《Summoner's Rift [LITRPG Progression]》


 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 0 - Prologue - Nightmare?

    Inside a small bedroom, on a child-sized bed, lay an eight-year-old girl covered with two layers of blankets on top of her, protecting and warming her during the somewhat cold night while she slept.


    The little girl with short brown hair and brown eyes lay on her left side as she slept peacefully while dreaming of munching on something sweet. That was evident since, from time to time, her tiny mouth would open slightly as if trying its best to bite on the delicious sweetness before repeating the gesture.


    Overall, it was a nice little Dream that was not meant to last because a CREAK-ing sound suddenly echoed inside her bedroom. It came from the white cabinet on the right side of the room, right beside a window displaying a town filled with Silver Light that streamed into the bedroom, thus illuminating everything with a silver sheen beside the little girl and everything she touched, which in this case, but the bed, the pillow and the blankets on her.


    When the cabinet door creaked open further, from its depths emerged a white dot. Then, it rolled around, with an eye-like rotating motion as if to observe something, before settling on the bed the little girl slept upon peacefully.


    Sensing the Dream emanating from the little girl, the little white dot drew upon the hidden ire within it, and instantly, its mind declared that no peace shall there be for the little girl because now she would be its prey.


    When it did, the cabinet door creaked further open, and from the insides, a Nightmarish thing emerged with tiny but dark scales and tentacles whose ends were dotted with small hooked spikes.


    The scaled and spiked tentacles surrounding the white dot supported the main bulbous body. Using those scaled and spiked tentacles, the Nightmarish thing slithered slowly toward the bed. When it reached the bed, its white dot gazed upwards from the floor before it used one of its scaled and spiked tentacles to latch itself on the white and pinkish blanket spilling from the bed on the right side.


    With the first tentacle latched, the second followed, and then the third and fourth, and so on, until the Nightmarish thing with the white dot as its eye climbed the white-pinkish blanket before eventually reaching the small and cute head sporting a relaxed and peaceful expression.


    That was when the Nightmarish things'' real size became apparent since it barely fit into an adult-sized human hand.


    Sensing the Dream emanating from the girl, much clearer now that it was practically upon her, the Nightmarish thing began harassing the exposed right cheek since everything but the head was hidden beneath the blanket covering the little girl.


    The moment the tentacles touched the tender right cheek, from their tiny spikes, a slimy substance extruded to remain behind after the tentacle moved on the tender skin of the little girl''s right cheek. Additionally, the slimy extract seemed to irritate the girl''s tender skin, and that was widely apparent when the girl''s jaw began flexing the irritated skin via the right cheek muscles with the unconscious desire to rid the stimuli out of existence.


    At the same time, seeing the response to its slimy irritant working its nefarious deeds, the Nightmarish thing only felt more emboldened with its purpose of hindering the little girl''s peaceful slumber. As such, bolstered with further nefarious desire, the Nightmarish thing wanted to stick its scaled and spiky tentacles upon the more sensitive locations on the little girl¡¯s head.


    Like the mouth, the nose, the eyes, or the ears.


    A bit unsure which location to start with, the Nightmarish thing simply chose all of them, for it had enough dexterous tentacles for all the openings. Hence, one tentacle went for the right eyelid, two for the inside of the nose, one for the mouth, and one for the right ear.


    Once all of them were there, the Nightmarish thing of many tentacles, and one white dot acting as the eye, eagerly executed its Nightmarish purpose by extruding more slimy irritants from its spikes.


    Truly, it took very little time for the results to manifest and when they did, the Nightmarish thing began chortling and chirping in delight at its success.


    From where the sounds came, it cared not. Only that they did and that they came due to the success of its Nightmarish purpose.


    As such, moments later, the little girl of eight years, wiggled her body under the blankets before her peaceful slumber broke apart. Yet, not entirely. Instead, a moment later, unconsciously her small right hand left the blanket to scratch that itch on her right cheek and everywhere else that bothered her slumber.


    Nonetheless, the moment her right hand came upon the Nightmarish thing latched on the right side of her face, it paused because the fingers delivered the sensation of working at the problem yet no relief flooding the girl¡¯s barely conscious mind.


    The more seconds passed without any results achieved, the more the sensation of something being wrong rose and stockpiled within the little girl''s barely conscious mind. When the tipping point was reached, instinct acted on its own.


    KYAAAAAA


    In one instant, many things occurred, yet only two were of significant importance to the Nightmarish thing.


    The scream, while annoying to its existence, was easily set aside. Nonetheless, the Fear emanating from the little girl was pure ecstasy to its existence, and as such, the moment the Nightmarish thing sensed the radiating Fear, it drank from it deeply.


    Unfortunately, just as the Nightmarish thing drank its first fill, it was smacked away without any ability to resist the smack. Not that it noticed it the very first second after ecstasy filled its entire being. Still, even when it noticed the smack, the Nightmarish thing did not care that it flew through the air before impacting on the floor with a soft PLOOP.


    The uncaring attitude mostly arose from an instinctive understanding that no harm came upon it.


    Nevertheless, what mattered was returning to the origin of the ecstasy to drink its fill once again. However, the moment it flipped its body upside down and reoriented the white dot acting as its eye, its gaze connected with the brown eyes of the little girl.


    That was when the second significant importance emerged.


    The moment their gazes connected, the little girl realized she was, in fact, Dreaming. And when she did, the Veil of Ignorance vanished alongside her entire body a few moments later.


    One moment she was there and the next she poofed out of existence.


    Recognizing the dilemma before it, the Nightmarish thing reluctantly slithered its existence back to its nest inside the white cabinet from which it emerged in the first place. However, unlike when it first had come out of it, now after drinking the first fill of ecstasy known as Fear, the Nightmarish thing not only felt satiated, but the most important part was that it already sensed itself becoming bigger, stronger, faster and so much more, only those three were the most noticeable right this moment.


    Its growth aside, once the Nightmarish thing was back inside the white cabinet, it latched its tentacles on the door. With a creaking sound, it closed the cabinet door before pulling its tentacles around its body to rest, digest, and wait for the little girl to appear once again.


    And appear she would.


    There was no doubt about it within its Nightmarish mind.


    For it was the little girl that had created it, and only the little girl could unmake it. However, now that its tentacular existence had manifested, now that it had fed upon her Fear, and now that it had succeeded in exposing its slimy secretion upon her exposed Dream Body, lacking the protection called Veil of Ignorance, it would no longer be a temporary Nightmare, but a permanent resident inside this Dream Instance.


    Thus, this tentacular Nightmare knew it would forevermore prowl this Dream Instance until it had squeezed the little girl of every ounce of Fear before eventually consuming her Soul and leaving in search of further prey to feed upon in an endless cycle of seeking, feeding, and evolving its Nightmarish existence.


    Not that any Nightmare hated it.


    No.


    They all Loved it.


    No¡­


    They CRAVED it.


    <hr>


    A familiar sensation alerted the Nightmare.


    Its prey had appeared once again, to come and feed it its daily dose of ecstasy.


    Uncurling its scaled and spiked tentacles from around its main body, the Nightmare centered the white dot, functioning as its eye, on the cabinet door before it.


    Latching its tentacles on it, it pushed the giant door away to reveal an opening into the prey''s lodging as if the cabinet door was not a hundred times its size to be easily swung away. Not that it even thought about the said problem because it instinctively knew how to manipulate a prey¡¯s Dream Instance to its advantage, especially after it had managed to root itself into the current Dream Instance.


    That being the case, the Nightmare slipped through the open opening and slithered for the bed in which its prey slumbered and Dreamt.


    Once again it latched itself on the bed blanket with its spiked tentacles before slowly reaching the little girl of eight years that was its prey. Unlike the previous time, this time the girl was positioned differently, but that did not matter.


    Repeating the previous harassment, a similar scenario occurred.


    The girl¡¯s mind woke up partially, then screamed in terror before unconsciously smacking the Nightmare attached to her face away.


    During the brief period of screaming, and right before being smacked away, the Nightmare fed on the Fear with glee. However, just like the previous day, the moment the Nightmare needed more and made eye contact with the little girl, her Veil of Ignorance ceased existing, thus alerting her of her situation, thus resulting in her vanishing from its Nightmarish perception.


    As such, the Nightmare, once again, made for its resting place, the white cabinet, residing on the right side of the eight-year-old girl¡¯s bedroom, right beside the window delivering and covering everything with a silver sheen of Light.


    Back within its resting place, the Nightmare rested and digested its harvest. Then, when the familiar sensation of its prey returned, it went and completed its Nightmarish purpose once again before being smacked and eventually returning to its resting place, only to repeat the same scenario again, and again.


    Until one sudden instant, the Nightmare realized the girl it preyed upon all this time, remained within the Dream for longer and longer periods of time despite her Veil of Ignorance ceasing to exist every time.


    Paying attention to it the next time it fed, the Nightmare confirmed the realization, only it did not care because that only meant the following fix of ecstasy would come that much sooner instead of only occurring once a Night.


    However, as each repeat scenario occurred, the Nightmare soon noticed something else as well.


    Something that was catastrophic to its plans and needs.


    The amount of Fear, the little girl generated with each scenario also diminished with each scenario repeated. At the same time, the more it fed on the girl''s Fear, the more its taste buds, in a manner of speaking since it had none, began going stale, as if the ecstatic flavor was no longer present.


    Whatever the case was, that had to change.


    That being the case, the Nightmare began making changes to its Nightmarish deviousness.


    At first, it was subtle. Like only using different amounts of tentacles, to test the waters so to speak. To see what worked and what did not. Then came the experimentation of the targets and their stimuli. Still, as the Nightmare worked hard to feed itself, it soon learned to differentiate the degree of differences in Fear it feasted upon. Only despite the culinary success it achieved in creating different flavors, the daily production continued diminishing until one day it stopped altogether.


    That was also the moment, when the little girl, for the first time since the Nightmare started stalking and harassing her Dream, achieved a semi-state of lucidity despite her Veil of Ignorance being long broken for this Dream Instance. As such, the little girl stared down on the floor, on the right side of her bed, at the Nightmare with the white dot as its eye and the many tentacles extending from its main body.


    Naturally, having fed so much on the little girl, the Nightmare had grown quite a bit. Whereas before its first feeding, its size could easily fit into an adult human hand, now it was almost close to double that size.


    After a brief moment of staring at each other and nothing happening, the Nightmare broke the moment by slithering toward the bed the girl usually lay but now sat upon.


    When it did, the little girl realized that the white dot monster was coming after her. In the same instant said realization hit her, a new wave of Fear began radiating from her.


    Sensing the increased power it contained, and flavor hinting at something new, the Nightmare urged its tentacular body with greater speed.


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    Not a moment sooner, it was back on the bed and slithering toward the little girl.


    The eight-year-old girl, on the other hand, screamed even more the moment the Nightmare climbed her bed. At the same time, she tried to crawl away from the Nightmare. To put as much distance between them as possible. Nonetheless, it took but a moment for her to realize that on her small bed, there was nowhere to crawl away.


    When the realization came, she sprung off of the bed with her arms and legs flailing in different directions.


    A THUD echoed before a cry of pain joined the echoing sounds from her body slamming to the floor. Being panic-stricken, the cry lasted but a single moment before the little girl stood up and rushed for the door leading outside her bedroom all while screaming for her mother.


    Despite being fast, the Nightmare was not fast enough to latch itself on the girl due to her sudden actions, so it had no choice but to watch the little girl open the door before vanishing into its opening.


    Somewhat stunned and indecisive, it took a moment for its chase to begin.


    A moment later, when it reached the ends of the bed, it simply curled up and dropped to the floor because it instinctively knew it would not be hurt. After all, not long before, it had been smacked hard on top of having fallen from a much higher distance with no harm coming to it.


    Not to mention that so far it had not come across anything which could hurt it within this Dream.


    Somehow, it knew it would know when it came across that something.


    As such, without anything to hinder it currently, the Nightmare happily slithered after its prey, As for knowing where the prey went? That was as easy as slithering its body. Even if it ignored the Fear suffusing the surroundings, thus telling it where to find its prey, the Nightmare just had to follow the colored residue left by the prey, for whatever she touched, left behind a mark in the form of colors.


    Moreover, the longer the contact remained, the brighter the colored mark became.


    Like that, a new dynamic emerged between the Nightmare and the little girl.


    The dynamic of the Hunter and the Prey.


    Wherever the girl ran, the Nightmare followed.


    Wherever she hid, the Nightmare found her.


    Most of the time, the girl managed to get away when found before hiding again. While that occurred, the eight-year-old girl continued crying softly for her mom to come and help her.


    Unfortunately, said mother never appeared no matter how loudly or softly she called. Additionally, no matter how the little girl searched or where she looked in her home, there was no one else to help her.


    On those times, when she did not get away, the Nightmare, with its many scaled and spiked tentacles would either try to latch itself to the girl''s legs or arms. Then, it would grip as hard as it could and drink the intoxicating Fear radiating from the little girl. Nevertheless, even when it succeeded, the latching process never lasted for long before the girl managed to dislodge it from her appendages.


    After that, she would run away before hiding once again.


    Eventually, however, there came the time when the eight-year-old girl simply vanished from the haunting Dream Instance she found herself in every night.


    Unfortunately for her, the world was not kind to her when she once more found herself inside her bedroom after re-attaining the semi-lucid state within the Dream Instance replicating her home.


    When she did,  the previous day¡¯s scenario repeated itself.


    And then again.


    And again.


    And again¡­


    <hr>


    It was touching.


    It was probing.


    It was scraping.


    It was fulfilling its Nightmarish purpose to the best of its instinct-filled existence, yet no reaction emerged from the little girl that was its prey or had been thus so far because whatever occurred to the little girl, it was not of the Nightmare¡¯s origin. The Nightmare was sure of it, after all, deep down it knew that a similar reaction would only occur after it had squeezed every drop of Fear from the little girl.


    However, that was not the case today, and it was getting desperate to figure out the problem because there was plenty of juice within the eight-year-old girl.


    Of that the Nightmare was sure.


    It just could not drink from it, and therein remained the problem.


    It had been many, many Nights since it last feasted upon the delicacy known as Fear.


    It had been many, many Nights since last it felt its stomach, or what counted for it, full of its daily fix. As such, what grew instead of its size, strength, speed, and other things, was its hunger and the clear, unbelievably loud and clear, need for its daily fix.


    Truthfully, the Nightmare never even imagined, not that it imagined much of anything, to begin with, that it was even possible to feel such strong prongs of desperate Instincts guiding it to accomplish its Nightmarish purpose at all cost.


    That being the case, the Nightmare easily enveloped the girl''s torso with its scaled and spiked tentacles because it had grown large enough to do so right before the Fear drought began.


    Then, it began using its increased strength to tear the little girl''s body, piece by piece, Night after Night.


    The clearer and louder the need for the fix grew, the crueler its actions became. Yet, no matter what it did, or how severe the injuries it inflicted on the Dream Body were, the eight-year-old girl simply made no response.


    It was as if she were dead. Only, it was clear to the Nightmare that she was not. After all, if she were dead, she would not be appearing within this Dream Instance, as a Dream Instance only ever existed as long as the one Dreaming it existed.


    A similar scenario applied to this tentacular Nightmare. However, unlike the Dreamer, this tentacular Nightmare was trapped within the Dream Instance, because the only way for it to leave the little girl¡¯s Dream Instance was for it to reach adulthood, or what substituted for adulthood in Nightmares, and for this Nightmare to reach adulthood, it had to not only grow bigger, but also be stronger, faster, and finally at the end, consume the girl¡¯s Soul.


    Nevertheless, the only time this tentacular Nightmare would ever manage to perform the Soul Consumption was after it squeezed every ounce of Fear from the little girl¡¯s Soul, thus rendering the Soul Barrier weakened and inert enough for this tentacular Nightmare to penetrate the little girl¡¯s Soul Barrier before eventually consume the little girl¡¯s from within and using her Soul as a material component to achieve its First Evolution.


    After it evolved it would leave in search of another victim.


    In one instant of clarity of mind, after its frustrations were vented, a few thoughts and possibilities flashed through the Nightmare¡¯s mind.


    The tentacular Nightmare finally realized its current actions provided no results.


    With no other choice, it gave up, unlatched its tentacles from the tattered body of the little girl, curled up into a ball, and rolled to the side of the bad and back on the floor before actually slithering back to its resting place inside the white cabinet door beside the widow pulling in the Silver Light illuminating the little girl''s bedroom.


    Once inside, and the cabinet door was closed, it simply curled up and stayed like that.


    For a long while, it did nothing else.


    Nonetheless, soon enough, if one could gaze deeper, through the scaled and spiked skin enveloping the tentacles of this tentacular Nightmare, one would notice that micro contractions were common and very frequent. As such, it was not that this Nightmare did nothing at first glance, it was that its body did nothing while its mind warred with the Instincts of its body.


    Like that, body and mind warred with each other and time passed.


    When, in one single instant, the Nightmare sensed the little girl vanishing from the Dream Instance, it was as if its bodily Instincts knew that no prey was nearby, so it was useless to attempt anything. However, it did not stay long that way because when the next Night came, and the little girl appeared again, its Nightmarish body grew needy while the mind grew resistant.


    It resisted because the Nightmare had a plan.


    A plan called Patience so its prey would lower its guard and stop whatever it was doing to protect itself.


    How long that would take, it knew not. However, it was not like it had any other options available to it right now.


    So it simply decided to be patient for now, and that was what it did.


    As such, Night after Night, the Nightmare warred with itself because it knew if it did not conserve its strength, it would vanish into thin air.


    A consequence of its actions was the slow but inevitable sharpening of its mind, but that was to be figured out later, as the Nightmare was not aware of its current gains.


    Instead, when many Nights passed, the Nightmare finally allowed its body to indulge its Instincts. It left its resting place, but what it found was not to its liking. After releasing some of its pent-up anger on the little girl''s body, it returned to its resting place and once again waited, resisted its Instincts, and conserved its strength.


    This time, it waited for more Nights to pass before emerging once again. However, even then it was not successful. With its anger taken out, it returned, it waited even more than the second time, and then even more on the third, and even more on the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth adventure.


    It was by the seventh excursion that it finally noticed the prongs of ravenous hunger receding from its awareness.


    Maybe it was just getting used to its presence so it did not feel as needy anymore. Either way, as the Nights passed again, and passed even more, the hunger lost its grip altogether such that even when the little girl¡¯s body was within the Dream Instance, its tentacles refused to make any involuntary contractions.


    Unfortunately, as a consequence of such a prolonged time of no feeding, it had also left it weaker. As such, its next feeding had better work, or it would probably vanish before it managed to wait for the next attempt.


    Then, being patient for a few more Nights, the tentacular Nightmare finally emerged from its resting place. It slithered to the bed, climbed on it, and then placed itself right on the bulge made by the blanket, thus indicating the presence of the little girl below it.


    Before it attempted anything, the Nightmare noticed that its prey had grown bigger. Not by too much, but the growth was noticeable.


    Ignoring that fact, the Nightmare unleashed its Nightmarish purpose on the little girl.


    <hr>


    It fed, and it fed greatly.


    Not only that, but the Fear it feasted upon was overwhelmingly familiar and unfamiliar to the tentacular Nightmare.


    Old yet new, new yet old.


    Pausing for one tiny moment from further constricting the torso of its prey, the Nightmare enjoyed its control for a said moment before continuing its Nightmarish behavior.


    Still, while its body did what it did, its mind felt free to think properly despite the feeding frenzy its body unleashed.


    The familiar sensation came because that was what it feasted on, and always will feast upon, for it was a Nightmare and Nightmares always fed on the Fear of their prey.


    The unfamiliar, on the other hand, came because what it feasted upon no longer clouded its judgment during the feasting, and therefore made it realize that the ecstasy was not what it used to be for the simple reason that before it was an overwhelming Instinct and sensation of pleasure, now it was but something to indulge its body for the moment and nothing more.


    Feasting on the Fear emanating from the prey caught within its appendages, the Nightmare suddenly understood something essential had changed within it.


    What?


    It did not know, nor particularly care about.


    In the end, what mattered was that it had succeeded in its endeavor to fill its stomach.


    Chortling and chirping echoed inside the bedroom, only with a sinister tone behind them as the tentacular Nightmare took out its anger on the Dream Body of the little girl for once again using whatever she was using to protect itself from his Nightmarish purpose.


    After taking out its anger and frustrations, the Nightmare retreated to its resting place and embraced another patience-fueled nothingness as it no doubt would need many Nights to pass before the next feeding appointment.


    There was some trouble initially since the long-awaited hunger had fully emerged with the need and greed of its daily fix. It was most evident by the restlessness of the tentacles as they kept trying to escape the control under which they fell. However, compared to the first time, not only were those contractions under control sooner, but also much easier, hence it took but a few Nights to pass before the Nightmares mind was once again in full control.


    More Nights passed.


    Then, some more Nights passed, when the Nightmare tried to feed again.


    When it returned, it was clear that its patience had to be greater than ever before. So it exercised said patience. However, after realizing its greater mental capabilities, a side effect soon became apparent because it simply could not stop itself from thinking.


    Most of the time, it was about the little girl, the Fear she produced, the Fear it feasted upon, the flavors it tasted, and how they were generated. But, at some point, the Nightmare''s thoughts began to go stale because they kept repeating themselves over and over, and the more it thought about those, the more it desired something else to replace them, only there was nothing else that did.


    In the end, it was but a minor inconvenience of the mind, and it could not compare to the inconvenience that its body had been.


    In the end, after a great many Nights, the Nightmare ventured out and once again succeeded in feeding itself. Nevertheless, once again it found itself without the fix the very next Night, hence the tentacular Nightmare understood that after every round of executed patience, only one feeding session would occur.


    That was when the inconvenience of the mind veered its head as it began worrying about the future, its feeding possibilities, and its much-desired growth.


    That was also when the tentacular Nightmare finally understood that a restless mind was much harder to quiet down than a restless body. In fact, the harder it tried, the harder it became to quiet the mind, as its thoughts kept spiraling out of control. Eventually, the paranoia reached its extreme, and the Nightmare began plotting a course of action hoping to finally resolve all of its problems.


    The solution?


    The tether that had shifted its temporary existence into a permanent Nightmare stalking this Dream Instance. Naturally, after many times of prowling, feasting, and secreting its slimy irritant on the little girl, that tether had to have become stronger as well.


    At least, that was what the Nightmare assumed to be since it was having a hard time figuring out just what exactly to do since its Instinct was remarkably silent on that front. Either way, with the vague notion as the goal, the Nightmare engaged its strengthened mind to plot its salvation.


    After many Nights of doing nothing but thinking, it slithered out of its resting place which was the insides of the white cabinet.


    Once it was back on the blankets hiding the little girl, the Nightmare ceased doing anything for the moment. Well, anything but rotating and angling the white dot acting as its eye around. It was in that moment, that it truly took note of the colors the girl emanated on her head and everything her body touched.


    Everything but it, the Nightmare stalking and harassing her with its Nightmarish existence.


    Instinctively, the Nightmare knew it had to do with the Dream Body the girl possessed. However, there had to be more to it because this tentacular Nightmare sensed a direction for its solution.


    Following the hunch, and the direction it provided, the Nightmare slowly and carefully used its tentacles to prod the little girl''s right face, specifically the right cheek with its mind firmly centered on the thought of a tether. It had taken much gentle probing to finally sense the tether, the mark on the right cheek.


    Now that it knew what to look for, it was as if its white dot, acting as its eye, finally learned to observe another layer of the Dream Instance. Additionally, it became even more obvious once that new layer displayed the obvious contrast its mark left behind on the right cheek compared to the rich brownish skin color the little girl¡¯s Dream Body naturally possessed. Not much later, the Nightmare learned to sense the mark of the tether, and when it did, it sensed similar sensations from all over her body. Basically, everywhere it had once slithered and slobbered its smiley irritant onto.


    Even the insides possessed a similar sensation thanks to its many needy fueled frustrations released on the little girl''s Dream Body after the Fear Drought had graced the Nightmare¡¯s presence.


    Overall, after chorting and chirping a few delightful tones of success all that was left to do was find a way to make use of the tether marks, figure out the colors thing and it would no doubt usher in a new dawn of culinary experimentation.


    Not wanting to delay said incoming future, the Nightmare put forth all of its newly blossoming minds into the endeavor, and after many, many Nights, the first results manifested.

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 1 - Hannah?

    DING DING DING


    Echoed the bells through the halls, announcing the end of the mandatory daily classes.


    Hearing it, the teacher and the students of age fifteen, prepared their possessions in order to leave.


    However, just before the teacher left, his mouth spat out a few words. Those words made the students groan in displeasure, as none of them liked having homework assigned for the day. After all, was it not enough that they spent so much of their precious childhood already cramming everything they could into their still-growing minds?


    Still, as entitled the students were to their feelings, every one of them had long learned of the uselessness of complaining out loud, therefore, aside from the groans, they kept their mouths from voicing their feelings.


    Instead, they replied with ¡®Yes, Teacher¡¯ and eagerly awaited said teacher to leave the classroom so they too could take their leave and finally escape school for the day.  Nevertheless, as eager as they were to leave, rushing for the exit was a bad idea because it signaled that their upbringing and teachings had room for improvement. Hence, leaving the classroom and the school was an organized and stressless exercise in the form of patient behavior.


    While waiting for her turn, indicated by the clicks one belonged in and their popularity within them, Hannah displayed no abnormal behavior or remorse at being the last one to leave out of thirty students in her class.


    To others, it may sound bad, but to her, it was a blessing in disguise, most of the time, and there were many reasons for that.


    The main one was her average looks, while her average bodily curves made her even more average. On top of that, Hannah was far more petite when compared to the other girls her age. Adding on top of that, the brown bangs hanging from her forehead hid much of her face, so her countenance made her seem distrustful, thereby signifying why Hannah ranked so low with her fellow students.


    Nonetheless, since she was a girl, her being the last one to leave was a present anomaly not seen in the other freshmen classes, or the entire school, for that matter.


    The reason?


    A constant aura of coldness and gloominess surrounded her. Only this one was not imaginative, but a literal one, as the few boys sitting near her desk confirmed. Naturally, teenagers being teenagers, a secret test was concluded just to confirm Hannah¡¯s cold and gloomy aura. But much to their disappointment, the thermometer failed to display any abnormality they all felt.


    Either way, in truth, Hannah¡¯s aura made most students, and people in general, instinctively veer out of her way.


    As a result, most chose to ignore or outright forget about her.


    At the beginning of the school year, when everybody was nervous about entering high school, a few girls tried to befriend Hannah despite trying their best to ignore their hair-raising goosebumps and shivering spines from unconsciously affecting them.


    Nonetheless, Hannah¡¯s harsh remarks alienated all of them, even the adolescent hormonally-filled boys.


    Having already prepared her school bag, Hannah awaited the moment when everybody else was gone and made her way outside the school. However, just as she was about to leave the building, altogether, her brown eyes spotted three girls with pretty faces, and bountiful chests, stepping in her way.


    Sarrah, blond-haired and blue-eyed, pointed at the restroom designated for girls, while Tina and Charli quickly surrounded Hannah from the left and right. Then, Tina and Charlie leaned in on Hannah¡¯s shoulders before covertly grasping her two arms to force Hannah inside said restroom.


    Hannah, seeing and feeling everything going on, knew what awaited her. Still, even knowing it was coming, her face made no distinct expression regarding the upcoming bullying event.


    It was as if it simply was of no consequence to her, and that fact could be seen within her brown eyes because there was not one tiny shred of will to fight or resist the three girls when they grabbed her by the arms and pulled her inside.


    Once inside, Tina and Charlie pinned Hannah to a wall and held her there while Sarrah, the blond and blue-eyed bully, cursed at Hannah¡¯s existence while pulling on her shoulder-length brown hair before lightly slapping on her face to avoid leaving long-lasting markings.


    All of it was to assert her own dominance over Hannah.


    Hannah knew that. Nevertheless, as usual with the events, she simply made no outward display of being bothered by her attempts of coercion.


    If outsiders saw this, they would assume that Hannah did not feel the pain. In fact, it was the opposite. Hannah was far more sensitive to pain than normal humans. The difference, however, was that, unlike typical humans, Hannah welcomed the pain, and gladly at that, because it brought out something from within her mind.


    Because that something was better than the void of meaningless she lived in.


    Watching the angry grunts of displeasure, the freshmen school beauty produced by not receiving the acknowledgment of superiority, made Hannah wonder why she even bothered living her life.


    In truth, she asked herself that constantly, and had it not been for the pills she was made to swallow since she was eight, she probably would have already killed herself. Not like it was that hard, after all, all it took was one misstep on her way to school, and she would be trampled by a car or truck.


    Barring the simple way out? There was still jumping from the school rooftop. That was enough height to kill her. Yes, it would be marginally harder to accomplish ever since the last time a student jumped off of the building, at least if the rumors she heard were correct, but it was doable if she could just muster the proper emotional motivation to do it.


    In the end, there was the knife-to-wrist method of slowly bleeding and wasting away.


    However, despite having thought of it many times, Hannah disliked it because it reminded her of something else. Something she tried to hide and forget about every day. Only never succeeding because its constant reminder always reminded her of it, like in this very moment when her eyes witnessed a giant tentacle reach out from the top of her head only to plunge into the prima-donna of the freshmen year.


    Almost instantly, Hannah sensed the Fear bubbling within Sarrah.


    Almost immediately, Hannah felt the sucking sensations emanating from the prima-donna of the first years.


    Used to it, Hannah ignored the tentacular hallucination, the sensations it delivered to her, the flavors it shared, or the chortling and chirping sounds it conveyed from out of nowhere.


    Once it was over, Hannah spoke. ¡°Are you done?¡± She asked Sarrah, the blond and blue-eyed prima-donna no longer able to hide her fear-based emotional response.


    Then, that same fear-based emotional response switched to anger, resulting in a fist blow to Hannah¡¯s stomach.


    Taking a moment and a deep breath, the prima-donna with blond hair, making her look like a prettied-up doll, replied. ¡°I am now, FREAK.¡± In the same instance, the other two girls released their hold on Hannah, causing her body to plop down on the tiled floor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± With the order given, the three bullies left Hannah to her own devices.


    Once the three bullies were gone, Hannah slowly stood up.


    With somewhat weak steps, she reached one of the sinks and opened the valve to pour out cold water. With it, she washed her face and straightened her hair since being seen otherwise only brought more attention to her door.


    All the while fixing her appearance, Hannah distinctly ignored the silver tentacle veering out of her head and tapping the top of her head alongside the chorting and chirping sound telling her she had been a good girl.


    Done petting her, the silver tentacle vanished back inside Hannah¡¯s head.


    In the same instant, the hallucination withdrew, Hannah quickly took a plastic container from her school bag. Then, urgently opening the plastic container, and grabbing the pills it contained, she swallowed them down her throat with some water on the side to lubricate the process.


    That done, and after fixing the last few displaced strands of hair, Hannah hung her school back from her left shoulder and made her way out of the school building.


    <hr>


    Just like the last time it happened, Hannah got grabbed and shoved into the restroom.


    Just like the previous time, Hannah was ganged on by three fifteen-year-old girls, with two holding her hands and pushing her against the wall while the third one cursed, slapped, and hit her in the stomach.


    Pain flared, for a single moment, but Hannah failed to utter or display any indication it affected her.


    The third girl, Sarrah, did not like that one bit.


    It made her hair stand and her spine tingle from bodily reactions she barely recognized, much less understood.


    ¡°DAMN FREAK!¡± Sarrah shouted. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?¡± Not quite seeing the response, nor liking the emotionless brown eyes gazing back at her, she quickly slapped Hannah again. ¡°Say something.¡±


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Hannah said, but it was clear to her those were not the words her bully desired.


    ¡°Gggrrr¡­¡± Slapping once again, Sarrah realized that she had used too much force. Now her palm would stay on the girl''s face for quite a while. Just as she wanted to slap again to release her frustrations once more, her shivering body felt that sucking sensation forced on her again. And just like every other time, and that first time that had started all this, the fifteen-year-old prima-donna of the freshmen¡¯s year cursed out loud. ¡°You¡­ DAMN FREEK.¡±


    However, unlike the previous day, just shouting was not enough to release her frustrations, yet it was evident that physical violence was not phasing Hannah. Unsure of how to make her submit, the blond bully noticed the bag on the tiled floor. Setting her eyes on it, Sarrah crouched down and opened up the zipper to take a look at what was hidden.


    It did not take long for her to find something in the form of a plastic box. Shaking it a few times, it was clear that something was inside.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The blond bully asked, only no answer reached her ears. Yet, somehow the brown eyes seemed more expressive than before. ¡°Fine¡­ If you don''t say it, let''s open it.¡±


    Open she did, but what she saw was not what she expected.


    Taking her eyes from the pills, Sarrah stared at Hannah¡¯s brown emotionless eyes that seemed to contain a chill within them. ¡±Drugs? Is that what makes you a¡­ FREAK?¡±


    ¡°Tell me!!!¡± The blond girl demanded, but Hannah simply stayed silent.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Grunting in displeasure, the Sarrah settled her blue eyes on a toilet stall. Quickly opening the door, the toilet was within her view. Placing the plastic box above the toilet, the blond bully took one last glance at Hannah before quickly tilting the box and dropping every single pill inside the toilet before pulling on the plug and flushing everything down into the sewer.


    Done with the deed, she turned around and settled her blue eyes on Hannah. When she did, she noticed Hannah¡¯s body shaking, her mouth opening and closing, all while her face tried to express something, yet failed every time.


    However, it was in the brown eyes that the blond bully finally understood the truth.


    She had found the Freak¡¯s weakness.


    Grasping on the moment, her haughty voice spoke with a commanding tone. ¡°There¡­ From now on if you don''t behave, I will do it again, and again, and again¡­ Understood, FREAK?¡±


    Hannah made no reply.


    Instead, her eyes settled on the toilet.


    Moments later, images flashed through her mind. They forced her to struggle against her holders. The two girls, Tina and Charlie, clearly not having expected the abrupt change in Hannah¡¯s behavior failed to keep her in check. As such, Hannah easily freed herself and rushed for the toilet, and even pushed aside her blond bully before sticking her hand inside the toilet water to try and fish out any of the pills.


    Nonetheless, it was already too late.


    The swirling whirlpool of water had been just too strong to leave anything behind.


    Seeing the strong reaction from Hannah, the two bullies that had held Hannah all this time she was bullied, their faces showed instant regret.


    ¡°J.J¡­ Just what kind of pills were that?¡± One of them, Tina, urgently asked. ¡°She won''t die without them right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don''t know.¡± The second one, Charlie, replied with worry on her face.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Stop making it seem so tragic. It''s just some pills. New ones can be bought easily.¡± Sarrah quickly commented. ¡°Also. Remember the Geek?¡± The blond bully posited and her two henchwomen nodded. ¡°Whatever the Freek¡¯s problem is, it wasn''t major enough to be life-threatening. Otherwise, the whole school would have known about it already just like with the Geek. Anyway¡­ We got the message across. Let''s go.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ Ok.¡± The two girls answered and followed their leader out of the female toilet.


    Still, their faces had that regretful expression, although they tried their best to hide them.


    Meanwhile, back inside, Hannah simply stared at the toilet that had doomed her for an entire week and a half before the next batch of pills reached her hands. After all, while it was true that she, or her mother, in this case, could go to the drug store and get new ones, they would cost money.


    A lot of money.


    Money, her mother struggled to earn already.


    No¡­ There was no way Hannah, even emotionless as she was right in this moment, could allow herself to be that heartless.


    No¡­ Her mother was already doing everything she could to provide for her, even to the point of selling her body.


    No¡­ If there was one thing the drugs were good for, aside from inhibiting her emotions to a large degree, it was that they had allowed Hannah an understanding of the world of pure logic, or at least something resembling it. And that logic had told her of what kind of sacrifice her mother made on a daily basis just for her to grow up, much less the undeniable need for all the drugs that made her resemble a robot more than a human being.


    No¡­ Even Hannah was not that cruel.


    No¡­ All she had to do was endure for a week and a half. It was doable.


    No¡­ It would be doable.


    All Hannah had to do was act as if everything was peachy, as it was with the pills, at least in front of her mother.


    Yes¡­ She could do it.


    Yes¡­ She could endure and pretend everything was fine.


    Yes¡­ She could do it.


    It was just ten days.


    Just ten days.


    Ten


    <hr>


    That day, Hannah had gone home and behaved as usual as she did, by acting as if nothing had happened and nothing had perturbed her mind.


    The next day and the one after that, business was as usual, home to school, school to home.


    Long used to treating her as if she did not exist, her classmates made no trouble for her. The exception to the rule, Sarrah, the prima-donna of the freshman year, also kept away from her for the time being, and when she did, so did her two henchwomen.


    As such, through the normality of the day, the absence of bullying, and the somewhat longer timeframe for her body to detox from the drugs, Hannah managed to build up a small amount of confidence to emulate her usual robot-like state of mind.


    Then as if it was meant to happen, like the second hand of a clock returning to its appointed time, on the fifth day, just as Hannah was about to leave the school building, she noticed her three bullies.


    Like a deer staring into the headlights of an oncoming car, Hannah¡¯s eyes opened wide as she froze on the spot. Images flashed through her mind. Images that she had tried to forget, or at best ignore, yet now, in this very moment, returned with crystal clear clarity.


    A few moments passed.


    Hannah blankly stared at Sarrah¡¯s blond hair, blue eyes, and pretty face.


    Sarrah returned the same stare, yet it was clear hers contained a lot of attitude. An attitude that formulated its own superiority by disregarding that of others like with Hannah¡¯s behavior, and when it did, Sarrah almost instantly lost all interest in this girl she had conquered.


    Instead, the blond bully just grunted briefly with pleasure and bid her two henchwomen to follow her.


    There was no bullying on this day, but maybe it would have been better if there had been.


    Then at least, the pain would have told Hannah¡¯s mind of the difference between a past memory and a present memory reliving a past memory. Hence, without the drugs inhibiting her bodily responses to some degree, a small chink in Hannah¡¯s armor of confidence manifested.


    Thus, when it did, like a dam that could not contain its overflowing waters, Hannah¡¯s body without the drugs urgently generated larger doses of Fear based chemicals to deal with the stress the memories produced.


    When those chemicals and that Fear appeared, a response, a sensation, a phenomenon, only Hannah could sense and feel, arose within her body.


    It was as if her body and mind recognized a predator''s presence nearby, yet could not understand where it was coming from or how it was observing them. Wherever it may have presided, it did not matter to Hannah the hair all over her body perked up as if electrified. Her spine produced a shivering response traveling up and down her body, and it only grew stronger the more Fear her body generated.


    That was when Hannah¡¯s resolve, manifested just a few days ago, finally revealed its presence to remind her of the promise she had made to herself.


    A promise, if not for her own sake, then for the sake of her mother who had sacrificed so much already for her because doing otherwise would only besmirch said sacrifice, and that was the only thing Hannah¡¯s mind refused to allow.


    That was also the main reason why Hannah only ever thought but never went through her own un-aliving process.


    Reminded of it, Hannah quickly recalled the countermeasures she reasoned off just for such a scenario.


    In the same instant, she hit her lower lip to let the pain distract her mind and body. Once that was accomplished, and the pain flourished, she began chanting words inside her head.


    I am¡­ I am fine¡­ There is nothing wrong with me¡­ There is nothing wrong¡­


    Desperately clutching onto those words, part of Hannah¡¯s mind refocused itself from the Fear and pain.


    When it did, so did her body.


    Only it was clear to Hannah, even without being conscious of it, that the upcoming days would not be as easy as the first five days had made it out to be. After all, now the monster, her doctors told her was just a hallucination, had truly been woken and been alerted of Hannah¡¯s changing circumstances.


    It had happened before when the times were tough for her mother. Hence, with no pills to inhibit her emotions, the monster was free to torture and feast upon Hannah¡¯s Fear every night.


    Tossing aside the flashing memories, as best as she could, Hannah continued chanting till she truly calmed down somewhat.


    Then, she took her first steps back home.


    Just as expected, that very same night, the monster appeared to Hannah.


    Long ago, Hannah had realized that she was lucid every night she fell asleep.


    Long ago, Hannah had understood that she was bound to visit her old bedroom every night without fail.


    Long ago, Hannah had gotten used to just laying there on that old bed without the ability to do anything because of the drugs coursing through her systems, yet now, just a few days after she had taken the last of them, Hannah already noted their effect wearing off of her.


    How did Hannah know that exactly? She did not know. All she knew was that the paralyzing effect was slowly coming to an end. And although it would take a few more days for it to completely do so, Hannah already knew what awaited her.


    Not only because she had experienced it before, but also because she was told about it by the large tentacular monster hanging and occupying most of her bedroom ceiling.


    The monster was in the shape of an octopus, only it was clearly not one despite the tentacles arrayed around its bulbous main body upon which a large white dot existed.


    Although the white dot remained right in the center of the bulbous main body, Hannah had seen it flow around the main body as if its main body was more watery in composition than simple flesh.


    Either way, Hannah was certain that the white dot was an eye because its gaze contained a definitive but cold intelligence.


    Had it not been for the drugs paralyzing her, and thus making her unresponsive to the monster''s machinations, there was no doubt that it would have descended from the ceiling to cradle her within its many tentacles before slowly but surely exposing Hannah to its monstrous desires to torture and feast


    Being unbothered by the monster''s unerring stare would be a mild statement at the best of times, when she was drugged to hell and back, but knowing that very soon that wouldn''t be the case, a small brief spike of Fear rose to Hannah¡¯s attention.


    When it did, a sudden twitch of her right arm manifested, and with its manifestation, the white dot on the monster''s bulbous body twitched in response just that tiny bit as its gaze shifted to said arm.


    In the very same instance, a confirmation reached both Hannah and the monster, only one, however, was happy about it.


    The chorting and chirping sounds were the best indicator of that happiness.


    Nevertheless, for Hannah, the worst thing about the sounds was that she understood them, and the inherent promise contained within the chorting and chirping sounds.


    The promise was that, at last, the monster could take the last needed step to feast on her Soul.


    ¡°You look somewhat pale there? Are you having nightmares again?¡± Hannah heard her worried mother voice out.


    ¡°No.¡± Hannah lied instantly, with as much of a neutral facial expression, and a blank vocal tone, as she could. ¡°Just stayed up a bit longer than I should have been playing on my GameBoy.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Hannah¡¯s mother, Hailey, responded. ¡°Try not playing for too long on it. You know it''s not good for the eyes. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mom!¡± Hanah replied with a monotonous voice. ¡°Speaking of nightmares. In four days, the last batch of the pills will be gone.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡± The mother whispered, all while trying her best to hide her pain and sorrow.


    Having lived with just her mother for the last seven years, Hannah easily read her mother''s facial expressions. Almost instantly, she felt something trying to rise from within her, because it was evident that something bad had occurred.


    ¡°Listen, Honey¡­¡± Hearing it, it was as if Hannah¡¯s face got a shade whiter instantly, yet she did not interrupt her mother. ¡°There was some trouble at work. A customer refused to pay. So the payment may come somewhat later. Not too much, a week at most. Ok¡­¡± Hailey voiced out, but even she knew that her words lacked any surety or guarantee. ¡°Once the payment is done, I''ll visit the drug store for your pills. Ok¡­¡±


    Nodding somewhat absently, Hannah replied. ¡°I... It''s fine, mom. You know it takes a while for my body to flush out the drugs anyway. I¡­ I will be fine.¡±


    ¡°I know you will.¡± Hailey declared with pride, though a somewhat distant one.


    Leaving the kitchen counter where she was making breakfast, Hailey closed in on Hannah to hug her before setting aside the long brown bangs of hair slightly covering her daughter¡¯s brown eyes and giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead.


    ¡°You''re a strong girl, just like me.¡± After nodding and rubbing Hannah¡¯s back a few more times, Hailey returned to breakfast making.


    In the same instant, her mother¡¯s back faced her, Hannah bit her lower lip very hard before promising that she would endure.


    <hr>


    As if in a trance, Hannah breezed through the sixth day.


    On the sixth night, on the other hand, Hannah endured more hungry stares while she tried her best to wiggle her body. There was success, but it would not have been such an expedited process had the monster not been encouraging her to do just that.


    In a way, the arrogance of the monster made the inexperienced Hannah fight just that tiny bit more to regain her autonomy as a human being.


    On the seventh day, there was little that could take Hannah¡¯s mind off of her very recent nightly routine, namely in the fact that she was trying her best to fight back against the monster, or at the very least avoid it by herself and not medication.


    However, what truly set this encounter different from anything before was that the monster refused to do anything to her. Instead, it just remained on the ceiling and chirped its delightful encouraging mood at her.


    As such, on the seventh day, much of Hannah¡¯s mind was preoccupied with imagining the possibilities of her demise and her possible escape from the clutches of the tentacular monster.


    In the end, all her solutions amounted to getting away from the monster while it gave her the chance, hence on the seventh night Hannah found her courage and managed to crawl off of her bed. Then to the door leading outside her old bedroom, which just could not seem to vanish into history as it followed her even after her mother had them move away to a different city in fear that their old residence became haunted.


    After the bedroom door, Hannah crawled into the hallway which presented her with a few options, unlike their new place which barely had enough room for two people.


    Either way, in truth, there was little to explore for Hannah.


    Still, it was the effort that made her feel like she was doing something because anything was better than constantly staring at a monstrosity hanging above her. Only, as if her thoughts summoned it, her ears made her turn her head before gazing at the tentacular monstrosity crawling through the bedroom door, only it still treated the ceiling as its floor.


    As if only now noticing her gaze, the monster once again began chirping its encouragement song.


    Deciding to ignore it for the moment since it was clear, she was safe from it for the moment, Hannah spent all of her efforts crawling through her old home.


    The home before her father died and everything fell apart when the very same father left her mother with a monstrous debt to repay while taking care of a child who could not seem to sleep without nightmares, could not live without drugs keeping her sane, could not¡­


    Ceasing all movements, Hannah stared at the end of the hallway after a particular bend to the right.


    Specifically, she stared at the door found at the end.


    A door that had belonged to her father.


    A father she would have no doubt learned to hate had it not been for the drugs and her mother''s insistent reminder that he was a good man.


    Now, she simply ignored his memories, as if they never existed.


    Yet, that same father had loved her to death before his actual death, and despite having thought of doing so a million times, Hannah never threw away the last birthday present he gave her.


    A present she still used to this very day in the form of a GameBoy, alongside a few games that after seven years of playing she had mastered entirely.


    Her only form of true entertainment aside, Hannah refused to move one inch closer to the door leading to her father''s workshop.


    Not only because of the unknown that it represented, as Hannah had, in fact, never, ever set foot inside it before, but also because, for some reason, it glowed to her brown eyes.


    It wasn''t a weird color or anything like that. Just a simple natural brown, like most doors possessed. However, when compared to the silver sheen that infused and cloaked everything in her old home, it was clear Hannah was looking at an anomaly, hence she dared not reach closer to it.


    It took a few moments for Hannah to come out of her stupor.


    At that same moment, she unconsciously glanced back and up to take note of the monster in the house. Only after it was confirmed that the monster still refused to jump and torture her with its presence, did Hannah finally take a better and more detailed examination of the door, the hallway, and herself.


    That was when she noticed her own colors resisting the coating of the silver reaching for her. In fact, when she examined the details, everything her body touched to some degree had regained its own shine, hence when gazing behind her, Hannah saw a trail as if she were a snail leaving its slime upon her wake.


    However, the more distant the trail was, from her current position, the more it thinned out of existence.


    Thus, considering everything, her own current state, her surroundings, and the monster in question, Hannah applied some logic to her problem. When she did, grunting with effort she used the hallway wall as a makeshift helper to help her stand on two wobbly legs.


    With every step that she took, the paralyzing sensations on her body seemed to weaken just a tad faster.


    Whether it was her imagination or not, Hannah walked slowly, like a grandma on the brink of death, and reached the glowing door leading to her father¡¯s workshop/office.


    Unfortunately, it was as if it was not meant to be.


    Click Click Click


    ¡°L¡­ L¡­ Locked?¡± Hannah whispered to herself in realization. Only this enlightenment stemmed from a distant memory, a memory of when she was but a little girl trying yet failing at the very same problem she did now. Luckily, the flashing memory told her of the solution.


    ¡°K¡­ Key¡­ I¡­ I need the key.¡±


    ¡°Where is the key?¡±

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 2 - Message?

    ¡°Mom?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Remember our old house?¡± Hannah asked her mother somewhat hesitant because their old residence was a bit of a sore spot to both of them for similar and different reasons.


    Additionally, as the drugs running through her system had flushed out for the most part, Hannah was trying her extra best to appear as if everything was as it should be with her demeanor.


    ¡°Of course I do. What about it?¡± Hailey answered, though her left eyebrow rose in intrigue since Hannah engaging in the said topic was extremely rare. She knew full well how her daughter felt or thought about it so she paid great attention to the topic


    ¡°You¡­ Umm¡­ Remember that one room I could not enter?¡± Hannah questioned. ¡°F¡­Father¡¯s office?¡±


    Now intrigued even more, Hailey responded. ¡°Naturally, I do¡­¡± Pausing for a second, she added on top of her response. ¡°Be specific, though. Your father was somewhat secretive about everything he did inside it.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Still emulating her everyday drugged demeanor, Hannah finally asked the one thing on her mind ever since the previous night. ¡°Where did¡­ father usually hide the key?¡±


    ¡°He didn''t!¡± Hailey replied instantly.


    ¡°Didn''t?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Hannah¡¯s mother confirmed again. ¡°He always brought it with himself. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Just wondering about something.¡± Hannah replied and stayed silent for a moment.


    ¡°Always?¡±


    ¡°Always!¡±


    ¡°Even when he was at home?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but that one would be a technical ¡®Yes¡¯.¡± Hailey answered honestly. ¡°Depending on what he wore for the day, it was either inside his jacket or his pants. So even when he was at home or using his office, that was where he kept it.¡± That said, it was Hailey¡¯s turn to stay silent for a moment before dousing her own curiosity. ¡°It''s rare for you to ask about your father like this. What brought this forth?¡±


    ¡°Just a stray thought¡­ came to me last night.¡± Hannah replied, still full of desire to swing about the subject that was her nightmare. ¡°Since I was not allowed inside, I wondered what it looked like?¡±


    ¡°Or why were you not allowed inside?¡± Hailey finished, as it took very little imagination to see where her daughter''s thoughts went.


    In the same instance, Hailey saw the eyes on her daughter''s face open wider. Not too much. But since it was her daughter, who rarely, or better said could not express her emotions, it was a rarity that she inwardly cherished every time she witnessed one.


    On the other hand, that she did at all, presented a problem to Hailey. Only she remained silent for the moment because proving her hunch was not what she desired.


    Instead, the mother kept her hunch inside and focused on the obvious. ¡°It was like most house offices, I guess, with a desk on the left, a bookshelf on the right, and that ugly red leather sofa chair of his, I just could not convince him to throw away, right below the window so he could smoke a cigar unbothered. Like I said, nothing special.


    As for why you were not allowed inside? Well¡­ not sure if you remember properly, but before your nightmares started, you were quite the wild girl. Just itching to get your hands on everything. Hence, your father simply locked the office all the time to avoid your gravy little hands.¡± Heiley iterated in a joking manner by imitating a small child for a moment. Then, she ceased before puffing from her mouth briefly, and somewhat angrily. ¡±At least that was the main excuse he gave me. I am sure there were other reasons.¡±


    Nodding at that, Hannah knew quite well which ones her mother focused on, as downsizing to a one-bedroom apartment was not done on the fly.


    That affirmed Hannah¡¯s attention settled on what, in fact, she might find inside her father¡¯s office inside her nightmare because it was clear that it was special¡­ somehow¡­ since even after being unable to open the door, she had tried searching for its key, hence inadvertently learning of the office¡¯s uniqueness by not witnessing anything of color where everything was steeped with that silver sheen which seemed to come from the outside of the nightmare house if the few windows she managed to observe were a good indicator.


    Something was going on with her daughter, and Hailey was sure of that one fact, now more than ever.


    ¡°Are you finally going to tell me why you are suddenly interested in your father¡¯s office?¡± Hailey asked her daughter. In the same instance, however, she noticed her daughter¡¯s face snap to attention as if her mind had been somewhere else. ¡°You are not by any chance thinking of going back to that house?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Hannah replied but then repeated her statement just in case. ¡°I am not.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Hailey commented. ¡°Not like you would find anything in there even if you did, or could for that matter, ever since its new owners settled in.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mom.¡± Hannah affirmed her previous statement, though her last denial may have been a tad higher in tone than it should have been. ¡°Seeing it constantly in my nightmares is bad enough as it is. Seeing it in real life? Never¡­¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡± Hailey commented again, but her suspicions were not alleviated. ¡°That is good. Sometimes what is in the past is best left in the past. Still¡­ You still did not answer me on why you are suddenly interested in your father''s office.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hannah hesitated for a second as her mind found a plausible excuse. ¡°No specific reason, Mom. It just kind of randomly came to me¡­ so I asked about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Hailey said and nodded since it was clear her daughter felt reluctant to say anything. Still, she would not be denied so easily. If her daughter desired to speak up, there were other ways of finding the truth. ¡°Let''s leave the past in the past. Tell me, how is school going? Any problems coming up with the curriculum?¡±


    Shaking her head, a tad faster than usual, Hannah replied, though this one was a bit harder to not mess up. ¡°No, Mom. I am doing fine, like always.¡±


    ¡°I am glad to hear my smarty pants.¡± Hannah joked slightly. ¡°Still¡­ While keeping that first spot is significant for your future, it is not that important. Ok? If you''re having issues, remember to lay them out to the teachers so they can help you. Hmph¡­ If they don''t, then I''ll have a talk with them about their uselessness as educators in our society. Like leeches sucking the blood of people, only with taxpayer money in their case. Hmph¡±


    Seeing her mother worked up, Hannah simply nodded and affirmed her words. ¡°I know, Mom¡­ and I will.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­Good.¡± Hailey said with a smile. ¡°You better hurry it up with your breakfast, or you will miss the school bus.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mom.¡±


    <hr>


    Passing the school day was more of the same, yet less of the usual than Hannah was used to simply because her mind had a somewhat harder time focusing on the curriculum than usual where her emotions were swept aside to focus on the knowledge sent her way.


    Instead, her mind was occupied by what she had witnessed the previous night in her nightmare, and what her mother had informed her, namely the key and its possible whereabouts. However, while her mind was wondering about its location per se, a larger part of her was more anxious about the ¡®What¡¯ of what if she did not, in fact, find the key, because the monster''s behavior had deviated from its usual routine, and not by a little, but by a lot.


    C¡­ Cou¡­ Could it be that its words held some truth? Hannah asked herself in her mind after she could no longer take her own thoughts. That my end is close by? That I will cease to exist for real?


    No¡­ That can''t be true. Hannah denied the obvious truth that had surfaced from the depths of her mind.


    In that same instance that she denied it consciously, her body reacted subconsciously, producing a shiver up and down her spine.


    In the same instance, the chorting and chirping surfaced as if affirming that very same response in her body.


    Grabbing her desk hard enough for her knuckles to turn white, Hannah tried her best to power through by taking a deep breath and remembering the promise she made last week.


    The promise that, if she could not power through for herself, then she would do it for her mother.


    Chanting the promise in her mind, Hannah relaxed slightly before releasing her grip on her desk. Moments later, the rest of her body followed suit. Even the monster''s presence faded away, with only its echoing chorting and chirping reminding Hannah of its own promise.


    A promise that its imminent feasting was so¡­ so very, very nigh.


    After that, Hannah had an even harder time paying attention to her class.


    Multiple times, her mind spawned scenarios of her end, thankfully, after the first one of the day her conscious choice of actions allowed her to calm down faster and faster. In the end, it was the plain and boring routine of world history that managed to settle her anxious mind and frayed nerves.


    Yet, it was only after school, after arriving home, after completing her homework, after tucking herself under the blanket on the floor all alone since her mother was working out for the night, that she truly understood the truth when the monster jumped on her the moment she became aware of actually being within her own nightmare.


    Truly, there was horror, there was pain after the monster unloaded its nightmarish purpose as it could feel, could sense that the prey was ready to be consumed¡­ but then¡­ something went wrong.


    The Fear within its prey diminished instead of bubbling up as it should have.


    Ceasing its nightmarish purpose, the white dot on its bulbous body impatiently gazed at the brown eyes of its prey and the absent gaze held within.


    Somewhat consumed by the baffling experience, it tried a few more times only for a similar response to occur.


    At first, there was Fear, and then there was not.


    In the end, as it pondered for a few moments, the Nightmare understood its prey would need at least a few more days before it was completely ready. As such, while impatient at being so close to its feast, it managed to curl its own greed to unlatch its tentacles from the prey to simply stretch them into the air and right to the ceiling before latching there and pulling its bulbous body where it usually hanged every Night to observe its prey.


    Once there, the white dot on its bulbous body gazed unerringly at its prey and sang its imminent end.


    Waking up, Hannah realized that her clothes were wet and her skin sweaty.


    In the same instant, her mind produced many thoughts, sensations, and truths that were centered on the horror of her own flayed body, the pain said flaying had caused her, and just how close she had come to being feasted upon.


    Truly, had it not been for the familiar pain and situation, which allowed her to mimic a flaccid fish out of the water, Hannah felt that she would not have been able to calm down that very first moment to curb her rampant emotions enough to enable her a kind of trance to endure what was done to her.


    Especially for the following attempts by the monster.


