Reincarnated as an Elf Prince-Chapter 156: A Dream

Not big at first. Just tall. Too tall. Its arms dragged along the ground. Limbs made of splintered wood and stone twisted together, like the mountain itself had decided to get up and walk.

No face. Just a skull. Wide. Hollow. Etched with something that shimmered when it shouldn't have.

The others drew weapons.

Except Meren. Meren was shaking.

Lindarion reached for his sword.

It wasn't there.

He looked down. His hands were empty.

No flame.

No mana.

Not even a spark.

He tried to step forward.

His legs didn't listen.

Ren shouted something. He couldn't hear it. Not clearly. Her voice cracked through the snow like it was underwater.

Lira moved.

Fast.

She lunged at the thing. Her blade flashed once. Black like her shadows, like her eyes when they narrowed before a kill.

It didn't help.

The creature's arm came down and swept her sideways like she weighed nothing.

Lindarion screamed.

But it didn't leave his throat.

It stayed inside. Burning.

Then it turned toward him.

Not its body. Just the skull.

Those hollow eyes locked on him like they'd been waiting.

The snow froze midair.

Everything slowed.

And the cold sank all the way in.

—

He woke up choking on breath.

Sharp inhale. Hands clenched. Heat pouring through his chest like a kicked furnace.

'What the hell was that?'

The fire was still there. Real fire. Quiet and alive in front of him.

Everyone else was asleep.

Meren snored softly from the corner. Ren was curled into her coat, arms folded, hair covering half her face. Ardan had barely moved, still half-upright against the stone. Lira sat beside the fire. Not asleep. Just watching the flame.

Her eyes met his.

She didn't speak.

He didn't either.

But his pulse wouldn't slow.

And somewhere in the back of his skull, the shape of that thing still lingered. Waiting.

— freewёbnoνel.com

His chest rose once. Then again.

Not fast. Not shaky. Just too aware.

The fire hadn't moved. It still flickered in that steady way it always did, like it didn't know what panic looked like. Maybe it didn't care. Fire didn't need to worry about monsters in the snow. It just ate them.

Lindarion kept his hands close to his knees.

He didn't wipe the sweat from his forehead. That would mean admitting it was there.

Lira didn't say anything.

Her eyes weren't sharp. Not judging. Just… waiting. Like she'd seen people come out of nightmares before and learned not to ask what they saw.

He hated that.

He wasn't supposed to need that kind of look. Not anymore.

But his fingers wouldn't unclench all the way.

Lira tilted her head, just a little. Not a question. Not pity.

Just: you're not fine, and I'm not going to pretend you are.

He glanced away.

The others were still asleep. Meren had his mouth open now. It didn't make the snoring better. Just louder.

Ren had shifted closer to the fire, her legs half-draped over the edge of her coat like it had tried to escape her body in the night.

Ardan hadn't even flinched. Either he was in a full trance or the cold didn't apply to him anymore.

Lindarion swallowed.

His throat was dry.

'It was just a dream..'

But it hadn't felt like one.

There hadn't been a system warning. No stat drops. No magic alarms. And yet… whatever that thing was, it had looked at him like it remembered him. Like it had a reason.

He glanced at Lira again.

Her eyes were back on the fire.

He should say something.

He didn't want to.

But the silence was louder now than the dream had been.

"…you ever see something you can't explain?"

Lira blinked once. Still didn't look at him.

"Yes."

That was it.

Just yes.

He stared at the fire with her. Let his arms relax by an inch.

"What do you do about it?" he asked.

Lira didn't answer right away. She shifted slightly, enough to pull her legs under her coat, her posture still upright.

"If I can fight it, I fight it."

"And if you can't?"

She didn't hesitate.

"I make sure I'm stronger the next time."

The words weren't loud. But they didn't need to be.

He didn't nod. Didn't smile.

But something in his shoulders eased.

'Yeah. Alright. Why did I even bother asking.'

He leaned forward a little, feeding a flicker of mana back into the fire. Just enough to brighten the edges. It responded instantly, blooming in warm orange waves that licked the corners of their shadows.

Lira pulled her hood back slightly. Her face looked softer in the light. Tired, but calm. Like the mountain's weight didn't sit as heavy on her anymore.

Lindarion let his eyes close for a breath.

Then two.

And this time, when he drifted, it wasn't because the mountain took him.

It was because he let it.

—

He didn't wake up fast.

It came in pieces.

First the cold. That sharp kind of awareness crawling in from his ankles like it had been waiting all night for an opening.

Then the sound. Breathing. A few soft movements. Wind, still muted by the overhang, whispering against stone.

Then the pressure in his arm.

His face was against something solid. Not soft, not awful. Just there. He shifted slightly.

It was Lira.

He blinked once.

Her shoulder moved under his cheek. Not in a flinch. Just enough to let him know she was awake, too.

He sat up slowly.

Nothing hurt. That was a surprise. His neck should have. His back, probably. Sleeping upright like that was a terrible idea, even if she hadn't moved away.

Lira adjusted her coat. Didn't say anything.

He rubbed at his eyes once. Not because he was tired. Just because it gave him a second to think.

Ren snored once and rolled over. Her foot kicked something that sounded suspiciously like Meren's bag. A muffled groan followed.

Ardan stood again. Not where he'd been. Closer to the mouth of the shelter now, brushing frost off his shoulder like it had personally offended him.

The fire had gone down to soft embers.

No one looked particularly awake.

No one looked like they wanted to be.

Lindarion's breath puffed out in front of him. Less fog than yesterday. Still enough to know the cold hadn't eased.

He looked at Lira once.

"Did you sleep at all?"

She stretched her fingers out once, slow. The bones cracked softly.

"Enough."

That didn't sound like a yes.

He didn't press.

He looked over at the others. Meren had one boot halfway on, one eye still closed. Ren was muttering something into her scarf. Probably threats against morning itself.