章 20: Family Z 7

Lia suddenly felt unwell. She finally understood why all of this time she had been experiencing these silent breakdowns.

"What's wrong?" Yano's eyes teased her but Lia could barely notice his playful expression. Her head hurt and she felt dizzy, she held onto the wall to steady herself.

Yano rushed to her side as she was about to fall but she pushed him away.

"Don't touch me," she hissed.

This time Yano was surprised. Lia's bright eyes turned dark and cold as if she was a completely different person.

"Leave," she ordered him with a hint of killing intent and Yano was at a loss about what to do. He only wanted to tease her a bit yet she reacted this way.

"I'm sorry if I said somethin-"

"No, you were right," a mocking and perverted smile formed on her lips.

"You're right. Now leave," she narrowed her eyes.

Yano gave up and left. He bowed but found the sudden change very strange.

Lia finally remembered. She remembered everything. She had no idea where she was but she guessed she might be in a dream.

She was on her way to take revenge against the Z family when she suddenly found herself in this dream that depicted the picture-perfect life she dreamt off in the past.

Of course, Min loving her, her family accepting him and being still alive were all feeble desires she once possessed. Now, none of it mattered. It showed her an ugly reality she never wanted to witness again.

She pinched her arm yet no matter how hard she did, even after drawing blood, she didn't wake up. She had no idea how to leave or how she ended up here. The only reasonable explanation was that the Z family was behind this but she didn't' hear any news about them getting powers.

In fact, they were the only family who Min didn't give any powers since their children weren't interested in it.

She had to quickly figure out a way to escape this. Who knew what happened to her in the real world.

Suddenly, she had a terrifying thought, what if she was already dead and only her soul was trapped in here? Would she ever be able to leave?

This wasn't the time to think about it and she quickly made her way out of the palace. She didn't want to stay any second longer here. As she reached the entrance, two strong arms slung around her waist and a head nestled into her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" this deep voice belonged to a man she was once infatuated with.

He kissed her neck and she shivered.

"What's wrong? Are you cold?" Min held her tighter and Lia felt the disgust wanting to pour out of her mouth.

"It's nothing," she choked out and freed herself.

Min turned her face around and gently smiled. She was prepared for it but her heart still skipped a beat.

If only... if only Min would've been like this in real life.

She wanted to kill him but her resolve faded away the moment she laid her eyes on him. Her heart swayed. It was a fear she was afraid to face and now it came true.

She yearned for revenge but at the same time, she knew deep down that she still hoped for a reasonable explanation and for Min to actually care for her, just like here in this dream.

It was a hard obstacle for her to overcome. Maybe this would've been easier if she faced the indifferent Min instead of the one showering her with love.

"I just want to see my family. I suddenly have the urge to meet them," Lia forced a smile.

She pushed him away and walked out without giving him a glance. If she could discard him here, then it should be no problem in the real world.

As she aimlessly wandered across the capital, her mind was occupied with different thoughts all desperately searching for a way out. She was sure she must've been caught by the Z family, then if they had powers-

Lia stopped in her tracks, then as fast as she could she ran to the Z family's residence.

In this world, the Z family had powers. It was an absurd thought but if she could ask them what kind of power they exactly had and how to break it, wouldn't she be able to leave this dream?

Her racing mind came to a halt in front of the gate. The guards stopped her.

"I'm here to see Elder Z."

"Do you have any idea what time it is? Do you have an appointment?"

Lia shook her head.

"Then leave."

Her face turned several degrees colder, "I'm Lia. Shouldn't that be enough?"

The guards at first didn't understand but once they figured out her identity, they fell to their knees and begged for forgiveness.

"Don't waste my time. Open the door."

The guards immediately did so. Lia entered and was greeted by a half-awake attendant, however, once her eyes fell on the person in front of her, she instantly bowed.

"Take me to Elder Z."

"Yes, Yes! Please follow me!" the attendant showed Lia a room. She poured her a tea and then hurriedly left.

After not even a minute, Elder Z hurried into the room and took Lia's hands, "It's been a while, dear!"

Lia sneered in her heart. This was truly a picture-perfect world. Just like she wished for. Even the enemies turned nice and obedient.

She narrowed her eyes but collected herself and smiled, "Elder Z is always out on business working so hard in the mortal world. I apologise for barging in but I've heard Elder Z has done so many great deeds and possess great power."

Elder Z laughed heartedly, "No need to flatter me. You're so much better and capable than this old man here!"

Indeed old and a waste, Lia added in her mind but her smile was as bright as ever.

"Actually I wanted to know what kind of power Elder Z has and explain it to me in-depth. I know it's a family secret but I might have discovered something akin to your family's power."

"Hmm," Elder Z scratched his beard, "don't worry, dear. If it's something you request, I'm more than willing to agree."

Lia bitterly laughed inside. Everything really went her way in this world. It was as if it didn't want to let her go. Of course not, it wanted to trap her forever.

"Then, thank you."

