Each race in Dream Land Online had its own unique starting town. For some races, there was only one such town.

  But the humans were different. Their reach stretched across multiple countries, and so they had several starting towns, each positioned on the borders of various human territories.

  Among them was Stellar, a frontier town nestled at the northern edge of the Arkavia Kingdom. Though Stellar belonged to the Stelluna family in reality, in-game it was under royal ownership.

  If Lyra handed Stellar over to the royal family in exchange for funds, Stelluna would be relinquishing far more than just land. They would be surrendering their future, giving away a treasure more valuable than gold or jewels.

  And with Selini, this town they now lived in, left without knights, its defenses would crumble. It was a ticking time bomb, and its countdown nearing zero.

  Selini would fall to monsters, and with it, the last of the Stelluna bloodline, Cryssa, Lyra, and Roxy, would be extinguished.

  So Cryssa urged Lyra to sell the ancestral treasures instead of handing over Stellar, and Lyra could only stare, confused by her younger sister’s unexpected urgency.

  Cryssa straightened in her chair, her expression shifting from urgency to solemn conviction.

  “Sis… do you trust me?”

  Lyra replied without hesitation.

  “Of course.”

  But then her brows knit slightly.

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  Cryssa inhaled deeply, gathering the words she and Ayla had rehearsed in their minds.

  “Last night… I had a nightmare.”

  Lyra blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic.

  “...A nightmare?”

  Cryssa nodded slowly.

  “It felt… too real. Like I wasn’t dreaming at all. Like I was watching the future.”

  At that, Lyra’s expression grew serious.

  Cryssa’s voice lowered as she continued, her hands gripping her skirt tightly.

  “I saw this town… no, not just this town, but the entire world. Cities in ruin. Lands overrun by monsters. Countries collapsed. Some races… erased.”

  Lyra said nothing. She listened, every word weighing heavy in the air between them.

  Cryssa swallowed hard.

  “And Selini… this town… It was destroyed. And we… me, you, even Roxy… were dead.”

  She closed her eyes, as if trying to shut out the image, but the fear still lingered in her voice.

  “It’s going to happen this month. I don’t know when. It could be tonight, tomorrow, maybe next week.”

  She opened her eyes again and looked straight into Lyra’s sky-blue gaze.

  “But… next month, everything changes. Saviors will appear. They call themselves players… appearing suddenly in towns that have yet to fall.”

  She paused, the final revelation hanging heavy on her lips.

  “And one of those towns is… Stellar.”

  For a moment, silence reigned.

  Then Cryssa looked away, hesitant.

  “I-I know it sounds unbelievable, but—”

  “I trust you.”

  Cryssa blinked, startled.

  “Huh?”

  “I said I trust you.”

  Lyra repeated softly.

  “I believe your words.”

  “R-Really?”

  Cryssa stammered. Then Lyra nodded.

  “If you say that disaster is coming, then I’ll believe it.”

  Cryssa and Ayla both reeled in stunned silence. They had spent hours preparing explanations, even considering revealing Ayla’s existence just to convince Lyra. And yet… none of that had been needed.

  Lyra smiled faintly at Cryssa’s expressions.

  “Even if it turns out to be just a dream, I’d still prepare. Because I might not trust anyone else anymore, but I trust you and Roxy.”

  Cryssa’s eyes widened, a lump rising in her throat.

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  She could only stare at her sister as warmth and guilt tangled painfully in her chest. She expected doubt or even scorn, but Lyra gave her unwavering belief, without needing proof or reason.

  That quiet, unquestioning trust struck deeper than any plea could have. Her heart ached, not just with gratitude, but with the sudden, overwhelming need to be worthy of that faith.

  But then Lyra chuckled.

  “Besides… there is another reason.”

  Lyra turned toward the window. Outside, sunlight poured in, casting long streaks of gold across the room.

  “Last week… the church delivered an oracle.”

  Cryssa leaned in, listening.

  “They said the world would soon face destruction… but hundreds of thousands of saviors would rise to save and rebuild it.”

  Cryssa flinched. Ayla, too, fell silent within her.

  Lyra chuckled dryly.

  “Of course, no one believed them. I didn’t either.”

  Then she turned to meet Cryssa’s gaze again.

  “And you didn’t even know about the oracle, did you?”

  Cryssa shook her head. She hadn’t left her room in weeks. Her only contact had been the maids delivering food, and occasionally Roxy, who begged her to come out and play.

  Lyra’s voice softened.

  “Yet you said the same thing. And even more detailed than they did.”

  She stood, her resolve firm.

  “It will happen within this month, right? I’ll make preparations. I’ll hire any mercenaries I can find to defend Selini and Stellar. I’ll do everything in my power to protect what’s left of our house.”

  Cryssa stood up as well, her voice rising in panic.

  “B-But! The cost will be astronomical! And our debt—Ouch!”

