What is your Dream?

Those words echoed in my mind.

“Are you really going to let that happen?”

…Am I?

I didn’t know.
My hands were shaking.
What could I even do?

Suddenly, a thunderous roar shook the air.

Something crashed from the sky, slamming into the center of town with a violent BOOM.

The ground quaked beneath my feet.

As the dust cleared, a towering figure stepped forward.
Nine feet tall, muscles rippling like iron beneath dark skin, a cracked, angry opera mask covering its face.

Everyone froze.

The adventurers stopped in their tracks, eyes wide in terror.
Some turned and ran.
Others stood their ground, weapons shaking in their grip.

Lilith tilted her head slightly, almost amused.

“Looks like a Beast-type’s here.”

“…Huh?”

“Oh, right,” she said lazily. “Daemons have different types. The ones from before were Rogue-types, basic minions. This one’s a Beast-type. All brute force and raw power. There’s more, but we’d be here all day.”

She yawned.

Seriously?
This girl was talking like we were watching a zoo documentary.

My thoughts were cut short when an adventurer flew past me, slamming into the ground with a sickening thud.

I turned and gasped.
He wasn’t moving.

I looked back up.

The others were still fighting, but they were being tossed around like ragdolls.
The Brute had the upper hand, sending warriors flying with every swing of its massive arms.

Lilith clicked her tongue. “Hey, you still frozen? That thing’s walking through them like they’re paper dolls. If you’re not fighting, we should probably go.”

Another adventurer screamed as they were hurled into a wall.
The crack echoed like a gunshot.

My heart dropped.
Then the Brute turned to me.

Lilith tilted her head. “Oh, it’s looking this way. Guess you’re next.”

Yeah. Thanks, Captain Obvious.
As if I needed help panicking.

The monster took a step.
Then another.
Each one sent tremors through the earth, like the world itself was afraid.

I’m gonna die.

My breath caught in my throat.
I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t even scream.

Just as the Daemon raised its arm, preparing to charge-

A trumpet blared in the distance.

Everyone froze.
Even the Daemon paused.

What now…?

I turned toward the sound. A figure was walking toward us, Clad in gleaming silver armor.

He looked…
No older than me.

And behind him is An army.

Dozens of knights marched in formation, weapons at the ready.
Spears, shields, swords.
Their eyes burned with resolve.

The leading knight raised his arm, and from his palm, a glowing lance materialized, forming from thin air in a flash of silver light.

No way...

"Knights! Protect the civilians. Attack the beast!"
His voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded in unison, their discipline flawless.

"CHARGE!!" he roared.

The ground shook, not from the Daemon, but from the unified march of armored boots as the knights stormed the battlefield.

I watched, stunned, as they collided with the horde.
Steel clashed. Magic flared. Shields locked.

It was like watching a war orchestra, every strike, every block, every movement synchronized perfectly. Not like the adventurers who fought with desperation.

These knights?
They fought with purpose.

Then, another roar yanked my attention back.

Oh, right…
The brute.

I barely had time to react before it raised its massive fists, ready to crush me.

But then, a blur of silver shot past.

The knight leapt over me, twisting midair, and slammed his boot into the Daemon’s face.

CRACK!

The impact sent the Brute flying backwards, landing with a thunderous crash that shook the earth.

My eyes widened.

“…Wow.”

The knight landed in front of me, cape fluttering, like something out of a dream.

He turned his head slightly. “Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah…”
My voice cracked a little.

He gave a curt nod and faced the monster again, gripping his radiant lance as it pulsed with energy.

The ground was still shaking.
The sky still red.

But somehow, with him standing there.

I didn’t feel so helpless anymore.

The Brute let out a furious roar and charged.

So did the knight.

It raised its massive fist to strike him down, but the knight caught it with one arm, completely unfazed.

With his other hand, he raised the lance and pointed it at the Daemon’s chest.
A burst of pure energy surged from its tip, blasting the monster backward.

“Heee~~ Already…? He sure is fast.”
Lilith’s voice came from behind me, tinged with what almost sounded like disappointment.

