Chapter 1 - The Awakening

The world around him was endless white—so bright it felt like standing inside a star. Han Yuwei blinked, shielding his eyes, but no shadow appeared. Everything shimmered, soft yet overwhelming.

“Hello?” His voice echoed strangely, bouncing back as if the space itself answered him.

“Hello? Is anybody here?”

Silence.

Then—blue light shimmered into being, coiling like smoke, condensing into the faint silhouette of a man. His presence was deep and vast, like a mountain wrapped in oceans.

The figure bowed his head.

“My lord,” he said in a voice that rumbled like thunder and whispered like wind, “welcome back. It has been too long.”

Han Yuwei froze. “Wait… my lord? Who are you calling ‘lord’? Who even are you?”

“You are the One. You are me, and I am you. We are bound, through destiny.”

Yuwei’s mouth twitched. “Hah? That sounds like some bad webnovel dialogue. You got the wrong guy—I’m just a student who oversleeps.”

The figure didn’t laugh. “Please. Don’t waste time. Without you, worlds collapse. People are dying in your absence.”

Before Yuwei could reply, the figure dissolved like smoke in wind.

A sudden warmth pressed against the back of his neck. His eyes snapped open.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains. His mother’s hand rested on his shoulder.

“Yuwei, you sleep too much,” she scolded gently. “Come on, wake up.”

He yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Ah… morning, Mother.”

“Don’t ‘ah’ me. You’re late for class again. Get up, wash, eat something.” She headed toward the kitchen, already muttering about lazy sons and ruined schedules.

Han Yuwei sat up, scratching his messy black hair. His heart still pounded faintly from the dream, but he forced it down with a chuckle.

“A dream, huh? Figures.”

Still, part of him couldn’t shake the way that voice had felt—not like a dream, but like a memory.

He bathed quickly, slipped into his academy uniform, and slung his bag over his shoulder. As he opened the door, his mother called out, holding a slice of bread and a cup of coffee.

“Yuwei, at least take this with you!”

He shook his head, already halfway out. “I’ll eat later. If I stay another second, I’ll really be late.”

“Hopeless child!”

The streets of Yunhai bustled with life—vendors shouting, buses honking, students running with bags flapping. Han Yuwei jogged along, glancing at his watch, when a familiar voice rang out.

“Oi, Yuwei! Late again?”

It was Zhou Ming, his childhood friend, leaning lazily on his motorbike. His grin was wide, mischievous.

“Not my fault,” Yuwei muttered, climbing on behind him. “Dreams kept me busy.”

“Ohhh, dreams? Don’t tell me it’s about a girl. You’re too handsome for your own good, you know that? All the seniors are talking.”

Yuwei smirked faintly. “If being handsome made me immune to exams, I’d be grateful. Sadly, it doesn’t.”

Zhou Ming roared with laughter as he revved the bike. “Fair enough, bro. Hold tight!”

Within minutes, they pulled up at Cloudveil Academy, its towering gates shining with morning sun. Students poured in, some gossiping, some yawning, some rushing.

Han Yuwei adjusted his bag, his expression calm as ever. But inside, that dream still gnawed at him. My lord… welcome back.

Could an ordinary dream really feel so real?