ushernet The Night that (5): Nightmares turned into dreams.
The Night that (5): Nightmares turned into dreams.
Sorry for the delay. I had some issues translating the chapter from (P)(A)(T). The chapter is much longer than usual, so I got a bit tangled up while translating it yesterday.
That said, if anyone wants to read 3/7 chapters ahead or just support me, that's possible on my (P)(A)(T). If not, I still appreciate you reading!
Finally, have a good Night and a good read!
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
[...]---[...]
POV: Devas Asura.
It took me a few hours to return to the kingdom. My Nightmare Wyvern was fast, but I commanded it not to go at full speed.
I wanted to see if anything would happen to the animals exposed to the rain. I won’t lie—I was also waiting for something or someone to attack me on my way back. Neither of those things happened as I expected.
The animals didn’t transform, nor did they have their right eyes ripped from their sockets. Other than being desperate to break free—at least those that were awake—and get out of the rain, none of them had undergone any noticeable changes. At least, not externally...
[... Exposure to: The Outer Foreigner Presence: The Eye That Brings the Bloodied Cloud Beyond the Sea of Stars. (High-Extreme) (Dormant)]
The Outer Foreigner Presence had increased to High-Extreme in all the animals, even those that had it at a minimal level before. The covered animals still had the exact same status as when I first found them.
As for the MoonBite, the status remained unchanged, showing no increase. One of the causes of the debuff was the birth of Demon Eyes, so that was likely what triggered it originally. Since the animals hadn’t lost their right eyes, the debuff hadn’t leveled up.
("It didn’t go past this level. A limit?")
"Probably. The question is why this limit exists..." I replied to Ozma as my eyes scanned a few messages in the (CHAT). "Is this the maximum level this ‘disease’ can reach? Or is it the highest it can go while dormant? Or maybe it can’t go beyond this without being exposed to something else?"
("All of those are possible. But why do they still have their right eyes? Or better yet, why did Juan still have his left eye, considering he supposedly has the highest level of the ‘disease’? Several animals had a much lower level and had already lost their left eye.")
"I was thinking about that too..." I sighed, turning to look at the animals exposed to the rain. I was sitting on my Nightmare Wyvern’s head as we flew through the storm. "I don’t think they would have survived if they had been directly exposed to that ‘thing’..."
The ‘disease’ would likely have ‘awakened’ if they had seen “The Eye” in person, which would have killed them instantly—turning them into zombies or, at the very least, making them lose both of their eyes, which would then turn into Demon Eyes. Something else must have caused them to lose their left eyes, though I wasn’t sure what that something was...
I pushed those thoughts aside for the time being as more and more messages popped up in the (CHAT), all saying the same thing...
"The Stream disconnected them from Reality 4D because of the storm’s presence?..." I murmured to myself. Saya, Stark, Ruby, Dumbledore, Neo, Rin. All of them had been disconnected when I re-entered the storm, thanks to the ‘gaze’—and many more as well.
Ainz, Sirzechs, Ajuka, and Percy seemed to be among the few unaffected, with Percy commenting that the ‘gaze’ was unpleasant but manageable to a certain extent—like a moderate to severe headache. Aqua and Serafall said they weren’t using any Reality 4D settings at the time. Dumbledore said he managed to resist the ‘gaze’ for a while, but it eventually became unbearable.
The same thing happened to others, like Glynda and Winter. Almost everyone with Aura had managed to resist it, though after a certain amount of time, it became unsustainable. Fukasaku mentioned that no one on their side was using it.
"Ozma, Jinn?" I didn’t need to specify my question.
("I didn’t use Reality 4D. I thought it would be wiser to avoid it until we were safe, or at least out of this storm.") The man responded.
Jinn’s message appeared a second later, materializing from within a raincloud.
[(MOD)JinnOfTheLamp]
I held back my curiosity and did something similar to what the old man did. We’re already connected, so stacking that on top of the ‘mark’ could end up causing unforeseen issues. I’m also working with Alalia, so I need to stay focused, and having her senses overlapping mine wouldn’t help.
(Emote of a Chibi Jinn in a nurse outfit)
I nodded slightly to the air as I spoke: "I’ll return to the kingdom to deliver the animals before heading back into the storm." I intended to check the opposite side of Winterhord to see what was happening there. I also needed to inform Gilbert about Simon... "Let’s run a few tests at the edge of the clouds and see what happens."
Ozma responded with a mental nod, while Jinn sent a thumbs-up emote in the (CHAT).
