The Silverstaff Institute Arc
Episode 8.5: Knowing the Heroes' Future
An endless white void stretched beyond every direction.
There was no sky above it.
No ground beneath it.
No horizon where one could tell the difference.
Only an infinite expanse of white, untouched by distance, time, or ordinary reality.
At its center rested a small table prepared for three.
A porcelain teapot sat beside several cups. Steam drifted from the tea, though there was no heat within the void to create it.
A young man sat on one side of the table.
At first glance, he looked almost identical to Yin Pendragon.
The same red-and-black hair.
The same delicate features.
The same shaded crimson eyes.
But there was something wrong with the resemblance.
His eyes did not carry Yin's warmth, insecurity, or childish excitement.
They were hollow.
Ancient.
Filled with the memory of countless executions.
This was not Yin Pendragon.
It was the being sleeping inside him.
The original Dragon of Judgment.
He lifted his cup and took a slow drink.
Across the table stood a woman surrounded by celestial mist.
Her true body could not be seen.
Only the outline of a tall feminine figure remained visible beneath flowing layers of white and golden light. Stars shifted across her silhouette, appearing and vanishing as though entire universes were breathing beneath her skin.
Her voice echoed throughout the white void.
"Well."
The mist around her face curved into the suggestion of a smile.
"This is an unusual time for you to appear, Dragon of Judgment."
Judgment placed his cup onto the table.
"What can I say?"
He leaned back in his chair.
"It feels good to return to my own void."
His fingers tapped lightly against the porcelain.
"Even if I'm only here temporarily."
The Celestial tilted her head.
Judgment's smile disappeared.
"I want an answer."
The white void became colder.
"Why did you allow me to suffer?"
His eyes narrowed.
"I nearly killed the Original Ruler. I tore through gods, concepts, and everything he placed between us."
The tea inside his cup began vibrating.
"Yet you still allowed me to be reincarnated inside the body of my descendant."
The Celestial said nothing.
Judgment looked down at his hands.
"This body belongs to Yin Pendragon."
"For now."
A faint grin appeared beneath the mist.
Judgment noticed.
He chuckled.
"So you do understand."
The Celestial raised one hand and snapped her fingers.
The void shifted.
A second presence appeared.
The Ruler of Dreams
A man blinked into existence several feet from the table.
He appeared to be reclining across a throne, though no throne could actually be seen beneath him. His body simply rested upon empty space as though reality had remembered furniture was supposed to be there and became too embarrassed to admit it had forgotten.
Long blond hair framed the face of a middle-aged man.
White cloth covered most of his body, flowing loosely around him without wind.
His eyes were his most unusual feature.
They glowed bright pink, each carrying a narrow orange pupil rather than black.
The man examined the void.
Then the Celestial.
Then Judgment.
"Good evening."
He paused.
"Or morning."
Another pause.
"Not that either concept means anything here."
The man shifted upright.
He was the Ruler of Dreams.
His pink eyes moved toward Judgment.
"Oh."
His expression became mildly amused.
"The great savior is present."
Judgment's eye twitched.
Dream continued.
"I suppose that means this meeting will either concern an approaching disaster or your unbearable pride."
"Perhaps both," Judgment replied.
Dream looked toward the Celestial.
"Why summon me?"
Judgment smiled at him.
"It's good to see you too, Dream."
He examined the Ruler's appearance.
"Though you look terrible."
Dream glanced down at himself.
"I am wearing divine cloth."
"You look like you woke up after sleeping for ten million years."
"That is because I did."
Judgment laughed.
The Celestial created another chair beside the table.
"Sit, Dream."
The Ruler of Dreams looked toward the chair.
"There are matters we must discuss."
His amusement faded slightly.
"An enemy is approaching the end of its seal."
Dream sat.
"A seal?"
His bright eyes sharpened.
"Which one?"
The Celestial did not immediately answer.
Judgment lifted the teapot and poured another cup.
"We're here to discuss the future of our descendants."
Dream leaned back.
"I have little interest in mine."
Judgment stopped pouring.
The tea overflowed slightly before he noticed.
His gaze moved toward Dream.
"Why?"
Dream rested one cheek against his hand.
"Their development is slow."
