As the trio departed, they agreed on a simple target—thirty points each, a goal that felt just within reach at this stage of the Trial.
The forests of the Sparrow District, stripped of their guardian, had shifted into what was called the Redemption Fallacy. Beasts that once hid in fear now emerged with boldness—driven by revenge for the balance that had been broken.
One such beast revealed itself almost instantly—the Teratoise. A turtle-based monster of the Earth Attribute, its shell was near unbreakable, like a fortress carved from stone. Yet its greatest weakness was its sluggish crawl—a predator that almost never landed a blow.
Rosé's eyes sharpened. She lifted her wand slightly, her voice calm yet cutting:
Rosé: "Teratoise. Target locked."
She drew in a long, steady breath as her wand rose, its tip igniting with a fiery orange orb that shimmered like a miniature sun. Heat coursed through her body, burning away stored fat as fuel—the hidden cost of flame.
A spark leapt from her chest, racing upward until it fused with the flashing orb at her wand's head.
The fire swelled—higher, hotter, hungrier. The air warped with waves of heat. Xitij and Einar instinctively stepped back as the blaze coiled into form, sculpted by Rosé's will.
The flames twisted into the shape of a rosebud of fire—delicate yet deadly. Its glowing stalk flickered like a burning thread, alive and swaying.
Rosé tilted her wand closer to her lips. With deliberate grace, she bit down—cutting the fiery stalk clean, like a ribbon at a ceremony.
The blazing bud floated free, twirling almost playfully… before surging forward with predatory speed.
The Teratoise panicked, snapping shut inside its shell.
But the fiery bud wasn't fooled. Its stalk lashed out, wrapping around the shell like a chain of molten iron.
The bud gleamed upward—and then the petals unfurled in a searing glow that lit the forest like a false dawn.
Narrator: "Our precious Rosé doesn't play with sparks. She has only three techniques—but each one? A-TIER. Top shelf. No knock-offs. And right now you're witnessing the one that turns an enemy's own energy against them—born from the Fire Attribute itself."
Rosé smirked, her wand still glowing.
Rosé (laughing):"Haha—looks like you've walked right into my…"
Her voice snapped like a whip—
"RED ROSE OF THE GRAVEYARD!"
The fiery bloom tightened, pulling the beast's buried energy outward. The Teratoise's unbreakable defense betrayed it—the flames weren't breaking in, they were tearing out.
The forest shook as the inferno bloomed skyward. When it faded, nothing remained but a blackened husk.
Rosé twirled her wand lightly, sparks dancing at her fingertip.
Rosé (smirking):"And that… is how you prune the garden."
Narrator (snorting):"Show-off."
For once, Xitij was speechless—his jaw slack, no quip in sight.
Einar blinked, shuffling closer. His mouth opened, shut, then opened again before he finally whispered, like a five-year-old seeing fireworks for the first time:
Einar:"…Pretty."
The word hung like a fragile petal. Rosé blinked, heat flushing faintly across her cheeks.
Rosé (muttering):"Tch… idiot."
Narrator (snickering):"Compliment level: kindergarten ; But you bet it hit harder than the technique itself. "
Her markings GLOWED as the number 22 appeared before vanishing into her skin.
Writer (grumbling):"Heck! I'm tired of writing this AGAIN and AGAIN. Let's just give it a name already…"
That girl from before:"Well, what about—"
Writer (cutting in):"MORPH!! Morphing! Yes, neat, clean—that's the word."
That girl (too shy, muttering):"…But what about me?"
Narrator:"Turns out teenage hormones really love being a bitch. Moving on."
Einar (groaning):"What?? She already got 22 points! Hey, Xitij—teach me how to hunt. Fast!"
Xitij rubbed his eyes in disbelief, as if reality itself had cracked.
Xitij:"Wait—you don't know how to HUNT? And I'm supposed to teach YOU??"
Narrator:"And so, ladies and gentlemen, we arrive at the FIRST BACK of the story—yes, back. As in… backstory. (pause) You see what I did—"
That girl (groaning louder):"Ughhh. These jokes are so bad you actually have to label them. Pathetic."
(The narrator sulks off-screen. Silence lingers. Then—)
A GLEAMY FELLA shuffles into frame, his cloak glittering as if dipped in starlight.
Gleamy Fella (whispering):"Psst… psst… hey. You may just find the next piece of the puzzle… right here."
Writer (popping into frame, clapping hands):"Well hello there. Don't you think it'd be a good idea to start the backstory from a new chapter?? …Yeah, me too."
Narrator (grumbling):"Finally, some common sense."
