When I suddenly came to a stop, the Tyrannosaurus lunged forward, its massive jaws snapping shut where I had been standing just a heartbeat ago.

I threw myself to the side, rolling across the ground as a gust of wind from its bite whipped past me. Before the beast could turn, I sprinted forward, using the momentum to leap onto its back. My fingers dug into the rough scales as I climbed toward its massive head.

"Kiyoyoyoyoyoyo!!"

The dinosaur let out a thunderous wail, thrashing violently, but I held on with everything I had. My heart pounded in my chest as I reached out toward the glowing fragment embedded between its ridges.

My hand brushed the light—

—and in an instant, the world exploded in a blinding flash.

When the light faded, silence settled around me.

I exhaled slowly. "Now only one remains."

I had no idea how much time had passed inside this dream realm. Petania had warned me it would be better to collect the fragments over several days—something about mental strain and instability between dreams.

But with four fragments already secured, I couldn't stop now. The end was so close I could almost taste it.

"Let's just finish it all today," I muttered, steeling my resolve.

I reached out my hand, preparing to enter the final dream.

But then—

"…What the—?!"

From the corner of my vision, something moved.

A snow-white hand emerged from my shadow, impossibly pale against the dim light. Before I could react, it wrapped around me.

Its touch was icy, cold enough to make my breath hitch. The arm looked delicate, slender—even fragile—but it felt anything but weak.

The hand tightened its grip, pulling me closer.

"What—what is this?!" I struggled, twisting my body, trying to wrench free. But the strength behind that grip was monstrous, inhuman.

The cold sensation crawled up my skin as I was slowly dragged downward. The shadow beneath me rippled like water, widening into a dark abyss.

"Damn it—let go!" I shouted, but it was no use.

No matter how much I fought, the pull only grew stronger.

And then—

With a final, forceful tug, the world tilted.

I was yanked into the darkness, swallowed whole by my own shadow.

The last thing I saw before everything went black was that pale, lifeless hand, pulling me into the unknown.

---

It felt like being swallowed whole by a swamp—my body sinking deeper and deeper into a cold, endless darkness.

The sensation of falling seemed to stretch on forever until, at last, my feet touched solid ground. A faint tremor ran through me as I steadied myself, disoriented and unsure where I'd ended up.

Then, without warning, a brilliant light pierced through the darkness.

"Ugh—!"

I winced and threw up a hand to shield my eyes. The glare was so intense it felt like knives stabbing into my vision. Only after blinking several times did the world around me slowly begin to take shape.

A single luminous stone floated before me, bathing the area in a soft, white glow.

"…A luminous stone?" I murmured.

It was a familiar sight—one of the most practical magical inventions in this world. A small mineral that absorbed the mana in the air and converted it into light.

In modern terms, it was basically a magical fluorescent lamp.

Convenient, efficient, and long-lasting… but also expensive. Too expensive for everyday use.

Even in House Vermoor, where I'd grown up surrounded by wealth, luminous stones were rarely used outside of laboratories or private chambers.

I rubbed my still-blurry eyes and glanced around, adjusting to the dim glow.

A deep, unfamiliar stillness hung in the air.

The place I found myself in was a narrow, suffocating room built entirely of rough brick walls.

It was so small that even as a full-grown adult, I could barely take more than a few steps without bumping into something. A single luminous stone hung from a thin string attached to the ceiling, casting a pale glow that barely kept the darkness at bay. Its faint light made the shadows seem to breathe along the walls.

"Where… am I?" I murmured under my breath.

I turned in slow circles, scanning every inch of the room. But no matter how long I stared, there was nothing—no furniture, no markings, no door. Not even a window. Just me, the stone, and silence.

The mysterious, snow-white hand that had pulled me in moments ago was gone as if it had never existed.

A chill crawled down my spine.

"Did it… disappear?"

I pressed my palm against the cold brick wall, hoping to find some hidden seam or crack. Nothing. Every side was sealed tight.

I dropped my gaze to the floor—hard, uneven stone. I nudged it with my boot, then stomped lightly, half-hoping for a hollow sound or hidden mechanism. Only a dull, painful thud answered me.

"Great. Just great."

I sighed, rubbing my sore foot.

If there was no exit around me, then…

My eyes slowly drifted upward.

The ceiling.

Unlike the walls and floor, it wasn't solid brick—it was shrouded in an impenetrable blackness, a darkness so deep it almost felt alive. No light reached beyond that void, and the longer I stared, the more it seemed to stretch endlessly, like the night sky without stars.

"Up there…" I whispered.

That was the only place left to go.

I squinted up at the ceiling—or rather, at that gaping void above me.

The more I stared, the more it felt like it was staring back. That strange, swallowing darkness wasn't natural. It was too still, too heavy, too aware.

I picked up a small piece of loose stone from the floor and tossed it upward.

The rock sailed into the air—then vanished.

No sound. No impact. No return. It just disappeared, as if the darkness had eaten it.

"…What the hell."

I took a step back, instinctively raising my guard. My hand brushed against my waist, fingers curling around my weapon. Not that a sword would help much if the ceiling itself decided to devour me.

There's only one thing I can do right now....And that is to check it personally.

I have to go up there and check it.

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