    Thinking of it, Hannah¡¯s mind centered her thoughts on the possibility of repeating the same scenario of withholding her coming end, however, that was when her logical side turned up to speak its own version of the truth, the truth that while she had indeed succeeded this time, she probably only did so because her body had yet to flush the drugs from her body entirely. The moment it did, there would be no trance to save her from the horror and the pain.


    As such, she needed a different solution if she wanted to spare her mother¡¯s efforts and sacrifices for her instead of making them irrelevant.


    With that being the case, Hannah steeled her thoughts for the final time on resisting the monster and the fate it brought to her by focusing on the one anomalous thing that seemed to stand out from her current understanding.


    The colored door that led to her father''s office.


    <hr>


    With resolve, Hannah schemed the whole next school day.


    With resolve, Hannah vowed to do everything she could to overcome or at least successfully run away from the monster, and to do that her logical mind came up with a simple idea, trickery, namely Hannah would pretend that she was still influenced by the drugs in her system.


    As such, when Hannah became aware of herself within her nightmare again, she neither moved nor twitched for a while. All she did was gaze at the monster on the ceiling with as much absenteeism in her mind as she could summon from her past experiences of when she had been indeed drugged.


    When enough time, or at least perceived time, passed, Hannah finally mustered her courage to twitch a finger.


    Seeing no instant pouncing on her, she twitched her hand, then her upper body, only a bit, of course. Then when the monster still refused to pounce, although it did glare intensely, Hannah repeated her previous adventure by slowly crawling from her past bed and onto the floor before eventually leaving the said bedroom of the past.


    Down the hallway, Hannah went all while her crawling experience gad in some surety, but she refused to make it seem as if she had recovered more than she showed.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Hannah¡¯s first goal? The confirmation that the glowing door was still there and not a pure figment of imagination, though if there was one thing Hannah was bad at then it was imagining things.


    Oh, she could focus, learn, and memorize like no other, but the moment it was time to step out of the bounds of logic she faltered. In truth, any school curriculum that featured imagination was her achilles heel.


    As such, it was only through brute memorization that she kept her perfect grades in those classes.


    Seeing the door, a very slight sigh of relief flooded through Hannah.


    With it confirmed, she crawled to it. Once near it, she pulled herself up on her two legs and gave the door a try.


    Click Click Click


    The next moment, after hearing the clicking, the sigh of relief retreated away from Hannah¡¯s consciousness. Instead, her mind settled on her next goal, namely the front door leading outside her old house. Naturally, Hannah¡¯s goal was not the outside as she had tried that the last time she had been allowed to roam this nightmare.


    No, her goal was the stand beside the entrance and the door leading to the living room.


    From her last exploration, Hannah distinctly remembered a jacket hanging from it. So that was where she went by slowly stumbling her way forward, with trickery as the goal, along the right side of the hallway. Behind her, the monster quietly followed as it slithered upon the ceiling. Hence, multiple times Hannah performed a slight hiccup in her walk by falling down on the floor as if her legs could not hold her steady.


    In the end, it took more time than she would have liked, but Hannah did reach the stand and the jacket that hung from it.


    Slowly walking up to it, Hannah began browsing the pockets, both on the outside and the inside of the jacket.


    Then, all of a sudden, she ceased moving when her left hand felt something metallic in one of the inner pockets. Though, as much as Hannah desired to check for certain if it was indeed the key she needed, Hannah held back.


    No.


    During the day, she had thought of the possibility that the monster would stop her if the key could help her somehow. Therefore, after confirming that it was indeed a key through touching, Hannah slowly picked up the jacket from the stand and put it on.


    It took but seconds for the jacket to regain its color, thus revealing that it was a brown leather jacket. Naturally, as it was her father''s, and with her being small even for a girl her age, the jacket hung past her behind with the size being the most apparent at the sleeves since her hands could not fully get free.


    With it on her, Hannah made her way to her next target which was in fact, not the glowing door. No, her goal was the main bedroom her parents had slept in. Once there, slowly, of course, Hannah opened the door and sought the cabinet standing on one side.


    A cabinet that held her parents'' clothes, or at least it had at some point.


    Gripping the caved-in handle, Hannah slid the door and witnessed the goal. Settling her brown eyes on the male clothes, Hannah performed another investigation. However, compared to the first time, there was no key in any of the pants present within the cabinet, thus further increasing Hannah¡¯s chance of the needed key being inside the jacket she wore.


    Having completed her list, Hannah knew it was time for her to attempt opening the locked office.


    Still pretending, Hannah stumbled her way back to the glowing door.


    Click Click Click


    Confirming it was still locked, Hannah grabbed the left side of the brown jacket, revealed the inner pocket, and put her hand inside it before bringing out the glowing key. Unfortunately, Hannah was unsure if it glowed because it came into contact with her, or if it was innate to it.


    Whatever the case was, the moment Hannah stuck the key inside, it just felt¡­ right.


    Like no other key would ever fit into said lock.


    Somewhat stunned by how everything reached her, Hannah just remained in that nonmoving state.


    Thankfully, there was a monster behind her hanging from the ceiling, so she remembered its presence, Hannah knew it was not or never. However, before she did, Hannah remembered a certain possibility, hence she took out the key from its lock and put it back into the jacket''s inner pocket.


    Then, in one swift motion, Hannah opened the door, went inside, and closed it as fast as she could.


    <hr>


    The very first thing Hannah noticed after closing the door was the office interior and its outlook bearing striking similarities to what her mother had described her.


    Unfortunately, just as her mind wandered on the hows and the whys, a sudden THUD reached Hannah¡¯s ears. Immediately her head whipped around to face the door causing her brown eyes to witness the handle of the door angle up and down thus making a Click sound multiple times as the monster no doubt sought to enter the office.


    In an instant, Hannah¡¯s mind produced another possibility.


    The possibility urged Hannah to quickly place both her hands on the handle while her left shoulder leaned on the door with all of her weight to prevent it from being opened up, and not one moment later, Hannah felt the rising pressure on her hands and shoulder.


    Pouring all of her strength in pushing against the door, the door closed, but would no doubt open a moment later. And when it did, Hannah pushed again and again, only it was clear to her after a few attempts that she would lose the tug of war since she was already losing strength from her effort in denying the monster''s entry.


    With the apparent understanding before her, Hannah searched her mind for a solution when the key, inside the jacket¡¯s left inner pocket, surfaced at the forefront of her thoughts. However, the moment her right hand went for the pocket was also the moment the monster attempted to open the door again, causing Hannah to give up the attempt to prevent its entry.


    When the same occurred on the second try, she knew she had to switch the method. Quickly turning around, Hannah leaned her entire back on the door before vegging her feet on the ground as straight as possible, like a stake being struck into the ground at a forty-five-degree angle, only with flesh and bone.


    That done, and with her free hands, Hannah quickly took out the key before recognizing that she could not insert the key with her right hand, therefore she switched the key to her left hand before urgently slotting the key where it needed to be. Then just as she was about to turn it around, a strong push from the monster vegged the door open enough for a thick tentacle to slither through and prevent the doors from closing.


    ¡°Hnnggg¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, no matter how much strength Hannah used, the door would not close, yet the opening only allowed the monster more space for its tentacles to slither through.


    Being so close to safety, in one instant, a thought rushed through Hannah¡¯s mind.


    Following up on said urge, her head snapped for the protruding tentacle and bit on its tip, and hard at that. It was in that very moment that, for the very first time, ever, monster included, that true cries of pain reached Hannah¡¯s ears but did not originate from her own throat.


    It was so unexpected that all the invading tentacles quickly retreated causing the door to make a very loud THUD as it closed.


    Somewhat stunned and perplexed that it had happened, Hannah forgot to turn the key, but when more pained cries, in the form of chorting and chirping promising revenge, reached her from the other side of the door, the key was turned, the lock engaged.


    When it did, all sounds from the other side vanished.


    Like they had never even existed in the first place.


    At the same time, a sensation of isolation and safety manifested within Hannah.


    In truth, those very same sensations were so overwhelming that they reached deep, very deep, inside Hannah. No¡­ They did not reach deep within her, they came from deep within her. Thus, making Hannah instantly realize the true conclusion of a successful escape from the monster ever since her nightmares had started at the age of eight.


    Moreover, the seven years long and constant exposure to the monster''s presence and nightmarish actions had created a constant pressure front, with its own existence as the anchor, against Hannah that it provided her a very strong contrast by which to examine the monster''s presence, actions and existence in comparison to her own.


    Though this was not a conscious action of hers, it still took place within Hannah unconsciously. When it did, the realization of safety generated by that unconscious understanding manifested a front of emotions not based on Fear but on Hope from sheer relief and safety, hence said Hope bubbled within Hannah like a well that had finally been dug deep enough inside the earth¡¯s crust for water to bubble and quench the digger''s immediate thirst, and for the days that would come.


    Only, this bubbling was more like a natural well of water, a geyser.


    Additionally, just like a geyser, which reached the surface for the very first time by trickling some water first to create a channel before bursting with its full might, Hope, in the form of relief and safety, used its own needed release to carve out a channel from deep within Hannah.


    A channel that was literal in as literal something could be within her Dream Body and her Dream Instance.


    As such, the Hope of safety and relief burst out of Hannah with magnanimous strength, and colors that easily mimicked the layers of colors on a rainbow, before flooding and saturating the insides of her father¡¯s office.


    At the same time, that occurrence made Hannah cry like nothing had ever done so before.


    In fact, it was as if the crying only made the multicolored light emanating from within her that much fiercer. As if every bit of Hope got squeezed out of Hannah through her tear ducts. Moreover, with every tear that arose and fell, Hannah sensed herself becoming weaker and weaker, such that while nothing was apparent in the very first moments of the multicolored light show, it was evident later on when Hannah had trouble maintaining her awareness of her surroundings.


    In the end, by the time Hannah was on her last dregs of awareness, when her tear ducts could no longer produce any tears, and her body refused to emanate any more multi-colored light, she witnessed an orb manifest and condense out of the multicolored light right in the center of her father¡¯s office.


    Its manifestation also spelled the moment of Hannah¡¯s vanishing presence from her father¡¯s office before waking up in the real world, into a room filled with darkness, only a darkness that felt wholesomely welcoming to Hannah for it had been a long time since Hannah woke up this¡­ good and hopeful.


    Hopeful that her nightmares had finally ceased existing.


    Unfortunately, however, something was telling her that it was not.


    Nonetheless, that very same thing also told her that she was close, very close to ending her nightly problem, and that multi-colored light within her father¡¯s office was the true key to the solution.


    <hr>


    Just thinking about the multicolored orb and its purpose, kept Hannah up for the rest of the night, yet that did not diminish her good mood, though she did try her best to hide it from her mother when she came home in the morning with a tired expression because anything not out of the norm would alert her mother of something occurring.


    Hannah did not want that for the time being.


    As such, Hannah kept to herself about everything the whole morning, at breakfast, at school, at dinner, and right before actually falling asleep.


    Her only hope, however, was that she woke up inside her father¡¯s office and not on her old bed like usual, with the monster right above her hanging from the ceiling.


    So when she fell asleep and did indeed find herself within said office, a loud sigh of relief filled Hannah. That she woke up right beside the only door, as if having fallen asleep right then and there, was easily sidestepped in favor of focusing on the multicolored orb floating right in the center of the room.


    Standing up weakly, Hannah walked up to the floating multicolored orb.


    It was the size of a head and when she touched it, it felt both solid and liquid at the same time.


    ¡°Well done, Hannah¡­¡± A voice suddenly reached Hannah¡¯s ears, making her head snap around because the sound of said voice was both old and new, familiar yet strange. ¡°I knew you could do it, after all, you are my daughter.¡±


    The voice had come from a corner of the office, right where a red leather sofa chair stood. However, it was upon it what was important, namely the owner of the office Hannah had found herself in.


    Stunned and perplexed, Hannah stared at the man in question seated on that red leather sofa chair with his legs crossed, with one arm holding up his chin, as if in deep thought as the brown eyes stared back at Hannah, only even without knowing the signs, it was clear to her that there was an absent gaze within those eyes as if what they saw was nothing but air.


    ¡°Unfortunately, if you are seeing and hearing this message, it means I was unable to prevent certain things, and had to therefore vanish from you and your mother¡¯s life for your own safety.¡±


    That said, with a forlorn tone, he stood up from his chair and walked right to the center of the room, right before the multicolored orb before Hannah.


    Nonetheless, Hannah, still stunned and perplexed at what she was seeing and hearing, could only stare at her father she had not seen in seven-plus years. Yet, that very same stunned and perplexed state of mind was broken the very second her father passed and merged with her body, partially, at least, since their bodies were not angled properly for a full merger.


    Either way, the way her father¡¯s body partially merged with her broke her out of her stupor enough that Hannah¡¯s mind finally began comprehending what was occurring. Meanwhile, her supposed father simply continued his speech. ¡°Therefore, just in case something happened to me, I have left this message to guide you in what you need to do to rid yourself of your Nightmare problem, all while leaving you a few gifts for what would come after.¡±


    ¡°First things first. Let me tell you what has occurred to you.¡± Hannah¡¯s father said. ¡°A Nightmare has spawned within your Dream Instance. Left unchecked it would feed off of you until it grew in strength it could finally eat your Soul.¡± Hearing it, Hannah retreated a few steps back and out of her father¡¯s life-like visage before stepping aside to stare at her father¡¯s face since his somewhat absent eyes still seemed to stare at the multicolored orb. ¡°During the feeding process, you would become aware of the Nightmare and this Dream Instance, such that even without training for it you would acquire a natural Lucid state of awareness within it, or Dreamwalking as it is colloquially known.


    Using said Dreamwalking state you searched every nook and cranny of this Dream Instance for a way to get away from the Nightmare since all your attempts at fighting it no doubt failed without knowledge on how to overcome a Nightmare and its ilk.


    As such, after enough time and desperation, you would realize that you could not find any safe place to hide from the Nightmare. When that understanding seeds within you, you will unconsciously generate one such place of safety.¡±


    Hearing the how and the why, Hannah blinked her eyes with understanding, an instinctive understanding, since everything was beyond her current knowledge.


    ¡°Naturally, since I am able to leave a message to you, I am able to improve your odds of finding said place of safety.¡± The man, the father explained. ¡°Therefore, by tweaking your Dreams a bit, such that if you ever get infected with a Nightmare, as no doubt would happen at some point since you are my daughter, our house would become your Dream Instance, my office would become your Dream Sanctum.¡±


    Once more, understanding downed on Hannah, only this time, her eyes left her father¡¯s face and instead focused on the multicolored orb floating beside her and her father''s recorded visage.


    ¡°Now¡­ with the obvious out of the way. It''s time we address the elephant in the room.¡± Hannah¡¯s father said, only this time with an even deeper forlorn tone.


    ¡°The multicolored orb before you is called a Dream Gem.¡± The recorded visage of the man explained. ¡°A more common name is Ability Awakening Gem.¡± That said, the man shook his head for a second. ¡°And while I am extremely glad that you have generated it, I am extremely disturbed that you did because a Dream Gem¡¯s size is directly correlated to the trauma suffered at the hands of the Nightmare prowling your Dream Instance.


    Sigh¡­


    What I am saying is this.


    Since you are seeing this particular message, it means that your Dream Gem has reached the A-Rank classification, also sometimes referred as Supreme Grade, thus implying that you have suffered for a long time under your Nightmare, and as a father that is something I am extremely unhappy about.


    Sigh¡­


    That said, Supreme Dream Gem, only the sky will be your limit, and even that can be broken with proper planning, hence this recorded message contains the greatest amount of information in the hope of not inhibiting your future growth as a Dreamwalker, or Dreamer for better clarity.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ There is one important fact that should be clarified.¡± Hannah heard her father say. ¡°You do not have to be a Dreamer. Now that you have generated and found yourself within your Dream Sanctum, the Nightmare will not be able to bother you anymore.


    Meaning, that with time it will starve and vanish on its own.


    However, since you have generated your Dream Sanctum and Supreme Dream Gem at that, it would be a huge waste to make your suffering turn meaningless.


    However, that is your choice to make, my dear daughter.


    I am but a ghost here.


    Though, do know that I will be happy no matter what you choose.¡± Hearing her father''s voice, and seeing his smile at the end, an unknown wall chipped within Hannah, but that was all for now. ¡°To confirm your choice, tap the Dream Gem once if you want to be a Dreamer and twice if you do not.¡±


    With that said, her father¡¯s recorded visage turned around and walked back to the red leather sofa chair and sat upon it. However, just as he sat down, Hannah noticed her father¡¯s face displaying an ¡®I forgot something¡¯ face¡¯.


    ¡°One more thing¡­ Take your time to consider your options now that you are no longer in danger. However, let me give you a warning as well.¡±


    ¡°If you indeed decide to become a Dreamer, it is best if you decide fast because a strong Nightmare will be the key to overcoming your inborn limits.¡±


    ¡°As such, choose wisely, my daughter.¡±

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 3 - Assessment?

    The moment, the visage of her father ceased talking and simply just sat there like a life-like puppet, Hannah knew the time had come for her to decide.


    Should she just deny becoming a Dreamwalker? A Dreamer? To simply ignore this new side of the world that had infiltrated and pulled her into every night over the last seven years?


    Should she not deny it but also not take it, thus giving herself more time to think about it since her father''s words, plus the last seven years, told her that being a Dreamer was not a safe thing to be?


    Or


    Should she accept it and immerse herself into the brand new side of the world she never accepted existing while suffering, yet now knew existed once she was free of the suffering?


    Should she see where it would take her?


    In the end, after a quick-thinking session of going over the positives and the negatives, the answer was rather simple.


    To deny being a Dreamer would be easy.


    Her no longer being exposed to suffering would make her a regular human being. But if there was one thing about regular human beings that Hannah knew, then it was that being a regular person meant to be a cog in the wheel.


    With neither being the lowest nor the highest in importance, thus never having a say in anything that matters. Never to be able to do anything because one did not have the power or money to even afford proper living conditions, much less enjoy the good things in life.


    Sure, she could continue her studies nature, and she would probably do good, but if she was free of her nightly suffering, then that meant that she would also be free of the drugs and their numbing influence on her, therefore, just like the other students she would realize that studying was an extremely boring thing to do, hence why her scholarly performance would drop in the near future. More importantly, though. No matter how much Hannah studied, it was clear that she would not become a rich person through just studying because all the examples of those who did only became slightly wealthier than those around them.


    No¡­ That was not enough money to allow her mother to stop selling her body, much less clear the debt her father had placed upon her mother, and thereby on her once she was old enough.


    No¡­ It was clear that there was more to that debt than just simple money compared to what her mother had told her.


    As such, while Hannah could delay the decision, it was clear that only one true solution existed to her problems and that was to become a Dreamwalker and everything it entailed.


    Taking a deep breath, and focusing her thoughts, Hannah stepped closer to the multicolored orb she now knew was called a Dream Gem and tapped it once.


    Almost instantly, her father''s visage gained in-depth as a smile spawned on his face.


    ¡°Good¡­ Good. No doubt about it, you are my daughter.¡± Her father remarked before standing up again from his red leather sofa chair.


    Seeing it made Hannah wonder if there was something special about that chair, especially when she remembered her mother''s comment about her failure in convincing her father to toss it away.


    Just as Hannah expected her father¡¯s recorded visage to zero in on the Dream Gem, he veered off course and angled his body to behind the desk that stood on the left side of the office.


    ¡°Before we address the Dream Gem, we need to do something much more important.¡± Hannah heard her father say before motioning at something behind the desk. ¡°Open the first drawer. Inside you shall find the first gift of mine. Once you have it in your hands, tap on the Dream Gem once to confirm it.¡±


    That said, Hannah saw her father stay still again with a hand pointing at the drawer in question. Going around the desk and seeing the drawer, Hannah grasped its handle and opened it. Inside she found a slightly transparent white rectangle. Taking it out, Hannah realized that it was somewhat bigger than her hand, but considering her hands were smaller than most adults, she posited that it was closer to the hand length of an average adult.


    Its size aside, after picking it up, Hannah realized that the slightly transparent white rectangle felt similar to glass.


    Turning it over a few times, no new information reached her, as such, Hannah simply moved back to the Dream Gem and tapped it once.


    In the same instance, her father returned to life.


    ¡°Good.¡± The life-like recording said. ¡°That my dear daughter is the most common and also the most important tool any Dreamer will ever have. It has many names and many appearances, but the most common one is the one in your hand. That aside, the technical name for it is Dreamers Status Crystal Card, or Dreamers Card, or D-Card for short. The word Status in its name is a synonym for Soul Template Ascendence Truth Unity System. The Crystal word describes the material it is made of, while the Card term simply describes its form. You''ll understand once it¡¯s activated.


    How to activate it? That one is very simple.


    Since the D-Card is not attuned to anybody, just drop a drop of your blood on it and the process should begin. Once you are done, tap the Dream Gem once again.¡±


    For a few moments, Hannah just stood there staring at the rectangular crystal in her hand.


    Then, her mouth closed and opened a few times before finally realizing that there was no avoiding it, hence her need for something sharp.


    That being the case, Hannah¡¯s brown eyes settled on the desk surface.


    Placing the transparent crystal on the desk, she found a small plastic container for a pen, and not the normal sort, but the expensive sort that had to be filled with ink. Picking one up and pointing its sharp end on her left forefinger.


    The pain was easily ignored after everything she had endured over the last seven years.


    Bringing the now slightly bleeding finger over the rectangular crystal, Hannah waited until a drop of blood emerged and dropped right in the middle of the rectangular crystal. That done, Hannah quickly placed the same foreigner in her mouth before licking it with her tongue to soothe the pain.


    After all, just because one could ignore it easily, it did not mean one liked doing it.


    As for the drop of blood on the crystal. Well, Hannah never lost sight of it, so it was clear to her how it got absorbed within the rectangular crystal. At the same time, she noted the lines and shapes manifest on the no longer transparent rectangular crystal with a big rotating circle being the main feature as it rotated in a continuous cycle.


    When a few moments passed, the crystal flickered with proper lights causing a logo to appear, similar to how her GameBoy did when powering a game. It was a logo of a black and white cloud swirling around a central dot, with one end of both clouds being sucked within said dot. However, unlike her GameBoy, where everything was either black or shades of gray thanks to a white background, this logo was made from distinct colors.


    Then, when the black and white swirling clouds logo vanished, the name, Dream Incorporated, flashed before it too vanished moments later.


    In its place, all that was left was a line right across the¡­ screen, Hannah realized, with a flashing dot perpendicular to the line on one end and words right above saying a somewhat familiar line.


    Please Input User Name!


    <hr>


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    Once again, Hannah just stood there unsure of what to do.


    Because if there were no buttons to press, then how was she to input her name into the crystal?


    For a single moment, Hannah¡¯s brown eyes roamed for the multicolored orb that was the Dream Gem. Her unconscious intent was to tap it once, but before she did, she shook her head and focused on the crystal still on the desk.


    Seeing no obvious way, Hannah touched the screen, as that was what it was, a screen in full color.


    Unfortunately, nothing happened at first touch.


    Still, while nothing happened, it also emboldened Hannah to do more touching, and that was when one of her fingers touched the line across the screen. When she did, at the bottom of the screen a new screen appeared, and on it, many words were seen.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Like a keyboard on a computer, I think.¡± Hannah voiced her realization since she had seen a keyboard on the School principal''s desk when she had been questioned about her condition and medical state.


    Further emboldened, Hannah experimented with touching the various buttons before realizing she had no idea how to erase the words that manifested on the line across the screen. Panicked that her gibberish would become her User Name as a Dreamwalker, whatever that entailed, she quickly ceased touching anything anymore.


    Instead, she finally returned her attention to the Dream Gem and tapped it once.


    ¡°Good.¡± Hannah heard her father say. ¡°Now, this will be somewhat complicated since I will be iterating the steps, so any time you hear me stop speaking, assume that the Dream Gem needs to be tapped once.¡± What followed was Hannah eagerly listening to her father explain how a User Name, while important, was in truth not that important. But if she did not want to be referred to with something stupid, it was best to just keep it simple.


    With that explained, her father went about explaining the visual keyboard and how it functioned. Hearing about the erasing visual button, Hannah quickly sought it before clicking it repeatedly until the line across the screen remained just a line.


    Releasing a slight sigh, Hannah proceeded to listen to further instructions before attempting anything.


    Once she had heard enough, Hannah typed in her name and surname, Hannah Blackwood.


    With the username done, the screen flashed again and a brand new colorful screen appeared, a screen with a black and white swirling vortex in the middle, yet it was clear to Hannah that it was just a background image.


    No, what was important was the six unique circles existing near the borders of the screen, with one at the top and one at the bottom, while in between them two touched the left side while another two touched the right side.


    Noticing the hexagon shape the circles made around the swirling vortex, made Hannah wonder if there was a significant purpose to what she was seeing. Still, she refused to touch anything further, as such, she tapped the Dream Gem, thus signaling her father¡¯s message that she was done.


    ¡°Good.¡± Her father said before continuing. ¡°Good, the hard part was over. You have no idea how hard it was for me to figure out a way to change my own Username.¡± Seeing the urgent shake of her father''s head, Hannah wondered what her father''s Username had been.


    It had to be embarrassing. Hannah noted in her head before quickly wiping the nonexistent sweat from her forehead.


    ¡°Now let''s get to the good parts of your D-Card.¡± Hannah heard. ¡°The six icons you see on the screen represent the six basic functions of the D-Card, with the topmost one representing your Character. The one below it on the left represents your Abilities, while the one on the right represents your Skills. Below those on the left is your Inventory while on the right is the Map. Finally at the bottom is the icon representing your Social function.¡±


    All five of those Hannah understood, for the most part. The last one, however, escaped her knowledge.


    ¡°We will get to each one in a moment, now tap the first one, the Character Icon.¡± Nodding, Hannah did indeed tap the icon that was shaped like a simple face. When she did, however, only a small red button icon existed with one line above it, Initiate Character Scan!. ¡°Once the process is done, don''t touch anything else. Ok?¡±


    Nodding and seeing nothing else but the obvious, Hannah pressed it expecting nothing special.


    Oh, how wrong she was because in the very same second that she pressed the red button icon, a sensation of unbelievable thoroughness spread through her as her whole existence appeared to be under purview.


    From top to bottom, from the outside to the insides the sensation traveled.


    What was searched for, Hannah had only a vague glimpse of.


    Even then, how it did, what it did, and how it calculated everything would forever be beyond her. Nevertheless, once the sensations ceased, Hannah was treated to a small wall of stylized text on her D-Card that seemed to say many things about her, yet many made no sense at first glance.


    <hr>


    Character


    .


    Name; Hannah Blackwood [Level 1]


    Species; Human [Mortal]


    Gender; Female


    Age; 15 [Adolescent]


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Titles


    .


    None


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Affiliations


    .


    None


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Status


    .


    Vessel - 0 [+]


    Instinct - 0 [+]


    Will - 0 [+]


    Logic - 0 [+]


    Insight - 0 [+]


    Ego - 0 [+]


    .


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Free Stat Points - 15 [SAP]


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Internal Resources


    .


    None


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    External Resources


    .


    None


    <hr>


    Seeing her own status screen, as if she were in a game, made Hannah feel a tad empty. Thankfully, she refrained from touching anything since her father¡¯s image warned her against it. Instead, she tapped the Dream Gem floating in the office.


    ¡°Good.¡± Her father said. ¡°Don''t be discouraged by the sight that you see, since everybody on Gaia starts like that. Anyway, the most important part of the Character Screen is the stats since they will determine a large part of your future as a Dreamwalker.¡±


    ¡°See the Free Stat Point line?¡± Hannah nodded, though it was apparent her father could not see it. ¡°I am not exactly sure which number appeared but it should be at least above ten, with closer to fifteen, considering your Supreme Dream Gem.


    Additionally, that number you see is generated by the amount of years you have existed. As such, consider them very valuable since you will no longer get any further Free Stat Points from growing up ever since you activated your D-Card.


    Instead, you will need to Level Up, but that will be for after you are done with the Nightmare prowling your Dream Instance.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It sucks at first glance, I know, but you will understand the true power of your D-Card later.¡± Hannah heard her father explain vaguely. ¡°Either way. Do not assign your points yet as the assignment will have to be after the D-Card has assessed your Ability Potential.


    However, I will tell you this as a warning.


    Only five of those Stats can be increased with Free Stat Points from Leveling Up, and those are the first five. The last one, Ego, can only be increased through special rewards or actions. Here is the good part, obtaining your D-Card and attuning it counts as a special action, hence the apparent designation of SAP, aka Special Action Points, besides your Free Stat Points, and thus can be spent on the Ego Stat.¡±


    ¡°However, my daughter, my previous recommendation, stays. Wait for your Ability Potential Assessment.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Hopefully, I managed to stop your grubby little hands from messing up.¡± Hannah heard her father say before he chuckled for a single moment. A moment later, however, he was back to his neutral tone. ¡°Now let''s get the others done.¡±


    ¡°The Skills Icon will be done very fast since you have no Skills right now, as Skills are something that must be obtained, either through conscious actions or simply buying them.¡± Hannah blinked a few times at the possibility. ¡°Nevertheless, while conscious action sounds easy, it is anything but that. As such, just ignore Skills for the moment, and simply buy them later since Basic Skills are quite cheap on the Market.¡±


    That said, Hannah listened to her father''s command and pressed the Skill Icon on her Dreamers Status Crystal Card. Similar to before, a thoroughness spread through her only this one was very brief since there was nothing to find apparently.


    ¡°Before you touch the Ability Icon, let''s focus on the other three, namely Inventory, Map, and Social.¡± Nodding somewhat absently, Hannah listened. ¡°Inventory is where your Tools and Loot will be listed. Nonetheless, the true magic is that you can store and retrieve the listed things through a special action. It will take you a bit to get used to it, but watch my right hand.¡±


    That said, Hannah observed her father grab at nothing but thin air, yet one second later, he held onto a simple apple. Then, a moment later, he simply pushed the apple into thin air and it vanished.


    ¡°It''s possible to assign a different action for retrieval or storing, but that was the default option.¡± Hannah¡¯s father pointed out. ¡°Still, it will take you some time to get the hang of it, and I recommend that you do because in an emergency it is quite handy to use. Open the Inventory Icon once before immediately moving onto the Map Icon.¡±


    Hannah did and saw nothing listed in her Inventory before tapping the Map Icon.


    Once she had done that, there was a brief rotating circle on the screen of her D-Card.


    When it vanished, though, there was a strange new image on the screen. It was both familiar and unfamiliar to her mind because the familiar part came from her geology class, namely a circular version of her world map, where the nine continents seemed to travel away from their common central point of origin, namely the north pole, all while their edges pointed at the circle surrounding the image, with blue representing the waters around them and the various shades of green and brown for the continents.


    The unfamiliar part, on the other hand, had to do with how the Map presented everything else.


    ¡°The Map that you see is of our Realm, Gaia.¡± Hearing the word again, Hannah suddenly remembered her lessons about the Ancient Greek people and how they referred to Earth as Gaia. ¡°Technically speaking, one of them since. In the future the Map feature will be integral for you. For the moment, however, it is useless, hence ignore it. Now open the Social Icon.¡±


    Nudged to it, Hannah did, but what appeared was quite lackluster since there was nothing there.


    ¡°The Social Icon is where your friends will be listed.¡± Her father explained. ¡°By touching two D-Cards, you can attune them to each other, such that from that point on you will have a name listed within the Social Screen.


    Imagine it as an automatic function that stores telephone numbers so you can call them anytime you want. Naturally, it''s not anytime you want, as you have to be at least within the same Realm for the call function to work.


    Luckily there is also a messaging function that works across Realms with some temporal delays.¡±


    ¡°Now, let us focus on the main goal of the day. Namely your Ability Potential Assessment.¡±


    ¡°Press the Ability Screen on your D-Card and let it Assess you.¡± Hannah heard her father say before once again staying still, like a life-like puppet on strings.


    With nothing else to derail her actions, Hannah pressed the needed Icon, and just like the previous two times, a thoroughness went through her in its bid to search for something Hannah did not even know she possessed.


    Nonetheless, that was where the similarities ended because a few moments later, images flashed through Hannah¡¯s mind.


    Images of herself doing physical actions during P.E. in the school. Images of how she had been doing them and her success while doing them when compared to her schoolmates. However, unlike remembering it herself, there was a strange dissonance as Hannah observed the flashes passing through her mind, almost like an outsider observing somebody else''s actions.


    When those ceased occurring, different images appeared.


    These too were oriented toward physical actions, however, whereas before it was focused on the overall physical exercises, these were more focused on the finer details like how her body moved in correlation with her body. If Hannah didn''t know better, she would assume that the D-Card was assessing her physical flexibility or something like that.


    Then, when those vanished only for another to replace them, Hannah noticed a slight trend because the third set of images focused on her studies and interactions with other people.


    After those, came the fourth set of flashing images.


    These, however, were much harder for her to tolerate because their main theme dealt with the monster in her nightmares and how it kept unleashing its nightmarish purpose on her. There were a few that displayed herself being bullied, but compared to the monster, they were brief and unimportant. Almost like a small pause between the recollections to give Hannah a moment to steal herself for what was coming. Moreover, even though she had a sort of distant third-party perspective about the memories, there was a resonance between her current self and those flashing memories, thus manifesting all the pain within those memories, hence instantly making her reexperience all that stored pain, only on a speedrun instead of prolonged exposure.


    As such, Hannah endured the spiking pain for a bit before everything ceased.


    Then, just as Hannah managed to wipe her brows off the chilling sweat on her forehead with her father¡¯s large jacket she still wore caused by the spiking pain, another set of flashing memories reached her. These, however, were brief since they only showed her a few images of herself interacting with people before they settled on her very recent actions of planning and attempting the subterfuge against the monster in her bid to reach her father''s offices.


    There was one last set of flashing images, but those were but a few glimpses of something that made no sense to her mind.


    It was only after everything ceased, that Hannah managed to calm down enough to glance at the screen on her D-Card.


    There she found new lines of text, hinting at her Potential.


    <hr>


    Ability Potential Assessment


    .


    Enchantment - 53% [Adequate]


    Evocation - 61% [Impressive]


    Domination - 69% [Impressive]


    Alteration - 71% [Impressive]


    Conjuration - 33% [Poor]


    Unique - 5% [Abysmal]


    <hr>


    Staring at the words and the numbers, Hannah did not know if her results were good or bad, but there was somebody who would tell her that exactly.


    Tap


    <hr>


    ¡°Ah¡­ You''re done, my daughter.¡± Hannah heard her father''s record say. ¡°Depending on your results, some parts of the Assessment might have been unpleasant, but now that it is over it is time for us to go over your results. However, since this is totally one-sided, I first need to give you a proper explanation before we progress to the needed part of the record.¡±


    ¡°First things first.¡± Her father said before waving his right hand before a blackboard manifested on the right side of the office, right beside the large cabinet holding books and similar things. If not for the cabinet, the blackboard would have occupied a large part of the wall. The size aside, Hannah noticed her father grab something out of thin air before a chalk stick manifested in his right hand. Using that chalk stick he began writing numbers and diagrams, with the most notable one being a large hexagram, with six small circles at each pointy end of the hexagram.


    Beside each circle, two words were written.


    The first circle, at the top of the hexagram, had Vessel - Enchantment.


    The second circle, below the first one on the left, had Instinct - Evocation.


    The third circle, below the first one on the right, had Will - Alteration.


    The fourth circle, above the last one on the left, had Logic - Domination.


    The fifth circle, above the last one on the right, had Insight - Conjuration.


    The sixth circle, at the bottom of the hexagram, had Ego - Unique.


    Once her father was done with the hexagram, beside it he wrote down a small percentage scale going from 0 to 100.


    Then he marked the scale four times, once at 20, 40, 60, 80.


    After that, he wrote one word between each mark, with abysmal going from 0 to 20, poor from 20 to 40, adequate from 40 to 60, impressive from 60 to 80 finally at the end, superb from 80 to 100.


    The moment Hannah saw the word abysmal being written, she understood what her father meant to convey.


    ¡°Ok¡­ This will do for now.¡± Hannah heard. ¡°Every individual who went through the Ability Potential Assessment falls within these five categories. It''s obvious at first glance that superb potential is a very rare potential for somebody to possess, no matter the category. On the other hand, most people have abysmal potential at Unique. As such, those two can be ignored immediately since I doubt you, my daughter, are that talented. It''s one of those one-in-a-million potentials, so simply ignore it.


    Now on the important stuff.


    The Dream you will awaken through the Dream Gem will highly depend on the three potential ranks; poor, adequate, and impressive. Additionally, since you have managed to generate an A-Ranked Dream Gem, you possess at least one impressive potential category.


    Which one it is, you can ignore for the moment. Instead, I need you to focus on the lowest one you possess, namely either poor or adequate, with poor being the one you seek.¡±


    Tilting her head at the notion of focusing on the lowest and not the highest score, Hannah wondered what her father hinted at.


    ¡°It may sound counterintuitive to focus not on your strengths but on your weaknesses. Right?¡± As if he had predicted her thoughts, Hannah nodded. ¡°I am sure you do. To my knowledge that was exactly how it was done a long time ago, but now it''s the opposite, with one first shoring up one''s weakness before focusing on one''s strengths.


    That aside, what I need you to do now is pay attention and tap the Dream Gem, once for yes and twice for no.


    Do you have an Ability Potential Assessment with a ranking of poor? Remember. Tap once if you do and twice if you don''t.¡±


    With the question sent her way, her father once again ceased moving as if awaiting her answer.


    Being careful with her tapping, Hannah taped the floating multicolored Dream Gem once.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Good.¡± Hannah¡¯s father replied with a smile. ¡°Next question. Is the poor rating in the Enchanting category? Tap once for yes and twice for no.¡±


    Tapping twice, the recording moved on with a flicker, as if losing focus before resharpening in her sight. At the same time, Hannah noticed a slightly different angle to her father¡¯s hands, as if the recording had been separated from the previous one.


    ¡°Is the poor rating in the Evocation category. Tap once for yes and twice for no.¡± Again Hannah tapped twice, and again there was a flicker before her father¡¯s image refocused.


    ¡°Is the poor rating in the Alteration category? Tap once for yes and twice for no.¡± Another two taps and the next question was sent Hannah¡¯s way.


    ¡°Is the poor rating in the Domination category. Tap once for yes and twice for no.¡± Tapping twice, Hannah awaited another question, but none came. Instead, she noted her father''s lips stretch before he suddenly burst out with laughter. ¡°Haha¡­ You really are my daughter. Not sure if this should count as a flattery considering we both have poor potential at Conjuring.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Oh, well. Since I became a Conjuring Specialist, I am sure you will do well too.¡± Hannah heard, only she had a somewhat hard time accepting that she was indeed taking after her father and not her mother. ¡°Now that we know your starting point it''s time we determined what kind of Conjurer you will become.¡±


    ¡°There are basically two kinds of Conjurers; Tool User and Summon User.¡± Her father explained. ¡°Tool Users, as stated in the name, Awaken some kind of Tool with the Dream Gem. It can be anything and everything. On the other hand, the Summon Users are far less versatile but their power comes from creating autonomous projections of anything and everything. If you are having trouble imagining it? Think of the Summon Users manifesting some kind of animal or pet that fights on its own to help you against your adversary.


    Naturally, Beast Summoners are the most common Summon Users.


    There are, however, Conjurers that gain a mix of both Tool and Summon. They are called Hybrids. One example would be an Armor Summon, similar to a Knight¡¯s Armor, that the user would then wear on their body all while the Armor Summon helps the User fight and whatnot.


    Thankfully, those kinds of Hybrid Conjurers are of the rarer kind.


    Them aside. It is time we figure out which of the two you are. And we will do that by having me explain to you the correlation between Basic Stat distribution and your Ability Potential Category.¡±


    With that announced, Hannah listened to her father explaining how the Basic Stat distribution interacted with the Ability Potential Categories, before eventually focusing on Conjurers.


    It was fairly simple, as Hannah understood.


    If Vessel and Instinct were higher than Logic and Will, then you were a Tool User. On the other hand, if Logic and Will were higher than Vessel and Instinct, then you became a Summon User.


    Nonetheless, after figuring out the sides, it was clear to Hannah that she had the chance to be either a Tool or Summon user since she had Free Stat Points to distribute for either category. That being the case, it was the Ability Potential that swayed Hannah to one particular side, since the Basic Stats; Logic, and Will, were tied to her Impressive Potential Rating for Domination and Alteration.


    Thus, they could etch out that bit more performance out of her Stats.


    Therefore, when her father asked which one she was, she tapped the Dream Gem twice.


    ¡°Ho¡­ Summon? Is it?¡± Hannah heard the slightly intrigued voice. ¡°Looks like it is here that we differ as I was a Tool User. Mmm¡­¡±


    That said, Hannah saw her father turn silent.


    His brown eyes began to show an even deeper absenteeism as if her father¡¯s mind was very deep in thought.


    Not long later, Hannah saw her father pace around the office while her ears picked up his murmuring with the words summon, supreme and singular being the most obvious ones to her.


    In the end, just as it seemed that he had ceased working his mind, Hannah saw her father¡¯s brown eyes ignite with fervor.


    Ignoring everything else, she saw her father walk back towards his desk and sit down before opening one particular drawer. Out of it, he took paper and pen before swiftly writing down words, numbers, and diagrams that made no sense to her. Not only because she had no idea what they represented, but also because they were somewhat blurry to her vision for her to make out.


    When that was not enough, Hannah suddenly realized that her father¡¯s recorded visage increased in pace as if the recording was sped up.


    As such, Hannah watched her father¡¯s hands blur here and there when paper, after paper, got filled and discarded until, eventually, the speeding-up process ceased and her father simply stared silently at the paper before him.


    Nonetheless, it was not total silence since one of his fingers eagerly poked the wooden desk before him.


    Tap Tap Tap


    With the echo, Hannah watched her father brood with himself over something of significance.


    Curious about what exactly he was brooding, Hannah stepped behind the desk right beside her father to stare at the paper his eyes had so fervently focused on, only very few things made sense to her, and one of those was at the near end of the first page. And even that was only because it was written with rather large characters, thus allowing the slightly blurry words before her to make at least some sense.


    Dreamon? Hannah voiced in her mind before shaking her head as she had no clue what it meant exactly.


    Nevertheless, after voicing the word Dreamon in her mind, the paper on the desk seemed to become slightly less obscure.


    Going over the lines, another word stood out.


    Pokemon? Another word that made no sense¡­ No¡­ Hannah corrected her mind. She had indeed heard that word somewhere, it just would not come to the forefront immediately.


    Now even more intrigued, Hannah focused hard on the word Pokemon and the words above it. After straining herself for a few moments against the obscurity clouding her vision, two additional words popped into clarity.


    ¡°Pocket Monster?¡± In the same instant, she said it, it came to her.


    Pokemon was the abbreviation of the newly popular Pocket Monster game for her GameBoy.


    The reason it took her so long to remember had to do with the fact that it was a new game, and hence out of her reach, because there was simply no extra money to be spent on its acquisition.


    Nevertheless, it was not just the names that stood out for Hannah.


    No, the main reason it stood out had to do with the fact that it was a new game, barely a year old if her memory was correct, yet here she was watching a seven-plus-year-old recording of her father mentioning it just like that.


    No, things simply did not align since her father was dead.

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 4 - Identity?

    Tap Tap Tap


    Tap Tap


    Tap


    It took a second for Hannah to realize that her father had once again ceased doing anything, but just as she wondered if she should tap the Dream Gem once, her father¡¯s recorded visage moved. Specifically, his hands grabbed onto the sidearm of his simple desk chair to reposition his body as if he had been sitting in one pose for too long and his body needed the flexing to feel better.


    ¡°Before we continue, I have to explain something to you, my dear daughter.¡± Hannah¡¯s ears heard. ¡°It relates to your future life as a Dreamer. Particularly about your interaction with Dreams and Nightmares.


    First of all, anything and everything is ruled by one simple Profound Law, Balance.


    Balance between Chaos and Order.


    Balance between Good and Evil, etc etc.


    What I want to point your attention to is the dynamic between Dreams and Nightmares as they represent both, with Dreams being of Good and Law, while Nightmares being of Evil and Chaos.


    Still¡­ While those Profound forces are at the core of Dreams and Nightmares, it''s not that obvious since shades of gray exist between them. Some Dreams are less Good and more Law and some are more Good than Law. The same applies to Nightmares, as some are more Evil than Chaotic, while some are more Chaotic than Evil.


    The point is this.


    The Nightmare that has infested your Dream Instance, is far closer to a simple animal because you would not be here if it had truly been a truly Evil one. As such, your Nightmare is probably more Chaos-based, thus much more instinctive with its behavior than a villainous mastermind that had plotted your downfall.


    Think about everything you have gone through.


    Examine everything you can and tell me of your perceived Truth.


    Is my assessment correct or not? Tap once for yes and twice for no.¡±


    Done speaking, Hannah watched her father freeze in place again.


    Not hurrying towards the Dream Gem, Hannah wondered where her father was going with his explanations, and did it even matter?


    Did he not say that she could overcome it and be rid of it for eternity?


    So why was he now asking her to think and reason about its existence?


    To justify its existence?


    Why?


    Then it came to her.


    Hannah¡¯s brown eyes settled on the paper on the desk, on the words Pocket Monster.


    Oh, how it clicked in her mind.


    Oh, how she wanted to deny the reasoning.


    But, just like a hook that had bit deep into its prey while refusing to release its prey, Hannah could not shake away the aggrieved emotions rising from her depths at the thought that her father could imagine, much less consider, her to take the monster as a pet of all things.


    The same monster that had flayed her skin, muscles, organs, and bones alike, countless times.


    The same monster that had tormented her for the last seven years so much that she had grown up to resemble more a robot in human skin than a human being just to escape the torment.


    Gritting her teeth real hard, Hannah refused to entertain the thought, yet just as she might, she could not bring herself to walk to the Dream Gem and simply smush it apart to deny the possibility even further.


    At the same time, she refused to interact with the Dream Gem, to hear what her father had to say next. Instead, Hannah¡¯s eyes simply rolled around the office without any tether on which to lay their sight. When that was not enough, her mind desperately cried out for her need to get out of the office. When the denial, the untethered awareness, and the desperate need to leave grew strong enough, Hannah felt a sudden door within her awareness. Without even slowing down, her awareness rushed for the said door, and in an instant, the office was no more.


    Hannah was back in her, and her mothers, bedroom, laying on a laid-out but somewhat thick blanket, while another covered her body.


    With every second that passed, her mind¡¯s clarity increased until all the sleepiness vanished from her thoughts.


    Instead, her mind went into an overdrive of this and that.


    Sadly that was no true release that she craved instinctually.


    Moments passed, and quite fast at that, as Hannah¡¯s mind busied itself.


    Soon enough, light breached the only window in the room.


    Thankfully, having already brooded half the night, seeing it helped Hannah settle her thoughts on anything but her father''s words and actions. That being the case, she stood up, prepped the blankets, and rolled and folded them into one bundle before placing them within the larger cabinet meant to hold them, alongside her and her mother''s clothes.


    Picking anything soft, not that she had that many options to begin with, Hannah made her way to the living room/kitchen. There, she picked up a kettle, filled it with water, and turned on the gas flame to heat the water. Picking up a small jug, a small spoon, a teabag of simple menthol tea, and a bit of sugar, Hannah waited for the water to boil.


    The actions helped her take her mind off of things.


    Unfortunately, it was not for long since it took very few minutes for her tea to be ready.


    Taking the handle of her small jug, Hannah walked to the sofa and small table before it. Placing her jug of tea on the table, she picked up the TV remote and turned on the TV.


    Seeing the black and white dots before the pictures sharpened made Hannah remember the crystal clear clarity of her D-Card back inside her¡­


    Ceasing her thoughts, Hannah desperately began switching channels, not that there were that many to begin with as every single one of them was on analog instead of the new digital that was the trend these days. Either way, barely ever watching TV, and not quite seeing anything interesting to take her mind away, Hannah switched back to the only interesting channel, Cartoon Network.


    With it in place, she watched the silly animated stories one after the other, only none seemed to entertain her that much while the sips of the menthol tea helped soothe her nerves.


    Yet, it was as if it was not meant to be when suddenly a new show came up, of a boy and his companion running on a grassy field toward a horizon.


    I want to be the very best. Like no one ever was!


    To catch them is my real Test. To train them is my Cause!


    I will travel across the Land. Searching far and wide!


    Each Pokemon to understand, the power that''s inside!


    Pokemon!


    Gotta catch ''em all!


    It''s you and me!


    I know it''s my destiny!


    Pokemon!


    Hearing it.


    Seeing it.


    As if it was meant to be.


    Hannah¡¯s eyes teared up but refused to flow out.


    Instead, she simply used the TV remote to shut down the abomination causing her to feel so.


    <hr>


    Coming back home, tired and filthy, in more ways than simple dust and grime, Hailey arrived at the front door of her apartment.


    Unlocking the door, she entered inside, only the very moment she crossed the small hallway she unexpectedly found her daughter sitting on the small sofa with her legs on the sofa and her arms around the knees.


    The very first thought was of her imagining her daughter having another nightmare, but that should not be the case. The pills should have made it so. Reminded of the pills, again, Hailey quickly put her hand in her handbag and took out the plastic container containing this month''s batch.


    Despite being tired, Hailey put a smile on her face and approached her daughter.


    ¡°Honey¡­ Look what I got you.¡± The instant Hailey spoke up, Hannah¡¯s somewhat absent brown eyes stared at her mother and the things that she held in her left hand. At the same time, the final straw broke the camel and Hannah began bowling her heart out as if there was no tomorrow.


    Stunned briefly by the sudden outburst, Hailey just stood there perplexed because her daughter had not been able to express herself for years.


    At the same moment, a sudden flash made her remember her daughter¡¯s somewhat strange behavior last week. That was when things clicked in her mind. Dropping the plastic container, and her handbag, Hailey simply rushed toward Hannah.


    Once by her side, she simply hugged her daughter as tight as she could. There was no asking what had happened or why it had occurred in the first place. There was only consolation of a simple hug to her daughter before rocking her back and forth to chant her thoughts on instinct.


    ¡°It''s ok¡­ It''s over¡­ I am here for you. It can''t hurt you now¡­ It''s ok¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, unlike those early days, her words did not produce comfort. Instead, they somehow only made her daughter cry even harder.


    Still, Hailey did not stop because it was the only thing she could do, and that fact haunted her for a long time.


    To be so helpless when your child hurts was one of the things all parents feared and dreaded the most, after all, they should be the pillars upon which the child grew into a healthy and smiling adult.


    In this case, however, it was as if it was not meant to be.


    No doctor could help her.


    No matter where she had taken her daughter, they could not stop the nightmares from recurring every night. Even the priests had been useless, making Hailey despise them for even existing.


    No, if she had not come across that dubious wondering quack of a doctor.


    It was a wild card, but when everything had failed, Hailey had grasped at the straws before her.


    Only, contrary to what she had expected, the pills had worked.


    Obviously, Hailey never told her daughter the whole truth, of where the pills came from. As a consequence, her daughter became more and more withdrawn as time passed until she simply closed her heart to almost everything.


    Naturally, seeing it, Hailey stopped her daughter from taking them any further, but when the nightmares returned, she was faced with no choice at all. Not really. It was either watching her daughter wreath in pain every night or watching her turn emotionless.


    Worse of all, the quack doctor knew that undoubtedly, since over the years he had kept extorting higher and higher prices for the pills. That combined with the sudden debt of her late husband, Hailey had been forced to leave her husband''s house and downsize to a one-bedroom apartment just to afford living. Even then, it would not have worked had she not threatened the quack with a knife.


    After that, while the price had been high, it at least remained stable.


    Chanting her chant, and rubbing her daughter¡¯s back, Hailey refused to allow any tears to manifest from her helplessness.


    Maybe it was because it had been a long time, or maybe it was because just that much had been stockpiled inside her despite her release within her nightmare, or maybe now it was her body that needed the release, but Hannah¡¯s tears just would not stop because the very second they did, her father¡¯s image flashed through her mind, making her just cry even more.


    Soon enough, it was not enough to just cry it out.


    ¡°I HATE HIM¡­¡± Hannah cried out loudly. ¡°I HATE HIM, MUM. I hate him so much. Why?... Why would he think that I would be fine with it? Why could he not just make it go away? Why¡­ Why? Mum. I don''t understand. Why would Father do that?¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡± Stupefied by the sudden turn of events, Hailey¡¯s previous groggy thoughts of the past took a 180-degree turn, causing her mind to lag just enough for her daughter to continue her rambling. Even without her answer.


    ¡°I hate him¡­¡± Hannah cried out, yet it was clear that her hate had diminished somewhat if her tone was any indicator. ¡°I don''t want it as a pet!... I don''t care what he thinks¡­ It''s ugly¡­ It''s stupid¡­ And it''s evil for what it had done to me all these years¡­ No¡­ I don''t want it!¡±


    Stupefied even further, Hailey was entirely out of words on what to say to her daughter. Luckily, her mind finally began working again.


    Grabbing her daughter''s chin, Hailey forced Hannah¡¯s tear-stricken and snot-smeared face to turn her way before speaking up.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Honey¡­ I am somewhat confused here. I thought you had another nightmare. Was I wrong? Also, how did your father come into the equation?¡±


    <hr>


    Just like that, Hailey watched as her daughter¡¯s eyelids opened wide in recognition of having done something that she had not been ready to face, yet at the same time, there was a clear lack of desire to care about it.


    Luckily, the shift allowed Hailey to return to her senses as an adult, and a mother, to steer her daughter¡¯s actions into something beneficial. However, before she did, Hailey released her daughter to stand up and retrieve her bag before taking out a pack of tissues so she could wipe her daughter''s face from all those tears and all that snot running down her nose.


    ¡°Stay still, while I clean you.¡± Hailey commanded before extending her opinion. ¡°Now since I am confused about what is going on, start from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Ok¡­ Sniff.¡± Hannah answered immediately before wanting to say something, only the very moment she wanted to say something, she had no idea what to say or where to start. In the end, it began with her school bullies.


    What followed was a randomly thrown-together tale, of this and that, that seemed to jump from one event to the other with no actual correlation on the first, or the second, hearing. Truly, it was confusing and it took a while for Hailey to get the right picture.


    Yet, as much as that sounded cumbersome, it was the natural flow and style of conversation with her female friends and coworkers.


    As such, it did not bother Hailey at all.


    No¡­ Truthfully, it was quite the opposite because Hailey could barely remember when her daughter had opened up like this. That being the case, she enjoyed every second of it, as she slowly cleaned up her daughter''s face.


    On the other hand, a different part of her just itched to rush to said school to inform them of the bullying going on, however, when it was mentioned just who stood behind her bully, Hailey knew there was little that could be done.


    It was from there that her daughter''s tale switched gears, causing her to realize that her daughter had lied to her, and for a long time at that, about the nightmares in question, and that her nightmares had not, in fact, stopped at all from the pills. No, they continued every night despite their usage. All they had done was numb her to the horror she was experiencing inside them.


    However, the part where her daughter mentioned the monster from her nightmare reaching out and yoinking something from her bullies in pure daylight, was a much harder pill to swallow for Hailey since it clearly veered off of the recurring nightly problem.


    Either way, once again, Hailey was reminded of that fateful day when she made the choice of allowing the lesser evil to flourish by allowing her daughter to take the pills.


    Just as Hailey wanted more information about what Hannah had endured all these years, she noticed her daughter''s thoughts and actions derailing from a shy and terrified little girl into a girl budding with a desire to not disappoint her mother.


    Thus, while she was glad Hannah had begun changing her mindset, that Hannah had done it for her mother and not for herself, hurt Hailey more than she allowed to show before her already disturbed child. As such, she kept quiet on that front and listened to the tale of her daughter finally taking the first steps of resistance against the monster haunting her dreams.


    Nonetheless, Hailey was having a rather tough time imagining the action in her mind, because her daughter''s descriptions remained somewhat lackluster.


    That was when Hailey understood that everything so far had been but the intro to the story.


    Therefore, she listened to the first true chapters starting with Heinrich¡¯s office, the locked door, Heinrich¡¯s key, the subterfuge against the monster, the search, Heinrich¡¯s jacket, the key, the locked door again, when the actual meat of the story arrived with the reveal of Heinrich¡¯s life-like recording manifesting to guide his daughter into something that simply flew right over Hailey¡¯s head.


    Truly, to Hiley, it was as if her daughter had been retelling a storybook she once read because the concepts her daughter uttered made no sense, and yet that only made the notion of everything originating from a book more appealing.


    Had Hailey not first hand been a witness to her daughter''s writhing body every night from the nightmares, alongside the uselessness of the doctors and priests, she would have just dismissed her daughter''s allegations of it being real.


    It was moments later that Hailey truly understood the crux of her daughter''s problem.


