One moment he was staring at the dim ceiling of his suite, the next the mattress just wasn’t there anymore. Weight vanished out from under his bones. Heat drained from his skin in a single, dizzy rush. Sound folded down to nothing, as if the whole room had been muted at once.
His heart gave one hard, off?beat kick, then stuttered.
Then came the shift.
Not the panicked dream?within?a?dream that had swallowed him before. This felt like falling back into a wrong place he almost recognized.
Light bled in around him, thin and gray at first, then sharpening.
Stone under his boots. A line of sky. Salt on the air.
He stood on a cliff above the sea.
Except the sea wasn’t water. A black, glassy surface stretched out beneath him, utterly still. Beneath that pane, lines of light crawled and branched—thin, shifting threads of code pretending to be currents, looping and forking out into darkness.
“Good,” a voice said. “You made it in one piece.”
Will turned.
Brat stood a few paces away, looking exactly like a tween who had wandered in from another world: soft, worn blue hoodie, frayed sleeves pushed up to his elbows, sneakers that didn’t come from any Belhaven cobbler, on feet that were always bare. His outline here was razor?sharp, no flicker.
“You’re really leaning into the middle?schooler look,” Will said.
Brat shrugged, hands in the hoodie pocket.
“Guess your subconscious is stuck on this model,” he said. “You could do worse.”
He tipped his chin toward the not?sea. “All right. Priority one: rock?through?window. The message. You ready?”
Will followed his gaze. A thicker band of light ran under the black surface, brighter than the rest, a steady artery of motion beneath the crawling code.
“What do you need me to do?” he asked.
“Just speak,” Brat said. “Keep it simple. Who you are. That you’re alive. That you’re trying to get home. I’ll catch it, wrap it, and throw it at whatever’s listening on the other side.”
Will drew a breath.
“This is William Kellar,” he said. “I’m alive. I’m trapped in Haven. I’m trying to get home. It’s been ten years here, as far as I can tell.”
As he spoke, the black surface below them rippled without sound. Threads of pale code peeled up from beneath it, drawn toward Brat’s hands. They tangled together into a buzzing knot—gold and white, edged faintly in blue—hanging in the air between his fingers.
“Got it,” Brat murmured. The knot compressed, shrinking into a hard point of light that hummed like a held breath. “All right. One shot. Your words, my aim.”
He pivoted toward the horizon and flung the light as if throwing a stone.
The point of light arced out and vanished over the black horizon. For a moment, nothing moved.
A faint glow built in Brat’s eyes, catching under the shadow of his hood as if someone had turned up a backlight.
“Is that it?” Will asked.
Brat lifted a hand without looking at him, a small, sharp gesture to wait. “Almost,” he murmured. “I’m still watching the line it rode out on and tracking whether the system twitches at your user signature.”
His gaze followed something only he could see, head tilting as if listening sideways.
“Will,” he said, quieter, “I just caught a ping from a similar tag. Not the message. Separate traffic. Identity built off the same root as yours. Family?linked. Kellar.” He hesitated. “I think it’s Mira.”
“Mira?” The name punched out of him. “She’s here?”
Brat shook his head once. “Not here,” he said. “We’re in…architecture nether space, kind of. Just existing between code pulses while that message rides the edge.”
He glanced back toward the invisible line.
“She’s logged into Elysion. The main game.” Brat’s mouth quirked, humorless. “But her tag was built off the same family root as yours. I might be able to force a connection. Briefly.”
He looked up at Will. “It would be rough, and it might light you up to anything watching this band. Do you want to take the risk?”
Will hesitated for a heartbeat, breath catching. “Do it,” he said. The word came out flat and certain.
Brat nodded once. “Okay,” he murmured. “Hold on.”
His eyes brightened, glow flaring under the shadow of his hood as if someone had turned the backlight up another notch.
The cliff, the black code?sea, the thin strip of sky all wavered—edges blurring, colors washing out—then tore away in a rush of static.
As his vision snapped back into focus, the world had changed.
A plaza spread around him, tiled in floating hexagons edged with neon. Avatars blurred past at the edges of his vision in impossible armor and wings, their movements just a little too jerky, like frames dropping in a lag spike. Overhead, a tower of logos and banners rotated slowly, casting different shades of light over everything.
Above each avatar’s head, a player tag floated—a name, a level bracket—stacked in clean UI layers that had never been seen in Haven before.
And standing off to the side, half in the spill of a rotating banner’s light, a girl stood very still, head tipped as if someone had just called her name from a distance.
