The battlefield of dreams trembled.
Above them, golden clouds drifted across an endless night while waves of black sand crashed against them like a raging sea.
The Smiling Man laughed.
Its countless voices merged into a horrifying chorus as it forged countless weapons from the black sand.
Swords.
Spears.
Axes.
Chains.
Each weapon flew toward the silent Sandman.
Yet the old guardian neither swung a blade nor raised a shield.
With every gentle wave of his hand, the golden sand transformed into butterflies, birds, blooming flowers, children's toys, and warm rays of sunlight.
Every peaceful dream collided against every nightmare.
The sky itself shook.
Far below the battle...
Bereshith could barely breathe.
Blood continued to drip from his wounds.
His arms refused to move.
His legs trembled from exhaustion.
Princess Inoha knelt beside him, desperately supporting his broken body.
She looked from Bereshith...
...to the impossible battle above.
Then back to him.
"I..."
"I don't know what to do..."
Bereshith forced a weak smile.
His breathing was shallow.
His voice cracked from pain.
"Princess..."
"Please..."
"Help me..."
"I need you..."
"...to heal me."
Inoha's eyes widened.
"Heal you?"
She shook her head frantically.
"I-I'm not a healer!"
"I'm not a priest!"
"How can I help you?!"
"I don't know how to treat people!"
"I'm a princess, for God's sake!"
Her voice broke into sobs.
"I've never healed anyone!"
"I don't know magic!"
"I don't know miracles!"
"What am I supposed to do?!"
Tears streamed freely down her cheeks.
Even her nose began to run as panic overwhelmed her.
She looked completely helpless.
Completely powerless.
Bereshith watched her quietly.
Despite the pain consuming him...
He remained calm.
"Princess..."
His voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"Calm down..."
She looked toward him through blurred eyes.
"...and think."
"When you have a dream..."
"...what do you wish would come true?"
Inoha froze.
The question echoed inside her heart.
"...My dream?"
She lowered her head.
"...I wish..."
"...my dreams would become real."
A faint smile appeared on Bereshith's bloodstained face.
"Then..."
"...wish."
"...seek."
"...and dream."
"It will become true."
He slowly raised one trembling finger toward the endless sky.
"Remember..."
"This..."
"...is your dream."
His hand fell.
His eyelids slowly closed.
His breathing weakened.
"Inoha..."
"...I believe..."
"...in you..."
Silence.
Princess Inoha stared at him.
"...Bereshith?"
No answer.
His heart stopped.
"Bereshith?"
Still nothing.
She grabbed his hand.
It hung limply.
No strength remained.
"No..."
She immediately cupped both of his cheeks.
Her tears fell onto his face.
"No..."
"No!"
"Please!"
"Don't die!"
"Please!"
"Wake up!"
She shook him gently.
Nothing.
"Think!"
"You idiot!"
"Think!"
"Hurry!"
"Hurry!"
She closed her eyes tightly.
"Heal him!"
Her voice echoed across the dream.
"HEAL HIM!"
She cried harder.
"GOD!"
"PLEASE..."
"HEAL HIM!!"
The dream froze.
A warm breeze passed through the darkness.
Golden light descended from above.
Not violently.
Not suddenly.
But gently.
Like morning sunlight entering a child's bedroom.
It surrounded Bereshith.
His wounds began closing.
The blood disappeared.
Broken bones restored themselves.
His bruises faded.
The same miracle unfolded in reality.
Inside the manor...
The cuts across Bereshith's sleeping body vanished one after another.
The blood staining his clothes disappeared.
His breathing steadied.
Even Princess Inoha's sleeping body relaxed.
Within the dream...
Bereshith slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw...
...was Princess Inoha crying over him.
He chuckled weakly.
"See..."
"I knew..."
"...you could do it."
Before he could say anything else—
Princess Inoha suddenly leaned forward.
Their lips met.
Bereshith's eyes instantly widened.
"...?!"
His entire body froze.
Even the battlefield seemed to disappear from his mind for a single heartbeat.
Princess Inoha herself seemed unaware of what she had just done.
It lasted only a brief moment.
When she finally realized it...
She slowly pulled away.
Her face turned bright red.
Yet tears still flowed from her eyes.
She looked directly at him.
Her lips trembled.
"Thank God..."
She whispered.
"Thank God..."
"You're alive..."
Bereshith remained speechless for a moment.
Then...
A warm smile appeared on his face.
He gently raised one hand.
Patting her head softly, he said,
"Thanks to you..."
"...I am alive."
