Just as Tiger pointed ahead to show Rizard the way, everything around him suddenly flickered. For a brief moment, the entire world turned completely black. Tiger immediately stopped and looked around, but when everything returned to normal, Rizard was no longer standing beside him.
Tiger stared into the darkness with confusion. "Rizard...?" Before he could understand what had happened, another figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
It was Leon.
Tiger's eyes widened, but before he could react, everything instantly returned to normal again. However, Leon was still there. Without warning, Leon grabbed Tiger's hand and forcefully dragged him away, sliding him back toward the blossom tree. Leon immediately rushed toward him, but Tiger quickly reacted by grabbing his hand and forcing him down.
Tiger sat on top of Leon, holding him down while sitting with his legs crossed. Leon struggled beneath him, and Leon became confused. Why can't my body move properly...? Somehow, Leon managed to use his leg to throw Tiger away. Tiger landed safely on his feet, but Leon immediately rushed toward him again.
Tiger moved aside, causing Leon's attack to strike the wall behind him. Before Tiger could properly react, Leon came toward him once more and prepared to attack his face—
Suddenly, everything turned black again.
Tiger stood silently in the darkness and whispered to himself, "What now...?" He took a breath and looked around. "What is happening to me? I shouldn't stay here anymore. I need to rest." Tiger slowly took two or three steps forward, hoping to leave whatever was happening behind him.
But the world turned black once again.
Tiger immediately stopped.
"What...?"
A voice echoed through the darkness.
"You have to complete a challenge."
Tiger looked around. "What? And how are you here?"
The voice calmly replied, "I'm your God. That's why I'm here. I came to inform you about something." There was a brief pause before he continued. "You will be going to another world."
Tiger's expression changed.
"But... through a dream," the God added.
Tiger stared ahead in confusion. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"Yes, through a dream. You heard me correctly."
Tiger narrowed his eyes. "And what are you doing here? Is all of this because of you?"
The God immediately responded, "No. No, no, no. This isn't my doing."
Tiger's expression became serious. "Then whose?"
"Your Swiga."
Tiger clenched his right hand into a fist. "My Swiga? Why would my Swiga do this? Give me some kind of challenge?" He remembered everything that had happened before—the strange visions, Scar suddenly disappearing, and reality repeatedly turning black. "Then all those things from before... was my Swiga doing all of that too?"
The God replied calmly, "Nobody knows."
Tiger stared at him. "Why?"
The God continued, "But when you enter that other world, you will experience it through a dream."
Tiger whispered to himself, "A dream... everything is a dream..." His fist tightened further as he tried to understand what the God was telling him.
"You won't physically be in that world," the God explained.
Tiger lowered his voice. "What does that even mean? I still don't understand properly."
The God continued, "Even though it is technically a dream, everything you experience there will feel completely real. Pain will be real. If someone attacks you, you'll feel it. Exhaustion will be real. Weight will be real. Every second will feel exactly like reality."
Tiger listened silently.
"So treat that world as if it were real life," the God said. "And you must escape from that world within ten days."
Tiger immediately looked toward him. "And if I can't escape within ten days?"
The God paused.
"Then..."
Tiger waited.
"Then what?"
The God replied, "Then your Swiga... only it knows what might happen."
Tiger clicked his tongue in frustration. "Tsk. Just tell me the truth. You're the one doing all of this, aren't you? You just don't want to tell me."
The God immediately denied it. "I already told you, I'm not doing this. If I wanted to give you a challenge, I could have done it myself without bringing you here and giving you all these instructions. I also have no reason to do something like this to you." He paused before looking directly at Tiger. "I'm telling you the truth. I genuinely don't know what your Swiga is doing."
Tiger looked away, clearly exhausted by everything happening around him. "I'm really getting tired of all of this."
The God suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and one more thing. Your powers won't exist in that world."
Silence filled the darkness.
Tiger slowly looked back at him.
"...What?"
"You will have no powers," the God repeated.
Tiger's expression immediately changed. "Isn't that going a little too far? And how do you even know all of this?"
The God answered casually, "I'm a God. I know about the future, every second of it."
Tiger gave a small sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, yeah. I know."
The God continued, "You will be completely normal there. No supernatural abilities. No powers."
Tiger sharply inhaled in frustration. "Seriously...? I can't use even a single power?"
"Not directly," the God replied. "However, there is something similar to an ability. If you're injured, you can heal yourself using things such as bandages, ropes, or any kind of cloth."
Tiger listened carefully before nodding. "...I understand."
The God remained silent for a few moments before speaking again. "And before you enter that world... if you die, your Swiga might do something wrong."
Tiger's expression changed.
The God continued.
"Something like—"