Sora found herself standing the vast expanse of a surreal landscape. The sky above was a dull, oppressive shade of gray, and cold icy winds swept across the barren land sending chills down her spine. She blinked slowly, her tired eyes adjusting to the unfamiliar surroundings. "Huh?," she exclaimed, glancing around, "What could this place be?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the eerie silence. But there was no one to answer her.
A strange, unnatural coldness settled over her, far more intense than the wind's bite. It seeped into her very bones, hugging her tightly as she shivered. She too hugged herself as tight as she could, only to realize—she wasn't wearing anything, something she had experienced during the first countof her dream that was very much similar to this. A sharp intake of breath escaped her as she glanced down. Her body was bare, save for strange black shadows covering her most private areas.
What in the world is this? She muttered inwardly, her mind filled with so much thoughts she couldn't process properly. But her nudity wasn't her primary concern, seeing that the important parts weren't exposed. She needed to have a full understanding of where she has ended up.
Scanning her surroundings, her eyes widened in recognition. The land bore an uncanny resemblance to the rice fields from her previous dream—the one she had before she first encountered the system.
Attempting to step forward, reality itself seemed to warp around her. The fields stretched and twisted like elastic causing Sora to fall on her face, she rose to her feet dusting herself and as her vision was cleared, she noticed the same man draped in a flowing black cloak with shadows swimming all around it. He held the same golden rod in his hand, his presence both ominous and enigmatic. "It's you again," Sora muttered under her breath, though the man seemed to hear her. He turned to face her, his expression hidden beneath the shadows of his cloak.
Without warning, he raised his hand, pointing a single finger at her. A tendril of surreal energy, swirling with black and gold colors shot from his fingertip. It coiled around her body, wrapping her in its eerie glow. Her vision darkened as the energy enveloped her, and just before everything faded to black, the man spoke in a voice that seemed to echo through her very soul: "It is not yet time."
And in that very instant, everything around Sora was lost in darkness.
Sora awoke with a start, but this time she was far more calm than the last time she had such an encounter. She sat, her mind still raced with little thoughts again on who that man could potentially be. Why did he appear in her dream a second time? What purpose did he serve? His words lingered in her mind, haunting her:
It is not yet time.
What did that mean? What was she waiting for?
Before she could dwell on it further, the system chimed, pulling her attention away from her thoughts. A new message appeared, and for a moment, Sora wondered if it was another quest. But this was different. She leaned closer to read it:
—Training Module—
Push-ups: 0/50
Sit-ups: 0/50
Pull-ups: 0/20
Plank: 5min 30sec
Note: All training exercises must be completed before midnight.
Penalty: Temporary Paralysis.
"What? This is outrageous!" she groaned, her frustration boiling over. She already had her daily work routines to worry about, and not only that—the Bureau of Knights, the strange dreams and Sorelia's arrival but now the system was demanding a ridiculous training session? She rubbed her temples, contemplating how she was going to fit everything into her day.
Then, before she could decide, the system glitched—another message appearing.
[You have obtained a gift as an additional sequence for your training routine]
—Would you like to unlock it?—
[Yes/No]
"A gift?" Sora muttered, her curiosity piqued. She hesitated for a moment before selecting the Yes option. At the foot of her bed, a parcel materialized. She reached for it, and as soon as her fingers touched the wrapping, it shimmered with a bright white light. When the glow faded, a single key rested in her palm.
[You have obtained a dream key]
Sora stared at the key, her mind buzzing with questions. A dream key? What was it for? How was she supposed to use it? The mysteries kept piling up, and Sora couldn't help but feel that her life was spiraling into something far beyond her control.
Sora swung her legs off the bed, settling into a seated position at the edge. The cold air brushing against her exposed thighs and waist, as she stared down at this peculiar key in hand. 'A key?' she thought, tilting her head slightly. What kind of door could this open?
Maybe it belonged to a hidden magic door, because Sorelia had already made it quite clear that magic existed. Or perhaps there was a phrase she had to say to activate it.
Determined to test out her theory, she stretched forth her hand, the key glinting in the dim light of dawn. Her eyes narrowed with focus, as she commanded, "Open," But nothing strange or exciting occurred. The room remained silent, the key still in her hand. Frustration flickered across her face, the type her mother would give her if she refused to help in the kitchen instead of watching other blacksmiths work as she pulled her hand back, glaring at the key.
