Elian opened his eyes. Before him, Seraphina stood with a pale face and ragged breaths, as if she had just escaped from a nightmare.
"Ms. Seraphina…?" Elian's voice was hoarse. "What's wrong? Why do you look like that?"
Seraphina didn't answer immediately. Her gaze was fixed on Elian's forehead, her eyes widening, lips trembling.
"Elian…" her voice was almost a whisper. "Your forehead… do you feel it?"
She raised her hand, pointing precisely at his brow.
Elian frowned, then lifted his own hand and touched his forehead.
"No… I don't feel anything."
But the next second—
Something ripped inside him.
It wasn't ordinary pain, but a horrifying sensation, as if a part of his soul was being forcibly torn out.
"Arghh—!!"
Elian screamed, his body stiffening as both hands clutched his head. The pain came in brutal waves, leaving no room to breathe.
At the same time, an overwhelming pressure crashed down from the sky.
Seraphina flinched. She ran to the window and threw it open. When she looked up—
"N–no way…"
The sky above the academy was covered by a giant magic circle. Ancient symbols rotated slowly, emitting a glow that made Seraphina's blood run cold.
She didn't need long to understand what it meant.
"This… this is my fault…"
Seraphina turned and rushed back to Elian, who was still writhing in pain. She held his head with both hands, as if afraid he would completely fall apart.
"Elian, listen to me!" Her voice broke. "No matter what happens—no matter what—you have to endure it! I… I will definitely save you!"
But Elian didn't hear her.
The pain was too insane. Too cruel to be expressed in words. His consciousness slowly collapsed, and the world around him sank into darkness.
"Urgh…"
Elian opened his eyes.
"My head… where is this…?"
He found himself in Seraphina's room—but it was empty. No one was there. The walls, desk, and bookshelves were shrouded in thin white mist that drifted slowly, like the breath of the world itself.
Elian's heart pounded.
"Don't tell me…"
His realization struck.
"The Dream World… Arc 1 has begun."
Old memories surfaced. He remembered asking Seraphina to examine his soul. He remembered the pain. And now—he was trapped in the Dream World.
In the game, he had never truly understood the details of this Arc. There was only one thing he knew:
he and Amelia would be imprisoned by a demon.
Then Reinhard and Liana would arrive.
And in the end… they would choose.
"How is this possible…?" The voice was heavy, echoing directly in his ears.
The mist vanished. The world turned into total darkness. From within that darkness, eight gigantic red eyes opened and stared at him without emotion.
A giant spider slowly emerged. Its eight eyes gleamed coldly, its mouth murmuring a language that made one's soul itch.
Elian swallowed hard. He recognized this being.
"Arc 1 Demon…"
By reflex, he opened his status panel—then froze.
Name: Elian Arcadia
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Sequence: 9
Magic Power: 6,200
Personality: Kind
Trait: Analytical, Arrogant, Noble Superiority, Soft Heart
Sequence 10: Storyteller
Sequence 9: Hypnotist (100%)
Rank: C
Strength: 151 (D)
Dexterity: 251 (C)
Agility: 211 (D)
Constitution: 171 (D)
Intelligence: 620 (B)
Wisdom: 817 (S)
Charisma: Divine
"What…?" Elian whispered. "Why… is this my data?"
He checked again. The result was the same.
"Tsk," the demon clicked its tongue. "There's always someone who barges in without permission."
Before Elian could react, a familiar voice sounded beside him.
"Elian…?" Amelia appeared. Her face was pale, eyes widening when she saw Elian there.
The spider chuckled softly.
"So, Elian… how does it feel to see your little sweetheart for the last time?"
"I-I'm not Elian's sweetheart!" Amelia hurriedly denied, her voice on the verge of tears.
"Oh?" The demon sounded intrigued. "Interesting."
It moved closer, lowering its massive body, staring at Amelia from close range.
"I'm angry, you know. For months I couldn't watch over you. And when I finally saw you leave that place…" Its eight eyes narrowed. "You brought this girl with you."
The demon stared at Amelia for a long time.
"I don't know what you see in her, Elian. But because of her… I've seen a side of you that even I didn't realize existed."
Elian clenched his teeth. "What do you actually want?"
"Isn't it obvious?" the demon replied casually. "According to the agreement, I will take you to the demon world. And now—after discovering that there is something that can block my perception, I need to take you to the demon world no matter what."
Elian took a deep breath. Everything finally made sense to him. How could a demon enter the best academy of the Celestra Kingdom, which was guarded so tightly? Perhaps from the very beginning, Elian had already been its pawn, and when he entered the academy, he summoned this demon to create chaos.
This time, when Seraphina examined his memories, perhaps she had unconsciously alerted the demon, causing it to act earlier than planned.
"Oh?" it said lightly. "Looks like we have guests."
In an instant, the world distorted.
