Yumé walked with steady steps toward what looked like a city, accompanied by Kenny and the mysterious unconscious man slung over his back.

  After a moment of silence, he turned to Kenny.

  "Alright… mind explaining what this ‘Utopia’ place actually is?"

  Kenny smirked, as if he had been waiting for that question.

  "To put it simply, there are two worlds stacked on top of each other, but they exist in different dimensions, your world, which we call Barsova, and Utopia. They’re connected in ways most people don’t understand, but they’re vastly different in several aspects."

  Yumé glanced up at the sky, noticing how strange and surreal it looked.

  "Yeah… I kinda figured that out already."

  Kenny let out a short chuckle.

  "You’ve heard of vampire legends, right?"

  "Of course. Who hasn’t?" Yumé raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

  "Because vampires come from Utopia."

  Yumé nearly stopped in his tracks.

  "Wait… you’re telling me vampires are real?!"

  "Yep." Kenny shrugged casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Most of the legends you hear about in your world? They all originate from here, vampires, werewolves, dragons… all of them. And, honestly, haven’t you ever noticed that you were different?"

  Yumé clenched his jaw. He had always felt like he didn’t fit in. Always known he wasn’t like everyone else. But he never expected the answer to be this.

  After a brief pause, he spoke again.

  "Earlier, you mentioned something called ‘Songa’ what is that?"

  Kenny sighed.

  "It’s ‘Sonka,’ not ‘Songa’! And they’re a race of warriors with a unique trait—they can absorb sunlight and convert it into their own energy. As long as the sun is shining, they never get tired."

  Yumé’s eyes widened.

  His whole life, people had looked at him like he was different. His endurance, his unnatural stamina he had thought it was just him.

  But now…

  "Then that means… my family might be here?"

  Kenny gave him a thoughtful look.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "It’s possible. But Utopia is massive, just as big as your world. Even if you set out to find them, it could take years."

  Yumé balled his fists. He had more questions than ever, but the answers were still so far away.

  Shaking off the thought, he changed the subject.

  "And that guy you’re carrying… what’s his deal?"

  Kenny shifted the weight of the unconscious man on his shoulder.

  "He’s part of the Spada, a terrorist organization, extremely dangerous. Until now, no one had ever managed to capture one of their members. He was sneaking around Barsova, trying to steal their technology. Compared to your world, our tech is way behind."

  "Why?" Yumé asked, curious.

  "Because we rely on something else, Prana."

  "Prana? What’s that?"

  Kenny smirked.

  "We’ll talk about it later. Right now, the priority is getting you to meet the King of Isru."

  But before Kenny could finish his sentence—

  BOOM.

  A sudden explosion of force sent both of them flying into the air.

  The masked man had woken up.

  Without hesitation, he took off running.

  Still airborne, Kenny reacted instantly.

  "We cannot let him escape! He’s our only lead!" he barked. "I’ll take care of him. You head straight to the city and ask to see the king. Tell them you’re here on behalf of Kenny, and it’s about the Spada!"

  Yumé nodded.

  "Got it!"

  Just as he spoke, Kenny’s body began to change.

  His teeth sharpened, fur sprouted all over his body, his nails elongated into claws.

  "A werewolf…?" Yumé thought, stunned.

  But as he took a closer look, no.

  Kenny wasn’t a wolf.

  He was a massive black panther.

  Kenny landed effortlessly on his feet before darting after the masked man at lightning speed.

  Meanwhile, Yumé…

  …crashed face-first into the ground.

  Groaning, he pushed himself up, rubbing his sore neck.

  "At this point, I have to at least consider the possibility that I’m high on some insane hallucinogens… and that none of this is real."

  He let out a long sigh before dusting himself off and heading toward the city Kenny had pointed out.

  As he passed through the fields, he spotted strange creatures along the way, beasts he had never seen before.

  A flock of floating creatures passed by. They were no bigger than a hand, dark blue spheres with a single large eye, a small mouth, bat-like wings, and a thin tail.

  "I’d love to stop and check this out, but… yeah, no time."

  Picking up his pace, he broke into a run, quickly approaching the city.

  But then, he skidded to a stop.

  There was a massive trench separating the fields from the city. At the bottom, a wide river flowed calmly.

  "You’ve gotta be kidding me…" Yumé groaned. "And what the hell am I supposed to do now?!"

  A voice suddenly echoed.

  "You need a pass to enter."

  Yumé spun around, scanning the area.

  "Who said that?!"

  There was no one.

  Then he looked up.

  A giant owl was descending from the sky.

  It landed gracefully in front of him, its piercing gaze locked onto him.

  "My name is Fukuro. I am the guardian who decides whether outsiders may enter. But before I allow passage, I must judge your heart. You must answer a few questions and solve a riddle."

  Yumé groaned.

  "Are you serious?! I don’t have time for this! Kenny sent me, I need to see the king! It’s about the Spada!"

  Fukuro fell silent, as if considering his words.

  After a moment, he gave a small nod.

  "You should have said so earlier. You may pass."

  Yumé blinked.

  "Wait… just like that? So what, do I climb on your back or something?"

  Fukuro lifted one of his wings and muttered something under his breath.

  "Mantra… Levizis."

  Suddenly, a wooden bridge burst out from the river, extending itself and landing perfectly in front of Yumé, creating a path to the city.

  Yumé stared at it, dumbfounded.

  After a moment, he just sighed and stepped forward.

  "Welcome to Isru," Fukuro announced.