Scene 2.2: Visions Beneath the Sacred Light
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After our luxurious breakfast, we set off for our first destination: the temple. From the outside, it boasted an elegant Tibetan-inspired design—but with a level of refinement that made it feel almost sacred. Yet the moment we stepped through the front gates, the interior revealed itself to be even grander than we had imagined.
But for Akira, something strange—something utterly overwhelming—happened the very moment he passed through the temple threshold.
A bizarre sensation hit him, like a decades-long flashback compressed into a three-second burst and slammed into his consciousness. It was far too much for the brain to process at once. He staggered, nearly collapsing, until Draco caught him from behind.
"Whoa—hey! What happened? You okay?" Draco said, holding him upright.
Akira blinked, shaking his head slightly.
"Yeah… just got a little dizzy all of a sudden. I'll be fine after a quick rest."
Draco helped him over to a nearby bench. The others rushed to him with deep concern—especially after what happened back at the ruins. That incident had left them all especially wary when something seemed off with Akira.
Mirelle quickly cast a wind spell to circulate the air around him, laced with just a touch of ice magic to cool the space, and a hint of fire magic to warm his core gently.
Yue joined in with a support spell of her own—but nothing seemed to help. Whatever was happening to him, it wasn't physical.
Osiris pulled up diagnostic data from his smartwatch, scanning him with growing frustration.
"Tch. These sensors… They're not tuned for this kind of thing. Either they're reading the wrong parameters or just plain outdated. I really need to upgrade our whole system…"
Keela, Elina, and Draco all looked on helplessly. None of them had support skills—but Keela wasn't about to just stand there. She pulled out a small bottle of smelling salts, sat down in front of Akira, and held it out to him.
Akira took it and inhaled lightly.
"Thanks. But this isn't good, Princess. You should stand. People are starting to recognize you. Look behind you."
Keela glanced over her shoulder. Some people didn't notice, others didn't care—but a few were definitely starting to murmur. A little girl tugged on her mother's sleeve.
"Mommy! That lady over there looks like Princess Keela!"
"Shhh! Don't point, sweetie. What if she gets upset?"
"But Mommy, look—she's waving back! She's so kind, just like the Princess!"
The mother looked—and sure enough, Keela was smiling and waving. Because, of course, she was the Princess.
To keep things from escalating, Keela turned to Elina and whispered for her to put up a barrier spell. Elina nodded, casting it while Keela began speaking seriously—creating the appearance of a private, official conversation. Draco took position behind them like a vigilant bodyguard.
The atmosphere quickly turned serious enough that no one dared approach them.
Akira smiled inwardly.
They're supposed to be the ones I protect… yet here they are, protecting me again. Arcadia, huh? Some "third hero" I am. Without these blades… without my friends buffing me… I'd just be an ordinary guy.
Just then, a thought about his twin blades flickered into his mind—and his head throbbed in response. He shut his eyes in pain, seeing countless visions of the blades shattering in his hands—again and again, as if they'd broken a million times in a million different timelines. Each image was slightly different, but all of them were clear and vivid—compressed into mere seconds.
Yue and Mirelle turned pale.
Osiris panicked as his heart rate spiked on her readings.
The girls scrambled to help—but again, it wasn't something their magic could fix.
Once Akira regained control of his breathing, the pressure seemed to lift slightly. He didn't want to stay seated, surrounded by onlookers any longer.
"Let's keep moving," he said softly.
"I don't want to draw more attention…"
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Yue and Mirelle flanked Akira closely, never straying far from his side. Behind him, Draco kept watch in case Akira collapsed again, while Elina led the way alongside Keela at the front. Osiris walked next to Draco, monitoring Akira's vitals with her device.
Akira chuckled to himself quietly.
This feels like I'm being guarded like some fragile national treasure. Aren't we supposed to be protecting the princess? Not me! Ugh, there goes my masculinity. And to think… I used to get teased for being "soft" even as a kid. Some hero I turned out to be.
But his internal grumbling was cut short as they approached a statue of a divine figure. A tour guide nearby was explaining something.
