In the waking world, a few hours before Kael fell asleep for the joint attack, the malaise due to the Ki poisoning was becoming noticeable in the village of Aris.
Some inhabitants had caught glimpses of furtive figures among the trees—the Spiritual Assassins, who were moving discreetly, but not discreetly enough to go unnoticed.
Rumors of "armed strangers" and "mysterious people" began to circulate, generating anxiety and suspicion.
Kael knew it was time to confront the village chief, a man named Theron, a longtime friend of his uncle Borin.
In secret, Kael and Borin went to Theron's spartan office. They found him looking stressed, sitting at a desk cluttered with papers, massaging his temples. He looked tired, overwhelmed by a thousand worries.
"Ah, Borin, Kael," Theron said with a sigh, looking up.
"I'm sorry, but today is really not the best time. There are too many rumors; the people are restless. The crops aren't producing, and there's this widespread exhaustion that won't go away even with rest. And now, strange sightings at the edge of the woods, people we don't recognize. I don't know what's going on, but my head is splitting."
Borin placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Theron, we came precisely about this. Kael knows the reason for all of it. It's important, believe me."
Theron looked from Borin to Kael, his expression cautious but curiosity now evident despite his tiredness.
"Wait a minute," he said, his eyes resting on Kael. "Didn't you say Kael went to a nearby town for work?" The chief looked at Borin with regret. "Then you lied, old friend. How can I trust what you're saying now?"
Kael intervened, his tone calm and steady.
"Theron, the answer to your question is the same reason we're only speaking with you and not the entire village: the truth is too complex and incredible to be shouted in the streets."
He took a deep breath.
"There is a threat, an ancient force we call the Ash. It seeks to drain life itself, both from the dream realm and from our world, the waking world. I am a Keeper, Theron. We act in the Oniric Realm, the realm of dreams, to defend it from this Ash that is withering it. But the Ash is not limited to the Dream Realm; it is also poisoning life here, the vital force of the world that others call Ki. This is the cause of the exhaustion, the land not producing, of everything you feel."
Kael continued, explaining the connection between the village's symptoms and the Ash's actions.
"And the 'strangers' you've seen in the woods are not a threat to us. They are the Spiritual Assassins, and they are here for the same reason we are, albeit with different methods. They fight the manifestations of the Ash in the waking world—the Silent Ones—and work to restore the flow of Ki. We have contacted them and allied. Both of our ways—that of the Keepers in the dream and that of the Spiritual Assassins in the waking world—have been a secret for centuries. But now, the threat is so great that we must join forces."
Kael paused, letting his words sink in. "Borin can confirm what he learned from me: my abnormal 'sleep periods,' and how, after some of them, people in the village showed mental recovery and improved sleep. These were the first signs of our fight against the Ash starting to affect the village."
Borin nodded slowly, his wrinkles more pronounced. "It is true, Theron. At first, I didn't even believe it. But Kael has never lied to me. And I've seen changes in the people, and in my own mind."
Theron looked from Kael to Borin, disbelief battling with a growing sense of recognition. The widespread exhaustion, the strange things he had noticed but couldn't explain, were starting to make sense, however insane.
"Are you telling me that something supernatural is at play, that you two are involved, and that I must keep everything a secret for the good of the village?"
Kael nodded. "Exactly. If the entire community knew the truth, some would panic, some would think we're crazy, and some would fall into chaos. You, however, will be listened to. You are their chief, their point of reference. You can keep the confusion at bay while we handle everything. But for this, Theron, you cannot reveal the existence of the Keepers and the Spiritual Assassins to anyone, just as Borin promised me the first time I told him."
Then he changed his tone.
"After all, they are still Assassins, and they can end your life at any moment; their existence has been and must remain a secret. And we Keepers", Kael added, his voice low, "can deprive you of sleep until you go mad, if it becomes necessary for the delicate maintenance of the balance between the Dream World and the Waking World. All of this will only come out if the situation becomes untenable, and it's evident that something catastrophic is happening because of the Ash, IF and only IF the Keepers and the Spiritual Assassins agree."
Theron paled slightly; the threat, though veiled, was clear. "I'm not being left much choice, apparently," he murmured, his face a mix of resignation and new, terrible awareness. "Very well. What should I tell the people about these 'strangers'?"
"The official story," Kael replied, "is that the people camped outside the village are passing hunters. They have been hired to hunt the creatures that some villagers have recently glimpsed, to make the area safer for everyone."
"And how are these hunters being rewarded?" Theron asked, a glimmer of cynicism.
"The revenue derived from catching these creatures, or from the improvement of the environment, compensates their pockets greatly," Kael replied with a slight smile, knowing it was an excellent cover for the Assassins, whose true reward was the restoration of the Ki balance.
Theron sighed deeply, his shoulder drooping as if bearing a new weight. "May the Gods assist us," he whispered, but the decision was made.
After dismissing the Village Chief, Kael immediately reported the outcome of the meeting to Kenji. Then he went to his room and fell asleep again.
In the Dream Realm, Master Elian, Lyra, and Kael consulted.
The meeting between Fynn and the Spiritual Assassins had been a success, the groundwork for cooperation had been laid, and Akio's condition was accepted. With the village's cover secured, it was time to act.
"The Ash has been alerted to Fynn's presence in the waking world," Elian said, his voice resonating with gravity. "Aris is now a focal point for them. We must strike them on both fronts to force them to disperse their forces."
"Kael, Lyra, it is time for targeted action," Elian continued. "Your initial presence in the dream tunnels, along with other Keepers, will give a significant boost to the restoration. It will be like helping a cart stuck in the mud: a powerful push at the start allows others to continue with less effort."
He brought his right hand to his chin and stroked his white beard: "This will create an immediate impact on the Ash and force it to react strongly. After that, you must quickly return to the Foundations, because Kael must face the third Veil."
Shortly after, Kael, Lyra, and a small group of Keepers launched themselves into the dark depths of the Dream Realm.
They chose three main tunnels, vital arteries almost completely choked by the Ash.
Concentrating their flames, they began to pour waves of purifying light into those passages. It was not a fight, but an act of forced restoration. The light clashed with the stagnant darkness, pushing it back with a palpable energy.
The tunnels, slowly, began to pulse again. The wave of harmony was immense, a veritable resurrection of energetic flows that the Ash had believed dead.
This massive and coordinated restoration effort was like a punch to the Ash's gut.
In its frosty domain, the Whispering One trembled with rage. Its already divided attention was forced to focus on this unexpected and powerful oneiric offensive.
From the depths of the withered tunnels, the Dark Guardians—creatures of pure corruption and ferocity—poured out in droves toward the restored tunnels, their movements accelerated by the Ash's fury.
The impact was immediate: the general advance of the Dark Guardians in other areas slowed; some were recalled, forced to redirect their strength toward these points of oneiric rebirth.
Kael sensed the intensity of the reaction. "Now!" Lyra murmured, her voice ethereal and charged with urgency. "The initial impact has been made! We must return."
With one last, powerful discharge of their flames, Kael, Lyra, and the group of Keepers quickly retreated, vanishing into the Dream Realm and heading at full speed toward the Foundations.
They had delivered the initial blow, forcing the Ash to divert resources to oneiric defense.
A subtle signal, a vibration in the Ki created by Fynn, spreads from the Keeper's location toward the waking world, destined for the Spiritual Assassins:
It is time. Act!