Later, At night,
Ron hid his face and wore a long coat.
He took both envelopes with him.
Before leaving, he looked at Dream… and at Ines sleeping peacefully in her arms. Ron leaned down and kissed Ines softly on the cheek.
Then he teleported.
The moment Ron vanished, Dream's eyes opened.
Ron appeared on the rooftop of a tall building. Across from him stood another structure, its name glowing faintly in the dark:
THE SCARS
Ron clenched the first envelope in his hand.
His mind recalled.
Dear Ron,
We request your presence in our organization.
We wish to make the world a better place.
Location: xxxxxx, Hero Town.
We will be waiting for your reply.
— Regards, Louis
Ron's eyes widened.
"What is it?" Dream's voice echoed suddenly.
Ron flinched, pulled back to reality.
"It's nothing," he said.
Later, he had played with Ines, smiled, laughed—
but his thoughts never stopped.
Scars?
That organization ended with the death of Locki's grandfather years ago.
And who is Louis?
By midnight, Ron had his answer.
Louis had been someone close to Locki's grandfather.
That was enough.
Ron decided to see it for himself.
Back to the present.
Ron acted like an ordinary visitor and walked inside The Scars building.
The interior was clean—too clean.
Minimalistic. Quiet. Advanced.
As he looked around, he accidentally bumped into someone.
"Sorry," the man said calmly.
"No, sir. I wasn't looking," Ron replied.
The man dropped his bag and ID.
Ron bent down, picked them up. Ron saw the ID card
Name: Rio.
Status: Regular Employee
...
Ron handed them back and finally looked at the man's face.
Green eyes. A bright smile. Ron handed him his stuff.
"Sorry once again," Ron said.
"No problem," the man replied.
Ron walked past him. And kept exploring.
Ron walked cautiously, scanning the facility, trying to detect anything suspicious—but found nothing.
Then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Ron."
He startled.
"Dream… why are you here?" he thought silently.
"You left in the middle of the night," she replied, her voice calm but firm in his thoughts.
"I didn't want to trouble you," Ron thought.
Dream didn't respond to that. Instead, her voice cut straight to the point.
"Ron. I sense an overwhelming power."
"Where?" he asked.
"Around you… something we can't identify. I've never felt anything like it before. This bloodlust… this killing intent. Ron, get out of there."
He didn't argue. He knew better.
Ron walked to the washroom to compose himself, then teleported and joined Dream. She was standing on the rooftop, overlooking the Scars building.
"Sorry, Dream," he said softly.
She caught his gaze.
No words were needed.
Back at the house, Ron and Dream returned via teleportation.
Ron took a few steps into the living room.
Dream immediately sensed something wrong.
"Ron?"
He didn't reply. His back was turned.
"Ron… why are yo—"
Suddenly, he collapsed. His eyes had gone pure white.
Dream didn't panic. She rushed to him and immediately she put her hands on his chest, channeled her power, to heal him.
Elsewhere, in a dark room, Rio stood in front of a black table and chair. His emerald eyes glowed in the shadows.
He listened.
Every thought, every warning, every mental ping between Ron and Dream reached him.
"Ron will be unconscious now," he murmured, a cold smile spreading across his face.
"Weak… yet higher existences fear him. Why? Because he looks like him?" Rio thought.
In Ron's house.
Dream knelt beside Ron, one hand pressed to his chest, black light seeping from her palm and threading into his body like living veins. His heartbeat was weak… uneven.
She had healed wounds far worse than this.
And yet—nothing made sense.
I sensed bloodlust near him… at the Scars Tower, she thought.
Not hunger. Not rage.
Intent.
Her fingers tightened.
Something watched him.
The air grew heavy.
Someone strong enough to wound him without leaving a mark.
Ron's body arched suddenly. He coughed, dark blood spilling from his lips, splattering the floor. His eyes fluttered as words escaped his mouth—ancient, broken languages that had no place in this era.
"Excuse me, Princess Dream."
A voice came.
Dream's gaze hardened.
"Show yourself," she said.
"It's me. It's me—Yardy."
She turned slowly, never lifting her hand from Ron. A pale, ghostlike figure hovered behind her, unstable and flickering.
"What do you want?" Dream asked.
Not a question. A command.
"I came to meet Ron," Yardy replied.
"Why."
The single word crushed the air. Yardy felt it—pressure against his very existence.
"I… I carry a message," he said. "From—him."
Dream's eyes darkened.
"Say the name."
"You can call him… Skelly."
Silence followed.
Then—
"You can speak to me," Dream said calmly. "Ron will hear it later."
"No—no, I can't," Yardy stammered. "If I do, the boss—"
"I said," Dream interrupted, turning slightly, "you can speak to me."
She smiled.
Yardy froze.
"Boss Skelly wants to meet Ron and tell him about King Wulkranoth's Research Volumes," he blurted out in one breath.
"Father's research volumes?" Dream's expression darkened. "What are those?"
"I don't know," Yardy said, trembling. "Boss said he'll tell Ron himself."
Dream fell silent, deep in thought, though her hand never stopped healing Ron.
Dream thought, Why don't I know about them?"
She tried to remember—but nothing surfaced.
She only recalled traveling with her father before she met Ron. Later, she discovered that Wulkranoth had come to that place for research purposes, but no one knew about his research records.
I remember Father mentioning an ancient statue…
Yes. The Statue of Astra. Dream thought.
"Can I leave?" Yardy asked carefully.
"Yardy," Dream said.
He snapped to attention. "YES, BOSS!"
"What do you know about Astra?"
Yardy swallowed. "Nothing. I swear. My memory is flawless… and empty."
That was worse.
Dream looked down at Ron.
And in that moment—
He inhaled sharply and sat upright.
"Where am I?" Ron asked.
"Ron!" Dream and Yardy spoke at once.
Dream turned slowly, she smiled at Yardy.
"You will leave," she said.
"And you will not return without permission."
Yardy nodded frantically.
"Yardy, what are you doing here?" Ron asked.
"I'll explain later," Yardy said quickly. "I have to go."
Yardy Vanished.