Oliver groaned as the beeping of his alarm dragged him from sleep. Just as he shifted to sit up, a dull ache radiated through his body from Elder Han's attack—phantom pains that seemed to have followed him into the waking world. The psychological trauma from his dream was still fresh, and it lingered longer than he had expected.
But there wasn't time to process it fully. As he twisted in bed, he felt an odd weight atop him.
"What the…?" Oliver mumbled, still half asleep. His thoughts were still tangled in the memories of the dream world—the flirtations, the tension that almost led to an engagement, and the elders' martial prowess on display. But drowsiness still clouded his mind as he lifted the blanket, revealing scattered garments.
These clothes, though familiar, surprised him—they were things he had worn just worn in his dream scape. But that wasn't all. A sword in its sheath and a stack of intricately detailed papers were also lying next to him.
No way, Oliver thought, rubbing his eyes. Could the weed from last night still be messing with him? He pinched his eyes shut, then opened them again. The items were still there, real and solid. His heart raced with excitement. Somehow, he had the ability to bring his dreams into reality.
The first time had been his cultivation ability, unlocked after using the dream pattern. Now, it was the teleportation talisman, Fang Xiu's sword, and a makeshift hanfu.
"This can't be real…" Oliver muttered to himself, reaching for the talisman. He injected Qi into it, and his spiritual senses stretched, touching the edges of his neighborhood. His power, limited to the Qi Establishment realm, wasn't much—but with a single thought, he could reach anywhere within that range.
The sensation of his spirit stretching was strange, but after a moment of adjusting, he realized the true power of the talisman. Even if he wasn't teleporting, it gave him a vague sense of the neighborhood's layout. It wasn't tangible, but his spiritual view allowed him to sense everything—the trees, the birds, and the vague outlines of people moving about their homes.
Then he noticed something off. A girl in his school uniform was standing on the roof of the second house from his window. At first, it seemed harmless. But as he focused, he saw something more.
She wasn't alone. A creature, as large as the room she was standing on, was beside her. It had chameleon-like skin, its form blending into the surroundings, its bulging eyes watching the area with unsettling precision. Thanks to the talisman's effect, Oliver could see every detail of the creature. Surrounding the girl were intricate magic circles, their patterns weaving in the air, sending pulses of information into his consciousness.
He froze, his pulse quickening. He had briefly pierced into the rune carved into her eye—and glimpsed into it's observer properties. And that's when he noticed the unsettling truth. She was looking directly at him.
Knock. Knock.
"Oliver… Onii-chan…" Yumi's voice came through the door, interrupting his thoughts. "Wake up, or you'll be late for school."
Oliver gripped the talisman tighter in his hand, his fingers tingling from the energy. "I'll be downstairs soon, just give me a second," he said, his voice hurried as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. But his attention was still fixed on the girl on the roof. As he injected Qi into the talisman, her eyes seemed to follow his every movement.
She was watching him. The realization hit hard—how long had she been observing him? His mind flashed back to last night, the strange sensation of being watched. Had she started stalking him then? Or even before that? The memory of the study club crossed his mind. That was the first time he'd seen her, but at the time, he hadn't paid much attention. It seemed she hadn't noticed him either... or had she?
Taking a deep breath, Oliver tried to push the thoughts aside as he began his morning routine, acting as if nothing unusual had happened.
He pretended to disregard the talisman, placing it aside. Then, he picked up the sword and unsheathed it briefly before quickly realizing he didn't have time for this. He sheathed it again, began dressing in his school uniform, and stuffed the garments and sword into his closet. He hesitated for a moment, unsure about the talismans. After a brief thought, he grabbed four of them and stuffed them into the inner pocket of his blazer, folding the last one into his pants pocket.
When he finished getting ready, he shoved his hands into his pockets, injecting Qi into the talisman in his left pocket. The action gave him a slightly delinquent look, with his unruly hair and new posture adding to the effect. But Oliver didn't care about appearances. He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding, feeling a sudden relief wash over him. His spirit sense had grown, and with it, he could once again perceive the girl on the roof.
The feeling of being blind without the talisman had vanished. He could see her again, waiting for his next move.
Knock. Knock.
"Oliver, what's taking you so long in there?" a mature voice called from the other side of the door, breaking his focus. "Your food's getting cold."
Though he had expected it, a strange sensation filled him. Thanks to his enhanced spirit sense, he could now perceive his mother's every movement in minute detail. He could see the subtle sway of her skirt as she knocked, the gentle bounce of her breasts, and the piercing blue color of her eyes as they darted toward him.
"I'll be done in a second…" Oliver said, his voice growing tense as his eyes involuntarily lingered on his mother's figure. The vivid image made him uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop using the talisman. The girl outside was too much of a mystery, and with her clearly supernatural presence, Oliver couldn't afford to be careless.
