Chapter 489: Voice in the Dream
Chapter 489: Voice in the Dream
Kyrian took a slow breath. His breathing made no sound, nothing made any sound in that place, but the act itself was comforting. A reminder that he was still himself, even within that surreal space.
Then, he began to walk.
Each step seemed to produce no sound whatsoever. His feet found an invisible ground, a surface that existed only within his perception.
That place remained completely silent. No wind, no breathing, not even the beating of his own heart seemed to exist.
The farther he walked... the larger the gigantic eye seemed to become. The horizon expanded, and with it, the oppressive presence of that creature. It was impossible to calculate its true size. It could have been as large as a mountain or as large as an entire world, Kyrian had no way of knowing.
Even so... he kept moving forward.
His feet moved with determination, each step bringing him closer to the center of that darkness. The eye continued to grow before him, yet he never looked away.
Then...
A voice.
Soft. Calm. Gentle. It was unmistakably a human voice, a woman’s.
"...Stay calm..."
Kyrian stopped immediately. The sound, so unexpected within that absolute silence, echoed through his mind like the ringing of a bell.
The voice continued.
"...I know it hurts."
Silence returned for a few seconds. The words lingered in the air, carrying an emotion Kyrian could not fully identify. There was sadness within them. And determination. A promise.
Then...
"...One day, I’ll free you from this prison."
Those words echoed through the darkness, every syllable filled with conviction.
"...I swear it on my life."
Kyrian frowned slightly. The voice seemed close. Very close. As though it were speaking right beside him, not from the distance the sound suggested.
He resumed walking. As the distance between him and the enormous eye decreased, the voice became clearer. More real.
Then... he finally saw her.
The same female silhouette. Standing before that gigantic eye like a solitary figure facing an infinite abyss.
She wore long, flowing robes that seemed to be woven from the darkness itself. Her dark hair, veiled in shadows, reached her waist, moving as though stirred by a wind Kyrian could not feel.
But... just like last time... it was impossible to make out a single feature of her face. She seemed to be made from the darkness itself, a shadow among shadows.
Kyrian slowly approached. His steps were careful and respectful, as though he were approaching a wild beast.
He stopped a few meters behind her. The silhouette remained motionless, staring at the giant eye.
For several seconds... he simply watched. The scene was surreal: the woman before the eye, the absolute silence, the feeling of existing somewhere between reality and a dream.
Then he decided to get the woman’s attention.
"Hmm?"
The reaction was immediate.
The woman turned in a single motion. It was a movement filled with surprise. Almost shock. As though someone had tapped her shoulder in a place where she had believed herself to be completely alone.
Her voice immediately broke the silence.
"How..."
She remained completely still, her silhouette as motionless as a statue.
"Who are you?"
Several seconds of absolute silence followed. Kyrian could feel the weight of her gaze upon him, even though he could not see her eyes.
Then her voice became even more incredulous.
"How the hell are you here?"
Kyrian remained where he was. He didn’t know how to answer. In truth... he didn’t even understand where he actually was. Was it a dream? A vision? A real place that could only be reached through his sleeping state?
He looked at the woman once again. He still couldn’t make out her face. All he could see was a completely black silhouette, as though all light were incapable of reaching her. As though she herself were a black hole in human form.
But... at that moment... the situation was even stranger for the woman.
She was also observing Kyrian. Through her unique perception, she could clearly distinguish his figure, not as a shadowy shape, but as an outline of light and energy.
But there was something different.
His spine glowed faintly with a crimson light. It was as though a small river of magma flowed along his back, a line of fire pulsing with ancient and powerful energy. Every vertebra was a knot of light, connected by strands of energy glowing like burning embers.
Moreover... his two completely black eyes remained perfectly visible within that darkness. They were the only points of color in his form, two spheres of darkness so profound that they seemed to swallow light itself.
The woman remained completely motionless.
’Heavenly Bone...?’
The thought surfaced involuntarily, a spark of recognition illuminating her mind.
’No... even so, it should be impossible...’
She knew of the Heavenly Bones. She knew their power. She knew how rare they were.
But that young man... besides the bone, his eyes did not fit any pattern she knew.
The two of them simply continued staring at one another.
Neither of them spoke. The silence was absolute, broken only by the presence of the giant eye above them.
Time itself seemed to have stopped. Kyrian had no idea how much time had passed. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? But the sensation of stillness was overwhelming.
An entire minute passed in that strange silence.
Kyrian finally took a breath. He was preparing to answer, to tell her his name, to try to understand what was happening.
"My name..."
But before he could finish... everything disappeared.
The darkness. The enormous eye. The woman. The countless black dots. Everything was swallowed by an intense light.
...
Kyrian opened his eyes.
He was back in his room. The first light of dawn slowly streamed through the window, painting the room in shades of gold and pink.
The rays of sunlight danced through the air, illuminating specks of dust that floated like tiny stars.
The spiritual birds had begun to sing outside. Their voices were melodious, a natural chorus celebrating the arrival of a new day.
In the distance... the city was awakening for another day of the festival. The sounds of stalls opening, merchants preparing their goods, and cultivators chatting excitedly formed a symphony of life that slowly rose into the air.
Kyrian remained lying there for a few seconds, processing the transition. His heart beat at a normal rhythm, and his breathing was calm. There was none of the panic of awakening from a nightmare, only a gentle transition from dream to reality.
He took a deep breath, the cool morning air filling his lungs.
’That dream again...’