The moment Luca's body struck the stone floor, the stench of the dungeon and the damp smell of decay seemed to vanish instantly. Lane's rigid and lethal embrace had completely severed Luca's connection to reality. For Luca, this was a moment of unbearable physical agony, but for Lane... the entire world had changed.
On a high mountain peak, a gentle breeze swept through the air. A young man sat there—dressed in robes of purest white, looking completely serene. His face was so gentle and attractive that he appeared like an angel, lost in his own melody, far removed from all the noise of the world.
Suddenly, that divine silence was broken by the silvery laughter of a little girl. She came running and wrapped her tiny arms around the angel-like boy from behind, hugging him tightly.
"Big brother! What are you doing here all alone?" she chirped. "Come on... let's go home now!"
The angel-like figure touched those small hands resting on his neck with great affection. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Yes, alright..." he said in a low voice, and as soon as he touched those hands, the mountain and the golden sunlight began to blur like a fading light.
Everything vanished, and a thick, black darkness began to descend. The dream had now taken a terrifying shape. In that deep, dark room, the walls were filled with thousands of ancient books. In the center of the room, a circular protective shield was glowing, inside which sat a boy weeping bitterly. In the boy's lap lay two small children, and it was impossible to tell whether they were still alive or not.
Outside that protective shield, a destructive black smoke was annihilating everything. In the midst of that thick darkness stood three figures. Suddenly, a golden glow erupted, piercing through the dark. Those three individuals did not simply vanish; instead, amidst the golden radiance, they began to disappear slowly as flickering points of light. It was a sight like three stars slowly fading away with all their brilliance in the heart of a dense night.
Suddenly, Lane's eyes snapped open with a deep sense of panic and fear. He woke up with a jolt and realized he was lying directly on top of Luca. The terror of that horrific dream and the sight of those flickering lights vanishing left Lane's heart sinking. In his fright, he instantly hugged Luca tightly again.
"Luca! I'm so scared!" he said in a trembling voice.
But there was no movement from Luca. Lane did not realize that Luca was currently unconscious. Because of the sudden awakening from the dream, he couldn't understand what his own rigid grip had done to Luca. When Luca gave no response, Lane began to shake him, trying to wake him up, his eyes filled with visible fear and desperation.