"Hurry up then. Breakfast's getting cold," she said, stretching her arms above her head. Then, seemingly on a whim, she added, "Oh, and I noticed Yumi's acting a bit strange today. Oliver, tell me—did you do something that needs my concern?" Her words were laced with warning, her tone a clear message: You didn't do anything weird with Yumi, right? If you did, tell me now before she tells her father.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Oliver replied, walking toward the door and opening it, revealing the stunning mature beauty standing behind it. Her blonde hair cascaded down to her shoulders as she let her arms fall from the stretch, the light perfume she wore mixing with the natural scent of her skin. The fragrance almost made him irritable.
For a moment, Oliver's Yang essence flared out instinctively, sending a brief jolt of pleasure through her as the aftershock of his intrusion passed.
She froze, her face flushing slightly as the warmth hit her skin. Oliver noticed the faintest shimmer in her eyes, a brief hesitation before she quickly straightened herself, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her posture became rigid, and she cleared her throat.
"I-Is that so?" she stammered. "Then I guess I'll just have to ask her about it on the way to school." Her voice was softer now, uncertain in a way that was unusual for her. "Anyway, seeing that you're already dressed, why don't you freshen up and meet us downstairs?"
This revision smooths out transitions, adds clarity, and refines some sentences to keep the pacing natural and engaging. Let me know if you'd like further adjustments!
Oliver barely had a moment to process his mother's words before a soft voice called from downstairs. "Oliver, you better hurry up, or I'll eat your share!" Kaito's voice rang out from the kitchen, lighthearted and teasing, as always.
It seemed that Kaito had already eaten, judging by the distant clattering of dishes.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Oliver muttered under his breath, half-smiling as he grabbed his bag and slipped his shoes on, his mind still racing with the encounter outside. His half-brother's playful tone was enough to momentarily distract him from the strange girl on the roof and his own odd powers.
As he stepped out into the hallway, his mother was already descending the stairs, her gaze shifting between Oliver and Kaito, who was lounging at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee in hand.
"Oliver," his mother said, pausing at the stairs. "Don't forget to grab your lunch from the fridge. And no more late-night studying. You look exhausted." There was an edge of concern in her voice, but Oliver could tell she wasn't truly worried. He was used to it by now—his mother always had that air of calm detachment, as if she knew Oliver could take care of himself.
Without answering, Oliver turned and walked toward the bathroom, his mind still spinning from the morning's strange events. He splashed some cold water on his face, trying to shake off the lingering drowsiness and the unease that clung to him like a second skin. After a quick scrub of his face, he grabbed his toothbrush, the bristles foamy as he began to brush his teeth.
His spirit sense buzzed, as he slipped his left hand into his pockets again heightening it, the talisman talking effect as he infused with Qi . he spat into the sink and rinsed his mouth, he let his senses expand again, reaching beyond the bathroom, into the neighborhood. He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't stop himself from checking. Something was nagging at him.
And then he saw her.
Through his enhanced spiritual vision, he saw the girl on the roof once more. She was no longer standing still, and now, as he focused, he watched her mount the chameleon-like creature—its body as large as the roof itself. The creature's scales shimmered in the early morning light, its form sleek and predatory, but it stayed perfectly still as the girl climbed onto its back.
Oliver's heart skipped a beat as she urged the creature to move, crawling it slowly over the edge of the house. For a moment, he felt a tension in his chest. Was she leaving? Could he relax now?
But then his spirit sense continued to follow her as she slid off the side of the roof, and the creature began to crawl down the wall, its claws scraping lightly against the brick. His mind immediately cleared, and he felt a sense of urgency. It was like a weight pressing on his chest, a whisper in the back of his mind telling him that something more was unfolding.
With a deep sigh of relief, he began to relax slightly. She was leaving. That was a good sign, right? Maybe he could just forget about it, get on with his day.
But as his spirit sense stretched further, he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to keep watching.
Curiosity overpowered caution, and Oliver expanded his awareness even further. The girl and her creature moved through the streets, and for a moment, he felt like a voyeur, observing her every move. He focused in on her, tracking her as she made her way through the neighborhood, her form blurry in the physical world but crystal clear in his spiritual view.
What he saw next made his breath hitch in his chest. Maybe he hadn't been paying enough attention before, or perhaps his senses hadn't fully sharpened, but as his awareness followed her movements through the neighborhood, he caught sight of something peculiar—a small, leather-bound notebook tucked into the chest pocket of her uniform. His gaze latched onto it, and, as if guided by an unseen force, his spirit sense pierced into its contents.