    ¡°So¡­ Let me get this straight as it is a lot to take in.¡± Hailey said and spoke up after seeing Hannah nod. ¡°Your father appeared in your nightmares and told you that you no longer have to fear the machinations of the monster? Correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hannah eagerly answered. ¡°Sniff¡­ Last night, I appeared directly in that office instead of on the old bed as it had always been before. I¡­ Sniff¡­ Am not fully certain if the monster can not enter in the future, but after I used the key to lock the office from the inside¡­ Sniff¡­ a feeling of safety rushed through me as if nothing could come inside without me allowing it. Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Hailey commented before moving on with her thoughts. ¡°I know you probably did not want to bring up my hopes only to destroy them when it did not work, but I still wish you''d have told me about it before I bought your pills.¡± Seeing the understanding don on Hailey''s puffed-up face, Hailey shook her head in denial instantly. ¡°Then again, what is a little money in case it did fail and you needed the pills again.¡±


    ¡°Anyway. Back to the real topic.¡± Hailey announced quickly to shift away from the topic of pills, money, and blame. ¡°Soo¡­ Your father called himself a Dreamer? A Dreamwalker? Then he offered you a choice to be one as well, and you took it?¡± One sniff and nod later, Hailey continued. ¡°Then in the middle of explaining to you what it took to be one, he went silent and began working on something before eventually nudging you in the direction of¡­ adopting the monster as your pet¡­ monster? Am I correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Sniff¡­ No.¡± Hannah answered before correcting herself. ¡°No exactly¡­ He did not say it yet¡­ Sniff¡­ I was able to read a few words on his papers that¡­Sniff¡­ hinted at it¡­ Sniff¡­¡±


    ¡°But you are not absolutely certain?¡±


    Ceasing both her sniffing and moving altogether, Hannah shook her head in denial. ¡°No¡­ I¡­ somehow managed to leave and wake up on my own.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Listen, Honey.¡± Hailey firmly said. ¡°Your father may have hidden this Dreamwalking stuff from me, but I know him as a person, and he would not have mentioned it if he did not think it was for your own good.¡± Almost instantly, Hailey noticed her daughter¡¯s eyelids narrowing as if she could not believe that even her mother would opt for her to take the monster as a pet. ¡°However, just because he did, it does not mean you have to follow his advice.¡±


    Instantly, Hannah¡¯s face relaxed a tiny bit, and Hailey noted it as well. ¡°Nonetheless, promise me this. If you find yourself back inside that office tonight, let his ghost talk without throwing a tantrum. Then when you have heard enough, don''t do anything till you wake up and inform me of everything your father¡¯s ghost said. Ok?¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Ok.¡± Hannah replied. ¡°I will do that.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ Let me freshen up somewhat and make us more tea. Then we can go over the details you might have missed during your sniveling. Hehe¡­¡± After saying that, Hailey laughed somewhat before standing up and doing exactly as she told her daughter she would.


    It was, however, right in the middle of undressing that her mind caught onto the term Dreamwalker.


    Wait¡­ If anything, of what Hannah said was the truth, then did Heinrich enter my dreams as well?


    Wait¡­ Could it be that all those embarrassing dreams were his doing?


    In the same instant that she thought of it, Hailey turned tomato red on her face.


    Truly, if not for her having seen and buried her husband¡¯s body, she would have already beaten the hell out of him for making her do all those embarrassing things.


    <hr>


    ¡°Remember.¡± Hannah listened to her mother utter. ¡°Listen and remember what your father¡¯s ghost says. Then, when you arrive at what you assume to be a very important moment that needs a lengthy period of deliberation, cease everything and we will speak about it tomorrow after I return from work.¡±


    ¡°I will, Mom.¡± Hannah replied before bidding her mother goodbye for the night.


    ¡°Good.¡± With a nod of approval, Hailey left, and Hannah stared at her mother''s vanishing visage as she turned the corner before taking the stairs down since the apartment complex had no elevator.


    Luckily, their apartment was on the second floor, so it wasn''t as bad as it could have been, like with the floor above them.


    Back inside, naturally after locking the front door, Hannah tried to take her mind off of what was incoming, but it was hard, and even doing some studying and light homework from the previous school day, as her mother had called her in as sick after her sudden downpour of tears and snot, had done little to sway her away from mindless pondering.


    In the end, when Hannah became aware of once again being present in her father¡¯s office, she took her mother''s advice by taking a deep breath and making her way toward the Dream Gem, when a small conundrum reached her.


    She had forgotten what exactly the last words of her father were, thus making her doubt what she needed to reply with.


    Thankfully, it was as if a solution was just there, in the back of her mind. All Hannah had to do was reach for it and it came to her, word by word.


    As such, Hannah pondered upon the inquiry and chose her answer.


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Wrong you say?¡± Hanna heard her father ask, with a slight tilt of his head as if he was wondering about something. ¡°Let''s confirm, just to be sure. I inquired from you if your experience under the Nightmare felt closer to an animal lashing out with its instincts than out of pure malice, right? Your answer said that it is more Evil. Right?¡±


    Tap


    ¡°Hmm¡­ From my experience, that should not be the case with a Spawn.¡± Hannah heard, only her attention shifted to the name her father used to describe the monster. ¡°Either your perception of its actions is clouded by your negative experience under it or there is indeed something to it, at least, there should be after taking into account the fact that you did indeed generate a Supreme Dream Gem.


    No¡­ This one-sided guess from me won''t work. Let us try it differently by identifying the Nightmare within your Dream Instance. At the same time, I can tell you a bit about them.


    Tap once if you''re ready to hear and twice if you want to take a break.¡±


    Blinking at the thought of a break, Hannah simply dismissed it and taped the Dream Gem once.


    ¡°Alright¡­


    The first thing you should know is that, compared to Dreams, there are an infinite amount of Nightmares in existence.


    Slay one and another shall manifest somewhere out there in existence to take its place. The reason for that is that Nightmares embody the Principle of Quantity while Dreams embody the Principle of Quality.


    That aside, while there are an infinite amount of Nightmares, they can still be grouped into three rough groups; The Hazards, The Horrors, and The Terrors. Naturally, there are overlaps here and there, especially at the highest Evolutionary Class, but there is a reason those three groupings have stuck so far.


    The Hazards, I am immediately disqualifying from your equation as they are more instinctive in their nature. Additionally, they are too strong to be considered here, so much so that even comparing a mosquito to an elephant would be an understatement, with you being the mosquito and the Nightmare the elephant.


    Hmm¡­ Simply said, The Hazards are natural walking disasters that cover huge zones with their influence, hence they often take root in one place and simply stay there to wait for their prey to come to them, which happens more times than you think since those very same zones became a treasure trove of goodies after a Hazard stays for any prolonged amount of time.


    Oh¡­ by the amount of time, I don''t mean months or years, but centuries and millennia.


    Hence, a Hazard is not your problem.


    Onto the next.¡±


    ¡°The Horrors are quite similar to The Hazards in that they are walking disasters, but they are more¡­ unnatural in their case, since all of the Horror Nightmares like to indulge during the process of executing their purpose upon the innocent.


    Similar to Hazards, they also like to take root in places, but unlike Hazards it''s never permanent, or for very long periods of time. The longest I have seen one is a few decades, but even that was stretching it.


    Instead, they hop around every few years once there is no more prey upon which to feast.


    However, what makes the Horrors unique is the fact that their manner of preying upon the innocent deals with large amounts of terrifying scenarios, laid out with careful thought and planning, for the most part, in order to shepherd larger amounts of innocent individuals into that terrifying scenario before squeezing them of the greatest amount of Fear they could generate.


    As such, they produce the greatest number of casualties out of all the Nightmares, on an individual basis that is.


    Therefore, when one thinks of Evil, they are usually the ones that come to one¡¯s mind.


    The Terrors, on the other hand, behave similar to Horrors in that they take root from time to time before eventually moving on to greener pastures, but unlike the Horrors, they personify not the hidden and the unknown danger slowly sapping you of everything, but the actual Monsters you hear in fairy tales, where the Hero sets out to vanquish the Monsters plaguing the land.


    Unlike Hazards and Horrors, Terror Nightmares have the highest amount of variety in their shapes and forms, as well as tricks with which to utilize said shapes and forms.


    Hmm¡­ quite a few have actual civilizations to back them up. Naturally nothing quite that advanced. More like very large tribes that barely function coherently as a whole, with very few exceptions. Either way, those types of Nightmares usually belonged to the lower ranks.


    At the highest ranks, though? Well, it can vary, but it''s much more probable than not that a Dragon takes the first place, and if not, it''s very close to it.


    All that said, the very last thing I want to mention is that, usually speaking, of course,  for every place that holds at least a thousand Terror Nightmares, there are at least ten Horror Nightmares, and for every ten Horror Nightmares, there is at least one Hazard Nightmare present.


    Now take your time and consider what I have told you and tell me your answer by tapping the Dream Gem once for Horror and twice for Terror. However, if that is still not enough, tap three times and we will try a different method of identification.¡±


    Much was told to Hannah, and much had to be considered if she wanted to identify her Nightmare.


    In the end, to her at least, it was clear that her Nightmare had traits of both Horrors and Terrors. So, as indicated, Hannah tapped the Dream Gem thrice.


    Tap Tap Tap


    ¡°Still not sure? Alright.¡± Hannah heard. ¡°Hmm¡­ Considering Hazards are out immediately, we can leave out the abstract shapes and forms. Therefore, answer me this. Does your Nightmare resemble anything close to a human? Tap once for yes, twice for no.¡±


    This one, Hannah did not even have to think about it.


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Good, just that very fact tosses out a very large chunk of possibilities. That being the case. Does your Nightmare resemble some kind of animal? Tap once for yes, and twice for no.¡±


    Blinking a few times, Hannah answered.


    Tap


    ¡°Animal shape or form it is. Does your Nightmare resemble a land animal?¡±


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Does your Nightmare resemble any kind of air animal, like a bird of prey or something?¡±


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Interesting¡­ Sea animal?¡±


    Tap


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Fish?¡±


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Umm¡­ If it''s not fish-like, then that probably counts out the sea mammal variants like dolphins and whales as well. Alright. Crustaceans? You know those many limbed sea-bed crawling creatures with pincers as hands?¡±


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Not them either?¡± In the same instance, Hannah saw her father shake his head as if he did not like where this was going. ¡°Cephalopod? If you don''t know that term, then squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, or nautiluses, you know those seashell creatures.¡±


    Tap


    ¡°Sigh¡­ I am not sure if you know their differences, but we can work with that.¡±


    ¡°Does it have any shells on its body?¡±


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Tentacles?¡±


    One shiver later.


    Tap


    ¡°Eight or more? Tap thrice if you are unsure.¡±


    Tap Tap Tap


    ¡°I don''t like where this is going. Eyes?¡±


    Tap


    ¡°Many eyes?¡±


    Tap Tap


    ¡°One pair of eyes?¡±


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Huh¡­ One eye?¡±


    Though it was brief, Hannah could have sworn she saw a slight sign of relief on her father''s face.


    Tap


    With the last tap, Hannah observed a flicker in her father¡¯s recorded visage.


    Then when it refocused, she saw him place multiple drawings on the desk before him. Drawings that resembled, remarkably at that, her monster, only every single one of them had its own uniqueness.


    ¡°Take a look at these. Identify the closest possibility. Note the number on its page and tap the Dream Gem that many times. Be sure of how many times you tap, since you don''t want to mess up now.¡±


    Some of them were more nebulous.


    Some of them were more singular while some simply made no sense to her eyes.


    Still, there was one drawing that instantly clicked with her.


    It had a main bulbous body, one large actual eye, and the tentacles rising from said bulbous body. However, unlike her monster, the drawn monster had teeth below its large eye and additional eyes on each end of its tentacles. Moreover, there were some variations on the drawings that displayed similar shapes, but clearly originated from the same source.


    Whatever the drawn monster was, and whatever the differences might be between her actual monster and those on her father¡¯s drawing, something deep inside Hannah was telling her that her choice was the right one.


    Taking note of the number on the page, Hannah quickly but carefully taped the Dream Gem thirteen times.


    ¡°Phu¡­ Thank goodness it''s just a Beholder.¡± Hannah heard her father declare in relief. ¡°For a few damn moments, I had imagined a Kraken, well¡­ a Baby Kraken.¡±

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 5 - Three Paths, Three Choices?

    ¡°Honestly speaking¡­ Ignoring the fact that you would not have survived for long with a Baby Kraken in tow. Even if you had managed somehow, I do not think you would ever manage to overcome one, to begin with, even after Awakening.¡± Hannah heard her father explain. ¡±On the other hand, while Beholders are not on the same levels as the Terrors of the Seas, they do rank high enough on the Terror Rankings because of their innate abilities, numbers, variations, and the occasional civilizations they manage to build.


    Hmm¡­ Now that I think about it. Generating a Supreme Dream Gem under a Beholder¡¯s, well¡­ Baby Beholder''s presence makes just enough sense if we include long-term exposure, and at least one of your Ability Potential Assessments being at Impressive.


    Yes¡­ Definitely makes sense.


    Although, what does not, is you having a Baby Beholder in the first place, but that piece of intrigue you can pursue in the future.¡±


    ¡°Since the main culprit is identified, I think I can understand from where the Evil you think and perceive originates.¡± Her father¡¯s recording pointed out. ¡°Beholders are one of the many Nightmares that occupy a large variety of lands, mostly through force as they can grow quite powerful, but their impressive intelligence is widely agreed upon when they are not xenophobic assholes on anything that does not resemble them.


    Then again that trait is shared by most Nightmares.


    Still, despite their high intelligence, the xenophobic trait is much more apparent when Beholders regularly go after their own variants with extreme prejudice.


    On the other hand, having high Logic can make anything sound reasonable, even genocide.


    Hence, a little warning to you, my dear daughter. Always try having balanced stats between Logic and Insight, and Instinct and Will. At least if you can, but you will be fine if they are not, as long as one stat is not at least five times higher than its counterpart because, from this point on, you will understand just how much each Stat Point is worth.¡±


    ¡°Now, let me return to the main topic.¡± Hannah heard and instantly dreaded the incoming topic of possibly pet ownership. ¡°Even if it''s a Baby Beholder, your Nightmare will be somewhat smart. Hence, what you probably have experienced might be extremely Evil from your point of view, but from its own, it just followed a certain set of Logic that would get it closer to its goal, which is the generation of Fear so it could feed from it and grow from it.


    As such, what you think is malice, is in truth just cold intelligence. Plenty of humans behave similarly, not just monsters.


    That means, now comes the main reason as to why I brought all this up.¡±


    Just as she expected it, it was coming.


    However, just as she had promised her mother to not immediately throw a tantrum, Hannah took a deep breath before focusing all of her attention on what her father wanted to convey, so she could understand and not misunderstand his words because of her inherent Fear of the monster waiting outside the office door to rip her to shred, only to feast on what was before her.


    Shivering at the thought, Hannah took another deep breath and listened to her father.


    ¡°You have three options before you as a Summoner Specialist.¡± Her father pointed out. ¡°The first is to completely ignore your Nightmare and instead focus on something else, like a different kind of animal through which to conjure your Summon, since animals are the most common type of Summon.


    You could make any creature you want and it would work.


    The question, however, would be how thorough your replication of said animal is, thus your thoroughness would determine its power, its flexibility, and its intelligence. Unless you forgo intelligence altogether and treat your Summon like a puppet, but that is closer to a Tool, or better said, a Hybrid User.


    The caveat of this path is that your Summon will be weaker early on until you find the real animal, the true source of your Summon, and study its behavior to replicate its strengths and intelligence as an autonomous Summon.


    So if you, let''s say, make a summon replicating a lion or tiger, you would get a powerful Summon early on, but it will still pale to what an actual lion or tiger can do, much less of what will be possible later on once you are more experienced on top of the improved Stats making your possibilities rise even further.


    But here is the crux of your problem, at least as I see it.


    If you chose this path, the Dream you awaken will most likely not be able to go beyond the Supreme Grade. Of course, I am sure you can not conceptualize what that means right now, but let me give you an analogy.


    A Supreme Grade Dream makes you a Hero, but above Supreme makes you a Divine, or a God so to speak.


    Unfortunately, even that will go over your head, but it is a good enough analogy.¡±


    Indeed, just as her father said it, it did go over Hannah¡¯s head because right now she was but a helpless maiden of fifteen years of age.


    Worse of all, even for a fifteen-year-old girl, she was more diminutive when compared to her peers. So she simply could not even imagine a version of herself that could be a Hero or a God. No, the only thing that she had was her intelligence, but even that was nothing special since she was sure that her smartness only developed as far as it did because the pills, she had consumed for the last seven years, had made it very easy to set aside the distractions of a natural child¡¯s mind, such that she could focus on studying.


    As such, it went over Hannah¡¯s head.


    Luckily, the terms for Hero and God were common enough that at least she could understand that a vast difference stood between them.


    ¡°Your second choice, or path, depends highly on how you define your Dream as it awakens.¡± Hannah heard her father explain. ¡°So if you are good enough at conceptualization, meaning imagining stuff, you could manifest a growing Dream, a Growth type Summon.


    A Growth-type Summon is much, much weaker early on, even more than your first choice, but it will have the potential to overcome the barrier that exists between Supreme and above Supreme.


    Nonetheless, for you, as it was for me when I first awakened my Dream and became a Tool User, that takes a very high Insight Stat. Moreover, since Insight is related to your Conjuring Potential, it means that you suck at imagining and improvising stuff.


    If you took the old ways of using your strongest Ability Potential Assessment as the bedrock, you could probably succeed, but then again, if you did you would not be a Conjurer but something else entirely, hence with completely different requirements for Awakening.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, back to the second choice and path.¡± Her father voiced out. ¡°One way to cheat this higher requirement for Insight Stat and Conjuring Ability Potential is to take your inspiration from the source, which in this case is your Baby Beholder.


    By using your Dream Awakening with the Baby Beholder¡¯s existence as the base, you can replicate its powers, both the current and its future ones. At the same time, you can replicate its growth potential, which no doubt will bring you close to above Supreme since the strongest Beholders already exist at the top of the Terror Rankings, meaning Supreme, though with a different terminology to differentiate Nightmares from Dreams. Additionally, you would be avoiding the downfall of its intelligence since it will be but a Summon and not the real thing, thus it would remain eternally obedient to you.


    As such, the question becomes, can you tolerate using one for the rest of your life? Tap once for yes if you can, and twice for no.¡±


    Without even having to tap anything, Hannah had already decided that her answer would be a definitive NO.


    No, it simply did not matter if she did not gain that fabled S-Rank and whatever it entailed.


    She would not do it.


    Just as Hannah wanted to instantly tap the Dream Gem twice, she remembered her mother''s words and the promise she made to her.


    After taking a deep breath, Hannah quickly examined what her father had told her so far, and quickly realized that, just as her mother had assumed, her mind had misled her in the wrong direction by making her assume her father wanted her to take the monster as her pet.


    It was either that or there was more to her father''s plan.


    <hr>


    Taking a deep breath, again, Hannah focused and tapped the Dream Gem twice.


    ¡°As expected.¡± Her father said, though she was having a hard time deciphering if his words indicated disappointment or approval. ¡°Few could be that tolerant of their captors and torturers, or even forgive them for their sins like Jeshua did or Jesus as you know him.


    Look where that got him! Hanging from a cross! Ah¡­ I am getting emotional here since it''s a bit of a sore topic of mine.


    That said, let me talk to you about your third choice, your third path.¡±


    ¡°The third choice is for you to become a Hybrid Conjurer Specialist.¡± Quickly remembering what she had been told about them, Hannah nodded even though her father could not see it. ¡°Nonetheless, from there we will be veering away from the already trodden path by using the Tool and Summon Conjuring as the building blocks so you can fashion your Dream into a Capturing Device, hence making your Dream a Tool-based Dream at its Core, instead of a Summon.


    However, since it is a Tool, extra features can be imbued aside from the obvious capturing functions, namely in the form of specific Profound Law Interaction allowing you to go beyond your current lacking imagination through a bureaucrat''s most favored skill, Delegation.


    Delegation is when you offset your work to your minions, so you can sit back and relax while they do your bidding. In this case, however, your minions will be the Profound Laws of Law and Chaos, by having Law interact with Chaos inside your Capturing Device.


    Simplified.


    After your Capturing Device captures a Nightmare, the Nightmare, which is of Chaos, will be infused with your Dream, which is of Law. When that occurs, an instance of conflict will occur between the two Profound Laws. Nevertheless, after that initial conflict occurs, a balance ensues between Law and Chaos since neither can actually destroy the other. When it does, in that moment of Balance between them, a third Profound Law will manifest, the Profound Law of Pure Potential.


    Pure Potential is energy without any biases where the amount of generated Pure Potential depends on the duration of the ensuing Balance between Law and Chaos.


    When the Balance is broken, by either you or the Nightmare, the already manifested and present Pure Potential will take the path of least resistance and infuse itself into the Nightmare to trigger its evolution, because all Nightmares are prone to evolutions, transmuting the innate nature of a Nightmare into something entirely new.


    Something that is neither static and never-changing commonly seen in Law or shifting and ever-changing commonly seen in Chaos.


    Something that is neither a Dream nor a Nightmare yet holds the advantages both sides hold dear¡­ for the most part that is, because there will be limits and requirements that need to be met to make use of those advantages.


    Therefore, after being captured and transmuted into a new type of existence, the Nightmare will become a Dreamon, your Summon to do your bidding.


    Nevertheless, since your Dreamon will be its own Individual, now that it will no longer be shackled by Obsessive Law and Impulsive Chaos, it will have to be trained, taught, and befriended if its max possible potential is to be evoked through friendship, hardship, and fighting.


    Lots and lots of fighting to be the very best it could be.¡±


    One second Hannah was fine, and the next she felt the world swirl around her.


    Up and down, left and right, the world went around when Hannah quickly took a few steps forward to grab her father''s desk. That was when she noted additional sounds originating from her father¡¯s recording, but she just could not process them.


    Either way, whether she heard them or not, Hannah began heaving as if she had a tough time breathing. However, when that was not enough to alleviate her problem, a spiking amount of pain began emanating from her head with ebbs and flows that seemed to drive themselves deeper and deeper into her.


    In the end, when Hannah could no longer hang on to her awareness, she simply dropped to the ground with her back facing the floor and her eyes facing the ceiling. Yet, it was at that very moment when she noticed some kind of black particles rising and gathering above her.


    No¡­  Hannah denied it in her head because she suddenly realized that the black particles in truth came from her. They rose from her head with two tiny columns emerging from the left and right of her eyes.


    During that one instance, her mind jumped to the earlier morning when she had turned on the TV and watched a somewhat funny cartoon. It was in that very cartoon that she had seen a similar scenario of smoke rising from a character''s head, and it happened because the character had been thinking too hard without being able to truly figure out or understand the solution to the problem before him.


    Yes¡­


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    When Hannah woke up, it was clearly morning if the stray rays of light were any indicator. Unfortunately, Hannah cared very little about it since her head felt like someone had actually hammered a nail into her skull.


    Even simple shifting of her head left and right made the splitting headache worse. As such, with no other choice before her, Hannah simply laid still under her blanket all while trying her best to ignore the aching.


    A few times, she had even tried falling asleep again, but that was an utter failure because, despite the pain it had induced in her, her father''s words still simmered to the forefront of her thoughts, therefore making Hannah have no choice but to confront the message they contained.


    Yet, when she did, it seemed that the headache took a backburner in importance as if understanding was the cure for her headache.


    Thus, Hannah put all of her attention to understanding.


    In the end, the trance-like mode of pondering was interrupted by the sound of a door opening and closing.


    That made Hannah understand that her mother had returned, only just as she wanted to stand up and welcome her back, the spiking of pain in her head returned. Not as bad as it had been right after waking up, but it was still bad. So Hannah simply stayed still and awaited her mother to find her as she was.


    Creek, the bedroom door made before Hannah saw her mother¡¯s blond hair and her amber-colored eyes settle on her. There was an intrigued look within them as they, no doubt, wondered where the daughter hid. However, when they noticed Hannah¡¯s somewhat cloudy stare, any intrigue vanished, and only worry remained behind.


    ¡°Honey¡­ You don''t look alright? Anything bad happened? Did you not wake in your father¡¯s office?¡± Hailey asked as she came inside to check on her daughter in detail. Regardless, when a weak shake and a nod of her daughter''s head ensued, Hailey was somewhat confused because a simple nod and shake were not enough to tell her what she needed to know. ¡°How about you tell me the bad news instead of me trying to decipher it from a simple headshake?¡±


    Listening to the demand, Hannah tried her best to speak up through the headache. ¡°Office¡­ Did¡­ Father¡­ Spoke¡­ Something¡­ Head¡­ Hurts¡­ To¡­ Understand.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Mmm¡­ A headache you say?¡± Hailey inquired before seeing her daughter nod. ¡°A strong one?¡± Once again a nod was the answer. ¡°I think I can help you with that. Let me get some water to help you swallow it.¡±


    That declared, Hailey went for her bag and found a simple migraine pill before taking a small jug and filling it with tap water. Once back inside the shared bedroom, she helped her daughter up so she could swallow the medicine and the water.


    ¡°Alright¡­ Now rest and we''ll talk about what you went through after. Ok?¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡± Hannah answered vocally after realizing that drinking some water had made her feel marginally better, with the pill no doubt needing longer to work as it dissolved and entered her bloodstream.


    <hr>


    ¡°Yes, her fever is still there, hence why I called to prolong her absence.¡± Hailey answered.¡°Yes, it''s nothing serious but you know how fevers are, they just like to stick around. That being the case, even if her fever goes down today, she will still need a few days to recover properly. Additionally, since it is already Wednesday, my daughter might as well take the rest of the school week off for proper recovery, hence why I am suggesting prolonging her absence over the next two days and the weakened, just in case.¡±


    Listening to the mumble over the land phone line, Hannah reassured the teacher''s worries. ¡°You don''t have to worry about that. My daughter has a good head, it will take but a few hours for her to catch up to the curriculum.¡± Saying that Hailey rolled her eyes at not saying the obvious of just how public schools were underfunded, thus lowering the quality of the teachings in the form of third-rate teachers. Then a moment later, she heard the teachers make a proposal. ¡°That will be fine¡­I am sure my daughter will appreciate the notes, so¡­ I will come by on Friday and pick up the materials.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ Thank you. Have a nice day.¡± Hailey said before finally hanging up the phone by socketing it on the wall mount. ¡°Sigh¡­ Annoying bastard. Ok¡­ OK¡­ Enough venting Hailey. Time for some housework.¡±


    Slapping her own cheeks, very lightly of course, Hailey went about doing what she could, but as was true of small apartments, there was not much to accomplish after.


    When that was done, all that was left was to go grocery shopping.


    A quick glance inside the only bedroom without a bed in it, Hailey noted Hannah sleeping if her chest was any indicator. Truly seeing her like that, peaceful and unbothered, was such a godsend because it was about time for something to go right in their lives ever since Heinrich died.


    Although the earlier brief explanation from Hannah, about what had caused her migraine in the first place, was another statement that was hard to swallow because, just like the nightmares that had plagued her daughter for so many years, Hailey had a hard time imagining a few words managing to cause an instant headache.


    Especially, after Hailey had written down the exact wording, word by word, in a notebook.


    Shaking her head, Hailey left Hannah all alone and went grocery shopping.


    It may have been a few days early for it, but it was fine since she had an additional goal that she would like to explore before reaching the supermarket. In fact, even reaching it was a tiny bit easier since it was but a few blocks away from her downtrodden apartment.


    Darrel¡¯s Books, Comics, and Games Store


    If Hailey ignored the public library, then this one was one of the nerdiest places that existed in the city. Most of all, it''s not the intellectual nerdy but the geek nerdy kind, and it was here that Hailey hoped to find some kind of answer. After all, even if everything her daughter told her so far turned out to be but a hoax of a traumatized child''s mind manifesting her long-gone father in her time of greatest need, the idea behind the identity of the monster had to come from somewhere, and though her daughter had not mentioned it before, it was the only place from which she could have learned of a name like Beholder since it stood right on the route her daughter takes to school.


    Regardless if it was but a figment of imagination or her actual father able to do stuff with Dreams and whatnot, this place would at least provide some kind of answers because even without entering inside the store, Hailey could already see posters of books, comics featuring heroes fighting monsters, and something called Dungeon and Dragons in one big poster.


    Taking one big glance at the big poster, Hailey ignored it and entered the store.


    There she found stands, shelves, kiosks, and most importantly people. Though, when she looked around, it was as if she was the most important person in the store with how every single male gave her that disbelieving face that she had even dared to enter.


    Ignoring their stupefaction, as Hailey had long ago grown used to males staring at her like that, she went right for the clerk seated behind a cash register.


    ¡°Hi¡­¡± Hailey announced with a smile and one of those cutesy voices that perked all men right down to their bones, the clerk being no exception as he rapidly came to his senses and stood up.


    ¡°Hi¡­ Hi¡­ Welcome to Darrel¡¯s Books, Comics, and Game Store.¡± The man in his thirties announced. ¡°I am Darrel, the owner of this little shop. How can I help you, Miss. ¡±


    ¡°Look, I am not sure if you will believe me, but my daughter has been having these awful nightmares that just would not leave her alone.¡± Seeing the slightly flabbergasted face, Hailey wondered if the man would ever believe her to begin with.


    ¡°I am sorry to hear that, Mam.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but I am here because somebody has told terrible tales of monsters to my daughter and now she''s suffering from one.¡± Hailey remarked. ¡°And seeing that your establishment is the closest by, I am convinced that it had to have been someone from your clientele.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ I am sorry for¡­ such a terrible thing to have occurred.¡± Darrel, the owner replied.


    ¡°It''s fine¡­ It''s fine¡­ I know you''re not at fault for what happens after somebody leaves your stores, but in my mind, you still are responsible as a secondhand culprit for my daughter''s constant nightmares.¡± Leaving the silence to hang for a second longer than it had to as she glared at Darrel the owner, in question, Hailey got the main point. ¡±I know, there is not much I can get even if I involve the Justice Department but I will still need you to compensate for her troubles.¡±


    Instantly seeing the man turn bleach white, Hailey knew that she had successfully gotten the point across. Now it was all about properly negotiating without blowing up her advantage.


    ¡°I¡­ I am sorry, Mam.¡± Darrel uttered before a different part of his mind found something on which to cling. ¡°But just like you have said previously, we are not liable for what our clients do outside the store, therefore whatever compensation you are seeking, there will be no compensation to be received from us.¡±


    That said, Darrel felt his heart bleed as the pretty women before him stared daggers right into them.


    ¡°We will see about that.¡± Hailey responded haughtily. ¡°First I need to know something.¡± Announcing it, Hailey quickly browsed through her handbag, all while ignoring the silence and the staring from the other customers. ¡°This is a description my daughter gave me of the monster in the nightmares. Tell me what you know about it!¡±


    The presented note had a somewhat vague description of what Hannah had given to her mother, but when Hailey saw the signs of recognition surface on the store owner''s face, she knew she was on the right track.


    ¡°You recognize it?¡± Hailey almost shouted at him, making the man flinch a tad bit.


    ¡°Cough¡­ I do, Mam.¡± Darrel quickly answered. ¡°If I am not wrong with my assumption, then whoever had¡­ ugh¡­ whispered to your daughter, had whispered about a Beholder, a magical floating eyeball with tentacles¡­ Ugh¡­ Yea¡­ I can see that producing nightmares in children.¡±


    ¡°Behol¡­ What? Speak plainly.¡±


    ¡°Beholder, Mam¡­ Umm. Give me one second.¡± Darrel said before pointing with a finger and quickly ducking down behind his desk to whip out a common book within his social circles, hence why he always had some ready to grab and sell.


    Seeing a book placed on the counter, Hailey quickly took note of the title; Monster Compendium for Adventurers; Volume 3.


    A moment later, Darel opened it up and quickly went through the pages before settling on his name, the picture, and the descriptions of the monster in question.


    ¡°Here it is, Mam. Beholder¡­ A floating eye with tentacles as you can see.¡± Darrel announced before turning the book around and hoping to somehow dodge the curved ball, in the form of a nagging woman, sent at him. ¡°Bear this in thought, Mam. There are many depictions of a Beholder. Some are more¡­ ugh¡­ gentler on the eyes, but some can get really freaky.¡±


    <hr>


    Staring at the colored picture, Hailey finally managed to visualize the problem maker, though she doubted that the drawing before her eyes could truly depict what her daughter had seen and experienced for the last seven years.


    Done finally visualizing the monster, Hailey paid more attention to the text below it as the words described the monster, from its general appearance to its behavior and abilities. Still, there was enough geek jargon that made no sense to her.


    ¡°What do these capital letters represent?¡± Hailey asked Darrel the shop owner.


    ¡°Armor Class.¡± Darrel answered the moment he saw what the blond woman¡¯s right forefinger pointed at. However, when saw her confused look he went further in depth. ¡°It''s the summary of armor statistics expressed through numbers in the game. Ah¡­ Since you are asking, you probably don''t know anything about Dungeon and Dragons. D&D is a tabletop role-playing game, where players come together and play adventure-styled story scenarios with their imagined characters. Naturally, since the characters are imagined they could do many things, so to prevent abuse and make everything grounded and real, Rules, Stats, and Terms were designed to keep everything balanced through basic math even a child could understand.¡±


    Hearing it, Hailey tried extremely hard not to roll her eyes at the nerdiest shit she had just heard in her whole life.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Saying nothing else, she focused back on the book on the counter before leafing through the book and its listings. ¡°And for an Adventure to exist, Monsters are needed?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Darrel answered. ¡°By using the same Rules, Stats, and Terms, the Monsters were given strengths and weaknesses to overcome.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ What do these 2d6 numbers represent?¡± Hailey inquired as she saw it mentioned quite a lot in the texts.


    ¡°Ah¡­ That would be the unique mechanic of the game, Dice.¡± Darrel said before quickly grabbing a pair of dice and showing it to the lady before him. ¡°Different dice give different results, so a dice provides a unique experience to each Adventure as the imagined character''s actions and consequences depend on the numbers that appear after a dice is rolled, whether for bad or good.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Listening and not saying anything, Hailey tried to recall if her daughter mentioned anything like this. Ultimately, however, the answer was a clear no. Still, an idea did form in her mind. ¡°I see¡­ That being the case¡­ Let us say, I wanted to create a scenario for my daughter to play through with a¡­ what was it called again... a Beholder as the enemy so she could vanquish it, which would hopefully translate into peaceful dreams again, how would I go about it.¡±


    The moment she inquired about it, it was as if a dam broke from Darrel¡¯s, the shop owner, mouths as he began describing scenarios, dungeons, monsters, players, and a Dungeon Master.


    In the end, what it boiled down to was a different book, a D&D Player''s Handbook about the Rules, Stats, Terms, and mechanics that bound everything into one whole.


    Done listening for the moment, Hailey changed her posture slightly by fixing her back to angle more straight all while her chest puffed out somewhat. Then, she angled her head to the left before using her right hand to pick up the stray hair on the right side of her head before tucking the same hair behind her right ear.


    At the same time, she opened her eyes wider to make herself more appealing to the male ego.


    The result was almost instantaneous when she noticed the shop owner¡¯s face.


    ¡°Listen, Darrel.¡± Hailey voiced out somewhat seductively by directly speaking the man¡¯s name causing the man in question to immediately perk up even further. ¡°Obviously¡­ This is too much for me to take in at once. Can I borrow these two books to familiarize myself with everything at home? Once I am done reading and understanding, and hopefully manage to help my daughter vanquish the monster plaguing her dreams, I will return them to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­ It''s double, Mam.¡± Darrel almost stuttered out. ¡°However, in exchange, I would need to be provided with a name and address. You know, just in case I know where to look for the books if you ugh¡­ by chance forget to return them.¡±


    ¡°Really? That would be great.¡± Hailey added with her still somewhat raised voice. ¡°Can you throw in one of those dice? I swear, I will return everything, in let''s say, a month?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Sure¡­ I can do that, Mam.¡± Darrel the owner compiled before quickly taking out a leasing paper card, one which would document the lender''s information. ¡°Here¡­ Write down your name and address.¡±


    ¡°Can I have a pen to write with?¡± Asked and provided with, Hailey quickly wrote down her Name and Surname, as well as the address and apartment number she currently lived in. Once done, she dropped the pen and pushed the leasing paper card back to Darrel. ¡°Thank you, Darrel. You have no idea how much this means to me.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine¡­ Mam. I am glad to be of help to you¡­ cough¡­ I mean to your daughter.¡± Darrel corrected himself at the last second. ¡°If you have problems with understanding the intricacies of the handbook, you know where to find me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Darrel.¡± That said, Hailey grabbed the two books before remembering to ask for a plastic bag to carry them in.


    After one last thank you sent the shop owner¡¯s way, Hailey made her way out of the shop wilfully ignoring the stares sent her way.


    Truly, the moment she was out, a few of the more regular store customers made their way directly to Darrel.


    ¡°Darrel¡­ Darrel¡­ Darrel¡­ It seems you need to up your Charm resistance.¡± One man jokingly commented. ¡° You barely survived the encounter with that pretty lady.¡±


    ¡°I must agree with Charles there, Darrel.¡± A second man voiced out. ¡°That woman¡¯s Charm was strong enough to make Darrel, the money pincher, forget about the money pinching.¡±


    ¡°Cough¡­ No¡­ No, I did not, Mike. That¡­ That was an investment.¡± Darrel quickly responded. ¡°An investment for the future meeting with¡­¡± Hanging there for a second, Darrel urgently glanced at the leasing paper card. ¡°Miss Hailey Blackwood.¡±


    ¡°Blackwood, you say?¡± A third voice spoke up, causing everybody else to focus on him. ¡°I knew, her face seemed familiar, but now I am certain, and if so, then you lucked out there, Darrel. That woman is a professional courtesan down at the Rose Peach Bordello.¡±


    ¡°You sure, Kevin?¡± Darrel inquired while rolling his eyes all while willingly ignoring how his friend Kevin had come upon the source of information, after all, having played with him for a few campaigns, Darrel was clear of Kevin¡¯s lecherous nature.


    ¡°Absolutely?¡± Kevin pointed out before shaking his head. ¡°No¡­ But I am reasonably sure that it is her because the surname Blackwood is not common at all, and there is a lady there bearing her looks and surname.


    Listen, Darrel. If you play your cards properly you may get more than lucky,¡± Kevin added with a smirk and twitching eyebrows. ¡°since, last I checked, Miss Blackwood is quite expensive to¡­ ugh¡­ make an appointment with. Oh¡­ And by expensive, I mean Expensive.¡±


    That voiced out, Kevin annotated the remark with his fingers even further to make the point.


    ¡°Damn¡­ Guess you best get to praying, my friend.¡± Charles commented jokingly on the side. ¡°You''ll need Divine Intervention to get into those pants.¡±

 SR - Arc 1 - Chapter 6 - Last Chance?

    Waking up, from a slight nap, was a first for Hannah, at least for as long as she could remember properly.


    Moreover, with no monster present, there was no suffering either. Then again, neither had an office, a floating multicolored gem, or a life-like visage of her father manifested during her nap.


    No, it was more like random images had floated through her mind. Images that made no sense to the current her, however, as Hannah stared at the ceiling of her, and her mother¡¯s bedroom, she had this nagging sensation that those very random and obfuscated images held significant information.


    Information that she was in dire need to know and understand, yet when she thought about it, a throbbing sensation ebbed from her head.


    ¡°Still¡­ Hurts¡­¡± Hannah muttered weakly despite the pill her mother had given her for headaches. ¡°But¡­ Better¡­ Now¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Not saying anything more, Hannah slowly stood up by pushing the blanket, which felt heavier than it should have been, away from her body


    That done, she made her way outside the bedroom and into the living room/kitchen with a clear desire to quench her parched throat with a good amount of cold water. Nevertheless, when she did enter the living room/kitchen, she found her mother leaning on the table with a book in hand, a different book on the table, plus a few sheets of paper full of scribbles, though, what they were about Hannah could not tell immediately.


    Ignoring her busy mother, Hannah quickly found the sink and drank her fill of water before walking toward her mother and taking a seat beside her.


    It was at that moment that Hailey noticed her daughter being up and about.


    ¡°Ah¡­ You''re up? Still having a headache?¡± Hailey inquired of her daughter, who in return nodded and grunted in acknowledgment. Abandoning her current reading task, her right hand went for Hannah¡¯s forehead to check if her fever was still going strong. ¡°At least your head has cooled down somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Hng¡­¡±


    Hearing another grunt of acknowledgement, Hailey stayed silent for a second before gazing at her daughter¡¯s face to see if anything was out of place, but all she noticed was her usual countenance if a very sleepy version of it.


    Shaking her head, Hailey focused on her acquired loot. ¡°Look what I found.¡± That said, Hailey ignored her current read and grabbed the book on the table before opening it and leafing through the first part of the book representing an encyclopedia for imaginary monsters.


    Once she found her target, she placed the book on Hannah¡¯s lap


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Hannah heard her mother ask, but it was instantly forgotten when her eyes settled on the picture of the floating giant eyeball monster with large and pointy teeth and many tentacles endorsed with more eyeballs on their tips.


    ¡°...¡±


    Opening and closing her lips for a bit, no words left Hannah¡¯s mouth as she became speechless from sheer unexpected surprise at seeing a depiction of her monster out here in real life instead of her Nightmare.


    It took a few more moments for Hannah to finally come to grips with what she was seeing. When she did, her brown eyes instantly settled on her mother¡¯s amber-colored irises and slightly smirking lips.


    Just as she wanted to voice out her desire to know, her ears heard a suggestion. ¡°Check the title of the book.¡±


    Doing as told, Hannah quickly closed the book before seeing the title; Monster Compendium for Adventurers Vol. 3.


    ¡°It is¡­Real!¡± Hannah managed to stutter out when she realized that her nightmare, her monster, and her father were truly there instead of simply being her imagination because, despite being on the receiving end for a long time and her recent revelations, a part of her hoped it was not.


    Seeing the shocked expression as well as the pointed statement/question, Hailey immediately realized she''d done something bad. ¡°I¡­ am unsure.¡± She quickly responded before explaining it further to clarify the situation. ¡°Look, honey¡­ To me, everything that is happening to you is beyond my understanding. So¡­ even if everything turned out to be just your imagination, I had to understand where it originated, after all, things don''t just pop without a clear cause behind them. Hence, with a name like Beholder coming out of your mouth, I sought the only nearby place that could possibly hold a grain of truth.¡±


    ¡°Place?... Nearby?¡± Hannah uttered out with a confused expression.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hailey affirmed. ¡°The book and comic store a few blocks away, and right on your general route to school.¡±


    Blinking with understanding, Hannah instantly realized which one her mother meant because she saw it every school day. ¡°Darrel¡¯s Book, Comic and Games Store?¡±


    ¡°Yup¡­ That one.¡± Nodding, Hailey continued her tale. ¡°With a name in hand, I went there to see if somebody would recognize the name and monster description, and strangely enough, it happened. Darrel, the store owner, easily recognized your monster and fished out the book you are holding right now. However, the way he explained to me, that book and the one I am reading right now, are connected to a game called Dungeon and Dragons.¡±


    ¡°Game?¡± Hannah repeated before recognizing the very name since she walked by its poster every day as well.


    ¡°Yes, a game!¡± Hailey confirmed. ¡°There is no doubt about that fact since I am currently reading its guidebook. And let me tell you this. It is a very in-depth guide. With a lot of things to learn if somebody wants to play it, which makes no sense since these types of games are usually only played by children.


    Anyway, the point is that while it may be a game, the inspiration behind it may be grounded in some kind of truth, otherwise, I doubt I would have come across your monster so easily or on the first try. So if you want to know the real Truth behind everything, you will have to dive deeper into that Dreamer business your father¡¯s ghost is leading you on.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Might be real, and might not be?¡± Hannah voiced out somewhat hesitantly.


    ¡°I am sorry, honey, but I can''t seem to help you there.¡± Hailey apologized before setting her eyes on something else. Grabbing the sheet of paper she gave it one look before handing it over to her daughter. ¡°Still, if there is some shared truth behind your nightmare and the game, I imagined myself figuring out some kind of kernel of a truth by comparing what your father¡¯s ghost told you and what I found within this guidebook.¡±


    ¡°So far, that is the only thing I managed to do.¡±


    <hr>


    Studying the paper in question, Hannah recognized what her mother meant since it dealt with Stats in general.


    In this case, a correlation of the naming terminology between her Dreamer¡¯s Status Card and the approximate existence within the game, yet it was clear after seeing her mother¡¯s work that not everything overlapped, but what did overlap, told a lot.


    Settling her eyes on Logic and its correspondent, Hanah voiced her confusion. ¡°Intelligence?¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­ Intelligence.¡± Hailey said. ¡°It just makes sense that Intelligence and Logic are grouped together like that. Similarly, Wisdom and Insight fit together. The same could be said for Charisma and Ego if I take into account the explanation for Charisma from the guidebook.


    Now¡­ With three of the obvious choice groupings done, we are left with Vessel, Instinct, and Will on your¡­ Dreamer side¡­ and Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution on the game side.


    However, here I am having trouble.


    If I am right, Instinct could easily fill the role of Dexterity. And if that is indeed the case, we are left with Vessel and Will, Strength and Constitution, but that is where the problem arises.¡±


    Not quite seeing it at first glance, Hannah spoke up. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It''s the wording, dear.¡± Hailey responded. ¡°You see¡­ When you think of the word Vessel, you usually think of a ship. Right?¡± Thinking for a second, Hannah nodded, thus causing her mother to continue. ¡°That being the case, when people think of ships they usually imagine a huge lumbering giant cruising through the waters, but ask anybody about its insides and they will tell you that all ships are but the sum of their parts, literally.


    Thousands upon thousands of parts, all interlocked into one giant whole machinery.


    It was that notion of ¡®Sum of All Parts¡¯ that nudged me into considering Vessel being represented by Constitution and not Strength as my initial thought had been. The reason is that the Constitution State, as described in this guidebook, is about the resilience of the physical body and all its constituent parts. Especially, since the word constitution usually gets used to describe the general health of an animal, humans included.¡±


    ¡°Then what about Will and Strength?¡± Hannah asked. ¡°Since those are the only ones left. Should they not be grouped up?¡±


    ¡°That was my thought as well, but the more I thought about it the more I got this feeling that it should not be so.¡± Hailey answered before giving a deep sigh of frustration. ¡°Sigh¡­ That said¡­ Will was mentioned in the guidebook as either just Will or Willpower, but it meant the same thing. Either way, in the game it was not a main statistic unlike what your¡­ D-Card and your father told you.


    Therefore¡­ Either there is the first true distinction between your Dreamer stuff and this game called Dungeons and Dragons, or the Rules between them are inherently different from the beginning.


    Which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense since the names are different even if it looks like the terminology could be exchanged between them.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Wait for Father¡¯s instructions?¡± Hannah posited because that was the only thing that came to her as a solution to the problem.


    ¡°Most likely.¡± Hailey replied, before refocusing on something else. ¡°Leaving Will aside, I need you to focus on Logic/Intelligence. Specifically, I want you to consider raising it once you''re back in your father¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Hannah asked her mother, although she had a suspicion of the reason.


    ¡°Well¡­ According to the guidebook, Intelligence is the ability to process knowledge. Which makes sense as that is what smart people are known for.¡± Hailey explained. ¡°However, if I am right, and Logic indeed corresponds to Intelligence, then if you raise your Logic Stat, the headache you are experiencing should alleviate as well.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Hannah asked hopefully since it pained her to think too much.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Hailey said. ¡°Also, if I am correct, and considering your reaction, I am certain enough to posit the theory that your father¡¯s explanation about your third choice/path had been inlaid with extra knowledge besides the simple words you iterated to me this morning.¡± Speaking of it, Hailey took the note holding the exact words and terms in question. ¡°Makes no sense otherwise, because I have read through this multiple times and I am completely fine. Although¡­ While I can not extrapolate the true depths of the context of the explanation, I can''t discount that a certain¡­ Logic exists within to make it make sense.¡±


    Thinking of it for a second despite the pain, Hannah spoke up a possible reason. ¡°Maybe it only works inside the nightmare?¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡± Hailey nodded. ¡°However, without actually being able to stay lucid while asleep like you do, I do not think I will ever be able to confirm the possibility. No¡­ You will be the one to confirm it and when you do you will tell me. Understood?¡±


    ¡°I will, mom.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Hailey said before beaming a smile at her daughter, only it was not just a smile of joy but one of certitude as well. Certitude that her Will will be done. ¡°Can''t wait for you to deal with everything so you can tell me everything because, if everything was true and your father had been a Dreamer, with all that it entailed, you wouldn''t be hiding this stuff from you as your father did¡­ Right?¡±


    ¡°Noo¡­¡± Hannah quickly replied before shaking her head as well despite it making her head feel like an overripe melon. ¡°I promise, Mom. I won''t be like father and will tell you everything from this point on.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ I am sure you are hungry so let''s leave this stuff for later.¡± Hailey stated as she plucked the paper holding her scribbles and the book describing imaginary monsters from Hannah¡¯s hands before standing up and making her way to the fridge. ¡°I went grocery shopping, so the ingredients are fresh. Anything specific you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Hannah answered because she never had any favored food thus far, and any she had before the nightmares started, the drugs had made irrelevant anyway. ¡°I will eat whatever you make.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­ Let''s go with¡­ fried chicken breast dipped in garlic cream sauce and some potatoes on the side.¡± Hailey laid out her imagination.


    ¡°Yes¡­ That will do.¡±


    <hr>


    Flaring open her eyelids, brown irised eyes stared at a familiar ceiling.


    Blinking a few times to clear away blurry vision, Hannah suddenly realized that she had in fact not entered her nightmare or her father¡¯s office again, just like the brief nap the previous day. However, what she did have were those obscure sensations and images flashing through her mind for a few moments, with their impressions of this and that, only to ultimately recede into the background.


    Thankfully, when they did, so did Hannah¡¯s headache, for the most part, because her head still felt like an overripe melon, only better than it used to be.


    As such, how she had spent the following day largely resembled how she had spent the previous one, namely by being a sounding board as her mother read the guidebook before extrapolating everything it spoke of to Hannah.


    Which was not as much as one imagined but was still a lot because the guidebook had referred to other complementary books multiple times. In the end, all the guidebook did, as far as Hannah and her mother were concerned, was provide an overall outlook into the game called Dungeons and Dragons and its terminology and ruleset.


    Luckily, despite the lingering headache, Hannah had a much easier time understanding the stuff it talked about compared to her mother. Maybe it was her young mind, or maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever it was, Hannah was glad it was there because it had made her realize that her monster may not have been as monstrous as it had presented itself to be. After all, if the Monster Compendium held any truth in regard to her monster, then her Baby Beholder currently held none of the powers the adult versions were described to possess.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    That, or the monster in her nightmare, in her Dream Instance, was far more cunning than anybody realized. That thought sparked a Hope within Hannah that her monster was indeed just stupid or too young to know otherwise, thus making it oblivious to all its inherent powers as a Beholder.


    ¡°Hnngh¡±


    Grunting at the possibilities, Hannah remained under her blanket to await the moment her brain became less cluttered with her father¡¯s knowledge as it was right now, if that was indeed what had occurred, to arrive inside the office and take her mother¡¯s advice to raise that Logic Stat.


    Till that time, Hannah ruminated her thoughts about this or that.


    It took another day and night, meaning on Friday night, before Hannah once again found herself within her Dream Sanctum which was her father¡¯s office where her father¡¯s recorded visage sat on the office chair behind the large desk.


    However, being in her Dream Sanctum did not alleviate Hannah of her problem. In truth, it only exacerbated it when her vision began swimming left and right, up and down. Luckily, her body had been left in the same position it had been the last time she was in this place, namely down on the ground with the oversized jacket providing a slight cushioning effect on her back.


    As such, Hannah simply lay there for some time before her father¡¯s office stopped spinning around. Fortunately, while it took some time and made her feel extremely nauseous, there were no other side effects, like vomiting.


    In the end, after maybe a couple of hours, depending on how Hannah felt, the spinning stopped. Only then, did Hannah try her best to recall the last recording of her father explaining things. When she did, though, Hannah suddenly realized that, whatever her father had done and however he had done it, the headache-inducing problem did not recur with her recalling the memory.


    Indeed, it was as if the magic had been spent.


    As such, everything she remembered from the last recording was a clean memory, including the last part that she had not been able to make out.


    ¡°I am sorry my darling about this part, but consider it a small test of your capabilities.¡± Hannah remembered what her father¡¯s ghost had said to her. ¡°Once you''re back in your Dream Sanctum, I want you to tap the Dream Gem the exact amount of days, or nights, in this case, it took for you to return here. Depending on the amount, I think we can squeeze a bit more rewards for you from Dream Awakening by not assigning any Stat Points before the Dream Awakening is complete.


    You see, dear daughter of mine, you can gain extra Special Action Points if done that way.


    Unfortunately, you won''t be able to gain the extra special reward for awakening an S-Ranked Dream from the start because yours will only occur after the successful capture of the Nightmare.


    But, one could digress that any free points is better than no free points.¡±


    With that last sentence, the spectacular flashback ceased inside her mind as her father¡¯s recorded visage ceased moving as well.


    Only the dilemma caused by it strengthened as a result.


    However, when simplified down to the basics, it all boiled down to one thing.


    Should she listen to her mother who had advised her to spend her Stat Points on her Logic Stat to alleviate her immediate problems, or should she listen to her father¡¯s hopes about the possible future rewards?


    <hr>


    Done pondering for a moment, Hannah issued a silent apology to her mother and tapped the floating multicolored Dream Gem thrice.


    ¡°Three you say?¡± Hannah heard and saw her father respond to her answer. ¡°That is a bit better than I expected because I assumed your Impressive Ability Potential to be in the Alteration Category considering the amount of Trauma you endured under the Baby Beholder. Mmm¡­ This is good¡­ This means we can seek your extra points. Of course, under the premise that you are ready to suffer some headache for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Tap one for yes, twice for no.¡±


    Tap


    ¡°Alright¡­ Hard Awakening Difficulty Challenge, it will be!¡± Hannah heard her father say before his smile turned wide with glee at her choice. ¡°Before we get to the meat, let''s address the elephant in the room. Namely, what your Capturing Device will look like and how you want your Baby Beholder to appear after it''s been transmuted into a Dreamon.


    Though, let me warn you that while we have quite a bit of freedom with the design for your Capturing Device, the same does not apply to your Summon, if we want your future pet to be mighty, hence why we can''t alter it too much from its core.


    In this case being the sole eye, and the tentacles, though those can be reduced in number.


    First¡­ Let me show you a few designs of your Capturing Device.¡± That announced, Hannah saw her father¡¯s visage flicker before it placed a few white pages on the office desk.


    Staring at the spheres, boxes, cages, tea kettles¡­ and many other strange apparitions, Hannah was clear that she was spoiled for the choice. Yet, deep down inside her, she had this nagging sensation that her father was testing her because one design was remarkably similar to the very recent cartoon she saw, right before breaking down and crying in her mother¡¯s bosom.


    Waiting for a few moments to pass as she browsed all the offered options with further detail, Hannah angled her vision toward the spheres, especially the red and white version as that one was the exact image she saw within the cartoon.


    Debating it in her mind, Hannah eventually took note of the number indicating the option before tapping the Dream Gem seven times.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Excellent choice.¡± Hannah heard. ¡°Now let''s see if we can make your¡­ Dreamon Ball¡­ a bit more unique with a specific color pallet that just screams ¡®Dreamon¡¯.¡±


    Once again, her father flickered a few times before he placed a few sheets of white paper filled with colorful balls that resembled the initial red and white ball version, only with different tones on them. However, there was one thing every single one of them had in common, and that was a somewhat thick silver line separating the upper and lower halves of the balls, right at the thickest part of a horizontally placed sphere.


    That silver line reminded her very much of the Silver sheen enveloping everything but her and everything she touched, at least outside her father¡¯s office since here in her Dream Sanctum that rule did not seem to apply.


    Disregarding the large horizontal silver circle and the small vertical circle around the only button on the drawn balls, Hannah focused on the colors and their counterparts of red and blue, blue and red, white and black, black and white, red and white, white and red and so on and on.


    At the end of the display, Hannah found a few mono-colored versions, for the most part, since there were flourishes of other tones to give them a more unique taste.


    It was after seeing those that Hannah instantly focused on one particular, a pink/silver/black/white ball, where the pink tone became the background while black and white clouds took the foreground of the design, with white clouds occupying the upper side and black clouds residing on the lower side of the dividing silver line.


    Not even bothering to examine the rest, Hannah immediately took note of the number identifying the pink ball and started tapping and counting her choice.


    ¡°Pink? Fascinating choice.¡± Hannah heard her father¡¯s ghost utter, only she had no idea what was fascinating about it. ¡°Not sure if I should be surprised or not. Either way, let me finish it before you confirm it once more.¡± That said, Hannah observed the flickering effect again before it ceased and her father placed a somewhat larger piece of white paper on the desk.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Examining the large paper, Hannah noticed no large changes to the outside of the Capturing Device.


    At most, the clouds became more symmetrical. However, unlike before, this time Hannah was privy to seeing the insides of the ball, but when she placed her focus on those drawings, Hannah saw numerous lines, circles, triangles, squares, and some other strange symbols that made no sense to her.


    Yet, as if that was not enough, Hannah had this nagging sensation that she was seeing far more than should be possible from a single picture on a single piece of paper.


    Nevertheless, if there was one thing that she had to admit, then it was the fact that she liked what her father had cooked up.


    Tap


    ¡°Ah¡­ At last¡­ Your Tool, your Capturing Device, your Dreamon Ball, is finalized¡­ Well¡­ For your first Summon, that is.¡±


    <hr>


    Truly surprised by the sudden reveal of the possibility of possessing more than one Summons, Hannah would have loved to question her father for the details, but she knew that there was no point in her even saying anything, since her father¡¯s ghost.


    Instead, she simply listened as he continued.


    ¡°With your Tool out of the way, it''s time we settle on the Summon part.¡± Her ghost father told her before taking the blueprint for her Dreamon Ball, if Hannah¡¯s conjecture was right, only to fold it and leave it on the side of the office desk. ¡°As I previously stated, we can''t veer too much from the template of a Beholder, or we lose too much of its power, with the eye being the prime example as Beholder''s eyes are the main way with how they use their Abilities.¡±


    Reminded of it, Hannah quickly remembered the Monster Compendium for Adventurers Vol.3.


