The quiet of the Lumina Academy dormitory was a fragile thing — a soft blanket over the chaos of the day's battles and celebrations. The stars outside glimmered faintly through the window, but inside, only the gentle rise and fall of two breaths filled the room.
Zane lay beside Sera on his narrow bed, her warmth a steady comfort against the chill of the night. His eyes fluttered shut, exhaustion pulling him into sleep.
But the calm did not last.
The dream came — hazy and fractured, like a shattered mirror reflecting shadows.
He saw a figure. Cloaked in darkness, wielding a blade that drank the light. The blade pierced through Sera's side with merciless precision.
Her scream was silent, swallowed by the thickening fog of his mind.
The world blurred violently — colors bleeding into nothingness, sounds twisting into eerie silence.
When his vision cleared, the floor was soaked with dark, sticky blood. It glistened cold beneath his feet.
Through the crimson sea, a figure emerged — a reflection of himself, yet twisted and unfamiliar. The shadowy double walked with purpose, eyes burning with a cold, unreadable fire.
Zane's heart pounded, trapped between fear and an unspoken warning.
The dream faded into darkness, leaving behind a heavy silence — and a promise of something waiting, lurking just beyond his waking world.
Zane jolted awake, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. The shadowy images from his dream still clung to his mind — the dark blade, Sera bleeding, the blood-soaked ground, and the figure that looked so much like him.
Sera stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open. She glanced at Zane, concern etched across her face.
"Zane? What's wrong?"
He swallowed hard, forcing his voice to steady. "Nothing. Just a nightmare... nothing to worry about."
But the unease lingered beneath his calm words, settling like a weight in his chest.