Princess Inoha smiled through her tears.
For the first time in months...
There was no fear in her eyes.
Only relief.
Bereshith slowly stood.
His body felt completely restored.
He stretched his shoulders once.
Closed his fists.
Then turned toward the battlefield.
Far away...
Sandman and the Smiling Man continued their titanic struggle.
Golden dreams clashed against endless nightmares.
The darkness still resisted.
Bereshith took one step forward.
A calm determination filled his eyes.
He cracked his knuckles.
Then smiled.
"Time to end this nightmare of yours, Princess."
He looked back at Inoha.
His smile was gentle.
"It's time..."
"...for you to have pleasant dreams."
"From today onward."
Then he faced the Smiling Man once more.
His eyes sharpened.
His stance lowered.
And without another word—
Bereshith sprinted toward the battle.
Bereshith looked back at Princess Inoha one last time.
His breathing had steadied.
The wounds that moments ago had covered his body had vanished completely.
A gentle smile crossed his face.
"Princess Inoha."
She lifted her tear-filled eyes toward him.
"Since we're inside your dream..."
Bereshith pointed toward the endless world surrounding them.
"...this place belongs to you."
He slowly clenched his fist.
"You can control it."
Princess Inoha blinked.
"I... can?"
Bereshith nodded.
"So..."
His smile became brighter.
"Bless us with your wishes..."
"...and your dream."
Before Princess Inoha could answer—
Bereshith dashed forward.
His feet exploded across the ground.
BOOM!
The earth cracked beneath every step.
His figure became a blur as he rushed toward the battlefield.
"Sandman!"
"I'm coming!"
The old guardian never turned around.
Yet somehow...
He seemed to acknowledge Bereshith's arrival.
Together...
The chosen child and the guardian of pleasant dreams charged against the nightmare once more.
Leaving Princess Inoha standing alone.
Silence.
Princess Inoha stared at their retreating figures.
"...What..."
"What can I even do?"
She looked down at her trembling hands.
"It's just luck..."
"I only healed him because..."
"...because..."
She couldn't even finish the sentence.
"I don't know how..."
"I don't know what I'm doing..."
"What if I make things worse?"
"What if..."
She hugged herself.
Fear slowly returned.
The nightmare whispered around her once more.
"You'll fail..."
"They'll die because of you..."
"They're fighting because you're weak..."
Princess Inoha lowered her head.
"No..."
"I..."
Then—
A tiny voice interrupted the darkness.
"My child..."
"Why such a sad face?"
Princess Inoha froze.
That voice...
It was warm.
Gentle.
Filled with affection.
She slowly turned around.
Standing behind her...
Was a little boy.
Perhaps no older than eight.
He wore simple royal clothing.
His eyes shone with kindness.
His smile...
Felt familiar.
Princess Inoha's eyes widened.
"...Father?"
She stepped closer.
"N-No..."
She whispered.
"I know that face..."
Her breathing stopped.
"That's..."
"The old family portrait..."
She remembered it.
Hidden within the royal archives was a painting of her father as a child.
The boy before her looked exactly the same.
"Father..."
"What are you doing here?"
She looked around the dream in confusion.
"Is this another one of my dreams?"
"Did I create you?"
"Or..."
"...are you someone like Bereshith?"
The little boy smiled peacefully.
Instead of answering her question...
He spoke gently.
"My child..."
"Have I not commanded you?"
His voice echoed softly through the dream.
"Be strong and courageous."
"Do not be frightened."
"And do not be dismayed."
"For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Princess Inoha's eyes trembled.
"...Father..."
But before she could take another step—
The little boy's body dissolved.
Grain by grain.
Like golden dust carried away by the wind.
Until nothing remained.
Only silence.
Princess Inoha stood alone.
She slowly looked at her own hands.
Then...
She clenched them tightly.
"No..."
She whispered.
"I can do this."
She took a deep breath.
Then—
Smack!
She slapped both of her cheeks.
The sting cleared her mind.
"You can do this, Inoha!"
She shouted at herself.
"All you have to do..."
"...is wish!"
"Wish!"
"WISH!"
She closed her eyes.
Then cried out with everything inside her heart.
"I wish..."
"...to give Bereshith and Sandy endless strength!"
"I wish for them to protect everyone!"
"I wish..."
Her tears fell.
"...for this nightmare to end..."
"...and never come back again!!"
The dream answered.
Golden light erupted from the very sky.
The earth trembled.
Flowers burst into bloom across the wasteland.
