The morning feels wrong.
The sunlight, usually so warm and comforting, feels harsh against your skin. You can still hear the echo of the storm in your ears, the sound of the wind howling and the rain pounding against the ground. And Yunah's voice lingerd in the air, like a whisper you can't escape.
You sit up in bed, feeling an unfamiliar weight pressing down on your chest, as if the dream never really left. It's not the kind of dream you can just shake off.
You glance at your phone, but there are no new messages, no sign that anything in the world has changed. Everything is the same. But you know it's not. Not after what happened last night.
Your heart races as you try to push the feeling away. It was just a dream, you tell yourself. But then you remember the way Yunah looked at you, the fear in her eyes. The reapers... the dark figures that haunt the dream world, lurking at the edges of your mind. The way they hunt, not just for dreams, but for the people trapped inside them. And if you die in a dream, you die in real life.
The thought sends a cold shiver down your spine.
You try to shake it off, telling yourself it's all just your mind playing tricks, that nothing can follow you out of the dream world. But even as you get dressed and prepare for the day, the dread lingers.
You head to school, but the world feels different. The people around you seem distant, like they're just shapes moving in the periphery of your vision. The usual chatter in the halls sounds muffled, the faces of your classmates blurring together, as if you're not really there. It's like you're walking through a fog.
But then you see her.
Yunah.
She's sitting at a bench near the schoolyard, looking exactly like she does in the dreams - carefree, full of that mischievous energy you've always loved. But when she sees you, her smile falters, just for a second, before it returns. Her eyes meet yours, and there's a strange, silent understanding between you.
For a moment, it feels like the dream and reality are blending together, and you almost forget where you are.
You walk toward her, heart racing with a mix of fear and relief. "Yunah," you say, voice barely above a whisper. "I saw you. Last night, in the dream. I-"
She stands up quickly, cutting you off before you can say anything more. "Not here," she says, her voice urgent. "We need to talk. Somewhere else. It's not safe here."
Your pulse spikes as her words sink in. "Not safe? What do you mean? What's going on?"
Yunah glances around nervously, as if she's expecting someone, or something, to be watching. She grabs your wrist and tugs you toward a quiet spot behind the school, hidden from the main path. The moment you're out of sight, she stops, her usual energy gone, replaced by something colder, more serious. Her eyes scan the area again before she speaks.
"Y/N, I..." She hesitates, her brow furrowing in worry. "Last night, something happened. The reapers are real. They're hunting you, and they're not going to stop. They know you're connected to this world, and they're coming for you."
You freeze, your stomach dropping at the sound of her words. "What? How? Why? I don't understand, Yunah. What's happening?"
She looks at you, her expression filled with a sorrow that makes your heart ache. "You're not just a dreamer, Y/N. You're special. You're tied to the dream world in a way no one else is, and the reapers, they know that. If they catch you, if they kill you in your dream, you'll die for real. And they'll keep coming. They won't stop until they get you."
You take a shaky breath, trying to process what she's saying, but it's too much. It's too much to believe. Dream reapers? Death in a dream? It all feels like some twisted nightmare that shouldn't exist outside of your head. But the fear in Yunah's eyes tells you that it's real.
She's real.
"We have to leave," Yunah insists, pulling you from your thoughts. "They'll come for you in your sleep, Y/N. And once they do... there's no going back. But we can't fight them here. We have to go back to the dream world - where they can't reach us."
"Wait," you say, your voice shaky. "Back to the dream world? But what about you? You - you're not... you're not just a dream, right? Are you real?"
Yunah's gaze softens, but there's a sadness behind it. "I'm real. But so are you. You've been pulled into something bigger than either of us. And the only way to protect you is to face it head-on. You need to understand the rules of this place, of the dream world. It's the only way you'll survive."
You swallow hard, unsure of what to say. Every part of you is screaming to run, to avoid whatever dark fate awaits you, but Yunah's eyes, those eyes that have always been full of life, are filled with worry. You can't ignore her.
"You trust me, right?" she asks, her voice soft but firm.
You hesitate for just a moment, but then you nod. "I trust you."
"Good," she says, taking your hand in hers. Her grip is steady, the warmth of it grounding you. "Then come with me. We'll figure this out. Together."
You walk with her, your mind spinning with questions, doubts, and fears. You don't know how much time you have, but something tells you that whatever is coming, it's already too late to turn back.
The storm is coming.
And you're not sure if you're ready to face it.
But you know one thing for certain, Yunah will be with you. No matter what happens, she won't let you face it alone.
And that might just be the only thing keeping you from falling into the dark.
