Kimoro is a commoner living in his world not until an accident happen. He was given another time to live but not for himself but to save the world in a massacre.

For months on end

Nightmares fill my head

Zombies and beasts so vivid to me

But last night I finally had a dream

There was all my family there

Lots of love and space to share

A deep understanding 

Of time and boundaries

A friends or two

One for me and one for you

A love like no other

A hate easily covered

Alas I still woke up

Despite my cries and pleads

Just let me fill my cup

And never forget these dreams

Ever.

A collection of poem I write that mean something to me.

Cover Image:
https://imgur.com/Y4ZH9U5
.
***
The Eight
     We began on the same night. For some reason, the Green Men are after us… all eight of us.
     As far as I know, the relationships between us are... 
https://imgur.com/N8fBd5m
***
Colin's Comrade Summary
https://imgur.com/HGWpa03
***
Prologue 
     In the darkness, a chord was struck.  
     Lights flooded a stage and cheers rang out as the song of the electric guitar filled the night. A spray of fireworks shot up, bursting spectacularly as drums and bass joined in.  
     They stood on a small plain platform, four girls with their instruments facing a crowd of jumping, screaming fans. A lit backdrop pulsed with soaring hearts, interchanged with the name of the band; Starlight Hearts. 
     Verse ran into chorus – the girls' costumes changed, instantly, effortlessly, testament to the abilities that being in a telepathic network afforded them. The backdrop changed to display a single word, four letters that held so many meanings. 
     LIVE. 
     To the average fan, that word meant this performance was taking place right now. It was a live performance, sure enough.  
     But to the desperate, to the crying, to those who had no hope, no heart left, that word meant something else. {Don't give up. Live on!} 
     It was for those people that they sang there now. It was for those who knew terror from the depths of their own minds. Those who had fallen far below the Middle Plane, past the Ancient Ways, and deep into the Lower Plane. Those who found their darkest fears take shape and form to haunt them. Those who found themselves face to face with true Nightmares.  
     They had no chance. They had been all but dragged under the layers between Planes, the very mountain they stood on had been sunk. They were playing in a kids' Dreamworld, and were never told, much less prepared for the horrors of the Lower Plane. 
     For the Dreamworlds Network was a telepathic joining of many minds and many lives. Billions of people shared their dreams, most of them into organized, tidy themed Dreamworlds as they so desired. A controlled dream where they shared fun and leisure. Those who worked in tight, cramped spaces in the day could roam endless beaches in their Dreams. Those who were choked by smog-filled cities could breathe fresh, clean air on green highlands above thriving forests. Even children found freedom and responsibilities in a Dreamworld made just for them to play. 
     But that Dreamworld had been invaded, and the invaders had sunk hundreds of them into the Lower Plane, a level of the network where rules themselves didn't work properly. A level of the telepathic network that was forbidden to the majority of Dreamers for their own safety. They had sunk- no, they had been sunk- into that level without any warning of what they were going to face there. 
     They were terrified. Horrified. Or worse. 
     And the Lower Plane had fed on them. Their Nightmares had taken solid form and then all but devoured the fallen Dreamers. Fear fed on fear and Resonated.  Nightmares multiplied exponentially. A lot of it leaked into the layer between the Middle Plane and Lower Plane, and the Ancient Ways (as it was called) was quickly becoming a very dangerous place. 
     These four girls were fighting a war. It was a war beyond blades, beyond bombs. A war over hearts and minds and dreams themselves. It was a war for the very hopes of the next generation, the hundreds of traumatized children who would most assuredly lose what brightness their futures might have held if something were not done, and fast. 
     As the song ended, hot tears streaked down the face of the lead vocalist. {This… this is all I can do. This small thing… a concert. My songs… my voice… please, let it reach them!}  
     She measured her exhaustion as the crowd erupted in applause. They'd been going around doing this quite a bit now, with a lot more to go. On top of that, they were going to have to add Nakama World to their tour. She made a quick decision, turned to the bassist, and gave a side nod and twist to the side. {We'll skip my next song. We're going straight to yours.}
     The bassist replied with a short nod, though strain was on her face. She stepped forward to switch places and take the center spot. Her bass sounded once, twice, and then began to pick up the pace as applause turned into rhythmic clapping. 
     "Forest Night." The previous lead vocalist spoke the name of the song, and the bassist lifted her face.  
     The bassist, now the lead vocalist, stepped forward. Her blue eyes were clear, her resolve unshakeable. This was in every way, her song. She was the lead vocalist now.  
     The previous vocalist handed her the mic.  
     "Take it, Lynn." 
     
     *** 
          
     {I'm not giving up that easily…}  
     Katrin sat in the middle of a huge hollow where Skycrown Mountain fell, fuming at the tip of the pyramid that used to be the highest point in Nakama World. That was all that was left of Skycrown Mountain in this Dreamworld; a new entrance to the Ancient Ways, and one that held special meaning for her. 
     {At least I found it again. The Blue Phoenix is right where it was last night. I can find my way back any time… but she just threw me out of the Ancient Ways. Again.}
     Why? That was the question most on Katrin's mind. The Blue Phoenix was a legend of the far south, most people weren't even sure she existed. But Katrin did. She found the Blue Phoenix in the Ancient Ways last night.  
     Their encounter went well, Katrin thought, up to a certain point. It was at that point that Katrin was more or less kicked out of the area and left sitting in this hollow staring at that glass pyramid-tip.  
     It wasn't that the Blue Phoenix hated her. No… there was something between them. Katrin wasn't sure what, but she felt some sort of kinship with the Blue Phoenix, odd as it might sound. There was a strange kind of understanding between them, and Katrin believed that the Blue Phoenix, in some way, {cared} for her.  
     {Then why won't she bond with me? Why won't she become my Comrade?} 
     There were obvious reasons, in Nakama World, why a Wild would not bond with a Traveler like herself. First and foremost, the Traveler simply wasn't powerful enough. Many stronger Wilds wouldn't bond even a Traveler they liked until that Traveler reached a certain rank as denoted by their badge color. Katrin, after having giving up all her old Comrades and keeping just the one new one, had been demoted all the way back down to Yellow. Again. 
     But the fact that she only had one Comrade left seemed to be important here. The Blue Phoenix would not bond with Katrin if Katrin had had an army of lesser Comrades running around like many kids in Nakama World did. Of that, Katrin had absolutely no doubt. The Blue Phoenix was… picky. Extremely picky. 
     {Then how? I can't give up the one Comrade I have now. That would demote me even further to White Badge. There's no way the Blue Phoenix would bond a White Badge. But I can't go around bonding lots of Comrades and rise in rank the normal way either. That simply isn't going to work with the Blue Phoenix.}
     Maybe there was something she was missing. Some sort of quest she had to do, or a different kind of power, like achieving a rank in a Guild, or even accomplishing a certain number of quests in the Blue Phoenix's home territory, make a name for herself in the far south.  
     Katrin reached out towards the glass pyramid, wishing she could try again tonight, go in there and ask, or just look around and search the Blue Phoenix's place for clues. But the glass pyramid shimmered behind an unseen barrier, and Katrin found herself pushing against a barrier of thin air. 
     "Maybe there are clues somewhere else around here." Katrin figured. "There is at least one town and two villages on the Continent of Eternal Winter. Or maybe my Guildmates might know something." 
     She should check on them, she supposed. After last night, the J-Knights would probably be in uproar. They'd be extremely busy tonight and she should be too, she guessed. And while she checked on them, there were other things she wanted to check on too. Other people. 
     {Phillip and Colin. Those two better be all right.}

Will be deleted. Someone wants to publish it.

