“Phew!” Ray fanned the pollen away from him.

  Deus swiftly perched on his Master’s shoulder. “Are those two gonna be okay? We can't even use Appraisal to find out what is inside.”

  “Rex…You are forgetting this world is the novel my best friend wrote. Even without relying on Appraisal, there is still a lot I know about this world.”

  “So you know what Dungeon this is?” Deus urgently asked, concerned about what those kids he brought here were going through.

  “It took a while, but…Yeah. When Aries and I were younger, we were into a show called ‘Legends of Chima.’ There was a poisonous pnt in the show called the ‘Persuader Pnt,’ whose smell was used for mind control. I am pretty sure this Dungeon is based on that.”

  “So, you are saying those guys are being mind-controlled by that rose?” Deus was shocked at the dangerous information.

  Ray shook his head. “Not exactly. While the pnt was effective, burning its roots had a much stronger effect. It created a toxic smoke that would trap people in a shared dream where they live the life of their desires.”

  “Live the life they desire. That doesn’t sound too bad for a Dungeon.” Deus questioned the information.

  “Of course, there is a chance of someone refusing to leave their dreams. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live the life of their desires? In that case, their body outside would wither away from malnutrition.”

  “WHAT? Don’t we need to help them get out then?”

  “Rex. It's still a D-Rank Dungeon-its not that hard to escape. They just need to realize that the life they are living is just an illusion and kill the boss monster. I doubt a rose whose only power is to manipute dreams is that hard to kill.”

  "So should we just stand here and wait for them to come out?"

  “That will be best. I'll keep an eye on them and make sure nothing dangerous happens while they are dreaming. You should head back and watch over Izzy and Mike.”

  “Alright! Be careful.” Deus quickly sped towards their location.

  Ray stared at the boys sprawled around the golden rose, smiles on their faces. Ryder's face, in particur, radiated pure joy.

  ‘I wonder what they are dreaming of…’

  ‘Ring! Ring! Ring!’ Hearing the arm, Ryder slowly rubbed his eyes to wipe away the sleep.

  “Why are you still sleeping, Ryder? Don’t you know what day it is today?” A beautiful voice spoke from his bedside.

  “I knew you would be too excited to sleep. That’s why you should have gone to bed early.”

  It was an unfamiliar voice, but for some reason, it felt as if he had been waiting all his life for this voice to call out his name again.

  His eyes fluttered open to identify the source of this mystical voice.

  Standing beside his bed was a beautiful woman with green, almond-shaped eyes. Her long hair, like his own, was a beautiful silver color, tied carefully in a bun and held together by a golden rose hair clip.

  As soon as he saw this beautiful woman, his heart hurt as if it had burst with joy and warmth, and just a little bit of pain.

  But a moment ter, a wave of coolness suddenly drowned his mind, and all the joy and happiness faded into the background, like this was the most mundane thing in the world.

  “Oh, Mom! Good morning.”

  “Morning, my Hero.” His mother gently kissed him on the forehead. It was a simple act of a mother’s love, but for some reason, today it felt even more precious than all the countless times she had woken him with her kisses.

  “Mom! You don’t need to do this anymore. I’m an adult now.” He said shyly, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

  “Yes. Yes. My boy is going to be a Hero now. And he’s going to the Academy today for his orientation, isn’t he?”

  “Ah, right. The Star Academy orientation is today, isn’t it? I completely overslept.”

  “It’s fine. There’s still time until you leave. The rest of the family is already at the breakfast table, so why don’t you go and freshen up.”

  “I will be out soon, Mom.” Ryder quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to the washroom.

  “Take your time, sweetheart!”

  After a quick shower, Ryder left his room wearing his blue first-year Academy uniform.

  Everyone was already seated at the table, waiting for him to come join them.

  His sister, Rachel.

  Grandpa Rufus.

  Dad.

  Mom.

  They were all sitting together waiting for him to join them.

  Seeing this scene, Ryder again felt that pang of hurt and happiness in his heart. But the coolness in his mind once again dissipated the warmth of his feelings一reassuring him that this was just another beautiful day in his ordinary life.

  “So, Ryder, are you excited for your first day at the Academy?” Rufus asked his grandson.

  “Of course, Grandpa. I couldn't even sleep st night because I was too excited.”

