That night, sleep took longer than usual to come.
The discoveries made during the day continued to occupy my thoughts. The changes in the world's mana. The concentration of energy in the ancient demon lands. Liriel's concern. The serious expression on her assistant's face.
None of it seemed like a coincidence.
Even so, I tried to rest.
Thinking about it endlessly would solve nothing.
I closed my eyes.
Took a deep breath.
And little by little, sleep finally claimed me.
At first, everything seemed normal.
Darkness.
Silence.
The familiar sensation of a dream beginning.
But then I noticed something different.
I was far too conscious.
My body felt light.
The surroundings around me did not change.
There was only an endless black void.
I recognized that feeling immediately.
I had experienced something similar before.
My gaze swept across the darkness.
There was no ground.
There was no sky.
There was no direction.
Only that infinite emptiness.
Then a red light appeared in the distance.
Small.
Far away.
But growing with every passing second.
The light continued to expand until it took the form of a massive crimson sphere of energy.
It pulsed slowly.
Like a heart.
Each pulse made the entire space tremble.
A pressure began to build.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
I understood instantly.
I knew that presence.
The same presence I had felt in previous dreams.
The Demon King.
The red sphere began to dissolve.
Its light spread throughout the void.
A silhouette appeared at the center of that glow.
Tall.
Imposing.
Surrounded by an aura so dense that it seemed to distort reality itself.
I couldn't clearly see his face.
But I could feel his eyes fixed on me.
Watching.
Analyzing.
Waiting.
The silence lasted for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
His voice echoed throughout the darkness.
Calm.
Deep.
Terrifyingly composed.
"So we meet again."
I crossed my arms.
"You seem to enjoy invading my dreams."
Silence lingered for a few moments.
Then he replied.
"I could say the same about you."
I rolled my eyes.
"You're the one who brought me here."
"Perhaps."
That vague answer irritated me a little.
But I remained calm.
I had already learned that showing fear before him accomplished nothing.
The Demon King's presence remained overwhelming.
Even so, something was different this time.
During our previous encounters, there had been a distance.
A feeling of observation.
Now it felt more direct.
Closer.
As though he had finally decided to face me personally.
"I assume you're not here just to talk."
I said.
"Correct."
The answer came immediately.
The red light surrounding him intensified.
For an instant, I thought I heard thousands of voices echoing through the void.
As though countless souls were trapped within that energy.
But the sound vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"You defeated Vaelthor."
The Demon King said.
His tone remained calm.
But I sensed something different.
It wasn't sadness.
Nor anger.
Nor even frustration.
It was simply a statement.
"Yes."
I replied.
"I defeated him."
"My First General."
"Your general tried to destroy the world."
I answered.
"He faced the consequences."
Silence returned.
The crimson aura continued pulsing around him.
Then I heard his voice again.
"Vaelthor was powerful."
"He was."
I agreed.
"But not powerful enough."
A small wave of energy swept across the void.
For some reason, I had the feeling it was the equivalent of a laugh.
Not an ordinary laugh.
But something close to it.
"Interesting."
He said.
"You've changed."
I frowned.
"I've changed?"
"Yes."
His voice echoed slowly.
"In our first encounters, I sensed doubt."
"I could say I still feel it."
I replied.
"Everyone does."
"But now there is something beyond doubt."
I remained silent.
The Demon King continued.
"Determination."
The word lingered in the void.
Strangely, I didn't answer.
Because he was right.
I still had doubts.
I still had fears.
There were still enemies capable of killing me.
But it was also true that I was no longer the same adventurer who had arrived in that world.
I had changed.
Grown.
Learned.
Failed.
Won.
And continued moving forward.
The Demon King seemed to realize all of that.
"You believe you can defeat me."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
I thought for a few seconds.
Then I answered.
"I don't know."
The energy around him wavered slightly.
I continued.
"But I'll try."
"You intend to save this world."
"Yes."
"Even knowing you may die."
"Yes."
"Even knowing that victory is not guaranteed."
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
Because it was the truth.
The Demon King remained motionless.
Then he spoke again.
"For the first time in a very long time..."
His voice seemed heavier.
"...I understand why they chose you."
I frowned.
"They who?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
That bothered me.
But before I could press further, something began to change.
The void around us began to transform.
Images appeared.
Shattered mountains.
Cities in ruins.
Fields consumed by flames.
Armies marching.
One vision after another.
An endless sequence of destruction.
I watched everything carefully.
The images continued to appear.
Wars.
Deaths.
Ruins.
Despair.
It was like witnessing fragments from countless ages.
Then they all disappeared.
Leaving only the two of us once again.
"Do you see this?"
He asked.
"I do."
"Do you think I caused all of this?"
I thought for a few seconds.
"I have no idea."
"An honest answer."
He said.
That was probably the strangest sentence I had heard during our entire conversation.
Because it didn't sound like a threat.
Nor a provocation.
It sounded like a simple observation.
Then his presence began to change.
The crimson aura became more intense.
Heavier.
More oppressive.
The space around us started to tremble.
Instinctively, I became alert.
The feeling was similar to standing before a colossal storm.
An overwhelming force.
Far greater than Vaelthor.
Far greater than anything I had ever faced.
At that moment, I understood something.
I was only witnessing a fraction of his power.
And even that fraction was terrifying.
"Takumi."
For the first time, he spoke my name.
The way he said it sent a chill down my spine.
"Continue enjoying your days of peace."
The darkness began to fade away.
The images disappeared.
His presence began to grow distant.
But his voice still echoed.
"Because they are coming to an end."
The pressure intensified.
The entire void shook.
Then I heard his final words.
"Prepare yourself."
Everything disappeared.
I opened my eyes immediately.
I sat up in bed.
My heart was racing.
The room was still dark.
Only the moonlight partially shone through the window.
For several seconds, I remained motionless.
Trying to organize my thoughts.
The dream had felt far too real.
Much more real than the previous ones.
I ran a hand across my face.
Took a deep breath.
Then I stood up.
I walked over to the window.
The city remained silent.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Nothing suggested any immediate danger.
But I knew.
Something was changing.
The fluctuations in mana.
Liriel's concern.
The growing presence within the demon lands.
And now that dream.
Everything pointed in the same direction.
Peace still existed.
But it was coming to an end.
I gazed at the distant horizon for several minutes.
Then I closed my eyes.
No matter what happened.
No matter how powerful the Demon King was.
No matter how great the battle ahead would be.
I had made my decision long ago.
I would fight until the very end.
For this world.
For the people I had met.
For the friends I had made.
For the family I had built.
And when I returned to bed, only one certainty remained in my mind.
Vaelthor had fallen.
But the true battle was only just beginning.
The time of peace is coming to an end... and the final battle draws near.