Despite being under that unbearable pressure and suppression, Lin Li had actually made a breakthrough, and advanced from level-20 to level-21. That was an absolute difference in strength. Even though Lin Li had broken through to level-21, the Light and Darkness Domain that he had created actually was not on par with Vidas' Nature Domain. 
If it weren't for the fact that he had already seized the opportunity to turn the situation around by using the Summoning Lamp to summon the Lord of Nightmares from the Abyss, the outcome of the battle might have been different. The thought of it made Lin Li feel terrified even though he remained calm on the surface.
Although the Lord of Nightmares who used to be a Demon Lord did not show too strong of a combat prowess in the previous battles, Lin Li actually knew that the true power of the Lord of Nightmares should not be reflected in this aspect. The most brilliant thing about the Lord of Nightmares was that he could manipulate dreams. This advantage had never impressed Lin Li; hence, that ability had rarely been showcased on his orders. 
For example, the Lord of Nightmares would be doomed to be powerless when faced with the Lord of Darkness in the Abyss of Tharlen. At the end of the day, the Lord of Nightmares was still just a top-tier Demon Lord who could never compare to the level-27 Lord of Darkness of the Abyss of Tharlen—regardless of how well he could manipulate dreams. That was the Level Rule that had existed since a long time ago. It could never be changed, even if the Lord of Nightmares had already been sealed and contained in the Summoning Lamp. 
When Lin Li faced the Crimson Dragon in the underground palace back then, the Lord of Nightmares could not cause the simple-minded wyrm to slip into a complicated nightmare. In fact, it was still a debatable issue as to whether or not simple-minded beasts like wyrms could slip into nightmares and dreams… 
That was the limit of the Lord of Nightmares' abilities, which was also the reason he could only dominate the first few levels of the abyss. However, things were much different during the battle between Lin Li and Vidas. Although the Level-22 Vidas was impressive and formidable, he was still an elf at the end of the day. 
Although it sounded rather contradictory, it was indeed very interesting. Vidas possessed such great power mostly because he carried the elven blood. However, his identity of an elf was also the very reason he'd lost the battle and the gamble.
Nothing was perfect in this world, and the elves were contradictory entities to begin with. They were unique, and had element affinity as well as long lifespans that humans were jealous of. However, they also had some handicaps, which was rather ridiculous. 
Even a mage apprentice in Anril would know that the best way to deal with an elf was to use Mental Spells, be it a level-5 Delirium or a level-20 Soul Puppet. As long as Mental Spells were used on elves, there would definitely be unexpected effects. This was a characteristic of elves, a race that was inherently full of contradictions. They were born with the power to pursue all the good things, and detested all the ugly beings. The world of elves was always black and white, and their outlook on life was much weaker and worse than that of (human) children.
The Lord of Nightmares' strongest ability was his proficiency in mental spells, of course. As a true master of Mental Spells, the Lord of Nightmares could manipulate dreams as and when it wanted to. Even though the Legendary-mage Vidas was level-22, he was extremely fragile in terms of mental strength when faced with the Lord of Nightmares who could easily invade his dreams, especially when Lin Li incorporated the Lord of Nightmares into the Light and Darkness Domain and lent its power to the Lord of Nightmares. It then possessed a terrifying power that was unprecedented. That power was close to level-22, and it wouldn't be inferior even compared to Vidas.
Under such circumstances, it was only normal for the Legendary-mage Vidas to be controlled by the Lord of Nightmares. 
If it were to happen during other times, such dream manipulation wouldn't be a big deal. After all, a level-22 Legendary-mage wouldn't be destroyed as long as his domain was still intact, regardless of whether his dreams were manipulated. No matter how horrifying and absurd the dream might be, it would be rather difficult to inflict actual harm on Vidas.
Unfortunately, Vidas ran into Lin Li this time.
The dreams that Lin Li had created through the Lord of Nightmares were terrifying enough to scare even historical figures like Apophis and Rosario. 
The terrifying world that was made of reinforced concrete contained big steel birds that flew in the sky and poor human beings who were locked in boxes. As if that wasn't daunting enough, there were still Sword Sages who could contort their bodies into horrifying shapes. The handsome demon, Brother Zeng, the Legendary-mage who controlled meteor showers, and the prophet Phoenix Lady whom no one could match up to in the past 500 years[1]…
Everything was beyond Vidas' imagination; he could not understand how the young President of the Guild of Magic would have such a shameful past[2].
Although the battle had already ended, people like Vidas would be able to figure out the reason for their loss with some brief analysis. However, he had no choice but to admit that the young President of the Guild of Magic was indeed a true genius. 
His talent went far beyond magic, and although it was horrifying that he had become a Legendary-mage despite being only 20 years old, what truly shocked Vidas was the incredible talent that the young Lin Li had showcased during the battle. It was an impressive ability that Vidas had never seen before, be it Lin Li's usage of magical power or his grasp of the changes in magical waves, as well as his determination. 
There was no doubt that the young mage had defeated him by manipulating dreams, but as a level-22 Legendary-mage, Vidas obviously knew that dreams were not created out of nowhere, and there must have been an actual source to make it possible. He was sure that the realistic dreams he had were experiences that Lin Li had gone through. 
That was what scared Vidas the most—he couldn't imagine how tough a person had to be to remain normal after such terrible experiences. Although Vidas did not lose in terms of magical abilities, he was convinced by the young human Legendary-mage. Therefore, although Lin Li took away Helios' Scepter which he could not bear to give away at all, his pride as an elf prevented him from going back on his word.
As the winner of the Legendary-realm battle, Lin Li's gains today were undoubtedly the biggest. However, achieving a breakthrough under the massive pressure and suppression of one's opponent was not that great of a gain or accomplishment, since he'd already been at the peak of level-20, and it had only been a matter of time before he'd break through to level-21.
Lin Li was very clear that the benefits that the battle had brought him went far beyond the advancement to level-21. A battle between Legendary powerhouses, especially those like Vidas, was rather rare for most, and one might never experience one in their entire life. Hence, it was an extremely valuable experience for Lin Li.
Fighting with a Legendary-mage who was also an acquaintance could at most only be regarded as a spar because no one would exert their full power. However, many things could only be comprehended when one was on the brink of death. What Lin Li had been lacking after becoming a Legendary-mage was exactly an actual opponent. 
The impact of the Legendary-realm battle was absolutely great on Lin Li. Although the effects had yet to show, Lin Li was well aware that the impact on himself left by this battle was far more than just the seemingly simple increase of control of strength and familiarization with Rules. The near-death experience would take him to greater heights in his magic journey. 
Oh, and this… 
Lin Li took Helios' Scepter out of his hand. The gains of the battle extended beyond just valuable experience, and the scepter was definitely an unexpected surprise. Originally, he'd believed that if Vidas could not recognize the new debris of the stars, he wouldn't have known the true value of the branch. Hence, the so-called stake of equivalent value would not have been too great. However, Lin Li could immediately tell the extraordinariness of the scepter. 
The rod of Helios' Scepter was not as elaborate as the currently existing staffs. Instead, it was rather simple, awkward, and had a typical Dark Age style. The material that the scepter was made of was mentioned in many historical books, and was said to have come from the Tree of Life of the Emerald Forest. 
Legend had it that in the era when the High Elves ruled the world of Anril, there were countless Trees of Life growing next to the Tree of Eternity. The Trees of Life were just like subjects clustered around the king of trees—the Tree of Eternity. In fact, the relationship between them was almost the same as it seemed. The Tree of Eternity possessed endless power, and had brought about a major calamity and disaster to Anril when it collapsed back then. The energy was actually provided by the Trees of Life, which continuously absorbed the Elemental Power between Heaven and Earth, and supplied it to the Tree of Eternity. They were like worker bees and their queen bee.
Therefore, the branches of the Trees of Life were undoubtedly one of the most suitable materials for making staffs. The natural element absorption ability of the trees was sufficient for the mage holding the staff to cast any spells as he pleased.
[1] They're probably all fictional characters from movies and whatnot.
[2] No idea where this came from. Maybe Vidas assumed MC had to experience such stuff to show him all of it later. Which is partly true. Well, read on.


