THE VEIL OF THE THREE REALMS

CHAPTER 3: THE STRANGE DREAM

Astra's POV

I slowly opened my eyes, my head still spinning from the dizziness. A dull ache lingered behind my temples as I pushed myself to my feet. Something felt... wrong. I looked around in confusion. This wasn't the bench by the lake anymore. Somehow, I was standing inside our house. Relief washed over me for only a brief moment before my heart sank. The entire house was in ruins. Furniture lay overturned across the floor, broken pieces of wood and shattered glass were scattered everywhere, and deep cracks scarred the walls as if a fierce battle had taken place inside our home.

"W-What happened...?" I whispered, panic rising in my chest.

Then, a piercing scream echoed through the air. It was so loud that it sent chills racing down my spine, yet it sounded strangely distant, as though it were coming from another world. My vision suddenly blurred. I blinked repeatedly, desperately trying to clear my sight, but everything remained hazy. The scream came again. This time, I recognized where it was coming from.

The backyard.

Without thinking, I rushed toward the back door and threw it open.

My breath caught in my throat.

Standing before me were my four closest friends.

"No..."

The word escaped my lips as I hurried toward them.

"Rose! Marcus! Venus! Charles!"

None of them reacted. It was as though they couldn't hear my voice.

As I drew closer, my entire body froze.

Rose was covered in blood. Deep wounds marked her arms, and crimson stains soaked through her clothes. My trembling hand flew to my mouth as my heart skipped a beat. I quickly turned toward Marcus. His face was bruised and covered with cuts. Venus struggled to remain standing, blood trickling down one side of her forehead, while Charles looked no different, his clothes torn and his body covered with wounds from head to toe.

"G-Guys..." I whispered, my voice barely audible. "What happened...?"

No one answered.

The only sound that reached my ears was quiet sobbing.

Tears slowly blurred my vision.

I couldn't understand what I was seeing.

Before I could take another step toward them, another voice called my name.

"Astra..."

I froze.

The voice was weak... yet painfully familiar.

Slowly, I turned around.

Everything became even blurrier than before. The world around me seemed to dissolve as though it were fading away. Through the haze, I barely made out two familiar figures.

Mom...

Dad...

Both of them were wounded. Blood stained their clothes as they stretched their trembling hands toward me, silently begging me to come closer.

"M-Mom!"

"Dad!"

I ran toward them without hesitation, but before I could reach them, the world around me began to crumble. Their figures slowly faded into darkness. Their voices disappeared. Even the ground beneath my feet seemed to vanish.

"No...!"

I reached out desperately, but my hands grasped nothing but empty air.

Suddenly, I gasped for breath and jolted awake.

Air rushed into my lungs as though I had forgotten how to breathe. I clutched my chest while my heart pounded violently against my ribs. I looked around frantically.

The peaceful forest.

The wooden bench.

The quiet lake.

Everything was exactly as it had been before.

"It... it was only a dream..."

I let out a shaky breath, but only then did I realize warm tears were streaming down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them away, trying to calm myself, yet the nightmare refused to leave my mind. It had felt too real. Every scream, every wound, every terrified expression remained vividly etched into my memory.

Slowly, I pushed myself into a sitting position.

That's when I realized...

I wasn't alone.

Four unfamiliar people stood only a few steps away, all appearing to be around my age. The first person I noticed was a young man with a cold, serious expression. His sharp eyes quietly studied me, making him seem intimidating without saying a single word. Beside him stood a young woman whose face showed both confusion and genuine concern. Next to her was another young man whose expression remained completely unreadable, as though nothing in the world could surprise him.

"Oh, the girl's finally awake."

I turned toward the cheerful voice and saw another young man approaching with an easy smile on his face. Unlike the others, he looked friendly and approachable. Judging by their clothes and the large bags slung over their shoulders, they appeared to be travelers who had been on the road for quite some time.

The young woman stepped forward first.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently.

"Y-Yeah..." I replied as I slowly stood, brushing the dirt and dried leaves from my dress. "By the way... who are you?"

The smiling young man scratched the back of his head before answering.

"We were just passing through when we saw you collapse. You suddenly lost consciousness, so we stayed to make sure you were okay."

The young woman offered me another reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. We're not bad people."

Before I could respond, the serious-looking man reached into his bag and held out a small pouch.

"You look pale," he said calmly. "Perhaps you're ill. Here."

I stared at the pouch in confusion.

Medicine?

Why was he offering it to me?

"Thank you," I replied politely, forcing a small smile. "But I'm alright. I just... passed out for some reason. It's strange because I felt completely fine before."

The man looked at me for a brief moment before quietly placing the pouch back into his bag.

"Even if I gave it to you," he said flatly, "you wouldn't know how to use it."

I blinked in confusion.

"...What?"

Before I could ask another question, he had already turned away as though the conversation had ended. I simply nodded awkwardly, although my thoughts had already returned to the nightmare.

Was it really just a bad dream...

Or was it some kind of warning?

Trying not to dwell on it any longer, I adjusted my clothes and smiled politely.

"Anyway, thank you for helping me. I should get going."

Just as I was about to leave, the young woman called after me.

"Wait."

I turned back.

"Can we ask you something?"

"Sure."

"We're looking for a place called Sky Tower."

She tilted her head slightly.

"Do you happen to know where it is?"

The name sounded strangely familiar. I frowned, searching my memory, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember where I had heard it before.

After several long seconds, I shook my head apologetically.

"I'm sorry... I don't know."

A hint of disappointment crossed their faces, though the young woman still smiled warmly.

"It's alright. Take care, stranger."

