Glassy, the Mad Dog of the Settlement and the biggest antagonist of the current event set to begin.

Oliver knew more than enough about him to understand one thing clearly. This was someone to be avoided at all costs.

But that was no longer possible.

Teresa had just slain one of his personally selected aides.

What unsettled him more was how quickly Glassy had appeared, as though he had been observing the entire scene from the beginning.

Most within the Settlement did not even recognize the Four Dogs, as they rarely revealed themselves.

Their authority was typically exercised through subordinates, which explained the confusion spreading through the crowd at the sight of this unfamiliar figure.

Oliver, however, recognized him instantly.

The glass-like veil of darkness obscuring his face was unmistakable. It had been described in the novel as the natural effect of his Dream Hue.

Because of that ability, no one who fell within his influence could escape once he engaged them, unless they possessed a mental fortitude greater than his.

No one present met that condition.

Glassy’s Hue allowed him to intrude upon the minds of others and construct an internal world governed entirely by his will.

Within that space, he could kill without ever laying a hand on the physical body, making him one of the most dangerous individuals in the entire narrative.

At his current Rank, a Severer, he possessed the capacity to eliminate Teresa and everyone present before they could even comprehend what was happening.

His premature appearance threatened to distort the already fragile course of events even further.

Still, Oliver understood one thing.

Glassy would not kill Teresa.

The Mad Dog did not care for vengeance. Strength alone interested him.

Even if his own subordinate had been killed, he would not retaliate.

Instead, he would seek to claim the one responsible. If the individual proved exceptional, he would offer them a place under his command.

If they refused, then the killing would begin.

...Of course, Teresa would refuse.

The only outcome that mattered now was ensuring she did not become trapped within his constructed world.

But Oliver was too late.

"Teresa! Get out of the way!"

He lunged forward, forcing himself through the crowd and into the center of the palace.

He snatched up the fallen Star Sword from Elias’s lifeless body and swung toward Glassy in a desperate attempt to interrupt whatever he was about to initiate.

He already knew it would not work.

Before the strike could even reach its mark, it happened.

Both of them were taken.

The world stilled.

Everyone present froze mid-motion, as though time itself had been severed.

Teresa and Oliver halted where they stood. Their movements were cut short without resistance.

A mirror formed before them.

Their eyes were drawn to it against their will.

And in the next instant, the world around them vanished.

They stood elsewhere.

A fabricated reality, constructed entirely by Glassy, embedded within their minds.

A domain where he dictated every rule, and where their bodies were nothing more than dolls suspended on unseen strings.

In contrast, those who appeared frozen were not truly immobilized. Only Teresa and Oliver had been halted.

To the others, nothing beyond those two seemed out of place.

Glassy stood before them, his presence alone sending a quiet shiver through the crowd. No one could identify him, nor comprehend what he had just done to the two youths now standing unnaturally still before him.

***

"Shall we discuss a fascinating topic before a decision is made?" A voice, coming from no discernible direction, resonated through the white expanse where Teresa and Oliver now stood, facing one another.

The space around them had no measurable boundaries. A vast white plane stretched endlessly in every direction, blending seamlessly into a sky that rippled in slow, fluid waves, as though it were composed of a surface that never settled.

The ground beneath their feet resembled shallow water without depth, yet remained entirely white. Each step produced a faint, echoing splash that quickly dissolved into silence, leaving no trace behind.

Despite standing opposite each other, neither Teresa nor Oliver could perceive the other. It was as though an unseen distortion severed their sight, leaving only a vague awareness of presence without form or outline.

Even the voice that addressed them did not reach them in the same way.

Each heard something different beneath the same words, a layered dissonance that made it impossible to determine whether they occupied the same space or separate realities within it.

"To you, this is my world. Here, I am your god. I define the rules, and you perceive only what I allow."

That was what Oliver heard.

Teresa heard something else entirely.

"You are a remarkable girl. I will not waste my time. Serve under me. If you refuse, you will die, and so will your... boyfriend."

Her face flushed instantly.

"He is not my boyfriend. And don’t ever dare threaten his life again. It won’t end pleasantly for anyone here."

A soft, amused tone followed.

"I am aware. I was merely provoking you. Still, your minds are strangely intertwined, even here. That is why both of you have manifested within the same domain."

Teresa’s eyes darted around, searching.

"Oliver is here too? I cannot see him... Wait. Who are you? Are you Glassy, one of the Four Dogs?"

"Correct. You are perceptive. There is no need for concern. I seek only your allegiance. You stand to gain far more than you would lose."

Elsewhere within the same plane, Oliver moved without direction, ignoring the voice that echoed around him.

"There is little purpose for you here. Your mind is steeped in darkness. You are of no interest to me. Still, for interrupting my engagement, I may as well make this unpleasant for you. A nightmare seems appropriate."

The white world began to decay.

Darkness crept across the plane, swallowing the pristine expanse and reshaping it into something far more grotesque. Fragments of memory surfaced, distorted and magnified, forming a hellish reconstruction of the past that did not belong to him, but now surrounded him completely.

The air grew heavy.

His steps faltered.

His body tensed as the nightmare unfolded, dragging forth the remnants of the original Oliver’s past.

’Shit.’

It was common knowledge in the novel that Oliver was one of the characters with the most brutal and hellish past, despite being from House Rothyl, and also one with the most insane and deadly future ahead.

Right now, he was about to face the past of a side character that was rarely ever spoken about.

Meanwhile, within Teresa’s perception, a chair materialized before her.

Glassy’s voice returned. He was still without a physical form in the white plane.

"Sit. Let us speak. Your companion is... safe, for now. That depends entirely on the choice you make."

Teresa’s gaze darkened with a deadly intent.

"Do you take me for a fool? If you so much as harm him even slightly, I will kill you, even if it costs me my life. No one is allowed to hurt him, with the sole exception of me. If anyone is to do so, it will be me alone. Release Oliver... now."