A Real Dream

Takahiro stood behind them, holding an umbrella, his presence as calm as it was terrifying.

"Do you two know the lady and the boy?" His tone was casual, yet cold enough to cut through the storm.

The bandit gripping his knife started to shake, his fingers slipping against the hilt. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded, though his voice wavered as he registered the sheer amount of foxfire coursing through Takahiro's body.

Takahiro sighed, disappointed. "Does no one know how to ask for someone's name with a little respect anymore?" His right hand flickered to life, blue foxfire crackling and shifting into lightning. "But I suppose the daggers in your hands mean you're not friendly. That means I don't have to be either."

One of the bandits lunged for the old lady.

A flash.

Takahiro was beside her in an instant. The bandit's eyes went wide with disbelief… A deafening crack split the air as lightning arced from Takahiro's fist into the man's chest, sending him sprawling in the mud, steam rising from his clothes.

The second bandit dropped his weapon and fell to his knees. "I'm sorry! Please, let us—"

"Stay silent," Takahiro commanded, his voice like a thunderclap.

Ignoring the trembling criminal, he turned and reached down, helping Cloud to his feet. "Are you hurt?"

Cloud shook his head, his hair damp and matted with mud. "No, I'm fine."

He glanced at the old lady, scanning her for injuries before exhaling in relief.

Takahiro watched him closely. "Have you realized what your real dream is?"

**

Present Time

Cloud shook his head, his breath unsteady behind the hard surface of his mask. "What do you mean that's not a real person? I can hear her, and so can you." His voice was firm, yet doubt lurked beneath it.

"That's a phantom, Cloud. Mimicking a woman's voice."

Kai stepped forward, his movements sharp and deliberate. Flames erupted from his hands, bathing the tall grass in a flickering orange glow. The heat rolled off his palms, distorting the air between them.

"Somebody, please help me!" The voice rang out again, raw with desperation.

Cloud hesitated. His gut told him Kai was right—but what if he wasn't? What if there really was someone out there, waiting, pleading for help? His fists tightened, knuckles whitening under the strain. Then, with a sharp inhale, he lunged forward, disappearing into the field of towering grass.

"Wait!!" Kai's voice snapped after him, edged with frustration.

But Cloud didn't stop. He pushed forward, weaving through the endless stalks. The grass clawed at his arms and legs, whispering against his clothing as if trying to hold him back. The darkness stretched before him, endless and unforgiving.

He ran, and ran—yet still, he found nothing.

"Could you shout one more time? I don't know where you are!" His voice tore through the silence.

But there was no reply.

His breathing hitched. The grass swayed, the wind hollow in his ears.

"Kai?" He turned, searching.

Silence.

Then—a rustling.

A slow, deliberate shift in the grass.

"Hello?" His voice was quieter now, wary.

The sound moved, slithering through the field like something unseen and calculating. His pulse quickened. It was everywhere. Surrounding him.

His hand hovered near his waist, fingers twitching.

'What the hell is going on?'

Then—something lunged.

Cloud barely dodged in time. A phantom crashed into the dirt where he stood moments before, screeching as it whirled toward him. It was smaller than the one he had encountered before, but just as monstrous—its grotesque limbs contorted as it shambled toward him with unnatural speed.

Cloud turned and sprinted.

But the phantom pursued.

'Why do they keep coming for me? It's like they know I'm weak.'

He risked a glance over his shoulder. It was gaining.

'Fuck.'

His hands twitched. He needed fire. Now.

'Come on, light up!'

Nothing.

His heart pounded as he willed it—forced it—begged for it.

Then—a flicker.

A blue glow pulsed at his fingertips, spreading until his hands were engulfed in ghostly foxfire. The flames licked at the air, casting eerie shadows over the field.

The phantom shrieked and lunged, its gaping maw stretching unnaturally wide.

Cloud planted his feet. He twisted, curling his fingers into a fist, channeling everything into this one strike. His entire body coiled like a drawn bow.

With a roar, he swung.

***

A Few Weeks Earlier

Cloud scoffed, brushing the mud from his sleeves. "My dream? It's barely been an hour. You really think I had time to think about it with all this happening?"

Takahiro simply shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me."

Cloud hesitated, then bent down and picked up the fallen basket, handing it back to the old woman. "I don't know what you mean by a 'real' dream, but I do understand now that my idea of a dream was misguided. If I had to choose a new one… it would be to become strong so I can help people who can't help themselves. Like me. That's what you did for me, and I plan to do the same for whoever I can.. but I'm not sure, just saying what came to mind."

Takahiro's eyes widened slightly, his expression betraying a hint of something deep, something personal. But just as quickly, his usual demeanor returned, as he walked up to the nervous bandit.

"Why were you after them?"

"No, we weren't after them, just the basket… We have no food, we haven't eaten in days. Ever since the Yami Clan closed off their routes, the food coming around these parts has stopped. Me and my brother heard the lands around the mountains here weren't tainted like most of Stormspire Plains (the region they're in)."

"So you decided to threaten an old lady?" Takahiro asked.

The nervous bandit bowed his head. "We're sorry. We know we shouldn't have but we saw her picking the last of the fruits, we panicked and made a dumb decision. It won't happen again."

When he raised his head back up, his torn-up mask slowly fell off, revealing his young face as it was in tears.

…

The old lady slowly came forwards, reaching into her basket and offering them apples with a smile on her face… Cloud couldn't help but be reminded of Ms. Chie… The bandits hesitantly accepted, one of them even looked the other way but the old lady grabbed his arm and let the apple fall into his hands. They bit down on it immediately, their hunger couldn't wait much longer. Cloud walked up to them and offered them a hand, picking them off the ground one after the other.

"You were threatening us like you would actually do it back there," Cloud reminded them.

"Sorry, we were just trying to scare you. We don't even know the first thing about fighting."

Cloud was unsure if they were telling the truth at first but he decided to take a chance on them. He pointed toward the direction of his orphanage. "If you keep going down the mountain that way, you'll eventually come across an orphanage. I'm sure they'll take you in if you're willing to work too."

Their faces lit up instantly, filled with hope once again. "Thank you."

After receiving a somewhat disciplinary lecture from Takahiro, they bowed their heads and began running without a second thought. As they disappeared below the hills, Takahiro gave the old woman his umbrella and sent her on her way back home too.

…

He then invited Cloud into his home, sliding the door open, they took off their shoes and went inside. The house was eerily empty except for a small wooden table in the center of the room… They both sat down facing each other, briefly in silence… Cloud let out a breath, leaning against the wooden table. His arms felt heavy, but for the first time in a long while, his heart felt light…

"Your new dream is a real one, Cloud… and I will help you achieve it."