His voice contained neither anger nor disappointment.
Only boredom.
"She has displayed nothing exceptional among her peers."
Dream looked into the white distance.
"She remains unawakened."
"So?"
"If she dies before awakening, then there is no meaningful loss."
Judgment studied him.
Something about Dream's indifference felt unusual even by the standards of an Ancient Ruler.
"You truly don't care?"
"I did not say that."
Dream's eyes became colder.
"I said her progress does not justify my concern."
Judgment's lips curled into a grin.
"My descendant is progressing rather well."
Dream looked toward him.
"Yin Pendragon?"
Judgment examined the back of one hand.
"He survived the Forest of Judah."
"Poorly."
"He awakened part of his mother's bloodline."
"Briefly."
"He defeated Cyprus."
"After being impaled."
Judgment looked offended.
"A victory remains a victory."
Dream sighed.
"And you intend to steal his body."
Judgment's smile returned.
"Eventually."
He leaned back.
"Such a shame."
Dream raised an eyebrow.
"You consider that a shame?"
"A small one."
Judgment's hollow eyes reflected the white void.
"He is entertaining."
"Then allow him to keep the body."
Judgment laughed.
"No."
His answer came instantly.
"He exists because I required a vessel."
Dream's expression remained unchanged.
"Then there is no tragedy. You are merely following the most logical course."
Judgment looked toward him.
"You are remarkably heartless for someone governing dreams."
"Dreams are not kind."
Dream folded his arms.
"And that boy will not survive what approaches without you."
Judgment's laughter faded.
"You know about that?"
"I know enough."
Dream's gaze shifted toward the Celestial.
"This conversation about descendants is irrelevant."
His voice sharpened.
"Tell me about the seal."
The Fallen Twelve Stir
The Celestial lifted one hand.
The white void darkened around the table.
Images appeared within the mist.
A dead universe.
Broken planets.
Ancient chains stretching across black stars.
A colossal creature moved between them, its body larger than worlds.
Countless eyes opened across its flesh.
Leviathan.
The Planet Eater.
The first among the imprisoned Fallen Twelve to begin awakening.
The Celestial watched the image.
"One of the Fallen Twelve has discovered a weakness within the Stigmata."
Dream became completely still.
"Which one?"
"Leviathan."
The creature inside the vision released a roar.
Several broken planets shattered from the sound alone.
Judgment's eyes narrowed.
The Celestial continued.
"He desires revenge upon the Ancient Rulers and the heroes who sealed him."
Dream leaned forward.
"How long?"
"One year."
The answer disturbed even him.
"A year?"
The image changed.
Cracks spread across the ancient prison.
"If Leviathan escapes," the Celestial explained, "the damage to the seal will allow the remaining members of the Fallen Twelve to follow."
Dream looked toward Judgment.
"We cannot manifest physical bodies within that time."
"No," Judgment agreed.
"Our authorities remain separated from the Material World."
Dream's fingers tightened against the table.
"The current generation is not prepared."
Judgment's grin slowly returned.
Dream noticed.
"No."
Judgment lifted his cup.
"What?"
"No."
Dream pointed at him.
"I recognize that expression."
"I have many expressions."
"You have two. Murderous boredom and catastrophic enthusiasm."
The Celestial remained silent, though the mist around her appeared amused.
Dream's eyes narrowed.
"What are you planning?"
Judgment calmly drank his tea.
"We let the descendants fight Leviathan."
Silence followed.
Dream stared.
The Celestial's hidden smile widened.
Judgment placed down his cup.
Dream finally spoke.
"That is the stupidest suggestion you have made in several million years."
"Only several?"
"They would die."
"Possibly."
"Definitely."
Judgment shrugged.
"Death provides excellent motivation."
Dream's eyes glowed brighter.
"Your descendant can barely control his own emotions. Mine has not awakened. The remaining heroes do not even understand what they are."
"Then they have a year to learn."
"A year is nothing."
Judgment stood from the table.
"To us."
His black-and-red hair shifted despite the absence of wind.
"To mortals, a year can become an entire lifetime."
Dream scoffed.
"How inspiring."
"It wasn't intended to be."
Judgment walked toward the endless white distance.
A doorway appeared before him.
