Miguel jolted awake, his hand instinctively gripping Yamato's scabbard at his hip. He scanned the surroundings, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.
Sunny and Nephis were up in seconds. Sunny immediately looked around for Cassie-only to find her dangerously close to the edge, about to plummet into the dark sea.
But Miguel was already there.
He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back, putting a safe distance between her and the abyss. With a sigh of relief, he said:
"I got her!"
He looked down at Cassie. She was pale and trembling, her hair a disheveled mess. Softly, he spoke:
"It's me. Relax, Cassie. You're safe."
Still feeling her tremble, Sunny and Miguel exchanged a glance, searching for whatever had scared her so badly.
Nephis stood still, listening closely to the sound of the sea. After a few seconds, she asked:
"Do you see anything?"
Sunny shook his head, frustrated.
"No."
He helped Cassie sit down in the center of the stone platform. Nephis kept her eyes on the sea, while Sunny carefully checked the blind girl for injuries. She seemed physically unharmed.
"She's fine," he said.
Miguel crouched down in front of her, his voice low.
"Look me in the eyes. I know you can't see, but try to feel my gaze."
Cassie turned toward him, and despite her blindness, she felt the weight of his deep blue eyes anchoring her. The trembling started to fade.
A little while later, Nephis began training Sunny. She demonstrated the basics of a downward slash and told him to repeat the movement a thousand times.
While Sunny was focused on the grueling repetition, Miguel stayed beside Cassie, comforting her. She still shivered from time to time, but every time her sightless eyes met his, her breathing eased. Nephis noticed it from the corner of her eye. She felt grateful, and maybe a little wary-Miguel had a way of getting through people's defenses too easily.
Miguel caught her glance but shrugged it off.
After two exhausting hours, Sunny collapsed to the ground, muscles sore and burning.
"Can I have some water?"
Cassie blinked as if surprised by the request, then gasped.
"Oh! Sorry-yes, of course..."
She summoned the limitless water bottle and handed it to Sunny, who accepted it gratefully and drank deeply. Then he passed it to Nephis, who took a few sips before handing it to Miguel. Eventually, it made its way back to Cassie.
"You drink some too," Miguel said, gently patting her back.
Then, with a calm seriousness, he added:
"I know you don't know much about me-and the same goes for me with you-but it looks like we're going to be stuck together for a while. Your burdens are our burdens. So, would you mind telling us what you dreamed about? The one that made you scream."
Cassie hesitated. Her voice came out small.
"I... I don't know. Maybe it was just a nightmare."
Sunny and Nephis exchanged a quick glance. Miguel was still watching Cassie, his steady gaze the only thing keeping her grounded. None of them believed it was a simple nightmare. People didn't usually dream in the Dream Realm.
Cassie continued:
"I don't really remember. Just fragments."
Sunny kept his tone gentle.
"You can tell us what you do remember. Maybe we can make sense of it together."
She nodded slowly. After a long pause, she finally spoke:
"At first, I saw a... a boundless darkness, locked behind seven seals. Something massive was stirring in it. I felt like if I looked at it directly, I'd go mad. Then, the seals broke-one after another-until only one was left... and then that one broke, too."
She shivered.
"After that... it was like my mind shattered into a thousand shards, each one showing its own image. Most were terrifying. Some I've already forgotten. But one..."
Cassie's voice grew fainter as she recalled.
"I saw the human castle again, only now it was night. A lone star burned in the black sky. Under its light, the castle was consumed by flames, rivers of blood pouring through the halls. I saw a corpse in golden armor slumped on a throne... a woman with a bronze spear drowning beneath a tide of monsters... an archer firing arrows into a falling sky."
Finally, she looked up, her voice cracking.
"At the end... there was a massive crimson spire. At its base, seven severed heads guarded seven locks. At the top stood three beings: a man holding a sheathed odachi... an angel wrapped in pure light... and a shadow holding the angel up."
She paused, her voice barely above a whisper.
"When I saw the angel bleed... it felt like something precious-something beyond words-was ripped away from me. That's when I woke up. I think."
Miguel scratched his head.
"Well, I know it might sound nuts, but a lot of old myths say every dream has meaning. And here? In the Dream Realm? That probably goes double. Dreaming in the Dream Realm is already weird enough. Add Cassie's affinity to divination and fate, and it's safe to assume this wasn't just a random nightmare."
Sunny squinted at him.
"You do know that's just a myth, right?"
Miguel rolled his eyes.
"Myths exist because people needed ways to explain the unexplainable. Doesn't mean they're all lies. One thing's for sure: dreaming in here? Definitely not normal. I'd bet everything Cassie saw is some version of the future."
Sunny and Nephis both nodded, absorbing the weight of that.
Cassie's heart sank. If Miguel was right, she would lose something she loved-and be powerless to stop it.
Miguel let out a breath and smiled softly.
"Alright. Mood's getting heavy, so let me hit you with some wisdom from my great-grandpa: 'Worry about today's troubles today, and tomorrow's troubles tomorrow.' He lived by that, and he died of old age surrounded by people who loved him. So... maybe we should try that mindset too."
The others nodded silently.
Later, the four of them were seated on the western edge of the stone platform, looking down at the scavengers. Sunny's shadow was scouting ahead.
"Were there always this many?" Miguel asked.
Sunny shook his head.
"No. There were more before. They're almost done with the carcass. I doubt it'll last through the night."
Which meant tomorrow, the horde would be roaming freely.
Nephis stared into the distance.
"I don't want Cassie spending another night near this statue. We should leave today."
Sunny opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden glint below stopped him.
Amid the remains of the shark-like monster's carcass, two large, shimmering crystals glowed faintly in the mud.
Sunny's eyes widened.
So did Miguel's-but not because of the crystals. He was looking at the creatures nearby. They looked like scavengers... but they weren't. They were larger-three meters tall, at least. Their carapaces were deep black and blood-red, armored like ancient war machines. Vicious spikes jutted from their limbs, and instead of pincers, their upper arms ended in curved, bone-like scythes.
Miguel narrowed his eyes and muttered:
"Guys... you ever heard of Chekhov's law?"
Sunny glanced at him.
"What are you on about now?"
Miguel sighed dramatically.
"It means those monsters didn't show up for nothing. Sooner or later, we'll have to fight them."
Sunny groaned.
"You watch too many movies. Just stick to being Cassie's bodyguard."
Miguel scoffed.
"Happily. But don't cry to me when fate hands us our asses."
Then he kicked a small rock-too hard. It shot straight toward Cassie.
"Crap-!"
He blurred into a mirage, reappearing just in time to catch the rock inches from her face.
"Sorry about that, Cassie."
Cassie tilted her head, smiling sweetly.
"Sorry for what?"
"I kinda kicked a rock your way... but I caught it."
"Then I forgive you."
Her innocent smile made Miguel want to either bury himself or, better yet, bury the spell that brought someone like her into this cursed place.
Meanwhile, Nephis and Sunny returned to planning.
"Do we still leave now?" Sunny asked.
Nephis hesitated. Then she looked west.
"No. We leave tomorrow."
She gestured toward the retreating scavengers and added:
"Get your shadow to follow those two back."
Sunny grinned.
"Already did."