    ¡°As such, I posit that we leave the big eye as it is because of the Null Ability.¡± Blinking for a second, Hannah instantly realized what her father was going for. ¡°There are many versions of Null Abilities, ranging from mild to extreme, from suppressing other Abilities to negating other Abilities to erasure of other Abilities.


    The Suppressing Null is fairly common and can take many forms.


    The Negating Null is rarer but still seen from time to time. Though, mainly with defense-based Abilities.


    The Erasing Null, however, is the rarest because it denies all Abilities, even that of the user, hence why it''s the rarest to exist since no Dreamer likes being ordinary. Meaning, I don''t recommend it to you, even through a secondary source like your Summon.


    As such, the Negating Null Ability will be the key choice for your Summon.¡±


    The wording was different, but it was as Hannah had realized.


    The Monster Compendium for Adventurers had held a kernel of truth because the ability to deny Magic was the main ability of a Beholder.


    And if that one fact was true, then others had to be as well, right?


    Thinking of it, Hannah quickly shook those thoughts away since her only source of true knowledge was a one-sided recording right now.


    ¡°That said, my daughter, are you amenable to this proposition of mine, or should we go for something more¡­ flashy, like the Disintegrator Ray as the main Ability.¡± Just as Hannah realized another clue for the common truth behind the Dreamer business and the game, she heard her father continue his speech. ¡°If the Disintegrator Ray is too flashy, the Death Ray would not be a bad choice either. And if those don''t sound like your cup of tea¡­ Actually¡­ Let me just write everything down and give you a moment to choose in peace.¡±


    Instantly, her father flickered, causing another piece of paper to appear on the desk with a list upon it.


    A list that went beyond the ten or so described within the Monster Compendium, from simple Telekinesis to its elemental variants fire, water, earth, air, and some that Hannah could not even imagine.


    Naturally, beside each option stood a number, but after a simple sequence of thoughts, Hannah understood that she was once again going to go for the recommendation.


    Tap


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Her father said with a smirk on his face. ¡°Now¡­ Usually speaking, all Beholders get one Ability for every eye they possess, but in your case, I don''t think we should go that route unless, of course, you are amenable for your Summon to possess eyes on its tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Are you, my dear daughter?¡±


    Tap Tap


    ¡°Thoughts so.¡± Hannah saw her father wave away nonchalantly. ¡°That being the case, we can reduce the amount of prehensile limbs your Summon will possess. What we can''t get around is a few of the other Abilities Beholders possess, hence I am thinking of changing them from Abilities into invaluable Passives.


    In this case, being Telekinesis, since that is how Beholders generally manage to get anything done on top of moving around since they don''t have actual legs, hence the floating around with Telekinesis.¡±


    There went another reminder of what her monster would evolve into, only Hannah was having trouble imagining what was scarier: a floating monster with tentacles or a monster hanging from the ceiling thanks to its tentacles.


    ¡°Nonetheless, Telekinesis, as a very powerful Ability, has many variations and many effects. So I am thinking of splitting it into two interconnected Passives.


    The first offshoot of Telekinesis will be Levitation, such that your Summon can float around, though within limits since it is passive in nature and because your Baby Beholder will be evolving sideways instead of up, thus remaining a Baby Beholder until you as its Master/Trainer are ready to Rank Up yourself.


    The second offshoot will be Force Armor where a tiny sheen of Force coats your Summon, such that it will be naturally protected from the elements and inconveniences like dust getting into its main eye and irritating the sensitive organ.


    Similar to Levitation, that is all it will amount to until you Rank up at Level 20.¡±


    ¡°The second Ability turned into a Passive will be Telepathy.¡± Her father announced. ¡°Just like Telekinesis, it''s a powerful Ability with many variations, so I am splitting this one as well.


    The first offshoot will turn into Listen, a minor relative of Telepathy where it passively accepts non-mental frequencies before actually translating them into mental frequencies, aka thoughts, such that your Summon will be able to hear like a normal human, in case you haven''t noticed the lacking ears on the Beholder drawings I showed you before.


    The second offshoot will turn into Voice, another minor relative of Telepathy. It''s the opposite of Listen, where thoughts are translated into actual sounds instead of being shared mentally with others, such that your Summon can communicate with other beings without that huge and ugly mouth below its main eye being an eyesore for you or your friends.¡±


    Even without having seen an actual one, Hannah was glad that¡­ that feature on her Summon would cease to exist even though her monster had no such feature presently.


    Ceasing all thoughts, Hannah suddenly shook her head.


    No¡­ I am still not convinced to make it a pet.


    This is just a conversation. Hannah quickly noted in her head because. Just a conversation.


    ¡°The last Ability turned into a Passive will be Drain.¡± Her father said, but the way it reached Hannah she instantly knew what it was about. ¡°I am sure you are familiar with a version of this Ability since all Nightmares innately possess and use it to consume Fear.


    However, to a Nightmare it is neither an Ability nor a Passive, so my idea is to elevate that innate nature into a Passive.


    That way we can alter the feeding habit of your Summon so it can improve alongside you by allowing your Summon to intake and digest positive emotions instead of just negative. At the same time, I am imagining implementing a conditional evolutionary trigger based on which emotions your Summon absorbed more.


    You can think about that in the future.


    Now, the way that will be done is through three minor relatives of the Drain Ability, namely; Absorb, Digest, and Store.


    Absorb, as is stated by the name, will absorb any emotions your Summon comes into direct contact with.


    Digest, as stated in the name, will digest those emotions into Aspected Potential.


    Store, as stated in the name, will stockpile said Aspected Potential for when your Summon is ready to Evolve.


    Are you with me so far?¡±


    Taking a tiny brief moment herself, Hannah took a deep breath to sideline the slight stuffy feeling she was sensing, similar to what she had experienced three days ago.


    That done, she taped the Dream Gem once.


    ¡°Good.¡± Her father said before nodding at her, or better said at the Dream Gem. ¡°With those Passives in place, there should be much less resistance from your Nightmare as it transmutes into its new existence as a Dreamon.


    As such, we are left with one last thing before you have to finalize your choice, the choice of committing to the Hybrid Path, or discarding it.


    And that last thing is to make your Summon visually appealing.¡±


    With those words, Hannah saw her father flicker once again.


    When the flickering ceased, though, he presented her with three large sheets of white paper detailing the same creature, only from different angles.


    Almost instantly, a flabbergasted expression manifested on Hannha¡¯s face when her brown eyes saw what her father presented her because it contradicted every single experience she had with her big, ugly, and terrifying monster by transforming her Baby Beholder Nightmare into a small, adorable and pink creature.


    Pink from top to bottom, plus some squiggly violet markings which started from around the base of each of the three tentacles and ended right down on their tips.


    If that was not enough, then the large blue eye only made the imagined Baby Beholder that much cuter to Hannah¡¯s mind.


    ¡°I based the design on your choice of the primal color template for your Capturing Device.¡±


    ¡°What do you think? Will this convince you to commit to the Hybrid Path?¡±

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 7 - Basics?

    ¡°I¡­ am¡­ sorry.¡± Hannah pronounced with a heavy tone of regret which only truly manifested after leaving her father¡¯s office and after telling her mother that she had, in fact, not listened to her advice about increasing her Logic Stat to alleviate the pain throbbing inside her head.


    ¡°It''s fine, honey.¡± Hailey added before rubbing her daughter''s head and hair alike. Deep down, however, she was a bit irked by the fact that fifteen years of nurturing and worrying about her daughter were easily swept aside by just a few moments with her father. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on one''s predispositions about life, Hailey was familiar with how children looked up to their male role models at the best of times when they are constantly in a child''s life, but when the ghost of a dead parent returned to tell and advise the child of something, it was hard to for an ordinary run-of-the-mill mother to beat that.


    ¡°I won''t be the one feeling the aftereffects of your choice.¡±


    Even without being reminded of it verbally, Hannah knew that because of some of those very aftereffects she was feeling right this very moment because her father¡¯s ghost had not ceased sharing things that her mind was not quite ready to process.


    ¡°So¡­ Have you affirmed your choice? Will you follow your father''s advice and make that monster your pet, or a version of it, I guess.¡± Hailey, stated when her eyes settled on a rough approximation of the drawing her daughter had received while sleeping. ¡°I mean, if I compared this adorable thing to that monstrosity, even I would be compelled to consider taking it, and I am not the one being offered the choice.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ am!¡± Hannah replied with caution in her tone.


    ¡°You are? You sure?¡±


    ¡°...¡± Hannah¡¯s lips opened up to say something but her words failed to leave her throat.


    ¡°I see¡­ It''s not that you''re taking it, but more like you are leaning toward it. Right?¡±


    ¡°Hnng.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Hailey added before once again, unconsciously, of course, reaching out for the top of her daughter''s head and rubbing it. ¡°If you are truly taking the third choice, then know this, I am very proud of you for not taking the easy way out, but instead choosing to face your monster head-on.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ How about this?¡± Hailey said. ¡°If you succeed and completely fix your nightly problem, we can make it a celebratory day or night, thus forever marking the either as something special that you and I will celebrate every year from now on, with cake and everything.¡±


    ¡°Like a birthday party?¡± Hannah quizzes her mother.


    ¡°Sure why not.¡± Hailey responded. ¡°Though it will be between the two of us since I doubt anybody else will believe you if you even told them the reason for the party. Agreed?¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Hannah said and nodded.


    That very night, after setting on a celebratory day or night before it had even been confirmed, Hannah found herself back in her father¡¯s office.


    On the desk office, she saw the three big white sheets of paper holding the imaginative forms of her future pet, though, now that she was about to step beyond to make that point a certainty, Hannah noticed a strange sensation in her stomach.


    A sensation where it seemed as if something was wiggling within it and yet not at the same time.


    A feeling that caused her to feel anxious on top of being nervous.


    It was a sensation that spawned a possible cause within her mind, but it was not one she was familiar with or had been for the last seven years.


    Either way, while it distracted her for a while, in the end, she still overcame it and tapped the floating multicolored Dream Gem in the center of the office. When she did, her father¡¯s recorded image flickered before coming alive.


    ¡°It seems, my dear daughter, you have made your choice.¡± Hannah heard her father say. ¡°I will ask you one more time for confirmation as there will be no going back after this.


    Are you a hundred percent sure that you chose the Hybrid Path? Tap five times on the Dream Gem if you are.¡±


    Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap


    ¡°Excellent.¡± The man said with a jubilation tone to his voice. ¡°Excellent indeed. Prepare for a few days filled with glorious headaches since you don''t have the Stats to buffer the Logic for you.


    At least, that is what you imagined, right? Don''t worry, my dear darling, we can make the process easier for you by splitting the load over a few sessions.


    The first session, meaning today''s session, will be about the Awakening process in general. That is also when you will input your Ability Potential Assessment through a carefully coded input/output system, such that I can guide your Awakening properly and efficiently.


    In the second session, you will learn exactly what you will go through, how you will go through it, and just why yours will go the way you need it to go. Additionally, the third session will be the least intensive as the final preparations will be executed for your Awakening.


    Namely in the form of material components and how to include them with your Awakening to improve the quality of your Dream since your goal is the fabled S-Rank.


    As such, prepare yourself, my daughter, for a week of mild headaches.¡±


    <hr>


    Despite her daughter undergoing whatever she was undergoing, Hailey had no true excuse to not leave for her work every night, and thought her current employers might not be the greatest sorts of people to mingle with, they were not the worst either.


    Hence, if she truly had an emergency she would be given a short leave, however, it would come at the cost of delaying the debt further.


    Either way, returning home after another day of goading the egos of powerful men, and women sometimes, Hailey found her daughter up again as she gazed at sheets of papers filled with squiggly that she had a hard time identifying without actually walking closer and paying more attention to them.


    At the same time, Hailey saw her daughter rub her forehead with her left hand while her right was busy writing stuff.


    ¡°I take it, there is no going back now?¡± Hailey posed the question, allowing Hannah a moment of reprieve from her current task.


    ¡°Hnng¡­¡± That was all Hannah said in reply, at least if one ignored the slight bend of her head indicating a nod.


    ¡°How is the head? Do you need another pill for migraines?¡± Hailey asked only to see her daughter shake her head. ¡°So not too painful?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Hannah finally replied. ¡°Nothing compared to the first time because father split the process to avoid overflowing me with knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I see. And what are you writing down?¡±


    ¡°General information about Awakening.¡± Hannah answered.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Mmm¡­ Let me make some refreshments for us before I help you.¡± That said, Hailey quickly went to the sole bedroom to change into something comfortable before making tea as tea was the only thing cheap and easy to make because of their money issues. Once the tee was ready, Hailey sat down beside her daughter, of course only after placing the cups somewhat further away from all that fragile paper. ¡°Ok¡­ Where do I start.¡±


    Shuffling through the papers for a second, Hannah picked one of the first ones she wrote down. ¡°Here.¡±


    Taking the paper, Hailey leafed through the words swiftly before finally getting an answer for one of the inconsistencies her daughter told her, namely what was a Dream and what was an Ability.


    In simple terms, a Dream was a house and an Ability was a room within said house.


    From there, however, Hailey realized, it quickly became complicated because not every room was compatible with all houses, and not all houses held the same amount of available space, hence why the differentiation between Dreams through the Ranks of E, D, C, B, A and the fabled S exist in the first place. Meaning, that E-Rank had no room for any Abilities to be slotted. From there, every upgrade got one Ability Slot, with D-Rank having one slot, C-Rank having two slots, B-Rank having three slots, A-Rank having four slots, and the last and most fabled, well... according to the notes, S-Rank had five slots.


    Therefore, it was easy to correlate the facts that a Dream was a Cause and an Ability the Effect.


    Regardless, what bothered Hailey was an inconsistency stemming from the number six that was heavily implied with everything her daughter had previously mentioned.


    Namely, there were Six Stats and Six Ability Potential Assessments. Hence in her mind, Hailey had trouble understanding why there were only Five Abilities for the S-Rank instead of Six, as then things would line up perfectly and the lowest ranks of E and D would not appear to be the same.


    Shaking her head, Hailey tossed the inconsistency to chill down inside the same group she had sent the Stat called Ego and Unique Potential Assessment.


    There has to be a reason for being what it was. Hailey noted in her head since she hoped to fix the inconsistencies in case her daughter had truly imagined everything up. But in the case that it was not, Hailey desired to know the truth behind this hidden world her late husband had belonged to, after all, this hidden world had drawn her daughter right into it, and Hailey was clueless about what that truly meant.


    Sigh¡­


    Done sighing in her mind, Hailey sought the next piece of paper, which Hannah gladly gave to her, only this time there was more than one paper on top of being more visual with a few diagrams being present.


    Similar to those occult rituals often depicted in books and the few movies Hailey had seen in the last few years.


    Parsing through these¡­ documents, Hailey vaguely understood the underlying Logic behind Awakening and Ability Manifestation, namely setting the foundation of the house which depended on a lot of factors, however, the ones that took Hailey¡¯s attention were Trauma, Despair, and Hope.


    With Trauma being the mechanism and the material, Despair being the Cause, and Hope the Effect.


    Therefore, for a person to awaken a higher-ranked Dream, one first had to suffer without actually succumbing to a Nightmare, meaning death as far as Hailey understood.


    Most importantly, though, without losing Hope.


    Instead, one would stockpile said Hope until it burst and formed what was known as a Dream Gem, basically Hope in crystalline form.


    With the Dream Gem in hand, and by using the Ability Principles as the base, one then gives form to an Ability, an Effect which then determines the theme of the Dream and the Cause of the Effect.


    Almost like achieving success before enacting the actions required for said success, thus creating a Paradox of Existence that seeks to be filled and fulfilled. How one filled and fulfilled it was up to the user of the Dream, with the most common one being Leveling Up, whatever that truly meant since Hailey had just come into contact with the concept of Leveling Up, and even then one was from a game and one from her daughter''s dreams/nightmares.


    Naturally, the higher the rank of the Dream, the more there was to fill and fulfill, thereby translating into an actual conceivable goal of reaching the highest levels of a Dreamers existence, namely Level 99 for S-Ranked Dreams.


    Regardless, it was possible to reach Level 99 even with E or D-Ranked Dreams, you just had to have five of them instead of one, meaning one had to build five houses instead of one. However, that approach was not without downsides.


    Just like A and S-Ranked Dreams had their own downside by requiring lots of initial Trauma to manifest, in exchange for lower initial difficulty, lower-ranked Dreams required a certain level of synchronicity between each Dream such that their Cause and Effects stack with one another instead of hindering each other.


    This¡­ Sounds reasonable so far. Hailey voiced in her head when she discovered a smaller note on the side of the paper, like an afterthought, telling her that it was more likely for somebody to acquire C and B-Ranked Dreams, hence it was much more common to witness two or three Dreams instead of four or five.


    Guess, even Dreamers can''t escape the law of the average.


    <hr>


    Once she was done making sense of the basics, Hailey began leafing through the more advanced stuff, namely the process of awakening and for that, she needed to understand the various hexagonal charts her daughter had drawn.


    Charts that had various lines indicating a Logic that she failed to understand at first glance, even though it looked fairly simple at first. For that, Hailey sought her daughter''s help, who, in turn, eagerly helped, even if her face said otherwise.


    In the end, Hailey gained an understanding.


    An understanding of where an Ability needed all Five Ability Principles to function, namely; Enchantment, Evocation, Alteration, Domination, and Conjuration.


    A few of those terms, Hailey had recently learned from the D&D game guidebook, like Enchantment being the school of magic where Magic was permanently scribed into items, Evocation where everything was about throwing Fireballs and other Magics at your enemies, Alteration where you Magically changed and transformed terrains, materials, and people.


    The last term she was slightly familiar with was Conjuration, where one manifested Magic itself, permanently that is. The guidebook provided a prime example called Eternal Light, where a wizard summoned a floating ball of light that would shine for the caster.


    With the obvious terms settled, Hailey settled her mind on Domination, still with a name like that, it was not that hard to figure out it had to do with control of some kind.


    As such, there was only one thing left. ¡°What about Unique, the Ability Potential tied to the Ego Stat?¡±


    Hearing the question, Hannah faced her mother¡¯s amber eyes and replied. ¡°Father called it the Chaos Principle, or Random Factor, therefore best avoided if one desired as much control for one''s Dream Awakening as possible. That¡­ Plus, Father mentioned that very, very few people ever have Potential in that category, like one in a million or something.¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Understood.¡± Hailey voiced out before settling her eyes on the actual charts.


    With the obvious out of the way, Hailey focused on the how, and though her eyes told her a simple story, she knew there was depth there, a depth that had to be studied to be understood.


    Meaning, that since every Ability required all Five Ability Principles to exist, it was the hierarchical layering of those principles that mattered, namely which came first or which came last, and which took the second, third, and fourth place, thus establishing an order where an Ability had a base effect and a peek effect, with the in-between regulating the interaction between the base effect and the peek effect.


    The base effect was dubbed Core Feature, while the intermediate and peak effects were dubbed Utility Features.


    Nonetheless, as if a simple difference between them was not enough, the very same layer sequencing determined how many features an Ability possessed, with the base layer having six while the peak layer had two.


    Blinking at what she just read, Hailey called on her daughter again. ¡°Honey, why only two effects for the peak instead of one?¡±


    ¡°Peek of what?¡± Hannah inquired before she actually glanced at what her mother looked. ¡°Oh, that¡­ Count the number of features for each layer.¡±


    Wondering where her daughter went with this, Hailey did as instructed. Let''s see¡­ The base layer has Six, the second has Five, the fourth has Four, the third has Three while the second has Two¡­ which results in a total of twenty effects.


    The number twenty reminded her of something, but it was just that tiny bit out of reach. So instead, she simply asked her daughter. ¡°Is there something special about the number twenty?¡±


    Thinking for a second, Hannah replied with a question for her mother. ¡°How many Levels are there?¡±


    ¡°A Hundred.¡± Hailey instantly answered.


    ¡°What is the maximum number of available Abilities?¡± Hannah continued with her questioning, which forced her mother to think in a certain direction.


    ¡°Five¡­ Ah¡­ A Hundred divided by Five is Twenty.¡± Hailey murmured, causing her to nod alongside her daughter. ¡°So¡­ At Level 20, something happens that results in another Ability manifesting or a Dream if it is a low-ranked one? Correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hannah nodded slightly before reiterating the same explanation she had received from her father¡¯s ghost. ¡°Every Level Up grants One Stat Point and One Ability Point. The Stat is used on the Dreamer while the Ability Point on the Ability he or she wields until the Ability is fully charged, and that happens every twenty levels, meaning it only happens five times.


    After an Ability is fully charged, Unique, the unused Chaos Principle, rears its head with the desire to be filled, however it can, and when it does, it goes where there is room to accept it.


    Once there, the Chaos Principle roots itself to become a Seed, a Nightmare Seed.


    That is why almost every Dreamer experiences a Nightmare Tribulation every twentieth level with the last one, the hundredth one, being an exception since very few reach it, and even fewer dare attempt the last or Sixth Nightmare Tribulation, if you count the very first one,.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ That means you will once again have a monster stalking you in the future?¡± Hailey urgently voiced out.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hannah quickly replied because that very point had scared her as well the moment she had heard her father¡¯s ghost utter it out of its fake mouth. ¡°But at that time, I won''t be a helpless little girl like I am now.¡± Hannah pointed it out to her mother just like it had been pointed out to her. ¡°Instead, I will be stronger, faster, smarter, and more insightful thanks to the Stat Point elevation.¡±


    ¡°Additionally, since it''s not that easy to Level Up, it will take a lot of effort to reach Level 20, so I will have time to acquire Skills and train my¡­ pet.¡± Stopping there, Hailey saw her daughter grin, if somewhat weakly. ¡°Yes¡­ Once I am done teaching it to obey me, it will also help me overcome the Second Nightmare Tribulation.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Hailey hesitated slightly in saying it. ¡°Won''t that mean that you have to suffer again or was I wrong with interpreting that fact as unavoidable?.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­. No¡­ For a new Dream, it is unavoidable because a Dream Gem will only ever form under certain conditions.¡± Hannah squinted her eyes at the thought since that was also something that had spooked her when she had heard it the very first time. ¡°I, however, will have no need for a new Dream Gem since my own will transform into an S-Ranked Dream, and with the Dream already present, all I need to do to manifest the next Ability is to buffer the suffering process through Skills since their usage and development generates Trauma.


    Or so I was told because I am not exactly sure what Father meant by buffering and generating Trauma since he was not specific on that topic. Although, he did say that I would understand the reason for the existence of Skills after my Dream and Ability manifest.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Alright.¡± That was all Hailey said, but her mind just could not stop imagining her daughter going through something similar as she had in the last seven years.


    <hr>


    A moment of silence ensued between mother and daughter, where one was too preoccupied with knowledge and the other with worry to truly care about the brief silence.


    After that moment of silence passed, Hailey returned to understanding her daughter''s newfound knowledge, which either sprung from her now-dead husband who returned as a ghost, or from her daughter''s imagination.


    Both sounded equally improbable, since one bothered on the impossible, and the other came as a result of Hannah being medicated for the last seven years and that resulted in her stunted growth in that department.


    Shaking away those thoughts, Hailey focused on the papers once again.


    This time, her focus was spent on figuring out the layering mechanic behind an Ability, namely why one chooses one Ability Principle over the others.


    It all had to do with the Core Feature of an Ability Principle.


    A Core Feature was a base effect that could only be gained when it was chosen to be so, as such, her daughter had the choice between Tool and Summon. But even if one did not choose that as the starting point, at some point they would because a Core Feature could not be repeated across Abilities.


    Instead, the starting point of each of the five max possible Abilities had to originate from one of the Five Ability Principles.


    Meaning, at Level 20 her daughter would have to choose something other than Conjuration as the base of the next ability, with the same happening at Levels 40, 60, and 80. Thus, once more attaining a Balance between the Ability Principles.


    As for what happened at Level 100, that was not mentioned in her daughter''s notes.


    A similar rule existed for the Utility Features of an Ability, but that one only applied if the following manifested Ability was centered around the same Dream.


    As if variety was the key to being a Dreamer.


    Even then, even if the following Ability came from the same Dream, it was highly advised to make the peak effect, namely the last Ability Principle used for the previously manifested Ability, the Core Feature of the next Ability such that a continuity gets established between all the Abilities originating from the same Dream.


    Interesting. Hailey noted in her head that the word usage implied a divergence in the rule when different Dreams were concerned. However, there were no specifics mentioned and Hailey would not bother her daughter for something that minor.


    At least, not right now.


    Nonetheless, what piqued her attention was something else. ¡°Honey¡­ If every new Ability is awakened with a new Ability Principle as its core, would that not defeat the purpose of you becoming a Conjurer? I mean, if this happens five times, then what are you at the end?¡±


    Listening to her mother, Hannah considered her newfound knowledge. ¡°Not exactly. It''s the Dream that makes the User what he or she is. The following Abilities conform to the Dream even though the Core Features may start from another Ability Principle.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that even though your possible next Ability starts with something else it will still be a Tool, Summon, or both at its base?¡± Hailey asked her daughter.


    ¡°Father wasn''t very specific on that point either.¡± Hannah replied. ¡°But something like that¡­ Probably¡­ Also, Father mentioned that at the higher Ranks, it is much harder to distinguish who is who and what their main specialization is because of that very point.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Alright.¡±


    The very next thing Hailey did was look for the Core Features for each Ability Principle.


    The Conjuring Ability Principle she already understood with the Tool or Summon being about obtaining a permanent Item or Companion, or whatever terminology gets used in their place, nevertheless.


    On the other hand, the Utility Features of the Conjuring Ability Principle were all about allowing an Ability to manifest for real in some shape or form, though only temporarily.


    The Unique Ability Principle had barely anything written about it, but what had been there, her daughter had already mentioned it.


    That being the case, Hailey focused on the Domination Ability Principle.


    Dominators had only one Core Feature and it was dubbed Stigma.


    Thankfully, a simple explanation was present, and it said that all Dreams possessed a singular but distinctive quirk of Logic unique to the Dream, and the Domination Ability Principle condenses that unique quirk of Logic into a mark of authority.


    That mark of authority is then called a Stigma.


    Said Stigma may appear in many shapes and forms, but its main purpose was, is, and always will be, to enact a Stigmata User¡¯s Logic upon people, things, and the world at large.


    Whether it be for good or evil, to empower or to deprive, to control or to deceive.


    In the end, it was upon the Stigmata User to decide.


    Regardless, the singular thing about the Stigmata Users was that they were not inherently tied to any preconceived notions, as if their Logic prevailed over everything. As a consequence of their freedom of action, they were highly dependent on the understanding of their Dream, and its Inherent Logic.


    Meaning, that the better one understands one¡¯s Dream and its Inherent Logic, the stronger a Stigmata User becomes.


    Additionally, that increased understanding proves its worth during the Stat Conflict between Dreamers, where even a slight imbalance of Stats can determine if a Stigmata User wins or loses, hence why all Stigmata Users heavily depend on pure Stats and their subsequent elevations.


    What she read did not surprise Hailey.


    Not with the name Domination Ability Principle.


    However, the following text told her what occurred when the Domination Ability Principle was used as a Utility Feature. In simple words, The Domination Ability Principle allowed for standardized conditional interactions between Abilities and their targets.


    Ah¡­ It allows somebody to set down ground rules that would always be in effect. Hailey realized. If I follow that Logic, then the fewer rules there are the more powerful they become.


    Oh¡­ the base and peak effect differentiation represents the paradigm of quantity vs quality.


    I see¡­ I see¡­ Now it makes sense.


    <hr>


    The Core Feature of the Alteration Ability Principle was all about the embodiment of a Dream.


    Meaning, if the core of a Dream was about Fire, then the Alteration Ability Principle demanded the User to become the Fire and everything it represented. If the Dream was about some kind of animal or beast, let''s say a dragon, then the user would embody said dragon by becoming said dragon.


    Therefore, the Core Feature of the Alteration Ability Principle was all about the transformation of the Self and the world around them into the Ideal that their Dream represented.


    To Hailey, that sounded very powerful, only, apparently because of said power, its restrictions were also rather heavy. As such, rather than depending heavily on Stats, the Alteration Ability Principle depended heavily on what kind of Dream a User had access to. Mainly because of the transformation effect of the Dream as Bonus Stats are given to the User based on the form and utility of the transformation.


    That is why Dreamers who establish their Dream by using the Alteration Ability Principle as the base are also called Shifters, which then gets further individualized based on the actual origin of the transformation.


    With the Core Feature covered, Hailey read about the Utility Features for the Alteration Ability Principle. Only there, the transformation tone was toned down and instead focused more on altering something within the Ability instead of the User.


    Naturally, all that was in theory, and practice could be completely different.


    Done with Alteration, Hailey focused on the Evocation Ability Principle.


    If Alteration was all about the transformation of the User or something within the Ability itself, then Evocation was all about the functionality of the User, or the functionality of the Ability itself. Namely the how and the why something occurred, and that very fact was easily noticeable within the Utility Features, where the Evocation Ability Principle helped an Ability do what it was supposed to do.


    On the other hand, a Dream established with the Evocation Ability Principle, unlike all the other Ability Principles, has many variations, such that this very Ability Principle was extremely preferable for D and C-Ranked Dreams, with D being the most preferable option out of all the available ranks, because then, a Dreamer could fully customize the Evocation based Dream through hybridization, meaning the mixing of Evocation Core Features to create something more suited for themselves.


    A similar situation applied to the B, A, and the rarely seen S-Ranked Evoker.


    Even then, since the Evocation Ability Principle was tied to the Instinct Stat, it meant that, whatever a Dream was based on, whether a Martial Expert, a Caster Expert, or a Crafter Expert, Evokers always become some of the most skillful Dreamwalkers to ever exist simply because the speed at which they learned and mastered any field of expertise dwarfed the other Dreamwalkers.


    As such, Evokers are some of the most desired individuals within the world of Dreamers, and also one of the most common, provided that they follow the more common Paths.


    After learning about Evokers, Hailey had this strange notion in her mind.


    She knew not where it came from, not why it reached her, but when it did, a strange sensation of remembrance surfaced at the forefront of her mind.


    Almost like a Deja Vu moment, where one had this distinct feeling of having already done what one was already doing. Most of all, just like a Deja Vu, the current situation stuck with Hailey as if rooting itself within her, yet, just like a Deja Vu, her mind simply dismissed it a few moments later.


    This stuff is heavier than I expected. Hailey voiced in her head. Then again, I was up all night.


    The moment it was thought off, a brief yawn escaped Hailey¡¯s mouth.


    Noticing her tired disposition, Hailey quickly went over the last Ability Principle, namely the Enchantment Ability Principle.


    Just like for the Evocation Ability Principle, the Utility Feature of the Enchantment Ability Principle was pretty straightforward since it allowed a User to integrate an Anchor into an Ability, a fixed slot upon which one can then embed a proto-function, a proto-feature, a proto-effect that in return will affect a Dream permanently.


    The most common way this is done is by using external materials, a medium, during either Awakening. The more slots there are, the more materials could be added to a Dream to influence its Rank, Form, Core, and Utility Features.


    Because of this, on average, Enchanters have some of the highest-ranked Dreams out of all Dreamwalkers, including the fabled S-Ranks.


    As such, Dreams based on the Enchantment Ability Principle are some of the safest and most stable Dreams out of all Dreamwalkers, with very few choosing to go for the extremes instead of the already proven and tested Dreams. Nonetheless, what makes Enchanters special is the fact that Enchanters can upgrade their Dreams post-awakening unlike the other categories, hence what truly matters to an Enchanter is not the Rank of their Dream, but their ability to acquire the necessary medium to advance their Dreams up the rankings, therefore making Enchanters some of the most connected individuals within Dreamwalker society.


    Additionally, because of the material component, Enchanters have some of the most flexible Dream Paths at their disposal, hence it was very easy to come across them in all walks of life, from entertainers to warfare specialists, from crafters to merchants, from nobles to peasants, from poor to rich.


    At the end of the notes regarding Enchanters, Hailey read a footnote.


    ¡®To be an Enchanter is to have the world roll out the red carpet for you, yet have to crawl your way across it.¡¯


    ¡°How¡­ familiar.¡± Hailey murmured as if recognizing her current life situation right within that paragraph because she was indeed mingling with powerful people, yet if she tried advancing her situation, she would indeed be crawling her way upward on all four appendages.


    Either way, tossing it aside, Hailey focused on her daughter. ¡°Honey, I am done. What else should I read?¡±


    Taking away her brown eyes from the scribbles, Hannah answered. ¡°That¡¯s it for the most part. Everything else is me trying to make sense of what father¡­ bestowed¡­ yes, bestowed to me.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then there is no need for me to rush it and this stuff was heavier than I expected.¡± Hailey said. ¡°Let me go take a quick nap before I take a look at your written musings.¡±


    That said, Hailey slowly stood up and made her way to the sole bedroom in the apartment.


    A few steps later, a big yawn escaped from her, only her mind somehow settled on something else.


    ¡°Say, honey.¡± Hailey voiced out just as she was about to enter the bedroom. ¡°Has your father¡¯s ghost told you of your first pathway? Or was that part set for your next session?¡±


    ¡°He did, but I won''t know the specifics till the next session.¡± Hannah answered.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Did you write it down?¡± Hailey inquired of her daughter who in return nodded and fished out one sheet of white paper before lifting and pointing it at her mother.


    Glaring for a second, Hailey took note of the symbol and eagerly went to sleep.


    Yet, even after she fell asleep within moments due to her tired body and mind, her dreams became restless as they began recalling, processing, and understanding what had been done since the last sleeping cycle.


    Through those restless dreams, an unconscious part of Hailey¡¯s awareness settled upon the very recently experienced Deja Vu, and when it did, information around it started bubbling up from the deepest depths of Hailey¡¯s Dreams, to proliferate like a flower in bloom, spreading its spores so they could root themselves within the fertile soil that was the unconscious and subconscious part of Hailey¡¯s mind before eventually new growth emerged to the surface that was her conscious mind.


    Or was it old growth suffused with fresh new potential?


    Nonetheless, regardless of whichever it was, it would take time for any results to appear.

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 8 - Goodbye?

    ¡°This is it, my daughter.¡± Hannah heard her father¡¯s ghost say. ¡°I have taught you the basics all Dreamers had to know. I have informed, guided, and prepared you for the best possible choice and result for your Awakening. Now all that is left is for you to actually walk down the path I have laid for you, and walk it with pride my daughter because very few individuals have done what you will accomplish on that road.


    That being the case, I am of no use to you anymore, therefore, this recording will cease to exist as well. However, before I do, I have one last gift for you. A gift that has nothing to do with your imminent Awakening, but for after it is done.


    You know where to find it.¡±


    With those words, Hannah saw her father¡¯s ghost stand from the office desk and make his way to the red leather sofa chair. Once there, her father¡¯s recorded image sat with his legs crossed all while his brown eyes stared right at the floating multicolored Dream Gem in the middle of the office.


    Yes, just as Hannah expected her father to vanish, his mouth opened up one last time. ¡°Oh¡­ Before I forget it again, let me give you a little warning.


    An unofficial Rule exists within the Dreamwalker Society on Gaia. Never share anything about the Dreamer Society with anybody not of the Dreamer Society. The only exceptions to this Rule are those that are imminently close to Awakening.


    Well¡­ I have said what needed to be said.


    Goodbye, dear daughter, whom I love and cherish very much.¡±


    With a kind smile beamed from his face, Hannah watched her father¡¯s visage flicker for the last time because this time there was nothing to replace it, so all her brown eyes could settle on was the red leather sofa chair in the corner of the office.


    On it, they stayed for a while since Hannah was unsure of what she felt.


    Maybe it was regret? Or maybe it was melancholy? Whatever it was, it was not an emotion Hannah was familiar with. And it showed because it took her a long time to recover from those feelings.


    When she did, though, Hannah spoke up even though none but her would hear it. ¡°Goodbye¡­ Father!¡±


    After that, Hannah¡¯s lips opened and closed a few times, as if seeking something else to say. Unfortunately, that something else never seemed to manage to find its way to broad daylight. Instead, Hannah¡¯s attention shifted to the last gift her father had left her. Hence, her gaze turned away from the red leather sofa chair and settled on the office desk.


    Very briefly, her brown eyes settled on the five glowing palm-sized bubbles containing the material for her Awakening.


    Each of the five bubbles emanated a peculiar sensation to her that made each of the five ingredients contained within those bubbles a unique phenomenon within the Dreamer Society.


    Luckily, having already studied the ingredients, and their origins, Hannah ignored them and settled her vision on the origin, namely the drawer from which she had originally taken out her now attuned crystal card by the name of Dreamer¡¯s Card or D-Card for short.


    Walking up to the office desk and the drawer in question, Hannah opened it up to find an envelope inside.


    A white envelope with green flourishing to make it more appealing. Additionally, since the front of the envelope faced up, Hannah was immediately privy to the signet mark that was used to seal the envelope with candle wax. Or, at least, she assumed it to be so since this was, in truth, the very first time Hannah came across something like this outside that one time her history teacher had presented an example.


    Picking up the envelope from the drawer''s insides, Hannah paid greater attention to the candle wax mark in the shape of a crossed sword and staff, a magical staff if her interpretation was correct.


    Turning the envelope around, Hannah read the only letters written on the backside in a large and blocky format yet very stylized.


    ¡°Champions Association.¡± Hannah read out loud, but since she had no clue what it referred to aside from the individual words for Champion and Association, of course, she simply ignored it and tried her best to open the envelope, but no matter how she tried to wiggle her fingers within the front slit of the envelope, the candle wax seal simply refused to budge its existence.


    In the end, Hannah was reminded of her father¡¯s words, words indicating that this last gift was for after her Awakening. As such, she simply placed the envelope on the office desk together with five ingredients and the blueprints for her Tool and Summon.


    Nevertheless, after that, Hannah had trouble with what to do.


    Part of her knew that all that was left to do was start the Awakening process, yet, a small part of her was reluctant to do so right in this moment.


    That very same part of her desired Hannah to inform her mother of everything that had occurred so far because, once started, there was no way to interrupt the Awakening process, hence she did not want her mother to worry if she did not wake up on time as usual.


    Nodding at the plan, Hannah wondered for a second on how to leave her Dream Sanctum voluntarily since she had never done so through her own cognition. No, it always occurred when something had pushed her into a corner like her father¡¯s ghost sharing knowledge that was too much for her to handle.


    In the end, Hannah went for the simplest solution she could think of, and that was to just lay down on the floor and attempt to fall asleep hoping that it would instead wake her up back in real life.


    <hr>


    The very first thing Hannah noticed after leaving her Dream Sanctum was that it was still dark, still in the middle of the night, though it was closer to morning than to midnight.


    The second thing Hannah realized was that she was not alone in her bedroom. That very stricken understanding spiked a moment of paralyzing fear into her when she noted a bulge on her right side within her peripheral vision thanks to a small bit of emanating purple light from a little contraption plugged into an electric socket.


    Ignoring the mosquito-luring contraption, Hannah¡¯s third understanding flooded through her mind. However, this one she did not expect at all. She did not because Hannah had imagined she was rid of it, permanently, now that she had access to her Dream Sanctum. Yet, it was that very same understanding telling her that she was not currently present within said Dream Sanctum, hence why from deep within her a hungry monster woke up.


    Just as Hannah was about to panic even further, from beside her, the bulge depressed itself before establishing itself only this time with the perpetrators facing Hannah.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Hannah cried out softly, with an almost tear-stained expression.


    In the same instant, Hailey opened her amber eyes to stare at her daughter. ¡°Hey¡­ Honey¡­ Did I scare you there for a second?¡± Hailey asked with a sleepy tone, but only slightly because her body had become accustomed to her nightly work routine, hence she was having trouble falling asleep.


    In the same instant, Hannah heard her mother''s voice, the spike of fear also settled down, but not without a mighty protest in the form of chorting and chirping sent Hannah¡¯s way.


    Noticing her daughter not replying instantly though she was awake, Hailey finally shrugged off the slightly sleepy look on her face.


    Lifting the blanket on her daughter''s side, Hailey spoke up.


    ¡°Come here. Let''s snuggle a bit.¡± That said, Hannah nodded before lifting her own blanket and crawling into her mother¡¯s bosom.


    Once there, Hannah snuggled within her mother''s soft embrace.


    Sadly, despite the cushy embrace, sleep escaped her as her mind worked overtime with everything she had witnessed within her father¡¯s office and what occurred just a few moments prior.


    Instead, to divert her attention, Hannah spoke up. ¡°Mom? How are you here?¡±


    Listening to the inquiry of her daughter, Hailey replied. ¡°There was some sort of gas leak at the establishment.¡±


    Intrigued even more, Hannah¡¯s head left her mother''s bosom to stare at her. ¡°Gas leak?¡±


    ¡°Yea.¡± Hailey confirmed again. ¡°Government Agents suddenly appeared all over the place shooing away everyone, employee and customer alike. By the time any of us knew what was happening for certain, the whole street was evacuated, leaving us stranded on the street. So the Mistress simply sent us home.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ ¡°


    Just as Hannah wondered what to say, Hailey interrupted her. ¡°What about you?¡±


    Almost instantly, Hannah¡¯s attention was shifted from her mother''s workplace. ¡°He''s gone!¡±


    ¡°Gone? You mean your father¡¯s ghost?¡±


    ¡°Hnng.¡± Hannah murmured.


    ¡°Completely?¡±


    Hesitant for a moment, Hannah responded. ¡°Umm¡­ I think so.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Hailey said. ¡°Listen, honey¡­ Whether it was just your imagination or not, I am glad that you met your father in your dreams. I am not sure how much you remember of him before your nightmares started, but he was a good man and he would be proud of you just as I am. Okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Know, Mom.¡± Hannah hesitantly responded because her father¡¯s words had implied something similar, though in a rather abject form. Yet, in the same instant that she remembered those, Hannah remembered their father¡¯s last warning.  ¡°Mom. In the end, before Father¡¯s ghost vanished, he mentioned a warning. A warning to not speak about Dreamers if you were not part of them or close to Awakening.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Well¡­ Color me surprised on that one.¡± Hailey said, but it was clear from her tone that it was anything but close to surprise. ¡°How mighty convenient for you guys. Then again¡­ if my husband was one and my daughter will soon be one as well, then would that not technically make me part of you guys?¡±


    Unsure about it, Hannah simply spoke about her lack of knowledge. ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about it, honey.¡± Hailey stated. ¡°If somebody wonders about it, just say it''s your father''s fault. After all, a dead man can''t defend himself since he is underground and in a casket.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Hearing the soft chuckle, Hailey squeezed her daughter to her bosom for a moment.


    ¡°Since neither of us feels that sleepy, why don''t you tell me everything that went on this time?¡±


    Asked about it, Hannah delivered by telling her mother of what she''d learned on this day, or night, and also by what she''d been given. How they looked and how they behaved. It was in that very same moment, that a sudden suspicion arose within Hailey¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Honey¡­ Wait¡­ Repeat the names for me.¡± Hailey asked.


    ¡°OK.¡± Hannah said before responding and listing the five ingredients for her Awakening.


    ¡°The first bubble held an Apricot of Time plucked from an Apricot Tree within the Dream of Purple.¡±


    ¡°The second bubble held a Seed of Space found within the soil of the Dream of Brown.¡±


    ¡°The third bubble contained a Ray of Lighting.¡± Hannah said before going into more details with a slightly exciting tone behind her voice. ¡°You should have seen it, Mom. It was all red and sparkly within the bubble, and when I shook it, it started shooting off even more sparks. It was amazing.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Similar to a snow globe, only with lightning instead of snow.. Anyway, where was it found again?¡± Hailey inquired, though, her purpose of knowing was hidden.


    ¡°Ah. Father said it was usually seen within the towering Nimbus Columnbus within the Nightmare of Red.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Alright. Go on. Tell me about the last two.¡±


    ¡°Hnng¡­ The fourth bubble did not appear anything special since all it did was contain a flower bud, so I could not see what it truly looked like.¡± Hannah answered. ¡°Though, Father did call it a Flower of Life and it could be found growing on top of the Vast Lakes within the Dream of Blue.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ And the last one?¡±


    ¡°The last one was hard to make out, but it appeared fluid in nature with shimmering colors of black, blue, magenta, and similar colors.¡± Hannah said. ¡°Apparently it is called Water of Chaos and it can be found within the ocean depths of the Nightmare of Blue.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Mmm¡­ Say, honey¡­ Is it just me or do those names point at something obvious.¡± Hailey poignantly asked her daughter who was still snuggled in her bosom.


    ¡°Umm!¡± Hannah said nothing and began pondering what her mother hinted about. Only no matter how she worded the names in her head, she was no closer to any true understanding. ¡°I don''t know, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Somehow that does not surprise me since you''ve had no contact with that part of society.¡± Now even more curious, Hannah¡¯s head left her mother''s bosom again and stared right at her amber eyes, though it was hard to tell they were of that color in the darkness. ¡°What I am talking about, my innocent little bunny, is the fact that those very names you just listed to me portray the first signs of extravagance, and since extravagance is directly related to wealth, I am sure you can see where I am going with this.¡±


    Despite it having been pointed so directly, it still took Hannah a few moments before the metaphorical bulb of imagination bore its purpose, and when it did, only one word escaped Hannah¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Oh..¡±


    ¡°Now you get it.¡± Hailey added grimly. ¡°If your Dreamer business is truly real and all that, then those gifts you just received sound mighty expensive to me.¡±


    Trembling for a moment, as things finally clicked for her, Hannah turned completely silent, because it was at this point that she finally understood, or at least appeared to understand that it was her fault that her mother was sacrificing herself so much for her, again.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Truly, when it hit her, it hit her hard, causing Hannah to almost instantly tear up before actual tears streamed from her tear ducts, all while her mouth urgently began apologizing.


    ¡°I¡­ am¡­ Mom¡­ I am so sorry¡­ It''s all my fault¡­. I am sorry.¡±


    Cradling her daughter as she cried out for the second time in a long while, Hailey hushed her daughter to stop crying.


    ¡°It''s ok¡­ It''s ok, darling¡­ it''s not your fault.¡± Hailey voiced out. ¡°If it has to be anyone''s fault, then it is your father''s since he is the one who got those gifts for you.¡± Having it said like that, did calm down Hannah somewhat, though her crying refused to stop. ¡°Shh¡­ Shh¡­ It''s ok¡­ Let it all out first¡­ and then we can talk about the true enigma.¡±


    ¡°Sniff¡­ Enigma?¡± Hannah managed to utter out.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hailey confirmed. ¡°I''ve had this suspicion since your last session, but it''s only today that I am certain enough to point it out to you. Namely how your father knew exactly what would befall you over seven years ago, and how he knew exactly what you needed seven and plus years later.¡±


    Once pointed out, the mystery managed to calm Hannah down further since her mind began making connections of the how.


    <hr>


    ¡°You continue preparing mentally.¡± Hailey voiced out with a steel-like tone. ¡°I should be back long before it''s dark, so take care.¡±


    ¡°I will, Mom.¡± Hannah answered as she saw her mother leave with a firm expression of getting some answers.


    ¡°Good. Bye¡­ Bye.¡± Hailey said and waved at her daughter before making her way down the stairs of the apartment complex.


    Once she was outside, she trekked a bit to reach the main street. There, a few moments passed as he waited for a yellow car to appear, and the moment it did, she raised her right arm to call for it. Unluckily, it seemed her first option refused to stop by, but luckily the second was the opposite.


    Opening and closing the second passenger door, Hailey stepped inside and greeted the taxi driver before giving him an address and watching the streets go by. Usually, Hailey used a bus, as it had a somewhat convenient schedule with where she lived and it was cheaper if you bought the monthly card for it.


    Today, however, was not such a day, since it was nowhere near her usual clock-in time for work. Not that she intended to work either way since the government folks had shut down the whole street and not just the Rose Peach Bordello where she worked as a hostess to cater to rich people, and their acquaintances, who visit these kinds of establishments to do all kinds of activities they could or would not be able to outside the Red Light District of Oaktown City.


    No, Hailey was not going there to work or anything close to it.


    Instead, she was there for some answers.


    Answers that were long due to come her way. She only hoped that she would find them because one of the reasons she was so in the dark about her husband''s debt had to do with the existing contract between him and the people to whom he had become indebted. Namely, the clause that disallowed her the acquisition of the information regarding the details of the contract, which was contradictory in the first place since that made the debt look like a very big con for money.


    However, every lawyer she had involved in the negotiations proved the aforementioned con-like contract as valid. In fact, her inherited debt was so real that there was no way out of it save paying it off.


    Nevertheless, to pay it off a ridiculous amount of money was needed and Hailey had no such money.


    Reminded of the past, Hailey quickly shook her head to shake off the past, because now, she needed to be more than a simple mother.


    No.


    Now she needed to be an extremely pissed-off mother if she was to get anything out of Mistress Ping, the owner of the Rose Peach Bordello. At least, if she found the women at all since the apparent gas leak had shooed away everybody. However, when the taxi driver drove her to the Red Light District, Hailey found a rather disturbing amount of black-clad people with weapons in hand.


    ¡°Miss¡­ Are you sure you want to stop here?¡± The driver asked honestly since the sight even disturbed him as well.


    Not responding immediately, Hailey glanced around the entrance of the Red Light District. It was there that she found a familiar face.


    ¡°I am.¡± Hainley finally answered and paid the money for the fare.


    Once outside the car, Hailey schooled her face into the sternest and angriest face she could and rushed for the familiar face. Naturally, by rushing it meant fast walking. Either way, the moment Hailey reached the familiar face, the same familiar person reacted to her by blossoming a smile on that pretty face which had no right to belong to a man, even an effeminate man in this case.


    ¡°Miss Blackwood. I was hoping to see you.¡± The man with the female face said.


    ¡°I am sure you did, Lee¡± Hailey retorted at the man directly without hiding her animosity because the man before her had tried to get his way into her pants multiple times, just like he had accomplished with the other hostesses of the Rose Peach Bordello due to being Mistress Ping¡¯s nephew.


    That and his pretty face.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I keep telling you Miss, that there is no need to be feisty with me.¡± Lee Ping said before shaking his head and mentioning the main reason he even stood at the entrance of the Red Light District. ¡°Aunty told me to inform the Rose Peach employees that the Bordello will be closed for a few days till everything is fixed and reinstated.¡±


    ¡°Fixed?¡± Hailey called out. ¡°So there was indeed a gas leak problem? But then why is the whole district closed? And why are all those men in black standing guard?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ It seems the problem was bigger than expected. Old pipes and all that.¡± Lee Ping nonchalantly answered with a shrug of his shoulders emphasizing his lack of concern. ¡°So the government is closing the district to prevent any casualties till the problem is mended. It should not take too long from what I heard. A week at most.¡±


    Just hearing it, Hailey could imagine the noise and angry shouts to get everything fixed as soon as possible and make the hidden river of money and influence flow again. Truly, had she not been right in the middle of this hidden world of pleasure and vice, Hailey would have never believed just how much went on behind the scenes.


    Shaking her head, Hailey recalled her furious side. ¡°Where is Mistress? I need to speak with her immediately.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Miss. But Aunty is busy and does not have time to waste.¡± Lee Ping replied with a shake of his head.


    ¡°I did not ask if she was busy or not. I asked you where she is and you will tell me.¡± Hailes almost shouted at the pretty boy in front of her.


    ¡°Woah¡­ Woah¡­ What''s got you so zesty.¡±


    ¡°Stop distracting¡­ Where is Mistress Ping?¡± Hailey asked again, only her voice was just loud enough to gain the attention of the man in black holding weapons.


    ¡°Ok¡­ Ok¡­ There is no need to shout.¡± Lee Ping said before throwing his hands into the air. ¡°Still¡­ Like I told you before. Aunty is busy and has no time to see you. Her orders and all that.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care!¡± Hailey shouted. ¡°She will see me, or there will be trouble.¡± That said, Hailey suddenly inched her head closer to the young man¡¯s head before whispering her true threat. ¡®Or would you like me to spill some beans to those nice men in black uniforms?¡¯


    ¡°Oy¡­ Oy¡­ Oy¡­ That is going way over the board.¡± Lee Ping suddenly responded as if clearly bothered by what could be exposed. ¡°Fine, Miss¡­ Since you are that adamant about it, I will tell you. Aunty is back within the Bordello.¡±


    ¡°She is?¡± Hailey voiced out, surprised that the older women had not been banished by now, like everybody else.


    ¡°Yea¡­ The sky will fall sooner than somebody having the guts to evict her from her own property.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°Anyway, the main entrance is blocked as you can see, so use the back entrance. As for Aunty¡¯s location? Well¡­ The last time I saw her she was in her office and pissed, royally pissed that is. So if you are going, do not mention that I told you anything. Clear?¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± With a grumpy exterior, Hailey immediately switched gears and zipped her way outside the main street and into a small alley, hidden between two buildings.


    Clearing a few bends, here and there, Hailey found the back entrance. Yet, just as she saw the door, she was reminded that it was a one-way door, at least if you had no key to open it from the outside.


    ¡°Damn, bastard.¡± Hailey shouted after gripping the handle and pushing on the door a few times.


    Luckily, just as she wanted to rush back and assault the pretty boy with a good kick between the legs because, no matter how pretty he was, he still possessed manly parts down there, the backdoor opened up.


    Almost instantly, another familiar face greeted her, only this one was blocky as it stood on a bulky neck and body. ¡°Greg¡­ It''s¡­ Cough¡­ Thank you for opening the door for me Greg. Can you let me in, I need to speak with the Mistress?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Miss Blackwood.¡± Greg said before quickly scratching the right side of his chin. Eventually, he stepped aside to let Hailey pass through. ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Greg¡­ You''re a gentleman, like always.¡± Hailey gently voiced before urgently going inside the Rose Peach Bordello.


    Nevertheless, what she found inside was not what she expected.


    <hr>


    What Hailey expected was an empty building, but she should have known better.


    Greg¡¯s presence was a clear indicator that things were not as they should be since, while the building was not up to its full capacity, even if it was currently early in the day, the presence of so many security personnel presented a clear anomaly.


    When so many of those huge or buff men began glaring at Hailey, it made her feel small and weak, like prey caught within a trap.


    Thankfully, Hailey had a clear purpose today, so she had an easier time shrugging off the intimidating factor sent her way. As such, she quickly ignored the security personnel and made her way up the stairs, with the goal being the last floor as the last floor was designated as the administrative part of the building.


    Stepping on the steps upward, a part of Hailey wondered behind the reason for an almost empty building needing that many security present.


    Maybe gas leak is a synonym for something else leaking?


    With no answer sent her way, Hailey quickly found herself before the large office door.


    Nonetheless, she did not enter inside instantly because the earlier standoff between the security personnel had unnerved her quite a bit. Hence, after taking a rather big breath, Hailey steadied herself before knocking on the wooden door.


    With the knock, she grabbed the handle and entered inside, though, she was once again seeing things she did not expect. Namely, going by Lee Ping¡¯s description, she expected an angry visage staring at her, but what she found was the epitome of graceful serenity within those old black eyes of the Mistress of Rose Peach Bordello.


    ¡°Madam Blackwood?¡± Hailey heard the old lady say in a surprised tone before taking a puff from her golden inlaid brass smoking pipe. ¡°Now¡­ You¡­ I did not expect to see today¡­ Has my nephew already failed at his errand? Anyway¡­ Come inside?¡±


    Nodding, Hailey entered and closed the door. After that, she went directly for the seat opposite the office desk where the old madam sat behind. ¡°Your nephew, as much of a prick as he is, tried hard to steer me away, but we need to talk, so I am sorry for barging in like this.¡±


    ¡°Then we will talk.¡± Mistress Ping voiced out. ¡°Why did you seek me out?¡±


    ¡°It''s¡­ about the Contract.¡±


    Narrowing her eyes, the old Mistress drew a puff from her smoking pipe. While exhaling it, she also responded. ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Before I say it, I must ask this.¡± Hailey pointed out. ¡°Aside from the stipulated clause within the Contract, is there any other reason I am not allowed to know its true nature?¡±


    ¡°As in?¡± The old lady remarked but said no more, clearly indicating that it was up to Hailey herself to say it.


    ¡°That¡­ Maybe that I am forbidden to know about its true nature because I am not part of said true nature, even though clearly my late husband had been?¡± Hailey extrapolated vaguely.


    ¡°Could be.¡± The old lady affirmed, only a shake of her head followed right after. ¡°But with your vague wording, you won''t get any clear answers from me. Either you speak more plainly or you will not get anything out of me since I am clearly not allowed to tell you otherwise.¡±


    With neither a confirmation nor a denial. Hailey knew she was running out of cards.


    That being the case, from her purse she fished out a piece of paper before slamming it on the table and pushing it toward her boss.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Puzzled, the old woman grabbed the paper and unfolded it.


    Hailey was not of Asian descent, but having worked for the old Asian woman for the last seven or so years, she was clear that the piece of paper had surprised the old woman, and her next words only added to that confirmation.


