"Jump, Henu, jump! Jump, Henu, jump!"

  The voices of Henu’s mother and sister echoed, multiplying as he neared the edge of the small raft. The moon shone bright above, but the water below reeked of blood, its color shifting between crimson and black.

  Henu hesitated for a moment. Then, as he took his first step—

  Pain.

  His eyes burned like fire, glowing with an unbearable light. Staggering back, he dropped to his knees, screaming for help. His arms went limp. He looked up at the sky, his glowing eyes reflecting the vast darkness above.

  The figures of his mother and sister—those familiar, loving faces—began to melt away, dissolving into nothingness.

  Reality shattered.

  A violent gust of wind erupted. The house they had been staying in was obliterated, its walls and roof ripped apart and sent flying into the sky. The force of it jolted everyone awake. Jack and the others gasped as the unnatural wind broke Solen’s grip on their minds, shattering his Chronotex illusion.

  Henu stood at the center of it all. His eyes glowed pure white, his aura radiating an overwhelming sense of purity.

  He turned towards Solen, his voice calm but resolute. "Is he the one who put me to sleep?"

  Khonsu swallowed hard before nodding. "Yes, Commander."

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  Solen’s expression twisted. "Soul Puppets!" he commanded, spreading his arms wide.

  From the ground, corpses rose. Enslaved souls, their bodies twisted and bound by chronotex,

  shambled forward, their empty eyes locked onto Henu.

  But Solen had not accounted for the Eyes of Helios.

  Each soul that approached Henu vanished, purified in an instant. Their chains shattered. Their torment ended.

  Solen clenched his fists in anger.

  Henu’s voice rang through the night. "You steal the innocent and trap them in an eternal nightmare." His glowing eyes bore into Solen. "I see them. I see the souls you've enslaved. You make them dream, and if they lose, they are doomed forever.

  "You evil bastard."

  Henu raised his hand. "Earth, rise!"

  The ground beneath Solen shifted. Thick stone tendrils wrapped around his feet, locking him in place.

  "You drown others in guilt. So now, I will do the same to you."

  With a flick of his wrist, Henu gestured towards the river. The very earth itself obeyed, dragging Solen's body towards the water’s edge. His struggles were useless.

  He was going under.

  The battle was over.

  Jack collapsed back onto his bed, rubbing his temples. "That was a nightmare…"

  Yune groaned. "You’re telling me. I nearly died."

  Noya, usually lighthearted, was anything but. "I saw what I feared the most."

  Ramon muttered. "I never want to experience that again."

  Kamil, ever the thinker, mused, "I wonder if that power could be used to show good dreams instead."

  Kasib and Khonsu approached the group with Henu. Ramon turned to them, asking, "Did you guys see the dreams too?"

  Henu nodded. "I did, but my Eyes of Helios saved me."

  Kasib crossed his arms. "I figured out the trick. Those illusions pretended to be my father, saying things he’d never say. That’s how I knew it was fake. So I killed them all and woke up. When I did, I saw him—" He pointed at the battlefield. "—sitting across the room. And I attacked."

  Khonsu, however, frowned. "What dream?"

  The group fell silent.

  Kamil blinked. "Wait… you didn’t have a dream?"

  Khonsu shrugged. "Nope. I slept like a horse. I only woke up when Kasib started fighting."

  Ramon stared at Kasib. "So it really was Solen, huh?"

  Kamil nodded. "You were right, Jack. It was him all along."