Calvin’s breath hitched as a sudden flash of green light exploded in the void, cutting through the darkness and the oppressive pull of the fountain. The brilliance was so intense that for a moment, he couldn’t see anything but the blinding glow.Then, through the haze of light, he heard it—Lizzie’s voice.“Calvin, stop!” she screamed, her tone desperate and filled with urgency. “You’ll be trapped forever if you touch that fountain!”The words sliced through Calvin’s daze like a knife. He stumbled, his body still being pulled toward the fountain, but now with a growing sense of dread. Trapped forever? The idea sent chills down his spine, amplifying the alarm that the system had been trying to deliver.“Lizzie!” Calvin shouted, his voice strained with panic. “Lizzie, is that really you? I— I can’t stop! I’m being pulled in! Help me!”He twisted in the void, trying to locate her, but Lizzie wasn’t there. Only the swirling energy of the fountain and the ever-present darkness. Yet, her voi

Calvin lay still, his breath shallow, the weight of the dream world pressing down on him like a suffocating blanket. The cold ground beneath him seemed to pulse with the fading echo of the system's reboot message, but despite the promise of escape, his body felt heavier than before. Every muscle in his limbs refused to respond, as though they had surrendered to the dream's grasp.I need to wake up, he thought, but the thought was faint, more like a fading whisper than a command. He tried to move, to force his legs to push him upright, but it was like dragging himself through thick, viscous mud. His limbs felt like they were sinking, not into the ground, but into the very fabric of this reality.The fountain’s distant glow caught his eye again, shimmering with that otherworldly light that had beckoned him before. It no longer felt like a threat—it felt familiar, like an old friend calling him home. Why fight it? a voice in his head whispered. Maybe this is where you belong.Calvin’s he

Calvin’s gaze lingered on Lizzie, studying her with newfound intensity. The silence between them grew heavy, charged with the weight of his discovery. He shifted slightly, propping himself up against the pillows with a slow, deliberate motion. His body still ached from the unnatural slumber that had held him captive, but his mind was sharper now, processing the revelations stirring within him.Lizzie, sitting beside him, noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor. She had always been attuned to her brother’s moods, and she could see that something had clicked in his mind. Her concern deepened, but there was also curiosity in her eyes as she waited for him to speak.“Lizzie,” Calvin’s voice cut through the quiet air, soft yet edged with a new sense of urgency. The way he said her name made her heart skip a beat. “Do you know... what caused me to get trapped in that dream?”Lizzie furrowed her brow, her confusion apparent as she stared back at him. She hadn’t expected such a question, not

As the bodyguards received the text message, their once stoic expressions shifted. They exchanged brief glances before stepping aside, their firm stance dissolving instantly. Without a word, they allowed Alana through. Lizzie, standing nearby, noticed the abrupt change and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Her arms were tightly crossed over her chest, a mix of annoyance and worry playing on her features as she watched Alana stride past the guards and straight toward Calvin’s room.Alana’s initial frustration was palpable, her lips set in a thin line, and her movements brisk as she entered the room. Her earlier confrontation with the bodyguards had clearly irritated her, and she was still fuming from the altercation. But as soon as her eyes fell on Calvin, lying pale and weak on the bed, her entire demeanor shifted.Her arrogance faltered. The confident air she had carried with her vanished in an instant, replaced by something far more vulnerable. Her breath caught in her throat, and for

Alana didn’t waste a second, her voice slicing through the growing tension with the sharp precision of a well-honed blade. “Thank you for visiting my fiancé, Christina,” she said, the word fiancé rolling off her tongue with deliberate emphasis, each syllable an unmistakable stake in the ground. Her eyes flicked to Calvin briefly, then back to Christina, a subtle smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. The message was crystal clear: Calvin belonged to her, and she wanted Christina to understand that without question.Christina’s eyebrows lifted slightly in response, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she met Alana’s pointed gaze with a calm, unbothered smile, her poise unshaken. She took her time, letting a brief silence stretch between them before responding. “Oh yes, the engagement,” she said, her voice cool and measured, with a hint of mockery hidden beneath the surface. “Remind me, wasn’t it due to some... persuasion?” She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly, letting her words sink i