The night was calm over the academy—a deceptive quiet that hid the lingering ruins still fresh in everyone's memory.
The dorm rooms were dark, the students lost in sleep after a long day of training and cleaning up the wreckage.
But Adam did not sleep peacefully.
His small body lay on the bed, tossing restlessly.
Cold sweat covered his forehead despite the chill of the night.
Then the dream came.
The Return of the Moment
Adam found himself standing once again in the academy arena…
But it was not as he remembered it.
Everything was darker.
The sky was black, as if the night had swallowed it whole.
Winds howled fiercely, swirling dust around him in violent spirals.
Suddenly…
He heard heavy footsteps.
Thud… thud… thud…
The ground shook beneath his feet.
Adam turned slowly… and his heart began to pound violently.
There…
That creature.
The Prince.
The Face of Terror
He was taller than Adam remembered.
His massive body was cloaked in thick shadow, and his curved horns protruded from his head like symbols of raw power and savagery.
But what terrified Adam most… was his face.
His glowing red eyes stared at Sophia as if she were nothing more than prey.
His smile was horrifying.
His long, sharp teeth slowly appeared as he opened his mouth…
As if the darkness itself was spilling from between his fangs.
Sophia
Sophia was there.
Standing in front of Adam just as she had in reality.
But this time… everything moved slower.
The sound of the wind vanished.
All that remained was the beating of his heart.
Sophia looked at him.
She gave him that small smile—the same one she used to give him back at the orphanage when he was sad.
Then she said in a faint voice:
"Adam… run."
But his feet wouldn't move.
His body was completely frozen.
The Horrifying Moment
The Prince suddenly bent forward.
With terrifying speed.
His mouth opened wider… and wider…
Then—
He lunged.
The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the space.
Blood exploded into the air.
Red droplets scattered in every direction, some landing on Adam's face.
The entire world turned red.
Sophia screamed… then her voice cut off abruptly.
But one thing remained.
Her hand.
Her small hand was still holding his.
Even after the monster tore her away between his fangs.
Blood flowed from her severed wrist, dripping onto the stone ground.
Her fingers remained wrapped around his… as if she refused to let go.
The Scream
Adam tried to scream.
But no sound came out.
The Prince slowly raised his head.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
Then he looked straight at Adam.
And smiled.
The Awakening
"Adam!"
He opened his eyes suddenly.
He sat up in bed, gasping for air.
His chest rose and fell rapidly, his clothes soaked with sweat.
The room was dark… and quiet.
No Prince.
No blood.
But his hand was trembling.
He looked at it slowly.
As if he could still feel… Sophia's grip around it.
The Decision
Adam sat in the darkness for a long time.
Then he reached for the small table beside his bed.
He opened his notebook.
The pen trembled between his fingers.
Then he began to write.
The shape of the Prince's face
His fangs
His speed
The way he attacked
He wrote everything.
Every detail.
Even the blood.
Then he paused for a moment.
And looked at the page.
He whispered in a low voice:
"I will never forget."
Then he slowly closed the notebook.
And in his eyes… there was no longer only fear.
Something else was beginning to grow slowly.
Determination.
A long road awaited him.
And the path to true strength… had just begun.