"I think you already know but our power is illusion, but it isn't just any illusion. There are two different illusions that we possess- One that we can control and one we cannot. The one we can control casts an illusion over inanimate objects. But-"

Elder Z looked at her, "This is not the one you wanted to know about right? The other one is the illusion we cast on a person. However, we don't have any control over the kind of illusion shown to the target.

The illusion depicted is one's utmost desire, yearn or wish. Something that lies deep in their hearts is drawn out and traps them inside of it. However, the desire shows something that can never actually happen in real life, which is why it is irresistible to the target and they would choose in almost all of the time to live in it."

"The consequence?" the tea was swallowed harshly down her throat.

"The target will die if they can't break through the illusion within two years of the time in the illusion. Our exorcism lies in casting an illusion on the ghosts and let them relive what they want most because vengeful ghosts have many lingering regrets and intense feelings. They would be drawn more to the illusion shown and can never leave, thus they die.

Before the mortal people are brutally killed in the mortal world and turn to vengeful ghosts we cast this power on them and they can die peacefully without turning into a ghost."

"What's the time flow"? Lia had no time to waste. If she didn't wake up now, she would've probably died.

"It depends but generally, a year in the illusion is an hour in reality. Does that answer everything?"

"One last thing," Lia's eyelashes trembled, "how do you break it? How do you get out of the illusion?"

"That," Elder Z paused for a moment, "is a hard question to answer because everyone has a different illusion, so the requirements are different. One way is, of course, the caster undoing it. The other way... the target has to be aware they're in an illusion to know they've to take steps, which is a given but most of the time they choose to not wake up and continue to believe the illusion is reality."

Lia wanted to tell him to get to the point but figured she needs as much as information as possible. If she did get out of the illusion, she'd have to face the Z family.

"To break out of an illusion you have to turn the illusion to the state of reality."

Elder Z saw Lia didn't say anything and elaborated, "Because illusions show people their desires, they actively have to destroy this desire because it doesn't' exist in the real world. For example, if someone dreams of becoming rich, he might be a millionaire with everything he wanted in the illusion.

In order to escape, he has to return to the state he's in real life. That is, if he was a homeless man, he has to give away all of his money, every possession and live on the streets again. Once he's accustomed to his old life, he can leave the illusion."

Lia shook inside, she didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe this vicious way was her escape.

"Then what if someone dreams of their beloved dead ones being alive? The person who didn't love them, love them now?"

Elder Z gave her a soft look, he didn't know why she wanted to know all of this, especially because they were quite delicate details but he thought she must've got a good reason.

"Then the beloved dead ones would need to die the same way they did in the real world. Although if they were murdered, the killer doesn't matter. Same goes to if they died a natural death. The target would have to kill them in order to fasten the process. If they died of a heart attack or failure, it's important they should die similar to it, no bruises or wounds on the bodies but maybe medicaments can be used to indicate heart failure.

As for the lover loving them back, of course in the real world they didn't, the victim has to turn their feelings back to how they were. If it was hatred, indifference, annoyance or any other."

"I see," Lia stood up, "I've kept you up and busy. Thank you for your insight."

"Ah, you're leaving already?"

Lia nodded and left the mansion in a hurry. Her mind was about to go numb as she walked to an abandoned spot.

Then leaning against the wall, she broke down. Tears welled up and streamed down her face.

She fell and her fists turned the ground bloody as she hit and hit and hit, yet not one of the intense emotions inside of her were quenched.

How could she bear to see her parent die? How could she bear to kill them with her own hands? How could she bear to let the other four families and Min alive?

Make Min hate her? That was no problem.

Lia's insides wrenched and her whole body violently rejected any thought that forced themselves to flow through her veins and make her blood boil.

She swore, for the Z family to use such an illusion on her, she'd make them pay a million times. All of what she had experienced, she had to go through again?

The worst thing was that in the end, she was the one who had to commit this betrayal.

Even though this was an illusion, it was still very much real, wasn't it? All the people lived, breathed and acted like real people. Just because she knew it was an illusion didn't mean the people inside thought they were fake.

In the first place, who had the right to decide over them? It was really a wicked power, giving people what they sought after the most but then destroying them once they'd wake up and realise it was after all just a dream. Of course, they could never attain what they wished for.

And even if they woke up, would they have the heart to destroy the illusion and their own desire only to be filled with despair?

Lia's muddled head prompted her to think if she really wanted to leave. Was that the right decision? Or did she want to continue living in this illusion?

What would await her back in the real world? Nothing but the harsh reality. Wouldn't living here for eternity be better? To live happily without sorrow and hopefully one day forgetting that this was an illusion?

Even if she died in the real world, it didn't matter to her, now did it?

She had no idea what she wanted anymore. It was just all too much. She just wanted to be happy, why was it so wrong?

Back in reality, there was no one waiting for her, nothing but suffering, pain and the harsh, lonely road of revenge that might not even satisfy her.

She didn't want to go back.