Volume 1. Chapter 55

Ken slowly opened his eyes. Gentle morning sunlight filtered through slightly parted curtains, bathing his room in a warm, golden glow. Familiar shapes greeted him — the cluttered desk piled with books, and the poster of his favorite anime on the wall confirmed it: he was home.

He stretched, and from the hallway, a bright voice rang out:

“Ken, hurry up! Breakfast is ready!” shouted his younger brother, Akira.

"What kind of dream was that… so vivid..." Ken tried to gather his thoughts. Flashes of images flickered before his eyes — forest, fog, a girl with green eyes… But the more he tried to focus, the faster the memories slipped away, like sand through his fingers.

“Probably just overslept,” he thought, sitting up. His body felt heavy, but he chalked it up to a deep sleep.

Ken got up and walked to the bathroom to wash up. The cold water helped clear his head a bit. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. "Just a normal morning. Nothing unusual."

Heading downstairs, he found his parents at the door. His mother was hurriedly putting on her coat, and his father was checking the time on his watch.

“Breakfast’s on the table, Ken. Don’t dawdle, or you’ll be late for school,” his mother said with a smile.

“Got it, Mom,” Ken replied, watching them rush to leave.

“You’re in charge, Ken,” his father added with a wink. “Good luck.”

The door shut behind them, and Ken was left alone with Akira, who was already at the table, devouring rice and omelet.

“Hey, what took you so long?” Akira asked, glancing up. “I was about to eat everything myself.”

“Relax, I’m here,” Ken chuckled, taking a seat. His eyes scanned the food — everything looked normal, just like any other morning. But as he picked up his chopsticks, something strange caught his eye.

On his right wrist, a metallic bracelet glowed red.

"What the…?" Ken’s thoughts spiraled into chaos. He stared at the bracelet — and suddenly the memories surged back. Lily. The illusion demon. Their plan. Everything that seemed normal now felt staged, artificial — like the set of a play.

“I’m dreaming. Damn it, this is the illusion!” he realized, but kept his composure.

“Hey, Akira,” he said casually, “Did you watch the new episode of your favorite anime yet?”

The boy froze for a second, his expression flickering — but then he nodded.

“Of course! It was awesome!”

“Oh yeah? What’s it called?” Ken raised an eyebrow, watching him closely.

Akira hesitated. He blinked, clearly struggling to remember, but said nothing.

“And hey… remember the last café we all went to as a family? What did you order?” Ken continued, keeping his tone light.

“U-uh… well…” Akira looked away, his voice wavering.

Ken laughed, leaning back in his chair.

“You’re a terrible actor, illusion demon. Come on, drop the mask. Your little show just flopped.”

“Akira” froze. His face twisted into a bizarre mix of surprise and rage.

“How did you… figure it out?” he growled, his voice suddenly deep and menacing.

“Oh, it was easy,” Ken smirked, folding his arms. “First of all, my brother never sits still during breakfast. Second, you have no clue what his favorite anime even is. And the café? He always orders the same thing. Too many mistakes.”

The demon snarled, his form beginning to change. In place of Akira now stood a dark, distorted figure with burning red eyes.

“You wretched mortal!” the demon roared, leaning in close. “I will make your life a nightmare! You’ll suffer until your mind breaks!”

Ken stared at him, calm despite the rising tension.

“Alright, enough stalling.”

He stood abruptly, a dagger suddenly in his hand, gleaming with magical light.

“You talk too much,” Ken said coolly — then, in one swift motion, drove the dagger into the demon’s neck.

The demon let out a guttural roar as his body began to disintegrate into dust. The world around them blurred, like someone was erasing reality itself, and Ken felt the illusion collapsing.

“Damn… could’ve done that faster,” he muttered, watching the demon vanish. “But I wasn’t about to stab my own brother.”

The room, the breakfast, Akira’s voice — it all vanished. The world around him turned to emptiness. Ken felt himself falling into darkness.

And then — he began to wake up.