“Itri.”

An unfamiliar room, yet Cenric knows the luxurious room must be one of those many in the castle from the way it is decorated. Is it one for royalty? Or the one for guests? That is a mystery to Cenric, as he can never remember every room among the hundreds inside the castle. 

Cenric begins to examine his surroundings. There is one big bed - suitable for two, most likely for husband and wife - and two cribs for babies. The room is neatly decorated, no scattered things. It’s just some items that appear mismatched with the luxurious decor: several dusty books, worn-out bags hanging, and some dull personal belongings. 

He sees the back of a man with small stature, yet bulked up with strong muscles. His hair is purple, just like Ilze’s. Judging from his attire, he appears to be one of the knights, with a high status on top of that. It seems someone else is sleeping on the bed – a woman, based on the dress and the feet visible to Cenric from his position.

“Isn’t it a wonderful name? Itri means the star. He’s going to shine brightly in the sky!”

Cenric approaches the bed, specifically the man and the woman. This is the second time he gets surprised by seeing someone’s face in his dream. No, the man is not dead. It’s just that the man has a face that is very much like his, apart from the hair. 

“Mmhmm, it’s a good name.”

Cenric then glances at the woman and gets his third surprise, as the woman’s face looks very much like Ilze’s. Are they him and Ilze? Having such a sweet moment, naming their baby?

‘No, no, no. It can’t be,’ Cenric tells himself, and he is relieved when he realizes that the woman has black hair and eyes. He believes Ilze does not have a good impression of him after he crashed into her and she saw him almost naked, nor does he actually want Ilze to be his wife. It sounds like another nightmare for Cenric. 

A second later, a question arises in Cenric’s head, ‘If so, who are these people?’

Cenric takes another glance at both, and sees that each of them is holding a baby. Judging from the blanket wrapped around the babies, one is a male, carried by the man and the other is female, carried by the woman.

“Can we name her Ilze?”

“Sure. Itri and Ilze. Sounds good.”

The man places the baby he carries in one of the cribs, and the baby the woman carries in another. As if both of the sleeping babies could understand, he gently whispers, “Good night, sweeties.” 

Afterwards, the man kisses his wife on her forehead and says, “Good night to you too, sweetheart. Sleep well, we have a naming ceremony tomorrow.”

Cenric’s eyes suddenly feel heavy, as if he is forced to close his eyes, ending his dream. When he wakes up, he finds himself back in the tower. His body is no longer in a kneeling position, but instead has fallen to the side. His tears have dried up, and he can feel his body cold from sleeping on the floor without any blanket nor mantle. 

After rising to his feet, he approaches the window and asks the sky, ‘What are you telling me, whoever is in charge of my life? Vrakh, the Land Lord, perhaps?’

A shimmering blue light catches Cenric’s attention quickly, since blue is a color that he misses a lot at the moment. It originates from a strange cane beside the wardrobe, a bit hidden from sight as it sits quietly in the corner of the room, which Cenric did not notice when he took some clothes to change before. The cane has a head shaped like a dragon’s and the blue light is emitted from the dragon’s eyes. 

‘How is this possible? And why?’

Cenric takes the cane out, brings it into the middle of the room, and swings it as he examines the cane. The top of the cane is apparently divided into two sides. The dragon head, as if a deceiving feature for its looks, is only as thick as a plate shaped as one – the rest makes up something like a sword handle. 

‘A sword?’

Out of curiosity, Cenric switches from holding the shaft to gripping the part which looks like a sword handle, and suddenly his vision goes black

All he can hear is a man’s voice saying, “Red may portray the King’s majesty. But for me, this red is the blood of sacrifices.”

Cenric lets out a scream, throwing the cane by reflex, scared of the sudden voice. He stares at the cane, which is still emitting the blue light. After a few seconds, he asks, “W-Who is that?”

Of course, a cane can not answer him.

“Tell me who the hell you are!”

Cenric starts to shout, while asking himself whether he is beginning to experience hallucinations – a possible sign of his descent into madness since becoming a fugitive.