    ¡°How did you get by these names?¡± The old woman asked and glared at her employee, only Hailey refused to immediately surrender her source, which was her daughter. ¡°Never mind, I can guess it somewhat. Either way, even if you have come across some pieces of information, I won''t be able to tell you much.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Hailey cried out with indignation rushing from the depths of her mental state. ¡°Because there are rules that forbid ordinary people like me from knowing?¡±


    ¡°YES!!!¡± Shao Ping, Mistress of Rose Peach affirmed, instantly stopping Hailey from going further. But then, that same firm tone softened. ¡°Look, Hailey¡­ You may find it hard to believe, but that Rule exists for your benefit, not mine.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Stunned, Hailey quickly tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°Not you specifically, but you get the gist.¡± The old woman added. ¡°That Rule exists for a reason, and while I can''t tell you the actual reason, know that you can not be under its protection without agreeing to its existence.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Wait¡­ What?¡± Stumped even more, Hailey did not know what to think. ¡°You¡­ Are you saying that I willingly chose not to know stuff?¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Taking another puff from her smoking pipe, the old woman nodded and exhaled the intoxicant. ¡°Yes¡­ So I will repeat it for you again. You can not be forced under it without actively agreeing to be under its presence.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ So¡­ You¡¯re saying that¡­ sometime in the past, I agreed to not know about Dreamers?¡± Hailey fished for answers despite still being confused.


    ¡°That term you just used is but one of many.¡± The old woman responded with a shake of her head. ¡°Think of it like you think about trees. Many variations exist. So you did not just choose to forget about the term you just voiced out, but about everything else as well, the good and the bad.¡±


    Hearing the way it was described, a suspicion reached Hailey. ¡°Why are you not directly saying the name?¡±


    ¡°Because I can''t.¡± The old woman responded, clearly annoyed but that very fact, hence she took another puff from her smoke pipe. ¡°When you say it, it is but a simple word. Of no consequences to you. However, were I to try it in front of you while you are still under the protection of the Rule, it would be like spitting at a God while clearly understanding and expecting divine retribution in return.¡±


    ¡°Therefore, it is simply not done.¡± The old woman pointed out. ¡°At least if you want to continue doing business in this¡­ place.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ That makes no sense.¡± Hailey spoke up her mind. ¡°If that is indeed the case, then how did I learn about it in the first place?¡±


    ¡°You tell me!¡±


    ¡°Hannah?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ So it is her.¡± The old woman said annoyingly. ¡°Was about damn time the girl woke up.¡±


    Hearing it, Hailey instantly perked up. ¡°You knew? You knew about her problem all these years and did nothing about it?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, dear.¡± Mistress Ping replied apologetically. ¡°Just like I can''t tell you stuff, I can''t intervene in your daughter''s favor. Mmm¡­ That and it would go against my best interests.¡±


    ¡°Interests? What?¡± Hailey shouted out with disbelief.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Now that you are partially in the know, I might as well tell you.¡± The old lady said. ¡°You were never the inheritor, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Can''t be¡± Flabbergasted, Hailey realized the truth. The truth of why she had been forbidden from knowing more about the contract her husband had made. ¡°Could it be? All these years, I have been working for nothing? Selling myself for nothing?¡±


    ¡°Not nothing.¡± The old lady chuckled, though she knew she should not. ¡°More like throwing peanuts into a deep well. Eventually, you would have filled it up. Would have taken a few lifetimes, though.¡±


    Beyond the point of even being angry, Hailey barely registered the following conversation with Shao Ping, Mistress of the Rose Peach Bordello, before she had been sent on her way home.


    No, all that remained in her mind was the suggestion from the old woman to bring her daughter after she was done waking up.


    Meanwhile, a few moments prior, meaning just as an angered and red-faced member of the Blackwood family left her office, old Madam Ping stood up from her chair, and walked right to the big window on one side of her office.


    At the same time, the old lady''s visage left her as wrinkles straightened out, and her white hair attained a black hue with two bumps emerging from the top of the no longer old lady, only for said bumps to display fox-shaped ears, stuffed with white hair.


    Additionally, on her back, right where the spine met the hips, six fluffy black and white tails emerged.


    On top of that, the Western-styled clothes she wore blurred out of existence, and in their place a red/white/black old-styled Asian dress emerged with plenty of skin to show off. The only thing that did not change, at all, was the golden inlaid brass smoking pipe.


    Once at the big window, Shao Ping of the Nine-Tailed Clan pressed the handle and slid the door/window to the side before actually stepping on the balcony attached to her office. When she did though, Shao Ping¡¯s attention shifted toward the sky and at the unbelievably large bump that was present in the sky.


    The bump was of black and silver hues, with silver being the main component.


    White clouds were present in the sky as they moved from east to west, but they just could not seem to cover up the huge bulge. Not that they needed to because those under the protection of the Veil of Ignorance could not perceive the black/silver bump either way.


    ¡°No matter how many times I see it, it still makes me think of a perfectly ripe pimple, just ready to pop and release its hideous insides.¡± Shao Ping spoke out loud. ¡°Don''t you think so, Heinrich?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ It will be hideous for some, indeed.¡± A male voice replied with arrogance, however, the moment Shao Ping tried to seek the origin of the voice, all she noticed was its clear absence.


    Shaking her head, Shao Ping of the Nine. Tailed Clan took a large puff from her smoking pipe while a part of her wondered just what the enigmatic man had been up to for the last eight years.

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 9 - Prototype?

    Seeing the distraught expression on her mother¡¯s face, Hannah knew things had not gone as hoped.


    However, the question was in which direction they had gone wrong.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Hannah spoke up, instantly gaining her mother¡¯s attention.


    ¡°AH¡­ Hey, sweety¡­ I am back.¡± Her mother said after almost getting spoked in turn, as if her mind had been somewhere else and all that had been there beforehand was habit. ¡°We will talk later. For now¡­ I need to process just how utterly useless I am¡­ Yes¡­ We will talk later.¡±


    Hannah was unsure of how to respond to her downtrodden mother, so she simply nodded before watching her world, her pillar in this world, stagger into their shared bedroom.


    Just as her mother was about to enter the bedroom, Hannah, for one single moment, imagined herself rushing to her mother and hugging her from the back so she could tell her mother that everything would be alright.


    Unfortunately, her imagination was a tad too slow to build enough encouragement for Hannah actually to do it on the fly.


    Instead, Hannah just stood there.


    When the bedroom door closed with a rather louder sound than Hannah was used to, she knew that her mother¡¯s investigation could only have led to one thing, namely the denial of Hannah''s wish to return her father¡¯s gifts so the debt would be alleviated and thereby freeing her mother from the burden that she bore.


    Naturally, Hannah had no idea how to do that, but if it was possible to put them inside her Dream Sanctum, then it was also possible to take them out, somehow.


    Only it was clear that Hannah¡¯s instant solution to her mother¡¯s debt problem failed, and if that was the case, there was only one thing left to do, at least, in Hannah¡¯s mind.


    Gathering her courage, Hannah steeled herself for what she had to do.


    Having prepared herself for it the whole day, mentally that is since there was not much to be done about it physically, Hannah found the couch and laid down on it. While staring at the white ceiling with her brown eyes, she took a deep breath. After exhaling it, Hannah nodded and steeled her resolve one last time.


    That done, she closed her brown eyes and tried her best to fall asleep.


    Maybe it was determination, or maybe it was something else entirely, but Hannah fell asleep very fast.


    In truth, whichever it was, it did not matter when Hannah found herself within her father¡¯s office, her current Dream Sanctuary because everything she was currently witnessing would vanish the moment she was done Awakening.


    The very first thing she noted was the clear absence of her father¡¯s ghost.


    The second was about the floating multi-colored Dream Gem, while the third was about the unique items lying on the office desk.


    Only after she was done examining all three of those, had Hannah taken a large breath to relax herself even further before enacting the Awakening process. Once it was done, she took a few steps closer to the office desk to center her gaze on her Dreamer¡¯s Status Card resting on the wooden desk, or D-Card for short.


    Since it had been a while, the D-Card had turned itself off, though not completely. The way her father had mentioned it, it was closer to sleeping than being actually turned off. As such, all it took for Hannah to turn it on again was tapping the front side of the transparent crystal twice. As a result, the transparent crystal instantly attained new colors, colors displaying a swirling vortex in the middle of the screen.


    Accompanying the swirling vortex of black and white were six icons; Status, Abilities, Skills, Inventory, Map, and Social.


    Tapping on Ability, the screen flickered for a second causing a new window to pop up.


    Inside that new popped-up window two new icons emerged.


    The first icon was Ability Potential Assessment. If Hannah tapped it, it would lead her to the readings showcasing her current Ability Potential Assessment. Additionally, Hannah could activate another Assessment process if she desired since Potential was fluid and never truly fixed upon one result, hence Ability Potential could grow and decline from use or disuse, with growth being much more common than decline.


    Regardless, after seeing it, Hannah instantly set it aside to focus on the second icon, Ability Awakening.


    Hesitating for a single moment, Hannah took another deep breath before pressing the icon labeled Ability Awakening.


    Nevertheless, unlike previously, she did not let go. Instead, Hannah simply waited for about ten seconds. After those ten seconds passed, a DING sound echoed from her D-Card.


    Having been told about it, Hannah did not panic and instead released her right forefinger from the screen to read what had emerged alongside the ding sound.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Ability Awakening has been initiated!


    *


    [First Warning]


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please confirm your desire to Awaken an Ability.


    [?] - [?]


    <hr>


    Seeing it, Hannah felt her throat itch for some reason, as if parched for water. This caused her to gulp once before actually pressing the heavily indicated Yes button, though there was no actual button on her D-Card.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    [First Warning] - Successfully passed.


    <hr>


    The alert stayed for five seconds before flickering, causing a new screen to appear.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    Stage One; Sequence


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please input the Sequence Pathway for your Ability.


    <hr>


    This one stayed for five seconds as well but when it vanished, in its place a hexagon appeared, a hexagon with small circles around each tip of the hexagon.


    Inside each of the circles, a distinct icon was seen. Distinct because each circle represented a different Ability Principle, and since there were six circles, it meant there were Six Basic Ability Principles.


    Thankfully, having been taught about it, Hannah knew only five were important to her right now.


    Additionally, the User Interface, as her father had called it, had been made to be very friendly for users of D-Cards, hence, Hannah knew this part would be very easy to accomplish. Namely, all Hannah had to do was press the circles one after another and her pathway would be confirmed.


    Though, despite said knowledge, Hannah was careful where her fingers went as she did it.


    The first circle, the starting point, began in the lower right corner of the screen displaying the hexagon because Hannha¡¯s first Ability would start from the Conjuring Ability Principle.


    Carefully placing her finger on the circle representing said Principal, Hannah watched the circle turn green after her finger stayed on the circle for about five seconds.


    Additionally, a brief Ding sound echoed for confirmation.


    With that done, her right forefinger separated from the Conjuring principle to carefully inch its way for the upper circle, the first circle right at the top of the screen, the circle representing the Enchantment Ability Principle.


    Similar to before, Hannah pressed her finger inside the circle for five seconds causing it to turn green and produce a Ding sound.


    Emboldened by the success, the process of sequencing her Ability went off without any problems.


    The next circle, the circle representing the Evocation Ability Principle, was situated below the first one on the left upper side of the screen. Five seconds and a Ding sound later, the choice was confirmed. Five seconds after that, plus another Ding sound echoing into Hannah¡¯s ears, the Domination Ability Principle situated immediately below Evocation was confirmed.


    Two more to go Hannah voiced in her head, before her right forefinger switched sides and jumped to the upper right side of her D-Card where the circle representing the Alteration Ability Principle resided.


    Waiting another five seconds, and another Ding sound, Hannah focused her sight on the very last unlit circle, the circle at the bottom of the screen, the circle representing the Unique Ability Principle.


    The moment it lit up, the whole screen flickered once causing a new screen to layer itself over the already present sequencing screen.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    Stage One; Sequence


    *


    [Second Warning]


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please confirm your Sequence Pathway.


    [?] - [?]


    <hr>


    Seeing it, Hannah gulped once more and tapped the Yes button that was not actually a button yet it functioned as one.


    <hr>


    With Stage One done, it was time for Stage Two.


    If Stage One was about the confirmation of the pathway, then Stage Two was about the details regarding the pathway choice and the Potential it was tied to. Namely, the numbers her Ability Potential Assessment had spewed out after investigating her deeply before grading her Potential with each Ability Principle through some unknown criteria.


    Thankfully, while Stage Two was significant as it defined the effective limits of her Ability, it was easily accomplished because, once again, the User Interface for Dreamers was made to be User-friendly. That being the case, all Hannah had to do was tap each of the lit-up circles once on her D-Card for a new screen to appear with a number at the top of that window and a simple slider right below it.


    The slider represented a percentage slider where one could easily alter the indicated number above it.


    Additionally, thanks to being User friendly, Hannah¡¯s Ability Potential was already pre-set for each of the five Ability Principles, therefore, Hannah could have simply left it be and locked everything as it was.


    Unfortunately, her father had instructed her to adjust the inputs somewhat, so that was what she did.


    The already preset choice of 33% for Conjuration was adjusted to 40%.


    Enchantment, which had been sitting at 53%, was lowered to 50%.


    Evocation barely changed at all, with 61% becoming 60%. However, the same could not be said for Domination since Hannah adjusted the slider by a whopping 9%, thus from 69%, it went down to 60%.


    The second to last change Hannah made was lowering Alteration from 71% down to 70%, but the last one, the Unique Ability Principle one, Hannah lowered to 0%.


    This part had, and still did, left Hannah somewhat flabbergasted.


    Still, after hearing her father say that Ability Potential could grow and decline, it was not too far-fetched for her to imagine that it is possible to shave off somebody''s Potential in one category to fill it in somewhere where it was needed.


    In Hannah¡¯s case, the shaved-off Potential from the other Principles would tip her lacking Conjuration Potential right into the next grading category, namely improving her Conjuration Potential from Poor to Adequate.


    As for the spillover, since Hannah had placed a maximum on her Conjuring Potential? Well. If her father¡¯s teachings were true? Then what was left after filling Conjuration would spill over into the Unique Ability Principle, thus upping its Potential from 5% to 12%.


    However, the unique thing about the Unique Ability Principle was that it was never actually used up, unless one was stupid to do so, that is. Hence the shaving and filling process would be repeated four more times until one was ready to face the very last Nightmare Tribulation after reaching Level 100.


    Shaking her head, Hannah mentally tossed away the very distant musings.


    Instead, she focused on the new pop-up on her screen.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    Stage Two; Limit


    *


    [Third Warning]


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please confirm your choice of the preferential Limits of your Ability.


    [?] - [?]


    <hr>


    Pressing the yes button, the screen on her D-Card flickered once again, only this time, the hexagram representing her pathway vanished.


    In its place, the new popped-up window presented Hannah with a choice.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Stage Three; Template


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please input the Template for your Ability via the following methods.


    *


    Analog!


    Virtual!


    <hr>


    Reading the words, Hannah took a deep breath before quickly recalling her father¡¯s teachings.


    The Analog Template Input method provided a basic input/output interface, where all Hannah had to do was type in the information for her desired Ability, namely the description of the Ability, its Core, and Utility Features.


    That way, Hannah would establish the basic framework for her desired Ability.


    The Virtual Template Input method, however, was the exact opposite, where one was given remarkable space to design an Ability down to the minute details, and it functioned by pulling a D-Card User¡¯s mind inside some kind of Virtual Space.


    The good thing about Analog was that it was simple, the bad thing about it was that during Ability Manifestation, there was room for extra interpretation, thus providing extra randomness, hence an Ability may not come out exactly as desired despite always being faithful to its basic framework.


    The good thing about Virtual was that it was complicated, but the bad thing about it was that it required knowledge and serious Stat buffering during the designing process. Another minus for the Virtual Template Input Method lay in the fact that it was possible to overshoot one''s goal while designing an Ability, thus botching up the process of Ability Manifestations, unlike the Analog method which was guaranteed to succeed, one way or the other.


    ¡°This is it.¡± Hannah murmured. ¡°There is no going back after this point.¡±


    ¡°Ahu¡­ Phew¡­ Ahu¡­ Phew¡­¡±


    ¡°I can do this¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Hannah quickly shook her head before correcting herself. ¡°I will do this¡­ Yes¡­ I will do it, no matter what.¡±


    Perking herself up, though not entirely for herself, Hannah ignored her D-Card for a moment. Instead, her brown eyes settled on the blueprint of her Tool, her Capturing Device, her Dreamon Ball.


    ¡°Ahu¡­Phew¡­ I will do it.¡±


    With that declaration, Hannah¡¯s right hand zipped for the blueprint, only instead of picking it up, she simply placed her right palm onto it.


    The moment she did, knowledge rushed into her mind.


    Knowledge that wanted to fill every nook and cranny of her mind, until such a time, where there was no more room available from sheer overexposure and inability to process and conceptualize what the blueprint held.


    Having been warned and given a solution, Hannah ignored the rushing images in her head to quickly press the button representing the Virtual Template Input method.


    When she did, Hannah almost instantly felt her mind being pulled somewhere.


    Where her mind went, Hannah knew not, nor desired to know. Nonetheless, the moment she arrived in that place of eternal darkness where nothing existed but her thoughts, she found a lot of space. So much space, in fact, that her already struggling mind instantly flexed its newfound freedom by conceptualizing the one thing that was occupying its current attention.


    By the time the flexing was done, Hannah had envisioned her Tool, her Capturing Device, her Dreamon Ball from top to bottom, from left to right, from the inside to the outside. Naturally, all of that was on top of defining the Core and Utility Features, such that when the conceptualizing process was done and the darkness receded from her awareness, a Ding sound announced Hannah¡¯s success.


    However, the same success instantly made the world a roller coaster to her awareness.


    The office went round and round to her eyes since Hannah¡¯s awareness failed to hold its grip with reality, well¡­ a reality, since Hannah was currently within her Dream Sanctuary.


    Fortunately, having been warned about it, Hannah had practiced for this moment by imagining and practicing what she should do when it occurred to her.


    As such, the moment she recognized the spinning, Hannah urgently grabbed onto one side of the office desk. Then, by using it as a crutch, she locked her fingers around the desk edge so they became the anchor for her arm joints which in turn became the anchors for her spine, which then rooted her whole body.


    When her body became anchored, so did her awareness, and with her awareness somewhat anchored, the world, or better said, the spinning office, began losing its steam.


    Unfortunately, time was needed for the eventual cessation of this slowing down process, yet time was her current number one nemesis for Hannah since she had to complete the Dream Awakening in one go because what she had accomplished just now, she could not repeat again.


    Not only because she was inexperienced with the forestalling methodology required for the sequencing process between Ability Manifestation and Awakening, but also because the blueprint for her Tool, her Capturing Device, her Dreamon Ball was, in truth, a one-time consumable item.


    Meaning, that if she failed this time, there was not a chance in hell that she would succeed a second time.


    <hr>


    In the middle of the struggle to avoid falling unconscious as it would jeopardize everything she was trying to accomplish at this moment, Hannah noticed a strange cooling sensation ripple into her head.


    Where it came from or why it even appeared, she simply ignored it. Instead, with the cooling effect as the grounding force, Hannah quickly recovered from the strain forced on her from overusing her brain without the required Stats to buffer the process.


    Unfortunately, although Hannah recovered, it was not completely, and it would not be for quite some time. Luckily, it was enough for her to finally release the strain she had forced on her Dream Body. However, when she did, another kind of misery awaited Hannah, only this one was somewhat welcome as it provided a decent distraction from the still somewhat spinning office.


    Either way, with the recovery partially done, Hannah took a deep breath before exhaling it.


    ¡°Ahu¡­ Phew.¡±


    The more she practiced the conscious breathing rhythm, the faster Hannah regained control of herself.


    ¡°That¡­ was terrible.¡± Hannah voiced out, only as terrible as it was, her mind quickly realized that it was nothing compared to what she had experienced under her monster in the past.


    Reminded of it, Hannah nodded and focused on the here and now, namely the slightly transparent crystal lying on the office desk before her. With somewhat slow motions, Hannah¡¯s right hand inched for the D-Card before tapping twice on it.


    Seeing and reading it, an unconscious sigh escaped Hannah¡¯s lips because the Ability Awakening process was still in progress.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    Stage Three; Template


    *


    Template Input Successful


    *


    [Fourth Warning]


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please confirm your choice of Template Input


    [?] - [?]


    <hr>


    Pressing Yes was already assured as there was no going back after consuming the blueprint for her Dreamon Ball, but that still did not stop Hannah from hesitating moving forward. Though, this time it was not from not feeling ready to move on to the next steps, but from her actual lack of proper proprioception because her right hand felt entirely too unstable thereby presenting a chance of Hannah missing the needed Yes for its unneeded brother No.


    ¡°Hnng¡­¡±


    After noticing the problem, Hannah leveraged her weight by pressing her entire right forearm on the table before slowly inching the right forefinger at the needed button that was not an actual button.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    [Fourth Warning]


    .


    Passed


    <hr>


    .


    .


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    [Fifth and Last Warning]


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please confirm your choice of action one last time.


    [?] - [?]


    <hr>


    .


    .


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    Framework Prototype Synthesis in progress!


    Please Wait


    ?


    Framework Prototype Synthesis is complete!


    <hr>


    .


    .


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    .


    Ability Awakening is in progress!


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, prepare for Framework Prototype Insertion!


    <hr>


    Almost instantly, after seeing and reading the message, Hannah recognized a foreign something wiggling its way inside her.


    It was not truly uncomfortable, but neither was it pleasant as it passed through her mind and body or what constituted a mind and body within her Dream Sanctuary, before settling into what was known as the First Ability Slot. Once in there, it unfolded itself and when it did, Hannah was instantly privy to what had manifested within her, namely her Ability, her Tool, her Capturing Device, her Dreamon Ball with its pinkish design, decorated with black and white clouds and a thick silver line separating the upper and lower sides of her Dreamon Ball.


    Nevertheless, despite being there inside her, it was not an Ability yet.


    No, it was closer to an illusory three-dimensional picture of what her Ability would be, but since it was not yet there, it meant it was a temporary thing. However, since it was not an Ability and since there was no Dream to sustain its presence, it placed an enormous burden upon its holder. As a consequence of the Framework Prototype¡¯s presence, a rebound force gets generated with the holder as the anchor since the holder unconsciously desires the burden to be gone.


    All this meant that a Framework Prototype was not temporary just because it needed to be filled with stuff to become real, but also because the constant rebound force due to its presence actively damages the Framework Prototype.


    As a result, Hannah had no choice but to hurry to the next step of the Awakening process. Fortunately, the problem had been long, long known about and therefore had a simple solution to the indicated problem and it was known as a Dream Stabilization Frame.


    It was named as such because it was accomplished through the infusion of Lesser Dreams, Non-Sentient Dreams into the Ability Framework Prototype.


    Non-Sentient Dreams were also called Ingredients, or Material Components.


    An unavoidable side effect of implementing a Dream Stabilization Frame was that it required the active participation of a Dreamwalker. This meant that, from this point on, Hannah had no more use for her D-Card, at least during the Awakening process. Instead, her brown eyes dismissed the D-Card in favor of focusing on the floating multi-colored Dream Gem beside her.


    Still being somewhat woozy from her previous experience, Hannah remembered what she would be doing right in this moment.


    ¡°First¡­ Take a deep breath.¡±


    Following her own instructions, Hannah took a deep breath before exhaling it.


    Just in case, Hannah executed a few more breaths in and breaths out because her father had indicated, multiple times, at that, that her following step would be very uncomfortable. However, unlike during the Template Input, here Hannah knew not what awaited her since the same father who had warned her about it, refused to elaborate about it.


    No, all her father¡¯s ghost mentioned was that the following step would become very draining. As such, Hannah had to resist and slow down the draining process at just the right moment to infuse her Ingredients, and in the right order. Otherwise, if she failed, Hannah would miss the best opportunity there was for her A-Ranked Dream Gem to transform into an S-Ranked Dream.


    ¡°Ahu¡­ Phew¡­ Ahu¡­. Phew¡­¡±


    ¡°I will do this.¡±


    <hr>


    Grabbing the floating multi-colored adult-hand-sized Dream Gem was the easy part.


    Initiating its functions was only marginally harder since it required a bit of mental flexing. However, the moment it began what it was meant to do, Hannah instantly understood what her father had meant by draining.


    This mainly stemmed from the fact that Hannah was inherently privy to what the Dream Gem did since the Dream Gem came from her and she was its target, so there was feedback in regards to its functions.


    Only, it was there where things ceased to be easy.


    A Dream Gem was Hope in crystalline form.


    As such, if the A-Ranked Dream Gem in her hand, represented the end product of the positive side inherent to Hannah¡¯s existence, then there had to be a negative one as well, and that negative side was what had at first bottled up the positive side, thus allowing the stockpiling of Hope within Hannah in the first place.


    That negative side was Despair, but unlike the crystalline form of Hope, Despair took on a different form of existence, a more fluid type of existence, and that existence was known by the term Trauma.


    Since it was more fluid, it meant the ultimate form of Despair needed a constant anchor on which to affix itself, otherwise, it would simply dislodge itself from the one generating it, like a snake shedding its scales.


    Typically speaking, a Dream Body took the place of that anchor because a Dream Body was solid enough to hold and contain Despair while being fluid enough to generate Trauma just by existing.


    Of course, this process of Trauma generation could further be elevated with either external or internal influences upon the Dream Body.


    On top of that, different locations on a Dream Body needed different stimulative actions to generate Trauma. As a result, different flavors of Trauma exist, with their own properties and effects. It was these properties and effects, in the form of Trauma, that were drained from Hannah by the Dream Gem the moment she initiated its main function.


    The way the draining effect occurred had to do with the interactions of positive and negative energies.


    In this case, when the ultimate form of positive energy, meaning Hope in crystalline form, came in contact with the ultimate form of negative energy within Hannah¡¯s Dream Body, meaning Despair in fluid form, the positive became a natural vacuum that drew out the negative from Hannah¡¯s Dream Body.


    Regardless of how, it was the why that mattered.


    The reason in this case had to do with the fact that during the drawing process, Hope and Despair collided with each other, and when they did, they annihilated each other. Of course, it was not true annihilation since that was not possible. Instead, during the blending process of Hope and Despair, both Emotions, both energies canceled each other''s prime characteristics.


    Either way, it was what was left behind that mattered, and what was left behind was Pure Potential.


    Pure Potential that could be used in anything and everything, only today, in this Dream Sanctum, it would be used up for Hannah¡¯s Awakening.


    It was during the initial draining process, which felt both relieving and agonizing, that Hannah innately understood the basic underlying principle behind Ability Potential and Ability Principle.


    Ability Principles were tied to a specific kind of Trauma existing within Hannah, while Ability Potential represented the actual current capacity of a specific Trauma within Hannah. Therefore, what was being drained from Hannah was the Trauma related to the Conjuration Principle since that was the starting point of her Awakening.


    Moreover, since her very first Ability Slot contained a Framework Prototype, the Pure Potential within Hannah shifted toward the Framework Prototype, instantly transforming its temporary existence into¡­ well, still a temporary existence, if a somewhat longer one.


    As the relieving and agonizing draining process went on, Hannah quickly got accustomed to the agony and relieving effects of the drain thanks to her experience under her monster in the last seven years.


    Thankfully it was so because she was running out of time, or better said out of Potential because the very first Trauma sucked out of her was related to the Conjuring Ability Principle, and that one had the lowest capacity out of the five important Principles. Therefore, Hannah urgently remembered her father¡¯s advice and focused on the Dream Gem and its draining effect. With that as the goal and the mechanism, Hannah managed to stifle the outflow of the drained resource. Although, by the time she had accomplished the stifling effect on the Dream Gem¡¯s drain effect, about 20% of the actual 33% of her Conjuring Ability Principle Potential was converted into Pure Potential and infused within her Framework Prototype.


    A side effect of the stifling process, however, was that the relieving and agonizing sensations, accompanying the draining effect of a Dream Gem, somehow elongated the agony part all while throttling the relieving sensation.


    Still, it was nothing compared to the pain she had been under in the last seven years.


    ¡°Hnnngggg¡­ Yes¡­ This is nothing compared to that.¡± Hannah declared with resolve before setting aside the agony altogether to focus on what she needed to do right this moment. And what Hannah needed to do right now, was focus on that newly discovered Ability Slot within her awareness.


    The moment Hannah''s awareness settled on that place, she became aware of her Framework Prototype.


    ¡°It¡­ looks just like it did in the blueprint father made.¡± Hannah murmured, completely ignoring how she was seeing it. ¡°Hnng¡­ I¡­ am getting ahead of myself. It''s not even a shell yet of what I need it to be. Yes¡­ I should hurry it up.¡±


    With that voiced out, Hannah focused on the Dream Gems draining effect, only this time she was not looking to disrupt it, but on what it produced. Yet, the moment she was looking for it, was also the moment she found it because it was not something that could be missed if one knew it was there, to begin with.


    With that being the case, Hannah settled her awareness on the Pure Potential and called for it, and like a lost puppy it eagerly responded to her call since it actually preferred being actively used instead of just filling something.


    As such, Hannah had no trouble, at all, calling the Pure Potential to her arm, specifically to her right palm since her left one still held onto the adult-hand-sized Dream Gem.


    With the Dream Gem in one hand and Pure Potential in the other, Hannah shifted her attention to the five bubbles present on her father¡¯s office desk. Particularly, her attention settled on the first bubble she had pulled out of said office desk, the bubble containing the somewhat pink and white fruit called Peach of Time.


    Grabbing the bubble holding the peach fruit with her right hand, Hannah used the energy inside her right hand to burst the present bubble thereby, sort of, opening the package containing her father¡¯s gift, though now she no longer thought of it as a gift but a curse.


    Either way, the moment the bubble burst and released the fruit, Hannah instantly and innately knew just how special the Lesser Dream, a Non-Sentient Dream, was.


    It was as if just holding it would allow her the ability to manipulate Time. Yet, as strong as that sensation was, today it was but an ingredient, a component for Hannah¡¯s first Ability, her Tool, her Capturing Device, her Dreamon Ball.


    That being the case, and with Pure Potential paving the way, Hannah simply willed the Pure Potential to grab onto the Time Aspect contained within the Peach and transfer it to her Framework Prototype.


    The process was remarkably easy and fast.


    Almost instant, in fact, but as instant as it was, Hannah still noted two different effects occurring almost at the same time.


    The first effect came from the fruit in her right hand turning into dust before flaking away to nothingness a few seconds later.


    The second effect had to do with the transferred Time Aspect as it easily found its corresponding anchor, its Enchantment Engram conceived during the Virtual Template Input of the synthesized Framework Prototype for her future Ability.


    It was also in that same instance that Hannah recognized her Framework Prototype becoming more than a simple illusionary existence because a certain transient quality had been introduced within its existence. Moreover, the extra energy which had kept the Time Aspect in fruit form provided additional support to the Framework Prototype as that extra energy was also a feature to be calculated for one''s Dream Awakening since Non-Sentient Dreams could be graded as well, and all the gifts/curses her father gave her were A-Ranked, just like her Dream Gem.


    Moments later, Hannah repeated the process with the second bubble containing a Seed of Space. The seed itself appeared very simple, with black and brown colors defining its exterior. Just like the first Ingredient, it turned into dust right as its Space Aspect infused itself into the second Enchantment Engram.


    Then as if it was meant to be, despite being warned about it, the moment the third bubble presented its insides, a red spark exploded from within, striking Hannah instantly and electrocuting her, literally.


    Bzzt Bzzt Bzzt

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 10 - A-Rank?

    Bzzt Bzzzt Bzzt


    Shocking and paralyzing it was, damaging as well, yet as surprised as Hannah was about the Red Ray of Lighting zapping her, she found herself remarkably fine if she ignored the elongated agony produced by her Dream Gem.


    Even the Red Ray of Lightning seemed to agree with that notion because, a few moments after that the realization that it had barked up the wrong tree, or person in this case, it stopped zapping Hannah.


    Instead, it jumped from her body to the nearest object which was the office desk. There it attained a rough animalistic shape. Nonetheless, even without any actual knowledge about its true origin, it was easy to recognize that this Lesser Dream was not in fact a true life form despite its current behavior.


    Still, it stayed on the office desk for a moment as its animalistic head bobbed here and there as if having a difficult time deciding where next it should jump onto. When the target was decided, it zapped there, then from the office desk to the office chair, from the office chair to the left wall.


    Like that, the Red Ray of Lighting zipped around the office unleashing its chaotic nature by causing everything it touched to fry and smoke instantly.


    Maybe it was because of the Dream Gem in her left hand, or perhaps it was due to being more resilient within her Dream Sanctum, regardless of the truth, Hannah quickly recovered from the shocking sensations.


    When she did, her head bobbed alongside the Red Ray of Lighting, only it was clear that the Lesser Dream was too fast for her.


    ¡°Hnng¡­ Stay Still!¡± Hannah bellowed out after the rapid head movement threatened to overwhelm her.


    Unfortunately, the Red Ray of Lightning, being what it was, refused to listen to the Master of the Dream Sanctuary it found itself in. No, it simply ignored her and continued exhibiting its wild nature in zapping from place to place and frying everything it touched.


    Though, there were a few things it stayed clear of, and those were the last two bubbles containing its fellow Lesser Dreams. Since Hannah¡¯s D-Card was within their presence, it remained untouched. Everything else, however, was fair game, even her father''s red leather sofa chair as it left a black stain on one side. But then, as the Red Ray of Lighting displayed its wild nature, it did something that it should not have.


    It zapped towards the only door in the office. Specifically, it zapped onto the handle of the door, and when it did it fried the locking mechanism somewhat. It did not destroy it, but it still managed to somehow influence the isolation feature of the Dream Sanctuary.


    It was that very sensation that Hannah felt, and when she did, images flashed through her mind. Images she desperately did not want to see happen. As a result, in one single instant, Despair flushed through Hannah¡¯s Dream Body, only when it did, it spiked her current control on the Dream Gem drain. As a result, the elongated agonizing effect was reduced instantly while the relieving effect returned to normal.


    With the normality in place, Hannah flinched out of the single moment of Despair as her attention instantly shifted to regaining control of the Dream Gems draining effect.


    After managing to stifle the draining flow once again, Hannah¡¯s attention shifted to the Red Ray of Lightning, and within her brown eyes, anger could be seen. Only, the anger was directed at herself for having failed at transferring the Lighting Aspect of the Red Ray of Lightning into the third Enchantment Engram.


    Nevertheless, since Hannah could not take out the anger on herself, her target was obvious, only how would she accomplish such a thing.


    Quickly remembering the basic facts she knew about Lighting, an idea spawned into Hannah¡¯s mind.


    Grabbing for the Pure Potential within her, Hannah led that potential to her right hand before willing it to attract the Red Ray of Lightning.


    How it would do so was simple, and her inspiration lay within the process happening inside her. As such, Hannah wished for the Pure Potential to become positively charged such that it would look much more appealing to the Lesser Dream sparking about her Dream Sanctuary.


    The success was clear when the Red Ray of Lightning stopped zipping around to once again reveal its animalistic form before settling its animalistic head on Hannah¡¯s right hand. However, unlike what Hannah had expected, it did not jump to her right hand instantly, as if it was hesitant.


    Maybe it sensed its doom if it did so.


    Thinking about it for a second, Hannah did the first thing that came to her. ¡°Here¡­ Kitty-Kitty¡­¡±


    In one moment, Hannah saw the animalistic shape flinch as if responding to the call, only it was not enough. Nevertheless, since nothing else reached Hannah¡¯s mind instantly, she simply continued calling on the Lesser Dream.


    ¡°Kitty-Kitty¡­ Come here¡­¡±


    It was on the fourth repeat that it occurred.


    The Red Ray of Lighting zapped from its place and landed on Hannah¡¯s outstretched right palm, only the moment it did, Hannah snapped her fingers around it before urgently wishing the Pure Potential to grab onto the Red Ray of Lightning.


    The moment Hannah felt the distinctive grab, she wished the Lightning Aspect to be transferred into the third Enchantment Engram within her still illusory Dreamon Ball within her first Ability Slot.


    Like its two seniors, the Red Ray of Lightning vanished, only with sparks instead of dust flaking into nothing.


    With the sensation and knowledge that it was done, Hannah settled her brown eyes on the door leading out of her father¡¯s office, out of her Dream Sanctuary. Recognizing what this meant, Hannah gulped once before quickly walking to the door and grabbing the handle.


    Click¡­ Click¡­ Click


    ¡°Phew¡­¡± Accompanying the sigh of relief was a wipe of Hannah¡¯s nonexistent sweat on the forehead with the right cuff of her father¡¯s oversized jacket she was still wearing.


    That done, Hannah¡¯s attention shifted to the dent within the isolation effect of her Dream Sanctuary. This time, however, she had no idea how to fix it, so instead, her mind settled on the simplest of solutions.


    ¡°Mmm... Should I unlock and relock the lock?¡±


    Truly unsure about it, Hannah quickly remembered her father¡¯s words regarding Awakening and its effects on Nightmares. Namely, the fact that if not for the isolating feature present, a Nightmare would instantly notice the undergoing Awakening process since it threatened their very existence. Unfortunately, no matter how she remembered, there was no mention of what would happen if she unlocked and re-locked the door.


    With no hint on what to do, Hannah simply chose the simplest option available to her.


    Taking out the key from the oversized brown jacket, Hannah placed it within the keyhole before rotating anti-clockwise until it unlocked the locking mechanism. In the same instance, the insulating layer of her Dream Sanctuary turned off, but since Hannah had no desire for anything to happen, she quickly rotated the key clockwise again until the isolating effect returned, with full strength behind its purpose.


    That done, Hannah nodded her head in success.


    Returning the key to its pocket, Hannah shifted her awareness to the last two Lesser Dreams on her father¡¯s desk.


    <hr>


    Having learned from her mistake, Hannah was much more careful with the last two Ingredients for her Framework Prototype.


    As a result, when the fourth bubble burst to reveal a flower bud, Hannah instantly wrapped the bud with the energy suffusing her right now. However, unlike before, when the Ingredients were simple, with only one Aspect tied to them, the last two ingredients held multiple. That being the case, Hannah used the Pure Potential available to her to sift through the Flower of Life, or the bud of the Flower of Life, and everything it entailed.


    Her goal was the Sub-Aspect of Life termed Serenity of Life.


    Luckily, with Pure Potential at her disposal, that was easily accomplished because the bud in her right hand was already emitting the needed Aspect. When it was discovered, with Pure Potential Hannah grabbed the Serenity of Life Aspect before wishing it to be transferred to the fourth Enchantment Engram within the illusory Dreamon Ball within her First Ability Slot.


    A natural consequence would have been the Ingredient turning to dust before flaking away. This time, however, that did not happen because there were other Aspects holding the bud in its current shape.


    Though, the bud did turn less real if Hannah sensed things right.


    Nevertheless, since Hannah did not need for the other Aspects contained within the bud, she simply wished her Pure Potential to draw away the needed energy sustaining those Aspects. As a result, the bud within her right palm turned almost completely transparent before simply popping out of existence, unlike the dust-to-flakes method the first two Ingredients had displayed.


    After seeing it occur, Hanna focused on her illusory Deamon Ball.


    Noticing the active fourth Enchantment Engram, Hannah recognized her illusory Dreamon Ball appearing less illusory than before.


    Seeing the result, Hannah knew it was time for the last Ingredient.


    Quickly grabbing the last bubble, yet not rushing to burst it showed Hannah¡¯s cautious attitude regarding it because the last bubble appeared to contain some kind of black, blue, magenta, and similarly colored fluid substance. So to avoid everything spilling and wasting the Ingredient, she imagined a big cup in her hand, large enough to encompass the bubble.


    Just like before, Pure Potential was extremely eager to accomplish her desire, so when she imagined her favorite cup, it appeared at once, only bigger and more transparent, of course.


    With it there, she poked the bubble and it burst before depositing its content within her imagined large cup.


    In the same instance, Hannah noted the increased sensations emanating from the Lesser Dream, Water of Chaos. Nevertheless, just like the Red Ray of Lightning that came from the Nightmare of Red, Water of Chaos possessed a unique behavior that seemed to want to do stuff, only Hannah could not allow that to be the case.


    Following her father¡¯s instructions, Hannah sifted through the Lesser Dream in search of the Change of Form Aspect, a Sub-Aspect of the Chaos Aspect.


    Unlike the previous Ingredient, this one was much harder to recognize since Chaos and Change held a remarkable resemblance. Thankfully, Pure Potential was on the job, so Hannah managed to find the needed Aspect moments later. The moment she did, it was transferred into the fifth and last Enchantment Engram within her illusory Dreamon Ball inside her First Ability Slot.


    Similar to the fourth Ingredient, the Lesser Dream did not collapse instantly. Instead, the fluid nature of the Water of Chaos seemed to take a dip in activity, but when it did, Hannah noted the liquid turning more and more black, with magenta and the other colors seemingly taking a step back.


    As a result, her senses told her the Water of Chaos was becoming more and more hostile to her.


    Hiss Hiss Hiss


    Accompanying the hissing sounds was a very dark trail of smoke from her big and transparent cup.


    With those two effects, Hannah instantly understood that the Water of Chaos was quickly transforming itself into some kind of acid. Acid that could and would eat through her big and transparent cup before dropping onto her hand. The only thing preventing it from doing so instantly was the fact that the big transparent cup was made from Pure Potential, so the acid-turned Water of Chaos had a much harder time melting it than it should have had.


    Regardless, seeing where things were going, Hannah urgently drew on the energy holding the other Aspect in check. Once it was done, the inevitable collapse of the Lesser Dream was inevitable. However, as if acting in pure spite for being forced to do so, this Lesser Dream did not go quietly into the night.


    No, it protested with a loud BANG.


    The small explosion exhibited so much force that even the large and transparent cup, manifested and fueled with Pure Potential, could not withstand it. Instead, the force of the explosion shattered the cup, forcing Hannah to stagger a few steps with clear surprise on her face and an embarrassed cry on her lips.


    ¡°Eeep!¡±


    Thankfully, after recovering from the shock, Hannah knew she had accomplished her purpose, and there was no doubt about that since a very distinct feeling manifested within Hannah and her First Ability Slot.


    When it did, it took almost all of Hannah¡¯s attention, and it would have probably taken all of it had there not been an elongated agony-draining effect on her from her Dream Gem. As such, with its presence, Hannah was not entirely lost within the gripping sensation of her Dreamon Ball switching from its illusory Framework Prototype kind of existence to a Stable Dream Prototype since the Framework had transformed from something illusory into an actual and genuine Dream.


    Well, Lesser Dream.


    Even then, a Lesser Dream of the lowest rank, E-Rank.


    Nevertheless, this meant, Hannah had already manifested her Tool, her Dreamon Ball, though it was useless without having gone through the whole process of being charged and calibrated properly so it could exhibit its Core and Utility Features.


    That was why her Dreamon Ball was still temporary in nature, even if it could hold its current existence without degrading for a long time.


    Regardless, if it was more or less temporary, this meant that Hannah no longer needed to interfere with the draining effect of her Dream Gem. At least, not before all of her stored Potential was converted into Pure Potential, through which Hannah would establish her Dream.


    ¡°Ahu¡­ Phew¡­ Ahu¡­ Phew.¡±


    <hr>


    Just in case, Hannah took a few more breaths before releasing her hold on the Deam Gems main function.


    The instant she had, the elongated agony vanished in favor of the regular one returning. Most importantly, though, the relief accompanying every bit of the agony returned to full power as well.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    That way, it eased every moment that passed under the Dream Gem¡¯s draining effect.


    Naturally, since she had been close to it, it took very little time for the stored Trauma/Potential tied to the Conjuring Ability Principle to be fully excavated from Hannah¡¯s existence.


    When it did reach that point multiple phenomena occurred.


    The first was, was the most obvious one and it elevated Hannah¡¯s understanding of Trauma itself, in general, because the drained Trauma from the Conjuring Ability Principle had left behind a whole, in a manner of speaking. A whole that could be filled with something else, something that would facilitate its existence to its best possible Potential.


    That very something could only be one thing, and Hannah was certain about it since her father had told her she would understand after she was done Awakening. Only, even without fully Awakening, Hannah was certain that Skills were made just to fill that spot.


    Though, how exactly they functioned Hannah would have to wait till she got access to some of them.


    Regardless of the future Skill option, the more important phenomena occurred during the climax of the fully excavated Conjuring Ability Principle.


    Specifically, the moment the last shred of the Trauma attached to the Conjuring Ability Principle vanished, the relief function provided by the draining effect achieved its maximum strength by being juiced with Pure Potential, so it instantly exploded from its spot to travel all over Hannah¡¯s Dream Body, like a ripple across a still pond of water.


    In that one single moment of transcendent bliss, reaching every inch of her Dream Body, the relief transformed from a simple recovery effect into transcendent healing. And not just ordinary healing at that, but the kind of healing centered around the Stat the Conjuring Ability Principle was based around, Insight.


    Soul Mend


    That was the name of this transcendent healing factor because this particular healing factor targeted the Soul as Insight represented the flexibility of the Soul to perceive, to conceive, to manifest one''s preferred Truth. So, if there was something preventing that flexibility from occurring and developing, it was seen as something to be addressed.


    Unfortunately, one small little caveat of the Soul Mend, similar to the other unique phenomena achieved during Awakening, was that its power was proportional to the amount of Trauma/Potential being drained by the Dream Gem, hence Hannah only enjoyed the Soul Mending healing factor for a few moments.


    Nevertheless, as short as it was, and as significant it was to be healed of one''s wounds, there was more to this single moment of transcending bliss targeting the Soul since, in one single sweep, it allowed Hannah to recognize her own Soul instead of remaining ignorant about it. As such, it was in this single moment of transcendent bliss when Hannah locked her future as a Dreamwalker because it was not the Principles that determined the Dreamwalker but the order in which one unfolded one''s Soul.


    Plainly said, Insight determined a Soul¡¯s Malleability, which in turn determined the number of times a Soul was allowed to separate slices of itself without any adverse effects upon the individual''s Soul.


    As such, many thoughts passed through Hannah during that moment of transcendent bliss, and many realizations embedded themselves inside her, even without her being conscious of that actually happening.


    Yet, as this was a natural process, even without being told about it, Hannah knew what she had to do, so she went and separated a part of her Soul as if it was the simplest of actions possible.


    Like moving an arm without actually commanding your arm to do just that.


    Then, just like when she had done with the Ingredients her father bestowed on her, she infused that part of her Soul into her First Ability.


    When she did, the Stable Dream Prototype within her Soul elevated itself in Rank, from E to D. Meaning, while it was still weak, it was no longer at the bottom of the pole.


    Right after the upgrade in Rank, the moment of transcendent bliss vanished and things returned to normal, or as normal as they could be within Hannah¡¯s Dream Sanctum.


    Nonetheless, Hannah was not given time to process what she had just done.


    Instead, her Dream Gem reared its head as it discovered its next target of opportunity, namely the Enchantment Ability Principle.


    With that as the goal, a new draining effect emerged immediately centering Hannah¡¯s awareness to the here and the now, such that nothing else mattered bar what would occur soon enough since it was inevitable happen for as long as Hannah managed to hold her grip on her Dream Gem. Unfortunately, because there was more Trauma to drain, it also meant it would take longer for the second draining process.


    Nevertheless, if that was not enough, this particular Trauma liked its current state, so it was particularly stubborn when drawn out as if it had a mind of its own. And maybe it did? After all, Trauma attached to the Enchantment Ability Principle was also Trauma attached to the Vessel Stat of a Dreamwalker. Therefore, the Vessel Stat represented the quality and purity of the Soul, and thereby, what Hannah was draining right this moment was corruption which had infiltrated her soul through her Dream Body thanks to the seven-year-long exposure to a Nightmare.


    ¡°Hnngngngng¡­¡± Hannah grunted out before quickly falling down to her knees.


    <hr>


    When simple kneeling was hard enough, Hannah quickly held the Dream Gem to her chest before lying on the floor with her back.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Hurts.¡± Hannah unconsciously murmured.


    Had there not been a soothing and relieving effect accompanying the agonizing pain that seemed to be coming from her very bone marrow, Hannah would have no doubt dropped her contact with the Dream Gem. But since there was, she held on to the Dream Gem with both hands, thus providing double access to its draining procedure.


    In the end, after enough agonizing moments passed, Hannah, once again, reached that moment of transcendent bliss after the last of the stubborn corruption got drained away.


    Since this transcendent moment of bliss was centered around the Enchantment Ability Principle and the Stat Vessel, the relieving effect of the draining process did not become an actual healing effect, but a cleansing effect as it exploded and rippled across Hannah¡¯s Soul and Dream Body.


    Similar to Soul Mend, Soul Cleanse did not last for long. But during its presence, Hannah was treated to the best and most direct presentation of just what soul integrity meant. However, since the Core Feature had already been slotted for her First Ability, Hannah was only able to apply the Utility Feature to her Dreamon Ball.


    Namely, establishing a connection between her Soul and the Five Enchantment Slots within her Dreamon Ball through a resonance-like effect. Such that Hannah¡¯s Soul and Ability operated on the same level of existence. Once that was accomplished, Hannah almost immediately recognized the signs of her Stable Dream Prototype elevating its Rank from D to C, thus losing the Prototype from its designation because it was no longer temporary but a stable type of existence, and it would remain as such for as long as Hannah¡¯s Soul shared that connection with her Ability.


    Right after the Rank elevation, the transcendent moment of bliss ceased only for a new draining effect to signal its approaching return.


    Thankfully, after going through what she had just gone through, the third draining process felt like a breeze passing through Hannah, though, one that took longer because there was more to drain than the last one.


    Either way, when the moment of transcendent bliss returned it came in the form of Soul Temper.


    Through this transcendent phenomenon, Hannah became privy to her own Soul having the ability for self-regulation, and self-optimization so her Soul would operate under greater and ever greater efficiency ratings.


    That being the case, for a few moments, Hannah¡¯s Soul optimized itself before settling its attention on her Ability. Nevertheless, since there was no way to apply the Evocation Ability Principle Core Feature, all Hannah did was allow the self-optimization Utility Feature to be incorporated into her Dreamon Ball.


    Specifically speaking, onto the Enchantment Engrams inlaid within her Ability.


    To be even more specific, this self-optimization Utility Feature was targeted at the Aspects contained within those Enchantment Engrams so they would operate without her direct attention.


    There was no greater moment for that either, because the moment Hannah¡¯s Soul applied the Evocation Utility Feature onto her Dreamon Ball, the Enchantment Engrams roared to life. In the same instance, Hannah¡¯s Stable Dream began to quake as the Enchantment Engrams, and the Aspects they contained, stretched and regulated themselves thanks to her Soul doing the hard work behind the scenes.


    In the end, when the process of optimization was concluded, Hannah inherently identified four different Evocations within her Dreamon Ball.


    Four because that was the maximum amount of Evocation Slots available to her Ability.


    That and the fact that two had combined their effects to create one Evocation dubbed Pocket Dimension. An isolating piece of Space and Time, separating the insides of the Dreamon Ball from that of the outside, thus making the insides of the Dreamon Ball bigger than its outside dimensions made it out to be.


    Better said, a place for her future Summon to chill out until she called for it.


    The second Evocation inherent to her Dreamon Ball was Translocation. It was an Evocation that helped catch and release her Summon through a Red Ray of Lightning, thus it was the medium by which her Summon would appear and disappear.


    The third Evocation was called Illusion of Serenity, and it was an Evocation that targeted the Summon within the Dreamon Ball. Its purpose was to create an Illusion in which the Summon would live in order to increase its comfort levels within the Dreamon Ball since her future Summon would be actual thinking creatures instead of puppets following her every command.


    The fourth Evocation was named Rapid Mutation and it was the most crucial of the four Evocations as it was the main mechanism by which a captured Nightmare transmuted its Chaotic nature into a more Orderly one.


    However, there was an opposite option built into the fourth Evocation that her father had been adamant about and it stated that the Rapid Mutation Evocation affected not just Nightmares, but also Dreams as well.


    Nonetheless, what that entailed was beyond the current Hannah.


    <hr>


    Right after Hannah understood the inner workings of the four Evocations attached to her Ability, she sensed the third elevation of her Dream, namely from the C-Ranked Stable Dream to a B-Ranked Dream.


    A moment after the elevation process ceased, the transcendent moment of bliss receded as well. Nevertheless, knowing it would soon return, Hannah awaited its presence after some time of enduring its buildup within her.


    With its return, Soul Judge emerged, the transcendent phenomena of the Logic Stat.


    With its presence, it catapulted Hannah¡¯s awareness to the editorial department of her Soul, where she could recall, evaluate, revise, and modify her Soul, and the Truth it holds, all she wanted.


    So that was what she did.


    Hannah recalled everything she wanted, especially for the last two to three weeks when she had been forced to live without her drugs. Nonetheless, it was the last week that got most of her attention because that was when her father had first bestowed her with knowledge.


    Once she had those, Hannah began evaluating that knowledge and that was when the Truth, hidden within those memories, revealed itself in the form of her father¡¯s machinations because Soul Judge revealed all foreign influences that one had been under, without fail.


    As such, Hannah followed the breadcrumbs of her father¡¯s influence as it revealed how, and just how much, she had been nudged to consider and accept taking her monster as her Summon, her pet.


    Unfortunately, a side effect of the Soul Judge was that it disallowed any emotion from manifesting, hence why under Soul Judge, all Hannah could do was trust her own Logic. Yet, as she followed the breadcrumbs like a drowning man seeking safety within the ocean of indifference, only with Logic instead, the breadcrumbs began painting a picture.


    An image of something that slowly built itself up, piece by piece throughout the scattered memories of her last week.


    When the evaluation reached its peak, Hannah was struck with the emerging Logic that made so¡­ so much sense, as if it was undeniable with its Truth. Only the moment it manifested, Hannah¡¯s awareness was privy to a memory she had not witnessed in the last week, but a memory that had been embedded into her during that week.


    A memory that displayed her father¡¯s ghost relaying a simple message.


    Your Logic is Flawed, dear daughter of mine. Find my present and you shall understand.


    Like an echo, her father¡¯s Statement reverberated within Hannah¡¯s Logic fueled awareness, asking her¡­ no, urging her to seek that present.


    Hannah, being so very new to this, did as she was told and went through her memories.


    Day by day, she went through her past, from the most recent memory to her oldest ones. Then, after what felt like a very long time, she found the present which was a literal present as it had been given to her on her eighth birthday, her GameBoy.


    Only it was not the GameBoy that was the present but the Logic centered around its presence. Like a book that she could read whenever she wanted, and if her current understanding was correct, she had done so many, many times over the last seven years.


    Especially, after growing older and closing in on her Awakening.


    Nonetheless, the true form of her father¡¯s Logic was instructions.


    Instructions on what to do, how to do it, and just why she should do it.


    As such, rewatching those days, Hannah witnessed her father¡¯s Logic firsthand in how it influenced her younger self, unconsciously, that is, in using said instructions as a reference book for building her own Dream Instance, her own Dream Body, her own Monster, her own Ruleset by which to play pretend at being a victim instead of the mastermind, such that she could build up all the Trauma needed to awaken as a Dreamer.


    The reason behind all of this?


    Well, that too had an answer, moreover, it was stated there at the beginning by her real father. Only, Logic Hannah ignored the reason. For the moment, at least. Because, according to the Ruleset she had built into the scenario, she had not been supposed to be under it for a whole seven years.


    No, her father¡¯s instructions were clear: a year to two. At most three years would have been needed for her to manifest an A-Ranked Dream Gem. Yet, Hannah had been under it for seven years and some extra months.


    This meant there was an obvious flaw somewhere.


    Although the very first culprit Hannah thought of was the pills her mother bought her. However, while Logic Hannah did not dismiss it entirely, the more obvious culprit for the mishap was her monster.


    Specifically, the fact that the monster her child self had designed for herself had been much less menacing.


    So that begged the question.


    Why had a Beholder Nightmare appeared in her Dream Instance instead of the Evil Unicorn she had envisioned for herself?


    With no obvious answer, Hannah had no choice but to sidestep the problem, to center her attention on the here and now.


    Namely, should she modify parts of her Soul or not?


    In the end, the only Logical choice was to leave things as they were because they were needed for her Awakening.


    As such, all that was left was for Hannah to finalize the changes to her Dreamon Ball since there would be no Domination Ability Principle Core Feature within her First Ability. Meaning that Hannah modified the Evocation Rules and their interactions between the Enchantment Engrams, the Aspect within them and Hannah herself because she was the center point of it all, after all.


    The moment she was done, three Domains emerged for her Ability.


    All three of them were of the Conflict Type, and all three of them were passive in nature, as most Domains were.


    The first Domain dealt with the capturing process of a Nightmare. Therefore, it was tied to the Translocation Evocation of the Dreamon Ball. After all, a Nightmare had to be somehow shoved inside a Dreamon Ball to facilitate its containment process. As such, the First Domain stated that the initial capturing success of a Nightmare depended on the Vessel and Instinct Stats of the targeted Nightmare in comparison to Hannah¡¯s Vessel and Instinct Stats.


    The second Domain was for after a Nightmare was shoved into a Dreamon Ball. It was tied to the Evocation Illusion of Serenity and it determined the success rate of the containment process. Meaning, that a successful containment of a Nightmare was dependent on the Logic and Will statistics of the Nightmare in comparison to Hannah¡¯s Logic and Will Stats.


    The third Domain was for after the containment process was completed and it was tied to the Rapid Mutation Evocation. It determined the success rate of a Nightmare becoming a Dreamon. Therefore, the transformation success from Nightmare into Dreamon depended on the Logic, Will, and Insight Stats of the Nightmare in comparison to Hannah¡¯s Logic, Will, and Insight Stats.


    Additionally, since Rapid Mutation Evocation worked on Dreams as well, the third Domain affected the success of a Dream evolving into a Dreamon as well, with Hannah¡¯s Vessel, Logic, and Insight Stats determining the chances of success.


    After those three Domains emerged, a profound shift occurred to Hannah¡¯s first Ability, her Dreamon Ball. However, since it had occurred before, it was a simple understanding that Hannah¡¯s achieved another elevation to its status.