I was about to ask what she meant but my eyes were glued to the battlefield.

The knight lifted his glowing lance high into the air.
Suddenly, two knights materialized in front of him, summoned from thin air like spirits clad in armor.

They charged forward without hesitation.

One slammed a kick into the Brute’s face, knocking it off-balance.
The other lunged in and, together, they each grabbed one of its arms, holding the beast in place like shackles of steel.

The commanding knight took a deep breath, then pointed his lance forward and reeled it back.
Wind began to swirl around the tip of the weapon, gathering, spiraling, building pressure like a storm about to explode.

“ROYAL END!”

He thrust the lance forward.

A piercing shockwave shot out, then exploded into a spiraling tornado of wind.
The vortex struck the Brute dead-on, engulfing the monster and everything around it.

I raised my arms instinctively, shielding myself from the violent gusts.
Debris and dust were torn from the ground. The force of it made my legs tremble just to stay standing.

“It’s strong, huh,” Lilith said beside me, calmly holding her hat in place like this was nothing more than a breeze.

The tornado finally dispersed.

As the dust cleared…
The Brute was gone.

“…What was that…?” I muttered, breathless.

The red tint in the sky slowly faded, returning to calm, cloudless blue.
The other Daemons began to vanish one by one, fading like smoke until the town stood silent once more.

Not a single enemy remained.

The knight turned around and walked toward me.
Now that he was up close, I realized he was only an inch taller than me.

"Are you alright?" he asked, voice calm and genuine.
"I saw you were frozen in place back there. It's okay now. The Daemons are gone."

He extended a hand.

"...I'm Jonathan Archard."

"Akira... Blaire," I replied, awkwardly shaking his hand.

He smiled.

"I see. Are you from the capital?"

"A-Ah, yeah... I was traveling," I lied.
I wasn’t sure if I should be honest yet—something told me to hold back.

"Captain!"

One of the soldiers ran up to us. Unlike the others, this one wore a different type of armor, lighter, more detailed, and decorated. Possibly an officer.

I glanced at his chest and caught sight of a brooch.
A familiar brooch.

I looked back at Jonathan.

Same one.

Both of them wore it proudly, embedded into their armor, an intricate symbol, the same as...

My eyes flicked to Lilith.

She was standing quietly off to the side, arms folded, watching everything unfold.

She met my gaze.
And smirked.

He has the same brooch as me...
Is he the same as me?

A Player?

He doesn’t seem to have noticed mine.

"What is it, Galahad?"

"Sir," the knight scolded, arms crossed, "I told you to refrain from using that move in closed areas! Look at what you've done!"
He pointed at the cracked pavement, the debris, and the half-toppled houses still settling from the aftermath.

"A-Ah… looks like I overdid it, hahaha..."
Jonathan scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin.

I sweatdropped.
Seriously?

“Looks like he’s an idiot,” Lilith said, walking up beside me, arms casually folded as we both watched the so-called hero get scolded by his subordinate.

But still...
The way he fought, it was cool.
I looked down at my hand, balling it into a fist.

Why was I just standing there, scared and useless?

Jealousy twisted in my gut.

Not again...

I sighed.

Jonathan walked back to us, still smiling like none of it fazed him.
“It was nice meeting you, Akira. But I have people to help. I’ll see you some other time. Or perhaps…”

He paused.

“Would you like to help?”

“Huh?”

“The civilians are struggling after the damage. They could use every pair of hands they can get. I won’t force you, of course. Feel free to join us.”

He smiled again and turned away, heading off toward the rubble and chaos.

Galahad looked at me, then at Lilith.
She waved at him with a cheeky smirk.

He just sighed and followed after his captain.

"Heh," Lilith smirks, "Looks like that Jonathan boy isn’t aware, but his subordinate might’ve figured it out. You might’ve heard his name, Galahad. He’s like me. A guide. Careful, he might spill the beans to his master."

"He's another player..." I muttered.

Of course he is. He's so much better than me.

Not surprising, really. Even in the real world, a shopping cart had more use than I did.

