Matter dissolved beneath his weight. The air turned to static, stripping the warmth from his limbs in a sudden, numbing sweep.
The world fell into a hollow vacuum, every sound extinguished as if a master wire had been cut. His pulse hit a jagged wall, thrashed once, then flattened.
Then came the shift.
The dreamscape unfolded into absolute null space: an infinite expanse of starless black, utterly featureless, no up or down, no horizon to anchor the eye. Weightlessness cradled him, two figures emerging in dual pools of soft luminescence that pushed back the void just enough to define them.
Adrian coalesced first, his form snapping into sharp relief. At fifty-two, time had been merciless—gaunt cheeks hollowed under high cheekbones, silver threading his once-dark hair in unruly waves, eyes recessed in shadowed sockets from a decade of sleepless audits and buried grief. The vigorous forty-two-year-old man Will remembered was a ghost, replaced by this weathered person whose shoulders seemed permanently stooped under the invisible load of the Kellar legacy.
Will’s own form snapped into a jarring, youthful relief. He was the polar opposite: a man in his mid-twenties prime. His shoulders were straight and taut, his skin flawless and vibrant—a version of himself refined by a system to meet its own standard of perfection.
"Will?" Adrian's voice pierced the vacuum, hoarse and breaking, laced with ten years of crushing silence.
Emotion overrode thought. Will propelled forward through the void, arms enveloping the taller Adrian in a desperate, bone-crushing hug. They locked together, digital ether simulating the press of chests and the shared tremor of breaths neither truly drew. Ten years of silence—missed birthdays, crises, growth—evaporated in that clasp, tears manifesting unbidden in their eyes. Adrian's grip dug like iron, his fingers trembling against Will’s back as if fearing a sudden dissolution.
They eased apart reluctantly, hands remaining on shoulders, foreheads nearly touching. Will's gaze roamed the changes: crow's feet etching laugh lines turned to permanent tracks of pain, hands veined and callused from ceaseless, frantic console work.
"Adrian," Will breathed, his voice vibrating through the space. "God, I can't believe you're actually here. I’ve missed you so much..."
Adrian let out a weary, jagged chuckle, his eyes tracing the unlined skin and vibrant clarity of Will’s face. He gave Will’s shoulder a final, grounding squeeze. "And you... I see the system spared no expense making you perfect."
The warmth faded quickly as the weathered pragmatist returned. Adrian pulled back slightly, his gaze sharpening as he scanned the oppressive black of the void with a look of deep suspicion. "Is this space secure? Where is he? Brat, are you here?"
Brat materialized at the periphery, his boyish pixels glowing with a subdued, steady intensity. He hovered a few feet off the floor like a vigilant sprite, hands clasped behind his back in a pose of artificial stillness.
"Sorry I couldn't tip you off sooner, Will," he interjected, his voice pitched low and calm. "Had to play it airtight. Subverting your Dreamer Prince protocol was the only way I could bridge both of you in a single instance."
He turned his gaze toward Adrian then, his expression shifting from soft apology to a cool, professional arrogance. He offered a sharp, one-shouldered shrug. "And yes, Adrian, the space is secure. I built it, didn’t I?"
He cast a quick, calculating look around the void. “But we don’t have much time. I can only mask the processing draw for so long before it gets flagged by the core.”
Will absorbed the news with a nod, casting a brief, searching look at Brat before turning back to his brother, urgency sharpening his focus. "Brat said some things... How are they, Adrian? Mira? Noah?"
Adrian’s expression fractured, the brief joy yielding to a heavy, paternal ache. "Mira’s... she’s become something I don't quite recognize. She’s strong, Will—and hard. Too hard for her age. She spends every waking hour in the sims, training to be some kind of digital vanguard. She’s looking for a fight I can't talk her out of."
He paused, his voice dropping into a hollow register as his gaze fell. "And Noah... he’s just gone quiet. He’s become afraid of everything, Will. It’s like he’s waiting for the ceiling to fall. He’s a ghost in his own skin, hiding in the real-world." Adrian’s face tightened, his voice cracking. "I failed them. I was supposed to protect them from all of this, and I failed."
Will reached out, his hands finding Adrian’s shoulders again—his grip offering a steadying weight. "Adrian, stop. Blaming yourself is pointless," he said, his voice firm. "There is so much we don’t know. So much we haven't uncovered yet."