About an hour later, while reading through the (CHAT) messages about people’s experiences with Reality 4D, I arrived back at the kingdom. I also ended up turning off the "Shared Senses" option.
After checking whether Millia was awake—which she wasn’t—I handed the animals over to Jinn and Alalia. They met me the moment I left the storm, along with a few zombie corpses and the Demon Eye I had found. Then, I went inside the Proto-A. I told the dryad and Dylan that I wanted to talk to them in a few minutes, but first, I called Gilbert to discuss BlueHarbor...
[...]
"So, what happened? Should I let Robyn know her old man’s sick?" Gilbert asked with a playful tone and a brief chuckle as he entered the Proto-A’s command room.
I unfolded The Ancient World Map on the center table, quickly spreading out the wolfhide, before turning to face the old merchant. Gilbert eyed the map with curiosity.
"I don’t recognize most of these lands. Where did you find this map?"
"It’s old. I found it in a ruined castle some time ago." I explained briefly.
"Is that why you called me?" He asked.
I shook my head. "No, at least not entirely. I’m just taking a look at the map before handing it to Dylan to compare with the current ones—to cross-reference with Terraria’s modern maps and see how outdated and different this one is." Which I assumed was a lot, considering Gilbert, a well-traveled man, had just said he didn’t recognize most of it.
I’d leave this in the guide’s hands. Dylan was the best person for this job—aside from Alalia, of course, but I’d ask her to help him later as well.
"Well, I can already tell just by looking at it that it’s outdated." He stepped closer to the table and traced his finger along the map’s leather surface, over what seemed to be the southernmost continent—or perhaps southwest was more accurate.
There were four continents in total: one in the far north, one in the southwest, one in the west, and one in the middle, with various islands scattered between and around them. Almost nothing on the map was labeled, and what was had been scribbled over or scratched out—as if someone had run charcoal or a knife over the leather. Just by looking at it, I knew there was no way to restore those markings, so I didn’t even try.
"I don’t know how old this map is, but currently, there’s only one continent. The other three aren’t listed anywhere—not on any map I’ve ever seen." He ran his finger northward before stopping over what appeared to be an archipelago.
"I traveled to this region a few years ago. I know some inhabited islands, mostly by beastkins. They might be these ones. But beyond that, there’s nothing—no continent or landmass big enough to be mistaken for one."
Of course... Frankly, I wasn’t sure what I expected. Differences were a given, but three fucking continents disappearing?! I knew at least a few thousand years had passed, but seriously?!
I sighed, rubbing my eyes as I briefly organized my thoughts, then tapped my fingers lightly on the table before subtly shaking my head.
"Forget it. That’s not why I called you anyway."
Gilbert’s lips twisted into a wrinkled, sorrowful grimace for a moment as he stared at the hat in his hands. He turned the item between his fingers, let out a long, deep sigh, and placed it on the table, next to the leather map.
"I... I would ask if you think he might still be alive, but I've lived long enough to know the answer to that..." His voice was hoarse. He clenched his hands, making his knuckles turn white for a brief moment. His aura flickered around them, a very light shade of brown. Then he continued in a lower tone, almost a whisper: "I knew I should have insisted more for him to come with us..."
The man was strong, built like a bodybuilder, but his gaze was tired. In that moment, he seemed to age—or rather, finally look his actual age.
"...I'm sorry." I spoke sincerely, unsure of what else to say.
Silence took over the room for a moment until he spoke again.
"Do you want to hear a story, Devas?" he asked. "It's a story only four people knew... Well, now there's only one left. The other three are gone."
"Robyn doesn’t know." It wasn’t a question. Even so, he answered as if it were.
"No, it’s one of the few stories I've never told her." He shook his head. "I'm not proud of this one. I could have done better, acted with a clear mind, but I let myself get carried away by the moment..."
Before he could continue, I made a gesture with my thumb pointing behind me.
"The stream... Do you want me to mute it and turn the camera?" I asked.
He seemed surprised, probably forgetting about the broadcast, before huffing and shaking his head, a very faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
"No need. Maybe this story will help someone, who knows. I won’t ever meet those people anyway." He shrugged, seeming slightly amused for a brief moment before sighing. The sigh seemed to take away what little amusement he had found.
"Have you ever felt betrayed, Devas?" The question carried weight.
My memory drifted back in time for an instant.
"Yes."
‘When I first saw you, just a baby, I wished it had been you who died instead of my daughter... I still think about it sometimes...’
My old grandfather drank too much at times, carrying many sorrows and grievances. I held no resentment toward him; I truly loved him, just as I knew he loved me too, despite everything...