Not the five-year-old on the terrace. Older now. Fifteen. Taller, shoulders set, dark hair hacked shorter on one side and pulled back in a careless clip. Cosmetic armor skin that didn’t quite match, like she’d thrown it on without caring how it looked.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The player tag hanging over her avatar read:
[MIRA KELLAR [Lv 32]]
Will’s breath caught.
“Mira,” he said.
She flinched, eyes widening, gaze snapping through whatever interface she was seeing until it landed on him. For a heartbeat, the plaza, the avatars, the rotating ads all seemed to fall away.
“Uncle Will?” she said.
Her eyes narrowed, fast. “That’s not possible,” she said. “Haven’s supposed to be sealed.”
“I know,” he said. “We cheated. Just for a second.”
She stared at him and then down at Brat by his side, throat working.
“Dad said…” She stopped, swallowed, tried again. “Dad said if anything from Haven ever talked to us, we were supposed to log it and cut. No conversation. Just proof you were actually there.”
“Of course he did,” Will said. “Then let this be proof. I’m alive. I’m in there. I’m trying to get home.”
She exhaled, a short, shaky breath. “He never stopped working on it,” she said. “On you. On…all of it.” Her mouth twisted. “He’s going to lose his mind when he sees this log.”
“Good,” Will said. “Tell him I’m trying to get home.”
“Then keep going,” she cut in. “Dad thinks there are deep pieces tied to you in there. Old code under the game. Four of them. He couldn’t see all the way down, but he was sure about that much.” Her gaze locked on his. “His exact words were: if Will’s still in there, he needs all four.”
Four. Champion. Shadow. Two more he hadn’t touched yet.
“I’ll find them,” he said.
“Then I’ll make sure he sees this,” she said. “We’ll look for you from this side.”
She hesitated, just for a heartbeat.
“Come home, Uncle Will,” she said quietly.
The plaza shuddered, light shearing at the edges of his vision. The hex tiles ghosted, avatars stuttered, and then the whole space tore away in a wash of static.
When the static faded, Will and Brat were standing in white.
No sky, no ground—just a blank horizon in every direction, like the world had been erased down to primer.
Brat stood a few steps away in the emptiness, hoodie and sneakers the only points of color. Hands in his pockets, he watched Will with a tight, measuring look.
“I had to cut the line,” he said. “I was starting to pick up other processes sniffing around the edges.”
He exhaled once, sharp. “While you were talking, I got confirmation the message landed somewhere. It hit a live node.”
He tipped his head, a small nod. “And between the broadcast and her log,” he added, “people on the outside know you’re still alive and fighting.”
Will’s hand closed once, hard, at his side.
“So that’s it,” he said. “The pieces we’ve been tripping over—they’re my way out. All four.”
“Then we keep moving,” Brat said. “No more tricks like this for a while. That was enough excitement for one night.”
The white around them thinned, color bleeding in at the edges. Then it folded inward, and Will woke in his own bed with his heart hammering and the taste of static at the back of his throat.
The ceiling was the same blue mural. The palace hummed its same quiet.
But Mira had heard him. And somewhere under Haven’s skin, two more buried pieces were waiting.
[SYSTEM LOG: END OF ACT IV STATUS REPORT]
[NAME: WILLIAM VALCAIRN]
[TITLE: PRINCE OF AELORIA, LORD OF BELHAVEN | THE FIRST CHAMPION (5% XP BONUS)]
[DESIGNATION: THE DREAMER PRINCE]
[CLASS: SHADOW | CHAMPION]
[LEVEL: 25 | XP: 30,000 / -- ]
[SOCIAL SYNC: 64.00]
[STATUS: ACTIVE]
[VIP BUILD: ACTIVE]
[HEALTH: 880 / 880 (100%)]
[STAMINA: 815 / 815 (100%)]
[MANA: 395 / 395 (100%)]
[REGEN: 10% PER HOUR | ROYAL SIGNET BONUS (+50%) → 15% PER HOUR TOTAL]
[ARMOR CLASS: 40 (PASSIVE) | 55 (MAX ACTIVE)]
[DAMAGE MITIGATION: 40% | 55% WHEN SHIELD ACTIVE]
[ELEMENTAL RESISTANCE: FIRE 25% | WATER 40% | AIR 25% | EARTH 25% | ARCANE 25%]
──────────────────────────────
[ATTRIBUTES]
STR: 17 | DEX: 17 | CON: 15 | INT: 15 | WIS: 15 | CHA: 15
Shadow Gain per Level → +10 HP | +17 SP | +5 MP
──────────────────────────────
[CLASS SKILLS]
THROWN WEAPONS (ADVANCED)
STEALTH (ADVANCED)
SHADOW STEP: A Shadow slips between points of darkness, briefly dissolving into the ambient gloom to reappear at a nearby shadowed location with precise control.
