"Guys, good news." Shibaki said after bursting into my room from the main hall.

"Manners, Shibaki, use them." Rojin reminded.

"Yeah, whatever. Now, I got news. We're gonna have home field advantage in war. Recoding these effects altered the causes of the original three. It means we're free to head back home." Shibaki cheered.

"Well, that's a shame. This stay was shorter than last time." Riuyo complained.

I walk out from my corner to cheer up Riuyo and tell everyone to sit down.

"We might have to leave but we'll be back soon. Why wouldn't we, the mall has everything on sale and I'm dying to buy everything that I can get my hands on." I said jokingly before going to the closet and changing into a soft pair of pjs.

"Where did you get those?" Rojin asked.

"The pjs? Takira made them. The material is super soft and it helps me fall asleep faster." I gleamed happily.

"You seem out of your regular self." Satori suspected.

I brushed off the distraction from my head and it was like reality had reminded me of what might happen if things go wrong.

"Just sleepy. Nothing to worry about." I faked a smile.

I didn't know why I felt so calm. It could be because of my friends being there to back me up or because I'm smiling. Sometimes, smiling at the face of danger is one of the best things anyone can do whenever they're in a tough situation. Especially if that danger is the cold and merciless jaws of death waiting for you to slip and fail. I knew the task was gonna be a difficult one. It was gonna get tougher now with Yukai and the others in their critical conditions. It seemed like the king had to make fue with only the pawns.

"Anyone up for a sleepover?" I asked cheerfully.

Everyone seemed to like the idea and brought their own pillows and I pulled on a rope, signaling the maids to bring in some late night snacks. After a few minutes, the maids walk in with trays full of sweets and a kart for late night drinks like hot chocolate or milk tea with a caramel drizzle over a snowy white foam layer.

"Ah, that really is a great way to melt away the stress." I started after drinking some of my milk tea.

"This tea is super sweet, I need to know the recipe for it." Shibaki joked.

"It's my own personal recipe. Maids are sworn to secrecy when it's time for them to learn it." I replied after a second taste of the warm drink.

"Well, whatever it is, it's freaking fantastic!" Jinriu gleaming before downing the glass in one chug.

"Glad you liked it. We should have more events like these. We rarely get to have time to ourselves like this, so I believe that we should have one after this battle. Maybe it'll taste sweeter without the pre-battle stress." I replied calmly.

The hours went by and it was around the early hours of dawn. Everyone was having a good time, but we could barely keep our eyes open. Riuyo was the first one to pass out, collapsing on his section of the room. Shibaki and Jinriu soon followed, both of them curled up next to each other like twins. Meanwhile, the twins slept at equal distances from each other. Only a small handful of us were able to stay awake. The only reason why I couldn't fall asleep was because of some reoccurring nightmares. I hated them because they usually turned out to be visions about the future. And they were mostly correct and unchangeable.

"Don't... fall... asleep, Naku." Rojin said as he yawned before passing out.

I was a bit confused. Did he know about my nightmares? Was he playing around? Did he mean it without even knowing what he was saying? That kinda scared me a bit. Only enough to keep me awake while everyone slept. Little did he know I fell asleep too. Shortly after everyone had drifted into a deep sleep.

I had passed out on my bed, covered up in soft sheets, slowly drifting into one of the most unforgettable nightmares that I'm sure will become a reality soon.

----<Inside the nightmare>----

"Naku, were loosing most of the reinforcements. I don't know if we'll be able to keep up like this. Most of us are getting injured faster than our recovery spells can heal us. At this rate, the chances of dying will skyrocket through the roof in a matter of minutes." Rojin explained.

I sighed at the news and looked at Rojin with deadly serious eyes. I handed him my guns and armor and changed into a more comfortable equipment.

"Take care of them for me. I'll miss you guys." I said, trying to hold back some tears. I have him a hug before drawing out my swords and walking out into battle.

I rushed around, swinging my swords at enemies, trying to save as many soldiers as I could, all while dodging bullets and other attacks.

"Look out!" Kaede yelled before attacking behind me. "I got your back. I already lost someone important, i can't loose anyone else." He added in determination.

I rushed straight towards the enemy's main base and started swinging as fast as ever. Bullets started getting dangerously close and the aiming began to get more accurate.

"Well, prince Naku, it appears that you have survived this far. Impressive." A shadowy figure chuckled in a blood curdling voice.

"I'm tired of tyrants trying to screw with my peaceful domain. It gets annoying!" I complained.

The figure looked down at me and immediately held a tight grip of my neck and started to choke me. "Watch your mouth you insolent brat. I'm the new king around this domain and I'll make sure my legacy will continue with the leadership of my son." He smirked before pinning me on the sacrificial altar.

He smiled as he got a knife and held it in the air. "Long live the king, right?" After saying that, he slammed the knife downwards.

----<in reality>----
The nightmare was bad enough for me to fall off the bed with a loud scream.

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Heyo people. Yes, I'm still alive and trying to continue my writing despite the immense writers block.  Hope you guys enjoy and keep in mind that I'll be writing a lot more throughout time. Don't stop liking and commenting.

'Till next time