Adrian let out a long, shaky breath and nodded, a slight moisture catching in his eye before he blinked it back. "You're right," he muttered, pulling himself back into the present. "Our time is limited, and we need to get you out of here... back home." He motioned toward the periphery, where Brat stood partially behind and to the side of Will. "I’m working with your little sidekick here to find the seam."
Brat leaned out from behind Will just far enough to blow a loud, wet raspberry at Adrian.
Will offered Brat a brief, appreciative smile before turning back to his brother. "So, what’s next?"
"We’re conducting a full sweep of the nodes to find where Haven is physically located," Adrian explained, his tone shifting into the practical rhythm of a technician. "It’ll take time, but that’s only half the battle. You’ll need to get these..." He glanced at Brat. "...these deep-rooted access keys in order for us to eject your consciousness."
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Brat gave a sharp, decisive nod.
"He tells me you’re almost at the third key?" Adrian asked.
"Yes," Will confirmed. "We should hopefully have it in the next day or two. Then only the final one remains."
"Good. Hopefully by then we’ll have located the shard and can use it to transfer you back." Adrian’s expression shifted, his voice growing dim as the implications of the return set in. "Once we do that, we’ll need to figure out next steps..."
Brat stepped forward, his boyish face suddenly cold and sharp. "Killing a god named Gareth."
Adrian’s face tightened at the bluntness of it, but after a tense second, he nodded slightly.
"But on that note," Brat interjected, his pixels beginning to flicker, "this family reunion is about over. The clock’s bled dry and I can't risk discovery. Say your goodbyes."
Adrian reached out, gripping Will’s arm one last time. "This is almost over, Will. I swear."
The null space convulsed, fractals of white code spiderwebbing the black. Brat’s parting chime cut through the static: "Sweet dreams terminated. Rise and shine, princeling—dawn breaks."
The void collapsed, hurling Will back to the waking world of the palace.
[SYSTEM LOG: END OF ACT II STATUS REPORT]
[NAME: WILLIAM VALCAIRN]
[TITLE: PRINCE OF AELORIA, LORD OF BELHAVEN | THE FIRST CHAMPION (5% XP BONUS)]
[DESIGNATION: THE DREAMER PRINCE]
[CLASS: ARCANIST | SHADOW | CHAMPION]
[LEVEL: 16 | XP: 0 / 1600]
[SOCIAL SYNC: 84.75]
[STATUS: ACTIVE]
[VIP BUILD: ACTIVE]
[HEALTH: 955 / 955 (100%)]
[STAMINA: 910 / 910 (100%)]
[MANA: 702 / 702 (100%)]
[REGEN: 10% PER HOUR | ROYAL SIGNET BONUS (+50%) → 15% PER HOUR TOTAL]
[ARMOR CLASS: 40 (PASSIVE) | 55 (MAX ACTIVE)]
[DAMAGE MITIGATION: 40% | 55% WHEN SHIELD ACTIVE]
[ELEMENTAL RESISTANCE: FIRE 25% | WATER 40% | AIR 25% | EARTH 25% | ARCANE 35%]
──────────────────────────────
[ATTRIBUTES]
STR: 17 | DEX: 17 | CON: 15 | INT: 15 | WIS: 16 | CHA: 15
Arcanist Gain per Level → +5 HP | +5 SP | +21 MP
──────────────────────────────
[CLASS SKILLS]
EVOCATION (ADVANCED)
ABJURATION (ADVANCED)
THROWN WEAPONS (ADVANCED)
STEALTH (ADVANCED)
SHADOW STEP: A Shadow slips between points of darkness, briefly dissolving into the ambient gloom to reappear at a nearby shadowed location with precise control.
LIGHT BLADES (ADVANCED)
SHIELD DEFENSE (ADVANCED)
CHAMPION’S RESOLUTE: Fortifies nearby allies, increasing regeneration and defense within a fixed radius.
[SPELLS]
FIREBALL
MYSTIC MANTLE
[COMMON SKILLS]
RHETORIC (ADVANCED) | PERCEPTION (ADVANCED) | ARCANE LITERACY (ADVANCED) | COMPOSURE (ADVANCED)
[SPECIALIZED SKILLS]
EMPATHY (ADVANCED)
[VIP ABILITIES]
ROYAL COMMAND: User may issue a single direct command to any Player or NPC.