That girl (crossing arms):"About time. If you'd crammed it in here, I'd have dropped this book."
Writer (ignoring her, smug):"And with that, dear readers, let us call it a day. Curtain down, lights out, chapter sealed."
Narrator and Writer (together, bowing with exaggerated flourish):"See you in the next dream!"
And just like that, the scene faded—leaving only the faint glow of embers where Rosé's rosebud once burned, and the quiet promise that the next chapter would dig deeper… into the dream behind the dreamers.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 14.1 : DREAMY & VIVID CHARACTERS
FOR NOW ,
CHARACTER PROFILES — DREAMS: The Evertale (Ch. 1–14)
1. XITIJ :
>Role: Protagonist-ish (debatable, since Narrator keeps trolling him)
>Personality: Calm yet reckless, sarcastic, often the "straight man" to the group's chaos. Gets dragged into banter but always has a quip.
>Strengths: Combat adaptability, good instincts, holds the team steady when chaos spikes.
>Weaknesses: Overthinks in silence, underestimates others (especially Rosé).
>Signature Trait: The "calm smug lean" — jaw on shoulder, hands behind back, casual walk before storms.
>Narrator's Note: "If the Trial was a movie, he'd be the guy in the poster center-frame. But guess what, buddy? This ain't your movie alone."
>Current Highlight (Ch. 14): Dumbfounded disbelief at Rosé's skill, left speechless.
2. ROSÉ :
>Role: The team's walking nuclear option (Fire Attribute prodigy).
>Personality: Serious when focused, mercilessly witty otherwise. Protective of knowledge, has "librarian energy with artillery firepower."
>Strengths: Three A-Tier Fire Techniques — especially RED ROSE OF THE GRAVEYARD, which literally weaponizes enemy energy. Sharp intellect, strategy-driven.
>Weaknesses: Hot-headed, can be bluntly scary, reading trance mode = do not disturb (unless you want to DIE).
>Signature Trait: Summons imaginary glasses while info-dumping.
>Narrator's Note: "Give her a book and a wand, and suddenly the forest has health insurance claims."
>Current Highlight (Ch. 14): Reduced Teratoise to ash + actually blushed when Einar called her magic "pretty."
3. EINAR :
>Role: The sweet chaos sponge / muscle-with-heart.
>Personality: Honest, straightforward, sometimes clueless, deeply loyal. A powerhouse in combat but secretly a cinnamon roll.
>Strengths: Physical strength, tank-like stamina, willpower. Brings emotional glue to the group.
>Weaknesses: Inexperienced in hunting, often late to catch onto strategies, occasionally comic relief by accident.
>Signature Trait: Says the simplest words with the most impact.
>Narrator's Note: "He may not know how to hunt, but when he says pretty, the world stops."
>Current Highlight (Ch. 14): Calling Rosé's magic "pretty" — most wholesome blow landed yet.
4. YELENA :
>Role: The anchor of the group.
>Personality: Strong, composed, patient — carries both literal and emotional weight. Motherly to a point, but deadly in combat.
>Strengths: Physical prowess, discipline, composure, often mediator of fights.
>Weaknesses: Sometimes too patient — risks bottling emotions.
>Signature Trait: Can carry unconscious Koga like a backpack and still fight.
>Narrator's Note: "The group's heartbeat. Also the only one who can throw Koga over her shoulder without breaking stride."
>Current Highlight (Ch. 13): Carried Koga through recovery like it was nothing.
5. KOGA :
>Role: The wild card / chaos generator.
>Personality: Emo, over-the-top dramatic, borderline feral at times. Switches between divine warrior and sleep-deprived idiot in seconds.
>Strengths: Genius-level combat improvisation (Ghost Parry, Cloud Block) — creates new moves mid-fight. First mini-boss slayer.
>Weaknesses: Reckless, sleep-deprived, physically burns himself out, hormonal imbalance™.
>Signature Trait: Rises from bed like a god, speaks raspy prophecies… then faints immediately.
>Narrator's Note: "Equal parts protagonist and walking meme."
>Current Highlight (Ch. 12–13): Earliest mini-boss slay achievement, then instantly collapsed.
** SUPPORT CAST (Meta-Layer)
>Narrator: The true 6th party member. Breaks 4th wall, mocks characters, mocks writer, mocks reader. Pure chaos.
>Writer: Tries to keep control, fails constantly. Bickers with audience & Narrator.
>That Same Girl From the Audience: Tsundere audience insert, constantly roasts jokes, insists she doesn't care but keeps reading.
>Gleamy Fella: Suspicious, shiny cameo character. Teases "puzzle pieces." Exact motives unknown.