Stardale Valley: The Dream Farm

Lilia glanced at the time on her phone, her expression calm yet laced with a hint of uncertainty.

"I think it's time for me to head home. Today was really enjoyable, thank you for everything," she said softly.

Grabbing her coat in a swift motion, she reached for her bag.

Leo watched her for a moment, then took a deep breath before speaking quickly.

"Wait, I'll walk you home."

Lilia paused at the door, her hand hovering over the handle. Something in her mind made her hesitate, pulling her a step back. Suddenly, she remembered what had happened not long ago—when Leo had caught her just as she was about to fall. The warmth of his hands around her, his unexpected embrace, echoed in her thoughts like a soft whisper. It had been an incredibly awkward moment for both of them.

As if trying to shake off the memory, Lilia hurried to leave, her voice a little too fast, as if masking something beneath it.

"No need, the metro station is close, and it's still early."

She opened the door and added quickly, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Leo, closing the door slowly behind her, felt an odd discomfort settling in his chest. But he steadied himself and spoke with a gentle yet firm tone.

"Take care of yourself. Good night."

A few minutes passed after she left. Leo let out a breath and tried to focus on what was ahead. The day had been exhausting, and fatigue weighed on him. A shower—that's what he needed.

Entering the bathroom, he undressed with sluggish movements and turned on the faucet. Warm water cascaded over his body, washing away some of the tension in his muscles.

But, as it often happened when he was at his most relaxed, Leo couldn't ignore the voice.

A strange, unfamiliar voice had come from the balcony earlier when he was outside.

As the water ran, his mind drifted into tangled thoughts. The more he tried to push them away, the stronger they came back. The words he had heard—mysterious and devoid of meaning—kept replaying in his head.

"You are the chosen one."

Standing beneath the hot water, Leo whispered to himself, his unease growing.

"Where did that voice come from? It was so strange… What did it mean? Why can't I forget it?"

Then, as if something clicked in his mind, he froze.

"What was that black shadow I saw? Those words… They felt like they belonged to something beyond my reach. A spell? Impossible. I don't have the skill or knowledge for that. Could it be… Was I dreaming?"

He took a deep breath, but the answers felt far out of reach.

Meanwhile, Lilia arrived at the metro station. She avoided looking at the mirrors, avoided even thinking about herself. Her heartbeat was faster than usual, as if the memory of that moment refused to leave her alone.

As the darkness of the evening settled over the city, she placed a hand over her heart, as if trying to calm the storm inside.

Sitting alone on the metro seat, warmth crept onto her cheeks again. That moment—fate pulling her into Leo's arms—lingered in her mind.

"How was his chest so warm when he held me?" she wondered in silence.

"Why did his touch feel like that?"

And those eyes—Leo's eyes—so full of life, watching her with an unreadable gaze in that moment. It was as if they had seen something deep inside her.

Sitting up slightly, Lilia took a slow breath.

"Would he have accepted my confession if the knock on the door hadn't interrupted us?"

A faint sadness wrapped around her heart. A soft ache settled in her stomach. Leo was still in her thoughts, and whatever was happening between them felt like a quiet battle inside herself.

Back at the apartment, Leo sighed deeply, an unsettling mystery pressing into his mind. He let the water run for a few more moments before shutting it off.

But something gnawed at him—a fire hidden beneath the surface, impossible to ignore.

A pull toward the past. Memories he had buried long ago.

Within minutes, he was out of the shower and moving toward the old wooden box on the shelf. He opened it slowly, as if unlocking a door to a forgotten world. Inside were old books. And on top of them, the one his grandfather had given him when he was a child.

A book filled with ancient spells.

They seemed weak compared to what he knew existed now, but to him, they held immeasurable value.

Running his hand over the worn-out cover, Leo murmured under his breath.

"Can I really use these spells? Will I even be able to? I have no magical training…"

As he traced the edges of the book, memories flooded back—his childhood, sitting beside his grandfather, listening to his wise eyes tell stories of magic.

Leo's Childhood Memories with His Grandfather

Leo sat on the floor beside his grandfather, listening with deep attention. His grandfather smiled at him warmly, his eyes filled with a gentle light.

With a wise smile, the old man spoke in a deep, calm voice:

"The secret isn't in strength, Leo, but in understanding. Magic requires a pure heart and a prepared mind. You must believe in it—doubt will only hold you back. One day, you'll learn how to bring light into darkness, but first, you must learn to face your own shadows."

Leo, his heart racing with dreams, declared with excitement:

"I'll become a legendary adventurer! The whole world will know my name! I'll master every spell, and I'll be stronger than anyone!"

His grandfather, looking at him with a loving and knowing gaze, responded:

"Remember, Leo, magic isn't just in your hands—it's in your heart. When your heart is filled with true intent, anything becomes possible."

