NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: The Wife Who Waited in a Dream
🌀 Scene 1: A Door That Doesn't Open
Floor Three of the Tower was different.
There was no battle. No chaos. No throne or shadow to challenge them.
Instead, the team found themselves standing before a simple, white wooden door in the middle of an endless meadow. There was no handle. Just soft wind and the distant sound of laughter.
Jemil stood still.
Flare tilted her head. "It's just… grass. I don't smell blood or poison. That's either good or very bad."
Kaelira narrowed her eyes. "I sense distortion. Time… folded in on itself."
[Warning: Mental Realm Detected]
[Target: Wife #10 — Status: Lost in Constructed Reality]
[Identity: Layra — The Dreamweaver of Still Time]
Jemil stepped forward. The door shimmered… and pulled him in.
🌸 Scene 2: A Life That Wasn't
He woke up in a cottage.
A quiet village. Blue skies. Children's laughter.
Layra stood by the window, humming as she set the table for two.
She looked different than he remembered — soft robes, bare feet, hair tied in a braid. She smiled when she saw him.
"You're finally awake," she said. "Sleep well?"
He blinked.
"What… is this?"
She walked over and cupped his face.
"Our home. You retired after the war, remember? You said you'd never summon again. You promised."
🫧 Scene 3: The Illusion Thickens
Layra cooked. Jemil played along.
The villagers called him "Teacher." The children asked about fireballs and monsters.
Each day, the illusion became harder to fight.
She would curl into his chest at night and whisper, "We made it. We're finally safe."
Part of him wanted it to be real.
But he remembered the truth.
Flare. Kaelira. Irielle. Thalara. The Tower. The war.
And he remembered losing Layra in that final battle. She'd died shielding him.
Yet here she was, alive… and smiling.
🪞 Scene 4: The Mirror Shatters
On the fifth day, Jemil asked her:
"What if this isn't real?"
Layra's smile didn't fade.
"Does it matter?"
He paused. "To me, it does. If this is a dream, then someone is still waiting for you — the real you."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"I made this world for us," she whispered. "When I died, my soul clung to one memory… you. So I rewrote time inside the Tower."
"And if I leave?"
"I disappear."
Jemil stepped forward and gently kissed her forehead.
"Then come back. With me. The war isn't over. But we're stronger now. I want you by my side again."
She trembled.
"Even if I'm broken?"
"Even if you never fight again. Even if we just talk every day. Just be with me."
💍 Scene 5: The Dream Collapses
Layra cried.
For minutes.
Then… nodded.
The world shook. The sky shattered like glass.
Meadow. Cottage. Villagers. Gone.
They stood in the real tower — just Jemil and Layra, floating amidst the ruin of her illusion.
She reached out. "I don't have my magic anymore. Not like before."
Jemil grasped her hand. "You don't need it. I remember who you are."
[Bond Restored: Layra — Dreamweaver of Still Time]
[Wife #10 Recovered. Trust Level: Stabilized.]
[Skill Unlocked: Dreampulse Ward — Protects against all mind-altering effects.]
🧠 Scene 6: Reunion
Back in the Homeworld, the other wives greeted her with quiet respect.
Even Thalara gave her a nod. "Still soft as ever," she muttered.
Layra simply smiled and looked at the sky.
"I missed the stars."
Jemil stood beside her. "There are more to find. Some will fight us. Some may have turned… dark."
Layra gripped his arm gently.
"Then we'll bring them home too."
💬 End of Chapter 26
📌 Call to Action:
🌙 What would you choose — the perfect illusion or the painful truth?
💬 Comment your thoughts and theories. Who do you think the next forgotten wife is?
💎 Drop a power stone to support Jemil's emotional journey!