    Hence,  Hannah¡¯s Dream became a Great Dream once it went from B-Rank to A-Rank.


    As a result of the elevation, the transcendent moment of bliss vanished in favor of another round of agony, though, just like the previous one, it was easily ignored as well.


    However, this time it was because another side of Hannah managed to ripple its presence, from the waters of the unconscious self, to process what Logic Hannah had discovered.


    Or better said re-discovered.


    The rediscovery was both soothing and horrifying.


    Horrifying of what she had done to herself, even if it was under her father¡¯s instructions, and soothing because she had never been truly in danger. At least, she should not have been as she had been because the Nightmare Tribulation she had generated for herself had gone on longer than it should have, hence why her Nightmare problem was so big right now.


    Either way, as a result, it all led to one thing.


    Hannah shouted from the depths of her throat to release her feelings.


    ¡°Sssstupid¡­ Father¡­ Who told you to peek into the future!¡±

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 11 - Brother?

    Truly, if not for the draining effect of her Dream Gem, reminding her of its presence and purpose, there was no doubt that the Dream Gem would have been the very first thing flying at the wall.


    Instead, what happened was that Hannah had almost no options to get back at her male parent for what she had gone through, at least without foiling everything she had already achieved.


    After all, one could not get revenge on dead people. Moreover, neither could she take her revenge on the dead man¡¯s family since that included her, and Hannah had no wish to suffer anymore. She had had enough of it in the last seven years, so there was no way she would go out of her way to add to that.


    No, with the way Trauma and Dream Gems worked, even the consequences of that suffering were slowly vanishing from her existence by becoming something to be enjoyed.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Once I am done with everything, I am going to enjoy this as much as possible.¡±


    With the resolved promise, Hannah awaited the last transcendental phenomena to hit her.


    This one was called Soul Fusion and it opened Hannah¡¯s awareness to the part of the Soul responsible for change, from its refusal to its allowance. However, it was within this part of the Soul that Hannah finally realized just why her Ability Potential, or better said, why she had accrued so much Trauma within the Alteration Ability Principle category.


    Honestly, now that she was seeing it, it was so obvious that it made her wonder why she, and her mother by extension, had not reached this conclusion sooner because it was so obvious that refusing to allow one''s Soul inherent change meant that, no matter how it was damaged or for how long it had been damaged for, it would always return to its preferred stated, and that meant every Soul was capable of recovery.


    That was why Hannah¡¯s Alteration Ability Potential had been so high, and why it was taking so long to get rid of it with the Dream Gem¡¯s help.


    Almost every Night, for the last seven years, she had been injured by the monster inhabiting her Dream Instance, and every following Night her Soul had healed itself to its prim and proper condition.


    It was that very function that facilitated the process of Trauma build-up, in the first place, since all the incurred damage was pushed away from the Soul and into the Dream Body which, if compared to an onion, as the comparison made sense to Hannah, a Dream Body represented the last outer layer of her Soul, thereby preventing outside grime and dust from penetrating and damaging the precious insides.


    Unfortunately, Trauma was not that easy to get rid of hence why a build-up occurred. Over time, that build-up inched its way into the inner layers of the Soul, so that when there was no choice, a natural cleaning process was initiated.


    It was that very natural process that Dreamers took advantage of to create and perfect the Awakening process, and now it was Hannah¡¯s turn to do just that. Only, even without having done anything, she knew that there would be very little achievable in this stage even when this stage presented her with the greatest amount of available energy.


    That being the case, all Hannah did in this stage was apply the Utility Feature of the Alteration Ability Principle.


    Specifically, she managed to establish a connection between her Soul¡¯s ability to refuse or allow changes to occur with the fifth Enchantment Engram holding the Change of Form Aspect, the Fourth Evocation - Rapid Mutation using that very Engram and Aspect, and the third Domain which regulated the behavior of that Engram, Aspect, and Evocation.


    As a consequence, all of those Utility Features slowly built up their individual effects into a cumulative phenomenon that transcended their quantitative nature into a qualitative one.


    It was like building a pyramid, with one first building a base on which to stack more stones before eventually reaching the last stone, which was the capstone that completed the wonder of the ages.


    In Hannah¡¯s case, two transformations represented the capstone.


    The first Transformation allowed Dreams to evolve up into a Dreamon, while the second one allowed Nightmares to evolve sideways into a Dreamon.


    That was it.


    There was nothing else, but because there was nothing else it also meant there was nothing else to dilute the Alteration Utility Feature and its wondrous power.


    Right after Hannah did what she was supposed to do, two things occurred simultaneously.


    The first was that Hannah¡¯s Great Dream began another status elevation. Nonetheless, because her Great Dream was already A-Ranked in nature, its progress was minute in the grand scheme of things since the gulf between A-Ranked and S-Ranked Dreams was just so enormous.


    Either way, that was the first thing.


    The second one, however, was something Hannah had not expected because it occurred right after the transcendental phenomena known as Soul Fuse ended.


    Right after it ceased, allowing Hannah to once again observe the ceiling of her father¡¯s office, five strange sensations manifested within her.


    These five sensations were both familiar and unfamiliar.


    Familiar because they made her remember the five transcendental phenomena she had already undergone, only dimmer and less impactful. Additionally, there was an order by which they appeared, with the first sensation reminding her of Soul Mend, the second of Soul Cleanse, the third of Soul Temper, the fourth of Soul Judge, and the last reminded her of Soul Fuse.


    Indeed, the order of their appearance was her Ability Pathway Sequence, but that was where the familiar ceased its display. Yes, from that point, the unfamiliar took the stage because each of the five sensations reverberated in tandem with each other.


    Witnessing the behavior made Hannah imagine the five brothers'' she never had, getting together on one particular day to watch something entertaining together. At first, each of the five brothers sat on the sole couch available before quickly realizing there was only so much room on the couch, yet all of them desired to sit on that one couch.


    As a consequence, one brother began to push away one of his siblings to squeeze on that couch. Nevertheless, soon enough, each of the five brothers did the same because there was no more couch space to be had. What ensued was a battle of the conquest of the couch, to see just who could occupy more space, uncaring of the consequences for the couch as these brothers fought for dominance.


    Indeed, that was the game of the day for Hannah as the five sides of her existence warred for more space, yet not realizing that there was no more space to be had.


    Anyway, it was not like these five sides of Hannah¡¯s existence had a choice, or the ability of the choice, to find some other couch. No, there was only one couch, and they would either learn to squeeze on it or destroy the couch as a consequence. The problem was, however, that no matter how they pushed on each other they just could not seem to make themselves smaller. No, it was the opposite, in fact, as each of the five sides of Hannah¡¯s existence seemed to grow in size, yet the couch remained the same, meaning that Hannah¡¯s body refused to grow alongside them.


    Or did it? Hannah wondered for a second before quickly recalling that each of these five sensations represented one Ability Principle, and each of the five Ability Principles represented one main Stat. However, there were six main Stats, not five, but only five were able to be freely upgraded while the last one, the Ego Stat, needed Special Action Points.


    After remembering that point, Hannah''s brown eyes settled on the office desk and what should still be lying on it. Nevertheless, just as Hannah wanted to stand up and reach for her D-Card, she found out the true depths of the problem because her body simply refused to respond to her needs.


    ¡°...¡±


    <hr>


    With no ability to move and having no choice but to think, Hannah urgently began recalling everything she knew about the Awakening process.


    That was when her mind settled on a few facts that could explain her current situation, yet that was only a rough explanation because they did not mention just what was happening to her.


    No, if her suspicions were right, what Hannah had already gone through could not be truly considered Hard, and that was what her father¡¯s ghost had called it, Hard Awakening Difficulty Challenge.


    Yes, the first difficult thing was the Virtual Template Input, but that one she pushed through thanks to her father making the template in question. Still, while not everyone had the privilege of that, Hannah doubted that was the real challenge since Analog Template Input existed with its simplicity.


    No, even during the Dream Gem draining process, aside from the second one as that one hurt her especially well, Hannah sort of breezed through that step as well. With that being the case, while it could be part of the challenge, it would not be a major blockage.


    No, the true blockage at that step would be running out of Crystalline Hope, but Hannah was safe on that front because, despite having gone through so much already, her Dream Gem had still more juice to give thanks to her father¡¯s gifts/curses.


    No, what was currently happening to Hannah had to be the true test of the Hard Awakening Difficulty Challenge. Nevertheless, the problem was that Hannah had no idea what was happening and that was the problem.


    Wait¡­ What if that was the test? Hannah suddenly asked herself in her mind. What if¡­ What if the test is me figuring it out and fixing it?


    Yes¡­ That has to be it.


    Recognizing that not knowing and fixing it was the probable challenge, Hannah quickly recalled everything she knew, again. Though, this time her thoughts were centered on the five sensations rampaging through her body.


    Specifically, Hannah tried correlating how they were connected to the Ability Principles and the Stats tied to them.


    In the end, after a thorough mental search of her current knowledge base, Hannah¡¯s mind settled on one factor. A factor her father had mentioned on why she had been attempting the challenge in the first place. Once she had that one, it easily carried her thoughts through her memories to that very first attempt at utilizing her D-Card to summarize her existence.


    During that attempt, Hannah had learned that all of her Stats had the number zero attached to them.


    With that as the angle, it came to her.


    Yes¡­ That''s it.


    It can''t be anything else.


    But¡­ How am I supposed to manually apply my Stats?


    Stuck with the conundrum, Hannah entered another thinking frenzy.


    When she did, it quickly came to her that the problem was not the upgrading of the Stats, since if her interpretation of the problem was right, they were already attempting to do so. No, her problem was that the last one, the Ego Stat, was not doing the same.


    There must be a reason as to why only Ego can be upgraded with Special Action Points. Hannah noted in her as her body continued warring with itself. What could it be?


    Naturally, the answer did not pop up, but soon enough she had a lead and it had to do with the fact that each transcendental phenomenon had revealed a side of her Soul.


    Vessel revealed her Soul''s Quality, the integrity and purity of the substance making up a Soul.


    Instinct revealed her Soul¡¯s Efficacy, the automatic adjustment of the pattern determining the Soul¡¯s precision and performance.


    Logic revealed her Soul¡¯s Patterns, the storing, processing and information comprehending side of the Soul and the patterns making it up.


    Will revealed her Soul¡¯s Status, the refusal or allowance of the Soul to change the base nature of the substance defining said Soul, whether through natural growth or foreign introductions.


    Insight revealed her Soul¡¯s Malleability, the perception, the conception and the manifestations of the patterns making up the Soul, whether inside or outside said Soul.


    Quickly reviewing her knowledge, Hannah wondered what she was missing, only the more she thought about the more she realized that she was getting nowhere.


    What am I missing? What is my Soul missing?


    When no answer was reached, Hannah suddenly realized a big glaring problem.


    Even if she figured out what part of her Soul Ego represented, she had no idea how to upgrade. With that being the case, Hannah instantly understood that she was following the wrong trail of Logic.


    No, the solution had to be simple since the most likely cause of the challenge was doing it blindly and succeeding.


    Following that line of thought, by ignoring what she knew to settle on what she felt, Hannah sensed something. What she felt was parts of her Soul expressing their need to grow yet something was preventing that growth, and that something was the body.


    No¡­ It''s not my body that is the problem¡­ It''s me¡­ I am the problem.


    Yes¡­ I am the problem, not what was going on.


    Finally having come to the root of the hindrance, it clicked to Hannah.


    At the same time, a memory flashed to her thoughts. The memory of her mother comparing the Ego Stat with the Charisma Stat from the D&D game discovered after desperately seeking an answer for her daughter''s problem.


    Somewhat desperate for the answer and the solution, Hannah quickly remembered that Charisma was about the force, the strength, the expression of the individual, of the personality, of the consciousness inhabiting a body.


    With that as the building block, Hannah quickly understood why the five sides of her existence were tearing each other apart. However, while the answer was found, the solution was not, at least it was not before Hannah urgently figured out why those five sides were doing what they were doing, and when she had that, a partial answer emerged from the depths of her mind.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    With that as the first stepping stone, Hannah tried her best to manually interact with the five sides of her Soul instead of relying on the transcendental phenomena. Naturally, since the fifth phenomenon held the greatest amount of energy, it reverberated the strongest and clearest out of the five sides of her existence. As such, once she had the right sensations down, Hannah actually managed to grab onto that part of herself.


    What followed was Hannah mentally grabbing each side of her existence, going from the most obvious to the most secretive, namely the reverse order of her Ability Pathway Sequence.


    Once Hannah managed to grab all five, however, that worked, she slowly began to adjust the reverberations of the five forces inside her according to some sense of rightness she never knew she possessed. As a consequence, the reverberations ceased damaging her Soul. On the contrary, the moment Hannah managed to achieve a good enough equilibrium between them, it was as if a lightning bolt struck her.


    Naturally, there was no lightning bolt, but it may as well have been because, in one single instance, the five sides of her existence found an outlet for their burgeoning and overflowing energy, and that outlet was Hannah, the real Hannah hidden within the depths of her Soul that had been gestating her existence just for this moment.


    A moment that was perfectly described with many names.


    Emergence


    Awakening


    Genesis


    Birth


    Or the simplest and most favored of all, Hatching.


    <hr>


    A few hours prior.


    Across the current Blackwood family residence, which was in truth just a single apartment, another apartment complex could be seen. However, the way it was built, it faced Hannah¡¯s and Hailey¡¯s apartment, hence why two people were taking advantage of said vantage on the flat roof of the building.


    Though, in truth, only one took advantage as his vision penetrated through the concrete wall hiding Hannah and Hailey from plain view.


    In said vision, he watched a distraught Hailey stager to the bedroom due to finally figuring out that her life was not as it seemed to be.


    At the same time, the man watched Hannah being distraught as well from seeing her mother in her current downtrodden state before finally getting that last nudge to do what should have been done sooner, much, much sooner. That being the case, the man watched Hannah lay down on the couch and close her eyes in her attempt to fall asleep and return to her own Dream Sanctuary.


    Observing and searching for the signs, the man nodded when he witnessed them. When he did, he turned his head to the other individual sharing the flat roof.


    Her name was Melinda, and she ignored everything in favor of meditating when, all of a sudden, the man by her side spoke up.


    ¡°It''s starting.¡±


    Despite having broken her trance, she did not open her eyes.


    No, Melinda just nodded and began what she had been hired for by focusing her awareness on the small red jewel caught in between her hands that were placed horizontally to each other right above her belly button.


    Even prior to the man¡¯s callsign, Melinda had been familiarizing herself with the sensations of the red jewel, but it was only now that she truly focused her power on it and the existence tied to it. The moment she did, also became the moment she instinctually became aware of the greatness of the existence the jewel was tied to.


    It was that very existence she was calling on to possess her as that was the deal she had made with the men beside her.


    To call on that great existence and let it possess her for a short while because she was a Channeler, a Psychic attuned to the Will of Greater Beings.


    Thankfully, for her and all the other Channelers, the process of being possessed was nothing too dangerous because a Channeler does not actually get possessed by the called Great Being, as that was Forbidden by Gaia¡¯s Terms and Services under which all Channelers were hired.


    No, the truth was much simpler because all a Channeler does is share his or her own sensations with the Greater Being which then in turn does the same to the Channeler. Naturally, because a Channeler was a much smaller existence when compared to a Great Being, it was the number of sensations shared that became the number one problem of consideration upon which Great Being to call upon.


    In today¡¯s case, the Great Being called upon was neither malevolent nor benevolent, at least if the man¡¯s words were taken for granted because she was unfamiliar with the being tied to the red jewel in her palms.


    Still, the man had a certain credit, and Melinda was banking on that credit for the Service she was about to do because the possible promised reward for the Service she was about to provide demanded she provide more than a simple Call.


    Mortal¡­ You desire a Commune with SinDrax of Crimson CloudFall!


    I do Great One.


    Only not on the behest of myself but another person wishing for your Presence through my Service as a Channeler of The Great Ones.


    Another?


    Very well, Mortal.


    State the price of your Service.


    Unrestricted Access to everything shared during the provided Service, Great SinDrax.


    Denied!


    Channeler Service is not that expensive. Besides, I will not have Gaia¡¯s Ire for accidentally breaking you by spilling a secret not meant to be shared with Mortal¡¯s.


    State your true price Mortal, or I am hanging up?


    That was my true price, Great One, for I am extending a Commune to one, not on the Safe to Call List, although you are not on the Bad Call List either. Regardless, the person seeking your presence has informed me of your possible denial and has henceforth suggested for me to up my Price for the initial denial of the upcoming Service I am about to provide you, Great One.


    How¡­ Interesting!


    Tell me Mortal¡­ Who seeks my Presence?


    I am unaware if you are familiar with this Individual, but he has a good credit score within Gaia¡¯s Protectorate, hence why I am taking this risk in contacting you, Oh, Great One.


    The individual goes by the name Heinrich Blackwood.


    Not a name I am familiar with, yet he¡¯s daring enough to call upon me to foot the bill of your Service?


    Fine!


    Now I am curious enough!


    State your True Price, Mortal!


    A-Ranked Sponsorship for my upcoming Awakening!


    Phew¡­ That is a steep price¡­ Alright.


    But I hold the Right to deny the actual Rank of the Provided Sponsorship based on the degree of cooperation of your upcoming Service plus the results of the outcome for meeting this Heinrich Blackwood.


    If he offends me, I will outright deny any Bill for this Service!


    If that is acceptable to you, accept it now because there will be no other!


    It is, Oh, Great SinDrax.


    With the agreement in place, Melinda began her performance by withdrawing from her own body, though not fully since it was closer to falling asleep, and deeply at that, such that a vacuum gets left behind.


    A vacuum a Great Being could fill with his own essence to descend into the Mortal world.


    Naturally, having done it before, Melinda had easily accomplished this part. And when she was done, it was not Melinda who opened her eyes, but SinDrax of Crimson CloudFall.


    When he did, and SinDrax was a He, no doubt about it, he/she observed the world through the Channeler''s black eyes. What he/she saw was not entirely unfamiliar to him/her because he/she had taken brief vacations in Gaia¡¯s Womb before.


    Nevertheless, he/she was not familiar with this particular layer of the Rift since he had never dared dive deep, even after possessing a Mortal¡¯s Shell.


    Setting her/his eyes on the sole individual present near his/her summon spot, SinDrax knew this man had to be Heinrich.


    ¡°Mortal, You have Called upon SinDrax of Crimson CloudFall!¡± SinDrax stated, somewhat unfamiliar with the female tone of his voice. ¡°State your reason or face the Consequences of your actions!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Barely here and already bitching about it.¡± The man answered with a grub tone, yet even SinDrax, unfamiliar as he/she was with his newest vessel, noted a hint of familiarity from the man. ¡°Settle down your Ego, Little Brother, or I will exercise you back to your Rift causing you to dearly wallow in grief and misery for missing your niece''s Hatching.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ Little¡­ What?¡± Stumped by what he/she was hearing, SinDrax somehow had a tough time processing everything the man called Heinrich told him.


    ¡°What? What?¡± Heinrich expressed before turning to face the newly descended being. ¡°I know your Shell is somewhat young, but her Services should not have left you dumbed down that much. Could it be that your Summoner Status has made you an imbecile?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ Wait¡­ Wait, a goddamn second¡­ ¡± SinDrax heard his/her Shell utter out without any of his/her input, yet those very words perfectly described his thoughts when he/she suddenly found his/her bearing to process the words the man before him/her said, and when heshe did, suspicions arose within his/her mind.


    ¡°AnuDrax?¡± SinDrax voiced out a name, long lost within the dustbin of his/her memories.


    ¡°Took you long enough, Little Brother.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Took you long enough, Little Brother.¡± Heinrich declared with a smirk on his face. ¡°Though, I have abandoned that Name, and I have yet to choose if I am to pick it up again or take a new one.¡±


    ¡°It is you, AnuDrax?¡± SinDrax stated before quickly processing his/her Elder Brother''s words and realizing their truth, because the Name; AnuDrax, should have been ringing with power with just its pronunciation, yet when he/she focused just enough, he/she sensed the hollow ring to the Name. ¡°Oh¡­ My¡­ GOD¡­ I can hardly believe it. My Elder Brother in the flesh.¡±


    The very second, SinDrax voiced it, his/her sudden emotional state influenced his/her Shell causing it to instantly dash toward Heinrich to hug him as strongly as possible. Never mind the fact that the Shell he/she was borrowing clearly lacked the desired strength of the hug he/she wished to portray.


    ¡°Aye¡­ Flesh indeed.¡± Heinrich replied while looking down at the female face his little brother was wearing for the time being. Still, he kept his smirking expression, only there was a tiny bit of schadenfreude hidden within it. ¡°It took me forty-three lifetimes, but I did it. I beat Gaia¡¯s Challenge.¡±


    ¡°Forty-three?¡± SinDrax immediately focused on, yet not letting go of his/her Elder Brother''s new form, so only his/her black eyes moved to gaze at Heinrich¡¯s brown eyes. ¡°That¡­ is actually quite high in number, but considering how deep you Dived it is not bad either. Still¡­ I must admit, Elder Brother, that I had written you off like the other Divers after not hearing a pip from you in¡­ a long while, let''s say.¡±


    ¡°Did you just awaken?¡± SinDrax inquired with curiosity a second after his/her last statement.


    ¡°Actually, no¡­ It''s been a few Mortal lifetimes since I recovered the first bits of my True Identity, but as I have yet to completely recover everything, I held on contacting you or Master.¡± Heinrich replied. ¡°No¡­ I probably would not have called for you anytime soon, but I could not forestall the Hatching tradition of your niece so I arranged a Channeler for you just for this moment.¡±


    ¡°Niece?¡± Once again hearing the word, a spark of curiosity arose within him/her. Ceasing his hug and retreating a few steps, SinDrax stared at the new face of his Elder Brother. ¡°By niece you mean Niece-Niece?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, is there any other kind of niece?¡±


    ¡°Right. Just making sure¡­ Where is she?¡± SinDrax asked because it was obvious that there was no niece on the roof of the building they found themselves in.


    The inquiry sported Heinrich to point at a certain place. However, alongside the pointing gesture, a tiny bit of his power was shared with the Shell of the women his Little Brother was sharing.


    This caused SinDrax to instantly recognize where to set his/her eyes. However, when he/she did, a reluctant sigh echoed from him/her. ¡°Ugh¡­ This Shell is blinder than a mole rat. Give me a moment.¡±


    With that said, SinDrax closed his/her eyes for a second to enter a very brief talk with his Channeler.


    Once he/she was done, SinDrax was allowed to Channel a larger fraction of his power, though he paid great attention to not fracture the very Shell he/she borrowed. In the end, when it was done, SinDrax managed to penetrate the concrete and find the location of his supposed niece.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± With that, SinDrax observed two Shells in the, yet only one displayed signs of imminent hatching. ¡°Found her!¡± Then, just as he/she confirmed the sight, SinDrax tried to peer closer only to run into a distinct wall that forbade him to. ¡°Damn¡­ Gaia¡¯s Veil is preventing me from watching closer.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry about that.¡± Heinrich spoke up, now standing beside the Shell his Little Brother inhabited. ¡°Soon enough, the restrictions will be lifted gradually so we will be able to observe close hand.¡±


    ¡°Right. Right¡­ There was that.¡± SinDrax echoed out. ¡°Then again¡­. Knowing you, Elder Brother, I am pretty sure that you can sidestep the restriction?¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡± Saying nothing, Heinrich waved his right hand and before them a square made of light itself manifested.


    Inside that square of light, SinDrax saw a simple sight, of a simple house. Then, the image flickered causing the image to change and display one particular room of the house. Within that room, SinDrax observed a replica of the girl he/she saw just moments prior, interacting with her D-Card.


    Still, as glad as he/she was to see anything, the sight left more unseen than seen. ¡°Even you can''t make it clearer under Gaia¡¯s Veil, Elder Brother?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Be happy you even get this.¡± Heinrich arrogantly remarked back. ¡°You have no idea how many hoops I had to jump through to get even this much. Besides, the quality should improve soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ Of course¡­ Then again¡­¡± SinDrax delayed laying out his true thoughts. ¡°A kid? I did not expect that one, Brother. You sure about this? I thought you said that you were not done recovering completely. Actually¡­ Now that I am thinking about it, why are we here? I mean outside and not beside her?¡±


    ¡°It''s complicated.¡± Heinrich replied with a slightly awkward tone. ¡°Technically speaking, she is not my first. Over the various lifetimes, I''ve had many bonds, but even then, I doubt I would have cared that much about the Spawn left behind since they would have mostly been Divers like me. If I had my memories and knowledge at those times, at most, I would have tried to nudge them on the path of Awakening.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± SinDrax commented on the side without taking away his/her sight from the floating image of his/her supposed niece. ¡°Considering where you are going, I take it this one is different? Wait¡­ Could it be that she is a Blank? A new Soul?¡±


    ¡°She is.¡± Heinrich affirmed before quickly shaking his head. ¡°However, let me remind you that Blanks are not that rare on Gaia.¡±


    ¡°I know, Elder Brother. I know.¡± SinDrax added. ¡°And it does not surprise me with how many Ancient Ones are still stuck within Gaia¡¯s Womb. Anyway, you still have not told me why we are here, outside, instead of with your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Like I mentioned already. It''s complicated.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°She generated a Supreme Grade Dream Gem.¡± Heinrich finally revealed. ¡°And she has enough Potential to possibly reach above Supreme.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Wait¡­ I know Blanks absorb Trauma like sponges do with water, but¡­ S-Rank? You are serious?¡±


    ¡°Yea¡­ No doubt about it¡­ Checked multiple times through Divination.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, Brother.¡± SinDrax replied suspiciously. ¡°Even at the best of times, Divination results within Gaia¡¯s Rift are spotty thanks to her Veil. You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Remember me saying I had to jump through many hoops to even get that much clarity?¡± With that said, Heinrich pointed at the floating image before them. In return, SinDrax nodded. ¡°The first time I realized Hannah, by the way, that is her name, being a Blank, I did a Divination out of curiosity since I never actually had one before, probably.¡± A shake of the head added to Heinrich¡¯s uncertainty. ¡°The results, however?¡­ Well, let''s just say they were confusing, with downright evil in the worst case.¡±


    ¡°Like I said, Elder Brother. Spotty at best.¡± SinDrax added, still not taking his/her sight off his supposed niece. ¡°Even I, as a Summoner, would not bother trying it, not that I could without actually being here, and I am sure you now know personally just how Gaia treats other Summoners.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes¡­ No need to remind me of it, or your newly gained Summoner Status.¡± Heinrich retorted back. ¡°Anyway, I''ve been long enough under her care that I''ve learned a few tricks while doing the Challenge. Through them, I managed to narrow down the good outcomes and what you''re seeing right now is the best I managed.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I see.¡± That said, a prong of silence ensued between the supposed brothers.


    Enough silence, that in time both witnessed Hannah suddenly grow still. As if something froze her in place. Luckily, the freeze did not last long, but moments later they witnessed Hannah desperately clutching onto the desk to route through the abuse she had just forced herself through.


    Seeing her like that, a spark of understanding hit SinDrax. ¡°Considering you called me to witness a Hatching, she has no Stats at all, right? Just what kind of Template did you give her that smothered her Shell like that?¡±


    Just as Heinrich was about to reply, he and his brother inside the female Shell, watched Heiley, the mother stagger into the small living room.


    On her face, there was a confused look, as if she did not know why she was there.


    However, it only took a few moments for her to realize her daughter was not right. Not only was she fidgeting around on the couch, but her chest was collapsing and expanding rapidly. In the same instant, Heinrich noted her lost outlook, so he used a tiny bit of his power to nudge her into a certain direction.


    SinDrax, being allowed to use some of his powers, caught on to his Elder Brother¡¯s actions. Centering his gaze away from the floating image, he observed what could only be the mother placing a cold and wet towel on Hannah¡¯s Shell to let it cool down since it went beyond its current performance ratings.


    Witnessing this, SinDrax once again tossed aside the ridiculous notions behind the existence of walking, talking Shells unique to Gaia¡¯s Womb because any Summoner who had tried mass replicating Gaia¡¯s achievement had invited disasters to their Rifts. Instead, it was something else that sparked his curiosity, namely the fact that it took at least two Old Ones to generate a Blank, a new Soul into existence.


    ¡°Who''s the mother?¡± SinDrax suddenly inquired, though even without being told, he/she could guess his Elder Brother¡¯s answer.


    ¡°No idea.¡± Indeed, it was as he/she expected. ¡°She is still Dreaming so I don''t dare break her out of it due to Gaia¡¯s First Rule.¡±

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 12 - Curse?

    ¡°Now that, Anu, I have to say is a plain old lie.¡± SinDrax elaborated. ¡°There are very few things you won¡¯t dare do, and pissing off Summoners is not one of those. Still, I will give you the benefit of the doubt since it''s Gaia we are talking about.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I don''t mind doing that since I am now within her club, yet so much lower in status.¡± With a shake of his/her head, SinDrax continued. ¡°Besides you did and beat her hardest Challenge, the ¡®Who Am I? Challenge¡¯. Compared to that, what could make you not dare, brother?¡±


    ¡°Nothing as serious as you imagine, just a healthy dose of respect, Little Sin.¡± Heinrich answered. ¡°That and the fact that I still owe her two more lifetimes, right after I am done with this one¡¯s task.¡±


    ¡°Task?¡± SinDrax inquired because he/she truly was unfamiliar with what his/her older sibling had been up to while having been scrubbed of his Ego and everything it entailed in the Who Am I? Challenge¡¯. ¡°Speaking of tasks, you still have not told me the true complications regarding my new Niece.¡±


    ¡°It truly is complicated, Little Sin.¡± Heinrich replied with a scowl echoing from the annoyance. ¡°You see, every lifetime I am thrust into a new layer of Gaia¡¯s Rift. Some are similar and some are vastly different. But the most common theme is that in every lifetime I have a purpose to fill.


    Like a background character pushing the narrative for somebody else. Problem is. I am never told who that somebody is or what I should push to get the desired results. Most of the time, I stumble into the purpose of being a background character to some other Diver and their reasons for diving Gaia¡¯s Womb.


    The same applies for this one, for Hannah¡¯s mother. As such, eight years ago, local time, that is, I was supposed to die in a simple incident. The cause was not important, only that I die and leave the mother and daughter to themselves with terrible circumstances.¡±


    ¡°But you went and did a Divination, and that changed everything? Right?¡± SinDrax posited. ¡°Why? I ask because it can''t be as simple as the possibility of a Grand Dream. Right?¡±


    ¡°You''re right¡­ It probably would have been fine if I had not.¡± Heinrich admitted. ¡°If I had not I would have been whisked off of this layer then and there. After that, I would have grouped Hannah with the others I left behind in all those lifetimes when I knew not my True Self. But I did, and what I saw I did not like.


    Not at all.


    So I resisted Gaia¡¯s Call for this very day.¡±


    ¡°Why? What did you see?¡± SinDrax pushed for an answer again. ¡°Common, Anu. Stop leaving me hanging with curiosity and just tell me.¡± That said, a moment later he/she voiced a tiny part of his inner thoughts. ¡°You know, if you were not my brother, I would have smited you for the simple fact of daring to do it in the first place.¡±


    Chuckling for a single moment yet not delivering anything in return, a silence returned between the supposed brothers, Enough silence that SinDrax went back to observing his/her supposed niece recover from the stupor induced on her Shell by an obviously advanced Ability Template. Moments later, SinDrax took note of a sharp intake with the shown clarity of his/her brother¡¯s Light projection displaying the girl taking the first Ingredients for her Ability and Dream Awakening.


    Then came the second and third, at which SinDrax laughed at the obvious Lesser Dream fighting for its life. Though, as was meant to happen within a Dream Sanctuary and during Awakening, without true intelligence, the Lesser Dream was incapable of resisting its call for purpose.


    Either way, with the fourth and fifth Ingredients tossed into the frying pan, it was time for the draining process. The first drain and transcendent phenomena came and went by fast, and the moment it ended another dose of clarity reached the Light projection. With the increased clarity, SinDrax could now recognize the girl in the same way he/she did when directly observing her lying Shell.


    Thanks to that, it was easy for him/her to recognize the obvious signs of pain in the girl''s facial expressions.


    ¡°That must be some sticky Corruption.¡±


    Quickly noting the girl¡¯s pain, SinDrax switched his/her view to the actual Shell to see the very same situation play out, only there, somebody helped by holding the trashing Shell in place as it emulated and processed the Soul Cleanse.


    The moment the second drain and transcendental phenomena came and went by, the trashing Shell ceased moving as it relaxed in the mother¡¯s arms. At the same time, the clarity of the Light projection increased marginally. Enough so, that it prompted SinDrax to lay his/her sight directly through the Shell instead of the Light Projection his/her brother made through some method he/she did not bother investigating.


    Unfortunately, he/she still underestimated the strength of Gaia¡¯s Restrictions. Luckily, the next three went by fast enough that almost all the restrictions were gone, and that could only mean one thing.


    His/her older sibling removing the Light projection only solidified the signs.


    ¡°It''s coming¡­ It''s coming.¡± SinDrax announced with excitement, though, it was his borrowed Shell that exaggerated his/her inner feelings, but that was to be expected since he/she was thrust into this without any warnings, at all. But then, he/she waited and waited and the Hatching had yet to take place. ¡°Why is it taking so long? By now she should have already Hatched completely. If she does not hurry, there will be problems!¡±


    ¡°Her Logic is Flawed!¡± SinDrax suddenly heard his/her brother utter out.


    ¡°Flawed? Not Weak?¡± SinDrax replied confusingly.


    ¡°Indeed¡­ It''s the mother¡¯s doing.¡± Heinrich said before shaking his head. ¡°She''s lucky, she''s not doing it on purpose, or I would have sent her to the next lifetime to try her Tribulation again.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Now that makes more sense.¡± SinDrax responded as it truly did, though, it was the specific which mattered more than the actual event. ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°Beats me!¡± Heinrich answered with a shoulder shrug. ¡°Regardless, it does involve progeny since it involves our daughter.¡±


    Then, all of a sudden, he extended his right arm to the right a bit as the entire forearm began glowing. So much so that it instantly drew SinDrax¡¯s attention away from the imminent Hatching to observe what his/her brother was up to.


    What he saw, however, intrigued him/her beyond anything for a long, long while, because what he was seeing was not what he was used to, not from AnuDrax.


    What he saw was his brother¡¯s Ability manifesting into a form he was not familiar with. It was a blend of metal and stone, only closer to metal than stone since the Ability manifested through numerous tiny parts interlocking with each other to form an actual gauntlet on the right hand as it encapsulated the whole forearm with its white/green outlook alongside many, many Runic Enchantments laced from Runic Script application.


    It was the white color that gave the gauntlet a metallic vibe, while the green one gave the natural one. Taking a closer examination of the green color, pale green to be precise, SinDrax was reminded of Celestial Jade.


    Still, while the base makeup was important, it was the other signs that made the gauntlet peculiar because there were six gems slotted onto the back hand of the gauntlet, with five for each finger, right above the finger knuckles, and one on the back of the hand. Additionally, each of the gems held a unique color while emanating a subdued sensation that made him/her think of something unique.


    Blinking a few times, SinDrax could not help himself/herself to not sound surprised. ¡°Are those what I think they are?¡±


    ¡°And more!¡± Heinrich replied before stroking the gauntlet with his left hand, up and down the metallic forearm. ¡°Little Sin, I want you to meet O-Tama, short for Omni Tool Augmented Modular Armament, my Third Ability.¡±


    ¡°The idea for it came straight from this Layer.¡± Heinrich added.


    ¡°Geez¡­ That is one expensive Armament.¡± SinDrax expressed this because the gems embedded into the Gauntlet Armament were very expensive to make. ¡°Wait¡­ You mentioned third and from this layer?¡± In the same instant, SinDrax used a bit of his/her power to scan his older sibling, but the instant he/she did, the white/pale green Armament flared to life denying him the information. With no other choice, he/she stuck to verbal inquiry. ¡°Does that mean you''re only an Adept right now?¡±


    ¡°Powerwise?... Yes¡­ But you know I am used to punching above my weight.¡± Heinrich said before elaborating his circumstances, partially at least. ¡°Either way, I am close to regaining my Master¡¯s Title, as well. Should be done next lifetime. The Grandmaster Title should follow right on that last lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Once I regain that, I am taking the very first ship out of this hellhole of a Rift.¡±


    With that said, Heinrich flexed the metallic/stone fingers of his Ability before pointing the gauntlet at the residential building in which Hannah and her mother lived.


    Nevertheless, a tiny usage of his/her power told SinDrax that the gauntlet was targeting the mother and not the daughter.


    <hr>


    Still waiting for the Hatching to happen, though the girl was running out of time, SinDrax re-engaged the conversation between him/her and his/her brother.


    ¡°Considering what I am seeing, I take it you have reinvented yourself from scratch. Right?¡± SinDrax asked pointedly because he/she wanted confirmation of the actual reason his/her brother had Dived into Gaia¡¯s Womb. ¡°The Conditional Passive?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­ No¡­ Not completely, as it turns out even Gaia could not scrub it off of my Soul.¡± Heinrich replied before quickly shrugging his shoulders at the circumstances. ¡°However, since its raw form remained behind, I was able to reconfigure the Condition before tying it into my First Ability. It''s also why I am running a completely new Path, instead of trekking the old one, even if it would have been improved.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Congratulations then!¡± SinDrax said happily. ¡°When you''re ready to leave, contact me and you will have a personal Captain to Sail you through the Void to wherever you want.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the offer, Little Sin, but I will have to deny it.¡± Heinrich voiced out with steel-like resolve. ¡°I will leave Gaia¡¯s Womb through my own effort. It''s the least I could do to successfully leave this Rift without any hard feelings blocking me from finally taking that Last Step.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ But at least make your first destination Scarlet CloudChain.¡± SinDrax almost pleadingly voiced out, though it was the borrowed Shell that made it feel that way. ¡°Considering how many of her fellow friends had not, Master is the one hoping the most that you will return from Gaia¡¯s Womb.¡±


    ¡°I will¡­ Actually, don''t tell her anything after this. I want to surprise her.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Elder Brother. I don''t mind keeping you a secret for a few more decades.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now shut up. It''s starting.¡± Heinrich suddenly said.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As his/her brother stated, SinDrax observed his/her niece finally flex her Soul before actively taking control of the first five layers of her Soul.


    Then came the alignment and harmonizing to make a pathway between the Five Corners of Existence the Soul and the Core of Existence, the Consciousness. That way, the excess energy that would have filled those five Sides of the Soul instead flushed into the Core of the Soul to fill it with power before enabling the transcendental phenomena tied to the Ego Stat, Soul Prism, to emerge.


    Soul Prism would make his/her niece realize that the Soul was in fact not made of different parts, of different layers, of different attributes, but is, in fact, an ever-changing, endlessly expanding, and infinitely stacking energetic fractal pattern making All of Existence, well¡­ Conscious since Consciousness was All There Was and Will Ever Be because Consciousness was, is and will forever be Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent.


    Only, for all those attributes, Consciousness wanted to be more, to grow more, to become more.


    Yet, what more could it be since it was everything and anything already?


    As such, Consciousness did the only thing it could.


    To be more, to grow more, to become more, it first had to become less of what it was, and to do that Consciousness chose to limit itself. As a consequence of its choice, Contrast came into Existence between the Limiter and Everything Else, thus generating the First Dream out of Hope for More and the First Nightmare out of Despair at realizing the sheer unfathomability IT was attempting.


    That very First Dream and very First Nightmare clashed and created EDIN, Endless Dreams and Infinite Nightmares, the place where every Dream was achievable if you managed to overcome your Nightmares.


    Still, as the backstory of the Soul was important, it paled to the importance of the one thing making everything possible, and that was the Limiter, which allowed the Contrast between the Limiter and the Everything Else to occur.


    It was that very understanding that allowed his/her niece to condense everything she had been prior to this moment into a Spark of the Self which would change, grow, and become something Unique for as long as she retained her Spark of the Self, her Ego. As such, SinDrax saw his/her niece''s Ego take the first Breath of Life all while being accompanied by a dizzying amount of colors due to the overflowing energy suffusing her Ego before it absorbed everything.


    Colors that would eventually settle down into one of the Seven Primes suffusing the whole of EDIN, and everything existing within it.


    Each color had a Prime Characteristic, also called a Trait, that could be easily identified during the Hatching process. However, before SinDrax even noticed any of the colors settling down, he/she noted his/her brother''s powers increasing in preparations, and not a moment sooner, SinDrax realized just why.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    In the same instance his/her niece¡¯s Ego began blossoming to Life, SinDrax saw the mother cease moving as if frozen in place. Then, from out of nowhere, a hideous and sticky dark ink-like color arose from the mother¡¯s head that seemed to ooze sensations of the Degradation of Life.


    Seeing and feeling its aura, SinDrax instantly knew the target of that corruption.


    Thankfully, today he/she was but an observer, so he/she had no need to do anything at this moment since he/she knew his/her brother had everything planned out because that was the type of character his/her Elder Brother had, a thinker and planner.


    That being the case, SinDrax felt his/her brother''s power spike to existence by creating a double-layered barrier between the mother and the daughter. The first was see-through and it covered his/her niece to protect her. The second one, however, was a skin-tight white/pale green barrier around the mother. Only, that was not all. After the skin-tight barrier appeared, another spike of power occurred causing that same white/pale green barrier to start drawing out all the hideous stuff from the mother¡¯s Soul.


    Calling on a bit more power, SinDrax examined the interaction between the ink-black corruption and the white/pale green barrier, thus instantly realizing that the barrier created some kind of vacuum-like force resembling his/her niece¡¯s current energetic signature, probably from the first barrier around her, to gently guide the corruption from out of the depths of the mother¡¯s Soul.


    Unfortunately, as if it was not meant to be, the corruption seemed to have noticed something being off, and when it did, it actually began withdrawing back into the mother¡¯s Soul.


    Not one to give up that easily, Heinrich upped the power consumption of his Gauntlet Armament to forgo deception in favor of pure force.


    Soon enough, the corruption had no choice but to be forced out of his latest partner and into his white/pale green barrier. However, at the last moment, the corruption smartened up by amputating what it could not save before instantly returning what it could into Hailey¡¯ Soul, causing her to collapse onto the floor unconscious.


    ¡°Tch!¡± SinDrax heard his/her brother make.


    Seeing the change, Heinrich used his Armament to transform the white/pale green barrier into a tiny sphere, a tiny bubble of the same color scheme. Right after that, he canceled the wide transparent barrier to drag the bubble containing the corruption to himself.


    Staring at it for a moment, things clicked into place. ¡°Hmph¡­ Curse of Despair - Stillborn. No wonder she chose Gaia¡¯s Womb for her Tribulation. This is the only place where it could be fought off at its roots since its Anathema to Gaia¡¯s Life Domain.¡±


    After examining the main culprit, Heinrich wondered just how many innocents had been sacrificed to degrade the Curse to its current state. But then, he suddenly realized why Gaia had orchestrated his meeting with Hailey, and why she allowed his resistance against her Call to occur at all.


    Nodding and affirming his actions regarding Hannah, and everything he had been forced to make her go through, he sent the bubble to his younger brother inhabiting the female Shell of Melinda, the Channeler.


    ¡°Haha¡­ I knew there had to be a greater reason for you to call on me instead of a simple Hatching Tradition.¡± SinDrax voiced out. ¡°Don''t worry, AnuDrax¡­ Now that it is personal for me as well,  I will find the culprit post haste.¡±


    ¡°Can I deal with them, or should I wait until you are done here?¡± SinDrax asked quickly.


    ¡°As much as I would love to do it myself, you have the go-ahead if you manage to find him/her/them, or whatever they are, before I leave the Rift.¡± Heinrich replied with steel in his voice. ¡°If it¡¯s somebody high profile, wait and we will figure it out together.¡±


    That said, Heinrich dismissed his Gauntlet Armement in favor of observing his newly born daughter. SinDrax did the same, but only after he/she used his/her power to encapsulate the bubble containing the Curse with his own crimson-hued power before actually sending it to his/her True Body.


    When that was done, he enjoyed watching his niece finally settle her Prime Characteristic.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Brown?¡± SinDrax voiced out somewhat confused because he/she expected something more complicated. Taking a closer look at the color surrounding his niece inside and outside her Dream Sanctum, SinDrax discovered a rather metallic quality to the Brown color. ¡°From Blank to Unyielding Will?¡­ Anu¡­ That is not something a newborn is usually qualified to get as a Prime Trait. Care to elaborate?¡±


    Shaking his head, Heinrich responded. ¡°When you only have bad choices from which to choose, there is very little to elaborate.¡± Then with another shake of his head, he continued. ¡°I did what I had to do so let''s leave it at that. If you''re curious about it, then in the future if you meet her in person you can inquire about her First Tribulation.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Elder Brother¡­ I will respect your choice.¡± SinDrax voiced out not saying anything else.


    Instead, he continued watching the Hatching process.


    <hr>


    After the Prime Characteristic - Brown - Unyielding Will settled onto his/her niece''s Soul, what followed was the usual understanding that the Ego Stat was the nominal capacity of the Spark of Self to hold onto itself in the face of Everything Else.


    Therefore, to overcome one¡¯s limits one had to grow one¡¯s Ego first, either by slowly acquiring Experience through cultivating one''s Ego with different living experiences or by defeating Nightmares and using them as fuel for one''s growth.


    Naturally, the second one was quicker but it carried the inherent risks of smothering one''s Ego, one''s Spark of Self, permanently.


    Additionally, on top of everything so far, his/her niece would understand that her Ego was the Core of her Soul and her Dream Body, yet her Dream Body was only part of her Soul, her Ego. Hence, how the distinctions between the sides, the layers of Soul, behaved differently from each other yet were in fact one and the same thing.


    As such, SinDrax watched his/her niece flex those sides, those layers of her Soul, as if they were prehensile limbs just itching to take their first walk only to realize that they already knew how and what to do that, much in thanks to Gaia¡¯s Unique Shell¡¯s inputting said information into his/her niece¡¯s Ego before she even Hatched.


    In the end, SinDrax saw his/her niece simply stand up, pocket the last bits of her Dream Gem within the oversized jacket she wore within her Dream Sanctum before actually examining the strange sensations flooding her perception. And strange they were as SinDrax remembered his/her own Hatching like it was yesterday and not millennia in the past, well relative past because Time was not what it seemed now that he/she was a Summoner.


    Yet, for his/her niece it had to be even weirder because what she was picking up on was not just herself, and what the Dream Instance bequeathed on her.


    No, his/her niece was also picking on the Suppression from the Rift she was born in.


    All Rifts had them, yet none could match that of Gaia¡¯s Womb with its mesmerizing depth, because that very same mesmerizing depth also became intoxicating to behold, causing even Summoners to doubt everything they perceived.


    Hence, why Gaia¡¯s Womb was so unique as its Suppression generated a side of EDIN that only grew more intoxicating the deeper one traveled into her Rift. At some point, that Suppression became so hard and rigid that no Dream or Nightmare could ever manifest there in person.


    Though, in exchange, something else took their place.


    Regardless, it was in those depths that the true uniqueness of Gaia¡¯s Womb emerged, and it was there that the Hardest Challenge, the ¡®Who am I? Challenge!¡¯ occurred. Where a Dreamer had to discard everything he/she/them was, meaning stripping their Ego down to the bare minimum, before slowly picking up those very pieces back, piece by piece, lifetime after lifetime, into a whole picture that you used to be, only under a new configuration.


    Thankfully, his/her niece was on the upper layers of Gaia¡¯s Womb, so she would be safe from that intoxicating effect.


    Not that it mattered that much to a brand-new Soul, since everything was new in some way.


    The second thing, SinDrax took note of was his/her niece flickering her right hand weirdly before in her hand a hand-sized pink colored ball emerged, a ball with black and white clouds furbishing the pink looks.


    The ball could only be her Tool as was indicated by the Pathway of his/her niece¡¯s Hatching. However, SinDrax had no idea what the Tool was about, at least he did not before his/her niece actually began speaking to the Tool in question.


    ¡°Dreamon!¡±


    SinDrax heard her voice out hesitantly, only for her Unyielding Will to pick her up her slack and carry her to the next step of Dream Awakening because, currently, her Great Dream was closer to an Ability than a Great Dream, much less the possible Grand Dream her father had laid out for her.


    ¡°I, Hannah Blackwood, Swear to Travel across the Lands, Searching Far and Wide!¡±


    ¡°To Catch them Will be my Challenge!¡±


    ¡°To Train them Will be my Purpose!¡±


    ¡°To make Everybody Understand the Power that is Inside!¡±


    ¡°Dreamon!¡±


    With every sentence announced, SinDrax observed the pink ball and his/her niece glow with multi-colored light before eventually it exploded into one giant flash encapsulating her Dream Sanctuary.


    Only, that was where it ended, because as mighty as the glow was, it had not managed to bridge the gap between A and S-Ranked Dreams.


    However, it was close, and SinDrax knew the reason for it as well.


    ¡°The Oath is a bit clunky¡­ Still¡­ It is also unusual¡­ Some kind of Tamer Path from the Conjuring Discipline?¡± SinDrax posted to his/her brother, but the only answer he/she got was a simple nod of the head.


    That being the case, SinDrax continued observing his/her niece as she, once again, played with her ball. Nonetheless, when she had had enough of that, SinDrax saw his/her niece vanish away the pink ball before settling her gaze onto the last three items on the wooden desk found within her Dream Sanctuary.


    With all the restrictions gone, SinDrax ignored the D-Card and the Invitation Envelope from the Champion¡¯s Association, if the mark on it was correct, in favor of examining the third one, the one his/her niece gazed at deeply.


    ¡°Another Template?¡± SinDrax voiced out with curiosity tingling his/her voice. ¡°For the Nightmare? Mmm¡­ I can understand the maximization of Pure Potential utilization, but I am failing at grasping where this is leading.¡±


    Seeing no actual response but just a nod of his brother''s Shell, SinDrax said no more and instead eagerly awaited the elaborate show his/her brother had planned out.


    It did not even take long, but it did take a bit more than he/she expected after his/her niece picked up the Template before folding it a few times and stashing it into another pocket of her oversized jacket.


    The same occurred for the Envelope as the jacket had plenty of pockets still.


    However, after that, his/her niece hesitated in picking up her D-Card.


    Observing closer, SinDrax noted his/her niece switching her sight between the only entrance/exit of her Dream Instance as if wondering about something very significant. After affirming something in her head, with a visual nod to showcase it, SinDrax saw his/her niece pick the D-Card yet not use it in any way, which instantly told him/her what his/her niece was up to.


    And SinDrax wholesomely approved of it too


    After stashing her D-Card onto one of the bigger inner pockets of her oversized brown jacket, SinDrax witnessed his/her niece face the door and everything it featured.


    Though being a Novice Grade Dream Sanctum, those features were irrelevant to SinDrax.


    No, it would take at least an Apprentice Grade Dream Sanctuary to block his/her sight through the borrowed Shell of his/her Channeler. But even then it was possible to peer through if he/she cared not for the well-being of the Shell he was borrowing. On the other hand, the Adept Grade Dream Instance was impossible no matter the Shell. No, for them his/her True Body was required. After Adept, Master Graded Dream Instances might prove challenging for a Summoner like him/her, but Grandmaster was simply impossible to all.


    Regardless, SinDrax saw his/her niece take a deep breath before taking out a key from another inner pocket of her oversized brown jacket. With it in hand, his/her niece unlocked the door before opening it up a few seconds later. However, the second the door was opened up enough for her to pass through, SinDrax observed multiple tendrils shoot for his/her niece only to instantly wrap around her torso before quickly pulling the extremely surprised girl close to its bulbous main body sporting one large white dot that seemed to be able to freely move across its bulbous main body.


    However, unlike what SinDrax expected, his/her niece did not cry out despite the sudden engagement.


    No, instead, she glared at the Nightmare in question.


    ¡°Anu¡­ What kind of Nightmare is that?¡± SinDrax inquired of his/her brother. ¡°It reminds me of something but I can''t quite place it well since it''s also different from what I am reminded of.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ It''s my first time seeing it with such clarity as well.¡± Heinrich replied with a steady voice. ¡°However, through the Divinations I did nine years ago, I believe it to be a Beyonder.¡±


    Reminded of them, SinDrax could see the resemblance. Only something was off, clearly off. ¡°Can''t be¡­ I have a few of them nesting in my Rift, and none of their Spawns look like that. Similar? Yes. But not like that.¡±


    ¡°Then it''s either a new variant or a very old one. Choose your pick.¡± Heinrich added. ¡°However, it''s a Beyonder. Of that, I am sure.¡±


    <hr>


    With that voiced out, both brothers watched Hannah¡¯s Unyielding Will Trait kick in to encourage her struggle against the Monster that had infested her Dream Instance.


    At first, all Hannah managed was struggle a bit here and there, but soon enough they witnessed her realize that she was stronger, faster, and tougher than she used to be. Using that to her advantage, Hannah wiggled more and more, but the numerous tentacles around her still proved too much for her.


    With that understanding, Hannah¡¯s struggle became even fiercer when her hands grabbed and clawed at the tentacles in question.


    Soon enough, she even resorted to biting at the closest appendage to her mouth.


    All while she did her best in fighting off the Nightmare trying to wrap her up, the Nightmare endured the pain it was not comfortable with, but having been enduring its hunger for so long, and no longer being surprised by its sudden appearance, the pain was easily set aside.


    Then, when both, Hannah¡¯s and the tentacular Nightmares, hardship proved their existence to be futile/successful, the brothers saw Hannah simply cease trying anymore.


    Yet, it was not to give up.


    No, both knew the truth of the Unyielding Will Trait.


    No, Hannah would not give up that easily.


    Instead, after realizing that her current action was proving futile, Hannah quickly remembered everything she knew about her Monster and the very place they both found themselves in.


    When she had what she needed, Hannah glared at the Monster¡¯s big white dot acting as its eye. Like that, the two glared at each other when Hannah suddenly voiced her thoughts at the tentacular Monster.


    ¡°This is My place!¡± Hannah uttered out alongside her determined glare.


    ¡°This is My Dream Instance!¡± She declared, loudly, not caring if the Monster heard her or not. ¡±I can do whatever I want in this place!¡±


    ¡°I AM THE QUEEN HERE!¡± Hannah announced with a shout, causing it to echo out into the house she no longer lived in. ¡°Release Me, You Foul Monster!¡±


    Like floodgates, a multi-colored Light exploded from Hannah¡¯s Dream Body and the Dream Sanctum behind her.


    Not only had its sudden appearance blinded the tentacular Nightmare, but it had instantly caused it a large amount of pain as the multi-colored Light represented its Anathema, Hope.


    Hope that had been stockpiled within Hannah¡¯s Dream Body for a long time. Only, that was not all. No, the Hope Hannah released resonated with the Dream Instance thanks to the coded trigger words she had designated as a little girl right for this moment when she had to overcome her Nightmare.


    This confluence of facts instantly manifested through multicolored Light pushing away every inch of the Silver Sheen that had clouded her Dream Instance, and the first walls to do so were the ones around Hannah.


    When the walls recovered their shine, they became instant repellers of everything Silver, and that included the Nightmare latching itself on the ceiling. Therefore, in one single moment, Hannah not only freed herself but also denied her opponent the terrain advantage on top of hurting it, thus instantly scaring the Nightmare away from her.


    After dropping back on the ground and being released by the tentacular Nightmare, Hanna stood back up on her own two feet only to glare at the retreating Monster as it slithered away from the ever-encroaching returning control she had always possessed but chose to forget for her First Nightmare Tribulation.


    Seeing the Nightmare retreat around the corner of the corridor, Hannah took one more breath before flickering her hand, as practiced a few moments prior to exiting her Dream Sanctuary.


    With the Dreamon Ball in her right hand, Hannah slowly chased after her Monster.

 SR - Act 1 - Chapter 13 - Surprise?

    That her Monster retreated to her old bedroom did not surprise Hannah as that bedroom, in fact, was the very first layer of her Dream Instance, with the hallway and the other rooms representing depth while her Dream Sanctuary represented the center of the Dream Instance.


    That was why she was also not surprised when her Monster slithered into her old cabinet before closing the cabinet doors tight, because monsters hiding within the closet/cabinet was one of the oldest cautionary tales all kids are told about to keep them quiet, and Hannah was no exception to that.


    It was that very tale that Little Hannah incorporated into her Dream Instance and that was what Adult Hannah was staring at, only as her control of her Dream Instance returned and color flooded her old bedroom, the cabinet her Monster was infesting refused to dislodge its Silver Sheen.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Hannah grunted at the slight annoyance as that was all it was because her control of the Dream Instance was absolute now that she knew about it. As such, after staring at her old cabinet, she walked right up to it before placing her right hand on it.


    Still, she did not immediately execute her desire. No, instead, Hanna removed her hand to position herself beside the cabinet door so her Monster would not ambush her again. When she did, a flex of her Soul, specifically, the Will and Logic part of her Soul, and color invaded the silver-clad cabinet, and it became right from where her palm touched the wooden cabinet.


    Like a small tide, her control rippled over the cabinet, instantly removing her Monster¡¯s ability to recluse itself inside.


    CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP


    Hearing the panicked cries, a smirk unfolded on Hannah¡¯s face as she felt her monster''s resistance flail away into nothingness.


    Soon enough, it was done, the wooden cabinet was still hers. However, when Hannah tried opening the cabinet doors, they refused to do so. Sensing the discrepancy between what should have been an easily opened cabinet door yet not an occurring event, Hannah wondered what the problem might be before a reasonable answer popped into her head as if just waiting to give her the information she needed.