Lin Li accidentally enters another world while playing with his smurf mage account just after he maxes out all kinds of crafting skills, bringing with him various top-grade materials. Although his character is practically powerless, what he gains in return is unprecedented magical talent! Can he survive by himself after being thrown into another world?

Rana was having a great day slaughtering slimes. It was just so nice to finally remember her name!  More intense than happiness, though, was heady and overwhelming relief. Waking up in a dusty, creepy cave with no memories was not exactly an easy way to exist. The tidbit of memory she just recalled had ignited within her the hope of remembering everything; she had a new lease on life.


However, her joy and relief were making her inattentive; she had slaughtered slimes and descended the stairs to a much deeper extent than ever before, and wasn't slowing down anytime soon... Similarly, she didn't notice that the spike plant on her sword, after having gone through hundreds of mutations from consuming slimes, was reaching some sort of critical point, the 999th transformation...


Sometime later, Rana was still giggling and muttering her name, surrounded by 5 slimes on the seemingly endless stairs and locked in deadly combat. She encountered a lavender, gourd-shaped slime and two pyramidal golden slimes, but was slowly ambushed by a pair of greyish-white slimes that had fallen from some unknown place onto the stairs behind her. The golden slimes began slowly rotating, the corners on the tops of their bodies glowing with a sickly bronze light that seemed to eat away at everything it touched. As the slimes cornered her, catching Rana in a situation she would normally retreat from at the first possible instant, she decided today that she would face them head on!


Rana laughed as she bent her body at an inhuman angle, slithering through the air to obliterate the lavender slime with a well-aimed pierce. As her sword rapidly blended and consumed the slime monster, Rana wrenched her body around the hilt of the blade and kicked off the wall behind her, shooting maniacally towards the greyish white slimes before they could even strike at her, leaving quivering chunks of lavender in her wake. She completely speared through the center of one greyish-white slime with her hellish momentum before using the weight of the slime monster and her embedded blade as a lever to heave out massive chunks of the slimes' inner flesh.


By changing her momentum through shearing the slime, she seemed to liquidly change direction in the air, almost using the comfortable hilt of her blade as a trapeze. In a flash, she had already gutted the second greyish-white slime. Sensing danger, she dropped low to the ground to avoid a barrage of highly corrosive bronze waves. The golden slimes had begun attacking in full, emanating crescent-shaped bronze waves from the tips of their heads. These waves crashed harshly against the stone of the stairs, eroding it away with crackling sounds while releasing a thick caustic smoke.


Pressed to the ground and temporarily hidden by the smoke, Rana quickly looked around the dim stairway to formulate a plan. She slowly let her blade release feelers to quickly snatch and consume as many nearby slime chunks as possible. Once the barrage of bronze waves ceased, she lightly shook the blade of her sword in a whipping motion, causing the tendrils spread across the stairs to spring against the ground, shooting her upwards and out of the smoke. Before the gold slimes could reorient themselves to attack her again, she was already right above them! Quickly, she plummeted into them sword first, impaling and grinding in a frenzy!


After they were dispatched, Rana let her plant sword consume the remaining portions of the slime corpses. However, once it completely finished eating the second golden pyramid slime, the tendrils rapidly shrank back into the plant. Soon, the rosettes of leaves closed in on each other as well, changing from their typical metallic rainbow patina to a muted misty gray. Worried and alarmed, Rana hurriedly brought the spike plant sword back to the small spring in her cave complex. She placed the sword into the small basin, and although the leaves didn't reopen, a few pale tendrils meekly spread into the water. Relieved to see her sword plant was still alive, Rana sat down next to it, watching it closely. Eventually, she fell asleep; however, her sword continued to absorb spring water and slowly, slowly change...


***


Exenoura neared the city hall after covertly slaughtering any nearby Cursed denizens. She quietly stowed her whip in her comically small bag before pulling out two more weapons -- a wicked cudgel and a greyish-gold dagger. The cudgel ended in many sharp and irregular spikes coated in Pudgala Withering Ash, and the dagger was attached to the very end of a thin golden chain. Wrapping the chain around her right wrist, she slipped through the tattered door to investigate the city hall.


After entering, the murky light and lakeside sounds of the caldera town gave way to absolute darkness and silence. Exenoura's pupils dilated completely, but she could still not make out the grand entrance hall clearly. She quietly removed a luminescent mushroom from her bag. While she held it in one hand, her other hand glowed greenish-brown as she made a few simple runes in the air around the mushroom. The runes fell into the fungus, which seemingly absorbed them before growing vigorously. Exenoura then gently blew on the fungus, ejecting billions of spores into the damp air of the city hall.


Imbued with the power of her runes, the spores rapidly grew once they landed on a surface, quickly forming large clumps of glowing mushrooms. In the phantasmal blue light of the mushrooms, Exenoura was able to see the interior of the city hall. The walls were inlaid with large, multi-story reliefs that seemed to depict a civilization of snail-like beings worshipping many different deities. In the only series of major panels that occupied large swathes of the walls, she could see crowds of these snail beings worshipping the same 5 major deities. She silently recorded the contents of these reliefs so she could inform her Master during her next check-in.


The first deity was a long black dragon biting its own tail. Exenoura noted this down with keen interest; her Master's interests included tracking this and other deities across worlds. In the first relief, the dragon had bitten its tail to form a circle. As she inspected the relief more closely, the dragon appeared be spinning both clockwise and counter-clockwise, causing an impossible and chaotic presence to emanate from within the circle. The snail beings could be seen lifting their tentacles to offer something, which spiraled like wisps of smoke around the center of the rotating dragon. In the second relief, the dragon had twisted itself once to form a sideways figure eight. From within the gaps made by its body, a divine yet profane gaze seemed to majestically explode outward, as if the figure eight had become the eyes of a being that surpassed gods!


The second deity seemed to be a strange tree. Instead of roots, it appeared to have a second canopy of branches spreading downward from the trunk, giving the impression of a double-sided tree. As Exenoura examined the relief more closely, she could see that the branches above the trunk had many leaves and flowers of different shapes, while the branches below the trunk seemed to be made of coral and sea plants. In the normal branches, she could see reliefs of birds and monkeys frolicking, while schools of fish and dolphins moved between the strange lower ones. The only major relief of this deity showed suns shining from between both sets of its branches; wherever this light fell, snail beings could be seen harvesting food and creating gardens. In the gnarled bark of the tree's trunk, there seemed to be the suggestion of a warm and matronly face in the whorls of the wood. The longer Exenoura peered at this subtle face, the more clearly she could see an old woman's joyous face in the tree trunk, conjuring within her an ineffable feeling... She could feel that meditating and perceiving from this relief would allow her to increase her understanding of Life laws! Reluctantly turning away, she made her way toward the other side of the hall.


Along with the first deity, the third deity was something she would definitely have to report to her Master! The fact that these two beings existed in the same universe may even mean her Master would come here directly, despite the dangers... The third deity was a giant octopus-like creature with a massive, egg-shaped body and countless hanging tentacles. Along the edges of its giant body, ten massive pairs of feathered wings seemed to be resting on layers and layers of clouds, supporting the god. In the center of the body was a giant eye that was closed. In both major reliefs, the god's tentacles drifted down from the sky; each one passed through the shell of a snail being and directly touched its soul! In the first relief, this touch seemingly caused the snail beings to have incredibly vivid dreams. The dreams in the relief were myriad and varied, but all the snail people who had these dreams were depicted with glowing shells after waking up, possibly symbolizing some form of enlightenment. In the second relief, each tentacle of the god seemed to be snatching something from above the shells of snail beings. When the snail beings awoke, they offered sacrifices and celebrated in thanks. Based on what her Master told her in the past, what this deity snatched were... nightmares! It would induce vivid dreams to harvest and eat vivid nightmares!