But she refused to give up so easily.
Maybe there was a specific word, something more fitting. Once more, she extended her hand.
"Unlock," she tried a second time, her voice firm and resolute as she believed it would work this time. Still, nothing. Sora groaned, sighing afterwards, her patience wearing thin. She had other things to do—her daily routine, her business, the Bureau of Knights invitation. This key was starting to feel like a waste of time.
She stood up, ready to toss the key aside and move on with her day. But something inside her urged her to give it one last try. Reluctantly, she reached for the key again, her mind scrambling for ideas. "Unlock, open, unwrap… none of that worked," she muttered, pacing back and forth. Then, an idea struck her—a more elaborate phrase, something that felt like it belonged in a storybook.
With a deep breath, she stretched out her hand a third time, her voice steady as she declared, "Come forth, gates of the dream world!" For a moment, nothing happened, and Sora immediately regretted the dramatic words. But just as she was about to give up and toss the key aside, the room erupted into chaos.
A swirling vortex of shadows and golden light burst to life around her, tendrils of energy snaking through the air. Sora gasped, her eyes wide as the wind in the room intensified, lifting objects off the ground and sending them spinning. The shadows coalesced, forming a massive gate right in front of her. It was an eerie, otherworldly structure—a metal frame with a shimmering, translucent black surface that seemed to ripple like liquid. Shadowy tendrils extended from it, reaching out toward her.
"Huh? Hey, stay away from me?," she demanded but her words weren't heard and the tendrils wrapped around every part of her body, pulling her toward itself as shadows engulfed her, and in an instant, the gate vanished, leaving the room eerily silent and still once more. Sora was gone, swept into whatever realm the dream key had unlocked.
Sora groaned in pain as she pushed herself up from the rough, stony ground, her body aching from the impact she endured. Her nightwear, already barely covering her, was now torn and dirtied with stains of blood, clinging to her skin in tatters. She winced as she touched her face, her fingers coming away with a faint smear of blood from the cuts left by the jagged rocks. The ground beneath her was unforgiving—a stark opposition of the soft rice fields she had seen in her dreams.
Shakily, she rose to her feet, her legs trembling as she steadied herself. The rocky terrain had scraped her knees and palms, leaving small but stinging wounds. She glanced behind her, hoping to see the gate that had dragged her into this strange place, but there was nothing—just an empty, desolate expanse. Her heart sank as she realized she was trapped in whatever this underworld could be.
Turning her gaze forward, Sora's eyes widened. In the distance, rising from the center of the stony field, was a massive castle. Its towering spires pierced the gray sky, and its dark, imposing walls seemed to radiate an aura of both grandeur and foreboding. The castle looked ancient, its stonework weathered by time, yet it stood as if it had been waiting for her arrival.
Sora's mind raced. Was this the "dream world" the key had unlocked? By dream key she had thought of the rice fields, but this was clearly different from what she had anticipated.She didn't have time to dwell on it. With no way back and no other options in sight, she took a deep breath and began walking toward the castle, each step cautious and deliberate on the uneven ground.
As she drew closer, the castle loomed larger, its details becoming clearer. The gates were massive, wrought iron adorned with intricate designs that seemed to shift and change as she looked at them. The air around the castle felt heavy, charged with an energy that made her skin prickle. Sora hesitated for a moment at the base of the steps leading up to the gates, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Well," she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper, "I didn't come this far to turn back now."
With a determined breath, she climbed the steps, her hand reaching out to push open the heavy gates. As they creaked open, a rush of cold air swept past her, carrying with it the faint scent of something ancient and mysterious. Sora stepped inside, her eyes adjusting to the dim light as the gates closed behind her with a resounding clang.
Candles that levitated at the sides, lit up with blue flames slowly revealing a red carpet that went on and on and many pictures of mystical beasts and beings. And finally at the middle of this strange section, she could clearly see multiple red eyes glaring at her.
Sora was taken aback by this, and before she could react the candles had all been lit, revealing five red glowing eyes emnetting from a pack of wolves, their mouth filled with bile that trickled down their jaws as they growled. The wolves had spotted her and only Sora was a witness to this horror.
Above their heads, a glowing screen appeared with a name displayed on it in a white color.
[Common Wolf]