Strange Dream again

---

Flashback - Elvin's Perspective

Looking into Asher's eyes, Elvin saw a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and a strange, almost nostalgic feeling. His mind cleared in that instant, and it suddenly hit him what he had just done.

Elvin grabbed Asher hastily, panic rising in his voice. His expression was filled with regret.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to," he whispered, but it was too late.

Asher stopped breathing in his arms.

Elvin swiftly pulled the sword from Asher's chest and laid him on the cold floor. His heart raced, unable to believe the reality of the situation. This wasn't supposed to happen. He never wanted this. Asher had been so surprised, he didn't even have a chance to defend himself, almost as if he hadn't expected Elvin to strike him so suddenly.

Elvin grabbed his face with both hands, a shout of anguish tearing through him. "Aaaahhh... why? Why again?"

But no one was there to answer him.

He looked at Asher one last time, his face a mask of regret, and in a soft voice, he said, "I… I'm sorry…"

Turning his back, Elvin walked away, his thoughts consumed with what would happen next. His mind was too clouded to notice the subtle change in the air.

As Elvin left the room, oblivious to the shifting mana, Asher's body began to respond. The mana surrounding him fluctuated, swirling and converging toward him. His shattered ether core began to reform, but this time it was different. Instead of a physical core, it was ethereal, transparent, with a hidden, indescribable pattern surrounding it.

His heart, which had once stopped, began to heal, its beat steadying once more.

And then, Asher's eyelids fluttered slightly, as if waking from a deep, dreamless sleep.

---

Asher's POV

Asher jolted awake, gasping for air as if he had been underwater for too long. His surroundings were all too familiar. The room. The bed. It was exactly the same as his previous life.

He muttered under his breath, "Is this a dream again?"

Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes, then pinched his wrist, feeling the sharp sting of pain.

"If this is a dream, then why does it hurt?" he muttered. His brow furrowed in confusion, but the answer seemed to evade him.

"Wait... who am I kidding? I already know something's wrong here," Asher thought to himself, his mind racing. "This doesn't feel like a regular dream. I just need to figure out what's going on."

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up. The familiar ticking of the clock caught his attention. The hands were frozen, all pointing straight up.

"Everything's the same... just like before," he mumbled to himself.

His gaze drifted toward the window. The outside world was thick with fog, just like it had been before.

As his eyes moved to the computer on his desk, a strange unease settled in his chest. It was still on. "Something is definitely going on with that computer," he thought, a familiar sense of dread creeping over him. It reminded him of horror movie scenes where the ominous object was ignored until it was too late.

He sighed, trying to push the anxiety down. "Fine, whatever. If it's mocking me, I'll face it. What's one more death?" he muttered.

Ignoring the computer for now, he walked to the door. He tried to open it, but the handle wouldn't budge.

"Of course, it won't be that easy," he sighed, frustration bubbling up.

With a grunt, he returned to the bed, ignoring the computer again. He laid back down. "If I can't get out, I'll just sleep... maybe that'll fix this."

Silence settled over the room.

After what felt like hours of tossing and turning, Asher opened his eyes again, restless. Sleep wouldn't come.

He glanced at the computer once more, a decision making its way to the surface.

"Fine. I'll check it out. After all, I've already died twice... what's one more time?"

With a groan, he pushed himself off the bed and sat at the computer. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, but nothing happened when he clicked. He frowned, frustration creeping in. Was the computer broken?

Just as he was about to lose his cool, the screen flickered and changed.

A message appeared in bold letters:

---

Congratulations, you have gone through the First Awakening. Would you like to know your abilities?

---

Asher froze. His heart skipped a beat. He had suspected something like this, but seeing it confirmed still sent a shiver down his spine. Awakening—he'd heard whispers about it before, but no one seemed willing to explain what it truly was. The one thing he did know was that it healed all the wounds of the person going through it. Could this be the reason he was still alive?

The screen stared back at him, and he found himself wondering if this was what had brought him back. The questions only multiplied in his mind.

"Abilities..." he muttered under his breath. "What abilities?"

He hesitated for a moment, but something deep inside him told him he had no choice. He had to understand. Whatever this Awakening was, it was just the beginning.

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