  “Well, it is a big day for you. I am so proud that you are one of the top three students in your batch.” Rufus said with a smile.

  Ryder ughed at his grandfather’s statement. “Hehe! Who's grandson do you think I am? Of course, I'll be #1!"

  "Don't forget you're my son too. You Awakened a whole two years earlier than average, just like me." His father chimed in.

  "It's not a competition, honey! We should just be proud that our boy gets to go to the Academy of his dreams." His mother finally interrupted.

  “Well, Rachel and Ryder, you both should leave now, or else you will be te for the orientation.” She added.

  “Sure, Mom. Love you, Dad. Love you, Grandpa.” Saying their goodbyes, the two quickly left their mansion and got into Izzy's car, heading to another house on their street.

  “Um, that’s not the way to the Academy.” Ryder pointed out to his sister.

  “What? You forgot? Professor Ray asked us to take Izzy and Mike with us. You guys were so excited to go to the orientation together!”

  As she spoke, the strange pain pressed against Ryder's head again.

  “Oh yeah. We three will be attending the Star Academy together.” Ryder quickly remembered.

  “You really are lucky. Going to the Academy with your best friends, attending csses together. That's what you call living your life."

  “Hey, we are here!” Izzy greeted them from their gate. “Thank you, Rachel, for driving us to the Academy.”

  Izzy thanked her as she and Mike got into the car.

  “It’s alright. You’re dating my brother, so of course, I have to do something to make sure you don’t run off on him.” Rachel joked.

  “HEY!” Ryder cried out at the unfair comment, looking at his girlfriend for support.

  Izzy just shrugged mischievously. “If it means I get free rides for life from your sister, then sure, I can date you.”

  Ryder was taken aback at the betrayal from his girlfriend.

  “Aww, Ryder! You don’t have to worry, buddy. You have no idea how excited she was to learn that both of you are going to attend the Academy together,” Mike revealed, supporting his friend.

  "Hey!" This time it was Izzy's turn to turn red from embarrassment. "You were supposed to keep that a secret."

  "Ooo, is that so, Izzy? I guess I might have to make you do things for me now if you want to stay with my lovely little brother." Rachel grinned pyfully as Izzy's private thoughts were dispyed out in the open.

  "Aww, Rachel!" Izzy excimed, blushing with embarrassment.

  Soon the car pulled into the Academy grounds. The speakers all over campus were bring, reminding the students to reach the Academy Coliseum for orientation on time.

  “Well, my job here is done. You three will have to go by yourselves from here. The entrance for the first-years is that way. Good luck, and don’t be nervous on stage!” Quickly wishing them luck, Rachel headed to join her cssmates.

  The three quickly headed to the entrance of the Coliseum, where a Professor was waiting for them.

  "Rank #1: Ryder Briar, Rank #2: Mikael Harpoon, and Rank #3: Isabel. Great! You all made it in time. For now, you'll be stationed in the waiting room behind the stage, where you can listen to the President's welcoming speech. Once that is over, you three will head onto the stage, where you will be introduced to the entire Academy.”

  After conveying a few additional instructions, the professor promptly left to join the other faculty members.

  “Man, I still can’t believe that all three of us are finally here—at THE Star Academy,” Mike marveled at their perfect lives. “And at the top of our css, no less!”

  “Yeah, if this is a dream, I hope I never wake up from it,” Ryder said thoughtlessly.

  Izzy smiled at his childish comment. “Don’t worry, Ryder. If this is a dream, I’ll make sure you enjoy it until the very end.”

  A few kilometers away from the grand celebration of the Academy, on the second floor of a small building, someone else was waking up from his sleep.

  “Uhh. Why is my head hurting so much today?” Rohan rubbed his temples, hoping to ease some of the pain.

  Pulling himself out of his comfy bed, he dragged himself to the bathroom.

  Cupping cold water in his hands, he spshed it onto his eyes and face, hoping the cold would alleviate the throbbing pain in his head.

  “My eyes look a little red…” He observed as he checked himself in the mirror.

  ‘Crack!’

  “What the heck?” As he checked his red eyes in the mirror, a long crack suddenly split the mirror right down the middle.