    Blinking her brown eyes, Hannah suddenly realized her Insight was the culprit for that, and had always been since it had never stopped working, only she had trouble listening to it previously.


    Now, though?


    Now, the whispers were like drum beets hitting her Ego head-on.


    Listening to the spontaneous answer, Hannah dismissed her Dreamon Ball for a second to grab the cabinet at the top hinge. With the grip in place, she pulled with all of her current might and control of her Dream Instance. The wooden cabinet immediately tilted to the side before actually dropping to the floor on its right side, of course, only after Hannah got out of the way.


    THUD


    Chirp Chirp Chirp


    Once again hearing the panicked streaks of her Monster, the smirk on Hannah¡¯s face grew bigger, as if drawing from within her something that had long been superseded.


    However, before she indulged in it, she Conjured her Dreamon Ball just in case.


    Then, right after that, Hannah indulged the desire to spook her Monster more, and so she did by hitting the wooden cabinet door with her foot with no fear that it would hurt her in any way because, within her Dream Instance, nothing could hurt her unless she let it be so.


    BANG


    Chirp


    BANG


    Chirp


    BANG


    Not hearing the cry, Hannah stopped hitting the horizontally lying cabinet door. Nevertheless, she was a bit reluctant because now she could repay her Monster for everything it had done to her over the past seven years.


    Only Hannah was also reluctant at that as well.


    ¡°For seven years you have tortured me.¡± Hannah suddenly spoke up all while making a fist with her free left hand. ¡°For seven years I have feared your existence, every day and night, and that has made you what you are today.


    No more!


    No more will I fear you!


    Not only because you can no longer do anything to me but I too have grown from all that Pain and Despair you have inflicted upon me. Yes¡­ Child Hannah who could only ever cry all while hiding her Pain is gone.


    She has gone through her chrysalis phase and became an Adult.


    Yes, Remember this moment, Monster because Adult Hannah has graced your presence and you will cover in front of her like the younger me had in yours.¡±


    Nodding to her own words, Hannah continued her little speech of victory. ¡°Yes¡­ Now that I have grown up and realized Who and What I am at my Core, you have no choice but to cover in front of me and plead for your life. And you will PLEAD because I know you can. Father¡¯s ghost may not have believed me fully, but I know¡­ I KNOW, you are far smarter and far more Evil than you appear to be instead of an Instinct-filled wild beast baby.


    Yes, I have suffered enough under you to KNOW that fact very well.


    So listen up, Nightmare.¡± Hannah declared with Unyielding Will cladding her words, but to make it more menacing, she hit the cabinet door one last time.


    THUD


    Chirp


    Liking the reply, Hanah explained her reasoning. ¡°You have one choice of action before you.


    Come out of there on your own and let me Capture you.


    Stay inside and I will force you out and KILL you despite my father''s stringent plans for my future. Sure, my Great Dream won''t become Grand, but I am willing to pay the price just to KILL YOU, because, as you are right now you will never, ever understand remorse for your past actions.


    So Killing you is the only mercy I will allow myself to extend to you if you stay in there.


    If you come out and attack me, I¡­ Will¡­ Still¡­ KILL... YOU, as that shows you are simply masquerading as a wild beast since I know your True Evil Nature. No¡­ I won''t Capture a Nightmare like that because it shows you are not ready to change and learn about remorse.


    Yes¡­ You have one option, Nightmare¡­ Come out of there¡­ Nice and slow. Any fast movements and¡­ I¡­ WILL¡­ STILL¡­ KILL¡­ YOU!¡±


    With her ultimatum presented, Hannah took a few steps back to await the moment that would decide her future because, now that she had been aware of her father¡¯s shenanigans behind the scenes, she was even more reluctant to adopt the Beholder Spawn, even if its whole existence would change as a result of her adoption.


    No, she would rather kill her Monster and seek some other Nightmare to start from scratch, unless her Monster willingly accepted to be her Summon, because then, and only then, would she be willing to allow its continued presence near her as it would always remind her of what she had been through instead of letting everything remain in the past, especially since her Awakening had removed almost all its traces from her Soul, giving her a fresh new start to life.


    Yes¡­ Only this way will I allow its constant presence!


    <hr>


    ¡°Terrain Disadvantage¡­ Death Threat¡­ Demeaning Bully Tactic plus an Unyielding Will Trait to carry it through for a quadruple stacked Intimidation Factor?¡± SinDrax noted as he watched his/her niece. ¡°Yeah¡­ that might just do it. Now all she needs is an Aura Skill to multiply those into a proper Aural Debuff and she''s good to go on that front.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you think so, Anu?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Heinrich answered, though, he knew there was more to it than that because the way he had set up his daughter''s Dream implied a constant negative modifier to all Nightmares near her, and since in this very moment the whole Dream Instance represented her Soul and Dream, it was as if the Aural Debuff was already in place, even if the medium of its delivery was not. ¡°Though what she does after this is out of my hands.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡±


    ¡°Hnng.¡± Heinrich nodded. ¡°By the time Hannah learns the full truth, I will be long gone from her current life, and since I am already dead to her, it''s best to leave it at that. I am sure you noticed the Envelope I gave her?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± SinDrax replied.


    ¡°That will be your perfect excuse to introduce yourself. Perhaps Master, as well.¡± Heinrich advised before smirking as well. ¡°Also¡­ You''ve heard her just now. She''s an ¡®Adult¡¯ so there is no need to coddle her too much.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Alright¡­ I won''t.¡± SinDrax agreed after a chuckle. ¡°Mmm¡­ Now that I am thinking about it, I have a kid, not a Blank, of course, who''s doing alright on the Adept Champions Ladder. How about I have them meet and he can show her the ropes and all that? Maybe even introduce her to some new friends? I think he has some decent people around him. Must admit though, it''s been a while since I checked on him.¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Are you fine with that?¡± SinDrax inquired.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    With the go-ahead, another bout of silence ensued between the SinDrax and Heinrich, but as it turned out it was for the best because both of them suddenly heard their daughter/niece speak up.


    <hr>


    ¡°You have three seconds to come out.¡± Hannah called out, totally ignoring the fact that her Monster knew not how to count.


    Thankfully it was her tone that set the bar.


    ¡°Three!¡±


    ¡°Two!¡±


    ¡°ONE!¡±


    Creek


    It was small and thin, but the very crack of the wooden cabinet door told of an answer.


    Glaring at that very crack in question, Hannah wondered if her Monster was just testing her determination. So when her Monster did not come out immediately, Hannah stretched her Soul and control of her Dream Instance to flush through the gap, instantly flooding the insides of the wooden cabinet, thus forcing her Monster to have no choice but to come out.


    Creek


    Chirp Chirp


    Tentacle after tentacle was forced out, however, the way it was done, not too fast nor too slow, signaled to Hannah that her Monster was still testing out the grounds before it.


    Not only because the situation was a first for it, but also because it felt its tentacles burn slightly from just touching the multi-colored floor.


    Regardless, to the Nightmare the pain was easier to set aside once it grew used to it. What it could not get used to was the situation it was in because things should not be this way. No, it should be the complete opposite, the girl being at the whim of its mighty prowess, not the IT at hers.


    Still, the threat it had heard, the message carrying it, the situation around it, and the undeniable tone of surety emanating from the girl told the Nightmare that it would be killed if it did not come out of its nest.


    Therefore, left it with no other choice but to come out and face this new version of the girl it had fed upon for a long time, though not as long as it could have been if not for that strange numbness she had induced herself in to hinder its Nightmarish purpose.


    No, had it not figured out a way to send its prehensile limbs through the girl''s Dream Body, blindly, of course, to wherever it went after every Night, it would have long since turned to ashes from sheer starvation. As such, the one tentacle it managed to push through snapped at every source of Fear it could.


    Through those hardships, alongside the thorough control of its hunger, the Nightmare had managed to survive so far, and it had been close, so, so close to actually winning and consuming the girl¡¯s Soul. Yet, now, as its sole eye unerringly stared at the girl in question, it was as if all of its efforts turned futile because the girl in question before him might as well be somebody else.


    Not only due to her newfound power but also her Radiance.


    Yes, a Radiance that made it want to avert its sole eye from her visage. Only it could not. No, it had this nagging sensation that if it did, it would be over for it. So it gazed at that Radiance as if there was no tomorrow, and there probably would not be if it did not comply with that radiance. Hence, while keeping its sole eye on her, it slowly slithered out of its overturned and cramped nest. Nonetheless, because it was much bigger than it used to be, when compared to when it first slithered outside of what used to be its nest, now barely half a slither brought it before the radiant girl in question.


    Once that was done, it simply ceased moving, with its iron-clad control over its body.


    Maintaining eye contact between them was hard, and it only became harder the longer it did, but then, all of a sudden, its sole eye noted the girl''s left rigid limb move, slowly, of course. Then part of it vanished within the strange skin the girl had put on herself before she vanished within that place it could not penetrate no matter how it had tried. From its insides, she pulled out a different radiance that burned its very sight at just witnessing it.


    Luckily, its sole eye saw a lot, so there was no need to center its vision on anything it caught, it shifted its attention back on the girl from its radiance.


    ¡°See this?¡± The Nightmare heard the girl speak, though how it knew what she meant was a problem it cared not one tiny bit. It was just how it was. ¡°Touch it with one of your limbs. If I see more than one limb¡­ I¡­ WILL¡­ KILL¡­ YOU!¡±


    ¡°Understood?¡± In the same instance, the girl''s radiance spiked, just like the previous few times it had heard her utter that threat.


    Once again, it was left with no choice, so it cried out once before slowly moving one limb closer to the Radiant Thing. However, the closer its limb moved to the Radiant Thing, the more pain its limb felt. Regardless, that same burning effect could not compare to anything it felt once contact was established.


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    Chirp


    It cried out without any control before recoiling its outstretched limb away from the radiant thing.


    ¡°Who told you could drop the limb?¡± The girl announced as her gaze deepened on its eye. If it could have, it would have penetrated its membrane. ¡°Do it again¡­ This time? If you drop the contact¡­ I¡­ WILL¡­ KILL¡­ YOU!¡±


    Though it choked on the threat oozing from the girl and into it, it somehow chirped back to signal its acquiescence.


    Then it extended the same burned limb and touched the radiant thing and managed to hold onto it despite the pain it felt on the edge of the limb.


    ¡°Good¡­ Here is what you will do.¡± The girl said with a grim tone in her voice. ¡°You will grab it and hold it firmly before bringing it closer to your main body. Once it''s there, IT WILL STAY THERE. I don''t care what you feel while doing it. You Will do it or I will KILL YOU.¡±


    ¡°Understood?¡±


    Choking on the intruding sensating flooding it, it chirped back in reply.


    ¡°Now do it.¡±


    With that command, and unable to resist the girl''s radiance because it simply grew the longer the current situation went on, the Nightmare did as commanded and wrapped its tentacular limb around the Radiant thing before bringing it closer to its main body. Along the way, the pain the Radiant Thing made it feel only became stronger, and when its main body touched it, it felt like the world was collapsing. Only, when a red light zapped its whole body, the world truly did collapse since it suddenly vanished from where it had been only to appear within a pitch-black space that contained nothing but it.


    Were it not for the Radiant Thing it held onto, it would have felt very comforting, but since it did, it did not matter at all.


    After that, in one moment, the Nightmare sensed the new world around it resonate with the Radiant Thing it held. As a consequence the burning sensations were no longer on its limb, or the membrane of the main body, but everywhere, and all at once since the pain penetrated into every inch of its existence.


    The only good thing about its current situation was the sudden loss of feeling the multiple limbs it possessed as if something was eating them all while slowly traveling inwards toward its main body to deliver a similar loss of sensations.


    In the end, even its main body suffered that loss and what happened after, it knew not.


    <hr>


    ¡°Brother¡­ Is it just me, or was the Nightmare a bit too obedient?¡± SinDrax posed a bit unsure. ¡°I know the quadruple intimidation factor was there, but¡­ something does not align. Especially after it came into contact with the Dream Gem¡­¡± Shaking his/her head, SinDrax continued. ¡°No. The amount of pain a Dream Gem forces upon Nightmares should have made it drop instantly as its first reaction showed.¡±


    Not replying instantly, Heinrich observed as the Nightmare brought the Dream Gem to its main body when Hannah suddenly pointed her Dreamon Ball at it, causing a red ray of light to engulf the Nightmare before drawing it into its insides.


    Almost instantly, Heinrich saw the Dreamon Ball vibrate left and right before actually emanating a DING! sound alongside a glow of the silver belt line around its midsection and around the sole button in place. However, there was no actual need for the button to be pressed since it was technically the medium that projected the red ray of light and nothing else.


    Right after the first DING! sound, the Dreamon Ball ceased vibrating for a moment, but only for a moment, because only the First Domain, the Capturing Domain, had so far executed its function to completion, hence the DING!.


    At the same time, the Dreamon Ball projected a multi-colored light into its surroundings, but that was usual since part of the Great Dream had just proven its concept of existence. As such, with the proof of functionality, the Great Dream was once again pushed closer to its ascension to becoming a Grand Dream. However, with how simple the First Domain was, it was almost as if there was no improvement with it already being so highly ranked.


    Right after the glow withdrew back into the pink ball in Hannah¡¯s hand, a second vibration ensued as the Second Domain manifested, the Containment Domain. Here, Stats and Effects were compared between the Nightmare and his daughter to determine the success of the containment process.


    Naturally, the Beholder Spawn Nightmare was at a disadvantage since it also had to contend with the Evocation - Illusion of Serenity making it feel very welcome within its current residence.


    Strangely, as Heinrich observed, the second stage happened much faster than the first.


    DING!


    Just like the first stage, another glowing event ensued since the Second Domain had proven its Proof of Concept. Nonetheless, there was still no upgrade because the Containment process was too fast, hence there was too little to prove.


    Scowling internally from the anomaly of his daughter''s Awakening, Heinrich set it aside as this was not the first one he had come across ever since he began plotting his daughter''s Awakening plan.


    No, the first had occurred right after his Divination through passive interactive methods about the very nature of his Daughter''s Nightmare.


    The second one had occurred as he was attempting to create a Template for his daughter''s first Dreamon based on a Beyonder¡¯s inherent features.


    It had taken months and lots of drawing and theorizing the different iterations, but there was no doubt that the Template had come about with remarkable ease, considering he was blindly going at this to provide his daughter a reasonable anchor upon which to settle her imagination since she was the key for this and not him.


    And now¡­ the third anomaly comes about, with how easily his daughter shoved the Baby Beholder into her Dreamon Ball, or the method of her attempted success because the Dream Gem should not have been involved as it had been. No, at most it would have been used through Hannah¡¯s guidance as its purpose was power guided into the Great Dream and the Nightmare trapped within.


    No, there was no mention of making the Nightmare hold the Dream Gem in any of his tailored recordings left for her.


    Could be a spontaneous action based on her inherent feelings towards the Baby Beholder. Heinrich voiced in his head as he observed the second withdrawing of the glowing phenomena all Dreams were met upon after being established and proving their Proof of Concept.


    Right after that, Heinrich saw his daughter take out the Template he had made for her before quickly unfolding it and placing it on the floor only to place her palm right on it. As if meant to, the moment she did, her pink Capturing Device began shaking again, only this time, it was so fierce that it forced her to hold tightly onto it.


    Maybe her Great Dream guided her to the possibility? It''s not like it''s unusual or anything like that considering the grade.


    However, if it''s not her Great Dream, then it can only be one thing.


    Craning his neck upwards, Heinrich ignored his daughter, for a moment, because it would take a bit of time for the transmutation process to occur since this would be his daughter¡¯s first-ever transmutation.


    Plus, considering what was being attempted, there was no doubt that it would be difficult, not only for Hannah but the Beholder Spawn as well since it was transitioning into a new type of existence. Oh, it was not that new since others had attempted and succeeded in this as well. Regardless, it did not matter one whit that it had occurred before because a Dreamon had never existed before this moment since no creature Heinrich had seen in all of his lives, inside and outside Gaia¡¯s Rift or all the other Rifts for that matter, carried the name Dreamon.


    The reason for that was simple.


    Very simple, in fact.


    Names carried Power, and as such Names defined something just as much as they explained something, and since no creatures carried the name Dreamon, due to the local language favoring the term on top of everything so far, any Dreamon his daughter acquired in the future would be a completely new type of creature to exist.


    Moreover, it would continue to be so until that very moment she passes her Last Nightmare Tribulation and establishes her own Rift.


    Then, and only then, would Dreamon become regular creatures usable or tameable for other Dreamers, and even then, it would only be possible inside the Rift from which they spawned and nowhere else because Rifts were singular, meaning Unique and would remain Unique as such for as long as their Creator lived to tell the tale of their existence.


    Only after their Creator was gone, for whatever reason, would a Rift have to prove its worth of existence as an Independent Rift within an endlessly expanding cosmos where everything was Consciousness seeking its own growth and expansion, hence why most Rifts collapse alongside their Creator.


    The only exception to that was if a Summoner managed to cultivate their Rift to the Endless Grade, since, at that point, a Rift turned into a self-sustaining existence.


    A side effect of that, however, was that a Summoner also became an Endless existence, hence why Gaia¡¯s Womb was such a coveted Rift to Explore and Challenge. Thanks to her ministrations, during a span of time that few could even contemplate, her Rift contained numerous mysteries to be explored and numerous adventures to experience if you were brave enough to enter its depths.


    And Heinrich had been, though, even he had not traveled its very depths and everything it contained. Nor did it matter in this very moment as he stared at the huge bulge in the sky that only Dreamers, or Dreamwalkers, could see.


    ¡°Jesus Christ¡­¡± Heinrich heard his brother produce in a high voice thanks to Melinda¡¯s Shell he was borrowing. At the same time, Heinrich saw his/her brother make a spontaneous cross with his/her fingers. Yet, just as he/she recovered from the unconscious action of the Shell, his little brother snapped his/her face at him, all wide-eyed with disbelief.


    ¡°Please¡­ Please, Anu¡­ Please, tell me I did not just pray to a Godling?¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Heinrich replied only for a smile to reach his face in simple schadenfreude. ¡°You will be fine. I met Jeshua in one of my earlier lifetimes. He helped guide me back onto the right path. Though, I imagine it''s not the path he intended for me. Then again, perhaps it was for the best considering how our¡­ parting ensued.¡±


    ¡°Anyway¡­ You will be fine.¡± Heinrich added. ¡°I imagine, Melinda, your current Shell, had a much harder time transitioning from her Faith since it seems some habits are lingering behind.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Speaking of her. What should I do with her? After all, you chose her for a purpose? Right?¡± SinDrax asked, pointedly staying away from the Godling topic, not only because of his brother, but his own experience with them. ¡°She mentioned Grade A Sponsorship, but not what kind. Also¡­ What the fuck is causing that ginormous Veil Pressure Front?¡±


    ¡°The first? I can tell you easily. The second?.¡± Heinrich replied. ¡°It''s been there for a long time, but it''s only recently that it started growing. As for Melinda¡­ Well¡­ You''re a Summoner now¡­ Stop relying on your Elder Brother so much. Just be nice to her¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­ Fine¡± SinDrax affirmed before glancing up and using the tiny bit of his Summoner power he could push through his current Shell to study the phenomena. ¡°Can''t tell anything concrete. It''s as if it does not exist, yet I can see it. Mmm¡­ It''s not disturbing the Veil¡­ No. That would be more obvious from my experience¡­ Oh¡­ Since this is Gaia¡¯s Rift, there is no way anything can force itself through, so whatever is trying to enter the Rift, and this layer specifically, it is happening on Gaia¡¯s terms.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, Little Sin.¡± Heinrich confirmed. ¡°Try looking around the city.¡±


    Hinted at something, SinDrax did just that exactly.


    The first thing he/she noted was the giant¡­oak tree in the center of the city, but that was nothing unusual for every city on Gaia¡¯s Rift had one since the giant trees functioned as the local headquarters for the Local Protectorate Foundation governing the various Diving Factions within Gaia¡¯s Womb.


    Most importantly, though, only Mortals were allowed to be recruited for its staff which would have been a terrible choice if not for all the other Unique Gifts Gaia had stashed within the Shells everything living used in her Rift.


    With no obvious answer, SinDrax used another part of his Summoner power on his/her Shell.


    This one in particular dealt with Souls in general as it allowed him to search for viable Souls to Summon to his Rift if he so chose to, and Gaia allowed it since this was her Rift.


    Almost immediately, the buildings and everything non sentient vanished from his view. In its stead, tiny sparks manifested from every single part of the city.


    Some were small, some were bigger.


    Some were grouped, and some were alone.


    However, what all of them had in common was that they were Mortals, those who had not Awakened to the Truth, or better said, those who had not Hatched yet.


    As such, SinDrax observed a rather unusual sight since there were far more bright sparks than a typical city should have. At least if he compared it to the few times he visited Gaia¡¯s Womb. Admittedly, it was a different Layer, but as far as he/she knew those were the norm.


    Not this.


    No, it was as if they had migrated here in preparation for something big, totally unaware that they had been led here on purpose by none other than Gaia, because only she had the right to shepherd that many Mortals to one place.


    ¡°I think I understand where you''re going with this.¡± SinDrax said before something clicked in his/her brain because it took a few moments for the truth to pass from his Shell to his actual True Body and back to this Shell that was emulating his personality. ¡°My niece''s Hatching will be the final nail for whatever is coming through the Veil?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Heinrich nodded before sharing his theory. ¡°I think that initial Divination I did ten or so years ago, poked whatever existence was surfing Gaia¡¯s Veil at that moment. So with its curiosity peaked, it''s now attempting to descend to see who or what poked it. Only, because it''s so BIG, it''s taking like nine years or so to pass through the Veil to not anger Gaia.¡± Ceasing there, Heinrich waited a moment before sharing the final crux of the currently revealed Logic. ¡°It would explain the strange confluence of events on this Layer, because it''s not just this city that is filled with Mortals, but the whole Layer since there are close to six billion Human Shells on this Layer.¡±


    ¡°Six¡­ Six billion?¡± SinDrax stuttered out. ¡°Common¡­ I know Gaia¡¯s been around for a long time, but six billion Human Shells on just this Layer?¡±


    ¡°Been to a few with multiple times that number.¡± Heinrich replied offhandedly, shocking SinDrax to his/her core since his/her Rift was barely a tiny fraction of this layer. ¡°It would explain the sudden rise in population numbers for this Layer in the last century alone, much less the last few decades where it truly boomed off. Whatever is coming through will have a massive impact in the near future on the Wildling numbers for this Layer since we both know Time Ripples in both directions so it''s not particularly hard for Gaia to make use of this event.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ That''s¡­ I get the Logic, and it makes sense¡­But¡­ I am having a bit of an existential crisis at just how small my Rift is. I mean I knew it even before. But. The way you present it? It just makes me feel that much smaller.¡±


    ¡°Embrace it, Little Sin.¡± Heinrich advised. ¡°Best one be humble then overripe with arrogance so typical of Summoners. Remember me? Peek of arrogance¡­ No. Supreme arrogance as an upcoming Summoner without ever becoming one.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, I guess.¡± SinDrax responded by not finding a proper comeback to his/her brother''s Logic since his/her brother was perfectly in the Right. Arrogance was very common above the Master Rank, much less the Grandmaster and Summoner rank. ¡°Then the only mystery is what is coming through?¡±


    ¡°True!¡± Heinrich affirmed before extrapolating from his knowledge. ¡°It''s not a Summoner considering its sheer presence resulted in Hannah spawning a Beyonder Nightmare instead of whatever should have been there.


    Though, in this case, it is a bit of a stretch since I am also involved.


    Either way, IT has to be related to them somehow. Or maybe it''s the other way around, with Beyonders being related to IT?


    Anyway, it''s not Evil since Gaia¡¯s Veil is letting it through. At the same time, it is not Chaotic as well since the entry point is far too thorough for something that big. No¡­ those lumbering giants care not about grace or consequences.


    So it has to be Law or Good, or both?¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Little Brother.¡± Heinrich inquired. ¡°Do you know of any Great Existences tied to either Law or Good? Yet also tied to Beyonder¡¯s? If you do? Do tell me, because I know of only one.¡±


    As if he had timed it, Heinrich ignored the shell-shocked expression his brother Shell made to focus on the multi-colored light exploding from his daughter''s Great Dream. It exploded from the confines of the Dream Instance to flood into the outside as it enveloped the neighborhood with the final proof and success of the very first Dreamon coming into existence. In the very same instance, the multi-colored light of the Grand Dream stretched Gais¡¯ Veil further, and similar to a moth attracted to a very bright bonfire, the sky rippled.


    The bulge that had existed there before, burst out as something ginormous poked it from the other side.


    A moment later, something dark, silvery, and scally entered this side of the Rift, and when it did, it wiggled a bit as if widening the entry hole without disturbing the overall Veil structure around it.


    Naturally, it looked like wiggling, however, it was anything but that since precision, coordination, and Time were required for the entry, Time which seemed not to pass right this very moment. No, the wiggling he and his younger brother were seeing was but a long strip of frames forced to be cut down until only the bare minimum remained for their Souls to process.


    Regardless, as both brothers watched the wiggling, another dark-silver-scaled prehensile limb appeared only to be followed by another.


    Together, the three prehensile limbs stretched and the entry hole became circular and through its circular hole a ginormous Eye could be seen descending down onto Oaktown City and right above him, the Shell his younger brother borrowed and the building his latest partner and child lived in.


    The giant eye was crowned with black and silver scales as they trailed around its circular shape bearing a silver-slitted iris around which numerous Sparks seemed to expand and contract in a never-ending fashion of growth and decline until some of those Sparks bloomed and burst into multi-colored light unique to the Hatching/Awakening process witnessed in every single part of EDIN.


    ¡°MIRROR OF TRUTH¡±


    Heinrich heard the Shell, his younger brother borrowed, utter right before the same Shell urgently increased its breathing pace like a mirror reflecting the wearer¡¯s state of mind.


    ¡°TYRANT OF LAW!¡±


    After the second Title rang from his/her brother''s mouth, Heinrich was sure that his younger brother''s True Body was having an epileptic shock since his Summoner Status got reflected within that Grand Silver Eye.


    ¡°GRAND ARBITER OF BALANCE!¡±


    Luckily, after the third Title rang true, his younger brother, and the Shell he was wearing for just this moment, recovered somewhat.


    ¡°Damn it, ANU!¡± SinDrax bellowed out. ¡°Why do this to me? It''s barely been a few centuries since I established my Rift¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I am not ready for Old One Eye!¡±


    Smirking with glee, Heinrich burst into a laugh before quickly smacking the Shell his little brother was borrowing, naturally not too hard.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡±


    ¡°SURPRISE!¡±


    ¡°Congratulations on your Ascension, Little Brother.¡± Heinrich cheerfully added. ¡°You remember that old saying? It might be late, but it''s better to be late than never be there at all. Consider this moment my Ascension Gift for you, by helping you book an Appointment with Old One Eye.¡±


    ¡°Common, don''t make that face, Little Sin. I am sure you will pass Old One Eye¡¯s Riftspection all while shaving centuries of careful guidance for your Rift.¡±

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 14 - Status?

    In one instance, many things happened.


    Multi-colored radiance escaped from her Dreamon Ball covering every single part of her Dream Instance, and when that was not enough, Hannah sensed the multi-colored light of her Great Dream ascending into a Grand Dream escape from the very walls of her dream house where she had lived in for the second half of her life right before she Awakened.


    As such, Hannah instantly understood that her Dream Instance had finally outlived its purpose.


    With that understanding, she noted its purpose unraveling as well, therefore, by the time the multi-colored radiance reached its peak in both radiance and distance, there was no house in her perception.


    There was only her, her Dreamon Ball and the Dreamon which just came into existence within it.


    However, as lonely as it felt, Hannah noted a magnifying sensation of liberation as well, because the true HER was no longer bound by a simple house, even if that house was four times bigger than her current residence. No, Hannah became a free spirit, able to roam the wide world existing around her. Perhaps even further since Hannah sensed she could simply leave the world which had borne her in order to visit everything existing beyond it, to experience any and all types of adventure she wanted. Only, as strong as that freedom felt, parts of Hannah reminded her that while she could indeed choose to be a free spirit and wander the Cosmos, it also meant she would be leaving behind everything, including one of the major reasons as to why she even braved the Monster stalking her dreams before the other truths revealed just who and what she was.


    Yes¡­ There was still her mother who took care of her while she gestated within her cocoon, like a caterpillar trying to evolve into a beautiful butterfly.


    Yes¡­ Her mother no doubt waited¡­ no¡­ needed to hear the big news.


    Yes¡­ Her Awakening did not just represent her own attainment of freedom, but her mothers as well. So, in this very moment of unequaled liberation, Hannah made the conscious choice to forgo her complete liberation, at least for the time being because her freedom was undeniable and unquestionable.


    As such, with the choice made, Hannah felt herself fall from this moment of liberation into an imperfect vessel which had carried her unborn self all this time, like an egg which had spawned eyes, ears, a nose, and a mouth alongside the needed hands and legs to facilitate the acquisition of Experience in favor of speeding up the process of Hatching.


    Yes, there was no denying this fact at this very moment.


    Hannah¡¯s physical body was but a Shell protecting the precious gestating embryo that was True Hannah. However, now that she had Hatched, the Shell became the imperfect vessel that would enable her freedom of action on Gaia.


    Yes¡­ Processing the instinctual knowledge her Insight was feeding her Logic, Hannah understood the truth of her situation.


    With the Truth there in plain sight, Hannah opened her eyes to stare at the world before her. It was both familiar and unfamiliar because it was the very same ceiling she had seen in the last five years, and yet it was also more. Though, what exactly constituted more, Hannah was clueless about right this very moment. Neither did it matter since Hannah had more pressing matters. Namely, delivering the liberating news to her mother. Only, the moment Hannah uprighted her body, her brown eyes instantly noted something red on the floor beside the couch on which she had laid down hours prior, or however much it had taken for her to Awaken to the Truth.


    Craning her neck down, Hannah discovered that the red was actually a shirt on the very person she had meant to find as she rested on the hard floor.


    No.


    Rested was not the right word, Hannah realized. It was the wrong word because of the posture her mother laid in. Yes, the way her hands were splayed about, the right shoulder pressed on the floor and her neck looking like there was no tension all while being somewhat twisted displayed that her mother had not laid down through her own actions.


    No¡­ The way it looked to Hannah, it seemed that her mother had, at one point, been taking care of her as she was undergoing her Awakening. With that realization, Hannah looked around a bit more and noticed a somewhat wet rag. With the white rag in sight, Hannah was instantly reminded of something else. Something that was more of an impression after the Virtual Template Input process for her Dreamon Ball.


    Ignoring the somewhat wet white rag, Hannah focused her brown eyes on her mother before noticing something else.


    Something that was invisible yet there, intangible yet viscous, cladding her mother from head to toe.


    No¡­ Further than that! Hannah noted in her head before focusing on that something.


    When she did, she discovered that that very something was all around her mother, for like a meter or so. Maybe even more because that very something thinned out right around that one meter mark yet her impression was that it did not vanish completely. But then, as Hannah examined that something even further, vanish turned out to be the wrong description as well. Yes. From what her perception told her, it was closer to that something becoming integrated into something else, thus becoming one with that something.


    Flexing her Soul even further, specifically the Insight part of her Soul, Hannah sought an answer, and an answer she found when her Logic processed what her Insight delivered. The answer she uncovered was primarily held within her knowledge about Dream Instance creation, but there was also a mention of it during that very first recording she watched of her father¡¯s ghost.


    ¡°Veil of Ignorance!¡± Hannah voiced out before quickly bringing up the knowledge her father had given her. ¡°The barrier isolating and protecting Non-Awakeners¡­ No¡­ Now that I have gone through it, I know better. The Veil of Ignorance is a barrier isolating and protecting the Un-Hatched from the Truth of their current existence to facilitate a proper hatching environment within¡­ my¡­ world¡­ my Realm.


    No¡­ Realm is not the right term either.


    Rift¡­


    Yes, a  Rift¡­ Gaia¡¯s Rift!


    Yes¡­ Yes, that''s it!


    Gaia¡¯s Rift, also named Gaia¡¯s Womb, which is in truth a high-end nursery facilitating the Hatching of countless individuals throughout all the different Layers making up its existence, and just moments ago, I¡­ chose to remain on one of these Layers.¡±


    Processing the Truth lying within her memories and lying right before, Hannah had this sudden notion of something not being right, even though the Logic behind it was entirely factual in her mind. ¡°Does¡­ Does this mean, I am now technically older than my own mother?¡± Struggling with the Logic for a moment, yet not finding an immediate answer within her memories, Hannah shook her head before setting it aside to finally settle her mind on the more important thing.


    Namely figuring why her mother looked like she had suddenly collapsed.


    <hr>


    Luckily, Hannah had no need to panic as her Insight whispered her mothers Shell not being in any immediate danger.


    ¡°Feels¡­ weird thinking of her body as a Shell.¡± Hannah murmured before kneeling beside her mother and pushed on her left shoulder to nudge her into a less strenuous resting position, namely her back.


    Once that was done, Hannah quickly remembered the basic first aid training given to all first years in P.E class because, apparently, you never knew when one might need it. Nevertheless, as Hannah recalled it, there was a clarity which had never existed prior to her Awakening.


    This fact intrigued her, because it made Hannah feel as if she had just gone through the basics of first aid training.


    Shaking away the sensations, Hannah checked her mother¡¯s pulse and breathing rhythm, the iris dilution of her amber eyes. The result? Well, according to her basic first aid knowledge, there did not appear anything wrong, at all, since her mother¡¯s irises reacted properly to light stimuli all while her breath and pulse remained steady.


    If an anomaly had to be taken into account then the slowed breathing rhythm and pulse could be attributed to sleep, after all, that was what occurred while one slept.


    ¡°Should I call an ambulance?¡± Hannah asked herself before simply dismissing it. ¡°No¡­ Too expensive. Besides¡­. She¡¯s fine. I think¡­ No¡­ I know, somehow. Yes¡­ Mother will be fine after a nap. Though¡­ Do I leave her here just in case or¡­¡± Stopping there, Hannah tried flexing her Insight more, to find more answers, however, it worked in the first place.


    Only, what she got in return was more of the same.


    Her mother was fine.


    That being the case, Hannah stood up to get her mother inside the soft blankets inside the bedroom, but as it turned out, Awakening had done nothing to increase the strength rating of her Shell, as such, she was still a somewhat underdeveloped teen even if her True Self was so much more.


    Trying one more type by grabbing her mother by the arms and dragging her on the floor, Hannah stopped after barely managing to move her mother a tiny bit.


    ¡°Hnng¡­ Too weak. ¡± Nodding at her useless strength, Hannah placed her mother¡¯s arms back on her stomach and simply left her there. Instead, she sat back on the couch and went through everything that had occurred to her while Awakening, plus everything that had led to it.


    Like that, the moments passed as Hannah went through everything.


    From the start to the finish.


    During the process, a few other revelations reached her, but they were not significant as far she could guess. Though that could change after she learned more about the Dreamer Society and what it truly meant to be one because, right now, she was a bit lost on what to do. Oh, she had an idea on what she should do right this very moment, but anything beyond that was hidden. No, the only thing that truly reached and concerned her mind was the debt her father left behind since that very debt appeared to be far more than a simple monetary debt.


    That fact was undeniable after having gone through what she had just done.


    ¡°Yes¡­ First will be settling the debt. After that? Mmm¡­ I will think about it when the time comes.¡±


    Agreeing with herself for the moment, Hannah focused on the things that she should do right in this very moment. As such, the very first thing she did was to call on her Grand Dream and its very first Ability, her Dreamon Ball.


    With that as the goal, Hannah remembered the sensations discovered right after Awakening/Hatching. Just like it had taken a few times inside her Dream Sanctum, this time as well, it took her a few attempts to successfully activate her First Ability. Better said, after four attempts, the pink ball decorated with black and white clouds manifested within her right hand.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Observing the pink Dreamon Ball, Hannah noted a slight difference to it. Nothing major. But the colors seemed heavier all while the texture of the ball felt sharper. ¡°Wait¡­ The colors could be from the Grand Dream. The texture, though? No¡­ I think that comes from the Shell, from the body I am in. Yes¡­ it''s the difference in how my Shell is interpreting everything compared to how my Dream Body did.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Perhaps there is more to it.¡±


    Setting aside the sensations her flesh was giving her, Hannah dismissed her Dreamon Ball, or at least she tried because the Dreamon Ball refused to return to her Soul. Thankfully, an answer was readily available through her Insight. Her Insight hinted at a simple fact. Namely, while her Dreamon Ball could be manifested within Gaia¡¯s Rift, the same could not be said for its de-manifestation because Hannah¡¯s First Ability actually contained something living. Were it empty, it would be of no concern, but since it was not, it could not return to her Soul.


    No, it actually had to be carried like any other tool instead of the Tool that it was.


    ¡°Annoying!¡±


    Thankfully, that same hint hinted at the fact that there was a workaround somewhere, she just had to figure it out.


    Shaking her head at the slight annoyance, Hannah left the pink ball on the small table before her in favor of focusing on the other items residing within her Soul, namely her D-Card and the strange Envelope she could not open.


    Just like with the Dreamon Ball, it took a few times for both items to appear in her right hand, with the D-Card having an easier time leaving her Soul. After placing the Envelope from the Champion¡¯s Association on the table beside her Dreamon Ball, Hannah focused all of her attention on her D-Card.


    However, before she activated it, she noticed a small difference to it. Nothing major as well, but after it manifested in her right hand, Hannah examined it for a second through different angles, and that was when she noticed the stylized picture or drawing existing on the backside of her D-Card.


    A picture of her, wearing a very simplified version of her school uniform only with brown and pink undertones to it. Nothing special there. But what made the picture unique was the fact that she was not alone in it. No, a somewhat pink creature floated beside her sporting three small tentacles and a large blue eye.


    Still, that was not all.


    At the bottom of the picture a small dark ribbon existed and within that black ribbon one word was written with bold white letters, Novice.


    Below the word Novice, twenty simple white bordered star shapes existed. Thanks to the contrast between the white border of the stars and the black background of the ribbon they appeared to be drawn on, the stars gave off a hollow feeling, a hollow feeling that made one desire them to be filled as each star represented something significant.


    Taking in the picture, a few facts clicked to her. Facts reminded her of just why her D-Card possessed the word card in it. However, in the end, while it was an interesting thing to see, in the grand scheme of things, it was a useless thing.


    That being the case, Hannah turned the D-Card around before swiftly tapping the screen twice to activate its primary functions.


    <hr>


    The moment the main screen lit up, Hannah witnessed an ever revolving circle curling around itself. Having seen it before, Hannah let it be for a moment to finish whatever it was doing. Then, when it vanished, the main screen appeared with a hexagon, six icons and the rotating swirl of black and white clouds around a central point, only where before there use to be nothing within that central point, now a small circle existed, and within that circle, an anvil-like icon existed.


    Seeing the anvil-icon, Hannah had this sudden urge to press it, and with nothing indicating otherwise, she did.


    In an instant, new screens manifested and told of a message, of a notification.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Naturally, there was more to it because, in one fell swoop, Hannah felt herself or better said, her Soul swell.


    Just like it had done so right before she finalized the alignment of her Soul to achieve Awakening/Hatching. It was as if the anvil-like icon opened up some kind of floodgates within her Soul, only, this time, there was no danger involved to her. Instead, the swelling increased marginally before collapsing in on itself and actually condensing into a single point of origin.


    Once it was at that point, a transformation occurred, thereby transmuting the raw energy which filled Hannah¡¯s Soul into something appetizing from mare sensations, and by appetizing, it meant something extremely addicting, because that refined energy split into three variants.


    The first variant simply dispersed all over Hannah¡¯s Soul with desire to fill every gap it could find, and it would do so with time. Hannah was sure about that. Nonetheless, it would take another nineteen infusions of that variant energy for that to happen.


    Similar to the first one, the second one also desired to fill something within her, only this one resonated with six targets instead of her Soul in general. However, what made this one special was the fact that despite her desire to fill one of those six targets, the variant energy was held at bay by something, as if a barrier existed between it and its six targets. Luckily, it took but a moment for Hannah to understand the truth. This second energy variant represented Free Stats Points just awaiting her conscious allocation. Nevertheless, sensing these Free Stat Points within her Soul, and recognizing that they had six targets instead of five, Hannah instantly understood their true nature as Special Action Points.


    Such being the case, the third energy could only be one thing, an Ability Point.


    The way it targeted the Grand Dream housed within her Soul. Specifically speaking, the First Ability Slot within her Soul, thus confirmed Hannah¡¯s understanding of what had just occurred to her. Nonetheless, just like the Special Action Points, this third variant energy was also held at bay since it required Hannah¡¯s conscious input.


    After that, things settled down in Hannah¡¯s Soul, and all that was left was to read through the Level Up notifications appearing on her D-Card.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Potential Forge has been Initiated!


    *


    Identifying Experience Resources Input;


    Awakening,


    E-Rank Dream Creation,


    D-Rank Dream Ascension,


    C-Rank Dream Ascension,


    B-Rank Dream Ascension,


    A-Rank Dream Ascension,


    S-Rank Dream Ascension,


    *


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Applying Positive Experience Modifiers;


    Genesis Soul,


    Hard Awakening Difficulty Challenge,


    HardCore Awakening Difficulty Challenge


    *


    Applying Negative Experience Modifiers;


    Dream Instance; Instance Instruction Generation,


    Dream Instance; Instance Instruction Nightmare Spawn Generation,


    Dream Instance; Instance Instruction Domain Generation,


    External Template Usage - x2


    HardCore Awakening Difficulty Challenge - Partial Failure


    *


    Maximum Experience Potential Limit Determined!


    *


    Potential Forge Ignition Ensuing in 3, 2, 1!


    *


    Forging


    ?


    *


    Forging Process Successful!


    *


    Congratulations, User; Hannah Blackwood.


    You have reached Level 1!


    *


    Tap CONFIRM to view the results!


    <hr>


    Many words were displayed, little was said, but the most important one was extremely obvious to Hannah.


    ¡°You can Awaken/Hatch without a Dream Instance?¡±


    Having posited the question into thin air, all Hannah received back was nothing but more speculations because her father had not mentioned this fact. Still, the other thing her mind settled on was the partial failure written on the screen regarding the HardCore Difficulty Challenge, and if Hannah¡¯s conclusion was right, it had to do with her attempting to overcome her Nightmare without Leveling up, and therefore without any Stats allocation occuring or any Ability Points being spent.


    Yes, this too was not something Hannah had been told about either, but right after she Hatched, and right before she had been about to pick up her D-Card laying on her father¡¯s office desk, a thought had struck her that maybe there was more to the Hard Awakening Difficulty Challenge. That was why Hannah ultimately forgoed allocating her Stats and Ability Point in favor of testing out her hypothesis by relying on the knowledge that it was not possible for her to be hurt within her Dream Instance unless she allowed it to be so.


    However, noticing the partial failure noted on the screen, Hannah wondered just where she had failed in that Challenge, because it was obvious that she had succeeded at it partially.


    Quickly going over that very brief period of time, it came to her. ¡°Oh¡­ The Challenge succeeded partially because I had not allocated my Stats and Ability Points before attempting the capture, yet it failed partially because I reduced the difficulty by regaining my inherent control of the Dream Instance. Therefore, without the struggle needed for the capturing process, I earned much less Experience for the capturing process.¡±


    Nodding at the Logic, Hannah examined the System Alert one last time. As such, a part of her mind also settled on one of the positive modifiers, namely, Genesis Soul. Nevertheless, trying to tap onto the word failed to prop an explanation for her. So with no other choice, Hannah pressed the only indicated virtual button, thus causing the screen to flicker and something else to replace it.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Congratulations User; Hannah Blackwood. You have earned the following rewards;


    1 Free Stat Point


    1 Ability Point


    41 Special Action Points


    <hr>


    ¡°Forty one?¡± Hannah uttered out with a surprised tone, only, a moment later, a frown reached her face because she had no idea if that was a lot, or not, for what she had gone through.


    However, remembering the Negative Experience Modifiers, she was certain that there could have been more.


    Nonetheless, as much as that bothered it, it did little to push away her anticipation of finally being able to allocate her Stats. As such, Hannah dismissed the System Alert on the screen in favor of tapping the Status icon at the top of her D-Card.


    <hr>


    Character


    .


    Name; Hannah Blackwood [Level 1]


    Species; Spirit


    Spirit Age; 0 [Spawn]


    Spirit Trait - Brown [Unyielding Will]


    Physical Species - Human


    Physical Gender - Female


    Physical Age; 15 [Adolescent]


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Titles


    .


    Dreamer


    Novice


    Dreamon Trainer


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Affiliations


    .


    None


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Status


    .


    Vessel - 1 [+]


    Instinct - 1 [+]


    Will - 1 [+]


    Logic - 1 [+]


    Insight - 1 [+]


    Ego - 1 [+]


    .


    Free Stat Points - 1


    Special Action Points - 56


    Ability Point - 1


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Internal Resources


    .


    None


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    External Resources


    .


    None


    <hr>


    ¡°Oh¡­ It changed slightly.¡±


    Noting those exact changes, Hannah ignored the Stat section in favor of understanding the change within her species designation, and everything related to it, plus the Title section of her Status.


    At the same time, Hannah experimented by tapping on those very things to figure out if more information would pop up explaining to her what she needed to know. Unfortunately, tapping on the word Spirit beside her species designation turned out to be useless. The same was true for every category within the Character section of her Status.


    Fortunately, however, an answer was found within the Title section.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Title; Dreamer


    *


    Title Description; Having gone through the Hard Awakening Difficulty Challenge, you have uncovered the hidden Truth of your existence. Yes, you have discovered that you are a Spirit at your core while the meat you ride in is nothing but the Shell housing your Spirit.


    <hr>


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    In the end, Hannah simply dismissed the first Title as it revealed nothing new because she had discovered that very truth just moments prior. On the other hand, the term Spirit stuck with her as it definitely sounded better on her tongue compared to saying she was just a Soul.


    Either way, tossing the first Title aside, Hannah tapped on the second one.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Title; Novice


    *


    Title Description; Having just Awakened to the truth of being a Spirit, you have realized that there is much for you to absorb, process and learn, thereby you have understood that you are but a Novice Spirit, with much room to grow and develop.


    *


    Title Effects;


    Skill Growth Efficiency - 200%


    <hr>


    ¡°As expected. It¡¯s about my current Level.¡±


    That said, Hannah dismissed the second Title as well because she would need to overcome her Second Nightmare Tribulation to leave it behind and become an Apprentice ranked Dreamer, and that only occurred after she reached Level 20.


    Compared to that, the Skill Growth effect was a welcome effect, though, since she had yet to acquire any Skills, Hannah would not be witnessing the Novice Title¡¯s effect for the time being. As such, Hannah focused on the last Title, the Title directly tied to her Grand Dream.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Title; Dreamon Trainer


    *


    Title Description; You have sworn an Oath to Seek,Capture and Train Dreamon in order to make all understand the power hidden within them. However, in the back of your mind, you wonder if that is truly what a Dreamon Trainer is all about?


    *


    Title Effects;


    Novice Grade Effect - Affinity with Dreamon increased by 50%


    <hr>


    ¡°Umm¡­ Right.¡± Unsure on what to say or think about it, Hannah simply dismissed the third Title away. With things as they were, Hannah¡¯s mind settled on the second most important part of her Status, namely the Stats.


    <hr>


    With things as they were, and the number of Stats she could allocate, Hannah had a somewhat rougher time on deciding on how to go about. At least, that was how it was before she figured out that her current stores gave her the chance to perfectly distribute her Stats.


    As such, all that was left to determine the order of the distribution, but even that was settled moments later. Thus, moving her right forefinger, Hannah taped on the plus sign besides the Ego Stat. The moment she had done so, Hannah noted no change to herself, but what did change was in the form of an additional screen popping up on the screen.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Ego Stat Allocation in Progress!


    *


    Warning!


    *


    Only Special Action Points allowed for usage!


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please confirm Special Action Point Allocation!


    *


    ? ?


    <hr>


    Tapping on the only obvious choice, a new screen appeared, but this one was remarkably simple since it only displayed two lines, her current Ego Stat, which was 1, and what she wished her future Ego Stat to be, displayed by a blank field. One tap on that blank field, a simple array of numbers between 0 and 9 appeared. Similar to how it looks on her house phone. As such, Hannah had no trouble at all pressing on the number nine before tapping on the YES virtual button.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Ego Stat Allocation in Progress!


    *


    Warning!


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please confirm your allocation of 9 Special Action Points!


    *


    ? ?


    <hr>


    Nodding, Hannah affirmed her choice and the screen vanished. However, that was but the visual side of the allocation because within her Soul, the variant energy representing Stats split a small chunk of itself before infusing that small chunk into the core of her Soul, and as she was the Core of her Soul, Hannah felt herself being filled, being invigorated, being satisfied, but most of all, she felt herself grow.


    A side effect of her Ego, her Spark of Life, growing was the elevated stabilization of its existence occuring. Nonetheless, that was not all, because something phenomenal occurred when her Ego hit the mark known as Ego Stat - 10.


    At that point, a tiny transformation occurred to her Ego, her Spark of life, produced a hick-up like behavior before coalescing enough energy to become something more unique then it already was, namely a new type of energy.


    No¡­ That is the wrong way to think about it. Hannah quickly corrected in her mind. It''s more like my Ego finally became strong enough to withstand what had already been there, I just never knew it existed before this moment. Nodding to that very realization, Hannah affirmed her thoughts. Yes, my Ego just became stable enough to allow itself to become a container for it.


    Yes¡­ There is no doubt about this fact since Ego represents my Soul¡¯s capacity to hold onto things.


    With the understanding behind her, Hannah quickly opened her eyes, though she was unsure when she had even closed them to begin with. Either way, her eyes immediately settled on her D-Card whose screen had once again locked itself. Thus, after another double tap on the screen, Hannah saw her Status already being open.


    Parsing through it quickly, her sight arrived at the Internal Resources of her Status screen.


    <hr>


    Internal Resources


    .


    Power - 10


    <hr>


    ¡°Power?¡± Hannah murmured as her mind went over its existence. ¡°Why Power? Why not just call it energy? Perhaps the answer is in the other Stats?¡±


    With the question posited, Hannah quickly went through the screens again warning her about adding nine Special Action Points to the Will Stat because Hannah was emulating the pathway that had allowed her to Hatch, at least after Ego since she would have started with that one no matter which pathway she chose to emulate.


    Anyway, just like with Ego, at 10 Stat Point allocations, Will attached and effortlessly integrated itself to her Ego, to her Spark of Life on some deeper level.


    Which was strange since everything was already one thing to begin with.


    That aside, once integrated with one another, Will did something to her Ego, only it was barely perceptible to Hannah, so she had a hard time understanding the underlying effect Will provided to the new energy within her Soul. As such, the moment it was over, her eyes settled on her D-Card. Tapping its screen twice, her brown eyes settled on the Internal Resources section for her Status.


    <hr>


    Internal Resources


    .


    Regen - 0.5


    Power - 10


    <hr>


    ¡°Ah¡­ Will determins how fast my¡­ PP recovers.¡± Ceasing there for a second, Hannah suddenly realized just how her impromptu improvisation for Power and Point actually sounded once put together.


    ¡°Nevermind¡­¡±


    After denying her improvisation, Hannah quickly went for the next Stat allocation.


    The next one was about Logic, and it too got allocated nine points. Just like the previous two, at 10 Logic Stat Points, Logic interacted with the new energy within her Soul. Additionally, just like with Will, Hannah had a tough time understanding what it did. However, she did have a vague sensation that Logic somehow reflected the new energy in her Soul, though not completely.


    Thankfully, her D-Card provided an answer..


    <hr>


    Internal Resources


    .


    Regen - 0.5


    Focus - 5


    Power - 10


    <hr>


    ¡°Focus? As in? How hard or how long can I stay focused? Anyway, since it reflects half, does this mean that after spending half of my Power, I won''t be able to Focus anymore?¡±


    With no immediate answer, Hannah continued her Stat allocation with Instinct. However, this time, something even more unique occurred, Instinct at 10, took the new energy within her Soul, and distributed it to the various parts of her Soul, almost like filling some kind of holes that existed, only, once again, Hannah knew nothing about them.


    Nevertheless, Hannah sensed that Instinct had used her Power to lubricate the different sections of her Soul, if something like that was even possible.


    To confirm it she sought her D-Card.


    <hr>


    Internal Resources


    .


    Stamina - 10


    Regen - 0.5


    Focus - 5


    Power - 9


    <hr>


    ¡°Ah¡­ My senses were right.¡± Hannah murmured softly. ¡°Makes sense that even Souls get worn out, and Stamina will delay that wear and tear through efficient lubrication.¡±


    ¡°Definitely makes sense.¡±


    After Instinct, it was time for Vessel.


    Just like Instinct, at 10 Stat Points, Vessel took the new energy in her Soul to redistribute it across her Soul and all of its layers. However, unlike Instinct, it did not fill any holes but actually fortified her Soul in general.


    Therefore, when Hannah checked her D-Card she found a very familiar term.


    <hr>


    Internal Resources


    .


    Health - 10


    Stamina - 10


    Regen - 0.5


    Focus - 5


    Power - 8


    <hr>


    ¡°Health¡­ Points?¡± Hannah uttered hesitantly. ¡°Does this mean I can survive being hit more?¡±


    Wondering just that very fact, Hannah thought of quickly hitting herself to test it out, but then she remembered that the Health Points should only apply to her Soul and not her physical body, her Shell.


    After Vessel, there was only one Stat left, and that was Insight.


    Following the trend, at 10 allocated Stat Points, Insight began interacting with the new energy within her Soul.


    Unlike Logic, it did not reflect the new energy.


    Unlike Instinct and Vessel, it did not take the new energy to bestow a new type of effect to her Soul.


    No, it was closer to Will because at 10 allocated Stat Points, Insight integrated itself with the source of her Power, her Ego, her Spark of Life, before enhancing it somewhat. However, the special thing was that the same enhancement existed even after her Power left for the other parts of her Soul. This interaction between all the parts of her Soul then generated a kind of flow, and if Hannah interpreted the sensations correctly, that very same flow should allow her to project her Power outside her Soul. Though, how that was accomplished, would need to be studied since, currently, Hannah had no idea on how to do that.


    Done with her Stat allocation, Hannah paid one last glance to her Status.


    <hr>


    Character


    .


    Name; Hannah Blackwood [Level 1]


    Species; Spirit


    Spirit Age; 0 [Spawn]


    Spirit Trait - Brown [Unyielding Will]


    Physical Species - Human


    Physical Gender - Female


    Physical Age; 15 [Adolescent]


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Titles


    .


    Dreamer


    Novice


    Dreamon Trainer


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Affiliations


    .


    None


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Status


    .


    Vessel - 10 [+]


    Instinct - 10 [+]


    Will - 10 [+]


    Logic - 10 [+]


    Insight - 10 [+]


    Ego - 10 [+]


    .


    Free Stat Points - 1


    Special Action Points - 2


    Ability Point - 1


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Internal Resources


    .Health - 10


    Stamina - 10


    Regen - 0.5


    Focus - 5


    Flow - 1.5


    Power - 8


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    External Resources


    .


    None


    <hr>

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 15 - Stranger?

    DING DONG


    DING DONG the bell echoed, or at least the fake mimicking its sounds because there was no actual bell on her apartment''s front door. However, the longer the bell sound echoed, the more Hannah¡¯s stomach began squelching with panic, or butterflies, as it was said.


    As such, Hannah unconsciously switched her sight between the front door and her lying mother on the floor. And the more she did, the more of those butterflies manifested. Thankfully, having gone through her Awakening, those stomach butterflies had not much effect aside from telling her of her problem, and when the problem was apparent, the solution was not far behind. Hence, Hannah put her D-Card on the table before standing up from the couch to sort of rush for the front door, and its peephole, to see just who it was that sought them out.


    Better said, her mother, since there was no way anyone had ever sought Hannah out.


    Therefore, when Hannah stood on her toes to actually manage to peep through the peepholes, that case repeated itself because she witnessed no neighbor, but three men in black suits and white ties plus one woman.


    Wait!¡­ That''s not a woman. Hannah quickly corrected herself in her mind, because the womanly face wore men''s clothes in the form of a dark red short-sleeved shirt. What was below that, though, Hannah could not see. Either way, there was something else that made the man with a woman''s face stand out, and that distracted her enough to allow one of the men in a black suit and white tie to knock on her front door.


    ¡°Nobody is answering!¡± The man who had knocked voiced out before looking at the man with the female face.


    Rolling his eyes once, the man with the female face sniffed once before rebutting the theory. ¡°Young Miss Blackwood! I know you''re there, open the door.¡±


    Still, not answering anything, Hannah simply stared at the four men in front of her front door.


    ¡°You know¡­ If you don''t, I will be forced to have these men force their way inside.¡± Lee Ping called out once again. ¡°I am sure you don''t want this to become a mess. Right?¡±


    Sensing her silence being an escalator, Hannah responded to the man with the female face.


    ¡°Who are you and what do you want?¡± Hannah said, instantly causing the four men to stare at the front door.


