Three Divine Wishes: Yes, I'm OP!

Chapter 62: Go On Cry....

"Um... Lord Dream..." he began, voice barely holding together. "Number One told me... you were the one who saved me last year. Is that... true?"

Akasha’s answer came without hesitation.

"Right... I was flying by when I saw you being hunted down... So, I intervened."

Melvin’s breath caught — not exactly in relief, but in something sharper, something that cut through his shyness and exposed the raw, wounded core beneath.

"T‑thank you," he whispered, the words trembling out of him. "For that... and for everything else. I... I don’t know why you helped me, but... thank you."

Akasha didn’t answer right away.

’Come on... show me what you’re hiding underneath all this’, he thought, watching him with an unreadable, patient, assessing gaze.

In that moment, Melvin’s mind was laid bare, every thought an open book.

Melvin’s voice wavered again.

"Lord Dream... My family... that Prince of Loria... he’ll destroy everything. If I stay here too long—"

"You’ll die," Akasha said, calm and cold, the words delivered with the same certainty he applied to every decision.

"If you leave now, you’ll die. And your kingdom will fall anyway."

The words struck Melvin like a sharp blade, cutting through his composure.

His breath came in trembling bursts, his eyes growing wide with shock, and his throat constricting as if the air around him had suddenly thickened.

For a moment he simply stared, unable to process the meaning, unable to reconcile the man who saved him with the man who now refused to save the people he loved.

"Then... can you save them?" he whispered, his voice breaking as the first tear slid down his cheek.

"I mean... you’re strong, right? You have to be..."

Number One had told him countless times about Akasha’s strength, and he wasn’t naive enough to be ignorant of the basics of the Power System.

He understood that the reason he hadn’t been able to see Akasha before was simply because he was too weak.

Akasha shook his head once.

"No," he said, then added, "You’re right, I’m not weak... but I’m not going to save your kingdom."

While he might not be weak, but he certainly wasn’t the strongest either.

And as harsh as it sounded, Akasha couldn’t be anything other than himself.

Why play the hero without knowing what the kingdom was hiding?

He had already seen every detail of Melvin’s life.

Beyond the boy’s status, he knew without a doubt that Melvin was innocent.

With such a vast gap in their ranks, unless Melvin had some ridiculously powerful artifact, there was no way he could hide anything from Akasha.

That made his family’s choice all the sadder—they should have known he was innocent, yet still sided with the Loria Kingdom.

Hearing him, Melvin froze, his expression shifting slowly — hurt, fear, betrayal, and rage colliding in a single, overwhelming surge.

"No?" he asked, as if struggling to grasp the meaning of those words.

His voice broke as he shouted, the words ripping out of him with all the desperation of a child who had lost everything.

"THEN.... THEN WHY SAVE ME?! WHY BRING ME HERE?!"

"WHY SHOW ME POWER IF YOU’RE JUST GOING TO LET THEM DIE?!"

The tear on his cheek fell, followed by another, and another, until his vision blurred and his breath came in uneven bursts.

He wasn’t thinking, planning, or trying to be strategic or composed.

At thirteen, he was nothing but a whirlwind of fear, anger, and heartbreak.

Akasha didn’t so much as blink.

There was no reprimand, no comfort—just an unshaken presence, steady and unmoved. No, he had never been the person good with soft words nor would he tell a lie.

’Just because you’re here, Melvin, doesn’t mean I’m going to handle your dirty work,’ he thought, firm in his belief that everyone’s journey was their own.

The thought made him chuckle — low, quiet, almost amused — the sound free of mockery, tinged instead with a strange acceptance.

"Go on," Akasha said. "Cry."

Melvin stared at him, stunned, confused, hurt, unsure whether he was being mocked or comforted or simply observed.

Akasha went on, his voice calm and firm.

"I won’t lie... I brought you here because of all that anger, resentment, and hate you’ve kept buried deep inside. In some ways, I get where you’re coming from, Melvin."

He spoke with sincerity, aware that the sharpest blades are born from pain—those who’ve walked through hell and found their way back.

That was his vision for Dreamer’s Peak: members strong enough to stand on their own, yet with a home to return to.

Then he said, "You’re just a kid. You’ve been a lot and lost it all. So, go ahead—cry, scream, fall apart. Do whatever you have to."

Melvin’s breath shook again, but this time he didn’t try to hold it back. He let the tears fall, let the anger burn, let the confusion twist inside him until it hurt too much to contain.

"But you’re still not leaving," Akasha said, his tone firm but not cruel.

"Not until you reach God King rank. And until that day comes... you’ll be staying by my side. Whether you like it or not."

Melvin’s eyes widened — not in relief, not in understanding, but in the stunned realization that Akasha wasn’t abandoning him.

He wasn’t saving the kingdom either, but he wasn’t walking away either.

Melvin didn’t understand the meaning yet — he was too young, too desperate, too hurt — but something in him responded, something fierce and stubborn and unwilling to die quietly.

He looked at Number One, desperate for something simpler, something clearer, something less painful.

"I... I’d rather train under you."

Number One raised both hands instantly, stepping back with a startled shake of his head.

"Oh no. Absolutely not. I’m not getting between you and Lord Dream."

Melvin blinked through his tears.

Number One leaned in a bit, his voice softer, almost sympathetic.

"Kid, I like you; I really do. But I’m not looking to get myself killed. He’s your master, and I was just a temporary guide. Big difference."

Melvin sniffled, wiping his face with the back of his hand, still shaking but no longer yelling.

Akasha shook his head lightly, glancing at Number One. "You’re good to go. Relax for the meantime."

Number One bowed deeply and vanished in a flicker of shadow, leaving Melvin standing there alone with Akasha.

Akasha turned his gaze back to the boy.

"In a few moments, I’ll be taking you on a trip."

Melvin’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t argue. He simply nodded, still processing everything.

Akasha took a slow breath, then activated his innate power.

[Dream Walker (Above Origin)]

In that instant, he thought of Harlan Steele and pulled him directly into Dream Land.

----

The Dream Land had changed significantly.

Walls now blocked each freed tier, each one carefully designed for specific purposes — training grounds, storage realms, private spaces, and more.

Akasha appeared inside Tier One, seated calmly at a long, elegant table clearly meant for negotiations.

The space around him was misty and ethereal, yet tangible enough to feel real.

A moment later, space rippled, and Harlan Steele appeared.

The headmaster’s eyes snapped open in shock as he suddenly found himself in an unknown realm.

He looked around quickly, his sharp mind immediately assessing the situation.

"Where..."

When his gaze finally landed on Akasha, he froze for a brief moment.

In that moment he took in Akasha’s complete change.

While the dragon and vampiric elements were still present, but they had been refined and softened by the elven influence, giving him a more transcendent, almost divine allure.

Harlan’s sharp eyes widened slightly, his usual calm cracking for just a second.

"...Lord... Dream?" he said slowly, his voice carrying a mix of surprise and caution.

Akasha shook his head as he spoke.

"Damn right... Now, pull it together, headmaster. It’s time for the Academy of Veils to enter the games of Kalpa."