Chapter 216: The World Of Cylas
After a few hours of steady travel, Melvin arrived at the base of what should have been a familiar mountain.
He came to a slow stop, boots sinking slightly into fresh snow, and stared.
The peak that rose before him bore almost no resemblance to the Dreamer’s Peak he remembered.
Gone were the lush green slopes, the radiant golden apple tree, and the warm, living atmosphere that had once defined the place.
In their place stood a vast snowy oasis—pale blue flowers glowing beneath layers of soft frost, frozen pines standing in quiet rows, and a cold, dreamy mist that drifted between the ridges like breath.
The mountain seemed sharper, quieter, and more purposeful than the one he had just left.
Melvin frowned, taking a few cautious steps forward before calling out toward the upper slopes.
"Master?"
To his words, only silence met him.
At that moment, Akasha was indeed on the world of Kalpa, busy tying up a few loose ends before turning his attention elsewhere.
When no one responded, he kept moving, letting his call extend even farther this time.
"Number One?"
At the sound of those words, the air a short distance ahead began to shimmer.
Number One emerged with the same calm, unhurried grace he had always carried, dressed in his familiar long black robe and signature Anbu mask.
When his gaze fell on Melvin, a genuine smile spread beneath the mask—a look of quiet pride, like a man seeing someone who had finally grown into their own.
"Look at you," Number One said, studying him with open appreciation.
"The last time I saw you, you were still a boy trying to stand straight under the weight of his own future. Now you’re a man."
He paused, something softer flickering behind his eyes as old memories briefly surfaced.
"How have you been, Melvin?"
Melvin’s gaze drifted past the present moment, settling on the icy slopes far in the distance.
He lingered there in silence, as though his mind had wandered to some distant place.
When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter than usual.
"You could say... things are coming along," he murmured, despite knowing his journey since leaving Dreamer’s Peak had been filled with nothing but darkness and death.
But now, with the Eastern Continent at peace, he could finally turn his focus toward his true ambitions.
"Soon... everything will be as it should have always been," he added, a faint smile flickering across his face before vanishing just as quickly.
He glanced back, his tone shifting slightly.
"What about you, old man?"
Number One did not answer right away.
The smile beneath the mask faded by degrees, not into pity, but into a quieter, more measured stillness.
He tilted his head a fraction, the long white hair shifting against the black fabric of his robe as he studied the younger man.
Melvin’s words had been carefully chosen... and the silence that followed them carried more weight than the words themselves.
Number One’s gloved fingers flexed once at his side, then settled.
He did not ask what Melvin was leaving unsaid.
Instead, he let out a soft breath and looked up toward the higher ridges of the mountain, deliberately turning the conversation away from the darker places Melvin was clearly not ready to open.
"I’ve been well enough," he said at last, voice lighter than before. "This place keeps me busy. Lord Dream’s domain has grown far beyond what either of us imagined when you first arrived as a child."
He gestured loosely toward the frozen slopes with one hand.
"Come. Walk with me a while."
As they started up, Melvin matched his pace as he spoke again.
"What happened to the original mountain?" he asked.
"Well, like I said... things have grown beyond anything we could have imagined," Number One replied with a smile.
"It was moved into the void outside Kalpa," He explained. "When you finally leave this world, you’ll see it for yourself."
At that, Melvin fell silent for several steps.
He had come here solely to meet with Akasha, following her suggestion during their last conversation that he should visit this place before continuing with his plans.
But now, with Akasha nowhere to be found, he couldn’t see the point of staying on this mountain.
"Shouldn’t I go there instead? I need to speak with Master," he murmured, uncertainty pulling at the edges of his thoughts. His pace slowed as he voiced the question.
Number One, however, kept walking without pause, prompting Melvin to arch a brow before following along.
----
When they finally reached the mountain’s peak, Number One gave a slow shake of his head.
"You should indeed visit the main domain," he said calmly.
"But before that, you need to sit..." He motioned toward what appeared to be an unremarkable patch of snow-covered stone near the highest ridge.
"Here."
Number One hadn’t shown up on Kalpa just because Melvin called for him.
The truth was, only Akasha could summon someone in that way.
This entire situation was part of a plan Akasha had carefully orchestrated, fully aware that Melvin would head to Lucid Winter’s Peak under the impression it was Dreamer’s Peak.
Beforehand, Akasha had told Melvin that certain things awaited him, and this was merely one of the few surprises he had prepared.
Melvin studied the spot for a long moment, then lowered himself onto the cold ground without further question.
The instant his weight settled, a soft chime echoed inside his mind.
[Evolution Towards Destined Potential commencing]
HUMMMMM!!!!!!!
A massive surge of divinity and deep purple dream essence erupted around him, coiling inward with deliberate force.
The energies wove themselves into a dense cocoon that sealed him completely, cutting him off from the outside world as the evolution took hold.
Number One watched the process settle into place, then inclined his head slightly and spoke toward the open air.
"Lord Dream. Melvin has begun his evolution."
----
Away from the world of Kalpa, three other worlds still labored under the rule of invading forces within the Orin Star System.
Two of them had already been driven to the edge of ruin, their skies darkened and their lands broken.
The third, however, remained in relatively strong condition.
That world was Cylas.
It was a single, vast supercontinent bathed in the light of two suns—one pure white, the other a deep and steady blue.
Together, they cast a strange dual radiance across the land, giving everything an ancient, almost holy quality.
Rivers and lakes shone with white water that reflected the twin lights like polished marble.
The grass that covered the rolling plains was a mixture of pale gold and soft white, swaying gently whenever a warm breeze passed through.
Trees with silver bark and luminous leaves stood in quiet groves, and the very air carried a faint, clean scent of old stone and... power.
Everything about Cylas felt timeless, as though the world itself had been shaped long before ordinary history began.
After all, it was the second-oldest world in the star system.