connected to each other.
It was a broken and distorted city, where buildings stood upside down, objects floated defying logic, and gravity was but a forgotten concept.
A gasp escaped Raphael's lips. "What the...?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief at the utterly bizarre scene unfolding before him.
"What now?"
"I apologize for the sudden intrusion," a voice resonated in front of him.
Suddenly, space itself rippled and distorted. From its depths, an entity slowly emerged.
The creation from legend revealed itself to him, a lavender fox with nine tails and eyes that shimmered with purple light. Its appearance was both majestic and utterly unexpected.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I am the [Hand of Mischief], the leading figure of Dream Entities, and the mother of the one-tailed dream fox you saw earlier, you may call me Fyxe" She introduced herself with dignity and grace.
"My name is-"
"Raphael" Fyxe abruptly interrupted him.
How? Did she read my mind?
Seeing my confusion, Fyxe answered before I could voice my concern. "Your mind is resistant towards external reading, but others don't" A mischievous glint shone in her eyes.
"So, what's the secret your pack's trying to hide from us?"
Not wasting more time, Raphael begins his interrogation, his eyes gleaming with a mysterious gray light, the concept of [Knowledge] with the authority of [Truth] and [Vision] is activated in front of the nine-tails Fox, shattering the veil of falsehood and deceptions, forbidding the lies in the presence of the absolute sight.
The gaze of Fyxe and Raphael collided, forcing the slitted pupil of Fyxe to secretly tremble.
"Talk" His voice was calming, yet possessed an unshakeable firmness.
Fyxe nodded, she admitted, "We are the guardian of the Cognitive Distortion spell, but the nature of the secret is a mystery, even to us."
Raphael huffed in annoyance at her unhelpful answer.
Looking at the sulking expression of the young man in front of him, which reminded her of his youngest kit, she added. "We are born and tasked with guarding the rules of this spell and ensuring its functionality."
Remembering the previous fox's appearance due to his rule-breaking, Raphael asked curiously. "What are the rules?"
"Only high-level Transcendent or higher can glimpse the truth, but whether they find the answer is based on their ability."
"Oh"
A glint of amusement flickered in Fyxe's eyes. "It appears you're an exception and for some unknown reason you bypass the rules of the spell, who you are?"
Raphael stiffened at the unexpected question, followed by a tremor of the whole place.
Fyxe narrowed her eyes in displeasure, "It seems our meeting will be interrupted. May I make a request? In exchange for your agreement, I will provide you with a book and information about the ancient era."
Sensing the urgency, he agreed without a second thought.
"There is a boy in your university that continuously plagued by nightmares, please help him"
Suddenly, as they spoke, reality began to crack. Tiny fractures, like shattered mirrors, appeared in the very space around them.
"This temporary dreamscape cannot bear the pressure of their relentless prying. Please watch my youngest son for a while. I'll do my best to answer any questions you have next time we meet. Goodbye."
With a final, hurried farewell, the nine-tailed fox, Fyxe, the [Hand of Mischief] dissolved into a shimmering haze of dreamlike wisps.
Without the owner of this temporary dreamscape, the bizarre world began to unravel, its fantastical structures crumbling into dust as the ground trembled with violent intensity. The small cracks expanded in a spiderweb pattern.
With its foundation gone, Raphael and the entire world collapsed into nothingness.
.....
Abruptly, he snapped his eyes open. What greets him is his villa's living room and a tiny lavender fox.
Tilting its head, the fox asked, "Awake?"
Overwhelmed by its cuteness, which reminded him of his beloved children, he almost screamed but stopped himself to avoid frightening the fox for the second time.
Without warning, his phone buzzed with the rhythmic beat of the alarm he set earlier, instantly jolting him back to reality.
He snatched his phone, his eyes darted to his phone's glowing screen. The time it displayed shocked him, the class was about to start.
Immediately, Raphael raced toward the closed front door, while calling out for his tiny companion. "Xyne, let's go, I'm about to be late!"
Using [Space] authority is out of the question because the whole university is protected with a security system and other countermeasures unless he can fully analyze the formation to freely go in and out!
