Jael sat on the edge of his bed, his bare feet pressed against the cold wooden floor.
His hands were shaking.
No—trembling.
His breathing was uneven, shallow, as fragments of the nightmare replayed behind his eyes like shattered glass.
Blood.
Screams.
Steel tearing flesh.
A sword falling.
Lemi's face.
He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms.
"…It happened again," he whispered hoarsely.
The room around him was intact.
The walls weren't burned.
The ceiling hadn't collapsed.
The air didn't stink of blood or mana.
Yet his heart was pounding as if he had just escaped death.
From beyond the thin wooden door, laughter drifted in—warm, familiar, alive.
Jael's head snapped up.
Voices.
Jade's loud, careless laughter.
Lemi's soft giggle following behind it.
The old woman's gentle chuckle, slow and calm, like always.
His breath hitched.
They're… alive?
For a moment, hope surged through him so violently it hurt.
Then fear followed.
Cold. Sharp. Certain.
"What… what if I can save them this time?" he thought, his lips slowly curling into an eerie, unstable smile.
His chest tightened.
He didn't stop to think.
Jael stood abruptly and yanked the door open, sprinting toward the living room.
The sudden movement startled everyone.
Five figures sat gathered around the lantern-lit table.
They were whole. Unharmed. Laughing.
Jade turned first, pale blue eyes widening slightly. "Jael? What's wrong with you?" he asked, confused. "Why did you run like that?"
He tilted his head and smirked. "Or let me guess—another triple-horned boar chasing you in your dreams again?"
A few chuckles followed.
Lemi covered her mouth, laughing softly.
Even the old woman smiled, her calm gray eyes filled with warmth as she spoke gently. "What's the matter, dear? You know you can tell me anything."
Jael stared at them.
His vision blurred.
Tears spilled freely from his eyes as his voice broke. "Grandma… you have to believe me," he said desperately. "Someone is coming. He's coming to kill all of you. We have to run—now!"
The laughter died.
For half a second, silence hung in the air.
Then Jade burst out laughing again, louder this time.
"You should see your face!" he said between chuckles. "Since when did you learn to act like that?"
Jael shook his head frantically. "No—you don't understand. I've seen this already. Every detail. Every death—"
Jade waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. No one's killing us. And even if they tried," he added casually, "Grandma's an adept ice mage. Who would dare?"
Jael's heart sank.
"You all don't get it," he said, backing away. "I've seen everything. Please—let's move before—"
Knock.
The sound was soft.
Polite.
Deadly.
Jael's blood turned to ice.
"DON'T OPEN THE DOOR!" he screamed.
Too late.
The door exploded inward.
Wood shattered.
A figure clad in dark armor stepped through the debris like a walking calamity.
Steel flashed.
Blood followed.
The knight moved with terrifying precision.
Jade barely had time to turn.
A diagonal slash.
His head separated from his body and hit the floor with a wet thud.
Lemi screamed.
The old woman raised her hands, chanting desperately as frost surged through the room, ice forming rapidly—
Then it stopped.
Blood sprayed across the walls.
Jael stood frozen.
His eyes were empty.
Dead.
As the massacre unfolded exactly as he remembered, something inside him clicked.
His vision pulsed.
The world felt… thin.
Unreal.
His pupils flickered—lemon green dissolving into a dull, haunting violet.
"I see now," Jael whispered calmly.
The knight turned toward him.
Jael smiled faintly.
"It's a dream," he said softly. "A cruel one… but still a dream."
He stepped forward.
Straight toward the armored knight.
Lemi was dragged forward, her body trembling as the knight raised his blade.
Jael moved between them.
The knight paused, surprised.
Jael didn't turn back.
"At least," he murmured, "let me return the favor this time."
Steel pierced flesh.
Pain erupted.
Blood splattered.
Jael felt his body collapse, his strength fading rapidly as his vision dimmed.
As his head rolled across the floor, his eyes finally closed.
Silence.
Then—
DING.
A mechanical voice echoed through the void.
YOU HAVE SURVIVED YOUR NIGHTMARE.
CLASS ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE.
A screen materialized before him, ancient symbols rearranging themselves.
Lv. 1 — Dream Walker
The world shattered.
Jael awoke gasping in a pit of snow beneath a dark, endless sky.
The nightmare was over.
But his fate had only just begun.