I closed my eyes, trying to steady the frantic rhythm of my heart.

But even in darkness, that grotesque scene from the laboratory refused to fade. It lingered behind my eyelids—those twitching arms, that writhing mass of red.

I forced a slow breath through clenched teeth. My pulse finally began to ease.

When I opened my eyes again, my gaze fell on the last unopened door—the third one.

"…Ah."

A dry laugh escaped me.

Why did I already feel afraid?

What kind of nightmare was waiting behind this one?

My hands were trembling slightly as I reached for the handle. I hadn't even met the owner of this dream yet, but exhaustion was already setting in, creeping over me like a heavy fog.

Still, I couldn't stay here forever.

Bracing myself, I took one last deep breath and turned the handle.

Creeeak—

The hinges protested as the door slowly swung open, revealing a completely different scene from the previous rooms.

Cold air rushed out, smelling faintly of rust and damp stone.

It looked like… a medieval underground prison.

Old, rusted iron bars stretched across the walls, casting long, crooked shadows under the faint glow of my light stone. Water dripped from somewhere in the darkness, echoing softly against the walls.

I lifted the light higher and stepped in cautiously.

The further I walked, the heavier the air became—thick with silence, dread, and something else I couldn't quite name.

And then, at the far end of the corridor, I saw her.

A figure slumped against the wall, her wrists bound by chains that gleamed faintly in the light.

Her head hung low, pink hair spilling over her shoulders like a silk curtain dulled by dirt and time.

The soft rise and fall of her chest told me she was still alive—barely.

My breath caught in my throat as recognition struck.

"…Lisa?"

There was no mistaking her. The pink hair. The familiar mana pouch resting against her chest.

One of Edmund's heroines.

She was the last person I expected to find here—chained up, imprisoned in the depths of this dream.

"Why… are you here?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Lisa's faint sobs echoed through the silence.

At the sound of my voice, she slowly lifted her head—weakly, painfully. That's when I noticed the bandages. They were wrapped tightly around her eyes, stained faintly with red.

She turned her face toward me, toward the direction of my voice, her movements trembling. And then—

Tears began to fall from beneath the bandages.

Not the quiet kind, either. They flowed freely, as though she'd been holding them in for a long, long time.

Then she cried—so sorrowfully, so heartbreakingly—that for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

But…

"What?"

I couldn't hear her.

No matter how much she screamed or pleaded, her voice didn't reach me. It was as if someone had stuffed my ears with cotton, cutting off the world around me.

Still, I could see her lips moving—slowly, desperately.

Save… me…?

I muttered the words aloud, repeating what she seemed to say.

And the moment the words left my lips—

The entire world exploded into light.

"—Huh!"

I jolted upright, gasping for breath. My heart pounded as the blinding light faded into the dim glow of the real world.

"You're awake! Are you alright?"

A worried voice reached me from beside the bed. But I barely registered it—I was still trying to piece together what I'd just seen.

Lisa.

Locked in a dark, prison-like room. Crying. Calling out to me for help.

Why?

Why was she there?

"Ah…"

As I exhaled shakily, something sharp pricked the back of my hand.

I looked down—and froze.

There, etched into my skin, was a faint mark I had never seen before.

A strange, unfamiliar scar.

It pulsed faintly… as if it had been burned into me from somewhere far beyond the dream.

---

After crashing into bed and sleeping like the dead, I woke up at dawn with one thing on my mind.

Lisa.

The image of her from my last dream still lingered vividly in my head—too real to ignore. Whatever that dream was, it didn't feel like just another illusion.

So instead of heading to class, I made my way straight to the student council room. There were more pressing matters than lectures today.

By this time, most students would already be in class, so I expected the room to be empty. Quiet.

But the moment I opened the door—

"…Louis?"

I froze.

Sitting alone behind a mountain of papers was none other than Anna. The morning light poured through the window behind her, outlining her silhouette as she glanced up from her work.

"Madam President?" I asked, blinking. "What are you doing here this early?"

She let out a small sigh, setting down her pen. "I could ask you the same thing. I have some council work to finish before the meeting later… but what about you?"

Her desk looked like a battlefield—stacks of documents, letters sealed with the Imperial crest, and half-empty cups of coffee scattered around. Clearly, she hadn't rested much.

"Paperwork, huh…" I muttered under my breath, glancing at the chaos. "You've got it rough."

She smiled faintly, though her tone stayed sharp. "It comes with the position."

As she returned to her papers, I caught something strange out of the corner of my eye—and froze again.

"…Wait."

Sitting comfortably on the corner of Anna's desk was a small, round creature with tiny wings and big, curious eyes. Its balloon-like body shimmered faintly under the sunlight.

"Piyu?"

The Feiru tilted its head and blinked at me as if to say What are you staring at?

'A Feiru? Here?'

The sight was so out of place it took me a second to process it.

I turned back to Anna, pointing at the creature. "Why on earth is there a Feiru sitting on your desk?"

She blinked once, then looked down at it. "Ah. That? It's been following me since last night," she said casually, as if that explained anything.

The Feiru flapped its tiny wings and let out a cheerful chirp, "Piyuuu!"

I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

Something told me today was going to be a long day.

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