The moment Voided Destiny pierced the battlefield's silence, the world seemed to recoil.

Not from the weapon itself.

Not from the ether flooding through it.

But from what it had been created to do.

Lucien Valebrook felt it immediately.

A terrible sensation spread through his existence.

It wasn't just any normal pain.

Pain belonged to the body.

This was something deeper.

Something far older.

Something that reached directly into the foundation of who he is, or should one say who he was.

The Axis of Harmony trembled.

For the first time in centuries, the bond between holder and Axis shook violently.

The battlefield froze.

Even the frozen winds seemed hesitant to move.

The First Dream remained motionless.

Its four-armed silhouette stood against the shattered heavens like a forgotten deity carved into reality itself.

Golden runes flowed across Eternia's skin.

The star-shaped mark on her forehead glowed brighter.

Ancient.

Terrible.

Beautiful.

Captivating.

And utterly unnatural.

Lucien gritted his teeth.

His breathing had become ragged.

His reserves were nearly empty.

His Sacred Art had faded.

His dimensional authority had weakened.

Yet despite everything—

He still resisted.

Ether surged through his damaged meridians.

The remnants of his power gathered around him.

Dimensional fractures appeared once more.

Tiny cracks.

Barely stable.

But enough.

Enough for one final attempt.

The First Dream watched silently.

Calculating.

Observing.

Waiting.

Lucien forced every remaining fragment of ether inward.

The Axis connection tightened.

The bond strengthened.

For a brief moment the extraction slowed.

The ancient entity tilted its head slightly.

Interesting.

Even now.

Even after defeat.

Even after exhausting himself.

The mortal still fought.

The runes upon Voided Destiny brightened.

The artifact answered.

Ancient symbols awakened across its surface.

One by one.

Layer by layer.

The claws surrounding its crystal core slowly contracted.

The battlefield groaned.

Reality itself seemed unwilling to witness what was happening.

Lucien laughed weakly.

"You monster..."

The First Dream said nothing.

Its attention remained fixed on the Axis.

Lucien continued.

"Will you never change."

Still no answer.

"Even after all these years you kill and slaughter for what?"

Lucien coughs more blood

"Tell me why? why do you need the axis?! what will do with it?!"

The First Dream rarely wasted words.

Especially on those already defeated.

The artifact continued working.

The invisible bond weakened.

Bit by bit.

Piece by piece.

The Axis resisted.

Lucien resisted.

Reality resisted.

Yet all three were losing.

Far away among the ruins, Etherius stared in disbelief.

His hands trembled.

His breathing had become shallow.

Everything he knew about the future had shattered.

Nothing made sense anymore.

The hidden protector of the empire.

The legendary Axis Holder.

The man who should have survived for few more decades longer.

Was losing.

Not merely losing.

Being dismantled.

And the creature responsible stood there as though this were routine.

As though such things happened every day.

As though the theft of an Axis was no more significant than turning a page in a book.

A chill ran down Etherius's spine.

The First Dream.

The name echoed through his thoughts.

A being he had never encountered in his previous life.

A being absent from every historical record.

A being powerful enough to rewrite reality itself.

How many secrets had existed beyond his knowledge?

How much of history had been hidden?

How many events had been manipulated from the shadows?

The questions multiplied.

None had answers.

Back at the center of the battlefield, the process finally reached its climax.

The Axis emerged.

Radiant.

Magnificent.

Terrifying.

It floated above Lucien like a fragment of reality given shape.

Colors shifted across its surface.

Countless melodies echoed faintly through the air.

Its mere presence calmed the chaotic ether surrounding the battlefield.

The contrast was almost absurd.

Everything around it resembled the beginning and end of the world at the same time.

Yet the Axis itself radiated peace.

Harmony.

Balance.

Hope.

The First Dream stared at it.

And for the first time during the battle—

Emotion appeared.

Not rage.

Not triumph.

Something older.

Something deeper.

A memory.

Ancient scenes surfaced within its mind.

A time before kingdoms.

Before stars.

Before history.

Before time.

A span when concepts themselves had walked freely.

A brother standing beside him.

A brother arguing.

Questioning.

Defying.

Believing.

The memory lingered.

Then sharpened.

The First Dream's expression hardened.

The warmth vanished.

Only cold remained.

"So even now..."

Its voice echoed softly.

The Axis glowed.

The reaction felt almost deliberate.

As though answering.

As though refusing.

The sight irritated the ancient being more than any battle ever could.

Even after death.

Even after countless cycles.

Even after entire civilizations had risen and fallen.

The old disagreement remained unresolved.

The First Dream slowly closed its hand.

Thousands of sealing runes erupted into existence.