Beyond it existed a dark world where enormous scales, execution grounds, and countless weapons floated above an ocean of blood.
The conceptual domain of Judgment.
Before entering, he stopped.
"Let's make a wager."
Dream's attention immediately returned.
"A wager?"
Judgment glanced over his shoulder.
Dream's eyes brightened with curiosity.
"What are the terms?"
Judgment raised four fingers.
"Four years."
Dream laughed.
"For what?"
"In four years, the descendants will defeat Leviathan."
The Ruler of Dreams looked toward the image of the Planet Eater.
The beast's enormous body moved through the prison.
"Defeat him?"
"With one Sacred Item," Judgment added.
Dream stared at him.
Then he laughed harder.
"They would be fortunate to remain alive after four years."
Judgment smiled.
"Then accept."
Dream rested both arms on the table.
"What will you place on the line?"
The Celestial turned slightly toward Judgment.
He gave no hesitation.
"My entire existence."
The void became silent.
Even Dream's smile disappeared.
Judgment's existence was more than his body or soul.
It included his name.
Authority.
Concept.
Every memory of him across past, present, and future.
Losing such a wager would erase the Dragon of Judgment completely.
Dream studied him.
"You are serious."
"Painfully."
"And if they defeat Leviathan within four years?"
"Then you surrender your authority to me for one cycle."
Dream's pink eyes narrowed.
"That was not stated before."
"I'm stating it now."
"What would you do with the authority of Dreams?"
Judgment's grin became predatory.
"Something hilarious."
"That answer makes refusal seem intelligent."
"Then refuse."
Dream hated being challenged.
Judgment knew it.
The Ruler of Dreams leaned back.
"Very well."
The orange pupils within his eyes sharpened.
"If your descendants fail to defeat Leviathan within four years, your existence belongs to oblivion."
Judgment extended one hand.
"And if they succeed, your authority belongs to me for one cycle."
Dream accepted his hand.
The moment their palms touched, the white void trembled.
A conceptual contract formed between them.
It could not be broken by gods, time, death, or reincarnation.
The Celestial watched the wager bind itself into reality.
Neither Ancient Ruler asked why she was smiling.
Dream released Judgment's hand.
"I will hold you to this."
"I expect you to."
"If that is all, I will leave."
The Celestial inclined her head.
"Until we meet again, Dream."
Dream's body began dissolving into pink mist.
Before vanishing, he looked toward Judgment.
"Try not to possess your descendant too early."
Judgment raised an eyebrow.
"Concerned?"
"No."
Dream's lips curved slightly.
"I simply want the boy to have enough time to prove you wrong."
Then he disappeared.
A Deal with the Devil
Only Judgment and the Celestial remained.
The white void returned to silence.
Judgment stared at the place where Dream vanished.
Then he started laughing.
His laughter grew louder until it echoed across infinity.
He wiped a tear from one eye.
"Dream truly becomes foolish whenever someone challenges his pride."
The Celestial watched him.
"You wagered your entire existence."
Judgment looked back.
"And?"
"You could lose."
He smiled as though she had told a joke.
"I already know the outcome."
"Do you?"
"Will Breaker has begun preparing Yin."
Judgment approached the doorway leading into his domain.
"His suffering strengthens my body."
His voice became quieter.
"His friendships will create the heroes."
The Celestial's mist shifted.
"And the Sacred Item?"
Judgment paused at the threshold.
His smile returned.
"That is the amusing part."
He stepped into the darkness.
"They already possess it."
The doorway began closing.
The Celestial remained alone at the table.
Judgment's laughter echoed from the other side.
"Dream should know better than to make deals with a devil!"
The door vanished.
The celestial woman looked down at the three cups of tea.
One remained untouched.
She lifted it.
Within the surface appeared eight young figures standing before a future covered in blood.
Yin.
Amani.
Wander.
Ren.
And four others whose faces remained hidden.
Beyond them stood Leviathan.
Larger than worlds.
Stronger than gods.
The Celestial's smile faded.
"Four years."
Her voice traveled across the empty void.
"Let us see whether heroes are created by destiny…"
The image inside the tea shifted toward Yin Pendragon.
"…or by surviving it."
To Be Continued ➡️