The fourth god was incredibly strange and seemed to be some kind of mushroom. Three reliefs showed its apparent arrival to the snail world and its subsequent miracles. In the first relief, snail beings were pointing at starlike spores that seemed to fall into many volcanoes. In the second relief, fungal hyphae seemed to grow out of each volcano and intertwine into each other while snail beings moved closer towards the volcanoes. In the last relief, a massive lace stinkhorn seemed to tower over the volcanic region as snail beings built cities and offered sacrifices beneath it. To her, this god was the most likely one to have tamed the caldera around her; Exenoura carefully transcribed all these details.


The final god, however, was the strangest and seemingly most revered of them all. There were four reliefs dedicated to this god that together suggested to Exenoura a hair-raising possibility. In the first, something with many eyes was watching a falling star. In the second, the snail beings were worshipping a giant orb in a mushroom-covered cave. In the third, the snail beings seemed to be performing some kind of ritual of passage on an altar outside the cave, where one snail being would enter the cave and touch the orb. In the last relief, the snail being that touched the orb underwent a shocking change! After touching the silver orb, the snail being retreated into the shell on its back. The relief then seemed to show the shell cracking and the snail being emerging completely changed! The newly reborn being had a slug-like lower body that connected in a centaur-like fashion to a vaguely humanoid torso with eight tentacle-like arms. Instead of a head and neck, there was a raindrop-shaped appendage fused directly above the eight shoulders. Regular snail denizens could be seen prostrating themselves beneath this new entity.


"This final god seems to have been able to stimulate the evolution or mutation of the snail being's bloodline, allowing chosen members of the tribe to leap past the limits of their race... This deity's power and the Curse that has currently corrupted the bloodline of these natives both give rise to massive changes to the bloodline... They are most likely related in some critical way, since it's very unlikely many Life experts at this level would appear here... Maybe this fifth major deity Cursed the bloodline of this race?... If this Curse of Life is at the level of divine, will I still be able to derive an epiphany from those laws with my current understanding?... Or will trying to contact these laws corrupt my blood too?..."


With these strange and anxious thoughts running through her head, Exenoura headed deeper into the city hall as her pitcher plants slowly swallowed the lakeside town.


In a large chamber on the top floor, Exenoura found something critical -- a rough map of the caldera and the snail denizen settlements within it. From the small town she had investigated, it was roughly a two-day journey to the snail being's major city, a metropolis by the caldera rim. After verifying the local geography, she decided to set up a secondary base in this lakeshore town -- the increased humidity would make her pitcher plants more resilient and treacherous, ensuring the town as a secure place for a possible retreat. After using the pitcher plants to briefly update her plant demon, Exenoura sat down to meditate and contact her Master.

Rana's not human and she's not on Earth, that's for sure! It's a whole new world out there when you have amnesia and even more so when you've been shot to another dimension! It's do or die, and Rana needs to figure out how to survive in this bizarre new world before she can start figuring out how she even got here in the first place.

None of them could get out of there fast enough. Both Adea and Ellis were shaken up from their encounters. Adea was quiet as they packed up and swiftly headed back toward their cottage, wanting nothing more than to get home and out of the dark, to forget all about this horrific night. Ellis, on the other hand, could not stop going on and on about what he saw out in the woods. He described it in great detail, his voice quivering as he did so, but it was clear that nobody really believed him. Nobody it seemed except for Adea, who was ready to believe anything could be lurking in the trees around them, perhaps watching them right now.

Lyda was the worst of them all. Nobody could get a word out of her about what happened while she was out cold. Jay pressed her to the point of tears to tell them what happened, but Lyda was completely clammed up, not saying another word following her plea to go home. Her face was pale and her eyes bloodshot. It was an understatement to say that they were all extremely worried about her.

It took a bit longer to backtrack the way they had come. It was not so easy doing it in the dark, leastwise while everyone was on edge. The first they came to was Lyda and Adea's cottage just below the ridgeline. As expected, the doors were all locked, and it took Adea pounding on the front door and shouting as loud as she could to wake their parents. The second Matthias opened the door, Adea rushed forward and threw her arms around him, sobbing uncontrollably. It was difficult to explain what happened, as everyone seemed to have a different story to tell. Adea and Jay were barely coherent enough to make sense. Ellis once again could not stop talking about the monster he saw in the woods, rambling on until his brother elbowed him in the ribs, shooting him a look to be quiet.

Once Lyda and Adea were safe inside, Eran and Ellis prepared to walk Jay home before heading home themselves, but Alyra had come down and insisted that everyone spend the rest of the night there at the cottage, an offer they took without further question. The boys were allowed to accommodate themselves in the den while Jay and Adea went up to her room. Lyda still hadn't said a word, but she was unwilling to go down to the cellar alone. Unable to see her sister so distraught, Adea insisted she come with them up to her room instead. While Jay situated herself as comfortably on the floor as she could, Adea offered to share her bed with Lyda for the night, just as she did all those years ago when she was suffering her nightmares. It was not much different than being out in the wilderness, but it was enough for Adea to safe for the night. She only hoped the same could be said for her sister.

That morning, Alyra had gotten up ahead of everyone else to fix enough breakfast for everyone. She figured they would appreciate it after the night they had. The children were all still shaken by their experience. Every time Alyra tried to ask them about it, their words and stories came out muddled and incoherent. Perhaps, she thought, it was best to just let them forget about it.

Lyda had not said a word all morning. The color of life had returned to her face, but she had descended into a mood of despair that left her silent and withdrawn. She did not respond nor so much as acknowledge her friends or family throughout the day. Nobody knew what to think of her behavior, but Adea feared she had an idea of what was going on. Just the other night, something peculiar happened in her dream, but she would not have thought anything of it had it not been for Lyda's episode last night. Something was terribly wrong. The profane ritual they had performed in secret four years ago; Adea was almost afraid to question it, even in her head, but she feared its effects may have been wearing off. Could it be that they were losing control over their dreams? Could it be possible that whatever evil was tormenting Adea in her sleep might come back?

For three days, Lyda remained silent and isolated in the cellar. When it came time for her to continue her lessons with Iris, she refused to move from her bed Instead, for two of those days, Iris came by in the morning and sat by Lyda's bedside, just talking to her until sundown and doing everything she could to make her feel more comfortable. Then on the third day, just before Iris prepared to leave for the evening, Lyda came around.

"Iris?" she muttered in a raspy tone.

Iris was taken aback by the sudden sound of her voice. Her eyes lit up with glee and a smile spread across her face. "Yes, Lyda?" she said softly.

Lyda turned her head on her pillow until she was looking up at her mistress. It was the first time their eyes met in days, and Lyda almost forgot the softness in her caring gaze. It made her feel warmer than she had since that horrible night.

"Have you ever been afraid to go asleep?" Lyda asked.

"What do you mean? Like afraid of dreams?"

Lyda's eyes went down for a moment as if in thought. "Like you may fall asleep and never wake up."

Iris took a deep breath as she tried to ponder Lyda's words. "Death. Is that what you're afraid of? To die in your sleep?"

"I don't even know," Lyda stammered.

"It's nothing to be afraid of," Iris responded, placing a hand over Lyda's forehead. "We always fear what we don't understand. It's natural."

"But what if I don't want to understand any of it?" Lyda sobbed. "What if I just want to be free of it, even if it means living an ignorant life?"

"Hardly an ideal one," Iris said, gently stroking her hair. "You're strong, Lyda. One of the strongest young women I've ever known. Your wisdom has always been your greatest quality, and sometimes our strengths are also our greatest weaknesses. If wisdom means bettering the lives of others, then I wouldn't trade it for anything, even if it meant understanding things that keep us awake at night."

