I've always been inexplicably drawn to empty spaces, finding them both fascinating and repelling. Last night, a peculiar dream haunted me, more of a journey than a dream, into a world where darkness reigned supreme and daylight was a mere flicker. Intrigued, I explored this desolate landscape, barren rocks and somber trees with black leaves and even darker bark the only scenery. No sign of life anywhere.

In this dreary dreamscape, I felt no fear, just a sense of boredom. I pondered, why was my dream so dull and lifeless? Why couldn't I conjure up something more thrilling? Despite my attempts, imagination failed me. Eventually, tiring of the bleakness, I summoned my wings - and took to the air. However, the desolate land seemed to stretch on endlessly, and I was forced to land.

That's when I noticed shadows shifting in the distance, as if manipulated by an unseen force. Curious, I followed them, hoping to find something of interest. I even ventured into a cave that led to an ancient dungeon, but lost sight of the shadows and found nothing else. With no exit in sight, I used the light from my wings to search, but to no avail. I was hopelessly lost.

Suddenly, a heavy thud echoed through the silence, reminiscent of a dragon's footstep, or something far worse. Despite my efforts to flee, the sound grew louder and closer. My surroundings became terrifyingly confusing until a voice broke through, saying, "A visitor, how nice." I didn't recognize the voice, so I remained silent and hidden, hoping to blend in with the wall. But then, something touched my shoulder gently, even though I was backed against the wall.

Turning around, I found myself face-to-face with a dragon composed entirely of shadows. Torches lit up spontaneously, as if he wanted me to see him clearly. He was an enormous dark-shadow dragon, larger than any other dragon I had ever encountered. He spoke again, "What is a human doing here in the middle of the night?" I had no answer. What could I say? That this was all a dream, and he wasn't real?

As I attempted to move away, he said, "Don't bother running away. You'll only get more lost, and I'll find you easily. Tell me, why are you here?" This time, I responded, "Nothing, just passing through." He retorted, "Just passing through? Or looking for something?" When I denied looking for anything, he said, "I see. Well, perhaps there's a way out of this for you. What do you think?"

I remained silent, and he continued, "I understand. Let me explain what's happening. Or do you already know?" Confused, I asked, "What are you talking about?" He explained, "Listen carefully. You're asleep right now, aren't you? You're trapped in a place where you don't belong, and you want to go back home. I can help you with that. I know every corner of this world. All you need to do is tell me where you are exactly right now."

I felt uneasy, beginning to realize this wasn't just a figment of my imagination. I struggled to find the right words. After a while, I said, "Thank you for your offer, but someone will come for me soon and take me back home. It will be like nothing ever happened." He fell silent for a moment, then said, "You're lost." He added, "Come with me anyway. Let me show you something." And then he led me to a room with reflective walls that mirrored everything.

The walls of the room shifted, revealing another scene: the abandoned gates of the Kingdom of Aura. A voice asked me, "Do you recognize this place?" I hesitated, unsure if I should answer. It felt like he was probing me for something, but I didn't know what. Deciding honesty was the best route, I said, "I do." I paused, then added, "Why?" He responded, "Do you wish to return there?" I said, "Yes, but why are you asking me this?" He said, "What's wrong with a little conversation?"

The scene changed again, showing a frozen land with a distant kingdom shrouded in snow, devoid of life. He asked me, "Do you recognize this place too?" When I denied it, he said, "Would you like to visit it? I can guide you safely. It's not as bad as it looks, once you get past the storms and the cold." I declined his offer, seeing the place as inhospitable despite his assurances.

Feeling the need to assert my place, I asked, "I appreciate your help, but I don't even know who you are. Can I ask, who are you?" He replied cryptically, "Are you sure you want to know?" I insisted, "I want to know who I'm dealing with. Who are you?" His response was a lengthy and grandiose introduction that hinted at his unpopularity. "I'm a master of dark magic, thousands of years old. I've been here since the dawn of civilization, guarding the world and studying everything in it, especially rare phenomena like you, human Raphael."

Suspicious, I asked, "Wait, how do you know my name? And how do you know that I’m human?" He replied, "Someone told me, or maybe I just know everything." He proceeded to show me another scene, but I ignored it and retorted, "You can’t know everything. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be asking me where I am."