Elian and Amelia were separated—each trapped inside a transparent black cage suspended in the air. They could see each other, but couldn't touch.
"Amelia!"
A shout echoed.
Reinhard appeared from the distance, his body shooting forward at high speed. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and charged at the giant spider.
"How dare you—!"
But before his blade could reach its target—
Fzzzt.
Reinhard vanished.
He reappeared in his original position, as if he had never moved at all.
"What—?!" Reinhard staggered, eyes wide.
On the other side, Liana had already raised her bow. An arrow was nocked, its tip trembling with emotional pressure. But she froze when she saw Reinhard return to his original spot.
The demon let out a low laugh.
"I don't know how you managed to get here, but I hope you stop doing something so foolish," its voice echoed, cold and oppressive. "I'm not in a good mood right now…"
Reinhard ground his teeth, glaring at the demon with undisguised fury.
"What do you want?"
"Oh, relax," the demon replied casually. "I promise I'll release both of them."
Its tone changed, as if offering a gift.
"But… you have to choose."
Reinhard and Liana both fell silent.
"You may save one person," the demon continued. "The other… will be the sacrifice."
The eight red eyes narrowed.
"So? Who will you save?"
Reinhard remained silent for several seconds. He looked… relieved for a moment—because this wasn't a battle. But his expression changed when he turned to the side.
Toward Liana.
Liana caught his gaze.
She closed her eyes briefly, then spoke in a firm voice without hesitation.
"I choose to save Amelia."
Reinhard turned sharply.
"What—"
But he stopped. His jaw tightened.
"…I also choose Amelia."
Those words fell like a hammer.
Elian's face twisted—but it wasn't because of their choice. It was because of the demon's true goal. At first, he thought this was merely cruel entertainment. But the longer it went on… the more it felt like something else.
The demon chuckled softly.
"See?" it whispered, its voice echoing directly in Elian's mind.
"Even your own sister… throws you away so easily."
"I told you already," the voice continued gently yet cruelly, "come with me to the demon world. There, you won't have to endure this pain anymore."
Elian was confused as to why the demon was trying so hard to persuade him.
If it wanted to… it could simply force him.
"I choose to save Elian!"
Amelia's voice shattered the silence.
Everyone was stunned.
"Amelia?!" Reinhard shouted. "What are you doing?!"
Liana shouted as well, her voice mixed with panic.
"Amelia! I know you're kind, but Elian isn't someone you should save!"
Amelia ignored them.
Her eyes stared straight at the giant spider. Her hands trembled—but her voice did not.
"If I choose myself as the sacrifice," she said, "that means you'll only have one hostage."
She took a breath.
"So… release Elian."
The demon fell silent for a moment.
Then it laughed.
"Oh?" Its tone was genuinely interested. "Very well. But… we still need to hear the choice from the last party."
"Amelia…" Reinhard's voice weakened. "Why would you go this far…?"
Elian lowered his head.
This scenario… was actually in line with his expectations.
If he chose himself, Reinhard would fight for Amelia. With Liana backing him up, their chances of winning were fairly high. Even if they failed—he had a sugar mommy who would rush to check on his condition the moment she realized Elian was in danger.
But one thing bothered him.
Why hasn't Seraphina appeared yet?
Weren't they in the same room? Even if they weren't close, wasn't Seraphina his teacher? By logic and ethics alone, Seraphina should have saved the student in front of her.
"Elian."
A gentle voice touched his consciousness.
He lifted his head.
Before him floated a young woman with long black hair, covering one of her eyes. Her black dress rippled softly, her pale gray eyes radiating depth and calm.
She hugged Elian without hesitation.
"Who… are you?" Elian asked softly.
The woman seemed to think for a moment.
"Who am I?" She smiled faintly. "I am the goddess who governs dreams."
She leaned closer.
"Or perhaps… you know me better as the owner of the fate Dreamweaver."
Elian stiffened, realizing that this goddess was still alive since she could appear without being summoned.
"Get to the point," he said. "What do you want?"
"I will hand my fate over to you," she replied gently. "With that, you can escape this situation."
Elian stared at her sharply.
"In exchange?"
The woman smiled—this time coldly.
"I want you to kill that demon."
Elian fell silent.
"It's not your soul that he's using right now," she continued, "but his true body in the demon realm. After that… take your fate back from him and make it your own."
"How do I find him?"
"Go to the demon world," she answered simply. "He will find you on his own."
She looked at Elian deeply.
"And one piece of advice… don't accept fate from anyone. Even from fallen gods. They will leave traces behind."
Elian frowned.
"Then… what about you?"
The woman smiled thinly.
"Remember. Every fate that is given… is always connected to its giver."
She began to fade.
"So… create your own fate."
And she vanished—leaving Elian in darkness. In the next instant, a bright light enveloped his body.