Chapter 8: It Wasn't Just a Dream
Darkness. Screams echoed in the void. Buildings collapsed. Flames devoured the sky.
Masked monsters — faces hidden behind eerie, expressionless masks — tore through the town like a plague.
Kairo stood frozen, watching helplessly as chaos unfolded around him.
Then… a voice. Calm, cold, and echoing from nowhere and everywhere at once:
"If you die… someone you know will die too. And everyone else will forget you ever died."
He jolted awake eyes wide, breath heavy, chest pounding.
His heart raced. The dream… it felt too real. Too vivid.
Lyna lay peacefully beside him, breathing softly, unaware of his torment.
Kairo whispered to himself, "…That wasn't just a dream…"
He gently shook her awake.
"Lyna, wake up… something's wrong."
She blinked, drowsy. "Hmm? Kairo…?"
"I saw monsters—wearing these blank masks—burning everything… destroying the town. It was horrifying."
Lyna sat up slowly, brushing her silver hair back. "Just a nightmare, Kai. You're safe."
"No, no—there was more. I heard a voice. It said… 'If you die, someone you know will die too… and everyone will forget.'"
But as he tried to repeat the last words—something invisible gripped his throat. His voice caught. He started choking.
"K-Khh…!"
Lyna's eyes widened. "Kairo?! What's wrong?!"
She rushed to bring him water, holding the glass to his lips.
"Here—drink, slowly."
He gulped it down, still gasping. The force eased. He caught his breath.
Lyna tried to use healing magic on his throat—but even she felt something strange.
She hesitated. "This isn't normal. That dream… something's off."
Kairo looked into her eyes, deadly serious. "I don't think it was a dream. It felt like a warning."
Silence settled between them.
—
Later that morning, Kairo forced himself to act normal. He ate breakfast with Lyna, but his thoughts kept drifting back.
That voice… why couldn't I say those words? What's stopping me?
After breakfast, they went outside.
But something felt... wrong.
The streets were too familiar. The people too repetitive.
He checked the date on a nearby board.
"Sunday…"
His eyes widened.
"Wait—no. Yesterday was Sunday too!"
His stomach turned.
He ran back to Lyna.
"Lyna. Look at this. It's Sunday. Again. This is the second Sunday!"
She glanced at it, her smile fading.
"...Interesting. I think only we noticed this."
Kairo clenched his fists.
"This isn't right. Something's looping. Or trying to warn us."
—
He asked Lyna to help him train again, hoping it would distract him. She agreed.
But when he focused, the dream flashed in his mind again.
He froze.
Burning streets. Screams. The masked monsters. That voice.
He dropped to one knee, shaking.
"Kairo—stop!" Lyna rushed over. "Rest, okay? You're pushing too hard."
Reluctantly, he nodded. "Okay… I'll take a break."
—
Not long after, as he sat outside catching his breath, a strange silence fell over the town.
And then—
Screams.
From a distance.
He stood up fast.
"Lyna?!"
She appeared beside him, eyes wide.
Then, from the treeline — they came.
Tall, cloaked figures. Moving like shadows. Blank, emotionless masks on every face.
Kairo's blood ran cold.
"T-Those are the monsters from my dream!"
Lyna's eyes narrowed. "Get ready!"
"LOOK! I TOLD YOU!!" Kairo shouted.
He turned to warn Akira too—but when he found him, something was wrong.
"Akira!! Look! Just like I said—!"
Akira blinked, confused. "What are you talking about? What monsters?"
Kairo froze. "Y-You… don't remember?"
"Kairo, get behind me!" Lyna yelled.
The battle began.
Kairo rushed in, blasting energy, dodging slashes. Lyna fought beside him, fast and precise.
But then… their leader appeared.
Taller. Silent. His mask cracked slightly—revealing nothing but darkness underneath.
In a flash, he was behind Kairo.
A cold hand gripped Kairo's neck.
"Kkhhh!"
He struggled. Fired energy. The monster didn't flinch.
It grabbed Kairo's wrist—and snapped it.
"AAAAHHH!!"
Another crack. His leg. Then the ribs.
"LYNA!!" he screamed.
She tried to reach him, but the other monsters held her back.
Crack.
Crack.
One by one, his bones shattered.
Everything faded.
Darkness again.
—
Then… a gentle voice.
"Kairo…? Are you okay?"
He gasped awake, sweating.
He was back. In bed. Safe.
Lyna looked at him, worried.
"You were tossing in your sleep… Did you have another dream?"
Kairo's eyes widened.
He sat up. Trembling.
"Lyna… I… I died."
She tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"
He searched her eyes. She remembered everything. The dream. The warning. The loop.
But not… his death.
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"So it's true… when I die… no one remembers I was gone…"
Chapter End ⚔️
*Author's Note:*
"I understand this chapter may have felt a little rushed at parts thank you for sticking with the story. I'll do my best to improve the pacing and emotional depth in the upcoming episodes. Your support means everything, and I hope you'll enjoy what's coming next"