  Seeing the mirror break right in front of one’s eyes would have made anyone think they had stepped right in the middle of a horror movie. But as the son of a powerful shaman, Rohan was already used to having mysterious pranks pyed on him by ghosts that got bored wandering the afterlife.

  “Mom! The mirror in the bathroom broke.” He yelled at his mom. “Did you perform some weird ritual again?”

  “Don’t mind it, sweetie. Just come out for breakfast. And you guys better stop tormenting my son or I will exorcise the hell out of you.”

  “Hehehe!”

  A silent whisper of giggles echoed in the deepest corners of the bathroom, as the coldness in the bathroom disappeared.

  Quickly brushing his teeth, Rohan headed to the table, where his mother had prepared a simple breakfast for him.

  "Here are your scrambled eggs and toast," Lady Spectre said as she pced a fresh pte and gss of juice in front of him. As he took his seat, she continued, "Rohan, I need to make a few house calls today. Your dad will be back from work soon. Could you please heat his food for him?"

  “Dad's coming?” Suddenly the pain in his head became worse before a sense of coolness washed over him. “R-right. Dad had a te-night shift at the Portal Station, didn’t he? Don't worry, Mom. I will take care of him.”

  ‘What was that about?’ Rohan was unsettled by the momentary pain that had filled his head when his mom had talked about Dad.

  “And if any of the ghosts worry you while I am gone, just sprinkle some salt around the house. It will ward them until I get back.” His mother gently reminded him, as she grabbed her bag from the sofa.

  “I don’t know why, but they seem to be acting up today. Make sure to keep them away. I won’t be there to protect you all the time.” His mom looked at him with regretful eyes. “If only you would have Awakened to powers like I did, you could have driven them off with just a single word.”

  “It’s alright, Mom, I don’t care much about having powers. I mean, look at dad一he lives a fine life, working as an engineer for the Portal station.”

  “But still…” Lady Spectre pecked at his forehead light.

  "Mom, did we always have that pnt there?" Rohan asked suspiciously. He was pointing to a golden rose potted beside the sofa that had caught his eye.

  For some reason, he never thought a rose—especially a golden one—suited the mysterious, woman-in-bck image that his mother always portrayed.

  "Oh! One of my customers, whose fortune I read, is a florist. She gave it to me as a gift." She expined as she headed to the door. "Take care while I am gone."

  “Don’t worry, Mom.” Rohan's teeth bit into a piece of toast, but his eyes were still glued to that pnt.

  For some reason, he found that pnt gravely unsettling—as if it were a predator waiting for its prey to fatten up.

  But he quickly shook his head. 'What am I thinking? It's just a rose.'

  Finishing his breakfast, Rohan got up to clear the table.

  As he picked up the empty gss, a cold presence passed through him, causing the gss to shatter in his hand.

  “Uhh! What the hell is wrong with you guys?” Rohan yelled, clutching his bleeding palm. “Get lost!”

  Just as he bent down to pick up the broken pieces of gss, his attention was drawn to his rippling reflection in the water. “Wait—why is the water rippling like that?”

  Beside his reflection, there was the face of a woman in the water.

  Wake up, Rohan!

  A cold whisper entered his ear.

  Unfortunately, the ghost had already vanished by the time he turned around.

  "That's it! I'm done with your silly pranks. Where did Mom keep the salt?"

  As Rohan quickly cleaned up the mess the ghosts had made and bandaged his injured hand, he turned toward the room where Lady Spectre usually conducted her fortune-telling when visitors came to the café.

  Rohan generally avoided this space because the energy of ghosts was particurly strong in the room. It wasn’t exactly a "student-friendly" area, as Lady Specter preferred to maintain a mysterious atmosphere while reading the fortunes of her clients.

  On the low wooden table beside a golden tower, which symbolized a pce where the dead could rest peacefully, sat a box of ghost-warding salt.

  ‘Huh? Isn’t it kind of bsphemous to keep the box of salt near that relic? Mom would never make a mistake like that.’

  As Rohan noticed the contradiction, the pain in his head sharpened.

  Immediately the temperature in the room dropped, and he felt a cold draft behind his neck, even though no windows were open.

  Just then, another wave of coolness washed over him. But before the pain could completely fade, it surged back even stronger.

  ‘Wake up, Rohan.’