Suddenly, Leo was pulled back into reality. The memory faded, leaving him sitting on the floor, a book resting in his hands. He opened it once again, flipping through the aged, yellowed pages. The scent of old paper filled the room, seeping into his breath, bringing back fragments of his childhood—those simple times when he truly believed anything was possible.

Staring at one of the ancient pages, Leo whispered to himself, his voice laced with both uncertainty and determination:

"If this is what I have to do… then I'll start here."

Setting the book aside, he began to summon a light spell he had read about. His voice was barely audible, as if the words themselves needed to be spoken with genuine emotion to take effect.

Slowly, carefully, he whispered the incantation:

"Alumos Xantorius Vestrondaya, Velos Imperosia."

In that quiet moment, when everything around him had stilled, Leo felt something strange—an invisible energy creeping through his body, flowing into every cell. It was unfamiliar yet undeniably real. His hands trembled slightly as his focus narrowed on his right palm, where something—something different—was happening.

In a hushed voice, trying to grasp the sensation, he murmured:

"What is this? Is this… magic?"

But as the energy surged through him, nothing physical manifested—no light, no visible magic, just a faint pulse tingling at his fingertips. It was as if the spell itself was teasing him, slipping through his grasp without leaving a trace.

Doubt crept into his thoughts.

"Did I… do something wrong? Nothing happened. Am I… am I even capable of using magic?"

He repeated the spell in his mind, trying to refocus, but nothing changed. The air remained still. The silence around him deepened, and instead of the brilliance he had imagined, all he felt was emptiness—as if his attempt had been nothing more than an illusion.

A quiet but frustrated whisper escaped him:

"What did I do wrong? Why isn't it working? Is this all just a fantasy?"

There was no answer. His hands remained empty. The world around him unchanged. Disappointment settled in his chest as he leaned back against the wall, trying to process what had just happened.

Then, an unfamiliar heaviness began to spread through his body. Maybe that strange energy had taken more from him than he had realized.

Attempting to stand, Leo felt a sudden wave of dizziness.

"No… I… I can't… This isn't what I expected…"

And then—everything went dark.

His body collapsed to the ground, drained of every last drop of strength. His eyelids grew heavy, the weight of exhaustion pulling him under, his heartbeat echoing in his ears until he slipped into unconsciousness.

At that moment, through the open window overlooking the cold, dark night, a cat leaped into the room.

But this time, it wasn't just any cat.

Its posture was unnervingly still, its eyes glowing with an eerie, deep violet hue—almost black, as if holding an unfathomable secret. It stood there for a moment, gazing at Leo's motionless body, then, with silent steps, moved closer.

As it reached the center of the room, something unnatural began to happen.

The cat's body started to shift and dissolve, its form stretching and twisting. Its features melted away, reshaping into something else—someone else.

Within moments, a strikingly beautiful woman emerged. She wore a flowing white silk dress that draped around her with an ethereal grace, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulders like strands of moonlight.

She approached Leo and knelt beside him, gently lifting his head onto her lap. With a soft, almost motherly touch, she ran her fingers through his hair, as if comforting him from an unknown nightmare.

Then, in a hushed voice, laden with an unshakable certainty, she whispered:

"It seems the time has come… He doesn't have much left."

As she continued to run her fingers through his hair, she traced his features with delicate precision, as if she were rediscovering old memories buried deep within her.

She started with his ears, then let her fingertips glide gently over his cheeks, down to his lips. She paused for a moment, gazing at his face with a mix of longing and sorrow.

"You've always looked like him... The same features, the same hair color. And your eyes… blue, shining like a morning sky untouched by clouds."

Her expression shifted, the wistfulness fading into something firmer, more resolute. Her voice, now tinged with authority, broke the silence:

"But that's not enough. You must grow... so you can take control when the time comes."

With a single touch to his forehead, a surge of energy coursed through him—a force both overwhelming and inescapable. A dark violet glow spread across the room, swirling around them as if drawing power from the very shadows.

Leo gasped, his breath ragged as a muffled scream escaped his throat. His body convulsed under the sheer intensity of the energy invading his core. The ground trembled beneath them, responding to the raw force now seeping into him.

The tremors intensified. The furniture shattered under the shockwaves, and the walls of the room groaned as cracks spread like veins. The energy didn't stop there—it surged beyond the room, rippling through the city. Streetlights flickered and died one by one, buildings plunged into darkness, as if the entire city had bowed before an unseen force.

"My child..." she whispered, her voice heavy with sorrow and regret. "You must be strong… for what's coming will not be easy. Prepare yourself."

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the chaos ceased. The light vanished, leaving only Leo—unconscious on the floor.

And the woman? She was gone.

As if she had never been there at all.