  Her frantic protest was cut off by a sharp flick to her forehead. Cryssa yelped and rubbed the spot, blinking at her sister in protest.

  Lyra stepped closer, her expression sobering, and a small chuckle escaped her lips, light and genuine.

  “Our entire fortune means nothing if we lose our name.”

  “We may not wear shining armor or ride warhorses, but that doesn’t mean we can’t act like knights.”

  “We might not be able to protect the kingdom, but at the very least, we will protect our people, even if we have to borrow someone else’s swords to do it.”

  Cryssa opened her mouth, but Lyra held up a hand.

  “And before you start crying about gold again, what use is gold when the world’s on fire? Isn’t that why you suggested pawning off our ancestor’s dusty statues in the first place?”

  Cryssa’s eyes widened. Lyra had seen right through her reasoning.

  She’s always been sharp, Cryssa thought, a mix of admiration and pride welling up in her chest. Even now, burdened by responsibility and exhaustion, Lyra was already thinking ahead, already planning for the arrival of the so-called saviors.

  Then, with the smoothness of a noble delivering a business decree, Lyra added with a mischievous smile.

  “Mhm. I’ll sell every mansion we own outside of Selini and Stellar to that smug merchant. If that’s not enough, I’ll throw in the estates in other countries too.”

  Her smile widened, teeth flashing like polished steel.

  “Let him feel like he’s scored a fortune for a few days. Let him throw parties in places that’ll be monster dens.”

  A sharp, satisfied laugh followed, like the edge of a blade.

  Cryssa blinked, momentarily stunned.

  Just moments ago, her sister had spoken of protecting the people… and now she was casually condemning someone to live in ruins.

  But then, unexpectedly, Cryssa laughed too.

  It was the first real laugh she’d felt in what seemed like forever.

  This woman before her, this was the Lyra she knew. Not the weary, burdened leader crushed by responsibility. But the bright, clever, terrifyingly brilliant Lyra who faced even the darkest situations with sharp wit and unwavering confidence. Her warmth radiated like sunlight, and Cryssa felt it melt away a layer of the fear she’d been carrying.

  And now, Cryssa understood why selling the mansions hadn’t been Lyra’s first choice. Those homes had always been useful, rest stops during long journeys, venues for noble gatherings, or quiet retreats during vacation.

  But in a world on the brink of collapse…

  What use were mansions in lands that would soon be crawling with monsters? What did ownership even mean when entire nations would crumble?

  Even if the buildings somehow remained standing, they could still use them whenever they returned, deed or no deed. In a ruined world, there’d be no bureaucrats left to check property rights. Shelter would be taken, not claimed.

  Lyra turned, ready to leave the room, already planning her next steps.

  But Cryssa called out, voice clear and steady.

  “Sis!”

  Lyra paused, glancing back over her shoulder.

  Cryssa stood tall, fists clenched at her sides, eyes full of resolve. Her voice trembled slightly, not with fear but declaration.

  “I will carry on Father’s legacy!”

  “I will become a knight!”

  “And I… I will protect you!”

  Lyra was taken aback.

  In any other situation, Lyra might have laughed, might have given her little sister a playful scolding or a gentle chop on the head for her melodramatic declaration. But this time, she didn’t.

  Because she saw it in Cryssa’s blue-sky eyes.

  That ice.

  Still unshaped, like a shard waiting to be honed. Calm, yet resolute. A quiet edge that would, in time, become unbreakable steel.

  Lyra could already see it, her once-sheltered sister, growing into something precise and unyielding. A knight in more than title. Like their father, measured, composed, and when necessary, cold as winter steel… but never without compassion.

  And as her older sister, Lyra knew exactly what she had to do.

  Lyra tilted her head, a slow, knowing smirk tugging at her lips.

  “You?”

  Cryssa straightened her posture, puffing up her chest ever so slightly.

  “Yes. Me.”

  Lyra gave her a once-over, her eyes trailing down the length of Cryssa’s frilly white gown. She lifted a brow and pointed with a teasing finger.

  “In that dress?”

  Cryssa glanced down, then awkwardly tugged at the lace trim.

  “…Eventually.”

  Lyra shook her head and chuckled, a warm, amused sound that filled the room. Cryssa’s cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t look away.

  Then, with surprising gentleness, Lyra stepped forward. She placed a hand on Cryssa’s head, her fingers brushing lightly through her silver hair.

  Her voice softened, threaded with both affection and pride.

  “Give it your best, my little knight.”

  Cryssa looked up, her eyes shimmering, not from tears, but from joy.

  That one sentence, so simple yet so full, settled deep in her heart.

  And then, just as the moment threatened to turn too sentimental, Lyra ruined it in the most Lyra way possible.

  She turned toward the door with a casual wave and added over her shoulder.

  “And maybe get a sword first before declaring war next time.”

  Cryssa blinked, then broke into a helpless laugh.

  Yep.

  That was her older sister.

  “And I will be her little knight.”

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