Lyra and Raiken stepped into the tunnel, their footsteps echoing in the silence. As they moved forward, a strange warmth surrounded them, and the air smelled of nostalgia and comfort. Suddenly, the tunnel faded, replaced by a place filled with vibrant, golden light. They found themselves standing in a world built from their most cherished memories.

  A soft voice echoed around them, gentle yet commanding."Welcome to the Realm of Love."

  Before them stood two figures. To Lyra, it was her mother, smiling warmly as if she had never left. To Raiken, it was his father, standing tall with the same stern yet caring look he always had. Their presence was so real, so familiar—it was as if they had never been apart.

  Raiken clenched his fists. His instincts screamed at him that this was a trap. But Lyra… she had already fallen under its spell.

  "Lyra, listen to me," he urged. "This isn't real. Remember our mission!"

  But Lyra only smiled dreamily, her gaze locked onto her mother. "What mission? Why would we leave? Everything we need is right here."

  Raiken cursed under his breath. The realm wasn’t an enemy they could fight—it was an illusion, a prison built from love itself.

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  Then his father spoke. "My son… Why do you always push me away? Did I fail you?" His voice trembled with sorrow. "I thought you loved me."

  Raiken's chest tightened, but he knew better. He had to stay strong. "If you truly love me," he said coldly, "then show me the way out."

  Lyra turned to him, eyes filled with sudden anger. "How can you say that? You don’t know what it’s like to lose someone!"

  Raiken's patience was running thin. He needed a solution—fast. Desperately, he reached out to Noctis through their mental link."Noctis, I need your help. Temporarily shut down my emotions."

  Noctis hesitated but then responded. "Understood. You have ten minutes."

  A strange numbness washed over Raiken. The warmth, the longing—it all faded. He turned to Lyra, his voice cold and unwavering. "They are not real. This is just a game designed to trap us."

  Lyra hesitated. The spell on her wavered. "But… it feels so real."

  "That’s the point," he said. "Fight it. Get angry. Reject them."

  Her mother's face flickered. The illusion was weakening. The creature controlling the realm took its true form—shapeless, shifting, desperate.

  "No… don’t go…" it whispered.

  But Lyra, now free from its grasp, glared at it. "Who said I loved you?"

  The entire realm trembled, its illusions breaking apart. A doorway of blinding white light appeared before them. Without hesitation, they stepped through.

  But instead of safety, they found themselves teleported again.

  Their breath caught in their throats.

  Because what stood before them… was something far worse.