"…Delta and Chi…"
The moment those names were spoken, another vision slammed into him—but this time, it was clearer. Slower. It wasn't a chaotic rush like before; it came in at normal speed.
He began to hear voices.
Familiar ones.
His father.
His mother.
His grandfather.
His mentor.
Mei
Jin.
Win.
Non.
Yue.
Draco.
Mirelle.
Elina.
Osiris.
Keela…
And even Cain Moonshard's voice—back when he was Lunar Cipher.
There was one more voice as well… one he didn't recognize.
All of them spoke at once.
Every single one.
Like dozens of video files playing simultaneously in his mind. The overlapping visuals and sounds became too much—everything blurred, melted together into an overwhelming hum that filled his ears like white noise.
Akira closed his eyes and swayed unsteadily, trying to keep upright. His left hand instinctively reached out—and found Draco, who had already anticipated this.
Draco caught him by the shoulder and supported him.
But the noise didn't stop.
The visions didn't stop.
They played for what felt like minutes, flooding Akira's brain with a massive overload of sensory data. His voice came out in a strained whisper:
"Take me… to the bathroom…"
Without missing a beat, Draco activated a gravity spell, lightening Akira's weight and lifting him as effortlessly as a kitten. Keela, lightning-fast, dashed ahead to guide the way with her magic. The others followed in a rush—except for Mirelle, who trailed behind, slowed down by her heavy, billowy mage attire.
When they finally reached the restroom, Akira doubled over and vomited everything.
The exquisite, high-class breakfast Keela had prepared… gone to waste, now staining the floor of a temple bathroom. It was tragic.
Draco did what he could to help, though there wasn't much he could offer in this situation besides quiet support.
Outside the men's restroom, the girls stood waiting anxiously.
Mirelle arrived last, panting as she caught up.
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Once the flashbacks faded, Akira's condition finally began to stabilize. He stepped out and took a seat on a bench outside the restroom, trying to regain his composure. But something had changed in his eyes.
Normally, he would see the MR overlays from Osiris through his contact lenses—something he'd grown used to, almost like navigating through a familiar game interface. But now… it was different. This wasn't augmented reality. This was something else.
It felt as though hallucinations were overlapping with reality—phantom images flickering in and out, appearing and vanishing at random.
He'd glance at Draco standing in one corner, wearing one outfit—only to see him again in a different corner, talking to Lunar Cipher… then again, bloodied, missing an arm.
Each version of Draco wore different clothes.
And it wasn't just Draco.
He saw the others too—versions of them from timelines or worlds unknown.
The visions left him dizzy, disoriented. But Akira refused to ruin everyone's plans. He forced a smile and stood up.
"I'm fine now. Let's go."
He turned to Keela with a sheepish look.
"Sorry about earlier… your gourmet breakfast ended up wasted."
Keela had to fight the urge to throw her arms around him. Instead, she knelt down beside his chair, meeting his eyes with soft concern.
"It's alright. Food can always be made again. But someone who can enjoy that food? That's what really matters. Please take care of yourself, okay?"
Then the others joined in, one after another.
Yue stepped up first.
"Exactly! You keep worrying me, you know? Don't stay so far away."
Mirelle followed with a firm voice.
"Yeah. You're someone important to all of us now. So start worrying about yourself the way you worry about everyone else, please."
Even Draco, who rarely criticized anyone, couldn't hold back.
"She's right. You're allowed to be tired. You're allowed to rest. You don't have to carry everything. Today's a break, so take that break—fully."
Elina gave Draco a playful side-eye.
"Yeah, but 'resting' like you, lying around all day like a lump… not what we're going for."
She turned to Akira with warmth.
"You've got titles now. You've got rumors. But most of all—you've got us. So lean on us. Anytime."
Last was Osiris. She hesitated, flustered from being the only one left who hadn't said anything. Her usual composure broke down completely.
"U-Uh… just, take care of yourself, okay? Get enough rest."
She flicked open her holographic screen on purpose, using it to hide her face.
"We're already behind schedule. Let's go pay our respects at the temple and head to the café after that."
