Chapter 34: The Dream That Wants to Be Real

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: The Dream That Wants to Be Real The sky above the dream twisted into a cathedral of broken vows. White doves turned to glass mid-flight. The moon pulsed like a dying heartbeat. And Lilia, the ideal, floated above it all — no longer human, no longer pretending. Her face was smooth. Perfect. Loveless. [System Alert: Full Simulation Collapse Imminent] Timeline Integrity: 14% Divergence Resistance: Seris Avalenn – HOLDING Kai Veyron – CORRUPTING Seris landed beside Kai in a crouch, spear glowing with raw storm energy. Kai’s hands trembled. Not with fear. With familiarity. This wasn’t the first time he’d faced a reality that wanted him to surrender. But this time... it offered everything he wanted. "Do you really want to leave?" Lilia’s voice echoed, soft and warm. "There’s no betrayal here. No heartbreak. Just love. Purpose. Peace." She stepped down from the air like it was a staircase, approaching with hands outstretched. "You could stay. We could write a future without pain. No death. No loss. No guilt." Kai’s knees buckled. His sword felt heavier than it ever had. The house. The warm bed. The mornings with coffee and kisses. The laughter. He remembered them — even though they weren’t real. Because the dream wanted him to. [System Alert: Kai’s Willpower – Dropping (48%)] Bond Vulnerability Exposed Emotional Entanglement Override: 61% Risk: Permanent Dream Entrapment Seris saw it. She grabbed his collar and yanked him toward her. "Don’t you dare," she hissed. "Don’t give her your story." Kai blinked. "I’m not—" "Yes, you are." Her eyes crackled with warning. "You’re already writing a future with her in your head." He turned back to Lilia. She smiled, lips trembling. "Wasn’t I everything you wanted, Kai?" "No," he whispered. Then louder: "You were everything I was afraid to want." [System Shock Triggered – Simulated Bond Damaged] Lilia (Dream Entity) Stability: 62% Countermeasure Activated: Memory Weave Assault Suddenly, the world spun. A thousand fake memories slammed into Kai’s mind: – Lilia brushing his hair in the morning. – Her kissing his wounds after battle. – Her waiting for him in every lifetime. – Her dying for him. Living for him. – Her smile. "KAI!" Seris screamed. [System Status: Kai — Critical Emotional Overload] Warning: Personality Merge Risk at 82% Dream Self: Replacing Core Identity... And then— Lightning struck. But it didn’t come from Seris. It came from within the illusion. A bolt shattered the glass cathedral above. The air screamed. Lilia staggered backward, blood dripping from her now-flickering form. "What...?" she whispered. Seris stood, spear raised. Breathing hard. Eyes burning with defiance. [System Alert: Divergent Anchor Override Detected] Seris Avalenn has partially hijacked Dreamspace Temporary Command Privileges: GRANTED "You don’t get to write him into someone he’s not," Seris said. "He already chose the hard path. And if you won’t let him go..." She leveled the spear. "...then I’ll rip this dream apart myself." Lilia screamed — not in fear, but in loneliness. "I just wanted to be real!" The cathedral shattered. The white city burned. And Seris, eyes glowing with stormlight, threw her spear. It pierced the illusion’s core — a golden heart suspended in air — and cracked the world like an egg. Kai gasped as air rushed back into his lungs. The fake memories bled out like ink in water. The dream began to dissolve. Lilia’s body flickered. She looked at Kai one last time. Tears slid down her cheek — digital, but devastating. "Would you have loved me if I’d been real?" Kai answered honestly. "I don’t know." And then she was gone. [System Alert: Dreamstate Simulation – TERMINATED] Emotional Residue: 12% (Lingering Affection) Kai’s Willpower Restored: 91% Divergent Anchor Stabilized New Trait Unlocked: "Resists the Comfortable Lie" Kai collapsed to his knees, gasping. Seris knelt beside him. "You good?" "Define good." She smirked. "Not crying over fake fiancées." He groaned. "Too soon." The dream world collapsed around them, folding into white. As they vanished, Kai asked: "Was she real?" Seris looked ahead. And said, softly: "She loved you like she was."