The cheerful young man waved with a grin.

"I hope we meet again."

I smiled awkwardly and gave a small nod. The other two remained silent. The serious young man didn't even spare me another glance. Instead, he casually lit a cigarette while staring toward the distant forest.

"Thank you," I said politely, bowing my head. "I hope your journey goes well."

I turned around and began walking home.

After a few minutes, something suddenly clicked in my mind.

Sky Tower...

Wasn't that the rumored place where gifted people learned magic?

I stopped walking.

"If that's true..."

Why would they be searching for it?

Curiosity got the better of me.

I quickly turned around.

But they were gone.

Not a single silhouette remained.

It was as though they had vanished into thin air.

"...That was fast."

A chill ran down my spine.

Before I could think any further, a loud clap of thunder echoed across the sky. I looked up and realized dark clouds had gathered overhead without me noticing.

It was almost evening.

Another storm was coming.

Instinctively, I tightened my grip around the necklace resting against my chest before hurrying home.

For some reason...

That nightmare refused to leave my mind.

As I neared our house after several minutes of running, I quickly pushed open the front door, still trying to catch my breath. My mother immediately looked up from the knitting project in her hands, her brows knitting together in confusion. When I glanced toward the kitchen, I saw my father preparing dinner. He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me as well, concern instantly appearing on his face.

"What's wrong?" my mother asked as she stood up. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," I replied with an awkward smile, though my heart was still pounding from the nightmare.

Without another word, I hurried toward the back door and stepped outside.

I looked around the backyard.

The trees swayed gently in the afternoon breeze. The flowers bloomed peacefully along the fence, and everything looked exactly as it always had.

No blood.

No destruction.

No wounded friends.

I let out a long sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness..." I whispered to myself. "It really was just a bad dream."

Even so, an uneasy feeling remained in my chest.

Before I realized it, my mother had quietly followed me outside.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked softly.

She gently placed a hand on my forehead before brushing a few strands of hair away from my face. Her eyes were filled with worry, as if she could sense that something was bothering me.

I forced another smile.

"I'm okay, Mom. I just... remembered something, that's all."

She studied my face for a few moments, as though deciding whether to believe me. Eventually, she smiled and gave a small nod.

"If you say so." She gently patted my shoulder. "Go change your clothes. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Okay."

I followed her back inside before quietly making my way upstairs to my room.

The moment I closed the door behind me, I fell backward onto my bed and hugged my pillow tightly. I buried my face against it and let out a long sigh.

Why did that dream feel so real?

Every image remained vivid inside my mind—the blood, the screams, the terrified expressions on everyone's faces. No matter how hard I tried to push the nightmare away, it refused to leave me.

I closed my eyes.

"It was only a dream," I whispered to myself.

Yet somehow...

My heart refused to believe it.

-

Two days later...

The five of us were gathered once again at our favorite hideout beside the lake.

The moment we reunited, it was as though the past two days had never happened. Laughter echoed through the quiet forest as everyone excitedly shared stories about what they had been doing while we were apart.

Venus talked about her part-time job and the difficult customers she had dealt with. Marcus proudly showed us the small cuts on his hands from working at the workshop, insisting they were proof that he was becoming "a real craftsman." Charles rolled his eyes at Marcus's dramatic storytelling before complaining about how exhausted he was from helping his mother with their family business. Rose, as energetic as always, somehow managed to tease everyone at the same time, making us laugh until our stomachs hurt.

I simply sat there, smiling as I listened to each of them.

"So," Venus suddenly asked, turning toward me, "what about you, Astra? What have you been doing these past two days?"

For a brief moment, I froze.

The nightmare immediately returned to my mind.

The blood...

The screams...

The faces of the people I loved...

I quickly forced those thoughts away and smiled.

"Nothing much," I answered casually. "I stayed home and helped my mom with her knitting."

"Oh..." Venus nodded. "Sounds peaceful."

"It was," I replied with a small smile.

Fortunately, no one questioned me any further.

"Enough talking!" Rose suddenly exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. "Let's go swimming!"

Before I could even react, she grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the lake.

"Rose!" I laughed. "Slow down!"

She only laughed louder.

A second later, both of us were already running toward the water while Marcus, Venus, and Charles chased after us.

With a loud splash, we all jumped into the lake together.

Cold water sprayed everywhere.

The peaceful forest instantly filled with laughter once again.

"Hey!" Marcus suddenly shouted between laughs. "Charles! Remember when you were nine and you almost cried because you thought you peed your pants?"

The entire group burst into laughter.

Charles splashed water directly at Marcus.

"Oh, really?" he shot back with a grin. "Then should I remind everyone how you slipped in front of your childhood crush and ripped your pants?"

Even louder laughter echoed across the lake.

Marcus groaned dramatically while the rest of us laughed so hard we could barely stay afloat.

As I watched them teasing one another, something inside me grew strangely quiet.

For a brief moment, the world around me seemed to slow down.

The laughter. The sunlight dancing across the water. The gentle breeze brushing against the trees.The smiles on my friends' faces.

Everything felt so beautiful...

So peaceful...

I smiled without realizing it.

One day...

These moments would become memories.

I didn't know why that thought suddenly crossed my mind, but it made my chest ache ever so slightly.

I shook my head, refusing to let the feeling ruin the day.

Instead, I swam toward Rose and Venus, joining their ridiculous water fight as they splashed each other without mercy.

Our laughter echoed across the lake once again.

Deep inside, I silently prayed.

Please...Let that nightmare remain nothing more than a dream.

Not a warning. Not fate.

Just...

A dream.