She remained seated on the ground, her knees spread apart, hips resting between her feet. Her hands pressed firmly against the cold, invisible floor at her sides, anchoring her trembling body as she lifted her gaze toward the tiny fairy hovering before her.
Starila drifted closer, her emerald eyes glimmering with a faint, unreadable light as she met Lan's tired blue stare.
"Okay, that's a sick idea. I'm ready," Lan said, her ocean-blue eyes scanning the dense fog around her. She moved her hands slowly, trying to push the mist away as she added in an annoyed murmur, "But can you let me stand up first? This fog illusion of yours is holding me back."
Starila's emerald eyes glimmered with amusement as a playful, almost smug smile curled across her lips. "Oh? I'm impressed. You figured it out already… without me even telling you."
Lan pushed herself up from the ground, brushing off her soft blue cotton shorts trimmed with delicate white lace. She ran her fingers over her plain, fitted white T-shirt, smoothing out invisible wrinkles. The fabric clung lightly to her slender frame, outlining her subtle curves beneath its simplicity. Her bare legs glowed faintly under the eerie void light, and despite her cold, sleepy glare and tousled blonde hair falling around her shoulders, there was an effortless beauty about her—dangerous, mysterious, and painfully human.
"You're ready, I think… hot girl," Starila said with a playful smile.
She raised her tiny glowing hand toward Lan, who stood frozen, her ocean-blue eyes locked onto the swirling world forming before her. Without another word, Starila whispered a brief incantation under her breath, and a faint golden light gathered at her fingertips.
Suddenly, a dark portal tore open behind Lan, its swirling abyss radiating an unsettling coldness. Before Lan could even react, a burst of force erupted from Starila's hand, shoving her backward into the darkness.
As Lan tumbled helplessly into the endless void, Starila hovered in the silent air, her emerald eyes glimmering with mischief and something far more dangerous. A whisper escaped her lips, echoing into the empty fog.
"And this is where your mind will be tested… let's see just how powerful you are against your own self, hot girl."
••
In the endless void of the cosmos, Lan floated weightlessly, dressed in a cropped black top with a chest cutout, sleek black pants with a black belt design on her left hip, under which was a matte black cross emblem, and heeled boots. Fingerless gloves covered her hands, and a sleek black ceremonial cane rested under her arm.
The scene shifted rapidly, like a trailer flashing fragments of a vast story. Planets burning in silence… a dying star collapsing into darkness… a lone figure gripping a sword, pinned against shattered space by a massive meteorite.
Finally, the visuals settled.
Lan knelt on one knee, a long spear trembling in her grasp. Her cloak was torn, her body bruised and broken, but her ocean-blue eyes still burned with fierce resolve. In a cracked, trembling voice, she whispered,
"I… I won't fall… not until I defeat you…"
As each scene passed, a deep, feminine voice narrated over the cosmic echoes:
"This cosmos… the place where all hidden truths reside.
Gods, once thought untouchable, feared their creation—humans.
For humans, in their pride, rose to challenge them.
In fear, the god Celestia split its own shadow into seven fragments, each holding forbidden Void power never meant for human eyes.
But the war only grew darker… until a traveler appeared.
She wielded an unusual power, a strength even Celestia could not comprehend.
From the moment she entered the battlefield, the balance shifted.
For the first time, humans saw hope—hope to end Celestia's tyranny, and to break free from being mere pawns in its endless game."
The screen faded to black, and glowing words appeared across the darkness:
**This is your story.
Here, you matter.
Every step you take shapes this world.
You are important… because you are the protagonist of your own story.
Welcome to the Nightmare.**
••
She jolted awake on her bed, dressed once again in her light blue cotton shorts and plain white T-shirt. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to steady her breathing.
"This is just a dream… there's no way it can be real," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling slightly.
Slowly, she stood up and walked around her small room, her mind replaying every vivid detail of the dream. She moved towards her desk, brushing her fingers across the back of the chair, then traced her gaze along the scattered pens and papers on the table. She stepped over to the window, pushing aside the cloth hanging limply in front of it, and stared out into the quiet city lights flickering in the distance. Then she turned towards her bookshelf, running her fingertips lightly along the spines of her old textbooks and novels.
After wandering for a few minutes, she finally returned to her bed, collapsing onto the mattress with a heavy sigh. Her thoughts felt clearer now, though an uneasy emptiness lingered within her chest.
This is just a dream… there's no way this can be real, she told herself again. This is reality, not some damn novel world where I get isekai'd from my sleep. What the fu*k happened to me?
She pressed her palms against her face in frustration.
Ugh… I hate this stupid biological and psychological fact. Overthink anything before sleeping, and your brain makes a dream out of it. How annoying…
She glanced at the time on her phone before tossing it aside and lying back down on her bed. As she stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts drifted endlessly, until eventually, sleep pulled her under once again.
••
"We meet again, hot girl," Starila said with a smirk curling across her lips. Her emerald eyes glimmered mischievously as she added, "So… did you enjoy the trailer for your upcoming life in dreams?"
