Before the first day of school began…
I had a dream.
Not a normal dream.
Something else.
Something… wrong.
I was alone.
Completely alone.
No Lucas.
No Mirei.
No one.
The world around me was empty.
Dark.
Silent.
Endless.
I walked.
Step after step.
But no matter how far I went—
Nothing changed.
"…Hello?"
My voice echoed.
But no one answered.
"…Where is everyone…?"
My chest tightened.
Something felt off.
This wasn't just a dream.
It felt too real.
Too… heavy.
Then—
A voice.
Soft.
Warm.
Familiar.
"…Zeus…"
My eyes widened.
"I know that voice…"
I turned.
"…Who are you?!"
It called me again.
But this time—
It glitched.
Cut.
Distorted.
Like something was interrupting it.
"…He—lp…"
"…Z—eus…"
"…What the hell is going on?"
I started running.
Toward the voice.
I didn't even know why.
But I had to reach it.
The darkness didn't end.
But I kept going.
Faster.
Faster.
Then—
Something changed.
Figures appeared.
Far ahead.
Lucas.
Standing still.
Looking at me.
Behind him—
Mirei.
Calm.
Silent.
Watching.
"…Guys?!"
I ran toward them.
Relief flooding my chest.
But then—
I saw him.
Behind Mirei.
A boy.
Wearing a mask.
Standing silently.
The moment I saw him—
My body froze.
"…Who… are you?"
He didn't answer.
And then—
I woke up.
My heart was racing.
Sweat covered my body.
"…What the hell was that…?"
Before I could even think—
Morning came.
"Wake up, idiots."
"…Mirei?"
I turned.
And froze.
There was a girl.
Standing in front of me.
Green hair.
Around 14 or 15 years old.
Looking straight at me.
"…WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
THUD.
She hit me on the head.
Hard.
"Why are you screaming, idiot?"
"…It's me."
"…Mirei."
"…Huh?"
It took me a few seconds.
Then—
"…Wait."
"…YOU CAN DO THAT?!"
She crossed her arms.
"…Of course."
"I can change my form."
"Size, appearance… anything."
"…That's cheating."
Lucas turned around—
Saw her—
And—
"…WHAT THE—?!"
BOOM.
The entire room almost exploded.
Fire burst out.
"…LUCAS YOU IDIOT!"
"IT WASN'T ON PURPOSE!"
"…You almost killed us!"
"…Sorry…"
Mirei sighed.
"…This is going to be a long year…"
And just like that—
Our school life began.
Days passed.
Training.
Classes.
Magic.
Lucas…
Was growing fast.
Too fast.
He unlocked his first magic stage.
Flames responded to him naturally.
Like they belonged to him.
"…Tch."
I clicked my tongue.
I trained.
Every day.
Every night.
But—
Nothing.
"…Why…?"
Time passed.
And finally—
I unlocked my first stage.
"…About time…"
I thought.
But then—
Something happened.
When they saw my magic—
Everyone froze.
Silence.
Then slowly—
They stepped back.
Fear.
"…What… is that…?"
"…That's not normal…"
"…Is he… human?"
Even I didn't understand.
My soul—
Wasn't clear.
Not light.
Not dark.
Something in between.
Something… unstable.
Only Mirei and Lucas stood beside me.
Everyone else?
They were scared.
Then—
He appeared.
The boy.
From my dream.
Standing in front of us.
Wearing a mask.
"…You…"
I whispered.
He tilted his head.
"…Call me…"
"…Spider Boy."
Silence.
Then—
Me and Lucas burst out laughing.
"…Spider Boy?!"
"…SERIOUSLY?!"
Mirei looked confused.
"…What's funny?"
Lucas walked closer.
"…Hey."
"Come here."
"…I need to ask something."
Spider Boy leaned in.
"…What?"
Lucas whispered:
"…Are you… Japanese?"
Spider Boy froze.
"…Yeah."
"…Do you remember anything?"
"…No."
"…Just that I wanted to be a hero…"
"…Without powers."
Lucas nodded slowly.
"…Same world…"
"…Do you have a real name?"
I asked.
He shook his head.
"…A hero doesn't need a name."
"…Spider Boy is enough."
"…This guy is insane," I whispered.
Lucas smirked.
"…He'll fit right in."
"…Let's take him with us," I said.
"…You're crazy."
"…And you're not?"
"…Fair point."
And just like that—
He joined us.
Our team grew.
But something inside me…
Still felt wrong.
So I made a decision.
"I'm unlocking more power."
I went to the tree.
Climbed higher.
Higher than before.
Points.
Skills.
Abilities.
I unlocked several.
But—
The tree only had 3 levels.
"…That's it?"
Then—
Sleep took over.
And the dream returned.
The same place.
The same darkness.
But this time—
I could move freely.
And I saw it.
A palace.
Inside—
A girl.
Crying.
"…Help me…"
"…This king is not real…"
"…He's lying to everyone…"
"…Wait—!"
But—
It disappeared.
And I woke up.
"…Just a dream…"
I muttered.
And forgot about it.
But then—
"…Help me…"
I froze.
"…No way…"
The voice.
Again.
Not in a dream.
In reality.
"…Can someone hear that?"
Then I remembered.
"…My hearing…"
I had enhanced it.
To dodge attacks.
To hear everything.
"…So this is…"
Six months passed.
The dream continued.
Again.
And again.
Each time—
More pieces.
More fragments.
Until finally—
I couldn't ignore it anymore.
"…Guys."
I said.
Looking at Lucas, Mirei, and Spider Boy.
"…I need to tell you something."
And I began—
To explain everything.
The dream.
The voice.
The girl.
The fake king.
"…Help me…"
That voice echoed again in my mind.
And this time—
I knew.
This wasn't just a dream.
Something was calling me.
From somewhere far beyond.
And I couldn't ignore it anymore.
To be continued…