The Dream Before the Awakening

Kaien's first memory was never of his childhood.

It was always the dream.

The sky burned crimson.

Ash drifted through the air like black snow, coating the broken streets of a city he had never seen before. Towering buildings crumbled into clouds of dust while rivers of fire swallowed everything in their path. The smell of smoke filled his lungs so vividly that every breath felt real.

People were running.

Screaming.

Begging.

A little girl reached for someone disappearing beneath falling rubble.

An old man clutched a bloodstained flag before collapsing to his knees.

Soldiers in shattered armor charged toward a battlefield already lost.

Everywhere Kaien looked, there was only ruin.

"What... is this place?"

His voice echoed strangely, as if swallowed by the wind.

He had never been here before.

At least... he didn't think he had.

A deafening explosion erupted in the distance.

The ground shook violently beneath his feet.

Far ahead, beyond the burning city, thousands of soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder. Their banners waved through the smoke—different colors, different kingdoms, different symbols—but they all faced the same direction.

Toward a single person.

Toward...

Him.

Kaien frowned.

No...

Not him.

Someone who looked exactly like him.

The figure stood atop a mountain of broken stone overlooking the battlefield.

Long black hair danced in the blazing wind.

A dark cloak fluttered behind him like living shadows.

His posture was calm.

Almost peaceful.

Yet everyone looked at him with absolute hatred.

The armies roared.

"Monster!"

"Kill him!"

"For humanity!"

"For our families!"

"For the world!"

Their voices merged into one overwhelming cry that shook the heavens.

Kaien's chest tightened.

Why?

Why were they all trying to kill him?

The figure didn't move.

Didn't flinch.

Didn't even raise his weapon.

He simply watched.

Then...

Slowly...

The stranger turned his head.

Their eyes met.

Kaien froze.

Those eyes...

They were his.

The same icy blue.

The same scar beneath the right eyebrow.

The same face.

It was like staring into a mirror years older than himself.

Except...

There was something different.

The man's eyes carried an unbearable sadness.

Not fear.

Not anger.

Regret.

As though he'd already lost everything worth protecting.

The older Kaien slowly raised one hand.

Not to attack.

Not to threaten.

Almost...

As if reaching toward him.

His lips moved.

He whispered something.

Kaien couldn't hear it.

The wind drowned out every word.

"What...?"

The battlefield vanished.

Darkness swallowed everything.

Then came another sound.

Footsteps.

Heavy.

Steady.

Something enormous was walking behind him.

Kaien turned.

A colossal shadow emerged from the smoke.

It had no face.

Only glowing silver eyes.

Its body shifted like liquid darkness, changing shape every second.

It stopped only a few feet away.

The creature lowered its head.

Not in aggression.

In recognition.

As though it knew him.

As though...

It had been waiting.

Then its eyes burst with blinding light.

"Kaien!"

The dream shattered.

"Kaien!"

His body jerked violently.

"Huh?"

A textbook slid off his desk and smacked against the classroom floor with a loud thud.

The room erupted into laughter.

Kaien blinked several times before realizing where he was.

Sunlight poured through the classroom windows.

Desks.

Students.

The chalkboard.

He wasn't standing in a battlefield.

He was sitting in history class.

"...Oh."

His heart still pounded against his chest.

Someone was snapping their fingers inches from his face.

"Welcome back to reality."

Kaien looked up to find a grinning boy leaning over his desk.

Messy brown hair.

Bright amber eyes.

The kind of smile that somehow got him out of trouble more often than it should.

Riven.

"You planning on sleeping through graduation too?" Riven asked.

More laughter spread across the classroom.

Kaien rubbed his forehead.

"I wasn't sleeping."

"You were literally snoring."

"I don't snore."

"You absolutely do."

"I don't."

"You sounded like an old engine."

"I hate you."

"I know."

Riven laughed, dropping into the seat beside him.

Across the aisle, another student closed her notebook with a quiet sigh.

Seraphina.

Unlike Riven, she rarely laughed loudly.

Her silver-blonde hair rested neatly over one shoulder, and her calm violet eyes studied Kaien with quiet concern instead of amusement.

"You had another nightmare."

It wasn't a question.

Kaien hesitated.

"...Maybe."

"You were shaking."

"I'm fine."

"You always say that."

"Because I am."

She didn't argue.

She simply continued watching him with an expression that made him slightly uncomfortable.

It was the look someone gave when they knew you were lying but chose not to embarrass you by saying it aloud.

The teacher gathered a stack of papers.

"Class dismissed."

The room exploded into conversation.

Chairs scraped against the floor.

Students rushed toward the door.

Within moments the classroom was nearly empty.

Riven stretched dramatically.

"Finally."

"I thought history was going to kill me."

Kaien picked up his fallen textbook.

"It almost killed me."

"You mean your nap almost killed you."

"It wasn't a nap."