Lyda could not find any words to say, but her mind was swarmed with thoughts as she pondered everything her mentor had said. Wisdom. As far as she was concerned, there was no one wiser than Iris. 

After she left, Lyda still did not come out of the cellar, but she thought long and hard about what she felt she needed to do. The things she had seen the other night scared her beyond comprehension. How could something like that possibly be used for the sake of others?

Lyda remembered everything she did for Adea four years ago to stem the night terrors she was suffering,  She knew that her motives were sincere, and she would gladly do it again for her sister. But she could never tell another soul about it; Aunt Mara's book and the profane ritual, nobody could know about either of them. Her parents would lose their minds if they knew. In a way, she feared her father's iron fist almost as much as the nightmares she learned existed. And what about the Valley? If word got out that she and Adea had dabbled with the Spirits, they would surely face the same shunning as Mara.

As Lyda paced the cellar that night, her emotional state slowly transitioned from distraught to angry. She wanted to take Iris' words to heart, but no matter how she tried to look at it, she feared what her parents would think of her. It wasn't fair. From a young age, everybody in her life had been denying her the opportunities she deserved. For the first time, she was truly angry with the Mistresses for refusing to let her train as an oracle. She deserved it! It was what she was born to be! In fact, thanks to everything she taught herself in secret, she felt that she was fully prepared to stand before the Mistresses and claim that she knew more about the Spirits than anyone in the Valley. Perhaps that was why they tried to have her sheltered. That must have been it. They were afraid of her. They were afraid of how much she might learn. Well, she would show all of them. If they wanted to keep her from being who was meant to be, then she would do it behind their backs. She would become the greatest oracle to the Spirits her people ever had.



It did not take more than a day after the ruined camping trip for Adea to regain her composure, but in the days that followed, her attention was entirely focused on her sister. She had never been more worried about Lyda than she was now. When she finally started talking again and emerged from the cellar, Adea pressed her to talk about what happened in her sleep at the campsite. She hated asking her to relive it, but Adea did not understand how it was possible. For four years, the two of them had absolute control over their dreams, or at least they were supposed to, so how could Lyda have experienced any nightmares at all, let alone one that could cause her so much distress?

Eventually, Adea saw fit to just stop bothering her sister with it altogether. Perhaps that was all she needed to move on. Ever since then, Lyda did not speak much to anyone except for Iris, and it brought Adea's spirits down much like it did four years ago. It was not until a couple of weeks had passed that Lyda started opening up to her again, but all she had to say was how discontent she was becoming. She felt cheated, like she was meant to be so much more than what she was being raised to be. It didn't make sense to her that everyone spoke of how proud they were of the young woman she was becoming, yet they did everything to hold her back. At least, that was how she felt.

The more Adea heard it, the more her sister's words sunk in. She was so distracted while she spent the morning in the garden with her mother that she didn't say a word for hours.

"Mother?" she said at last.

Alyra looked up from shaping the soil. "Yes?"

Adea took a deep breath, unsure exactly of how to speak her mind. "Why won't you let Lyda serve the Spirits?"

Alyra was taken aback by her question. That was something she would almost expect to hear from Lyda, but not her youngest. "What are you talking about?"

For a moment, Adea feared that she was beginning to tread on thin ice. "I just don't think Lyda's happy. She wants to be more than just a healer."

Alyra broke eye contact as if trying to think of the right thing to say. "Adea," she began, "you're too young to understand. It was never up to us."

"It was up to the Mistresses?" Adea cut in. "Lyda thinks they're afraid of her because she might be smarter than them."

"Oh does she?" Alyra snickered. "Sweetheart, listen to me. Lyda is very gifted, but the Mistresses are where they are because they are the wisest in the Valley. Your father and I trust them to know what's best for Lyda's future, as well as for yours."

"But that's not fair!" Adea protested, sitting up on her knees. "She should be able to be what she wants. We all should! It's not the same for the boys. Eran and Ellis were allowed to follow their own path. Why can't we do the same?"

Alyra's eyes lifted as she looked at her daughter with an expression of understanding. "Is that what this is about?" she asked sternly. At the sound of her tone, Adea glanced down as if in shame. "Hey, look at me," Alyra continued. "I know you think it's unfair. I did when I was your age, too."

"Then why do we have to do what they tell us we have to do?"

"Because," Alyra said, letting out a sigh, "it's just who we are." She moved closer to rest a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Our ancestors had a belief, Adea; a principle deeper than it was held by any of their sister tribes. They believed that all life is sacred, but none more so than women. What form of life is more beautiful than that which gives it?"

Adea could not hide her smile. "But I still don't understand that."

"I don't expect you to," Alyra replied. "My mother told me once that we as women are capable of embodying all that is best and beautiful in mankind, but that it comes with a cost. If not taken care of, a woman could become the very worst, capable of things deemed truly abominable."

"Like what?" Adea asked with curiosity. She couldn't help but think back to that night at the ritual site, when Lyda cut the heart from the helpless hen. She could not understand it; it was the most horrific thing she had ever seen, but Lyda was adamant that she had done it purely for her sake.

"Don't think about it," Alyra answered. "The point is that our ancestors believed it was essential to help direct women on the path to serving the best interests of not only their people but all mankind. That's where our traditions come from, sweetheart. Don't think of it as unfair, and if the boys ever tease you about it, just tell them it means our ancestors say you're more important than them."

Adea laughed on the outside, but inside her spirits were still down. Not because of everything her mother told her, that was actually uplifting to her. Adea was worried now more than ever about the wellbeing of her sister. She was not sure what to believe. Lyda had always been everything she looked up to her to be, but the idea that women may have lived in such a wide spectrum of good and evil terrified her. Her mother was right, she was too young to understand this. None of it made proper sense to her. She would have her believe that the Mistresses know what is best for Lyda, so why was Lyda acting so strange and rebellious now? More to the point, Adea feared what Lyda might be capable of if she did slip away. It scared her even more to wonder what she herself might be capable of.

Adea was only 8-years-old when the nightmares began, leaving her terrified of the dark. After being disregarded by her own parents, she turns to her older sister, Lyda, desperate for help to stop the dreams. Ready to do anything, Adea could never be prepared for the dark places to which her sister is willing to go to protect her - but as the years go by, and Lyda descends deeper into desolation, Adea fears there may be more to her sister's personal studies than either of them are prepared to live with, and it will haunt them more than any nightmare they can imagine.