Everyone chuckled softly at Osiris's reaction.
Akira laughed to himself.
This AI… when she panics, she's no different from anyone else. So much for that cool, calculating image. Guess that's just her PR mode, huh? Adorable.
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And so the day continued, just as we had planned.
We visited the temple first. While the others offered prayers and marveled at the architecture, Akira stood still—haunted. The visions and voices that had been plaguing him didn't let up. In fact, standing there in front of the goddess's statue made it worse—almost unbearable.
It was as if the hallucinations intensified near the source. Like he was standing right beside the origin of these memories.
A déjà vu that didn't feel like it had happened once or twice…
…but millions of times.
He didn't know the number.
He only knew it was too many.
After the temple, the group made their way to the much-anticipated café—one that Yue had raved about after reading countless glowing reviews.
From the moment they stepped inside, everything seemed perfect. The desserts were adorably crafted. The drinks shimmered in glass. The scent was heavenly.
Yue was practically glowing with excitement.
But the moment she took a bite, it was as if someone had hit pause on her entire body.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Everyone froze.
Then, slowly, curiosity turned into urgency—everyone wanted to try it.
"Is it really that good? This place was top-rated…"
They took their bites.
And then they froze too.
No one cried, but they didn't move either.
Akira, curious to feel what they were feeling, took a bite of his own.
And froze.
But not because it was good.
No—it was the opposite.
Still, he finished it all quietly while the others sat in stunned silence.
Looking around at their dazed expressions, he sighed and gave Yue a sympathetic smile.
"Oh, my poor little sister. You fell for the paid reviews, didn't you? Not real ones. You have to learn to spot the difference between authentic praise and marketing fluff."
He glanced at the empty tray before him and took a sip of his drink.
Same result.
"Honestly, it's not even bad. I'm sure most people would call this café decent. But… we've gotten used to excellence—to Keela and Mirelle's cooking. Especially that heavenly breakfast this morning. After something that divine, regular food just pales in comparison."
"It's not the café's fault. It's our own standards—and maybe our own obsession—that's shifted our perception."
Everyone else tried to force their way through the pastries, but couldn't finish. They decided to pack the leftovers and quietly exit the café.
Walking to a nearby park, they fed the remaining desserts to the birds. As for the drinks they couldn't bring themselves to swallow, they used them to water the flowers—or quietly dumped them in the trash.
Their first café stop had left them utterly deflated. With dulled spirits and uncertain expressions, they trudged on toward the next destination…
The auction hall.
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When we arrived at the auction hall, we didn't stay long. All we needed to do was hand the chest over to Zhuan and Seraphina, who had come on behalf of the team to take care of the sale. We exchanged greetings, and when someone mentioned the café incident, Seraphina smiled and recommended another one—apparently part of the Fairsteel network.
"As for the auction, leave it to us," she said cheerfully before she and Zhuan walked off with the chest in tow.
Akira watched her retreating figure with a thoughtful gaze.
From that timid little girl back then… now she's someone we can all rely on. All it took was a spark of courage and the opportunity Keela gave her. And who would've thought—the entire auction hall is actually part of the Fairsteel network too. Just how much of Skyperion's economy does this family have their hands in?
With the auction business handled, we moved on to the next stop—a restaurant Yue had found through her ever-growing list of reviews. But after the recent café disappointment, no one expected much. Their guard was up, and their hopes were down.
Which was probably why, once they tried the food, their reactions were more muted.
"Hm. It's… actually pretty good."
"Yeah. Not bad at all."
In truth, the food hadn't changed. It was the same as it always was—well-prepared, flavorful, and satisfying.
But like Akira had said, it wasn't the food that had changed.
It was their mindset.
Their mood.
Their expectations.
The lens through which they experienced it.
Just like with walking a path.
No one ever sees the thousand tiny decisions that happen inside a person—
All the invisible thoughts…
All the silent hesitations…
The quiet choosing that happens long before a single foot moves forward.
We only see the step when it's taken.
But in truth…
It had already been chosen
a thousand times
in the heart.
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