Riven raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"So you were meditating?"

Kaien rolled his eyes.

"You're impossible."

"And yet somehow you're still my best friend."

The three stepped into the hallway.

Students filled every corner of the academy.

Some hurried toward clubs.

Others laughed with friends.

The afternoon sun spilled through tall windows, warming the polished stone floors.

Everything felt...

Normal.

Painfully normal.

Almost enough to make Kaien question whether the dream had happened at all.

Until he remembered those eyes.

His own eyes.

Watching him.

"You've had that same dream before."

Seraphina's voice broke the silence.

Kaien looked at her.

"What makes you think it's the same?"

"You wake up looking exactly like this every time."

He forced a smile.

"I guess I have weird dreams."

Riven slung an arm over Kaien's shoulders.

"Maybe you're secretly destined to become a legendary hero."

Kaien laughed softly.

"Some hero."

"You never know."

"What if I'm the villain instead?"

Riven burst out laughing.

"You?"

He pointed dramatically.

"The guy who apologizes after bumping into chairs?"

"I don't apologize to chairs."

"You apologized to a tree last month."

"...That tree surprised me."

Even Seraphina smiled.

For a moment, everything felt lighter.

Almost peaceful.

But then...

Kaien glanced out one of the academy windows.

Far beyond the rooftops...

For the briefest instant...

He thought he saw a tall figure standing alone on a distant hill.

Watching him.

The figure disappeared the moment he blinked.

"..."

"You okay?" Riven asked.

Kaien stared at the empty hill.

"...Yeah."

But his voice lacked conviction.

Somewhere deep inside...

A strange feeling settled into his chest.

The dream hadn't ended.

It had only followed him into the waking world.

The afternoon sun hung low over the village as students poured through the academy gates.

Laughter echoed along the stone streets while merchants called out the last of their daily bargains. Children chased one another through narrow alleyways, their wooden swords clacking together as they pretended to be soldiers defending the village from imaginary enemies.

Kaien walked in silence.

His backpack rested lazily over one shoulder while his mind remained trapped in the dream.

The burning city.

The armies.

The man who looked exactly like him.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the image from his thoughts.

"You sure you're okay?"

Riven's voice pulled him back.

Kaien blinked.

"Hm?"

"You've barely said ten words since school ended."

"I've said more than ten."

"Not counting 'yeah,' 'maybe,' and 'I'm fine.'"

Kaien sighed.

"I'm just tired."

Seraphina looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"You don't have to tell us if you're not ready."

Her voice was gentle.

"But you don't have to carry everything by yourself either."

Kaien smiled faintly.

"I know."

An awkward silence settled over the three of them as they reached the center of the village.

Here the streets split into different districts.

One path led toward the market.

Another toward the academy dormitories.

The last toward the residential district where Kaien lived.

"Guess this is where we split."

Riven stretched his arms above his head.

"My mom's making stew tonight."

He grinned.

"If I don't get home first, my little cousins will eat everything."

Kaien chuckled.

"Then you'd better run."

"I plan on it."

Riven suddenly pointed at Kaien.

"And don't fall asleep standing up."

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Satisfied, Riven turned and sprinted down another street.

"See you tomorrow!"

Seraphina remained.

She looked toward Kaien with those thoughtful violet eyes.

"Try to get some real sleep tonight."

"I will."

"And if you have the dream again..."

She hesitated.

"...tell me."

Kaien nodded.

"I will."

Though he wasn't sure if that was true.

She offered a small smile before disappearing into the crowd.

Soon...

Kaien was alone.

The village felt different without his friends.

Quieter.

He walked through familiar streets lined with stone houses covered in flowering vines. Elderly neighbors sat outside their homes talking about the coming harvest while shopkeepers swept dust from their doorsteps.

Everything here felt peaceful.

Safe.

It always had.

Ever since he was a child, he had been taught the same lesson everyone else learned.

The Veil protected them.

Beyond the Veil was darkness.

Beyond the Veil was death.

Only soldiers crossed it.

Only soldiers knew what truly existed outside.

And once they became soldiers...

They never spoke of it again.

Not to their families.

Not to their friends.

Not even to each other in public.

It was one of the oldest laws in the village.

Questioning what lay beyond was forbidden.

Everyone simply accepted it.

Everyone...

Except Kaien.

As a child, he had asked his father dozens of times.

"What's outside the Veil?"

His father had always smiled.

"When you're older."

"When I'm a soldier?"

"When you're older."

"But what's out there?"

His father would simply ruffle his hair before changing the subject.

The answer never came.

Eventually...

Kaien stopped asking.

Not because his curiosity disappeared.

Because he realized no one intended to answer.

A cool breeze drifted through the streets.

Within minutes he reached home.

It wasn't large.

Just a simple stone house with ivy climbing one wall and a small vegetable garden in front.

