1 Lucid Dream?

"You're wearing that grumpy expression again, Nathan," Seraphina said, her laughter soft and melodic.

I cast a glance downward, where her long silver-gray hair cascaded behind her, imparting a silver hue to the green grass beneath. Seated with her knees drawn close to her chest, she regarded me with captivating silver-gray eyes that held an otherworldly beauty, a beauty foreign to anything found on Earth.

As for myself, I stood gazing into the expanse of an endless field. In the distance, a gleaming presence caught my eye, but despite my hours of wandering, that distant point remained elusive.

"Once again, you're ignoring me, Nate?" Seraphina asked, a hint of sulking in her tone.

"I'm not grumpy," I retorted with a cool frown.

"There it is again, that cold facade! Have you ever smiled, Nate?" Seraphina mused, reclining on the ground with her head propped up on her arm. She beamed at me, the silver fabric of her sublime dress spreading around her. A subtle hint of her silver-colored bra teased through. Her bare porcelain and unblemished white feet peeking out of her dress

Noticing my gaze, Seraphina shot me a reproachful look, covering her chest. "You're quite the perv."

I averted my gaze, annoyed. "Says the girl attempting to seduce me at every opportunity."

"Am I?" Seraphina queried, accompanied by a suggestive smile.

I ignored her and continued walking.

"Hey! Wait for me, Nate!" Seraphina leaped to her feet and hurried to match my strides.

"You're noisy," I grumbled.

"What happened? You seem even more annoyed, Nathan," Seraphina observed, tilting her head to study my expression.

What happened, she asked.

What could I say?

I had been expelled from high school for assaulting a fellow student who insulted my deceased parents, who had passed away when I was barely five.

My uncle, who had taken me in not out of genuine care but driven by greed for the money left by my parents had also kicked me out.

Homeless, I slept on a random bench in the biting cold.

And, as always, I found myself plunged into the recurring lucid dream that had haunted me for a year now. Since the day I saw this dating sim game and played a little. 

Seraphina was a Villainess Red Target of this Game. She was supposed to be killed by the Hero to advance the Hero's affection with the Heroine like the others Villainesses and Heroines

"You're inside my head. I don't need to tell you anything; you already know it," I said, irritation lacing my words.

"I know... but I wanted to hear it from your mouth, Nate. Sometimes it's better to let everything out to someone you can trust completely," Seraphina replied with a sidelong glance.

"What's the point? You're the fruit of imagination and proof that I'm descending into madness," I retorted.

"You're being rude again, Nate," Seraphina playfully punched my back, though it was too feeble to garner much attention from me.

Life had bestowed upon me nothing but fleeting memories of loving parents, their faces and warm embraces slipping away with time. I had no friends, girlfriends, or family—nothing at all. The most perplexing part was my daily desire to fall asleep, plunging into a lucid dream where I could converse with a fantastical girl about my problems.

Just as I ruminated on this, I felt something soft hitting my back. Seraphina hugged me tightly, coiling her arms around my waist and burying her face in my back.

"What are you doing?" I halted my steps, questioning her.

"I'm not your imagination... idiot," she mumbled against my back. "...and I'm here for you."

"Only in my dreams," I said, reaching to touch her hands. The sensation felt remarkably real, and I wished it were.

Pulling away, Seraphina faced me. "Promise me that you won't forget me and will come to take me away."

"Take you away? From what?" I asked, my confusion mounting as I opened my eyes wider, taking in the sight of Seraphina.

Warm tears cascaded down from her eyes as she conjured a smile. "...from my nightmare," she whispered, her body beginning to glow and turn transparent.

"Hey..." I grasped her hand. "What's happening?"

"Listen to me, Nate," Seraphina gently patted my cheeks. "Don't ever feel alone. Even if you don't remember me, and I don't remember you, we are destined for each other."

"What are you saying..." Panic surged through me as my hand traversed hers.

"I never asked before because I was afraid. I can't even read your feelings about me," she blushed amid her teary, red cheeks. "Even though you can read mine... but, Nathan, do you love me?"

What a question...

I pulled her into my embrace, holding her tightly. "Of course I do, idiot."

Seraphina trembled in my arms, wrapping hers around my back. "B...Be ruthless, Nathan."

A soft sensation graced my lips, and my vision darkened. The last thing I saw was Seraphina's tear-streaked face.