The next morning, the gym felt even colder. Jesse wasn’t sure if it was the winter draft slipping through the cracked windows or the lingering presence of something darker.

Either way, he pushed the thought aside and tightened the tape around his wrists. Kratos was already in the ring, stretching out his shoulders, looking like he hadn’t slept but didn’t need to.

Get in here, Kratos called. We’re going heavy today.

Jesse climbed through the ropes, muscles still sore from the night before. heavy how?

Kratos didn’t answer. He just tossed Jesse a weighted vest.

Jesse caught it, nearly stumbling under the unexpected heft. Seriously?

You want to stand a chance against The DreamMaster? Kratos asked. Then you need more than heart. You need power. Real power.

Jesse strapped the vest on, feeling the weight settle across his chest like a reminder of everything he was carrying: fear, hope, responsibility, and the shadow of his friend’s fate.

Kratos circled him. Again.

They locked up. The extra weight dragged Jesse down instantly, his legs trembling as he tried to stay upright. Kratos shoved him back, forcing him to dig deep just to keep his footing.

Come on, Kratos barked. DreamMaster won’t go easy on you. That thing hits like a truck and doesn’t get tired.

Jesse gritted his teeth. I know.

Then move!

The sounds of training begin to fade to silence. While Jesse pushed his body to its limits, Luna Draconis pushed her mind.

The Draconis family estate sat miles away from the city, an old stone mansion tucked behind iron gates and towering oaks. Inside, the library was a cathedral of knowledge shelves stretching to the ceiling, filled with ancient tomes, dusty manuscripts, and relics collected by generations of Draconis ancestors.

Luna sat at a long oak table, surrounded by open books. Her dark hair was tied back, her eyes sharp and focused as she flipped through pages filled with symbols, sketches, and warnings written in languages most people had forgotten.

She whispered to herself as she read. DreamMaster… also known as the Shadow Sovereign… the Parasite King… feeds on emotional fractures… thrives in arenas of conflict…

Her stomach tightened.

This wasn’t just a demon. It was a predator.

And Wolfy had been its perfect prey.

Luna reached for another book a leather‑bound volume so old the spine cracked when she opened it. Inside was a hand‑drawn depiction of a figure made of swirling darkness, tendrils reaching out like claws.

The caption read:

It seeks the brightest souls first.

Luna closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. Wolfy…

She turned the page.

More notes. More warnings. More signs that the thing Jesse was preparing to face wasn’t just dangerous — it was ancient, cunning, and relentless.

But then she found something else. An article about HWA of the past about Young Butch Parker, Wisdom, Maniac, Hans Von Richtoven, William Draconis.

Luna’s pulse quickened. She scanned the article. Maniac, a brutal, unhinged wrestler from the early days of HWA, had been known for his unpredictable style. But this match was different.

Witnesses described Maniac’s eyes going white as bone, his voice not his own, and the arena lights flickering violently.

Luna whispered, DreamMaster… you were with him first.

Luna looked toward the window, where the sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the estate grounds.

Jesse, she whispered, you’re not fighting this alone. Not anymore.”

She closed the book, determination hardening her expression.

If darkness was coming for her brother, then she would meet it head‑on.

She needed to get a hold of Maniac and understand what her brother was facing. She grabbed her phone and began to make phone calls….

Maniac had just finished another workout at the HWA training facility when his phone rang, he pulled it out of his pocket and frowned when he looked at it, not recognizing the number. However, the frown inexplicably dropped from his face as he got the feeling that he needed to take this call. He clears his throat and hits the answer button putting the phone to his ear.

Maniac: Hello?

Luna clears her throat and answers Maniac. This is Luna Draconis I need to ask you some questions about DreamMaster since you and him have history

Maniac’s posture stiffens at the mention of the name. Even though he’s alone in the training room, he glances around as if expecting old ghosts to materialize.

Maniac: “…DreamMaster!”

He wipes a bead of sweat from his brow, pacing a slow circle as he processes the call.

Maniac: “Alright, Luna Draconis. If you’re calling me about him, then you're starting to understand that your brother is not smart to call that thing out. What exactly do you want to know?”

He tries to keep his tone steady, but there’s a subtle edge—part caution, part memory, part instinct.

Luna adjusted her phone as she got upset but Luna inhaled slowly, steadying herself. When she speaks again, her voice is controlled, but there’s a tremor beneath it anger, fear, maybe both.

Luna Rain: I didn’t call to argue with you about my brother’s decisions. I called because DreamMaster is targeting him and I need to understand what we’re dealing with.

She steps away from the Draconis family library; her footsteps echo faintly through Maniac’s speaker. She’s pacing now too.

Luna Rain: People keep giving me fragments. Rumors. Half‑truths. I need something real. You fought him. You survived his possession. So tell me.

A beat of silence. She forces herself to ask the question she’s been avoiding. What is he, Maniac? Not the stories. Not the myths. You’ve seen him up close. What did you learn while he was possessing you or after you expelled him!?

Her tone is sharp, but not hostile, more like someone bracing for an answer they already suspect they won’t like. Maniac’s heart is pumping and his breath is caught in his throat, finally someone on the roster is listening. He takes a few deep breaths and then clears his throat.

Maniac: It's a demon, summoned here from Hell in a sick ritual that cost a little girl her life. Sarah was her name, the little sister of my Mandy bear ironically enough...
He trails off, stopping the memories and the emotions that would come with it. Maniac takes another deep breath and continues.

Maniac: Anyway, this thing is ancient and evil. It feeds off people's fear and negative emotions, it's like fuking crack to that thing. It has no rhyme or reason, it's just pure evil here because the Italian mob thought they could weaponize it but they found out the hard way that it cannot be controlled. Once it was set loose , it's been chaos ever since. It killed everyone who was there that day performing that ritual, not before feeding on them of course. Have you ever had the tropicana drinks that are in the squeezable pouches? When he fed on them, it was kind of like that.
Maniac shudders.

Maniac: Look, I get what your brother is trying to do and it's admirable, but he's only gonna get himself killed. You can't physically fight it and expect to win, it's stronger than all of us combined, you have to fight it spiritually and I have the key.

Maniac suddenly had a wild idea, he wasn't sure how Wolfie would feel about it, but it was now or never.

Maniac: That thing, that demon is just wearing a Wolfy like man suit. That's not Wolfy in there , but Wolfy⁩ is not dead. He was, but I brought him back with the same tool I'm going to use to send that demonic ####er packing. Look, I know it sounds crazy, but please let's meet and I can prove it.

Luna goes still on the other end of the line. Maniac can almost feel the shift her breathing slows, her tone tightens, and whatever anger she had a moment ago is replaced by something colder, sharper, more calculating.

Luna Rain:…You’re telling me Wolfy died. And you brought him back. And whatever’s walking around now isn’t him.

She doesn’t raise her voice. That somehow makes it heavier.

A long exhale follows, the kind someone gives when they’re trying to keep their world from tilting too far off its axis.

Luna Rain: Maniac… if you’re lying, I swear.

She cuts herself off. Not because she doesn’t mean it, but because she realizes threats won’t get her what she needs.

Luna Rain: Jesse’s already in too deep. DreamMaster’s been circling him like prey, and Jesse’s too stubborn to see it. If you really have something that can help him… then we don’t have time to waste.

There’s a faint rustle Luna grabbing her keys, maybe a jacket. She’s already moving.

Luna Rain: Fine. We’ll meet. But it has to be somewhere neutral. Somewhere DreamMaster can’t twist or track. Jesse and Kratos won’t agree unless he feels safe, and honestly… Neither will I.