The scent of herbs drifted from the kitchen window.

His mother was cooking.

Kaien smiled despite everything weighing on his mind.

He pushed open the front door.

"I'm home."

"In the kitchen!"

Her cheerful voice echoed through the house.

Kaien removed his shoes before walking inside.

His mother stood over a steaming pot, humming softly while stirring dinner.

She looked up with a warm smile.

"There you are."

She brushed a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear.

"How was school?"

"It was..."

He paused.

"...normal."

She laughed.

"I've learned that whenever you hesitate before saying 'normal,' something happened."

Kaien smiled sheepishly.

"I accidentally fell asleep in class."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You?"

"I didn't mean to."

"I'm sure your teacher appreciated that."

"I don't think she noticed."

A brief pause.

"...Riven noticed."

His mother laughed harder.

"Oh dear."

"I'll never hear the end of it."

"You probably won't."

She placed another bowl onto the table.

"Go wash up."

"Dinner will be ready soon."

Kaien nodded.

"Where's Dad?"

Her smile softened.

"He won't be home tonight."

Kaien wasn't surprised.

"Oh."

"He's still working."

"When isn't he?"

She didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she quietly set another plate back into the cupboard.

"Your father works hard for this village."

"I know."

"He always has."

Kaien looked toward the empty chair at the table.

It had become normal.

Too normal.

Some weeks his father was only home long enough to sleep before leaving again before sunrise.

Whatever his work was...

It kept him away.

Still...

Whenever he did return, he always made time for Kaien.

Even if it was only for a few minutes.

Kaien missed those moments.

Before either of them could say anything else—

BOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG!!

A deafening bell echoed throughout the village.

The windows rattled.

Birds exploded into the sky.

Another bell followed.

BOOOOOONNNNNGGGG!!

Kaien immediately looked toward his mother.

She had already stopped cooking.

"The soldiers..."

she whispered.

"They're back."

Within seconds the entire village came alive.

Doors opened.

People poured into the streets.

Children laughed excitedly.

Shopkeepers abandoned their stores.

Everyone moved toward the central avenue.

Kaien grabbed his jacket.

"Can I go?"

His mother smiled.

"Just stay with the crowd."

"I will."

He hurried outside.

The entire village was already gathering near the massive northern gate.

Towering above everything else stood the Veil.

It wasn't cloth despite its name.

It was an enormous wall of smooth black stone stretching so high its top disappeared into the clouds.

No one knew who had built it.

No one knew how old it was.

It completely surrounded the village like an unbreakable fortress.

At its center stood colossal iron gates.

Those gates opened only for one reason.

The return of soldiers.

Kaien squeezed through the growing crowd until he found a place near the front.

Everyone waited.

The bells slowly fell silent.

Then—

The gates groaned.

Massive gears hidden within the wall turned with a thunderous rumble.

The ancient doors slowly began to open.

For a brief moment...

Kaien tried to peer beyond them.

All he could see was darkness.

Not the darkness of night.

Something deeper.

A black mist that swallowed everything beyond the entrance.

No roads.

No mountains.

No forests.

Nothing.

Just endless darkness.

His heartbeat quickened.

Then figures emerged.

Soldiers.

Dozens of them.

Their silver armor was scratched and dented.

Some carried broken spears.

Others leaned on comrades as they walked.

Many bore fresh bandages stained with blood.

Their faces were exhausted.

Some looked relieved to be home.

Others...

Looked haunted.

The cheering crowd erupted.

"They're back!"

"Welcome home!"

"Thank the Guardians!"

Children waved wooden flags.

Families rushed forward searching desperately for familiar faces.

Some cried with relief.

Others embraced loved ones so tightly it seemed they would never let go.

Kaien watched quietly.

He noticed something strange.

Every soldier had the same expression.

Not fear.

Not pride.

Silence.

The kind of silence carried by people who had seen something they could never describe.

One little boy broke free from his mother's hand and ran toward a soldier.

"Dad!"

The soldier knelt and hugged him tightly.

"Dad!"

"What was it like outside?"

"Did you fight monsters?"

"Was it scary?"

The soldier's smile trembled.

He gently placed a hand on his son's head.

"I can't answer that."

The boy frowned.

"Why?"

"It's the law."

"But why?"

The soldier simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

Kaien stared.

Even after returning home...

Even after surviving another battle...

They still refused to speak.

Not a single word about what existed beyond the Veil.

As the last of the soldiers entered the village, the enormous gates slowly closed once more.

With a thunderous crash, the Veil sealed itself shut.

Whatever lay beyond it...

Whatever those soldiers had fought...

Whatever truth was hidden outside those walls...

It remained buried in silence.

And for reasons Kaien couldn't explain, the dream from earlier whispered once again in the back of his mind.

Everyone was fighting.

But perhaps...

Not everyone had been fighting the same enemy.