Lan stared at her silently. Her blonde hair, which had been tied up when she first arrived in this place—and even in reality—now fell loosely around her face and shoulders, strands framing her ocean-blue eyes in messy waves. She didn't bother brushing it back, her gaze locked on Starila with a quiet desperation, searching for answers hidden behind that playful smile.
"First… please, can you stop calling me that?" Lan muttered, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "It's… embarrassing."
Starila burst out laughing, her tiny body glowing softly as she twirled mid-air. She looked at Lan with a playful grin and said, "Nah, I think it suits you perfectly. You're beautiful and hot. So forget about me changing it."
She floated closer, hovering near Lan's ear, and whispered teasingly, "Anyway… back to business, hot girl. Did you enjoy the nightmare you saw in your dream trailer?"
Lan let out a quiet sigh, her annoyance flickering before she gave in. "You're never going to call me by my name, are you? …Fine. Call me whatever you want."
Her tone shifted, growing serious as she looked directly at Starila. "Is it true… that in this story, I matter? That every move I make will affect how it unfolds?"
Starila whispered loudly, her voice echoing through the void, "Yes, that's true. Got a problem with that?"
Lan's eyes widened slightly, and a small, happy smile formed on her lips. "No… no problem at all."
So this story has no fixed ending… everything will depend on what I choose to do, she thought, her gaze following Starila as she floated lazily around her.
As I thought, Starila mused with an amused smile. She's got brains… though she still doesn't fully understand what I mean. But at least she's better than those dumbass boys who jump into trouble without a second thought… and somehow still survive.
"Is there any question you want to ask?" Starila asked casually as she floated around Lan, her wings shimmering softly in the darkness.
Lan stood up from the ground, brushing down her plain white T-shirt and blue cotton shorts before fixing her gaze firmly on Starila.
"What if I complete the story?" she asked in a calm, serious tone. "What will be my reward?"
"That's a good question, y'know." Starila floated closer, reaching out to touch Lan's arm with her tiny glowing fingers. "Anything from the dream world that you want to bring into the real world. Three things, to be exact. It could be your dream boy, a superpower that doesn't exist in reality, any creature or animal… anything that exists in this dream world. Cool, isn't it?"
Lan's eyes widened in surprise. She glanced down at her arm where Starila's tiny fingers rested before quickly looking back up, asking hurriedly, "Literally anything? Do you mean that?"
"Yes!" Starila replied cheerfully, floating back with a carefree twirl in the air.
Lan let out a short, humourless laugh. "Then it's not going to be some 'dream boy.' I have no interest in something meaningless. Just wait… you'll be shocked by what I choose."
Starila paused mid-air, her emerald eyes locking onto Lan's with playful seriousness.
"It looks like… you're finally ready to start your story—" She stopped abruptly, her face shifting to sudden realisation. "Wait, wait! I forgot to tell you something."
Lan frowned, confusion flickering across her features. "What is it?"
Starila floated closer to Lan, circling lazily around her with an unsettling calmness. Her voice dripped with a casual, almost playful chill.
"Let's make this a little more fun," she said softly. "If you get injured in your dream world… you'll feel it in real life too."
She drifted above Lan's head, her tiny wings flickering with a faint glow, and smiled darkly as she added,
"And to make it even more interesting, if you die ten times in the dream world, you'll die in real life. How's that sound, hot girl?"
For a moment, Lan's entire body froze. Her mind went blank, her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn't speak or even move under the weight of what she'd just heard.
But after a few moments, Lan's fingers twitched slightly, and she let out a whisper, her voice trembling before turning steady.
"It'll be fun, y'know… I love challenges." A short laugh escaped her lips. "Pfft… hahaha… When we already know death is coming for us, why not keep playing until it does?"
She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Starila. "So… is there anything else you want to say?"
Starila blinked, surprised, before shaking her head with an amused grin. Then she burst out laughing, her tiny body glowing brighter in the dark void.
"Lan… you are different from other girls," she said with a hint of admiration in her tone. "I never regret my choices… and I don't regret choosing you. It's going to be fun watching you rise."
She floated back slightly, her emerald eyes gleaming. "I wish you good luck, Lan. May your journey be… easy for you."
Starila kept her gaze locked on Lan as she raised her small hands, opening the portal once more beneath her. Lan felt the pull as her body fell into the swirling abyss below, Starila's laughter echoing around her until everything went dark.
••
In a dimly lit room, Lan sat on the ground, dressed in her cropped black top with a chest cutout, sleek black pants with a black belt design on her left hip under which was a matte black cross emblem. She glanced down at herself, watching as her clothes shimmered faintly, adjusting and settling into place. With a quiet sigh, she stood up and brushed off her clothes with practiced ease.
Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud crack, and a man stormed in, gripping a sword tightly in his hand. His eyes burned with rage as he shouted,
"There she is, everyone! She's here—the one who killed our king is right here!"
Lan lifted her gaze to him, her expression shifting to annoyance as her cheek twitched slightly. She let out a short scoff and muttered under her breath,
"So this is how it begins… I'll become the traveler of the cosmos, huh? And my journey starts by taking down these jackasses."
°°°