The morning after the Dream Throne was claimed, the Royal Academy awoke in confusion and awe.
Students stirred in their beds with memories that weren't theirs—dreams vivid beyond comprehension. Some remembered walking through gardens made of starlight. Others wept, recalling tender moments with lovers they'd never met. A few cried out in terror, having faced their greatest fears kneeling before a throne of obsidian light.
But all of them—every single one—remembered him.
[Oneiric Dominion Effect Residual: Echoing Influence - Dormant Suggestion embedded in 87% of targets.]
Jimmy stood on the balcony of the North Tower, draped in a loose silver robe, the wind brushing strands of his midnight-black hair. Lana knelt behind him, silent, her hands folded, her devotion complete.
"Report," he said without turning.
She replied immediately. "Professors are panicked. They suspect a powerful dream event but no one can trace the source. Most of the senior mages believe it was divine in origin."
He smirked. "Let them think so."
[Dream Throne Evolution: 50% → 53%]
---
By mid-morning, emergency meetings filled the high towers. Ardin, the professor Jimmy had broken in the Dream Realm, sat hollow-eyed at the council chamber, speaking in half-coherent sentences about 'the Sleepless Tyrant' and 'Nyxthar's Mark.'
"Delirium," one of the other professors muttered. "Too much time in mind magic."
But behind closed doors, wards shimmered red. Senior faculty drew ancient scrolls, desperate to locate the ripple in the Veil.
[System Alert: Astral Surveillance Active in Eastern Tower - Avoid Magic Use in Zone]
Jimmy knew. He had prepared for this.
---
Later that day, Mira approached him in the dueling garden, her face pale.
"I had the dream again," she whispered. "You were there. You held the world in your hands."
Jimmy stepped closer, brushing his fingers against her cheek.
"Maybe it wasn't a dream."
She shivered at his touch.
[Mira Varnis - Corruption: 62% | Obedience Trigger Embedded]
He leaned in, whispering, "Obey."
And she did—dropping to her knees in the quiet garden, eyes filled with longing and confusion.
[Dream Parasite Status: Subjugated - Mira Varnis (Fully)]
---
That night, Jimmy returned to the Vault.
The book greeted him not as artifact—but as altar.
New pages had appeared, forged from his own influence.
The Chronicle now bore his name.
[The Book of the Sleepless Sovereign - Chapter 1: Ascension]
He placed a hand on the cover. Light pulsed outward.
A vision struck him:
A vast landscape of swirling dreamstuff. An empire of thought, with floating islands shaped by desire, fear, ambition.
And above it all—a new throne.
Not Nyxthar's. His.
[New Domain Unlocked: Sub-Realm of Sovereignty – Personal Dream World. Entry limited to tethered minds and loyal subjects.]
It had begun.
---
But all was not silent.
Far beneath the academy, below even the Forgotten Vault, something stirred.
[??? Detection Warning: Null-Signature Detected – Entity Not Bound to Dream Logic. Investigation Suggested.]
A figure cloaked in sleep-nullifying wards opened their eyes. They had been watching.
"He's breached the 50% threshold," the figure whispered.
Another voice responded from the shadows. "Then it's time. We enact the counter-dream protocol. The Dreamless Order must awaken."
---
Back in his chamber, Jimmy traced runes on Lana's bare back. She moaned softly but remained still, the sigils glowing beneath his fingertips.
"These wards," he said, "will protect you from the Null. For what's coming."
She looked over her shoulder, eyes heavy with loyalty and lust. "And what's coming, Master?"
He kissed her nape. "War. Against those who have no dreams left to corrupt."
Outside, the moon bled silver.
[Dream Throne Evolution: 53% → 56%]
[Warning: Counter-Force Detected – Anti-Dream Entity Signature Confirmed. Prepare for Mental Resistance Combat in 48 Hours]
Jimmy smiled into the night.
Let them come.
The Dream Realm had a king now.
And he would never wake.