The real world — Present Day
The sky was clear, birds chirped quietly above the towering forest trees. A warm breeze rustled the leaves, but the atmosphere was tense.
Sol knelt beside the two unconscious bodies lying on the grassy floor.
"Sir, I found them," Sol said calmly. "Ryker and Yumi… they're here. But they're not waking up."
Around him, students from the academy had gathered, confusion and panic spreading among them.
"That's Ryker?" one student whispered. "And Yumi too?"
"Weren't they missing for three hours?"
Sol placed his hand gently on Ryker's shoulder.
"Ryker. Hey… wake up."
No response.
Yumi's face was pale, her hand clenched tightly into a fist. Sweat ran down her forehead, as if she was still trapped in some unseen nightmare.
"They're breathing," Sol confirmed. "But it's like… they're not here."
Suddenly, Ryker's fingers twitched.
His lips moved faintly.
"King… the girl… Lunara…" he muttered in his sleep.
Sol's eyes narrowed.
"He's dreaming… no—he's remembering something."
Just then, Yumi jolted upright, gasping for air.
"Where's the girl?!" she shouted.
Students flinched back. Sol moved quickly to steady her.
"Yumi, it's okay. You're safe. You're back."
"Back?" she looked around. Her eyes widened. "No… no no no… she's dead… she died right in front of us!"
Ryker's eyes snapped open.
He sat up slowly.
And whispered, "This world… we're not safe anymore."
As Yumi trembled and Ryker looked around in silent shock, a firm voice echoed through the forest clearing.
"I told you…" Aria Sensei stepped forward, his long coat fluttering in the wind. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the two students. "I warned you not to go deep into the forest."
Ryker looked up, his breathing uneven.
"What do you mean…? That wasn't just a dream. I saw it. I lived it."
Aria Sensei closed his eyes and sighed.
"This forest—deep within it, the air becomes thin and laced with ancient magic. It doesn't just trap your body… it invades your mind. What you experienced was an illusion… but to your soul, it felt real."
Yumi held her head, eyes wide in disbelief.
"The girl… the blood… the king… was it all fake?"
"Not fake," Aria said. "But not real either. The forest pulls from your fears, your guilt, your hopes… and turns them into living illusions."
Ryker stood up, his voice low but steady.
"Then why… did it feel like it wanted something from us?"
Aria's expression darkened.
"Because sometimes… illusions are not just illusions. Sometimes, they're echoes of other worlds trying to reach in."
Ryker and Yumi stood side by side—silent, their faces expressionless.
No emotion.
No words.
Just the haunting emptiness left behind by what they had seen… or believed they saw.
Sol looked between them, his brows furrowed.
"Ryker… Yumi… are you two okay?"
Neither responded.
They simply stared ahead—lost in a fog that no one else could see.
Aria Sensei let out a breath and turned to the rest of the students.
"Everyone, that's enough. The picnic ends here. We're heading back."
The chatter and laughter from earlier were now gone. The students moved with unease, stealing glances at Ryker and Yumi as they walked past.
Aria placed a hand on Sol's shoulder.
"Don't ask them anything. The forest showed them something… and sometimes, silence is the only way out."
Sol nodded.
As the sun dipped low behind the trees, casting long shadows across the forest floor, Ryker whispered only one thing—so quiet, only Yumi heard it.
"It wasn't just an illusion."
Yumi said nothing.
But her hand quietly reached for his… and this time, Ryker didn't pull away.
The school bus rolled gently along the mountain road, golden rays of sunset streaming through the windows. Most of the students chatted softly or dozed off in their seats.
At the very back, Ryker and Yumi were fast asleep, leaning slightly against each other. Their expressions were calm now—but something in their breathing told a different story. Restless. Distant.
Sol watched them quietly from a few seats ahead.
"He woke up just now… then went right back to sleep," Sol said, his voice low.
Aisa turned from the seat beside him, her gaze gentle.
"Don't worry, Sol. They've been through something we can't imagine. Let them rest."
From the front, Aria Sensei glanced at the rearview mirror, his eyes narrowing for a moment as he looked at Ryker.
"He's right. Give him rest," Aria said.
"The illusion of that forest doesn't just end when you leave. Sometimes… it follows you home."
The engine hummed quietly. A lull settled over the bus like a blanket.
But in his sleep, Ryker's fingers twitched.
And in the shadows behind his closed eyelids…
The king was still smiling.
The bus pulled to a gentle stop in front of the school gates. One by one, the students began to wake up, stretching and yawning. The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a dusky glow over the building.
Inside the bus, Ryker slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was blank.
"Ryker," Yumi whispered beside him, already awake.
He didn't respond at first. His eyes were open, but they carried no light—no emotion, no recognition.
Yumi's fingers trembled as she reached out to touch his hand.
"Hey… it's over. We're back now. It wasn't real…"
Ryker turned his head slowly toward her, and for a moment, she thought she saw it—
That same cold, calculating smile he wore in the illusion world.
But it was gone in an instant.
"Let's go," he muttered, standing up stiffly.
Outside, Aria-sensei stood with arms crossed, watching them step off the bus.
"Everyone head home. It's the end of the picnic," Aria said.
"But… for some of you, it might've just been the beginning."
Sol and Aisa helped distribute bags and belongings, but their eyes kept drifting back to Ryker and Yumi.
The two walked side by side in silence. They didn't hold hands. They didn't speak.
But their shadows—
Those were still moving like they were in another world.
The moon hung high above the city, casting a pale silver light over the quiet school grounds. Most students had already gone home, but one figure lingered in the shadows.
Kai.
From the rooftop of the old gym building, he watched silently as Ryker stepped out of the bus, his movements slow and heavy. Yumi followed beside him, just as quiet. Their expressions were still hollow—no emotion, no reaction. But Kai noticed everything.
So… you saw it again, didn't you?" Kai whispered to himself, eyes sharp beneath his long bangs.
"That world… the illusion."
"He didn't smile. He didn't frown. He only observed.
"No matter how many timelines change… you always survive, Ryker."
His fingers brushed against the small silver device clipped to his belt—one that shimmered faintly under the moonlight. A strange relic, old yet far too advanced.
Kai's voice was calm but laced with something darker.
"I'll keep watching you. Until the end. Until your truth breaks... or you do."
He turned, fading into the night like a shadow never meant to be seen.
Inside a dimly lit underground chamber, large monitors flickered with surveillance footage—some showing forests, others ruins of ancient castles, and one paused on a close-up of Ryker's blank, unconscious face in the school bus.
An eerie silence filled the room… until Kai stepped forward.
Wearing a black high-collar coat with glowing blue veins stitched into the fabric, he faced the council of hooded figures seated behind a long curved desk. Their faces were hidden, but the air was tense with authority.
Kai's tone was calm but deliberate.
"He survived."
The council stirred.
"Again?" one voice asked.
"Even after the illusion field reached maximum collapse?" another said, skeptical.
Kai nodded once.
"Ryker Tensai walked through a world built on lies, betrayal, and death... and still returned. With his mind intact. Barely."
The head of the council leaned forward.
"Then the divine frequency we detected—was it real?"
Kai's lips curled into the faintest smirk.
"It was more than real. His mind merged with another world. And still… he returned."
A moment passed before he added, colder now:
"He's getting stronger. And soon… not even time will be able to stop him."
The council fell silent, the weight of Kai's words hanging in the air.
Somewhere above, Ryker stirred in his sleep—unaware that eyes had always been on him.