A great dream often cos bitter after the waking of reality.
Experiencing the perfect reality, only to find out that none of it was real-nothing but a cruel mirage dissolving into the harsh light of truth.
A pen clattered onto the polished marble floor, slipping from the fingers of the white-haired girl.
Her once radiant hair, a pristine silver that shimred with life, had dulled to an almost ashen hue.
Beneath it, tendrils of shadows writhed and coiled, dancing ominously as though alive, feeding on the darkness that emanated from her.
Her beautiful crimson eyes, once like polished rubies brimming with light, had transford into sothing distinctly inhuman.
Vertical slits cut through her pupils, predatory and cold, as they gazed out the grand window of her room, piercing through the heart of the city below and far beyond.
The view outside was idyllic.
The sprawling main city of Hal, nestled within the Heaven's Duchy, stretched beneath her in serene perfection.
The golden glow of the morning sun bathed the streets, reflecting off the pristine architecture, as though the entire city had been kissed by divinity itself.
Yet her eyes-her cursed, Draconic eyes-saw far beyond the idyllic landscape, reaching toward sothing unseen by mortal eyes.
"Hehe - Mama, look!"
"Liyana..."
Faint echoes of the past whispered through her mind, fragnted mories clawing their way to the surface.
A cruel mockery of warmth and love, images of another life resurfaced, triggering an overwhelming surge of power within her.
The golden light in the distance, a divine barrier encasing the empire's sacred center, pulsed faintly.
Her mana twisted violently, pushing against the barrier as if trying to break through.
Her expression remained eerily calm, her pale face betraying no joy or sorrow.
Yet her body trembled, not from fear, but from the strain of her overwhelming power.
The golden light intensified, reacting to her defiance, growing brighter and more oppressive with every second.
Until it happened.
A shadowy black burst erupted from her eyes, a searing explosion of dark energy clashing violently against the divine barrier.
A sizzling pain coursed through her skull as the burst of light seared her vision, forcing her to recoil.
Black blood stread from her eye sockets, thick and viscous, dripping onto the floor like molten tar.
But it didn't last long.
The shadows pulsed again, and her eyes regenerated within seconds, their eerie glow returning as though nothing had happened.
She blinked once, adjusting to the brief sting of divinity that still lingered in her senses.
Her lips curled into a twisted smile-not of joy, but of pure irritation, laced with a seething, chaotic annoyance.
A low, guttural chuckle escaped her lips as her form began to warp.
Her pale, delicate fra contorted grotesquely, dissolving into an abyss of writhing, gaping mouths—an endless array of fanged maws opening and closing in chaotic dissonance.
"I'm sure directly interfering with our affairs was strictly prohibited... EREBIL."
Liyana's voice reverberated, distorted and vast, as though it ca from the very fabric of the world itself—a primal entity speaking through the void.
It wasn't just sound; her words carried a weight that crushed everything in their wake, bending reality around her.
The space she glared at began to shift.
A small dot ford, pulsating like an irregular heartbeat.
The air around it twisted unnaturally, as though rejecting the presence of the anomaly.
The black spot expanded and contracted, a jagged distortion that defied existence, an on of
sothing forbidden.
Then ca the voice.
[**...You will die...**]
A voice without form or origin, deep and suffocating, slithered through the room like a tangible force.
It wasn't a threat-it was a declaration, delivered with the inevitability of fate itself. "Fufu~ You think that bitch can take on?"
Liyana's lips curled into a mocking grin, her crimson eyes burning with both amusent and defiance.
Her tone was light, yet laced with an undercurrent of venom and unyielding confidence.
[**He will die **]
Liyana's grin faltered for just a mont, her pupils narrowing into predatory slits.
Then, like a dam breaking, her emotions surged forward, spilling out in a chaotic burst of
possessive rage.
"... He won't," she hissed, her voice trembling with raw intensity.
Her body quivered as the shadows around her began to ripple like a stormy sea.
