Konrad drifted.
Weightless.
Adrift in a sea of black nothingness.
But then—
A dream came.
At first, it was shapeless, a mist of broken images and phantom emotions.
Slowly, the vision took form.
He saw Lost From Light — that unkillable cockroach, fated bastard — standing above the broken body of Caster.
Caster's mouth moved, perhaps begging, perhaps cursing, but Konrad couldn't hear it.
It didn't matter.
Lost From Light raised his blade without hesitation, and with one clean stroke, ended the treacherous fool.
The flash of blood was vivid against the grey dust.
Konrad felt a flicker of satisfaction.
Good. One less worm.
But the dream did not end there.
It shifted — the scene widened — and now he saw her.
Changing Star.
Nephis.
She stood facing Lost From Light across the broken ruins, her silver hair whipping in the bitter wind, her eyes buring with a light even the heavens might envy.
Her blade, pure and bright, was raised.
His weapon, dark and sharp, gleamed coldly in his hands.
A fated clash.
A battle a year in the making.
Two divine aspects, destined to collide.
And collide they did.
They moved. Faster than thought, faster than light.
Steel screamed against steel.
Each strike carried years of grief, hope, and stubborn, desperate dreams.
Their emotions poured out with every blow — anger, love, betrayal, loss — woven into the dance of death they had no choice but to dance.
Tension crackled through the dream like a living thing.
Konrad watched, riveted, feeling the pressure mount, feeling the stakes rise to something almost unbearable.
Then, betrayal. A metaphysical betrayal.
It came suddenly and sharp, just when Sunny was trying to stay with Nephis, like a dagger between ribs.
Cassie — no, not Cassie anymore.
Song of the Fallen now.
She stood behind Lost From Light, her blindfolded eyes wet with silent tears, her frail hands trembling.
And still, she struck.
Konrad felt it all.
The shock.
The despair.
The rage that followed.
The betrayal shattered the air, tore apart the bond that had barely kept the future intact.
He felt their anguish.
Felt it intimately — the deep, wordless howl of two souls betrayed by the one they trusted most.
And Konrad—
Konrad laughed.
Laughed from the pit of his broken soul.
He felt joy.
Joy so raw, so pure it almost brought tears to his battered spirit.
He relished it.
Savored the despair, the ruin, the inevitable fall of these fools who dared to defy their fate.
It was beautiful.
Delicious.
Perfect.
But perfection, like all things, could not last.
The dream shattered into jagged shards, scattering like broken glass into the darkness.
Konrad's soul fell, spinning down into the cold abyss.
The oblivion of unconsciousness closed over him once more, merciless and silent.
***
Konrad woke up in the endless space between dream and reality. All around him, there was nothing but a boundless black void, which was illuminated by a myriad of bright stars. Between those stars, countless strings of silver light were woven into a beautiful and inconceivably complex pattern.
Konrad took some time to think about his current situation and what to do from here on out.
He had survived. Who could have thought? He certainly did.
Slightly more than seven years ago, he was thrown into a region of the Dream Realm that no human had ever escaped, and now, he was not only returning to reality, but also doing so as one of the most powerful Sleepers in the history of the human race.
Maybe even the strongest one.
And now, he was about to become an Awakened. An elite among elites, a warrior at the very top of the rank, one with access to the best resources, the most wealth, the highest forms of prestige. The highest… everything.
"But the responsibilities will also come with benefits. I will have to organize the Night Lord Legion. Let's see who are still alive, who will stay and who leaves. Talk and negation with clan elders. Assignments and mission. Recover the tyrant core, before jumping into the second nightmare. A trip to the ebony tower. Aspect legacy, etc."
The Spell finally decided to speak, filling him with anticipation.
[Awakening Aspect Ability…]
[...Aspect Ability acquired.]
[Aspect Ability Name: Wraith.]
Konrad blinked, then hurriedly summoned the runes.
Name: Konrad.
True Name: Night Haunter.
Rank: Awakened.
Class: Devil.
Soul Cores: [4/7].
Soul Fragments: [0/4000].
Just as expected, all of his cores were not Dormant anymore, instead becoming Awakened. Though the three thousand soul fragments were being used to fuel his awakening.
"But the tyrant core... Three thousand soul fragments... Years of progress, gone just like that…"
He wasn't really disappointed, though. Staying is the most important thing after all. Every would be for not if he dies. And the amount of essence consumed during the Awakening directly corresponded to the starting capacity of the core, and thus, the extent of the physical transformation that a Sleeper would go through.
By collecting three thousand fragments and fully saturating his four cores, Konrad not only received a second one, but also made sure to gain the best benefits a Sleeper could dream of. Very few Awakened had ever fully saturated their cores before returning from their first journey to the Dream Realm, and now, Konrad was one of them.
The difference was not drastic, but every little bit of power counted in a life-and-death situation.
'Enough stalling!'
Impatient, he banished the thoughts of cores and soul fragments and found the description of his new Aspect Ability.
Aspect Ability: [Wraith].
Ability Description: [You can freely change between your corporeal and incorporeal state.]
Looking at the shimmering runes, Konrad soon had a stupid grin, though it would scare most children.
"I will become a ghost?… I should able move through solid objects and dodge fetal attacks, right? And it is a transformation ability, right?"
An ability such as this was a game changer. His survivability would become truly incredible. Not only would he be able to apply it to traversal and expedition, making his future ventures into the Dream Realm easier and safer, but it could also play a decisive role in a battle.
What was more deadly than an assassin capable of appearing out of nowhere and disappearing from sight in a blink of an eye?
Not many things, really...
Of course, he would have to experiment and learn the true extent of this amazing Ability… what was its activation time, for example? Would he be able to transform into a specter in an instant, or it would take a few moments? How much essence would his ethereal would consume? Would demand essence constantly or would it be a one time expenditure? If so how long can he stay and what is interval between state change?
And what about if he transform back in corporeal while being inside a solid object?
"No! Let's not do that. It sounds like a painful and stupid way to die."
He couldn't wait to learn.
But before that, there were two other things he had to see.
One was the new Memory he acquired. The other one — and the one that filled him with nervous anticipation — was much more important.
It was the relic he was supposed to receive for unlocking his aspect legacy and mastering the first step.
With a Legacy Relic in his hands and a Lineage Attribute coursing through his blood, Konrad would be theoretically eligible to create his own Legacy Clan. A great clan, even!
…Not that he was planning to. Why would he? He is already part of one and that would make him the biggest target. After all Asterion isn't looking after his back, neither he is Ki Song's daughter, nor is Anvil grooming him.
But before Konrad could glance at the corresponding runes, the Spell suddenly whispered into his ear:
[Wake up, Konrad!]
And instantly, the black void full of bright stars and silver light disappeared.