That was… an endless starry sky of immortal beauty.
Vague visuals floated in the starry sky, and it was hard to understand their meanings.
In the Half City Shop, Zou Mo hadn't had nightmares anymore after he was rescued by Mr. Fang and became an employee in the shop.
But lately, he kept having strange nightmares…
"They… will be imprisoned here forever. Their power can never pierce the endless void. They… can never rise above this world.
"But there are exceptions to everything…"
In his dreams, he seemed to see a figure, but he couldn't clearly see this person's face.
Before this figure was blinding golden light.
Then, he seemed to see a cup full of all kinds of horrifying alien bugs. When the lid was lifted, these horrifying existences which had been silent for a long time were disturbed and got restless.
When a pale blue spiritual light fell, he seemed to see countless bugs beginning to devour each other!
However, the scene was not clear and real. In the dreams, things were distorted, and the twisting and the struggling things seemed not to be bugs.
At this moment, a pair of eyes suddenly turned toward Zou Mo.
Instantly, Zou Mo's hair stood on end.
"Ah!" With a shiver, he instantly woke up at the counter.
"What's wrong?" Alarmed, Ruan Ning stood up from the seat beside him.
"So… sorry!" Zou Mo said apologetically, "Last… last night, I didn't sleep well."
…
Meanwhile, in St. Heinz's great hall.
"Then… in that ancient war… did anyone truly make that leap forward?" St. Dulan asked in a deep voice.
"In that war, no one made the leap," St. Heinz said mildly, "Because… that piece of divinity… or the so-called Dao Seed in the East Continent, broke."
"Bro… broke?!" St. Dulan said in astonishment.
"For people in the East Continent, it needs the combination of the right time, right place, and right people. For us, we need the holy trinity!" St. Heinz explained, "So, we can only wait for another opportunity to arrive."
…
- At the Heavenly Abyss Sea -
Two figures still stood on the reef on the shore of the Heavenly Abyss Sea.
Violent gales swept across the sea.
Reminiscent glints flashed in their eyes.
"Ascendance to the True Immortal Realm is like… bugs devouring each other."
"The time is coming… all of the world will fall into chaos… at that time…"
"Perhaps one day, they will destroy themselves this way."
…
- In the afternoon, at the Immortal Tune Pavilion in the Heavenly Faction -
This ancient and unique pavilion was famous since the ancestral master of the Heavenly Faction had listened to immortal tune and understood Great Dao in this pavilion.
This place was the highest-level Dao-teaching venue in the Heavenly Faction.
It was heard that every person who had the privilege to teach Dao here was at least a senior member with a high position and great power. The Immortal Tune Pavilion was only opened for teaching Dao once in hundreds or even one thousand years.
In the pavilion, the fragrance of rare herbs floated around. The top spiritual scent could refresh people's mind and help them concentrate with excellent effects. Although Mr. Fang had just decided to give a lecture on impulse, the Heavenly Faction had ordered the disciples to prepare the place with great care ahead of time. Sedately sitting on the futons in the pavilion, they looked as if they had bathed, scented, and even fasted for three days.
Sitting in the front row were the white-robed Elder Xiao Yunhe, the black-robed elder, and a few elders whom Mr. Fang had seen in the great hall.
Behind them were the six most outstanding disciples of the Heavenly Faction. Two of them, one man and one woman, sat in the center. 
The white-robed man on the left with a solemn expression was the Elder Senior Disciple Zhuge Qinlong, and he was the most talented young disciple in the Heavenly Faction.
The white-robed tranquil woman sitting on the right was Yu Yin. Although she had entered the faction much later, her talent was on pair with Elder Senior Disciple Zhuge Qinlong.
Then, they saw Mr. Fang walking in from the outside.
When Mr. Fang passed, some female disciples almost had cold sweat popping out.
Cang Feng and some male disciples remembered the special effects in the visuals and also had cold sweat on their foreheads.
"Erm-hem!" He cleared his throat and said, "I didn't know that I would be invited to give a lesson on Dao, so I'll make it casual."
"This opening…??"
"Huh?"
The elders thought, This style doesn't feel right…?
"The Dao which one can explain is not the unchanging Dao," Mr. Fang said, "It means that Dao is something that you can understand but not to be talked about. If it's explained, it's no longer the permanent Great Dao; it's only one person's Dao."
[TL Note: 'The Dao which one can explain is not the unchanging Dao' is the first line in Dao De Jing, a Chinese classic text traditionally credited to the 6th-century BC sage Laozi.]
"Hiss!" The elders sitting in the front row shivered and stared at Mr. Fang dumbfoundedly.
"The Dao which one can explain… is not the unchanging Dao?!" They chewed on Mr. Fang's words and felt like they were deep and mysterious.
The disciples immediately memorized the words silently.
Then, Mr. Fang changed the direction of the topic. "So, we must put more thought on ourselves."
"More thought on ourselves?" The white-robed Elder Xiao Yunhe obviously didn't understand.
"Yes," Mr. Fang answered, "You'll never fully understand it, but you can improve yourself continuously. During the process, your understanding of it will become deeper and deeper."
"Improve myself? Does it mean… that we must cultivate in seclusion every day in the faction?" The black-robed elder asked in bafflement.
"Of course not." Mr. Fang said, "Have you guys heard about… E-Sports?"
"E-Sports?!" The cultivators of the Heavenly Faction exchanged a look of confusion.
"I'll tell you a story." Then, Mr. Fang began to tell them the story about the duel at the top of Hua Mountain and shattering the void. 
[TL Note: These refer to classic wuxia novels.]
"This… is E-Sports?" Xiao Yunhe asked curiously.
"No…" Mr. Fang said, "E-Sports is different. E-Sports relies on competitions in the virtual world to do this."
Then, he talked about E-Sports professional leagues… and all kinds of god-like pro players. He discussed the God-like UZI and Demon King Faker.
"God-like? Demon King?" The elders were truly stunned. "Senior, you mean… we can improve ourselves continuously through E-Sports and eventually become…'god-like'?!"
"But…" Xiao Yunhe shook his head and said, "Ancestral Master said that humans' strength can never break through the natural limit set for humans.
"Not everyone has such high and unique talents as you, Senior!"
"You're right." Mr. Fang spread his hands and said, "Your ancestral master only said that humans' strength couldn't do it, and he didn't say anything about skills and techniques. As the saying goes, 'skills and techniques reach Dao'. If you don't do E-Sports, who will?!" 
"So…" Xiao Yunhe said in shock, "We… need to do the so-called E-Sports?!"


We’ve had systems that help the MCs make pills, steal skills from legendary masters, and even be forced to show off to earn points, but what about a system that allows one to run a virtual reality internet cafe, featuring all the classic games?

Our MC awakens in a new world (Truck-kun strikes again) and finds himself with a mysterious system that allows him to run a fully self-sufficient virtual reality internet cafe! What? Opening an internet cafe in a cultivator world? You can now surf the internet, watch dramas, and play video games?!

One Emperor Warrior cried after visiting MC’s shop, “Damn, Blizzard completes my life!”
Another Yuan River Realm cultivator gasped after drinking Sprite, “What is this sorcery?” 

What else did the MC bring to the cultivator world? Come join us on this adventure as Fang Qi faces off against cultivation sects and major forces with his collection of modern treasures.

