There was silence for a second.
She looked at him for a long time before answering.
" Too strong for this world. Too feared to be understood"
He didn't reply. The faint hum of the system in his head felt distant.
Then Nyra continued, voice softer. " Our enemies... the ones who destroyed everything we built- they were demons. Cruel, cunning, insatiable. They twisted realms, fed on despair, and burned everything holy."
" Demons," dream repeated. " And these demons, still exist?"
" Oh, they always exist," she murmured, eyes drifting towards the crimson moon. "Even now."
Her words lingered like fog.
Finally, dream rose, tightening his gloves. " If this demons were the ones that destroyed everything like you said, they must be strong, which means I must be stronger. I'm heading out to do just that."
Nyra smiled, though something in her eyes darkened, like an unease.
" Would love to be with you but I have places to be"
" Places you still refuse to tell me"
" I apologize for that" she said with a light chuckle.
He left, and as he did Nyra looked through the window right at the moon and like receiving a flashback....
Far beyond the floating shards, in a darker edge of the void, three shapes crawled through the fog-- the demons the Queen had sent. They whispered among themselves, voice rasping like broken glass.
But they never reached their destination.
The mist thickened, then froze. A figure appeared behind them - tall, red- haired, eyes like molten glass.
"Wrong realm," Nyra said softly.
Before any of them could scream, the night was painted in blood and silence.
She stood over the demons, her expression unreadable. The crimson moon's light touched her cheek like a blessing and a curse.
One demon-- barely alive- tried to crawl away. She crouched beside him, her tone almost gently.
" Go back," she said. " Tell your queen the void still breathes. Tell her the kings still stand"
It nodded weakly, trembling, and vanished through a collapsing rift.
Far away, in her throne of obsidian and flame, the demon Queen's eyes snapped open. The bond between her and her soldiers shattered in a wave of death.
For a long time, she said nothing, then, slowly, she smiled.
Her voice was low, dangerous, almost loving.
"So you're still alive, my sweet ruin. I'm delighted"
The sound of her laughter echoed across the abyss-- soft, melodic, and utterly cruel.
Returning from this recent event had happened while dream was asleep, Nyra blinked , understanding the weight of what could happen next. She exhaled, her eyes briefly softening as she stared at the moon.
" So it begins again" she murmured
...
The air of the void shimmered softly as dream stepped out of his new home. The faint glow of dawn- if such a thing existed here- stretched like liquid silver across the horizon. Above him, the single crimson moon hung still, bleeding it's quiet sorrow upon the newborn realm.
He glanced down at the map projected before him, a transparent window of a pale light. The familiar zones shimmered in their usual colors- green, orange, and red- markers of safety, balance, and danger. Yet, something new caught his attention.
Beyond the known regions floated an unmarked island, a huge dot glowing faintly orange, their existence previously unknown.
Looking up he could see the islands, "System," he murmured, " these weren't here before, right?"
[ Positive. The realm of shards has expanded. New territories have merged with the void. Exploration advised]
" Exploration, huh...?, why not"
Looking at the map again he selected one of the islands glowing orange- and the world folded around him. The air shimmered; space twisted like a veil of glass being peeled away, and in an instant, he was gone.
When the world righted itself, he stood up on a floating islands drenched in pale luminescence. It was beautiful. Shards of crystal grass swayed with phantom wind. Transparent trees rose like pillars of frozen rain, their branches glittering softly. In the distance, rivers of liquid flowed upward instead of down, painting the air with streams of living art.
Dream exhaled slowly. "It's... Perfect," he whispered. Almost like the void's trying to remember what beauty felt like.
[ Welcome to the floating isles]
The system pinged softly beside him, but his eyes drifted upward- toward the crimson moon. Even here, in this tranquil paradise, it looked, ever- watchful.
And for a moment... it looked sad.
He couldn't explain why, but the Moon's color - deep, bleeding, sorrowful- felt almost alive, like an eye that had seen too much suffering and chose never to close again.
" Why do you look like that?" Dream murmured quietly. " Like you're mourning something."
The wind didn't answer. Only the moon stared back in silence.
>>>>>>>>
Demon Realm- The Queen's Chamber
Far away, in a realm where shadows walked and light trembled, a woman sat upon a throne carved from obsidian and bone. She was draped in silks darker than the void itself, idly traced her nails along the armrest, her crimson eyes flickering with irritation.
Before her, a horned demon knelt.
" Y...yo..your grace, the void bre..." Before he could finish speaking his body exploded.
" Pathetic, you dare come to me in this pathetic state"
' Liam!!" She shouted "summon the demons council"
.....
Back at the floating isles
Dream stood at the island's edge, staring into the vast crimson sky. The faint sense of pressure had faded, but unease lingered. He didn't know why.
The system was silent, yet the wind whispered faintly - as though the void itself had sighed.
He turned to leave, unaware of the danger that loomed around him. But he soon caught on, a little too late though as blood splattered from his cheeks.
A beast had arrived, similar to the ones he fought in the shard realm. The crystals around him had created a perfect environment for the beast to camouflage. Dream immediately drew his sword, ready for the battle but then out of nowhere mor beast emerged and they weren't going to let him strike first as they all charged towards his.