"With around... darling won't get hurt... darling won't get hard... DARLING WON'T
GET STOLEN!!"
The sheer force of her declaration warped the space further, the oppressive energy emanating
from her
[**.... Chaos Dragon...Know...your.... Limits.... **]
The black distortion pulsed once, an unspoken warning vibrating through the air, before
abruptly vanishing.
The anomaly disappeared as though it had never existed, taking the tension that had suffused
the room with it.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Liyana exhaled sharply, her monstrous form shrinking back into her original body.
Her shoulders rose and fell as she struggled to regain composure, but the fiery anger still simred beneath her calm exterior.
Her claws flexed, scratching deep gouges into the floor as she clenched her fists.
"Darling..." she murmured under her breath, her voice trembling as a strange, foreign sensation settled within her chest. It wasn't just rage or possessiveness-it was sothing
else.
Sothing unfamiliar.
Her crimson eyes softened, clouded by confusion as fragnted mories of the dream she'd clung to resurfaced once more.
They played vividly in her mind, tempting her with their bittersweet perfection.
The emotions they stirred were overwhelming.
"Darling is mine..." she whispered, her voice resolute but tinged with vulnerability.
She pressed a hand to her chest as if trying to still the unfamiliar ache that blossod there.
"Nothing will change that."
But even as she spoke the words, the lingering doubt in her un-beating heart whispered
otherwise.
.....
[The Trails of Light]
The Trails of Light, a sacred path created by the Goddess of Light herself, was said to grant
the deepest desires of those who reached its end.
But such a grand reward ca with a heavy cost.
Those who failed to complete the journey faced curses far worse than death-punishnts
that left their mark forever.
Beneath the Imperial Palace lay the entrance to this fabled road.
A spiral staircase twisted deep into the earth, each step leading farther into silence and
isolation.
The air grew colder, the walls tighter, but what waited below was not darkness as one would
expect.
Instead, there was light.
"So, this is the trail..."
The words felt small in comparison to the sight before .
The cavern stretched wide and far, its size impossible to believe for sothing hidden
beneath the palace.
Beams of golden light stread through cracks in the rocky ceiling, illuminating everything
with a soft, warm glow.
The trail itself was a long road that seed to float amidst golden fields of grass.
The grass shouldn't have been able to grow here, so deep underground, but it thrived,
glowing faintly as if touched by magic.
It was breathtaking.
The road ahead looked like it could lead straight to the heavens, a path ant for sothing
greater than mortal feet.
But even with all its beauty, the space felt wrong.
The wide cavern, with its light and openness, reminded of an arena-like it was waiting
for sothing to happen.
"Yes."
The emperor's voice carried a weight of resignation, his ever-knowing gaze fixed on the
glowing path before us.
It was as though the sight itself dragged him into mories he'd rather forget.
Given his circumstances, it was no surprise.
The curse eating away at his life force was a constant reminder of his failure in the trial.
A curse that sapped not only his strength but also his ti.
Even the duke, who hadn't reached the trial's end like the emperor, couldn't hide his unease.
Though, knowing him, it wasn't just the trail that had him worried-Liyana must have given
him an earful.
Or worse, threatened him outright.
Yesterday, I was genuinely concerned that Liyana might show up here and end us all in one
swift move. But...
[Don't worry... She has no power here.]
The reassurance from the other echoed in my mind, steady and unwavering.
Was it because this place housed the last relic of the Goddess?
Or perhaps it was like the Holy See, where the Goddess's influence was abundant and
absolute?
Both were plausible, and for now, it was a relief.
But that didn't change the truth.
Liyana knew.
Her awareness alone was enough to keep on edge.
For soone like her, knowing was often just the first step to action.
Even if she couldn't directly interfere here, it didn't an she wouldn't find another way.
Things were moving too fast for to keep up.
If Liyana decided to act purely out of whim or spite, there was nothing-no one-who could
stop her.
