Panther woke up suddenly.
His chest felt tight, and his breathing was uneven. The dream was already fading, like smoke slipping through his fingers, but the fear lingered.
He sat up on his bed and looked around. The room was quiet. Moonlight slipped through the window, falling softly on the floor.
What was I dreaming about? he wondered.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember. Only a strange heaviness remained deep in his chest.
The door opened slowly.
"Panther?" his mother's gentle voice called.
She stepped into the room and walked toward him. Her long hair fell over her shoulders, and her eyes were calm, yet sharp, as if they were always watching something unseen.
"I heard you moving," she said. "Did you have a bad dream?"
Panther nodded.
"I don't remember it," he said. "But it felt… scary."
His mother sat beside him and placed a warm hand on his head.
"Dreams are like that," she said softly. "They show us things we are not ready to understand."
Panther looked at her. For a moment, he felt something strange, like her presence was too strong for a normal human. But the feeling vanished as quickly as it came.
"Go back to sleep," she said with a small, shining smile. "Tomorrow will be a long day."
Panther lay back down. His eyes slowly closed.
As his breathing became steady, his mother stood up and walked toward the window. She looked at the night sky, where the moon hung silently.
Her fingers tightened slightly on the curtain.
"…The seal is weakening," she whispered.
Outside, the wind stirred.
Far beyond the human world, something ancient shifted.
Morning sunlight poured through the window, landing on Panther's face. He shot out of bed like a rocket, flailing his arms dramatically.
"Today is going to be epic!" he shouted, spinning in place before heading downstairs.
His mother, calmly flipping pancakes, raised an eyebrow. "Good morning, Panther."
"Good morning, Mom! Breakfast looks amazing!" Panther exclaimed, shoving toast into his mouth with comic speed. He practically inhaled it, chewing like a champion.
Shouts echoed from outside.
"Panther! Come on already!"
Panther swallowed his last bite in one gulp, waving a hand frantically. "The food's fantastic! I'll be back soon!" he called over his shoulder, leaving his mother staring at the crumbs flying from his mouth.
Outside, his friends waited by their bicycles. Louice looked a little nervous, fiddling with his handlebars, while Dion tried to act cool, though his knees were shaking like jelly.
"Ready for the ghost house?" Louice asked.
"Ghosts? Ha! Please! I'll wrestle it while doing a backflip!" Panther declared dramatically, striking a pose that made his friends groan.
He leapt onto the back of Louice's bike, and off they went, pedaling as if racing the wind itself. Panther flailed his arms and shouted at passing birds, "I'm here to save the world from ghosts!"
Finally, they reached the infamous house. It looked slightly crooked, like it had been put together by someone who hated straight lines. Panther grinned. "Ah, the spooky old mansion! Just my type of place."
Inside, a twisted symbol decorated the wall. Panther poked it. "Ooooh, creepy!" he said dramatically, pretending to faint. Louice groaned. They continued walking. Louice felt the cold wind guiding him toward the unknown.
Then, from somewhere upstairs, a creak echoed.
Dion's eyes went wide. "Nope!" he yelled, turning and running as fast as his legs could carry him.
CRASH! Dion slammed into the wall and collapsed to the floor with a groan.
Panther whipped around to see Dion tumble down like a cartoon character, landing in a heap, groaning, hair sticking up in every direction.
Louice muttered under his breath, "We're never doing this again."
Panther bounced with excitement. "Come on, this is going to be the funniest adventure ever."
"Idiot, are you a baby?" Louice said, pulling him up by the arm.
They moved together—Panther in front, alert and silent, the others close behind. The staircase groaned beneath their steps, shadows stretching along the walls.
At the top, they stopped.
A little girl lay there, her pink hair falling messily around her face. She was strikingly beautiful despite the bruises that darkened her cheeks and the blood oozing from small cuts
Dion swallowed. "I-Is she… a ghost?"
Panther didn't answer. Slowly, cautiously, they approached.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes snapped open.
All three jumped back.
"O-oh… she's alive," Dion said, startled.
Panther and Louice froze.
The girl rubbed her eyes, confused, then her gaze locked onto Panther.
Her face drained of color.
"DON'T KILL ME!" she screamed.
Dion was shocked. "How did she read my mind? She's really a ghost… We can run if you want, Louice."
The young girl scrambled backward, missed her footing, and tumbled down the stairs.
Dion muttered, "She's doing exactly what I want to do."
Louice shouted, "Panther, help me! She lost consciousness."
They got her to Panther's home. Silence...
When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on a soft bed, surrounded by unfamiliar walls and ceiling.
As she tried to sit up, a gentle voice stopped her.
"Easy, child."
Lussy—Panther's mother—stood nearby. She glanced toward the door. "You boys, go outside."
Reluctantly, they left.
The girl clutched the blanket. "W-Where am I? Where are my parents? Did you… hurt them?"
Lussy frowned. "How did you reach this place? This is Earth. What happened to you?"
"E… Earth?"
Her eyes widened in fear and disbelief.
"Why did you bring me here? To hurt me?"
"We won't harm you, child," Lussy said calmly. "Please, tell me what happened and how you got here."
Tears welled up in the girl's eyes.
"After all these questions… I've been here four or five years," she whispered. "I don't know what happened to you. Please, see me as your mother. You can trust me. But what really happened… what could make a dragon cross realms?"
Her voice trembled. "Everything began after the Demon King's death."