I never brought up that conversation to him, whether he remembered it or not—and he never mentioned it either.
"It's a bitter feeling. I've taken arrows, cuts, and punches far worse and far less painful." Gilbert's voice pulled me back to reality. I let the memories fade and focused on the old merchant's words.
"Simon was my brother in everything but blood. We grew up together, ate together, fought together. Except for the orphanage matron, who was like a mother to both of us, it was just him and me... For a long time, that was how it was."
"And what changed? What happened?"
“Almost. I just picked up a few tricks from the Deerclops, nothing more.” I didn’t explain much and instead pointed to one of the shadows. “And these little guys are called Nightmares. Wanted to diversify. Hallucinations are the ones the deer created.”
As I spoke with the two Oakwood women, the rabbit under Jinn’s touch let out a whimper of fear and sadness. Alalia didn’t waste time. She moved to the animal, placing her hand on it, gently stroking its white fur.
“Shh... It’s okay. Just sleep,” I felt her mana flow, soothing the creature as she whispered.
I narrowed my eyes at the rabbit. It took me less than a second to understand what was happening—I noticed it by how the nightmare energy that Jinn controlled, drawn from the mark, was moving... before being forcefully interrupted and purified by Alalia.
“You’re inducing nightmares in it through madness? Why?” I asked. So that’s why some of the Nightmares here were weak—Jinn was using them as batteries...
I stepped closer and observed the rabbit before offering, “Need help with anything?” One touch, and I could drive that rabbit insane.
At the same time, I commanded a few more Nightmares to slip from my shadow and spread through the room’s darkness, just in case Jinn needed them after I left.
“If you could recharge the ‘mark,’ I’d appreciate it. Recharging with Nightmares takes time,” Jinn said without turning. “But don’t worry. I have everything under control here.”
I nodded before crouching and touching her thigh, transferring my nightmare energy into the tattoo. The moment I felt the ‘mark’ fill up, I stood up and returned my gaze to the rabbit. Jinn chose that moment to finally answer my question.
"It’s easier to induce nightmares with madness than normal dreams. I’m doing this to supplant and create memories using its nightmare energy."
She slightly moved her fingers, massaging the rabbit’s nape before sliding her hand up to its forehead.
"Alalia purifies the energy, turning nightmares into dreams."
"The idea is to suppress the ‘disease’ by creating new memories to fill the gaps it creates?" I commented rhetorically, scratching my beard. "It’s not a bad idea. In fact, it should work... But it’s not practical."
"It isn’t," Alalia agreed. "If I could detect this ‘disease,’ it would be simpler and faster. I tried healing the rabbit. It was fine for a while, even the MoonBite seemed to disappear."
The dryad pointed at the left eye socket of the sleeping animal. The rabbit still had no eye, but the wound looked completely healed. If I didn’t know better, I’d think this injury was years old or that the rabbit had simply been born without one of its eyes.
"But it still has a fever." I noticed before she even said it. The rabbit was trembling. "Let me check something..."
I quickly pulled up the rabbit’s status screen into my view. It didn’t take long for me to notice the change:
[Current Status: Exposure to: The Outer Foreigner Presence: The Eye That Brings the Bloodied Cloud Beyond the Sea of Stars. (Extreme) (Dormant)]
All the animals I had brought were at a ‘disease’ level of High-Extreme, including this rabbit. But now, the status only indicated Extreme. The MoonBite debuff was also gone.
"Your ‘cure’ is working." It wasn’t exactly a cure, but... close enough.
Jinn was just throwing more dirt into a hole that kept growing—but what mattered was that she was throwing more dirt than the hole was expanding.
"What if I drive the rabbit completely insane?" I muttered, letting my thoughts slip out. "If I turn all its memories into frenzied nightmares and multiply them, that should force the ‘disease’ out."
"And take the rabbit’s life with it," Jinn scoffed, pointing at the dead rabbit Melissa and Helena were examining. "I already tried that. It died in less than a second."
"Lack of control?" Like it or not, nightmare energy wasn’t truly hers.
"I controlled the energy very carefully!" Jinn instantly retorted. "There’s a limit to how much a mind can endure before it just shuts down. Even more so for a small animal."
"But it would work, in theory? You wouldn’t have tested it if you didn’t think so."
"...Maybe." She admitted.
I turned toward the door.
"I’ll find a bigger test subject with a more resilient brain. Be right back."
"Jinn tried with a Direwolf," Alalia intervened. "It died too. And I was helping heal it that time. The body was still alive, but the mind... it just broke under so much negative and positive stimulation."