He didn't respond immediately, instead flipping through scenes rapidly, showcasing various places. Among them was the kingdom of the wyverns before its fall, a sight so magnificent that it drew a reaction from me, which he noticed. He asked, "Do you recognize this place?" I lied, "No, but it looks beautiful. Why?" He didn't answer, instead switching to the kingdom of the Whispering Wind. The sight of the same kingdom I was currently in, albeit smaller and weaker than its current state, made him realize something. "You’re here, and you need to leave. I know the way out. Just let me help you," he said. I replied, "Again, thanks, but no thanks. I don’t need to leave." He warned, "You should. Trust me. It’s for your own good. You’re in danger here." This filled me with fear. I felt no danger in this place and believed nothing could harm me there. Or so I thought.

The dark master dragon, whose name I still didn’t know, lost his patience and yelled, "Damn it. Accept my help! It’s for your own good! Listen to me and follow me, and you’ll be safe, Raphael!" I didn't like his commanding tone at all. Confidently, I said, "You’re very persistent. Even though you’re the ancient dragon you claim to be, thank you, but I don’t need your help. Goodbye." I started to walk out of the room, but as I was about to step outside, he said, "You won’t make it out alive. This is your last chance. Listen to me." I summoned my wings and, without looking back, flew through the maze that surrounded me.

As the torches were extinguished, I heard him yell one last time, "You won’t make it! You’re on your own! Good luck!" Suddenly, an earthquake shook the ground, and everything began to collapse. Although I knew this was a dream, I flew for my life.

A shadow appeared from the darkness. It bore my shape but was silent and ethereal. It gestured for me to follow it, and I hesitated. I didn’t trust this apparition, but the dungeon was collapsing around me, and I had no other choice. I followed the shadow through the crumbling corridors until we reached the exit. Outside, the light was blinding; it was nothing like the shadowy lands I had left behind. I turned to the shadow and said, "Whoever you are, thank you." I expected no response, thinking it was part of the dream, but to my surprise, it spoke in my voice. "You’re welcome, human Raphael."

I recognized those words from somewhere. Looking at the shadow closely, it was like a ghostly version of me and felt oddly familiar. I asked, "Do I know you?" It replied, "Possibly. Do I know you too?" Confused, I said, "I’m not sure." It changed the subject, "It doesn’t matter. Of course, you have a knack for avoiding bad deals, you know?" I asked, "What do you mean? Are you talking about the shadow dragon I just escaped from?" It said, "Every kind. Good job! Anyway, it’s time to wake up. Maybe we’ll meet again. Good luck."

I wanted to express my gratitude, but before I could, I woke up in the same place where I had fallen asleep: the kingdom of Freya. I was unharmed but somewhat perturbed. The dream had been so vivid and detailed. Had I just met the dark lord or something? I pondered this for a while before getting out of bed. Outside, it was still dark, but dawn was breaking. Then I heard a voice, but not the one I had just conversed with. "Good morning! How are you doing? I see you’re awake!" Annoyed, I thought, "Please stop," and it replied, "Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. Did you have a bad dream?" This time I answered, "What a nightmare! Who are you, anyway? Am I going crazy or what?" She said, "Not yet. You’re not crazy. Come on, you should recognize my voice. My name starts and ends with an 'A.'" Almost certain, I said, "Akira? Wow, I didn’t know you could do this." I expressed my surprise while pushing my hand against the wall, a way to release the building anger inside me.

Akira asked, "Sooo… how’s it going?" I replied, "I’ve been here for one day, and I’ve already discovered that sleeping is dangerous." She said, worriedly, "Oh no! You can’t avoid sleeping forever! Good luck with that!" I retorted sternly, "It’s not funny." I took a pen and wrote on a piece of paper what had happened in my dream so that I could study it later. She kept quiet until she saw me mention the dark master shadow dragon and exclaimed involuntarily, "Holy shit! Already?!"

I asked, "What? Are you okay? What did you say?" She sounded worried and embarrassed, as if she had revealed something she shouldn’t have: "Did you really see the dark lord in your dream?" I said, "I don’t know if he was the dark lord. He called himself 'an ancient dark master'. How do you know that? Did you read what I wrote?" She admitted: "I may have peeked at your paper… I’m sorry for invading your privacy. I’ll leave now and let you be. But please don’t show that to anyone or talk about it with anyone else seriously. We’ll discuss it when we get you back."

I reassured her, "It’s okay. I’ll keep this safe and secret, as you said. Thanks." She didn’t reply. She had already left. I was alone in a silent room near a bed on a giant desk in total silence. Work could wait. It was still too early in the morning. I had to write down the dream before it faded from my memory.