Children's laughter echoed from every direction.
The endless darkness began cracking apart.
At the battlefield—
Bereshith suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened.
Power surged through every muscle.
His heartbeat thundered.
His strength doubled.
Then tripled.
Even Sandman glowed brilliantly.
The ancient guardian's golden body radiated like the dawn itself.
The gentle sun above expanded until its warmth covered the entire dream.
The Smiling Man staggered backward.
"What..."
It looked at its own hands.
Its black sand...
Was disappearing.
Grain by grain.
"...What's happening?"
The nightmare stumbled.
"My power..."
"My darkness..."
"It..."
"It can't be!"
The black sand surrounding its body slowly faded.
The golden light erased it wherever it touched.
"No..."
The monster's endless grin twitched violently.
"No..."
"NO!!"
Its smile twisted into something it had never shown before.
Rage.
Pure rage.
The corners of its mouth lowered.
Its eyes—once hidden—burst open as burning crimson lights beneath the darkness.
Its entire face contorted into an expression of furious hatred.
"YOU CAN'T PUSH ME AWAY!!"
"NEVER!!"
"NOT AGAIN!!"
Its roar shook the dream world.
"SANDY!!!"
Black sand exploded from every part of its body.
Far more than before.
An endless storm swallowed the sky.
Mountains of darkness rose around the battlefield.
The peaceful flowers withered beneath the storm.
The ground split apart.
Thousands...
No—
Millions of black weapons formed within the storm.
Swords.
Spears.
Halberds.
Chains.
Scythes.
Each one pointed toward Bereshith and Sandman.
The Smiling Man raised both arms.
Its countless voices screamed together.
"If I cannot have this dream..."
"THEN NO ONE SHALL!!"
The storm descended.
Bereshith lowered his stance.
Sandman calmly raised one weathered hand.
The dream itself held its breath.
The final clash was about to begin.
The nightmare collapsed into chaos.
The sky no longer resembled a sky.
Golden sunlight and endless black sand collided again and again, each impact shaking the dream world until the horizon itself cracked.
The Smiling Man spread both of his arms.
Millions of black weapons floated behind him.
Every blade pointed toward two figures.
Bereshith.
Sandman.
"...Die."
The command echoed like thunder.
The storm descended.
"Bereshith!"
Princess Inoha cried from afar.
She clasped both hands together.
"I wish..."
"I wish for you to become stronger!"
"I wish your heart never gives in!"
"I wish you never stop standing!"
Golden light burst from her words.
Bereshith felt warmth spread through every muscle.
His exhausted body felt lighter.
His heartbeat steadied.
He smiled.
"...Thank you, Princess."
BOOM!
Thousands of black spears rained down.
Bereshith dashed forward instead of retreating.
His body twisted.
One spear missed his face by inches.
Another passed beneath his arm.
A third skimmed across his shoulder.
Clang!
His leather-and-gold gauntlet struck another spear aside.
He stepped again.
Twisted.
Ducked.
Slid beneath a sweeping black blade.
Every movement reflected years of relentless training.
Lucas' harsh lessons.
The soldiers' endless drills.
Cyte's countless sparring matches.
Every bruise.
Every defeat.
Every lesson.
Everything converged into this moment.
The Smiling Man snarled.
"You keep dodging?"
"Then block THIS!"
The black sand gathered into a gigantic greatsword.
It descended with terrifying force.
Bereshith crossed both arms.
BOOM!!
The impact shattered the ground beneath him.
His feet sank into the earth.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
But...
He held.
"...Not enough."
He pushed upward.
The massive blade tilted away.
Bereshith spun around its edge.
Then—
CRACK!
His fist slammed into the Smiling Man's ribs.
The nightmare staggered.
Its body fractured.
A crack of golden light spread across the wound.
The Smiling Man looked down.
"...Impossible."
Its black sand gathered around the injury.
Trying to repair it.
Trying to regenerate.
Nothing happened.
The crack remained.
"...No..."
"My body..."
"It won't heal?"
Bereshith lowered his fist.
Breathing heavily.
He smiled.
"So..."
"You can bleed too."
Above them...
Princess Inoha continued shouting.
"I wish Sandman never runs out of strength!"
"I wish hope shines brighter than darkness!"
"I wish this nightmare ends!"
Every wish strengthened the golden guardian.
The clouds expanded.
The warm sun grew brighter.
Children's laughter echoed louder.
The nightmare trembled.
Sandman finally opened his eyes.
Only halfway.
For the first time.
Golden light poured from them.
