– Enter Joseph –
Warm sweat beaded on my forehead as I dropped to my knees, fingers clawing at my temples. A white-hot lance of agony pulsed through my skull. It felt like someone was uploading memories into my mind—memories that weren't mine.
"STOP—PLEASE—STOP!!" My scream fractured in the void.
Through stinging tears, I forced my eyelids open. The pain shattered like glass. In its place lay a silent landscape under a flawless sapphire sky.
I stood in the middle of a golden savannah. Endless waves of tall grass shimmered around me, and twisted, lone trees dotted the horizon. Looming over it all were immense hourglasses—some as broad as houses—framed in black iron, sand trickling like molten gold.
"…A savannah?" I rasped, legs trembling with the effort to stand. The air tasted of dust and distant thunder.
Moments ago I'd been slammed in to car doors in the parking lot. Now I was here, under a cloudless dome of blue.
"HELLO?! IS ANYONE THERE?!" My voice cracked, echoing across the plain.
"YES, YES—I CAN HEAR YOU, FOR FUCK'S SAKE."
I spun toward the voice and froze.
Perched atop one of the gargantuan hourglasses was a woman in a White crop top and combat pants. White hair escaped a messy bun, framing sharp cheekbones and a raised eyebrow. She pressed her palm to her temple in irritation.
"Why is the new Challenger of Fate so damn loud?" she snapped.
That title stung like salt. "I'm sorry," I managed, voice trembling. "I—"
With a soft swish she dropped down, landing on her feet with a solid thud. I winced as my head rang.
"Don't shout next time," she said, sticking out her tongue.
I rubbed the sore spot above my ear. "Seriously?"
She shrugged, drawing a faint rune in the air that glowed icy blue before fading. "We're even now. Can you get me out of here?"
"Not happening, Challenger of Fate."
"My name is Joseph," I said through gritted teeth.
"Sure, whatever," she waved me off. What an asshole.
She traced another symbol, and the grass around us bent away from her fingertips. Then she bent her knees and floated, lying back in mid-air as if on an invisible chaise lounge.
"Listen up," her tone sharpened. "When you awakened your Flow, it shone like a beacon."
"A beacon?" My pulse spiked.
"Yeah. It'll draw plenty of attention." She smirked. "Some will come to aid you. Most will come to kill you."
A cold knot curled in my stomach as I watched her suspend a tuft of grass by its blade, then let it flutter back to earth.
"This place," she waved at the grass and scattered trees, "is my mind realm. I could trap you here forever." She paused, letting the threat settle like dusk. "Or I can let you leave."
My heart pounded so loud I thought she'd hear it.
"Can I fight this?" I rasped.
She flipped upside down, hair brushing the sky. "Only if you're strong enough to face your summoner. "
"Are Mind realm users are rarer even than double-blessed people."
"Double blessed?" she echoed.
She burst out laughing. "You really don't know your own legend. Out there, that's the least of your worries."
A white flash swallowed me before I could pry up another word.
…
My lungs burned. I shot upright on a leather couch, fluorescent light stinging my eyes. Sunlight poured through colossal windows overlooking Shalu Academy's manicured quad.
"…What?" I croaked.
Beside me lay Hadal, drool carving a narrow river from his chin.
"Psst. Psst. Wake up." I nudged him hard. His eyes snapped open.
"I think Captain Kinga caught us—we have to run."
He vaulted off the couch and barreled for the door—
Then we both shot upward, as if yanked by unseen cables.
"…What the hell?" I shouted.
A calm voice drifted in: "Alright, Rose. Put them back on the couch."
Wind spiraled around us. We thudded onto the cushions, limbs pinned. Panic blossomed in my chest.
"Chioma, lift the veil."
The air warped, then cleared like a curtain drawn aside.
Two women stood before us. One was Rose—her purples eyes cool and assessing. The other was a stranger in a sleek charcoal suit, hair slicked back, sapphire earrings catching the light. Her gaze cut through me like a blade.
Some will come to help. Most will want you dead. is what I thought of when i first saw her.
The woman in the suit settled behind a polished mahogany desk, fingers steepled.
"Looks like we have a lot to discuss," she said, voice smooth as polished obsidian. She offered a faint, almost teasing smile. "But first… let's have some lunch, gentlemen."