After returning to his dorm, the first thing Brook did was contact his family through the communication orb.His tone was calm but firm.
"My part of the plan is done. Now it's your turn."
He knew that if the royal family officially proposed marriage to his sister, they couldn't outright reject it. That would be seen as insulting the imperial bloodline. But now, after the public humiliation of the prince and the royal family, they had leverage.
They could delay.
We'll tell them we wish to see the prince mature first, he thought, that we'll consider the proposal after his academy graduation. Three years... that's all we need to keep my sister safe.
Brook leaned back on the chair, his expression hardening.And as for me... the prince won't dare touch me again. Not after what happened. If he tries, his reputation will crumble beyond repair.
But even with that victory, his mind wandered back to the dragon's warning.The real threat wasn't the prince. It was the king—and his growing connection to the demons.
If the king succeeded in summoning them, the very balance of the realm would collapse.The dragon might be forced out of its cave, and though that could help destroy the demons... something was still weakening its power.
It must be within the imperial palace, Brook concluded. Something hidden... something that drains the dragon's strength. I need to find it before it's too late.
He sighed. "But before that, I have to become stronger myself."
The next day, he made his way to the grand library of Archon Academy.The shelves towered like ancient walls, lined with thousands of grimoires, scrolls, and forbidden tomes. He spent hours flipping through them, trying to learn advanced spells.
After reading until his eyes blurred, Brook leaned back, exhausted."If that dragon helped me directly, I'd learn this ten times faster..." he muttered.
Then—
A deep, calm voice echoed in his mind."I can help you."
Brook froze, eyes darting around.Who's speaking? he thought, alarmed.
"I am the dragon."
Brook's heart skipped. Wait—you've been listening to my thoughts this whole time?
"Yes."
Then why not help me sooner?
"Because now you're ready," the dragon's voice rumbled softly. "I will transfer the knowledge directly into your mind. You'll be able to cast the spells just by imagining them."
Brook blinked. "Alright... do it."
In the next instant, an unbearable rush of information flooded into his head—arcane symbols, incantations, complex patterns of mana flow. His temples throbbed, but after a few seconds, the pain subsided.
He opened his eyes and muttered, "That's it?"
"The spells you can use will reveal themselves shortly," the dragon said.
Brook frowned. "What do you mean shortly? Hey—are you still there?"
No reply.
Suddenly, a bright blue window appeared in front of his eyes.Rows of glowing text scrolled before him:
[Available Spells]• Fireball• Water Vortex• Wind Slash• Blink----
Brook's eyes widened. "Oh, so these are the spells I can use..."
His gaze stopped on one word.Blink.
He grinned. "Teleportation, huh? Let's see if it really works."
Then he looked around the library, but when he asked a nearby student, "Hey, do you see something like a strange floating in front of me?" the student just blinked at him.
"Yeah, I see air. What else?"
Brook's lips twitched. "...Right. Air."
He hurried out of the library and returned to his dorm. Standing near the door, he looked toward his bed and focused.Imagine lying there.
A brief flash of light—and in an instant, he vanished.
then he opened his eyes again, he was lying comfortably on the bed.Brook chuckled, staring at the ceiling. "This is excellent... for today, that's enough."
His eyes grew heavy. Sleep took him in seconds.
When he woke up, it wasn't Brook who opened his eyes.
It was Tom—the author who had entered the dreamspace.
He gasped softly, looking around his dimly lit room in the real world.So... that's how far the story went.
And with that thought, he sat up, unaware that the boundary between dream and reality had just begun to blur.