"...Xyne?" A hesitant, slightly bewildered voice drifted back to him.
Stopping abruptly, Raphael looked back to see Xyne's lost and confused expression.
"What? You didn't like it?" he teased, a grin playing on his lips.
"The moment I born, I pray every day to receive a summon from a [Dreamer] to become their familiar and receive a name" Xyne narrated his experience and his expression remains unchanged.
As he listened, Raphael's demeanor softened.
"Until almost eighteen years have gone by and I lost all hope"
Slowly, Xyne raised his head, their eyes meeting. A quiet, "I like it. Thank you," escaped his lips.
"I'm sure you'll meet your fated dreamer soon" Raphael assured, a vibrant scarlet light blooming in his eyes like a burning ember. "And Once you do, you may receive your true name."
Without a word, Xyne launched himself onto Raphael's right shoulder, the movement surprisingly swift and silent. "Let's go or you'll be late"
Remembering that he still had a class to attend, Raphael immediately dashed away at great speed.
.....
With a burst of speed, Raphael darted across the bustling hallway, weaving between clusters of chattering students and quickly made his way to his designated lecture hall.
"Found it!" The sight of '305: Combat Class' nearly made him cry with relief.
As he entered the lecture hall, countless eyes turned to him.
Hatred, contempt, envy, and indifference were etched on their faces.
The room grew quiet, and a heavy silence descended, so absolute that the fall of a pin would have been audible.
The sudden silence of the room was shattered only by a sharp "Tsk," the sound of a tongue clicking echoes around the room. Followed by the whispers and chattering of other students.
A quiet snicker sounded from his right shoulder, where the invisible Xyne was located.
As Raphael searched the crowd for the person who'd made the annoyed sound, his eyes briefly locked with those of a young man with striking silver purple hair.
Elliott?
The silver purple-haired young man arrogantly lifted his chin in a provocative manner towards him then disdainfully turned his head.
"Who?" Xyne whispered, barely audible near his ear.
"Elliott, my brother's friend, and also possibly infatuated with Agatha" Raphael whispered, his voice only audible to his invisible companion.
"And in case you're curious about Agatha, she is-"
"Raphael! My good friend!" A thunderous voice cut him short, silencing his words mid-sentence.
A young man with slate-blue hair strode toward him, a condescending smirk playing on his lips.
He is Justin, a so-called friend of the original Raphael and a bad influence at that.
"He's disgusting"
"I know, so don't do anything reckless" Raphael quietly warned his invisible companion.
Arriving in front of Raphael, Justin's voice was laced with feigned concern as he poked at his friend with playful jabs. "So, how's the rehabilitation? Did you have some fun?" But beneath the surface of his lighthearted banter, deep inside, he is criticizing Raphael for being stupid and useless.
"You're hated by everyone, Raphael"
A thought transmitted from Xyne to him. Instantly woken him up from unexpected malice.
"Don't use your telepathy for something useless, who knows maybe someone is eavesdropping!"
Having just reprimanded Xyne, Raphael's eyes scanned the crowded room, seeking an unoccupied chair, and any inconspicuous seat where he could easily blend in.
And forgetting his so-called best friend.
Seeing that he's being ignored, Justin's face flushed scarlet with anger and a sense of embarrassment washed over him.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Raphael realized someone had been talking to him. He turned to see Justin's fuming face.
Look, he's feeling shy!
As if reading his thoughts, the Invisible Xyne, rolled his eyes toward Raphael appearing clueless as to what he did.
Almost immediately, the sound of crisp footsteps echoed through the room as the instructor arrived, his sharp, authoritative voice silencing the room's lively chatter. "Return to your seat!"
Raphael, finding a reason for an escape, mumbled "Talk to you later," waving a dismissive hand as he hurried away, avoiding any further interaction with Justin.
As he slumped into his chosen seat, letting out a heavy sigh "This is going to be a long day," he muttered under his breath.
He knew, with a certainty that his lazy life was about to be shattered by some unwelcome troubles!