Not even the duke, as much as his presence might reassure others.
Against Liyana, even he would likely fall short, especially considering how much he loves her.
As for ? My specs were embarrassingly low.
Even if I leveled up to my max potential right now and got stronger, at the end of the day, I
was still Riley Hell, the disposable side character.
The one fated to die by Liyana's hands.
No matter how hard I tried, there was no way I could reach the strength of the main
protagonist in this world.
A quick glance at my stats compared to the others was all the proof I needed.
Lucas, was improving fast but was nowhere near his strongest version yet.
And the heroines?
They still lacked the power and specs to counter soone like Liyana.
The gap between us and her wasn't just wide-it was insurmountable.
'Hey... I can trust you, right?'
[You've been stuck in this tutorial for far too long. Just proceed. Finish the trial. You'll understand the rest.]
A sigh escaped , but only internally.
This other Riley, the one who had been communicating with since yesterday, seed to
know more than he was letting on.
But despite his apparent knowledge, he rarely gave clear answers.
'I'd appreciate it if you just straight up told what's going on instead of all these riddles,'
Like always, there was no imdiate response.
I had no choice but to trust him for now.
No matter how cryptic he was, and it was clear he wants to help as well... all of his actions
so far was already proof of that...
-SIIISHHH!!
Suddenly, the air shimred, and the golden light ahead on the trail began to sparkle.
Thin strands of light, like flowing streams of wind, traced through the path and surged
forward, connecting directly to my heart.
"It seems the goddess is granting you permission to take on the road," the Emperor observed,
his calm but knowing tone cutting through the mont.
I nodded at his words.
This scene was just like in the ga-a faint trace of light linking the chosen to the trial.
But sothing about this felt... off.
The light connecting to was brighter, more intense than anything I'd seen in the ga.
Even Lucas, the main protagonist, didn't have a light this vibrant.
"Son..."
The Duke's voice pulled from my thoughts. I turned to face him, and the worry etched into
his face spoke volus.
It wasn't just concern for the trial ahead-it was layered with unspoken fears.
Slowly, he reached out, placing a firm hand on my shoulder.
"Heed the Emperor's advice... and please return safely. We have much to discuss."
"Yes, Father," I replied.
Of course, I knew exactly what he wanted to talk about: my relationship with Snow... and
Liyana.
That conversation wasn't sothing I was looking forward to.
The weight of it lingered in the back of my mind even now.
The Duke's hand lingered for a mont before he gave a gentle pat on the shoulder and
stepped back.
The golden light around intensified, growing brighter with every passing second.
It was ti.
No more delays.
No more second thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and stepped forward into the trail.
Though I appreciated the worried expressions of the Duke and the Emperor, I couldn't help
but feel a sense of detachnt.
After all, as soone who had cleared this trial nearly a thousand tis in the ga, this wasn't sothing I considered a true challenge.
The roads might seem random to an outsider, but they were anything but. Each path was ticulously designed to guide you toward a specific outco-a trail of choice, if you understood the underlying patterns.
Considering the stakes, both the price and the reward, it was obvious which path I needed to
take.
The Tempest Sword....
A certain weapon that could enhance my capabilities regardless of stat requirents.
Its existence was one of the ga's most broken elents, and I'd made it a point to
prioritize it every single ti. Since the other Riley was adamant that I should finish the trial however I saw fit, choosing the
sword wasn't a wrong decision. Right?
With that goal in mind, I ignored the faint golden light that connected to my heart-a guide
ant to steer toward the default path.
Instead, I deliberately stepped toward one of the interconnected roads branching off to my
right.
But the mont my foot touched that path, everything shifted.
-SIIISHHH!
A blinding burst of light consud my vision, leaving disoriented.
[Forget everything you've learned in the ga.] The other Riley's voice echoed in my mind, clear and commanding.
It was the last thing I heard before the world around dissolved, leaving enveloped in a
cascade of radiant energy.
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