──────────────────────────────
[EQUIPMENT]
MAIN HAND → Royal Sword of Valcairn (Legendary, Rank 1)
+4 Damage | Azure Flame Attribute | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
OFF HAND → Royal Buckler of House Valcairn (Shield) (Epic, Rank 2)
+15 AC (Inactive) | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
SECONDARY → Royal Dagger of Valcairn (Rare, Rank 1)
+1 Damage | +1 Dexterity while wielded | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
SECONDARY (THROWN) → Shadow Bracer (Rare, Rank 5)
4 Knives | Auto-Recall | Bleeds: 10 Damage/Sec for 5 Sec (Stacks) | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
ARMOR → Royal Issue Shirt of Mithril Mail (Rare, Rank 2)
+15 AC | Auto-Repair | Weightless | Upgradeable → Legendary (Rank 5) | Soulbound
SET → Royal Garb of Belhaven (Attire Set)
Passive: +25 AC while wearing official royal attire (any two pieces)
ACCESSORY 1 → Signet of the Prince
Regeneration +50% | Active
ACCESSORY 2 → Traveler’s Sigil Band (Uncommon)
Passive Temperature Adjustment | Water Resistance +40% | Active
ACCESSORY 3 → Brooch of Verdant Grace (Rare)
Effect: Once per day, summon living vines to entangle nearby enemies for up to ten seconds. (Resets at dawn.)
ACCESSORY 4 → Lanternshade Clip (Rare)
Effect: Once per day, blend into ambient shadow for up to ten seconds, making the wearer extremely difficult to track. (Resets at dusk.)
ACCESSORY 5 → Blackwater Tide-Cuff (Rare)
Effect: Grants flawless vision in full darkness and heavy mist, rendering shadows as clear as daylight while preserving natural contrast. (Passive. Always active while worn.)
ACCESSORY 6 → Arcanist Null Ring (Rare)
Effect: Once per day, gain complete magic immunity for 10 seconds. (Resets at dawn.)
UTILITY → Bag of Holding (Legendary, Rank 1)
Expanded Storage Capacity | Auto-Sort Enabled
SPECIAL ITEM → Drake Egg (Unhatched)
SPECIAL ITEM → Golden Key (??∴???-UNCLAS/ERR)
SPECIAL ITEM → Amethyst Key (???∴??-UNCLAS/ERR)
──────────────────────────────
[OPEN QUESTS]
- THE WHISPERING TREES — CORRUPTED DATA. (Edras)
- THE GUARDIAN OF CINDERVALE — Face the awakened Echo of Arcanist Cindervale and claim mastery of the Isle. (Class)
[CLOSED QUESTS]
- THE TRIAD OF CINDERVALE — +8,200 XP | Arcanist Skill Rank Up. (Class)
- THE HOWLING BEAST OF THE WESTERN CLIFFS — +1,000 XP | Quest Complete. (Union)
- GNATS IN THE GRANARIES — +2,800 XP | Arcanist Skill Rank Up. (Class)
- OATHS OF BLACKWATER — +18,000 XP | Shadow Class Quest Complete.
- COMPASS OF THE NIGHTWARD — +9,200 XP | Shadow Skill Rank Up.
- CATS IN THE WAREHOUSE — +2,800 XP | Shadow Skill Rank Up.
- THE AEGIS OF THE CROWN — +18,000 XP | Champion Class Quest Complete.
- ECHOES BENEATH THE CLIFFS — +9,150 XP | Champion Skill Rank Up.
- RATS IN THE VINEYARD — +2,700 XP | Champion Skill Rank Up.
- EXPLORE BELHAVEN — +100 XP | Quest Complete.
- MAINTENANCE OF THE CROWN’S STEEL — +50 XP | Hidden Quest Complete.
──────────────────────────────
[SYSTEM ANOMALIES]
> Avatar Sync: PRINCE_WILLIAM -> WILL_KELLAR (STABLE)
> External Breach: DREAM_CHANNEL ACTIVE (SECURE)
> Shard Trace: AUDIT_PENDING (ADRIAN-KELLAR)
> Key Inventory: 2/4 ACQUIRED
> Threat Profile: GARETH_PROBES (LOW)
──────────────────────────────
[NOTES: BRAT]
"Brotherly love in null space: check. Adrian’s roadmap to your cryo-cage is cooking.
Pops aged like bad code but audits like a beast. Mira’s gone feral-warrior; Noah’s lost in silence. Dream pipe stays ghosted from Gareth’s sniffers.
Time to grab the third key.”
──────────────────────────────
[END OF ACT II]
> CORE SELF: ONLINE
> BROTHER_LINK CONFIRMED
> KEYS_PATH: ACTIVE
> WAKING WORLD: IN REACH