Gawain wandered in this lucid dream realm. 
He didn't know the theory behind such a change, but he guessed that the reason for this change most likely had to do with that heretic of the Eternal Sleepers —— in the process of engulfing those remaining shards of consciousness, he came into contact with the gleanings of Eternal Sleepers. Those gleanings weren't as simple as mere memories. As 'knowledge' of the Beyonder realm, it itself was a form of power. 
They brought Gawain the ability to be active in such a lucid dream realm. 
Gawain walked while molding some items in his hands according to what he had in mind from time to time and discovered the limitations of such molding in this process. Probably because he had not acquired the true power of the Eternal Sleepers, the items that he molded in the dream realm were still 'imaginative' in every sense. They merely had appearances that could be passed off as real ones but had no true function. 
The drinks that he created were absolutely tasteless; the cellphone that he had molded according to his memory couldn't be switched on and used either. 
And even the appearances of those imaginative items that didn't exist in the real world at all were difficult to maintain permanently.
However, it was from this incomplete and useless ability that he continually comprehended the nature of Eternal Sleepers, this unique heretic sect, as well as their possible aims. 
Immersed in an eternal dream realm, attempting to seek relief in an illusory world —— this was probably the pursuit of the Eternal Sleepers. In Gawain's opinion, their ability to shape illusions in the dream realm was already at the level of a perfect fake. As a matter of fact, if not told about the truth in advance, any person who entered the Eternal Sleepers' dream realm would instantly get lost in that deceptive world, and for people of weak will, even if they had learned the truth in advance, they would still easily wallow in the beautiful things of the illusory world. 
Although the outside world's evaluation of Eternal Sleepers was 'experts in making nightmares', after Gawain swallowed the remaining consciousness of that heretic, he somewhat realized that what those believers who wove wills were pursuing was actually a wonderful dream —— and making nightmares was only a certain means to help them achieve their objective.
Gawain walked through long corridors. In this unfamiliar place, his mind was calm like water, and his thoughts were especially sharp. 
Quoting a saying from his previous life, people who lose themselves in the virtual world more often than not do so to escape reality, and the Eternal Sleepers, in Gawain's opinion, were like fanatics of a virtual world who were collectively escaping reality. However, specifically which part of the real world were they running from? 
Was it the collapse of society and deterioration of their living environment caused by the Dark Wave? Was it the changes in religious structure and ostracism by the other sects? Or… the truth that the gods were already dead? 
The corridor ahead of him reached an end. A heavy oak door stood before him. Gawain frowned; he saw a slightly familiar emblem on the oak door. It was the emblem of the Kant Clan. 
Was it because he had been paying attention to matters of the Kant Clan recently, so their clan emblem appeared in a scene in his dream? Or… was this really the Kant castle? 
Gawain surveyed his surroundings with knitted brows. He was sure that he had never come to this place before, and in normal circumstances, things that exceeded one's memories or cognition would not appear in one's dreams. Even if strange and unusual things appeared, they were most likely distorted in their subconscious from the things that they saw usually. However, all the scenes in this dream realm were stable and orderly; even the patterns on the walls and glows emitted by every single magic crystal lamp were completely flawless. Associating this to the Eternal Sleeper's consciousness that he had engulfed, Gawain suddenly suspected that this scene was probably born out of that heretic cult believer's memories. 
That heretic cult believer had been active in the Kants' castle? 
After hesitating for less than a moment, Gawain reached out and pushed open the big oak door in front with force.
There was a cellar-like space behind the big door — spacious, deep, and shrouded in dim light. As an underground structure, the scale of this 'cellar' had far exceeded what was necessary such that it was as if a banquet hall had been moved underground. And in such an unusually vast space, Gawain saw many upright pillars connecting the ground to the stone ceiling. There seemed to be writing on the surfaces of these erected pillars. 
Gawain moved closer to one of them and saw that they weren't writings but countless deep dents carved out using fingernails. 
Upon seeing these dents, Gawain felt the vision before his eyes abruptly blur. Following that, large amounts of water-like ripples appeared in the space that was dim everywhere. Within the poppling of the ripples, numerous shadowy things left the 'disguise' of the subconscious and appeared before Gawain. 
They were faint shadows shaped like humans, with translucent, grayish-white forms and blurry faces that indistinctly revealed numbness. They loomed in layers upon layers here; those hollow eyes gazed emptily at the center of the 'cellar'. 
These shadows' emergence gave Gawain a scare, but the latter quickly realized that these figures weren't aware of his existence at all —— or these shadows probably didn't possess the ability to think at all. 
After collecting himself, he followed in the direction that these shadows were focusing on and looked over. He found that a stone platform had appeared in the middle of this 'underground hall', and on that platform, a huge and magnificent coffin was set. 
Gawain frowned. Passing through the countless vague shadows, he headed towards the huge coffin. However, midway through, an indistinct and unreal sound appeared by his ears. It seemed to be two people conversing but was so disjointed that it was difficult to distinguish. Gawain perked up his ears attentively before he caught some slightly clearer contents:
"…How I wish this was only a nightmare. After waking from the nightmare, everything would still be fine…" 
"…dreams and reality, what's the difference…?" 
"I… don't know what to do. I've lost them…"
"The Eternal Sleepers will help you. Don't be afraid. Don't believe those rumors that slander us. Just like 700 years ago, we're still devoted to saving all beings from suffering. Only, 700 years ago, we got all beings to keep clear of nightmares, but today, we get all beings to get away from the nightmarish reality…" 
"You just have to place it here, provide ample nutrients for it. Trust me. Everything will get better." 
"That which has passed away will ultimately return, return not only in the dreams, but also in reality…"
This conversation was soft yet fuzzy and was heavily distorted such that Gawain was unable to determine the genders of the speakers. However, there was one thing that he could almost be sure of, one of them speaking was the heretic of Eternal Sleepers that he had engulfed! 
After awakening from the dream, Gawain immediately called for Heidi and Pittman.
"Ancestor, we've finished questioning that mercenary Mage." Heidi thought that Gawain had called her here to ask about the interrogation progress of the prisoner; thus, she reported once they met. "They were indeed working for the Kant clan, but they do not know what their employer got them to capture refugees for. There's only one point that can be confirmed —— they've never seen the refugees that were captured subsequently appearing in the Kant territory as slaves, nor have they seen slave traders taking those people away. The captured refugees vanished from that land like they'd evaporated."
Gawain frowned. "As expected…"
"As expected?" Heidi faltered, not understanding what Gawain meant. "Do you know something?"
"I'm afraid I have to immediately head to the Kant territory." Gawain had made the decision before this and bluntly informed them at present. "The earlier, the better." 
This time, Heidi was really startled. "Head to the Kant territory? What are you going there for? Are you going to personally inquire about the refugees from Viscount Kant? Such matters…" 
"It's more serious than that," Gawain said solemnly. "I came into contact with a portion of the fragments of his consciousness when I defeated that heretic of the Eternal Sleepers previously. Just earlier, the contents of those fragments emerge. I saw that heretic cult believer hand an item to someone from the Kant territory —— it is highly likely the current Viscount Victor Kant. And that item is a heretic item. It has been on that land for many years, more than ten years, even decades. All this time, it'd been absorbing the souls of living humans and growing!" 
"Heretic item that absorbs the souls of living humans?" Pittman was startled. "Don't tell me those refugees captured to the Kant territory…" 
"They've mostly been fed to it." Gawain frowned. "That thing has grown to a very critical point, but it has yet to complete the final transformation. But once it does… I'm worried that all areas — including Tanzan Town, the New Cecil territory, and the more northern Carol territory — would be enveloped in its power." 
Gawain wasn't being alarmist. Before that dream realm was about to end, he clearly sensed the existence of this 'item' that supported the dream realm and was continuously growing.
He could sense the power creeping out of that item; he could sense its influence on all human minds within a considerably large range. Perhaps because he had engulfed the fragments of consciousness of the item's original owner, Gawain had built a certain subtle connection with that item. This had him almost a hundred percent certain: once it had absorbed enough energy, that cursed object set in the Kant Clan's old castle by the heretic cult believer would burst out with a significant and frightening power. And the laymen of the Cecil territory and Tanzan Town would be embroiled in it, with no one spared.
Since the threat was already upon him, he could not sit by with indifference. 
Gawain's solemn attitude had also influenced Heidi; the latter grew nervous as well and felt a hint of worry. "Ancestor, you've already tempted fate once at Tanzan Town. This time…" 
"No, on the contrary, it wouldn't be as dangerous this time." Gawain shook his head. "So long as I find it in time, then it would be completely non-threatening to me —— I have a way of controlling it."
His answer was rather confident, and this had Heidi slightly relieved, but she still could not help but be concerned. "If Viscount Victor Kant has been completely bewitched and controlled by that heretic cult believer, wouldn't he be dangerous to you?" 
"In this entire event, only one person has the ability to threaten me." Gawain looked at Heidi, who wore a look of concern, and smiled. "But that person has already been destroyed by me in the space of consciousness." 


During Gawain transmigration, a little problem occurs.
After hovering in the sky above the land of a strange world for over hundreds of thousands of years, he realizes that perhaps his transmigration is completed by acquiring a physical body.
Never did he imagine that he would have to guide the body out of a coffin after going through great difficulties to obtain it, only to come face-to-face with his two extremely shocked great-great-great-great... great-granddaughters, and also—
Be thrust into a world that's the verge of its era’s end.

