For the first time since the birth of the new universe...
the universe itself didn't have an answer.
---
That alone made Orion fascinating.
---
The young man stood casually beside the road.
Hands in his pockets.
Silver eyes reflecting the floating city overhead.
---
Completely comfortable.
---
As if surprising reality itself was something he did regularly.
---
The universe finally spoke.
---
"...I don't know what a Dreamwalker is."
---
Orion smiled.
---
"I know."
---
Silence.
---
Ethan immediately pointed at him.
---
"Okay, that's suspicious."
---
"Probably."
---
"You're way too comfortable with all this."
---
Orion laughed.
---
"That's fair."
---
Aethel stepped forward carefully.
---
His expression had become serious.
---
Very serious.
---
"Who are you really?"
---
Orion's smile faded slightly.
Not completely.
Just enough.
---
Then he looked toward the floating city.
---
"Have you ever wondered what happens when enough people believe in the same dream?"
---
Silence.
---
Madison crossed her arms.
---
"No."
---
Orion blinked.
---
"...Really?"
---
"No."
---
A pause.
---
"I've been busy preventing reality from collapsing."
---
Ethan nodded.
---
"She has a point."
---
Orion laughed.
---
"Fair enough."
---
Then he turned toward the city.
---
And pointed upward.
---
"Skyreach wasn't built."
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Silence.
---
"It was imagined."
---
The city glowed softly above them.
---
Thousands of lights shimmered among the floating towers.
---
Orion continued.
---
"At first there was one dream."
---
A pause.
---
"Someone imagined a city above the clouds."
---
Another pause.
---
"Then someone else imagined it too."
---
The air grew quiet.
---
"A third person."
---
"A fourth."
---
"A hundred."
---
"A thousand."
---
The floating city brightened.
---
"And eventually..."
---
Orion smiled.
---
"The dream became stronger than imagination."
---
Silence.
---
"It became real."
---
Madison stared upward.
---
At the impossible city hanging among the clouds.
---
And for the first time...
she understood.
---
The Dreamborn Lands weren't places.
---
They were shared hopes.
---
Shared stories.
---
Shared possibilities.
---
Made real.
---
The universe sounded fascinated.
---
"People created that?"
---
Orion nodded.
---
"Together."
---
The universe fell silent.
---
Thinking.
---
Learning.
---
Growing.
---
Then it asked:
---
"Is that good?"
---
Orion smiled softly.
---
"Usually."
---
The answer wasn't as reassuring as Madison would have liked.
---
Apparently Ethan felt the same.
---
"Usually?"
---
Orion sighed.
---
"Dreams are powerful."
---
A pause.
---
"So are fears."
---
The atmosphere shifted.
---
Only slightly.
---
But everyone noticed.
---
Aethel immediately frowned.
---
"What aren't you telling us?"
---
Orion looked toward the distant horizon.
Beyond Skyreach.
Beyond the clouds.
Beyond the edge of sight.
---
Then he answered quietly.
---
"The first nightmare appeared three weeks ago."
---
Silence.
---
Complete silence.
---
The universe itself stopped speaking.
---
Madison felt a chill.
---
Not because of the words.
---
Because of how Orion said them.
---
Carefully.
---
Like someone discussing a storm they had survived.
---
Ethan lowered his food.
---
A rare sign of seriousness.
---
"Nightmare?"
---
Orion nodded.
---
"The same principle."
---
A pause.
---
"Different emotion."
---
The floating city seemed dimmer somehow.
---
Less magical.
---
More fragile.
---
"People dream when they sleep."
---
Orion's voice remained calm.
---
"They imagine wonders."
---
He pointed toward Skyreach.
---
"Those become places."
---
Then he pointed toward the distant horizon.
---
"But they also fear."
---
Silence.
---
"And fear dreams too."
---
Nobody spoke.
---
Because everyone immediately understood the implication.
---
The universe whispered:
---
"...Nightmares become real too."
---
Orion nodded.
---
"Sometimes."
---
A pause.
---
"Not often."
---
Another pause.
---
"But once is enough."
---
The road suddenly felt much quieter.
---
Much longer.
---
Much more dangerous.
---
Madison looked toward the horizon.
---
"What happened?"
---
Orion's smile disappeared completely.
---
For the first time.
---
"The Hollow King happened."
---
The name felt wrong.
---
Heavy.
---
Ancient.
---
Hungry.
---
Even though none of them had heard it before.
---
The universe itself seemed uncomfortable.
---
"Who is that?"
---
Orion's answer came immediately.
---
"No one."
---
Silence.
---
Then:
---
"That's the problem."
---
A chill ran through the air.
---
The floating city lights flickered.
---
And far beyond the clouds...
---
Something unseen seemed to notice the conversation.
---
Just for a moment.
---
Just long enough.
---
Then the feeling vanished.
---
Orion looked toward the darkness beyond the horizon.
---
And for the first time since meeting him...
he looked worried.
---
Genuinely worried.
---
"The Hollow King isn't a person."
---
A pause.
---
"It is what happens when enough people become afraid of the same thing."
---
The universe fell silent.
---
Because it finally understood.
---
And so did Madison.
---
In a reality where dreams could create wonders...
---
Fear could create monsters.
---
And monsters born from imagination had no limits.