A pathetic fact I've just learned to endure.

Lilith frowned. She nudged my side with her elbow.

"Come on now, don’t think so low of yourself. If you keep this up, how are you ever gonna win against him?"

"Might as well accept defeat now."
I stared at my empty hands. "How can I even compete with someone like that... when I have nothing."

Lilith didn’t say anything. Just stood there quietly.

Yeah. Even she’s got nothing to say now.

"Forget it."
I turned and walked off. “Might as well resign from this stupid game. It was a mistake accepting it in the first place.”

I’m such an idiot. I never think things through.
And I always end up regretting it.

I wandered aimlessly through the ruined town. Rubble everywhere. Cracks on the ground. Homes barely standing.

And yet…

Laughter.

People still found reasons to smile, helping one another fix what was broken.
Even in disaster, they chose the bright side.

Why?

“Don’t worry! I’ll save you!”

The shout snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned and saw a small boy trying to lift a chunk of fallen debris off a tiny dragon’s tail. The creature whimpered, and the kid was clearly too weak to move the rock.

I walked over, crouching down beside him.

“What’s wrong?”

The boy turned to me, tears clinging to his eyes. “Scaly…”

I glanced at the dragon, then stood up.

Without thinking, I summoned CrimsonCaliber.

One clean slash split the rock in half. The debris crumbled away, and the dragon chirped in relief.

Ah…
I moved before I realized it.

The boy hugged his pet tightly, crying into its scales. Then he turned to me and smiled, pure, innocent.

“Thank you, Mister!”

For a moment...
Something sparked inside me.

I didn’t know what the feeling was.
But it felt good.

“Excuse me! You there!”

I turned and saw an old man waving me down.

“Would you mind lending a hand, sonny?”

I hesitated—but walked over anyway.

His house had a huge boulder blocking the entrance.
One swing of CrimsonCaliber, and it was gone.

“Well now, aren’t you a strong one? Thank you, sonny.”

“U-Um... Can I ask for help too?”
“Me too!”
“Please, over here!”

“E-Eh...?”

Before I knew it, I was being dragged every which way.

Lilith stood nearby, barely holding in her laughter as I got passed around like some handyman hero.

The rest of the day became a blur of odd jobs:
Helping someone move furniture.
Chopping wood.
Saving a cat stuck in a tree.
Fixing a broken tavern sign.

I kept hearing it:

“Thank you!”
“Thanks, big bro!”
“You really helped us!”

I moved the entire day, nonstop.
And yet…

I wasn’t tired at all.

I flopped down on the bench, exhaling.

The sun was beginning to set in the distance, casting a warm orange glow over the town.
People had been told to take a break. The guild was handing out refreshments.
Laughter echoed through the ruined streets, now full of life again.

I sat quietly at the edge of it all, just watching.

Back in the real world... you rarely saw something like this.
People working together. Laughing. Smiling.
It felt unreal.

“All alone?”

I snapped out of my thoughts.
Jonathan stood beside me, holding two mugs filled with something frothy. He offered one.

“I’m not old enough to drink,” I muttered.

“Don’t worry, I’m not allowed either,” he said with a smile. “It’s root beer. You’ve earned it.”

I hesitated, then slowly reached out and took it from his hand.

He sat beside me as I took a small sip.

...It’s good.

He looked out toward the crowd. “Not going to join them? Why sit all the way over here?”

“I’m... not good with crowds.”

“I see,” Jonathan said after a pause. “Well… it’d be a lie if I said I was good with crowds too.”

That caught me off guard. I always thought he was the outgoing type.

“I wanted to thank you,” he added.

“Huh? For what?” I asked, a bit confused.

“For helping the people here. I saw you. looked like you were about to leave… but you stayed. Helped everyone you could.” He smiled softly. “That tells me something about you.”

“Something about me?”

“Yes. Even when you're lost… you still try to guide others. That’s what I saw today. I can tell you're unsure, maybe even struggling, but you still chose to help.”

...Is it really that obvious?
Does my face just scream “pathetic”?