Ancient symbols spiraled around the Axis.

Layer after layer.

Lock after lock.

Seal after seal.

The radiant construct gradually disappeared.

Contained.

Bound.

Hidden.

Stored safely within Eternia's vessel.

The moment it vanished, the world felt different.

Emptier.

As though something important had been removed from existence.

Lucien lowered his head.

The battle was over.

Truly over.

His Axis was gone.

His purpose had been stolen.

His centuries of preparation had collapsed.

Yet strangely—

He smiled.

The First Dream noticed.

"You smile."

Lucien looked up.

Bloodied.

Exhausted.

Defeated.

Yet smiling.

"Of course."

"Why?"

Lucien laughed quietly.

The sound echoed across the ruined battlefield.

Because despite everything—

He genuinely found the situation amusing.

"You still don't understand."

The First Dream remained silent.

Lucien continued.

"That's always been your flaw."

The ancient being listened.

Not because it cared.

Because curiosity remained.

Lucien's smile widened slightly.

"You can take power."

"You can kill."

"You can manipulate fate."

"You can steal an Axis."

"But you'll never understand why people oppose you."

The First Dream's gaze sharpened.

Lucien saw it.

A tiny reaction.

Barely noticeable.

Yet present.

And that alone made him laugh harder.

"You think strength decides everything."

"You think victory proves you're right."

The smile faded.

Only determination remained.

"But people aren't numbers."

The battlefield became silent.

"You never understood that."

For several seconds neither spoke.

The First Dream looked down upon the defeated Axis Holder.

Then slowly turned away.

The conversation no longer mattered.

The objective had been completed.

The Axis had been secured.

The future could continue.

Yet the words lingered.

Not because they were correct.

Not because they mattered.

But because they were familiar.

Too familiar.

The same arguments.

The same beliefs.

The same stubborn ideals.

The same ideals that had once caused a brother to stand against him.

The First Dream dismissed the thought immediately.

Irrelevant.

Ancient history.

Meaningless sentiment.

The future required action.

Not reflection.

The first dream lifted its leg and pressed it onto Lucien's chest.

and began to apply pressure.

Lucien screamed and wanted to say something but before he could...

CRACK

His ribs were shattered and heart crushed.

The four-armed figure began walking.

The battlefield parted before it.

Demons moved aside.

Angels lowered their heads.

Even the winds seemed unwilling to touch it.

Then— 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The First Dream stopped.

A familiar presence entered its perception.

Far away.

Among collapsed structures and ruined warehouses.

A boy stood frozen.

Etherius.

The regressor.

The witness.

The anomaly.

The holder of another future.

The First Dream's eyes settled upon him.

Instantly.

Precisely.

As though it had formulated a plan.

Etherius felt his blood run cold.

Their eyes met.

Across kilometers of devastation.

Across ruined districts.

Across shattered streets.

Across a battlefield that no longer resembled a city.

The First Dream stared.

The star-shaped mark glowed softly.

The four arms hung at its sides.

Golden runes drifted across Eternia's skin.

For a moment, Etherius forgot how to breathe.

Every instinct screamed.

Run.

Hide.

Escape.

Yet none of those options existed.

Because deep inside he understood.

Nothing within the barrier could escape this creature.

Not if it truly wished to find them.

The First Dream studied him.

Its gaze felt ancient.

Patient.

Measuring.

Evaluating.

Then a thought crossed its mind.

Not yet.

The Axis of Gateway remained incomplete.

Unfused.

Immature.

Removing it now would be inefficient.

Wasteful.

The future still required movement.

The pieces were not yet positioned correctly.

The board remained unfinished.

Etherius saw the expression change.

Only slightly.

Yet enough.

The First Dream had made a decision.

That realization terrified him more than anything else.

Because whatever that decision was—

It involved him.

The ancient entity began walking.

One step.

Then another.

Slow.

Calm.

Deliberate.

The distance between them gradually shrank.

Etherius remained frozen.

His mind raced desperately.

Every piece of knowledge from his previous life suddenly felt worthless.

History had lied.

Records had lied.

His memories had lied.

Or perhaps they had simply been incomplete.

Because the true source of the catastrophe.

The true source of the massacre.

The true source of the nightmare.

Wasn't an organization.

Wasn't a conspiracy.

Wasn't an empire.

It was this.

The being walking toward him now.

Wearing Eternia's face.

Carrying a stolen Axis.

And looking at him as though it already knew exactly who he was.

The shattered heavens rumbled.

The frozen battlefield stretched endlessly around them.

And as the First Dream continued its approach, Etherius realized a horrifying truth.

The battle for the axis had ended.

But his own nightmare was only beginning.