The moment he focused, his heart raced. The first thing that struck him was a familiar sight—the dream pattern, intricately drawn and almost alive, glued to the first page. The pattern pulsed with an energy he couldn't quite comprehend, but its presence sent a shiver down his spine. He had seen it before in his own dreams, felt it guiding him in strange ways. But what sent a jolt through him was what came next.
Ontop of the dream pattern, written in neat, flowing script, were words—words that seemed to bleed onto the page as if written with an invisible ink, a private journal entry. His spirit sense zoomed in, pulling him closer to the text, unable to tear himself away. The entry was dated and detailed, as though she had been chronicling something far beyond the ordinary, something that resonated with his own inexplicable experiences.
Entry 1:
"On the first night after using the dream pattern ritual, Aihara Misaki found herself in the Everlind Palace, home to the sorceress Morgana D'Avielle. The castle stretched beyond sight, its spires piercing the sky, its halls illuminated by ghostly blue flames. I was no longer a student in Tokyo, but an apprentice in a world of magic."
Oliver's grip on his toothbrush tightened. Everlind Palace? A sorceress? The girl had used the dream pattern, just like him.
Entry 2:
"Morgana welcomed me as if she had been expecting me. She told me I was chosen, that my soul resonated with the dream pattern. My first lesson began at dawn, within a chamber lined with mirrors that did not reflect my image. She called it 'The Hall of Truth' and told me that if I failed to see beyond the illusion, I would never awaken my true potential."
Oliver swallowed hard. This wasn't just some diary— it logged Misaki's training, within her dream scape.
Entry 3:
"I passed the first trial. The mirrors shattered when I stopped looking with my eyes and started seeing with my soul. Morgana seemed pleased, but her smile was unreadable. She gave me a book—'The Codex of Dreamwalkers.' Its pages shift when I try to read it, as if hiding secrets I am not yet ready for. But I will learn. I must."
Oliver's pulse quickened. Dreamwalkers? That term sent a chill down his spine.
Entry 4:
"Tonight, I was sent to gather moonfire lilies from the palace gardens. They bloom under illusions, hiding between spaces unseen. As I reached for one, I saw something move—a shadow, standing just outside Morgana's tower. Watching. Waiting. When I turned to look, it was gone, but I know what I saw. I am not the only one dreaming."
Oliver lowered his toothbrush, staring at the mirror. His own reflection looked back at him.
Entry 7:
"I did it! I finally did it! Earlier this morning, when I woke up, the silver feather was still in my hand. It wasn't just a dream—it was real! I can't wait to tell Morgana. She'll be so proud of me."
Oliver's jaw clenched. Bringing something from a dream into reality? That shouldn't be possible. Yet, here she was, writing it like it was a simple milestone.
"Morgana told me I had taken my first step as a true Dreamwalker. She said only those who have fully bonded with the dream pattern can manifest its gifts in the waking world. She smiled at me today, truly smiled. I never realized how rare that was until now."
Oliver exhaled slowly. If she could bring a feather… what else could she bring?
---
Entry 17:
"Morgana has prepared a ritual for me. She says my connection to Everlind can grow stronger, that I won't have to struggle to return anymore. The dream pattern will become part of me. My mark of passage. Tomorrow, under the lunar convergence, I will become one with the dream."
Oliver flipped to the next page. Blank. He flipped again. Still blank.
The journal ended here.
His breath came shallow as his spirit consciousness stared at the empty pages. If this was where the entries stopped… then how did she bring that thing here? And the mark in her eye—Morgana had said that the ritual would make her part of the dream is that why they aren't anymore entrys?.
Oliver swallowed.
Something wasn't adding up. He turned his attention of her journal, and onto her figure.
As the girl and the creature passed by other people on the street, no one seemed to notice them. It was as if they didn't even exist. Pedestrians walked by, oblivious, never sparing a second glance. It was unsettling. He had never seen anything like it before.
She moved with a purpose, not looking back, as though she had somewhere specific to be. And from the way she was dressed, it was clear she was on her way to school—yet, somehow, she was slipping past people unnoticed.
It was almost like she was a shadow, fading into the background, her presence erased in the eyes of everyone around her.
Oliver stood frozen in the bathroom, toothbrush still in hand, his senses fully immersed in the strange sight. His heartbeat thudded in his chest, and his mouth ran dry as he realized that he had never felt this disconnected from reality before. There was something deeply wrong about what he was seeing. Something beyond the ordinary, beyond what he had ever imagined possible.
His heart pounded faster as he pulled away from the mirror, his mind racing. Should he follow her? Keep watching? He didn't even know what he was hoping for. Maybe he just wanted answers.
She was heading to school, but as she made her way through the streets, it was like she was fading in and out of existence, an enigma slipping unnoticed through the crowd. And all Oliver could do was follow her from a distance, unsure of where this strange encounter would lead.