This wasn't just a dream

This time, Leon didn't kiss Siaara's lips but placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose instead. His warm breath brushed against her skin, sending an unfamiliar shiver through her.

For a brief moment, Siaara's heart pounded hard. Her eyes widened in surprise. She instinctively stepped back, but before she could say anything, that same mysterious smile curved on Leon's lips.

"Don't think too much, Siaara," his voice was soft, yet it carried an unshakable certainty. "Very soon, you'll have all your answers."

And with that, he vanished, like he was never even there.

But was it real… or just another illusion?

Siaara's breath was still uneven. She looked around in confusion, her fingers absentmindedly brushing against the tip of her nose, where the warmth of Leon's touch still lingered.

"Who is he? And why does his touch leave me so restless?" she whispered to herself.

Then, all of a sudden, that same dream flashed before her eyes, the dream that had been haunting her.

That same unfamiliar place, a place she had never seen before.

A sharp pain shot through her head, as if something was forcefully shaking her consciousness. Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her hair.

"What should I do? Why can't I understand anything?"

Siaara took a deep breath and slowly sat down on her bed. The soft moonlight filled the room, but within her, a strange darkness lingered, one that refused to leave her alone.

Was this all just a dream? Or was it a truth slowly unraveling itself before her?

The echoes of these questions settled deep within her mind, until the weight of sleep began to take over.

Slowly, Siaara drifted into slumber once more.

But this time, an odd feeling accompanied her. And once again, Siaara begins to dream.

A sudden gust of icy wind surrounded her. There was a strange heaviness in the air, thick with something she couldn't quite name.

She knew, this wasn't an ordinary dream. It was something else. Something real… and incredibly dangerous.

Darkness stretched endlessly around her, an abyss with no end in sight. A black mist curled through the air, brushing against her skin, like unseen fingers trying to reach into her very soul.

Slowly, the mist began to clear. And there she stood, facing a towering palace, "The Throne of Shadows."

Shrouded in the eternal darkness of "Umbrathis", the palace's black walls were forged from an eerie, obsidian-like metal. Strange engravings covered the surface, engravings that didn't stay still.

They shifted and moved, breathing as if they were alive. The palace's high spires pierced the sky, their shadows stretching endlessly into the darkness, as if they belonged to another world entirely.

For a moment, Siaara's heart stopped.

Why was she here?

"At last..."

A deep, resonant voice sliced through the air, making it tremble.

Siaara's body stiffened. Slowly, she turned around.

Standing before her was a man—tall, regal, and imposing. His gaze was cold, yet sharp and piercing. His face was carved from stone, every angle etched with power.

Shadows bled from his black robes, curling and twisting in the air around him, as if even the darkness itself obeyed him.

"Valerian Vittorio."

The King of Umbrathis. The Master of Shadows.

His presence was so overpowering that Siaara felt like the ground beneath her feet had turned to stone, holding her in place.

"Who… who are you?" Her voice wavered, but she forced herself to stand firm.

Valerian smiled—a slow, dangerous smile.

"You know who I am, Siaara. You've always known."

A strange shiver ran through her, reaching deep into the core of her being.

"I brought you here," Valerian said, stepping closer. His voice was like ice, sending chills down her spine. "Because inside you lies a power… a power that I want."

Panic surged through her. She tried to take a step back, but her feet wouldn't move. It was as if invisible chains held her in place.

Valerian raised his hand. Instantly, the air grew heavier. Siaara felt something tightening around her, something unseen yet suffocating.

A force was pulling at her, draining her energy, reaching for something deep inside her.

"Stop!" she screamed, her voice echoing through the darkness.

But Valerian's smile only deepened.

"There is no turning back now, Siaara. This is just the beginning."

Suddenly, from the palace ceiling, shadows began to descend, wandering spirits, trapped in eternal darkness.

Their twisted, ghostly forms drifted toward her, whispering in an ancient, forgotten language. Their hollow eyes bore into her, and their voices wove through the air like a spell.

Siaara's breath came faster, her chest rising and falling in panic.

This wasn't a dream.

This was real.

And now… there was no escape.

Then Siaara gasped and shot up from the bed, her breath ragged and uneven.

Her bracelet was glowing, blindingly bright, as if flames had ignited inside it. Her breaths came in ragged bursts, her heart pounding so violently that she thought it might burst from her chest.

Her skin was damp with sweat.

For a long moment, she just stand there, struggling to breathe, trying to convince herself that it was just a dream, just a nightmare.

But her bracelet, it was still warm against her wrist, radiating an energy she could feel deep in her bones.

Her pulse was still racing, so she walked out of the room, needing air, needing something real to hold onto.

She grabbed the water jug from the table and drank straight from it, gulping down the cool liquid. It flowed down her throat, calming the fire that still burned inside her.

But even as the chill spread through her body, her restlessness refused to fade.

Somewhere deep inside, she knew, This wasn't just a dream.

Something was happening. Something she couldn't understand… yet.

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