“I see…”

He leaned back, resting the mug on his knee.
“If something's bothering you… I’m willing to listen.”

Should I? I only just met him today. I don't even tell my own family when something’s wrong.
But... there’s something about him. An aura that feels trustworthy.

“Well... I guess I do tend to feel lost in life. I don’t really have a dream. Maybe that’s why I am the way I am,” I admitted quietly.
I glanced toward him. He didn’t interrupt. He was just... listening.

“I don’t know what I’m doing.”

A beat of silence. Then-

“…I used to be like that too.”
I looked up.

“My world felt... bland. Like I was just going through the motions. No meaning. No goal. But then something sparked in me. Or rather... someone.”

He stood up slowly, eyes glowing with a quiet fire.

“King Arthur. A noble man with great achievements. When I learned about him, I felt something I never had before, purpose. For the first time, I wanted to be something. I wanted to be like him.”

He turned to me fully, a hand resting over the brooch on his chest.

“My dream is to unite people. To bring peace and harmony—no matter how long it takes.
A lot of people laugh at that. Call it naive. But I still believe in it.
And I’ll keep working hard… until it becomes real.”

“I believe you can find it as well.”
With that, Jonathan turned and walked away.

I stayed there, staring into the fading sunlight.

Can I really…?

“I can still feel a shimmer of hope inside you. That little spark that keeps you moving.”

Lilith’s words echoed in my mind.
That spark… it was still there, wasn’t it?

Maybe…
Maybe I did want to believe.
To want something.
To dream, even if it was just a little.

But before that fragile feeling could grow, a sudden crack of thunder tore through the sky.
I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up only to see a swirling wormhole open above the village.

Something dropped.

With a deafening boom, it slammed into the earth, sending a shockwave across the plaza. Dust and debris clouded everything.

When the air cleared... I saw it.

A massive, armored figure atop a shadowy horse. A headless knight, its axe glinting under the dying sun.

“The Dullahan,” Lilith muttered grimly, now standing beside me.

Screams erupted.
Panic surged through the crowd as the townsfolk bolted in every direction.

Chaos erupted.

The Jester Daemons returned, screeching and lunging at the townsfolk. Their twisted grins carved through the smoke like nightmares given form.

Knights scrambled to protect civilians, clashing with the demons in every corner of the square.
Amid the chaos, Jonathan stood firm, facing off against the towering Dullahan.
But even he was struggling.

His blade met the Dullahan’s axe in a thunderous clash but he was being pushed back.

I stood frozen, watching the mayhem unfold.
My hands trembled.

I looked down at them.
Weak. Powerless. Scared.

I shut my eyes.
Took a breath.

And in that moment, CrimsonCaliber materialized in my palm, glowing red like a burning heart.

"I don’t have a dream. I don’t have a wish."

The screams echoed in my ears.

"But even so… I want to. I want to find my dream. And I’m not gonna die before I do!"

With a cry, I raised my blade.
A crimson shockwave burst from the sword, ripping through the ground, slicing through the oncoming Jesters in a single, blazing arc. The earth cracked in its wake, glowing red-hot where it passed.

Then I ran.

No hesitation.

Straight into the fight.

I didn’t know how to fight but my body moved on its own.
Instinct? Memory? I didn’t know.
But every swing, every dodge, it felt right.
Like I was born for this.

I slashed, I cut, I fought.

And for the first time since I arrived in this world,

I wasn’t running.

"Go Aki, go!"
I turned at the sound,
Lilith, standing on the sidelines, cheering with pom-poms she definitely conjured from nowhere.

I sweatdropped.
“Seriously…?”

No time to focus on that.

I sprinted forward and leapt into the air, driving a kick straight into the Dullahan’s chest, knocking it off its horse with a heavy crash.

“Akira!”

Jonathan looked my way.

I met his eyes.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said. And I’ve made my choice.”

“I’m going to fight, to protect… and to find my dream.”

He smiled, proud and ready.

“Then I’d be honored to fight beside another dreamer.”