At six years old it's difficult to stay awake for an entire night. At six years old, he finds his eyes heavy with fatigue before the clock on Izuku's bedside table reads midnight. At six years old, it's impossible to keep the nightmares away.
They come like they always do—shadows seeping into happier dreams. He dreams of simple things first. He dreams of beating up villains or standing on top of the world with a crowd cheering for him. Other times he dreams of a future in the other world—a future where he sits beside the Izuku he'd been so cruel to for so long. A future where they sit shoulder-to-shoulder. (A future where he had a chance to ask for forgiveness. A future where it was given). 
The nightmares roll in like black fog, obscuring whatever he was seeing before and engulfing his consciousness. They aren't always clear. Aren't always full memories. But there are always screams. It is always dark. He can see vague outlines and shadowy shapes. He can feel the blood dripping down his skin. 
In a mass of screaming voices, Izuku's is the clearest, its tone piercing through the darkness like a knife. Katsuki never makes it in time. His steps are moment late, a little too slow, and his hand falls short, fingertips grasping for something out of reach.
Someone calls his name in a small voice. The nightmare releases him slowly, tendrils of darkness and fear still clinging to his thoughts. Katsuki rises through layers of consciousness, until he feels hands gripping his shoulders and shaking him. He hears Izuku's voice—younger, not screaming in agony. 
"Kacchan, Kacchan!" Izuku's voice is desperate (a little too reminiscent of those nightmares).
"I'm awake dammit," Katsuki answers. His throat is dry, and Izuku, no doubt, hears the unsteadiness in his tone.
"Kacchan, are you okay?"
Izuku fixes him with a concerned look in the soft glow the night light provides. He wonders how many times Izuku has asked that question and how many times he brushed it off as a nuisance. 
Katsuki pushes himself into a sitting position with shaking hands. His body feels weak, and his heart feels like it's beating out of time. Cold fear lingers in the back of his mind. He has to remind himself that Izuku is there with him. Right there. Close enough to touch.
"Yeah, I'm fine." There is a tremor in his voice as he speaks, and he knows Izuku won't believe him for a second. All he hopes is that Izuku won't ask about the nightmares. 
Mercifully, Izuku stays silent. He does, however, hold out one hand, his fingers spread open. "Whenever I have a nightmare, mom does this," he says. 
Katsuki sees the determined look in his eyes and stares at his hand. (It's not scarred. Not even calloused). Katsuki remains frozen still.
"Take it." Izuku wiggles his fingers.
Izuku looks at him expectantly. His eyes are bright green even in the low light of the room. Katsuki glares back petulantly. Holding hands is stupid, and his quirk—but Izuku looks at him without fear. It's concern he sees reflected in Izuku's eyes. And trust. Katsuki relents. Lets Izuku take his hand and intertwine their fingers. They lie back down facing each other. Izuku gives him a ridiculously happy smile.
"It's ok," Izuku tells him. "There's nothing to worry about."
"Shut up, shitnerd. Just go to sleep."
Katsuki sleeps the rest of the night without nightmares. His dreams are peaceful for once. 
They wake with the sun in their faces from the window with a curtain that they forgot to close. Their eyes open at the same time, eyelids fluttering in an attempt to clear the sleep away. Katsuki lets go of Izuku's hand like it burned him. But even after he pulls away, his palm remembers the shape of Izuku's hand. 
Izuku asks him if he slept well, and asks about the nightmares too. Katsuki gives noncommittal answers to both questions.
It's the conclusion to the first of many times Izuku asks him to sleepover. They stay up later as they get older, playing video games or talking about heroes or whatnot. Katsuki tries to stay awake to avoid the nightmares. Izuku grabs one of his hands every time. Then they wake in the morning at the same time. It's a good routine. Comfortable. 
Katsuki tries not to take it for granted that Izuku will always reach for him. Izuku never asks him what the nightmares are about after the first time.
As he grows older, the nightmares stay the same. As he grows older, he starts reaching for Izuku's hand first.

Katsuki wakes to find himself reset. It's a time when quirks are just starting, and he only remembers a bit about happened before. He remembers enough to know Deku is someone he hurt a lot. He remembers enough to know he had to watch Deku fall. He remembers enough to try to make things better this time.

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This is a KatsuDeku story, which means it is shounen ai/malexmale. Please keep this in mind before reading.

There will also plenty of blood/gore/violence.
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Also posted on Ao3 and wattpad.

Normally when people hit puberty, they normally experience changes in their body. Something like a deepening of the voice, sudden growth, and weird new emotions. 

Or at least that's what google says.
One symptom that doesn't seem to be  mentioned anywhere, however, is the persistence of recurring dreams. But then it's probably not a symptom of puberty. 

These dreams have repeated so often that I know everything that happens.

I see myself, standing high on top of a mountain. The rain pours harder with every passing second. The lighting strikes as I signal with my right arm. A being rises from the distance, something you would see in your wildest nightmares. The eyes were glowing red and it's mouth was huge, with razor sharp teeth looking like a cross between clay face and Jaws. This monster felt eerily familiar, almost as If I knew it. As it grew closer, I realized that It was not monster. It felt like it, or he, was my father. The being consumes me.

My eyes open as cold sweat pours from my nose. I get dressed and I walk down stairs.

My mom made me breakfast, as she always does. Cereals and milk. 

"You have that dream again?"

"Yes. It's been months. I'm getting sick of it"

"It could be an effect of your father's experimentation"

" Likely. How do I get rid of it?"

"I wish I knew."

"Yeah real swell guy, ya know? He experiments on me, leaves without a trace."

" Your father is not a bad man."

"Well in my dream, he's a monster. I wonder how different that is from what he is in real life."

My mom is silent. I realize that I had raised my voice at her, which I felt extremely sorry for as she has always been kind to me.

"I'm sorry mom."

"It's okay kiddo. I'm sure you have a lot on your mind."

" Thank you for understanding mom. You're the best."

I hug my mom then I begin walking to
school.

My mom has always been the strong kind. She is headstrong and I know that she'll do anything to protect me. She may have known things about my dad that I don't know about. To me he's just a crazy weirdo who experimented on his own child.

As I begin to walk to school, I see that the school bully is picking on a new
Target. I used to be that target until my mom talked to the school principal. That stopped him. 

I wanted to step in. I wanted to be the hero of this story for once. So I did.

"Hey there's no need to do that."

I walk toward him, like a dumbass. I knew that If talking didn't work, I would surely get my ass handed to me.

"You think you're untouchable, just cause your mom stepped in and talked to the school principal?" 

"No, but I have to let you know a little secret.  I'm a black belt in Jiujitsu."

This was true.

"You know, we should test that."

At that moment I realized that all fucks from him came out of the window at that point.

He pushed the kid out of the way, and shot for my house.

I ran away from him. I was still afraid. I'm no hero. This little stunt proved this to me. I'm just a scared whimp and I will never be an anybody.

As depressed as I was at this moment of the dire situation, I know that I did not want to die. 

So I ran, and I ran, and I ran-

In an instant, a split instant, I felt my whole body fly to the ground. He had tackled me.

My body didn't hurt though , probably because of the adrenaline.

He stood up, wiping his hands. 

Right when I thought he was done, I was barraged with several kicks to the head. I grabbed his leg and tried to make him fall. This did not work. So he stomped on my face several times. There was no stopping this asshole. He was trying to kill me.

"Please stop...Please"

I was sobbing. 

"I won't do it again. Please don't kill
me."

This dude leaned over, pulled my hair. 

"Tell your mom I said hi."

He walked away, as I hear him mumbling 

"This fool got blood all over my shoes."

The ironic thing was that I was right in front of my house when this was happening.

My vision begins to go dark. I see a girl walking towards me, saying "Oh my gosh!!! Are you okay?"

Her voice echoes into mind as I drift into unconsciousness.

Heroes aren’t real. Villains aren’t real. Only people who are trying to figure out their place in the world. Which side will you choose?

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