Reality

As he moved away from the festival, a silhouette swiftly passed by and disappeared into the obscurity of the alleyway.

Wang Yichen leaned his back against the wall and gradually sank to the ground. His mind was lost in thought.

"All my dreams so far are filled with nothing but indescribable events, but why is this the only abnormal one?!" He muttered to himself, his voice trembling with fear and confusion.

As he struggled to make sense of his situation, one question lingered in his mind. Suddenly, he spoke aloud, "Why am I still here?!"

The sound of his own voice echoed through the quiet alleyway, and Wang Yichen was left with only silence and darkness to provide him with answers.

Once again, Wang Yichen attempted to calm his mind, reassuring himself that his current predicament was simply a manifestation of the experiences from the original world replaying in his dream.

"No, I might be overthinking it. This dream must be influenced by my experiences," he reasoned, repeating the thought to himself as a means of finding solace.

"Yes. That must be it, and soon I'll be able to leave," Wang Yichen continued to repeat the last line in his mind, seeking comfort in the hope of an imminent escape.

Suddenly, a figure draped in dark robes emerged from the depths of the shadow. The stranger stood before Wang Yichen, his face concealed.

"It's nice to see you in such a state," the man remarked with a chilling voice.

Despite the stranger's unsettling presence, Wang Yichen remained unfazed, paying him no attention and continuing to repeat his mantra.

"..."

The stranger silently propped himself against the wall, patiently waiting for Wang Yichen while observing the situation with intense bloodlust.

After what felt like hours, Wang Yichen finally stopped repeating his mantra and noticed the foreigner standing opposite him.

"You're finally done... As an apology, how about you hear my thoughts while I was waiting?" The man said in a calm yet dangerous tone, causing Wang Yichen to shudder.

Despite the stranger's face being concealed, Wang Yichen could sense that he was smiling beneath the hood.

"Your thoughts?" he asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.

Realizing that Wang Yichen had finally replied, the stranger strode towards him and grabbed his cheeks with both hands.

"That's right," the man said playfully, "I've been contemplating the most fitting way to end your life. Should I torture you to death with the divine flame, or should I subject you to the same hellish experiences I have endured?"

With each passing word, the man exerted increasing force in his grip, leaving Wang Yichen powerless to break free. As a last resort, he attempted to reach for the man's hood.

Luckily, the foreigner had no intentions of revealing himself, so he retreated and released the grip.

Thankfully, the stranger had no intention of revealing his identity, and thus he retreated and released his grip on Wang Yichen.

'Who the hell is this guy?' Wang Yichen pondered to himself. 'And why does he seem to hate me so much?'

As he contemplated his next move and prepared to make a run for it, he suddenly noticed an azure flame igniting on the man's hand.

Instinctively, Wang Yichen covered his nose as he caught the acrid smell of scorching flesh.

However, to his surprise, the man didn't even flinch, appearing to be accustomed to such torment.

"Seems like I don't have much time left, so listen up," the man spoke with urgency.

"This isn't a dream.

"You've probably—no, you've already realized this fact.

"Yet you tricked your mind into believing everything was just some fascinating dream."

With a cold smile hidden under the hood, the man's intense blood lust continues to rise the longer he observes him.

"Now, I wonder what you'll do with this knowledge.

"Will you continue to live in your own little fantasy, or will you accept the reality?"

With those final words, the man faded into nothingness alongside the azure flame.

He was once again alone in the dark alley.

Wang Yichen stood motionless, repeating the stranger's words in his mind. As he looked up at the starry sky, clouds began to form, and soon droplets could be seen on his clothes.

"Going back soon... What a foolish thought I had," he mocked himself and rolled up his sleeves, determined to face the reality he had been avoiding.

On his arm, a wing was etched into his skin. It looked to be incomplete.

Etched on Wang Yichen's arm was a wing, an incomplete mark that had allowed him to deceive himself into thinking that he could leave the world he was trapped in.

The wing was his way of living a 'normal' life before this 'dream' occurred.

Originally, the wing was a blazing phoenix that had accompanied him throughout his life, though he never knew why or how it had come to be etched onto his skin.

Despite it being shrouded in mystery, he was grateful for its presence.

Each time he encounters a life-threatening situation, whether it is during a blackout in the real world or a dream.

The phoenix would come to life and transport him away from the danger.

If he loses consciousness on the road, then it will bring him away.

If he were to perish in one of his episodes, then it would also bring him away as well.

"Now, even the phoenix is gone…" He contemplated.

Although the stranger from earlier was clearly dangerous, Wang Yichen couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

After clearing his mind, Wang Yichen began to analyze the situation at hand.

"If that man hadn't awakened me, I would probably still be in a state of denial. But now it's different," he thought to himself.

"Based on his words, I must have some sort of connection to him and this world.

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have held such hostility towards me.

"…However, none of that matters to me."

Wang Yichen softly whispered under his breath, "Though the phoenix is gone, its wing is still etched on my arm, which means that it can still regenerate.

"And if the legends are true, then the phoenix's healing abilities should be second to none."

He paused for a moment before continuing in an apathetic tone, "Whether this world has a connection to me or not, it doesn't matter. Once I restore the beast, I should be able to return..."

The rain continued to pour down harder, disrupting his thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up at the starry sky and let out a soft sigh.

"Zaeir Vagne… This isn't too bad of a name…"