With a swirl of light, he summoned his lance, its blade gleaming gold.

“Let’s go!”

We charged together. The Dullahan roared, conjuring a floating, flaming head, then launched it toward us like a missile.

BOOM!

Jonathan slammed his lance into the ground, a barrier erupted, absorbing the fireblast just in time.

Using the opening, I launched from behind him and sliced across the Dullahan’s chest, sending sparks flying.

It stumbled, recoiling.

But we didn’t stop.

We moved like we’d fought together for years. Jonathan striking from above, me from below, our blades hitting from every direction.

Then the Dullahan fell to its knees, smoke rising from its scorched armor.

My breath slowed.
But my heart was racing.

There was something inside me, burning.

I could feel the energy swirl through my limbs, twisting into power.

Dark aura surged around me, drawn toward CrimsonCaliber.

I gripped it with both hands.
Raised it high.

"LUCIFER FANG!!"

The blade pulsed, and a wave of dark energy exploded forward.

It twisted and took shape midair, forming a demonic head, its jaw gaping wide.

With a thunderous roar, it bit down on the Dullahan, swallowing it in a burst of black light before erupting in a cloud of crimson mist.

Silence.

The Dullahan was gone.

“Woah…”

My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed face-first into the dirt.
Note to self: it drains a hell of a lot more energy than it looks.

Groaning, I rolled over onto my back. The sky had returned to normal, no more wormholes or flaming horsemen. Just a warm, quiet dusk.

Lilith’s face appeared above me.

“You good?” she asked, trying to hide a grin.

“...I’m hungry,” I muttered.

She giggled, offering me a hand. I took it, and she helped me wobble back onto my feet.

“That was incredible, Akira. You’re way stronger than I gave you credit for.”

“Not really…”
My legs buckled again, and this time she caught me pulling my arm around her shoulder.

“Though… I’m glad I could keep up.”

Jonathan approached with a proud smile on his face. I raised a shaky thumb in his direction with him returned the gesture.

...

The sun shone bright. A new day had come.

After the battle against the Dullahan, Akira said he would leave the town and continue his journey. Now, here I am, standing at the town gates, watching his departure.

“This is a lot of money…” he muttered, lifting up a bag of crowns. “Are you sure we can have this?”

“Well, you did save the town. The people here are generous, they just wanted to repay you. They respect you as a hero now.”

“Sorry I had to leave early,” he said.

I smiled and shook my head.
“No need to feel sorry. Me and the other adventurers can handle the rest. You’ve helped enough.”

“I see… Thanks.”
He looked down at the bag for a moment, before glancing back up at me.

“Will we meet again in the future?” I ask him.

His expression stiffened. He didn’t answer immediately.
“Yeah,” he finally said. “We’ll see each other again.”

“Akira, let’s go!”

“Coming!” he called out.
He turned, then looked back at me with a slight smile.
“See ya!”
And just like that, he ran off into the distance.

Galahad approached quietly. “Sir.”

I sighed.
“I know.”

From the start, I already knew.
The way he spoke. The way he moved.
That aura.

That dark, pulsing aura. There’s no doubt. He’s another Player.

Which means…

“You already know what to do, right?”

I turned toward the voice.

There he was. Leaning lazily against a tree, arms folded.

His entire body painted half-and-half — black and white.
Red eyes pierced through me.

Zeus.

“He’s a pebble in your way. You must kill him if you want to claim victory.”

I’d always been conflicted about the rules of this so-called ‘game.’
Maybe, maybe, if a Player was abusing their powers, it would be justifiable.
But Akira…

“A king shall not let a pebble trip him,” Zeus continued.
“You said it yourself,  you wish for harmony. But before peace, there is always war.
And a king must know when to make a sacrifice for the greater good.”

“…I understand.”

“Sir…”

“Good.”
Zeus smiled.
“Don’t make me look bad, boy wonder. I’m rooting for you.”

And then, he vanished — dissolved by the wind.

I looked down. My hand was shaking.

I can only pray for him now.

“…Akira. May we try our best.”

-To Be Continued-