The Smiling Man stepped backward.
"...No."
"...Don't."
"Sandy..."
"Don't you dare!"
The old guardian quietly lifted one hand.
Golden clouds descended around Bereshith.
They wrapped around him.
His shoulders.
His chest.
His arms.
His legs.
They hardened.
Not into steel.
But into radiant armor made of peaceful dreams.
Clouds became pauldrons.
Sunlight became a flowing cape.
Golden sand became gauntlets.
Bereshith looked at himself.
"...Armor?"
Sandman nodded once.
Then pointed forward.
Bereshith understood immediately.
He lowered his stance.
His muscles tensed.
Then—
He disappeared.
BOOM!!
The ground exploded beneath him.
The Smiling Man barely reacted.
"So fast—"
Bereshith slipped beneath countless black blades.
Every attack missed.
He dodged.
He spun.
He parried.
He struck aside every spear with impossible precision.
One.
Five.
Twenty.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Nothing touched him.
The dream itself seemed to guide his feet.
The Smiling Man panicked.
"No!"
"STOP!"
Black walls erupted.
Bereshith shattered through them.
Black chains rushed toward him.
He broke them apart.
Gigantic spears fell from above.
He weaved between them without slowing.
Finally—
The Smiling Man raised one final enormous blade.
"I WON'T DISAPPEAR!!"
It swung downward.
Sandman quietly raised one finger.
The clouds moved.
The sunlight narrowed into a single golden path.
Bereshith stepped onto it.
Everything became silent.
One step.
Two.
Three.
The world seemed to stop moving.
Bereshith reached the Smiling Man.
Their eyes met.
The nightmare's smile disappeared completely.
Bereshith whispered,
"This ends here."
He swung.
A single strike.
Not loud.
Not explosive.
Perfectly clean.
The golden edge formed by Sandman's dream-cloud armor passed through the Smiling Man's neck.
...
Silence.
The head slowly separated from its body.
The nightmare's body remained standing for a single heartbeat.
Then collapsed into endless black sand.
Bereshith caught the severed head before it touched the ground.
The Smiling Man still smiled weakly.
"...Heh..."
"You may..."
"...be able to defeat me now..."
Its grin widened once more.
"But..."
"I..."
"...will be back."
Bereshith looked calmly into its eyes.
"...Then next time..."
"...I'll stop you again."
Sandman approached.
Without anger.
Without triumph.
He gently scattered golden sand around the severed head.
The sand became a beautiful birdcage.
Its bars resembled branches woven from light.
Clouds wrapped around it.
The warm sun settled above it like a protective seal.
The Smiling Man's voice slowly faded.
"...Sandy..."
"...you always..."
"...ruin..."
"...my..."
Silence.
The nightmare was sealed.
The dream became peaceful.
Flowers bloomed everywhere.
The blood disappeared.
The cries ended.
Blue skies replaced endless darkness.
Birds sang.
Children laughed.
Fresh wind carried the scent of spring.
Princess Inoha slowly walked toward Sandman.
Her footsteps were hesitant.
She looked at the old guardian.
"...Is..."
"...is this the end?"
Sandman looked at her.
"...Am I..."
"...going to have pleasant dreams..."
"...from now on?"
The old guardian smiled gently.
He did not speak.
Instead...
He nodded.
Then, with a wave of his hand, golden sand formed simple pictures in the air.
A sleeping girl.
A bright morning sun.
Flowers blooming.
A child smiling peacefully beneath a tree.
Princess Inoha understood.
"...Tomorrow..."
"...I'll wake up happy."
Tears rolled down her cheeks once more.
This time...
They were tears of relief.
Her knees gave way.
She knelt before Sandman.
"Thank you..."
"Thank you so much..."
The old guardian simply smiled.
He raised one finger.
Golden sand floated once more.
It formed another picture.
A rising sun.
An opening eye.
Morning birds.
Then he pointed gently toward both Bereshith and Princess Inoha.
His meaning was unmistakable.
It is time to wake up.
Sandman softly snapped his fingers.
Snap.
The dream dissolved into warm light.
Morning sunlight streamed through the manor windows.
Birds chirped outside.
Bereshith slowly opened his eyes.
For a brief moment, he forgot where he was.
Then he felt something warm against his chest.
He looked down.
Princess Inoha was still asleep.
Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, just as they had been throughout the night.
Her face rested peacefully against his shoulder.
Unlike every night before...
There were no tears.
No frightened expression.
Only the quiet, gentle smile of someone enjoying her very first pleasant dream.