---
Dream Thief – Part 6: The Second Walker
The Threshold had no sense of time. There was no day or night, only an endless shifting of fragments—dreams drifting like distant stars. Arin stood beneath the faint glow of the Origin, watching those fragments move in silence. He had been here for what felt like hours, or perhaps only moments. Time no longer made sense.
"You're adapting," the Keeper said as he appeared beside him.
Arin didn't look at him immediately. "I don't feel human here."
"You still are," the Keeper replied calmly, then added after a brief pause, "…for now."
That made Arin turn. "What does that mean?"
Instead of answering directly, the Keeper raised his hand. The space in front of them rippled like disturbed water. "Focus," he said. "Try shaping it."
Arin frowned. "Shaping what?"
"Reality."
"That's not helpful."
The Keeper almost smiled. "In dreams, you forced control. Here, you don't force—you align."
Arin stared at the distortion, trying to understand. Slowly, he closed his eyes. For a moment, nothing happened. Then something subtle shifted. The ripple steadied, not perfectly, but enough to hold its form. When Arin opened his eyes, he looked at his hand in quiet surprise.
"I did that?"
The Keeper nodded. "You didn't impose your will. You understood the space and moved with it."
Before Arin could respond, a sudden pulse spread across the Threshold. The Origin flickered again—stronger this time. Arin stiffened. "Another corruption?"
The Keeper's expression changed instantly. "No. Something worse."
The space ahead tore open, not cracking but ripping apart. A dark fracture formed, unstable and unnatural. From it, someone stepped out.
A human.
Arin's eyes widened. "That's not possible."
The man who emerged looked around calmly, as if he belonged there. His presence carried weight—not physical, but something deeper, something sharp and suffocating.
"You're late," the Keeper said.
"And you're still the same," the man replied with a faint smile.
Arin stepped forward. "Who is he?"
"…Another Walker," the Keeper answered.
The man's gaze shifted to Arin. "So this is the new one."
The moment their eyes met, Arin felt it—pressure, intense and suffocating, like his thoughts were being peeled apart. He clenched his jaw instinctively.
"Relax," the man said casually. "I'm not here to kill you."
"That's not reassuring," Arin replied.
The man chuckled. "I like him."
"My name is Kael," he said.
"…Arin."
Kael tilted his head slightly. "You survived your first corruption? Impressive. But survival isn't enough."
Before Arin could react, Kael lifted his hand. The space around Arin twisted violently. His body locked in place, his thoughts freezing as if trapped in invisible chains. He dropped to one knee, struggling to breathe.
"This is the difference between us," Kael said, stepping closer. "You learned to stand. I learned to dominate."
"Enough."
The Keeper's voice cut through the pressure instantly. Everything snapped back to normal, and Arin gasped as the weight vanished.
"He's not ready," the Keeper said firmly.
Kael clicked his tongue. "Then he shouldn't be here."
Arin slowly stood up, steadying himself. "I won't stay weak."
Kael looked at him again, this time with genuine interest. "Oh?"
"I don't understand this place yet," Arin continued, "but I will. And next time… I won't fall like that again."
For a moment, there was silence. Then Kael smiled—sharp and approving. "Good. That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
He turned slightly, his tone becoming more serious. "There aren't many people who can exist here without breaking. Those who do… we call them Walkers. But not all Walkers are the same. Some accept reality. Some endure it." His gaze flicked briefly toward Arin. "And some… change it."
Arin felt a chill run through him. "Which one are you?"
Kael's eyes gleamed. "You'll figure that out."
He turned away as if the conversation was already over. "Don't get comfortable. This place isn't stable anymore. The boundaries are weakening. The Origin is reacting."
The Keeper's expression darkened slightly. "You've seen it too."
Kael didn't stop walking. "Something is trying to come through."
Arin's chest tightened. "Come through where?"
Kael glanced back one last time. "Your world."
A fracture opened behind him, and he stepped into it. Just before disappearing, he added, "If you want to survive here… stop thinking like a human."
Then he was gone.
Silence returned to the Threshold.
Arin stood still, staring at the place where Kael had vanished. "He's dangerous."
"Yes," the Keeper said.
"…Is he wrong?"
The Keeper paused. "…No."
Arin looked back at the Origin. It flickered again, more violently this time. Something was changing, something bigger than anything he had faced so far.
For the first time, he understood clearly—
This wasn't just a hidden world.
It was a battlefield.
---