The dream world shimmered like a fog-drenched mirror, both endless and suffocating. Chloe drifted through it barefoot, the ground beneath her like glass, her reflection warped and fractured at every step.

Ereshia walked beside her, radiant as ever, her beauty edged with something otherworldly, her presence both comforting and unsettling.

Chloe’s voice trembled as she finally spoke, “Ereshia… I need to know something. I can’t carry this question anymore.”

Ereshia tilted her head, ...