The summer campus classroom was filled with students. Next to the podium, piles of brand-new magic books shimmered with a golden glow.

“Those glowing things must be magic books. I can’t believe I’ll be learning magic soon!”

My heart fluttered with excitement at the thought of receiving my own magic book and starting to study. Soon, assistants began handing out the books, and students all around the room murmured with anticipation. Among them, Esso’s voice rang out the loudest.

“We can finally use magic!!”

Esso opened the book as soon as she got it.

“There’s magic inside this book…!! Huh?!”

Esso’s magic book was completely blank. Worried that only her book was faulty, she rushed over to peek at Kim Dream’s.

But before she could do so, Professor Fire suddenly appeared behind her and tugged on her red hair.

“Magic books are for your eyes only.”

“Ahh! Ow, that hurts!”

“Back to your seat.”

Esso scurried back to her seat, crouching slightly.

“We will now begin our first class.”

All the students were confused and wanted to ask why the magic books were blank, but the overwhelming presence of Professor Fire made them keep their mouths shut.

“Today’s lesson is... taking a nap.”

“Huh?!”

“As you may have heard before, use the hammocks hanging from the school trees. Or sleep anywhere peaceful—on the grass, or someplace quiet.”

“But! Try to remember the dreams you have while you nap.”

“And when you wake up, write that dream in your new magic book. The moment you write your dream, your blank book becomes your personal grimoire.”

“Now, begin today’s task.”

Students took their books and scattered across the campus to find a place to rest.

‘Uh oh. What if I don’t dream…’

Suddenly, Esso approached me.

“Hey! I’m Esso. We’re on the same campus! Let me know if you need anything—I’ll help! You’re Park Rain, right? Can I ask what kind of dream you usually have?”

I didn’t want to talk, so I raised my hand high in the air.

Professor Fire looked at me.

“Park Rain! Speak.”

“What happens if someone can’t dream? I’ve never been able to dream like others do.”

Professor Fire answered as if this wasn’t the first time she’d heard this.

“Since dreams reflect what you've seen, Rain probably won’t dream like the rest of you. But Rain can dream dreams that only she can have. Come see me after class, Rain.”

Esso, now feeling guilty for possibly bringing up something sensitive, wanted to redeem herself by offering helpful information.

“Did you know? Even though it’s daytime, the underground section where the advanced mages are is night right now! Maybe you’ll remember dreams better if you sleep there.”

Her suggestion sounded oddly credible. Wanting to go alone, I kept my response short.

“Okay. Where is it?”

Esso smiled brightly and started walking as if she’d go with me. Soon, I felt the warmth of Kim Dream approach.

“You’re Kim Dream, right?”

“Huh? You can see me?”

“No. I can feel your temperature. You sat next to me on the school train.”

“Oh! Right!”

“Wanna come to the underground school with us? It’s night there when it’s day up here, and vice versa.”

“Really? Let’s go!”

Esso wanted to be alone with me, but didn’t mind Dream tagging along too much. The three of us journeyed together across the campus.

“You know, if Rain doesn’t dream like us... maybe she has the kind of dreams we can’t even imagine?”

“I don’t dream.”

“Huh?”

“There’s nothing to see in my dreams. Nothing appears.”

“Huh? Wha...? You’re kidding, right?”

I walked away. Esso and Dream exchanged glances.

“Isn’t this school only for people who do dream?”

“Wait—Park Rain! Wait up!”

Among the freshmen, I was the one who knew best how to get to the underground. I couldn’t see, but I could sense temperature changes and feel which direction was cooler.

“Ah! I think it’s here!”

“Oh! There’s a stairway!”

With each other’s help, we made our way down to the underground school. What had been bright daylight just moments ago faded into nighttime.

Far in the distance stood a dim, shadowy advanced magic campus. But walking the deserted path gave us a creeping sense of fear.

“It’s definitely night here… should we go inside the school?”

Inside, the place was nearly empty—most of the advanced students were still in class.

We peeked into one of the classrooms. The grand lecture hall was filled with advanced magic students, and at the center stood a fox, watching the class.

The advanced magic professor addressed the students.

“To be an advanced mage, you must understand animal language. When this fox speaks, write down what it says.”

A student raised a hand.

“What sound does a fox even make?”

“If you haven’t done the prep work, learning will be slow. You should have studied how foxes sound ahead of time. Who didn’t prepare? What’s your name?”

“Uh... I’m Elon. It’s my first day at the magic school…”

“Your first day? How did you get into an advanced class?”

“Well…”

Suddenly, the fox turned toward us and let out a cry.

“KyAAA! Kyakkyakyak! KyAAA!”

All the students instantly started writing in their notebooks, decoding the fox’s words like solving math problems. Elon just stared in confusion.

“So that’s what a fox sounds like...? ‘I’m hungry, kyAAA’? Maybe?”

“Who knows the correct answer?”

One advanced student raised their hand.

“‘Intruders. There are three intruders present.’”

“Correct.”

The professor looked confused about why the fox said that, while we nervously backed away from the classroom.

Excited, I said, “Do you think I’ll be able to understand animal sounds too?”

“Of course! Look, even the advanced students are doing it.”

Kim Dream thought of Elon, the student who got scolded.

“Maybe… we should go nap and hear our dreams before it’s too late.”

“Can you help me find a hammock? The tree hammocks have no temperature, so I can’t feel them.”

“There! I see one!”

Esso shouted out in response.

The three of us lay down in separate hammocks within the underground forest, each clutching our blank magic books.

‘You must learn what kind of sound your dream speaks to you. Dreams always speak to us, asking us to listen with honest emotion. And since dreams are tied to reality, try to uncover how they’re connected. Eventually, the sounds and images your dream reveals will become crystal clear.’

As I recalled Professor Fire’s words, I slowly drifted into sleep.

But as the three of us fell asleep, a dark shadowy aura began to slither toward me—Park Rain—and entered my body…