Dreamer

It was the night after Kaz had made a fool of himself in front of a clan leader—and in doing so, carved himself into the academy's blacklist. An outcast, once again.

He was just waking up from another long rest.

Kaz pulled on the standard government-issued academy uniform, straightened his bed with the kind of mechanical care only fatigue can teach, and stepped out of his dorm.

The hallway was dim, but not to him.

Thanks to his Feature, Creature of Chaos, he had near-perfect night vision—but not flawless. People appeared outlined in purple light, a vague aura that blurred at a distance, making it difficult to distinguish faces unless they were close.

Still, it didn't matter too much in everyday life.

At least, not until tonight.

A chill ran down his spine when he stepped into the hall—subtle, sharp.

Someone was behind him.

He turned.

And there she was.

The bane of his existence.

At the time, Kaz didn't know it—but what she was about to say next would shake him to his core.

Her voice was soft. Almost too soft.

"Hi, Son of Chaos."

Kaz froze.

She knew his Trait.

What the hell…?

His blood ran cold. His face darkened almost instantly, shadow folding across his expression like a drawn curtain.

He was going to have to kill someone today.

He never had before. Would he care if he did?

If she knew his Trait… then she knew his True Name. And if she spoke it—if she said it out loud—then Dareth would come out.

He didn't care who she was.

She couldn't be allowed to live.

But before he could turn thought into action, her voice shattered the silence again.

"Lighten up, man. I know your True Name, sure—but I'd never speak it. If you were thinking that. He's annoying. In the future, we butt heads all the time because of that."

Kaz blinked.

The future?

They had never met. This was the first time. That wasn't just a lie—it was a contradiction.

Unless…

Again, she cut him off before the thought could finish unravelling.

"No, it's not future vision," she said casually. "it's something like that"

Kaz couldn't make sense of her words. They sounded like gibberish—nonsense strung together in a way that only made his unease grow.

She kept talking, her tone so light and casual it bordered on ditzy. But Kaz noticed everything.

The way her hands moved as she spoke—too animated, too precise. It wasn't natural. It was distraction. She was trying to steer his mind, misdirect him from the thoughts that had nearly pushed him to act.

It was clear she'd either thought this entire interaction through… or she'd seen it unfold before.

Fine.

He'd play along—for now.

Kaz's voice came out calm, careful, and cold.

"What do you want?" he asked, slowly.

She walked up to him, playfully hopping from one foot to the other, like this was some kind of game.

Her voice was soft—casual, even a little teasing. Like they'd known each other forever.

"Me… you… and Axion," she said lightly.

But her face? Dead serious.

Kaz narrowed his eyes. What was she getting at? Why him? Why Axion?

She was really frying his brain.

Still, he managed a small smile. An idea had just formed. He didn't have much leverage—but he did have something. The only real edge she held was his True Name.

And while the fear lingered that she might speak it, something told him she wouldn't. Not yet.

Still, he had to be cautious. Always cautious.

"

"What if I disagree?" Kaz asked cautiously, eyes narrowing.

The girl shrugged, her expression unreadable.

"Oh well," she said, completely unfazed. "You'll be coming to us with a broken leg anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

She said it like it was the weather. Like pain was just part of the forecast

Broken leg?

Kaz stiffened. What was this girl getting at? The way she said it—so casually, so certain—unnerved him more than he wanted to admit. He understood the implication: she was talking about forming a team in Eden. But they were supposed to be dropped into random regions. She spoke like she knew they'd meet. And if she knew that much… maybe he could reason with her.

"What about Ryuma?" Kaz asked, avoiding her gaze.

The thought of running into that psycho in Eden made his stomach twist. Ryuma was chaos incarnate—there was no predicting him.

She sighed, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry about him," she said. "He's not really a problem in Eden… well, not yet. Once he evolves, though?" Her tone darkened just a little. "He'll be a nightmare for the bigger clans."

Kaz wasn't sure if that was a warning… or a prophecy.

She yawned—a small, tired sound—and turned on her heel, walking off without warning.

Kaz stumbled over his words, struggling to catch up, but he had to know more.

"Wa—wait…"

The words barely slipped from his tongue. That's how much her sudden departure threw him.

She glanced back, brows raised. "What, man? I've got a class. Can we talk more later?"

Kaz stood there, silent. It wasn't fair. He wasn't done. He had so many questions, and she held all the answers like they were nothing.

"What's your name?" he asked. It came out awkward, but he had to know.

Her eyes shimmered faintly in the dark as she paused, then walked back over to him.

"Sophie," she said simply. "And don't worry—you'll get to ask all the questions you want. We'll be seeing a lot of each other now that you've switched to night classes."

az knew from that moment—that Sophie was dangerous. Not because she was violent, but because of what she knew. Anyone she didn't choose to side with… probably didn't stand a chance. She spoke like someone who had seen the future—but claimed she hadn't. And that was the part that bothered him the most. If her Trait wasn't a future vision… then what the hell was it? The mystery gnawed at him.