Chapter X: The Sleeper’s Trial

  The hum of the ship’s engines filled the silence like a heartbeat, steady and constant, but in the main chamber, tension buzzed heavier than the machinery. Lassie lay unconscious on the cot, her breathing shallow, her skin pale. The faintest traces of glowing runes shimmered across her arms and neck, crawling like liquid fire beneath her skin.

  Auren hadn’t moved from her side since the battle. His hand was locked around hers, his eyes fixed on her face as if by sheer will he could keep her anchored to this world. The others lingered near the control panels, whispering harshly but keeping their voices low enough not to disturb him.

  “She’s changing,” Mira said, her voice tight. “Those markings weren’t there before. Look at them—like they’re alive.”

  The bounty hunter, leaning casually against the wall, folded his arms. “Alive? That’s not alive. That’s a curse. Whatever she tapped into back there, it’s bleeding into her now. We should—”

  “You’ll do nothing,” Auren growled without lifting his head. The weight in his voice froze everyone in place. His grip tightened around Lassie’s hand. “She saved us. She’s not a curse. She’s Lassie.”

  For a moment, silence claimed them again. But inside Lassie’s mind, another world had already begun to take shape.

  The Dreamworld

  She stood barefoot in an endless plain of shifting glass, where the ground reflected countless stars and her own reflection fractured beneath her. The air was thick with a low hum, like distant chanting. Shadows writhed at the horizon, bending and twisting into shapes that weren’t quite human.

  And then, it appeared.

  A figure cloaked in white runes, its face hidden, its voice like ten thousand echoes whispering as one:

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “??? ????. ??? ????. ??? ?????”

  Lassie clutched her chest, recognizing the strange runes though she had never studied them. She could understand them.

  “You’re the one who spoke to me before… Who are you?”

  “? ?? ??? ? ?????. ? ?? ? ????. ? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ?????.”

  Her breath caught. “A test? For what? I don’t understand…”

  The figure raised a hand, and instantly the plain of glass shattered. From the cracks rose monstrous shadows, their limbs grotesque and their mouths stretching into eternal screams. They rushed her like a tide of nightmares.

  “??? ???? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ??????. ??? ??? ??? ?????? ? ???? ?????. ???? ??.”

  Back on the Ship

  Mira flinched as Lassie’s body arched suddenly, her mouth opening in a silent scream. The runes on her arms burned brighter, etching deeper into her skin like brands.

  “She’s fighting something,” Mira said, running to Auren’s side.

  “I can feel it,” Auren whispered, his voice ragged. His thumb brushed her knuckles, but his eyes were locked on the flickering runes. “She’s not alone in there. Someone’s testing her. Pushing her.”

  The bounty hunter shook his head. “Then she’ll either come back stronger or not at all. That’s how trials work.”

  “Shut up!” Mira snapped. “This isn’t a game.”

  But Auren stayed quiet. His jaw tightened as if he was listening—listening to something only he could hear, faint echoes of Lassie’s runes humming in the back of his skull.

  Inside the Trial

  The shadows lunged, clawing and tearing. Lassie staggered back, panic clawing at her chest—until she remembered Auren’s face, the warmth of his hand holding hers.

  “No,” she muttered, her voice trembling but steadying with each word. “I won’t break. Not for you. Not for anyone.”

  She raised her hands, and for the first time, runes of her own burned into existence. ??? ????. ??? ?????. ??? ?????.

  The runes exploded outward, searing through the shadows with a brilliance that shattered them into dust. The figure of runes tilted its head, studying her with unreadable silence.

  “??? ??? ??? ????. ??? ??? ??? ??? ?????. ??? ???? ?? ??????. ??? ???? ????? ??.”

  “What seal?” she demanded, clutching her chest as the last shadows faded. But the being didn’t answer. Instead, it stretched out its hand as if offering her something—an invisible weight pressing into her palm.

  A rune, glowing red like fire.

  The Return

  Back in the ship, Lassie’s body convulsed once more, and then she fell still. The runes across her skin pulsed one final time before dimming into faint scars.

  Her eyes fluttered open.

  Auren’s breath caught as she looked at him. For the first time, he saw not just Lassie—but a faint glimmer of that otherworldly power burning behind her irises.

  “Auren…” she whispered, her voice weak but steady. “I… I passed.”

  Auren’s grip tightened around her hand, relief breaking across his face like sunlight through storm clouds.

  But Mira, standing behind him, wasn’t smiling. Her eyes were fixed on Lassie’s scars, and the fear behind them was clear.

  “What did you pass?” Mira whispered, almost to herself.

  And Lassie, still half-lost between two worlds, had no answer.