LIGHT BLADES (ADVANCED)
SHIELD DEFENSE (ADVANCED)
CHAMPION’S RESOLUTE: Fortifies nearby allies, increasing regeneration and defense within a fixed radius.
[COMMON SKILLS]
RHETORIC (ADVANCED) | PERCEPTION (ADVANCED) | ARCANE LITERACY (ADVANCED) | COMPOSURE (ADVANCED)
[SPECIALIZED SKILLS]
EMPATHY (ADVANCED)
──────────────────────────────
[EQUIPMENT]
MAIN HAND → Royal Sword of Valcairn (Epic, Rank 2)
+3 Damage | Azure Flame Attribute | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
OFF HAND → Royal Buckler of House Valcairn (Shield) (Epic, Rank 2)
+15 AC (Inactive) | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
SECONDARY → Royal Dagger of Valcairn (Rare, Rank 1)
+1 Damage | +1 Dexterity while wielded | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
SECONDARY (THROWN) → Shadow Bracer (Rare, Rank 1)
3 Knives | Auto-Recall | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
ARMOR → Royal Issue Shirt of Mithril Mail (Rare, Rank 2)
+15 AC | Auto-Repair | Weightless | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
SET → Royal Garb of Belhaven (Attire Set)
Passive: +25 AC while wearing official royal attire (any two pieces)
ACCESSORY 1 → Signet of the Prince
Regeneration +50% | Active
ACCESSORY 2 → Traveler’s Sigil Band (Uncommon)
Passive Temperature Adjustment | Water Resistance +40% | Active
ACCESSORY 3 → Brooch of Verdant Grace (Rare)
Effect: Once per day, summon living vines to entangle nearby enemies for up to ten seconds. (Resets at dawn.)
ACCESSORY 4 → Lanternshade Clip (Rare)
Effect: Once per day, blend into ambient shadow for up to ten seconds, making the wearer extremely difficult to track. (Resets at dusk.)
ACCESSORY 5 → Blackwater Tide-Cuff (Rare)
Effect: Grants flawless vision in full darkness and heavy mist, rendering shadows as clear as daylight while preserving natural contrast.
(Passive. Always active while worn.)
UTILITY → Bag of Holding (Legendary, Rank 1)
Expanded Storage Capacity | Auto-Sort Enabled
SPECIAL ITEM → Drake Egg (Unhatched)
SPECIAL ITEM → Golden Key (??∴???-UNCLAS/ERR)
SPECIAL ITEM → Amethyst Key (???∴??-UNCLAS/ERR)
──────────────────────────────
[OPEN QUESTS]
- THE WHISPERING TREES — CORRUPTED DATA. (Edras)
- THE HOWLING BEAST OF THE WESTERN CLIFFS — Investigate nightly howls. (Union)
[CLOSED QUESTS]
- OATHS OF BLACKWATER — +18,000 XP | Shadow Class Quest Complete.
- COMPASS OF THE NIGHTWARD — +9,200 XP | Shadow Skill Rank Up.
- CATS IN THE WAREHOUSE — +2,800 XP | Shadow Skill Rank Up.
- THE AEGIS OF THE CROWN — +18,000 XP | Champion Class Quest Complete.
- ECHOES BENEATH THE CLIFFS — +9,150 XP | Champion Skill Rank Up.
- RATS IN THE VINEYARD — +2,700 XP | Champion Skill Rank Up.
- EXPLORE BELHAVEN — +100 XP | Quest Complete.
- MAINTENANCE OF THE CROWN’S STEEL — +50 XP | Hidden Quest Complete.
──────────────────────────────
[SYSTEM ANOMALIES]
> Unauthorized Cross?Shard Contact Detected
> Source: Project HAVEN (VIP Therapeutic Shard)
> Signal Type: Compressed User Message + Family?Linked Identity Glimpse
> External Awareness: CONFIRMED (Log Event: [KELLAR.MIRA])
> Containment Status: Hairline Breach | Monitoring Level: ELEVATED
──────────────────────────────
[NOTES: BRAT]
“Short version? The rock hit something.
Someone on the outside knows you’re alive and still swinging.
“And your niece seeing you in real time?
Yeah. That was not in Haven's wellness brochure.”
──────────────────────────────
[END OF ACT IV]
> DREAM RETAINED
> QUARANTINE FRACTURED
> MULTICLASS ERROR DETECTED
> DREAMER FLAG: ESCALATING