Chapter 03 — Dreams, Doubts, and a Day Too Late

Talian devoured all the food brought to him by Laina, the elven head maid. First, because it was his favorite food, and naturally, he loved it. And second, because Laina told him that assassins never leave crumbs behind. Talian was slightly surprised by this new piece of information—he hadn't known that before. But now that he did, he would make sure to eat all his food from now on, leaving not a single crumb behind. It was just his dedication and commitment to his dream of becoming the greatest assassin the world would ever know.

Shortly after, Laina, accompanied by Saeyt, left him alone in the room. And so, Talian's thoughts drifted away from reality into his dreams.

Talian had a dream—a dream he would achieve no matter what. It was a dream he couldn't recall how he had picked up, but his feelings toward it could only be genuine. Every time Talian imagined himself as a legendary assassin, he felt his mind becoming calm, at ease. His breathing grew more regular, as if he were inhaling the crisp morning air. Everything about him transformed into what Talian could only describe as a comfort zone, where he could smile for no particular reason. But his dream was reason enough.

Yet, for the first time, his dream put a frown on his face. Was it because he had taken the first step toward realizing it by accepting the mission from the mysterious man? Or because his first step hadn't been as easy and quick as he had imagined?

Talian didn't know the answer—he didn't understand that he was facing what was called an 'obstacle.' On the path to achieving dreams, one could only move from one obstacle to the next. Whether failing or succeeding, obstacles would lessen with the experience gained, and the road forward would become clearer. But Talian didn't know this. How could he? He was just a child. Still, Talian was determined about his dream, and no strange, incomprehensible emotions would deter him. He would achieve his dream, and to do so, he needed to return to his mission as soon as possible.

The mission that would introduce Talian to the world of assassins was one of infiltration and theft. Despite what had happened to his leg, Talian could say he had successfully infiltrated—no one suspected he was there to retrieve the item the mysterious man had specified. Of course, Talian had told Saeyt about his mission, but she was his dear childhood friend. She had always supported his dream, so there was no way she would tell anyone. Talian had blind trust in her.

His small hand clenched the bedsheets, followed by a faint frown. Something felt off about his thoughts, about what he was about to do. Especially after telling his childhood friend, who had supported him with a smile and enthusiasm. He tried to understand these feelings, but in the end, he let them drift away in his inability to comprehend them. Instead, he focused on what he would do next.

'I'll wait until nightfall and finish the mission. My leg will be fine to use again. Laina said I'll recover quickly because I'm not broken like Saeyt said—just injured. I'll rest now until nightfall.'

A big yawn escaped Talian's mouth at the thought, and he didn't resist it. Even though it wasn't even midday yet, Talian felt tired. And he would need some rest to heal faster—and to speed up time as well.

••

Talian opened his eyes again to find himself in a dark place. He couldn't see anything—not even his own hand. He tried to move around but quickly realized he was stuck. Talian didn't panic because he knew he was dreaming. And so... he waited.

After some time, the darkness around him began to shift, to move and take shape, until it formed a humanoid figure blended with shadows, with large, white circles where the eyes should be. The figure was as tall as a tree, with horns that branched out, emphasizing its great height. A dense, black aura surrounded the figure as it moved strangely toward Talian, humming with disappointment.

"Dreams! They have the power to build one person and destroy another!" It was the mysterious man who had promised to make Talian an assassin if he completed his mission. He looked exactly as Talian remembered him, but what was he doing in his dream?

The towering, shadowy figure moved like a flowing river around Talian, its disc-like eyes unblinking as they bore into the young boy's form, which also blended into the surrounding darkness.

"Dreams are a choice! And a choice is a pledge! And a pledge is a 'do'! And you must keep the 'do' to keep the dream!" The man continued moving without stopping, speaking all the while.

Talian was confused, struggling to grasp the man's words—and even more so to track his movements, which showed no signs of ceasing, only growing stranger. Talian thought the man had entered his dream to scold him for delaying the mission he had been assigned. After all, delays were not the mark of someone who would become a legendary assassin. But Talian received no scolding. The mysterious man simply continued speaking.

"Reasons!... Reasons kill dreams!"

"Follow your dream until it destroys you! Follow your dream until you conquer it! Or... surrender to a reason!..."

"That is the worst of all!"

The strange dream continued for a long time, with the mysterious man uttering the most bizarre things that Talian struggled to understand. But Talian listened to every word. He felt that the man's words were very important—something he would come to understand later. Overall, everything about the dream was far too strange—not how dreams were supposed to be. Especially when the dream ended, only to restart again. It was all just too strange!

At some point, the dream finally ended. But instead of waking up, Talian simply continued sleeping until the next morning. And when he finally opened his eyes again to the familiar sight of his childhood friend's room, he was surprised that morning had already arrived. Wasn't he supposed to sleep only until nightfall?

Talian turned his head to the side, only to be surprised to find Saeyt sleeping beside him. Her ears twitched at his movement, and she slowly lifted her small body, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands. She looked sleepy, but she still forced her eyes to focus on him.

"Good morning!" she said in a soft, drowsy voice that still carried her infectious enthusiasm.

Talian was still dizzy from the cruel trick time had played on him. But he focused his thoughts more on his childhood friend and returned her morning greeting with one of his own.

"Good morning to you too!"

Somehow, that felt much more important.