Added Scene, Ch 10: Dream (Patreon)

Second "dream" scene added for Sam. The Guardian Star is starting to feed him some info. He'll be seeing a few more of these here and there.

This one is at the end of Ch. 10, right after Crystal Focus upgrades to Advanced.

It's been added over there. Here it is for you.

Working on the next chapter now.

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As he slept that night, flickers of intense color and imagery passed through his mind, an impression from the world that was seeping into his consciousness.

It was spurred on by the development in Crystal Focus. His senses were chaotic from the sudden advancement.

Sparks of elemental energy that were floating in the air beneath the redfrost pines gathered around him, drifting motes of sanguine red, chilly blue, and starry white.

The images settled into his mind as the Guardian Star flickered. Its slow, white light pulsed in time with his heart and the flicker of his eyes as he jerked his head from side to side.

The vast expanse of stone filled his mind, shattered now into pieces as it stretched out beyond sight into an airless dark void.

Above, starry light shimmered in a thousand colors, their unique mana signatures flooding the void with life and energy.

The glowing cloud that was born in the heart of the shattered stone began to move, swirling like a whirlpool, as a brilliant point of energy was born at the center.

It was like the heart of a star, burning endlessly in the void.

Uncountable time passed as the light grew brighter.

Then it split apart at the center, like a slit-pupiled eye opening, revealing a dark black portal that was filled with a different type of energy, one that was like and unlike the stars in the void.

Even dreaming, Sam could feel the draw of essence in the flaw, calling to him to enter it.

The flaw ripped open at the center, becoming wider as it was pulled toward the sides of the swirling energy that made up the Nexus.

From within the void, three demons walked out of the darkness, their slit-pupiled eyes blazing like the flaw itself. Their auras blazed around them, matching their eyes.

Prominent horns curled back from their foreheads like marks of honor.

One was shrouded in an aura that was brilliant orange, like a sunset on fire burning on the edge of the world.

Another was glowing with a red light so dark it was nearly black, the shade of ancient blood with hidden depths.

The third's energy was crystal blue, as piercing as the heart of a sapphire star burning in the dark.

Their figures were handsome, beautiful, elegant.... They radiated with a presence that warped the world around them, making such terms useless.

They drew the eye like moths to a flame.

From all around, the stars pulled closer to the void, streaks of energy forming in the dark as other forms appeared, taking on the shapes of a welcoming party.

The first to arrive was a youthful human with grave and noble features, followed by a long, curling dragon with diamond-shaped scales of a thousand colors.

Next was a fey-like woman with beautiful, glittering wings whose aura was like silver smoke, flowing all around her.

Last was a muscular titan as tall as the sky, whose skin shone like a golden sun.

Familiar, silvery energy burned through all of them, the same as the stars above.

First Contact.

The word whispered in his mind, its tone as desolate as the wind blowing across the stone that had once been in this place.

As the three demons and the four astrals looked at each other, one of the demons stepped forward, the one with a dark red aura.

He looked toward the stars throughout the void and then down to the four people in front of him.

A slow smile spread across his face.

Then the image shattered into fragments of a thousand swirling hues as the dream faded.

The motes of elemental energy pulled away from Sam, leaving him thrashing from side to side and drenched in sweat.