She pointed to a door on the right. I could feel the corpses of zombies and animals there, both with the VoidBag and my own senses.
"Your nightmare energy is strange, you know?" She remarked. Her gaze wandered toward my shadow. "It’s similar, yet very different from the deer’s."
"I’m aware." My nightmare energy was similar to the Deerclops’s, but it had long since become something uniquely mine.
I thought for a moment before asking, "And what about a Terrarian? Have you tested it?"
"Testing on living people is a crime," Helena chimed in from across the room. "Very unethical too."
"I did it less than two days ago."
"Those weren’t Terrarians. They were talking piles of shit," she shot back without hesitation. I think it was the first time I’d ever heard her curse.
Before I could offer to hunt down a criminal and bring them in for testing, Jinn stood up and grabbed my arm. She had a serious look on her face.
"No need. Leave this to us." Her tone was firm. "You said you’d take care of the storm while I..." She gestured around. "We take care of the sick and the kingdom. Let us handle this."
"It’ll be faster if I help."
"Maybe. But then no one will be out there." She indicated the storm’s direction. "You don’t have to do everything alone. Let us help."
("She’s right, Devas,") Ozma joined the conversation. ("The weight of the world isn’t something a single man can bear. I tried. You know this. My back broke. By doing this, you’re also belittling them. Miss Jinn and Alalia found a ‘cure’ in less than a day. Let them handle it.")
I hesitated for a moment and scanned the room. Alalia had the same determined expression as Jinn, almost mirroring her. Helena and Melissa stayed on the sidelines of the conversation.
After about three seconds, I responded, "Alright... I’ll leave this to you, then."
I reached to the side, materializing some Nightmare Fuel along with a few angel and fallen angel feathers. Alalia’s eyes widened at the latter two—something rare to see on her current stoic "Winter-skin".
I placed the items in a random box pulled from the VoidBag and handed it to Jinn.
"Take this. It might help. Let me know if you need anything else."
She nodded. "I’ll tell you in (CHAT) if I do."
"Let me know if Millia wakes up, too. Tell her where I am and that I’ll be back soon." The little slime should wake up in a day or two at most.
Millia had already fallen asleep once inside the Slime Staff, only to wake up and realize everyone she knew was gone. I don’t want—I won’t—let that happen again. If she woke up and wanted me by her side, I’d return in an instant.
After a few more words, I left the cabin.
I had a brief conversation with Selina and Robyn, mostly with the former. After handing The Ancient World Map to Dylan and saying my goodbyes, I headed toward the storm once more.
This time, I went in the opposite direction of WinterHord. I wanted to circle the storm while searching within it, checking if its boundary was the same in all directions, like a perfect circle. I had a theory.
"Maybe?..." I murmured before stepping under the rain once again.
I spent a long time searching within the storm, finding nothing but a few zombie corpses and abandoned villages. Even the bodies seemed scarcer—everything was empty. Everything was silent...
Forests, plains, mountains. Even a cave I found, descending about three hundred meters underground—a perfect place for shelter—was empty. No animals, nothing. Nothing existed there except me, and the only sound was the rain.
It was only about five days later that I confirmed my theory: the storm had a perfect boundary, encircling the kingdom. It was as if it couldn’t expand beyond that, nor get any closer to the kingdom, thanks to Alalia’s protection.
"A circle within a circle..." I scoffed out loud, looking up at the storm, hovering in the air thanks to the Angel Greaver. "What a joke. Of course, it would be that. What else could it be?..."
As soon as I realized this fact, the ‘gaze’ I felt upon me seemed to grow more aggressive in a cruel way. I felt like the entire storm was mocking me—I could feel its malice.
A circle within a circle... A large circle inside a smaller one...
... The storm’s shape was nothing more than that of a great eye in the sky.
[...]---[...]
Things happen, and in the end, everything is eyes.
Well, I want to address some points that I think people might ask: Devas will see the RWBY team's gift, he just hasn't found the right moment yet.
The Reality 4D will return later. It's still active, but only the "Simultaneous Existence," as Devas says. I will focus on that in the near future...
Oh, yes, the map too. I was going to include the conversation between Dylan, Alalia, and Devas about the map in this chapter, but I thought it would feel out of place. It will come back later, still in this arc. I’ll start putting everything I’ve planned back on track.
Finally: the life and mana crystals. Someone asked me if I had forgotten about them, or if Devas had already used them. Neither, I haven’t forgotten and Devas hasn’t used them. There’s a simple reason: it’s something in %, Devas is being greedy and keeping the crystals, but he will use them...
Well, I think that’s it. Good Night and happy reading!