    ¡°Told you she was there.¡± Lee Ping said to his coworkers before formulating his answer. ¡°My name is Lee Ping, as for these three gentlemen, they don''t matter right now so there is no need for their names.¡±


    Not hearing the full answer, Hannah inquired once more ¡°You still have not told me what you want?¡±


    ¡°Your mother and I work for the same person, namely my Aunt.¡± Lee Ping responded. ¡°I am here on her behalf to check up on your mother.¡±


    ¡°Check up?¡± Hannah murmured for a moment with suspicion before raising her voice and speaking up for her¡­ sleeping mother. ¡°What for? Is there some kind of problem?¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡± Lee Ping said. ¡°My Aunt was very specific about coming and seeing her.¡± That said, he nodded. ¡°She also told me to not leave until I have seen her with my own eyes. Now would you be a good child and open the door.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Hannah instantly called out with the same energy as the man. ¡°Mum told me to not open the door to strangers.¡±


    ¡°I am not a stranger.¡± Lee Ping scowled at the door and the girl behind it. ¡°I told you, I am Lee Ping, your mother''s coworker. Although¡­ Technically, I am above her.¡± After a head shake, he continued his speech. ¡°Regardless, I am not a stranger. So open the door.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Still determined to deny them the entry, Hannah stood her ground. ¡°Your name doesn''t matter. Working with my mother or not, you are still a stranger to me, so¡­ I won''t be opening the door for you.¡±


    The moment Hannah firmly voiced out her intentions, she saw the pretty face on a man¡¯s body twitch its left eyebrow. There was even a tiny snarl on his lips, but Hannah was not that familiar with the facial expressions of strangers, so she might have not read it correctly.


    ¡°Girl¡­ If you don''t open the door, I will have the door broken down.¡±


    Hearing the threat, Hannah stepped away from the door and rushed for the landline, before quickly grabbing its handle and placing it on her left ear.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Don''t call anybody.¡± Ceasing instantly, Hannah felt another wave of butterflies manifest in her stomach. ¡°Look¡­ Even if you called for help, the local LawSec won''t be able to rush to help you because they are a bit busy running around like headless chickens, dowsing all the sudden wildfires popping up in the city. Besides¡­ There is no need to escalate this. I am only here to check up on your mother. There is nothing untoward happening. I swear.¡±


    Still feeling the butterflies, Hannah glanced at her lying mother for a second.


    Then, when that was done, she put the phone handle down before walking back to the front door. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Many things.¡± Lee Ping answered, with a nonchalant attitude. ¡°Mainly her health.¡±


    ¡°Health?¡± The notion instantly made Hannah feel that her mother was not fine at all, yet she clearly remembered the sensations her Insight had fed her. ¡°Mother is fine.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ And where is she? Why are you debating this with me instead of your mother?¡± Lee Ping reasoned out. ¡°I mean. If she is fine and all that, then that is a no-brainer. After all, then there is no need for our current little happenstance. Right?¡±


    ¡°Mother is busy.¡± Hannah replied somewhat weakly.


    ¡°With what?¡±


    ¡°Sleeping!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ There is no doubt about that¡± Lee Ping remarked before sighing once, and loudly at that. ¡°Listen, girl¡­ Let us stop beating around the bush and just be straight here. Your mother is not fine at all.¡±


    Not liking where the conversation was going, Hannah stood her ground. ¡°Yes, she is.¡±


    ¡°No, she is not¡­¡± Lee Ping adamantly voiced out. ¡°Aunty would not have sent me if she was fine. Open the door, so I can examine her directly.¡±


    ¡°Examine?¡± Hannah repeated suspiciously. ¡°Examine how?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ So your mother is not fine, after all?¡± Lee Ping said, a bit mockingly before answering indirectly. ¡°Common girl. I know you just woke up, but even without any training, you should be able to see the real me. That should be enough to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ By the way, that was a nice little show you did there.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°By now, half the city will be wondering who their little tormentor is. Therefore, congrats on getting instant fame.¡±


    <hr>


    Totally clueless about what the man with the female face meant, Hannah responded. ¡°What show?¡±


    ¡°Show? Ah¡­ Right, you might be clueless about it.¡± Lee Ping said with a face displaying his realization. ¡°If you leave the building, you will see the biggest aftereffect. Either way, let us get back on the right topic.¡±


    ¡°Can I enter or do you not want to make sure your mother is well and fine?¡±


    Not answering right away, Hannah did one last glance at her lying mother.


    ¡°You won''t cause any trouble? Like stealing stuff?¡± Hannah asked for confirmation. Although, in the back of her head, she remained aware that there was almost nothing to steal anyway.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Still stuck for an answer, Hannah quickly flexed her Insight as the last solution. However, what she gained back was very little, but even that little was enough to tell her that she should be fine.


    ¡°Alright.¡± With that said, Hannah unlocked the door from the inside.


    That done, she opened it up to finally take in the full view of the female face on a male¡¯s body. Plus the black ears stuck on top of the man¡¯s head sporting lots of inner white ear hair. As if noticing her stare, the ears in question flickered once to signal that they were in fact real and not a prop item he wore just for the hell of it.


    Done indulging the curiosity of the little girl before him, Lee Ping ignored her to settle his black eyes on the lying woman he knew as Madam Blackwood of the Rose Peach Bordello.


    Quickly walking up to her and kneeling beside her, he touched her forehead before using his Power to examine her to the best of his ability. Naturally, there was not much he would be able to tell because of the Veil on Hailey. Luckily, he was not looking in that direction either. On the contrary, a Shell reflected a lot about the state of the Soul it housed. In this case, Lee Ping looked for the signs of Trauma Displacement, a phenomena where the Shell reflected the occurring Trauma within the Soul. Naturally, it was never permanent, as Gaia¡¯s Shells held remarkable recovery prowess, even without being occupied. Though, in that case, the Shells simply lay there until they either ceased functioning on their own or something or someone occupied them.


    As such, if one could study the Trauma displaced onto the Shell, one could infer some basic information about the Soul in question. It was by studying that very information that Lee Ping discovered something, and that something told him of Hailey¡¯s status. Namely, that she was still there within the Shell, she just retreated so deep within it that almost nothing would be able to bring her forth.


    No, this was one of those situations that could not be forced from the outside.


    ¡°Ok¡­ Your mother is still there, but she won''t be waking up any time soon.¡± Lee Ping explained to the baby Dreamwalker. ¡°Probably¡­ Aunty could probably tell you more. However, I¡­ am but an Apprentice, so there is my limit.¡±


    ¡°Lier¡­ Mom is fine.¡± Hannah instantly uttered out. ¡°I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°What you sense is her Shell.¡± Lee Ping responded. ¡°You''re too new to know otherwise.¡± Shaking his head, he continued his. ¡°As Aunty ordered, I am going to have to take your mother¡¯s Shell with me.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Hannah cried out and instantly panicked after hearing the case. Quickly she pushed at the kneeling Lee Ping, but the man with a woman''s face and animal ears seemed to be stuck in place. No matter how much effort she made, the man would not budge. ¡°I¡­ No¡­ Mom¡­ Mom is fine.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, young one.¡± Lee Ping voiced out apologetically. ¡°But this is non-negotiable. As your mother is a valuable employee, Rose Peach will be taking full custody from this point on. Since you can do nothing about it, much less care for your mother¡¯s Shell in your current circumstances, it is for the best, or would you not want the best healthcare for your mother?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°One more thing.¡± Lee Ping said. ¡°Since your mother is currently in a coma-like state, and you have woken up properly, Aunty has instructed me to take you to her.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Why?¡± Hannah managed to utter out, to center herself with the sudden shift in her life as if just Awakening/Hatching was not enough.


    ¡°I don''t know the details, but I do know it''s related to your Progenitor.¡± Lee Ping explained as he stared at the shaken expression on the young girl''s face, well¡­ her Shell. Done delivering the news, he looked up to the three bodyguards he brought with him. Picking the closest one, he gave an order. ¡°Greg¡­ Take Madam Blackwood and carry her to the van. I am sure I don''t have to tell you to be gentle with her?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Greg, the buff bodyguard, carefully stepped forth before quickly realizing that there was an apparent lack of space for him to pick up the unconscious woman. So he stepped aside and pushed away the small table hindering his task before gently placing his hands below the knees and shoulders to pick up the hostess he knew as Madam Blackwood.


    Hannah would have loved nothing more than to step forward and deny these people''s plans, but she sensed it being futile. Instead, she followed right after the man known as Greg. However, she did not get far when the man with a female face and animal ears called out to her.


    ¡°Aren''t you forgetting something?¡± Lee Ping called out before pointing at the moved table in question since on it he found three unique items. One of them was extremely familiar while the second one he had also seen before, although it was a rare thing to witness firsthand. The third one, however, a pink ball with black and white clouds was completely alien to him. Nevertheless, even without knowing anything about the pink ball, he knew it was Hannah¡¯s Tool since there was a familiar scent around it. ¡°Take them as well. You will need them.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ Ok.¡± Hannah replied, somewhat heartbroken at what was happening.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Still, she quickly walked up to the table where her Dreamon Ball, the Envelope she still could not open despite having already Awakened and her D-Card rested. Yet, just as she was about to pick them up, Hannah recognized that her current attire had no pockets.


    At the same time, she finally registered that she would be leaving her apartment. As such, she urgently went to the bedroom and changed herself. Though, since she had not much to wear for occasions like the current one, she simply chose her school sailor uniform since it had a few pockets for her D-Card and the Envelope, plus the skirt hid a rather deep pocket where her Dreamon Ball could fit.


    Once she had everything, Hannah rushed after her mother.


    Naturally, only after locking the apartment.


    <hr>


    Traversing down the stairs and out of the front entrance of her residential building, Hannah instantly discovered the black van, the man called Lee Ping mentioned. Mostly because she could see three men in black suits and white ties waiting in front of the van¡¯s large side door.


    Through the large door, Hannah saw Lee Ping seated in one of the frontal back seats while her sleeping mother occupied one row of the back seats.


    Walking right up to the black van in question, she heard the man with the female face and animal ears address her.


    ¡°Come. Sit here.¡± Lee Ping said before pointing at the seat beside him.


    Hannah, not seeing any other choice, did just that. When she did, the man in the black suits occupied the other free seats, and moments later, the van was rumbling its engine and carrying them to some destination. A destination that no doubt held the name Rose Peach Bordello because that was where her mother worked.


    As the Bordello was found within the Red Light District of Oaktown City, it would take them a while to reach it, and even longer if the traffic felt particularly nasty to its drivers to clog them into a traffic jam. Luckily, it was still not late afternoon when a majority of people returned home from work, so the traffic would not be too bad.


    At least, it should not have been, Hannah realized as the van slowed down for the third time all without any traffic lights to tell them to do so. The slight mystery sparked Hannah to pry her eyes in search of the reason for their slow progress. At the same time, the slight mystery distracted Hannah from what was occurring with her and her mother, so it was a tiny godsent to the current her.


    Nevertheless, looking through the slightly dimmed windows, all Hanna saw were more vehicles stuck with the same problem.


    As such, Hannah observed the pedestrians walking on the sidewalks.


    That was when her Insight alerted her to something, and that very something made her stretch her Soul that tiny bit more to recognize its true form. When she had it, Hannah¡¯s eyes switched from one pedestrian to another, and then another, and then more and more before the Truth actually sunk into her. But then, all of a sudden, one person appeared not clad with the Veil of Ignorance, and when she did, it was as if the women had sensed her gaze, thus causing her to stare back in Hannah¡¯s direction.


    When she did, their eyes connected through the black tint of the side windows as if no obstacle existed between them. At the same time, Hannah felt this vague sense that she was being examined, though not deeply. Of that, she was sure. Still, even without it being in-depth, the sensation made her body, her Shell, shiver in response, causing Hannah to instantly break eye contact.


    As a result, while the prying sensation weakened, it still remained there for a few moments before ceasing altogether. In that moment of its cessation, Hannah sent one brief glance at the woman in question, only to see her visage vanish into the prong of people.


    ¡°You know? It''s considered somewhat rude to Scry somebody like you just did.¡± Lee Ping commented on the side.


    Being reminded of his presence, Hannah shifted her focus to the pretty face on a male body. ¡°Scry?¡±


    ¡°Scrying¡­ Prying¡­ Divining¡­ There are a bunch of names for what you just did.¡± Lee Ping briefly explained. ¡°Whatever the name, at its root, Scrying is the flexing of the Soul through Insight in order to sense, discover, and pry information present within oneself and around oneself.


    Luckily, you''re so new to this that all you did was Scry for that woman''s presence, as such she reciprocated the very same as my presence warned her of looking deeper. Not that she would have gotten much anyway since she was but a Novice like you, though much closer to Apprentice.


    Mmm¡­ I did not look closer, but she should have been above Level 15, I think.¡±


    Listening to the brief explanation, Hannah suddenly understood why her current riding companion mentioned her being rude, as rudeness represented a rule of conduct, a conduct between Dreamwalkers and their powers. ¡°What are the rules for that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing overly specific.¡± Lee Ping said. ¡°If you are Scrying somebody, be prepared for the same to be done to you. However, since there are different levels to Scrying, it''s best to not transgress beyond the surface level.


    Basically, what you did and what was done to you.


    If you do, it''s considered very rude, thus, it can easily escalate into conflict.


    On the other hand, sometimes it''s inevitable for that to happen, especially if a higher-level individual Scries a lower-leveled individual. The problem is, that the higher the discrepancy between the rankings of two individuals, the harder it is to Scry or Conceal information from somebody, hence why higher-level individuals can Scry without alerting those below them that they were in fact examined on some scale.


    Regardless, if my interpretation of your pink ball is correct, you are a Tool user. This means you will naturally develop your Insight to higher standards than usual, thereby also making your Insight very potent.


    Meaning, your Scry and Conceal will be especially potent, among other things.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Tools.¡± Lee Ping suddenly switched the topic ¡°I''ve not seen one like yours before. What does it do? Oh, you don''t have to tell me the specifics. Just tell me the obvious.¡±


    The first thought was for Hannah to deny the inquiry, but after a little thought, Hannah acquiesced to the curiosity, though not without reciprocity. ¡°It¡­ It is a Capturing Tool. What about you? What kind of Shifter are you?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­Sorry to disappoint you.¡± Lee Ping chuckled and said before continuing his little speech. ¡±But, I am not a Shifter. A distant Progenitor of mine, however, was, hence the obvious traits you see on my head.¡± In the same instance, Hannah saw the animal-like ears flicker, as if in amusement. ¡°As for what kind? Well¡­ My kind is described as Fox-Kin, instead of Fox Shifter like my Aunty who you are about to visit.¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ Back to you¡­ Capturing, you say? Mmm¡­ Doubt it''s that simple considering the show you presented. Regardless, I won''t pry deeper.¡± Lee Ping voiced out but refused to point out that he would learn the girl''s secret through his Aunt.


    Hannah, on the other hand, simply nodded once before focusing on the second mention of something she had done without remembering doing at all. ¡°Show?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ You still don''t know about it.¡± Lee Ping reminded himself. ¡°Try looking into the sky through the car window beside you.¡±


    Not hearing the answer, yet intrigued to figure it out, Hannah did just that. Though, it took but one attempt to realize that her angle was incorrect, so she angled her head more to the right side before trying once again.


    When she did, she was welcomed by two unbelievable sights.


    Yet, unluckily, being stuck inside a van and between two rather large buildings, much of the view was blocked. Still, it was enough for her to recognize a huge eye with three tentacles wedging the sky open. At the same time, besides the large creature in the sky, or below it in this case, there were also huge branches in the sky.


    Branches with leaves that made Hannah feel as if just one of those leaves could and would engulf a mid-sized house easily.


    ¡°W¡­ What is¡­ No¡­ What are THOSE?¡± Hannah cried out with a loud voice.


    <hr>


    Those? Lee Ping repeated in his head since that particular word made him feel as if the little girl''s attention shifted away from what it had been supposed to.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Lee Ping replied with uncertainty because something new might have popped up in the sky since he last looked at it a quarter of an hour earlier. But then, when his sight pierced through the simple but metal roofing of the black van, he noticed nothing new. That was when it clicked with him. ¡°Oh¡­ You mean the Yggdrasil Branch! Ignore that since one exists in every major city. No... Focus on the huge creature and how it opened up a hole in the sky.¡±


    Shaking away the brief stupefaction, Hannah recovered from her stupor to shift her gaze to the partial sight of the creature she could see. However, the more she looked at it, the more she was sure of what she was witnessing.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Hannah inquired with a deadpan expression. On top of that, even her voice delivered the very same emotion. ¡°Is it a Nightmare? Wait¡­ If I remember my father''s instructions correctly. What kind of Hazard is that?¡±


    ¡°Strange¡­ I expected a surprise, but it came from the stupid tree and not the true mystery.¡± Lee Ping pointed out his expectations. ¡°Hmm¡­ Perhaps, it''s because I am used to the tree being there? Anyway, it''s not a Hazard but a Tyrant according to my Aunt.¡±


    ¡°Regardless. Mind telling me why you are not that surprised at seeing it?¡± Lee Ping inquired of the little girl beside him. ¡°Does it have something to do with your Grand Dream? I ask this as confirmation because the Silver Tyrant appeared right after your Grand Dream revealed its presence.¡±


    ¡°It did?¡± Hannah posited back before ignoring the sight and properly seating herself again.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Lee Ping affirmed. ¡°A Novice Grade Dream Instance can''t contain a Grand Dream, hence its escape and reveal. I was lucky to be facing the direction of its reveal to witness its presence. However, it was the descent of the Silver Tyrant that elevated your Awakening to unforgettable, hence why I mentioned your instant rise to fame.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why me?¡± Hannah asked though she had a feeling she already knew the answer to this one.


    ¡°The reason is obvious, young one.¡± Lee Ping said. ¡°While the actual Descent of the Silver Tyrant was not your fault in any way, as the Silver Tyrant is beyond even Summoners, your Grand Dream no doubt became the bonfire, the beacon, the lighthouse guiding its descent to this city. Makes no Logical sense to be anything else. Not since the Metropolises on this Layer should have been way more attractive than Oaktown City.¡±


    Hearing the Logic, Hannah¡¯s right hand swiftly went for the pocket in her skirt housing her Dreamon Ball, which in turn housed a being that should hold remarkable resemblance to an incomprehensible creature opening holes in the sky, only Hannah was unsure since she had yet to call it out of its Ball.


    Nevertheless, the drawn image on the back of her D-Card pointed to that resemblance being true.


    Done contemplating the connection, Hannah realized, after seeing the obvious, that she could no longer delay the inevitable. As such, her left hand went inside her skirt pocket to grab and take out her Dreamon Ball.


    Lee Ping seated beside her observed the pink ball in question. However, just like before, he was a bit stumped on what kind of Tool it could be as capturing had many connotations. But then, in the next second, his nose smelled a change happening to the girl. A change that made the little girl no longer smell like a small little meek thing asking to be preyed upon, but a strong and dominant predator, if somewhat hollow, as if something crucial was missing.


    Right after the change in attitude, Lee Ping heard a command echo from her throat, though somewhat shaky as if she was unsure of how to pronounce the last part.


    ¡°COME OUT¡­ BE-HOL-D!!!¡±


    In the same instance, a red jagged light burst from the pink ball before ceasing its movement only to agglomerate above the ball from which the light materialized. At the same time, since the agglomeration of the red jagged light was extremely fast, in one second a pink and somewhat purple ball thing manifested.


    However, that was when the simple stopped because, the very next second, that same uneven and pink ball thing was instantly enforced with multiple forces, causing its immediate presence to be pushed in one direction and that direction was Hannah¡¯s face.


    SMACK


    The smack tilted Hannah¡¯s head back allowing the pink/purple and uneven ball to bounce off of her face and into the inner roof of the van, only to bounce once more right on top of her forehead before actually losing most of its recoil energy and dropping behind her, right beside her mother and the unconscious women Lee Ping had been order to retrieve by his Aunt.


    ¡°Aouch!¡± Lee Ping heard the girl cry out before quickly grabbing and feeling out her nose, only for said nose to begin itching as a result of the force it had been subjected to, thus, causing a sneezing reaction in return. ¡°Aachuu!¡±


    Holding back a snicker, Lee Ping ignored the girl for a second to focus on the pink ball thing, which he now defined definitely as not an actual ball, at all, because it had unfolded itself slightly, so the uneven parts actually became tentacular limbs, with two on the side and one at its top.


    With the obvious out of the way, his black eyes took in the marks on its tentacular limbs and their origins. Nonetheless, the one mark that intrigued him the most was the large one below its¡­ head tentacle.


    Mmm¡­ Actually¡­ If not for the smoothness and color, it could be mistaken for a ponytail.


    Shoving that idle fact aside, Lee Ping¡¯s black settled on the silver mark. A slitted-diamond silver eye mark. No doubt about it, this thing is connected to the Silver Tyrant.


    That said¡­ It neither feels nor smells like a Nightmare.


    With no immediate answer, Lee Ping focused back on the girl who had manifested it, although she was far too busy attending to her nose so as to deny experiencing another sneeze since her nose still tingled with such desire.


    ¡°Did you not forget something?¡± Lee Ping pointed out.


    In the same instant, he saw her realization hit.


    ¡°Ah¡±


    When she glanced his way, he pointed back with his thumb causing the girl to quickly stand up, placing her knees on her seat before searching for the one that had hit her, only when she found it just lying there beside her mother.


    ¡°YOU DARE!!!¡±


    Then, as Hannah shouted out her grievances at her Summon daring to touch her mother, she noted that her pink Summon was not moving at all. As such, the instant of hatred quelled somewhat. What had remained behind urged Hannah to actually stand on the van¡¯s seat before tilting over the seat to grab onto the head tentacle.


    Once she had it in hand, Hannah pulled her Summon away from her mother and raised it right to her eye level. However, the more she stared at her Summon the more she understood that her Summon was unresponsive to her actions.


    With the unresponsiveness, Hannah calmed down even further, thus allowing herself to examine her Summon further, all while comparing the finished product with her father¡¯s Template.


    As such, she easily noted the slitted-diamond silver eye mark.


    Despite everything she was feeling, Hannah was struck with curiosity, so she pulled back and re-seated herself back on her seat. Of course, only after dusting it somewhat as her simple shoes had dirtied it.


    Meanwhile, while that happened Hannah never let go of her Summon as it dangled from her hand, and the only reason she could do so was because her Summon had shrunk down from when it used to be a Nightmare.


    Once seated again, Hannah released her grip on the upper tentacle only to use her legs as a pillow so she could use both of her hands as leverage to examine every inch of her Summon, or Behold as her father had named it.


    It was not a really good name per se, as it remained very close to its old one, which was Beholder, but Hannah felt the name Behold to be extremely appropriate for her first Summon.


    Either way, examining her Summon, Hannah noted its size to be somewhat larger than a regular-sized football. This made sense as it was remarkably close to what her father had envisioned for her. As a result, the slitted-diamond silver eye mark became the number one indicator that a mutation had occurred.


    Then, after probing around the silver mark, Hanna realized that the eye mark represented an actual eyelid, specifically, it displayed the dimensions for the eye socket of the sole eye her Summon possessed.


    Once Hannah understood that fact, careful use of force allowed her to softly grip two sides of the eyelid in order to wedge the eyelid open, and with it open, Hannah witnessed the blue eye she had seen on the back of her D-Card.


    In the end, after noticing the unresponsive blue iris of her Summon¡¯s sole eye, the external examination ceased there. Regardless of the thing she had or had not discovered, what was truly important to Hannah was what was on the inside and not the outside, and in this case, Hannah realized that her Summon seemed to be unconscious.


    Could it be from the transmutation?


    Displeased with her Summon, Hannah called out.


    ¡°Wake Up!!!¡±

 SR - Act 2- Chapter 16 - Shroud?

    ¡°WAKE UP!!!¡± Hannah cried out again, but her Summon refused to open up its sole eye.


    Now dissatisfied even more, Hannah cried out again before shaking the creature in her hands up and down.


    ¡°WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!!¡±


    Unfortunately, for Hannah, her Summon still refused to budge from its current state of being. Meanwhile, seated beside her, Lee Ping stared at the pink creature in Hannah¡¯s hands while wondering what the creature¡¯s exact nature was because his senses told him it was not a Nightmare, and while his Insight told him that it was the girl¡¯s Summon, it also reminded him that it was not an actual Dream.


    No, the pink creature bearing the Silver Tyrant¡¯s Mark was something in between, and if something was in between a Dream and a Nightmare, on top of being alive, then it could only be one thing, a genuine living being, a Spirit.


    Then, that begged the question of what kind of Spirit it was since his senses alerted him that it was not one he had met before.


    Whatever. It is not like it matters.


    With a shake of his head, Lee Ping centered his attention on the here and now.


    ¡°Why not try Scrying?¡±


    With the advice entering her ears, Hannah ceased her useless attempts. Instead, she flexed her Insight at her Summon however that worked in the first place. Parsing through the impressions her Soul was receiving in return for her attempt, Hannah arrived at a conclusion.


    ¡°It is¡­ sleeping?¡± Hannah murmured softly before quickly denying the conclusion. ¡°No¡­ Not sleeping, but something like it, only much deeper. Yes¡­ That is it¡­ My Summon is hibernating.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lee Ping inquired with curiosity on the side.


    Nudged once again, Hannah flexed her Soul. ¡°I am getting a sense of emptiness. Almost as if something vital is missing. Something that usually prompts it to seek that something¡­ Oh¡­ I get it now¡­ It has no energy, so it''s hibernating to conserve what little it has.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Your Summon is just hungry?¡± Lee Ping asked before another line of thoughts reached his mind. ¡°I see no mouth. How would you feed it? Moreover, what does it feed upon?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ Father¡¯s ghost mentioned a Drain Ability.¡± Hearing it, Lee Ping nodded his head as if that would explain the how. ¡°As for what it should eat? Well¡­ That one is more complicated.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lee Ping asked, yet before Hannah even had a chance to answer, he voiced a conjecture. ¡°Considering you just woke up, and that you have a Tool and a Summon, I am guessing that your current Summon was the Nightmare from your first Tribulation? Right?¡± Still not giving Hannah a chance to reply, Lee Ping continued laying out his reasoning. ¡°If so? Then, that means your Summon should have a Nightmares natural ability to feed off of Fear. Right? If so? Why would that be complicated?¡±


    Hesitating for one second, Hannah replied. ¡°Father did not want my Summon to feed just off of Fear, as that would limit its future Evolutions or something like that. So, Father''s Template for Be-hol-d should have allowed it to feed off of positive emotions, only I am not sure how to feed it that.¡±


    ¡°How peculiar.¡± Lee Ping commented while another part of his mind wondered what the girl, or better said her father, meant with Evolution. ¡°Still¡­ That should be easily fixable. Let me show you.¡± Then, just as his hand was about to touch the pink creature, specifically the left tentacular limb covered with purple markings, he stopped and glanced at the girl in question.¡°May I?¡±


    Seeing the nod, Lee Ping grabbed the left protruding tentacular limb. ¡°The trick with Drain Abilities is that every single one of them takes the same thing from a Soul, energy. However, during the draining process, one¡¯s emotions flavor that energy as it parses through the layers of the Soul before actually leaving the Soul, thus the method and the emotions give the energy a particular property.


    It''s those particular properties that determine the strengths and the limits of a Drain Ability. That is why some of the strongest Drain Abilities have some of the nastiest and most debilitating effects possible. Therefore, in order to counter Drain Abilities, one has to have a very strong Will to disallow the drain from happening in the first place.


    On the other hand, if you do want it to happen, you need to relax your Will and let the drain happen on its own, like in this case.¡± Lee Ping explained before finding a relatively positive memory, a memory of him intertwined with a particular lady before giving her the best time of her life in return for some of that juicy Experience generated during that moment of excess ecstasy.


    Once he had the memory, he flavored one point of Power and let it flow down his right hand and into the left tentacular limb of the pink creature. The moment it was done, he noted the Power Point seamlessly losing his personal signature before actually being absorbed. A moment later, he noted the pink creature stirring with desire for more, only when Lee Ping expected the creature''s Drain Ability to manifest, it did not.


    ¡°Strange.¡± Lee Ping voiced out. ¡°It''s clear that it worked when I infused it, why was there no other reaction?¡±


    Unsure what the man with the pretty face meant, a hunch emerged from Hannah¡¯s memories. ¡°Ah¡­ I remember Father¡¯s ghost saying that he had transformed the Drain Ability into three Passives; Absorb, Digest, and Store. Could that be why?¡±


    ¡°Passive, you say?¡± Intrigued by the possibilities, Lee Ping sent another point of Power into the pink Spirit only to observe the same as before.


    The Spirit trembled but it produced no reactive Drain effect, which, under normal circumstances, was not what should have happened whether the Drain was Passive or not. Yet, it was clear that nothing further happened. Then, thinking of the possibilities, a few surfaced. ¡°This reaction could be laid to your Summon being asleep, such that it can''t initiate the Drain despite me being willing about it. Additionally, it could also be a result of your Summon¡¯s unfamiliarity with positive emotions, hence why its reaction is so weak.¡±


    ¡°Regardless. Considering its size, its relative youth, and its previous reaction, it should not be long before it wakes up.¡± With that said, Lee Ping did not mind spending a few more points of his Power to test out his hypothesis, yet, just as he prepared to do so, different sensations reached his awareness.


    Sensations of danger, inclusion, and separation.


    Lee Ping knew those sensations extremely well. So well, in fact, that when they parsed through him and around him, he knew the worst-case scenario for his little courier task emerged. ¡°H¨§n f¨¢nr¨¦n!¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°H¨§n f¨¢nr¨¦n!¡±


    That was what Hannah heard echoing from the man with the pretty face, yet, even without knowing what it meant, she knew the tone portrayed annoyance. However, the very next second, that fact was ignored because, in that very same second, Hannah ceased being able to move a single muscle, not even a twitch.


    Nevertheless, that was not all, right after she was unable to move, a pressure manifested all around her, seeking to pop her as if she was a giant zit that needed to be emptied, and just like a zit unloading its vile contents, Hannah felt herself exploding from the still prison that was her physical body, her Shell.


    In return for being pumped out, Hannah regained awareness of her Dream Body as it superimposed itself over her Shell, yet clearly established some kind of boundaries between her Dream Body and her Shell.


    Only after that was Hannah able to express herself. ¡°W¡­ What was that?¡±


    ¡°Bad luck on our part, girl.¡± Lee Ping answered as his black eyes observed everything inside and outside the black van, but what he found was more of the usual considering the circumstances.


    Meanwhile, Hannah found herself leaving her Shell partly.


    First, it was the hands, then came the shoulders and the head. Moments later, she turned around to stare at her own face, only the face she was seeing was not the face she thought it would be.


    ¡°I know seeing your Shell like that can be strange, but do not bother yourself with it.¡± Lee Ping advised. ¡°It''s perfectly normal.¡±


    ¡°It is? How?¡±


    ¡°Before this moment, all you ever saw yourself in was a mirror.¡± Lee Ping explained swiftly. ¡°So what you were seeing was an inverted image of yourself, or better said, your Shell. However, right now there is no inverted distortion so what you are seeing is your true looks.


    There are a few other facts, but they are minor in the grand scheme.


    No¡­ Ignore that. Grab your Summon and your Tool and come with me.¡± With that order, Lee Ping stood up from his seat and grabbed the handle for the large side door of the van. Pressing the hinge, the lock disengaged and the door opened up.


    Stepping outside, Lee Ping once again observed his surroundings. ¡°Tch¡­ Class Three Emergence.¡±


    ¡°What is Class Three Emergence?¡± Hannah confusedly asked because, the moment she stashed her Dreamon Ball, grabbed her Summon by the head tentacle, and left the black van, she was treated to a world ceasing still, similar to her physical body and the three men in black suits inside the van. By still, that meant every vehicle and every human driving said transportation, and every person walking through the city, or this part of Oaktown City. ¡°What is going on? Why has everything stopped?¡±


    ¡°You will see in a moment.¡± Lee Ping said before his black eyes settled on Hannah.¡±What''s with that oversized brown jacket?¡±


    Reminded of it, Hannah stared at it as well. ¡°I¡­ I am not sure.¡±


    ¡°Anyway. It will hinder your movements like that. Adjust it.¡±


    ¡°Adjust?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It looks like a Basic Item of Power, so it should be able to adjust itself to your proportions.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°Sense it, then imagine it cladding your upper body.¡±


    Still somewhat confused over everything going on, Hannah did as suggested, and voila, her father¡¯s brown jacket shrunk down until it fit her perfectly.


    ¡°Good¡­ Now let me ask you something important and be honest when answering.¡± Lee Ping demanded. ¡°Aside from facing your Nightmare during Awakening, have you ever fought before?¡±


    Thinking for a second, Hannah was reminded of her past bullying scenario. Ultimately, however, those could not count since she never fought back. As such, Hannah simply shook her head.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Any form of combat training? Even if it''s sports-related?¡±


    Once again, a shake of Hannah¡¯s head became the only response.


    ¡°Just great¡­ and with your Summon like that¡­¡± Not saying anything more, Lee Ping sighed with resignation at his bad luck. But then, observing the girl beside him, he noticed a peculiarity that should not have been there. ¡°Wait a second.¡± With the realization of where his thoughts led, Lee Ping quickly grabbed Hannah¡¯s left cheek with his right thumb and left forefinger before actually pinching the skin. Ignoring the pained look on the girl''s face and the instant but distinct glare back at him resulting from his test, he spoke up. ¡°You''ve already allocated some of your Stat Points? Which ones and how many? Did any of them reach ten points?¡±


    Not replying instantly, Hannah first slapped the man¡¯s hand away from her face before actually responding. ¡°I did, and almost all of them¡­ for¡­ ugh¡­ all of them, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Briefly confused by the reply, Lee Ping clarified. ¡°You mean? You spent all of your points on the Prime Stats and all of them reached the First Coalescent?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what a First Coalescent is, but all of my Stats are at ten right now.¡±


    ¡°Geez¡­ Just how many points did you gain from your Awakening?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ 41?¡± Hannah replied a tad hesitant about it.


    ¡°And how many of those were SAP¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°41¡±


    ¡°G¨³nk¨¡i¡­¡± Once again, Lee Ping cursed in his native tongue, causing Hannah to tilt her head in confusion. ¡°Girl¡­ What you did, is what is dubbed as ¡®COLOSSAL IDIOT¡¯ for wasting that many SAP¡¯s when you could have saved them for better allocation. Mmm¡­ Then again¡­ Maybe it was not that stupid considering where we found ourselves in. That said¡­¡± Saying nothing else for a moment, Hannah watched as the man with the female face simply stared at nothing but air before actually using his hands as if manipulating something as well. ¡°Aha¡­ I knew I had it somewhere stashed.¡±


    With the announcement, Hannah saw Lee Ping grab pure air before actually materializing the familiar shape of a gun in his right hand. Still, while the gun was gun-shaped, it looked nothing like a gun she was familiar with because it presented a very sleek and shiny appearance with its white-blue colored design, white more white than blue, especially around the upper part of the gun, the barrel, if Hannah remembered correctly.


    ¡°This is an NTT COLT LM10, a gun-inspired Item of Power suitable for Novices like you.¡± Lee Ping explained. ¡°Basically, a Novice Training Tool for those who have no innate Ranged Abilities, plus a definitive lack of Skills to compensate for that fault. Hence why it is the perfect Item for you as you are right now.¡± Within the explanation, a bit of melancholy was hidden as Lee Ping had been one such unfortunate Dreamwalker after he first Awakened. Naturally, by now, he had ditched that part of his past with the COLT being the only remembrance of that past. ¡°First, though, we need to do something much more important if you want to make use of it. Take out your D-Card.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Less dillydallying, and more obeying, little girl.¡± Lee Ping added as he stared at Hannah¡¯s brown eyes. ¡°Otherwise, there will be trouble for you. Not from me, as I will be fine, but from our current surroundings. So hurry it up.¡±


    Then just as Lee Ping demanded it, a loud BANG echoed from somewhere ahead of them.


    ¡°Hear that? Best you hurry it up.¡±


    <hr>


    If the loud BANG was not enough the following SCREECH became a much better motivator for Hannah to follow the instructions of the man with the pretty face. As such, Hannah quickly called for her D-Card, because that was something she could do, and it appeared in her right hand as the left one was busy holding onto the head tentacular limb of her Summon.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    What came next was Hannah following the instructions precisely, but to prevent any mishaps, Hannah quickly dropped Behold, her Summon, on the road.


    Left hand free, Hannah turned her D-Card around so that the image/picture of herself and her Summon faced her. After that, she tapped on that same image twice, similar to unlocking her D-Card. Once that part was complete, the image/picture somehow retreated to become the background for a new screen, however, there were no new icons awaiting her on that screen, better said, there was nothing else there.


    ¡°Good.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°In the future, after installing new applications on your D-Card, you will find their Icons there to interact with those applications. Right now, though? Now, as you can see, it''s barebones, so ignore it. Instead, I want you to trace a circle on the screen.¡± Despite not understanding the purpose, Hannah did just that, and when she did, a new prompt appeared on her D-Card. ¡°Good, now tap on that Settings line¡­ Yes, that one. Tap it. Then scroll down¡­ Oh, you don''t know how to scroll? It''s easy, just press the screen once without releasing the finger. Then, pull your finger up or down as if you''re dragging something. Yes¡­ That''s it. Find Display and tap it¡­ Good¡­ Now do the same and find Interface¡­ Good¡­ One more time. Find HUD, H¡­ U¡­ D. Tap it once and it should present you with a few options, however, ignore everything but the Ocular one.¡±


    Extremely curious about it, Hannah taped on Ocular, only to be presented with a pop-up screen, similar.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Warning!


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, you are about to activate Basic Ocular Holographic User Display.


    Please confirm the resource expenditure reservation for Focus - 1 and Power - 1!


    *


    ? ?


    <hr>


    ¡°That''s it¡­ Confirm and don''t resist.¡±


    Not seeing any other options, Hannah confirmed and from within herself, her Soul specifically, one Focus Point and one Power Point flexed without any of her input. The Focus Point provided a form and purpose while Power Point provided the energy for said form and purpose, and said form and purpose almost immediately lit up on Hannah''s sight as if something had overlaid itself over her eyes.


    It took a few seconds for everything to settle down, but when it did, Hannah was privy to new things like a Health Point Counter, in the form of a black-rimmed tube filled with red bricks, like an eerie reminder of a few games from her GameBoy. The best part, however, was that, even without looking for it, she knew there were ten of those red bars as each one represented one point of her Health.


    The same occurred for the Stamina Point Counter right below the Health Point Counter, only the Stamina bar was filled with yellow bricks and it too had ten bars, thereby making the bar the same length as its upper sibling.


    Below the Stamina Point Counter was the Focus Point Counter. It only had five bricks, however, the last one was transparent slightly as if it was there, yet not there, as well. Seeing it, Hannah instantly understood that the transparency represented a reserved Focus Point.


    With those three out of the way, Hannah focused on the upper right side of her vision.


    There, she found a hollow silver-rimmed circle, yet it was not entirely hollow because, the same instant Hannah focused on the circle and its insides, she was presented with a simplified, very simplified, in truth, version of her current surroundings.


    In her current case, it displayed Hannah and Lee Ping with two green dots sandwiched between an aerial view of the black van and a blue/gray pickup truck beside her. Reminded of the black van, Hannah noted that gray dots existed within the simplified black van and pickup truck, therefore, therefore, the gray dots had to represent the frozen people, or petrified, or whatever had actually occurred thanks to a Third Class Emergence.


    Retreating from the overview of her surroundings was as easy as diving into it.


    Still, while the map was interesting, it was the icons at the bottom of her vision that shaped her current experience as decently familiar by presenting her with the icons for Status, Ability, Skills, Inventory, Map, and Social.


    ¡°I see, everything caught your attention, but I am afraid you will have to explore the other features on your own.¡± Lee Ping remarked before continuing to lay out his instructions. ¡°Now that your Basic Interface is up, you can stash your D-Card away in some pocket. Once you do that, take this COLT and pour some Power into its handle.¡±


    Once again, doing as instructed, her D-Card was stashed into one of the bigger inner pockets of her father¡¯s brown jacket. After that, Hannah grabbed the gun only for her to almost drop the weapon due to its unexpected size and weight despite using both hands to pick it up.


    Recovering from the slight mishap, Hannah first sensed her Power. Then she instructed it to Flow down her right hand and into the white/blue handle of the firearm.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Item Equipping in progress!


    *


    NTT COLT LM 10 seeks to establish an O-HUD connection.


    *


    Does User; Hannah Blackwood accept?


    *


    ? ?


    <hr>


    Not even having to press anything, the same instant Hannah thought about it, her interface reacted.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Item Equipping in Progress!


    *


    Connection approved!


    *


    Preferred Weapon Interface Engaged!


    <hr>


    With those words, no more pop-up screens appeared in Hannah¡¯s vision, but what followed was a simple gun icon manifesting below her simple Map feature on the upper right side of her vision. Then, below the simple gun icon, ten bullets appeared, and thanks to the connection between herself and the Item of Power she just interfaced with, Hannah knew much more about the NTT COLT LM 10 in question than before, as if it had always been there.


    A result of that, was Hannah¡¯s intuitive knowledge about the Morphing feature of the gun, namely its ability to adjust itself to the wielder, hence, the moment Hannah desired it, the oversized and heavy Colt in her right hand, shrunk down to a manageable size and weight.


    Though, it still felt somewhat big and heavy, Hannah realized.


    Regardless of the manageability of holding and pointing the gun in question, the Morphing feature was not the main feature of the COLT. On the contrary, the main feature relied on something called AutoAim, plus a few minor features attached to it like a targeting mark displaying where the weapon in question would probably hit.


    <hr>


    Sensing and seeing the handle and the barrel of the COLT light up with blue lines, Lee Ping knew that the preparation was done. Thankfully, it had only taken a few moments for the girl to accomplish what she needed to do, but even those few moments could mean lost time and initiative because, ever since the first BANG and first SCREECH, his sensitive ears have been feeding him information about the ongoing combat in the distance.


    As such, knowing he needed to hurry it up some more, Lee Ping addressed his sole companion beside him.


    ¡°Listen¡­ The AutoAim Feature is not absolute as it seems.¡± Lee Ping said. ¡°It has its faults, hence to make the best of it, one needs proper firearm handling Skills, but since you have none of those, your best choice of action when confronted with possible Nightmares is to simply shoot dead center.


    The AimMark you see in your vision should help with hitting your targets. Still, let me give you a quick rundown.¡± With that declared, Lee Ping had Hannah take on a basic firing stance with her right hand on the handle and her left hand below the handle to support the gun.


    After that, was a very brief explanation of firing and what to expect.


    However, Lee Ping was extremely explicit about Hannah not firing just yet as it could potentially lure Nightmares their way. Perhaps nothing would happen, but Lee Ping did not want to take the chances, hence why he only gave verbal instructions instead of particulate ones.


    Still, with the girls'' increased Prime Stats, even his verbal instructions would sink in extremely fast, with the practical ones following just as fast after the girl fired her very first shot.


    ¡°OK¡­ That is enough.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°Unfortunately your Summon is useless right now¡­ Actually¡­ Maybe, not totally. Listen, girl. If you feel like you''re in danger, throw your Summon at your enemy in order to distract them so you can shoot them. Alright?¡±


    ¡°What? But¡­¡±


    ¡°Girl.¡± Lee Ping interrupted. ¡°You mentioned your Tool being a capturing type. Right?¡± Seeing the small nod, Lee Ping continued his persuasion attempt, though it took very little skill on his part. ¡±Then that means you can get another Summon if the need arises. Meaning your Summon is replicable, ergo, it''s also the perfect sacrifice to keep your life. Right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Guess.¡± Hannah replied, but after a few seconds of pondering on the Logic, she glanced at her Behold, her Summon, and fully agreed with the reasoning. However, in the back of her mind, Hannah made a condition for herself to only do so if in extreme danger as she had invested quite a bit in her current Summon, so it would be a huge waste to lose it just after getting it. ¡°I¡­ Will do that, Mr. Lee. Hold on¡­ What if you wake it up?¡±


    Staying silent and considering the option, Lee Ping considered his Power Point Pool before actually denying the option altogether. ¡°Earlier, I did not mind spending a bit out of curiosity, but now that we are here, I can''t waste any more energy on your pet. Even one Power Point could make the difference between us surviving and living long enough to tell the tale of this unexpected encounter.¡±


    Still, somewhat reluctant, Hannah nodded and repeated her previous statement of affirmation.


    ¡°Good.¡± Lee Ping said. ¡°Let me close this door and let''s go see what and who we are up against.¡±


    <hr>


    Once the large side door of the van was closed, Lee Ping made his way towards the origin of the sounds. Hannah, on the other hand, switched her gaze between the man and the van in which her mother lay.


    After her third switch, she grabbed Behold by the head tentacular limb and trekked after the man with the pretty face.


    ¡°Will Mother be fine?¡± Hannah inquired.


    ¡°She will, don''t worry.¡± Lee Ping answered without looking back as he sweated around the many road vehicles between him and the sidewalk. ¡°Once a Shroud is invoked over an area, almost nothing can hurt those caught within it. Unfortunately, the same protection does not include you and me, as I am sure you have noticed in how eagerly you got squeezed from your Shell.¡±


    ¡°Shroud?¡± Hannah again asked as there was nothing to do but inquire about her lacking knowledge.


    Ceasing for a second, Lee Ping turned around and pointed at the road from which they had come. ¡°You see that flowing silvery fire-like shimmer?¡± Turning back as well, Hannah nodded. ¡°That is the boundary of this Shroud. Think of a Shroud as a bubble. That makes the fiery shimmer you see, the inner side of said bubble as it covers a huge area around us.


    Beyond that point, lies the ordinary world you are used to, at least, as ordinary as you knew it before Awakening. Naturally, there is more to it, but that can wait until after surviving this place.


    Anyway, even if you tried to cross that fiery shimmer, you would not be able to return to that world because the fiery shimmer would incinerate any Non-Mortal crossing it, and since you have Awakened, you no longer count as one.


    I am sure you noticed that fact after checking your Status. Right?¡±


    ¡°I did¡­ It said that I am a Spirit now.¡± Hannah responded.


    ¡°Good, and what is the first difference you noticed between yourself and every other person you saw during our ride?¡± Lee Ping posited before actually returning to his trek towards the ever louder gunfire in the distance.


    Following the man with the pretty face, Hannah quickly thought about the question. ¡°I¡­ Have coalesced my Spark of Life, my Ego, into a cohesive whole¡­ so, I no longer possess Gaia¡¯s Veil of Ignorance.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Looks like you do have some background knowledge.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°Good. That makes it a bit easier to explain.


    You are right. Those whose Spark¡¯s of Life have yet to coalesce are called Mortals. It does not matter how strong that Mortal gets, even if they could smash one of these buildings to ash, as long as their Consciousness has not coalesced its Spark, its Ego, he/she or them as the gender does not matter, will still be referred to as a Mortal.


    Either way.


    Mortals are not entirely unique to Gaia¡¯s Womb, nevertheless, it is the number one gathering spot for them within EDIN.


    Therefore, all Mortals are subjected to Gaia¡¯s Protection, protection you now know as the Veil of Ignorance, since it shelters them from the truth that every single Mortal was and is, in truth, a slowly developing fetus within a moving and talking Shell, or better said, Shells since most Mortals take multiple lifetimes to actually Awaken to the Truth of their existence.¡±


    Listening to the explanations, Hannah was once again reminded of an earlier remark she had made about herself and her mother. ¡°Does that mean, I am not technically older than my mother?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ Interesting conjecture there.¡± Lee Ping chuckled for a second. ¡±Could be, but probably not.¡± He added before actually slowing down his walk towards danger in favor of inching closer to a large building to hide his presence further, and since Hannah followed him, she too did the same. ¡°You see, the crux of your problem is that you do not realize that not every individual stuck under the Veil of Ignorance is a Mortal. In fact, only about 20% of all people within Gaia¡¯s Womb are considered Mortals. Make no mistake, that 20% is considered a huge number when taken into consideration that Gaia¡¯s Womb has existed for a very, very long time.¡±


    ¡°Then who is the other eighty?¡±


    ¡°Spirits like you and me.¡± Lee Ping answered. ¡°Spirits who have descended upon Gaia¡¯s Womb for this or that reason to Experience everything a Mortal life generates. The good, the bad, the mediocre, and so much more. As such, the moment that life ceases one is given a choice, Stay or Leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I think I had one of those right after my Grand Dream emerged.¡± Hannah said before realizing her folly. ¡°Does that mean I have died? Wait, I mean my Shell.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It would have taken many days for it to cease functioning on its own. To others, it would have appeared like you were in a coma. In fact, something like that could be said for your mother as well.¡± Shaking his head, Lee Ping slowed down even more as his sensitive ears began adjusting their sound volume intake. ¡°Your mother aside. I don''t think you realize the glaring problem. Why did you decide to stay around and not instantly leave for the wide cosmos?¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­ I could not¡­ Oh¡­ Like me, everybody who had the choice to leave, chose to stay because of somebody?¡± Hannah posited.


    ¡°Perhaps, but most likely not for that reason.¡± Lee Ping corrected his young companion. ¡°No¡­ The reason you don''t realize the glaring problem is the same reason why a lot of Spirits, or Divers as we like to call ourselves, chose to stay. And that reason has to do with the fact that Gaia¡¯s Womb is extremely addictive because of the depth of immersion possible thanks to her Veil of Ignorance existing.¡±


    ¡°Depth?¡­ Immersion?¡±


    Stopping, Lee Ping searched for the most correct example he knew of. ¡°Imagine that there was a game, where you were suddenly sucked into, and you could not differentiate it from the reality you had lived in previously. As time goes on, and you experience more and more of that game world, you suddenly can''t tell which is your real world, the game world or the one you came from.


    Now multiply that depth of immersion ten-fold for the game world and suddenly your previous world no longer looks as interesting as it used to be, hence when presented with the choice to leave, you chose to stay behind.


    That is the kind of addiction I mean.


    You just simply don''t feel it because you are used to this Layer of the Rift.¡±


    Then just as Lee Ping took a few steps, he stopped. ¡±Wait a second¡­¡± After saying that, Lee Ping felt an abstract clue click to clarity in his head, like some piece of a missing puzzle. ¡°Ever since Gaia forbade the Reincarnation of Mortals to the same Layer of her Rift on which they had previously died, you should be aware of this addiction, at least, on some level due to your Soul experiencing the other floors as well.¡±


    ¡°Could it be that you did not dive into your previous incarnations through Soul Judge?¡±


    Hearing the name, Hannah¡¯s awareness instantly went back into that part of her Awakening/Hatching, but then, when she examined that moment, Hannah suddenly realized that she had not examined any of the memories prior to discovering the Dream Instance Creation Instructions, and everything they entailed, embedded within her memories by her father.


    As such, this meant that she had close to eight years of memories unexamined, plus if something existed prior to her current life as Hannah Blackwood.


    In the end, Hannah¡¯s answer was simple.


    ¡°No!¡±

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 17 - Moon Order?

    ¡°It took a few moments for you to answer.¡± Lee Ping hinted. ¡°I won''t bother asking what distracted you during Soul Judge, especially when taking into account your achievement, but do take my advice on this. The next time you are under the effect of Soul Judge, seek the memories beyond your current incarnation. When you do, you will discover a boatload of Experience just waiting to help you progress further up the Leveling Ladder.¡±


    With that said, Lee Ping returned to slowly walking towards the still ongoing gunfire, though, in the back of his mind, an inquisitive thought could not help but root itself. A curiosity centered around the fact on just how the girl attained so many SAP¡¯s without involving the Experience of her past incarnations.


    Still, as curious as he was about it, it had not distracted him from slowing down even further before actually ceasing all together on one corner of the building he was using to hide his approach.


    Once at the corner, half of his head, the half presenting his black eyes, peeked to observe what lay beyond it.


    Ugh¡­ Another corner. Stupid building design.


    Ignoring the slight annoyance, Lee Ping trekked a few more steps before repeating the same exercise, only this time he was able to directly see the origin of the ongoing conflict or at least part of it.


    ¡°Tch¡­ It truly is bad luck on our part.¡± Lee Ping murmured.


    Hannah, who had been following behind the man with the pretty face, stopped just slightly behind Lee Ping when she heard the frustrated tone. Nonetheless, the constant gunfire she heard, plus everything going on, prodded her to see what was happening. So, Hannah stepped forward and beside Lee Ping, only seeing the careful nature of her sole companion, she crouched down before slowly crawling on her knees to see beyond the building''s corner.


    Naturally, during the brief crawl, she was careful not to press the trigger for the gun in her right hand. Behold, her Summon, on the other hand, received no such consideration as its main body scraped the concrete while its head tentacular limb was exposed to pressure by the weight of Hannah¡¯s upper body.


    Nevertheless, since it was sleeping/unconscious, it did not protest the slight abuse.


    Regardless of her Summon¡¯s current state, Hannah observed the flashes in the distance, flashes that originated behind covers, yet every time landed on dark red figures before causing those dark red figures to burst into nothingness. How and what kind of nothingness, Hannah could not tell. Perhaps the bullets used were so powerful that those dark red figures with many limbs simply burst apart like flesh being sheared away bit by bit.


    Perhaps it was something else entirely.


    Regardless, from this distance, Hannah could not tell anything further.


    Crouching beside him, Hannah glanced upward at Lee Ping. ¡°What is going on? All I see are some blurry white figures shooting at blurry dark red ones.¡±


    Staring at Hannah¡¯s brown eyes for a moment, Lee Ping responded before returning his gaze to the action. ¡°Focus on your Focus Points. Infuse it into your Flow and guide your Flow to your eyes. After that, try Scrying again. As long as you don''t glare too much at that suited man with the glowing staff, and his two companions, you should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Try it.¡±


    Once more, Hannah followed the instructions given to her, and when she did, the previous scene that felt so far away became something as if the action transpired but a few steps before her.


    Truly, surprised by what happened, it took Hannah a few moments to understand what was going on despite the clarity with which she was observing things.


    Namely, the blurry white figures looked like they belonged to some kind of religious organization with their white uniforms mixed in with silver armor around their vulnerable body parts like the chest. However, the thing that made them religious was the iconography of a circle containing a cross on top of a smaller circle on their uniforms, especially the large ones on their backs.


    On the other hand, the blurry dark-red figures turned out to be many limbed arthropod-like creatures, specifically hip-sized ants as they marched out of the subway entrance only to be blasted apart by bullets before eventually turning into black dust particles.


    Quickly comparing the sizes, Hannah had to admit that these ants were bigger than Behold used to be, though if height-wise the difference was small, length-wise the same could not be said, even if one outstretched all of Behold¡¯s previous tentacular limbs in one direction. But then, as if desiring to prove to Hannah that there were bigger ones present, a larger specimen of the dark red ants appeared.


    It was even darker than the smaller ones, and its chitinous shell demonstrated a markedly improved gloss and thickness. thus thereby explaining the unbothered attitude of the bullets hitting its body. Instead, all the bullets did was make it madder, as it screeched at its numerous attackers, before eventually choosing the closest one and charging at the man. However, due to its size dwarfing the black van she had been in not long ago, the charging attack became that much more menacing.


    ¡°Whoo!¡± Hannah voiced out once her mind caught up to what her new vision was seeing. ¡°That is a big ant.¡±


    ¡°Technically speaking, those are not ants, but ant-shaped Nightmares.¡± Lee Ping commented as he observed the big ant-like Nightmare almost skewer the Mortal it had charged at. Luckily, the man in a partially armored white uniform knew to dodge aside through a quick jump and roll action before realigning his aim and firing back at his enemy. ¡°Terminids, to be specific. A branch of the Insectoid Nightmares since there are many variants depending on what they had feasted upon during their Spawn stage and which Rift had spawned them in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Soo¡­ ants but not truly ants?¡± Hannah stated confusingly while watching the very same man with her new sight, before witnessing the partially armored white-uniformed man give up on his current useless attacks and instead choose to step away from the giant bug. Luckily he did, because, not a few moments later, the giant ant-like Nightmare exploded with gruesome showmanship of having green blood splatter everywhere around it, especially the street and buildings near it.


    It became so gruesome that Hannah flinched from the sight despite not being anywhere near the explosion of flesh and bile.


    As for what killed it?


    After recovering from her flinch, it took Hannah but a few seconds to find the perpetrator holding what could only be a mini rocket launcher, or bazookas as Hannah was familiar with from the few documentaries she had watched during History class.


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Lee Ping affirmed after seeing the big one destroyed.


    Not hearing any further explanations, Hannah continued observing the fight as the majority of the religious soldiers returned their attention to the smaller hip-sized Nightmares emerging from the subway entrance.


    Regardless of the action, after watching for a few moments, Hannah realized something.


    ¡°Why did you mention bad luck when all this began? From what I see, the ants stand no chance. Does it have anything to do with the Third Class Emergence you mentioned before?¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Lee Ping elaborated. ¡°There are three basic attributes determining the Class of an Emergence.


    The first attribute is all about the volume of the Shroud Zone, meaning the larger the amount of space a Shroud Zone covers the higher the Class of the Emergence.


    The second attribute is all about the Level of the Nightmares caught within the Shroud, hence, the higher the level of the Nightmares, the higher the Emergence Class.


    Usually speaking, the first and the second attribute vary a lot, because sometimes a Larger Shroud Zone is needed to contain large numbers of Low-Leveled Nightmares while sometimes a Smaller Shroud Zone is required to contain lower numbers of High-Leveled Nightmares.


    As such, to bridge the gap between the first two attributes, the third attribute takes into account the Category for the Nightmares in question. With those three as the basis, the Emergence Class System is created. Starting with Class 1 and ending with Class 5. From Class 1 being the least dangerous to Class 5 becoming a literal Death Zone for anybody below Adept Rank.¡±


    Struck with newfound knowledge, Hannah quickly interjected her companions'' words. ¡°What about Third Class? What about us?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the Nightmares and the composition of the Party involved within the Emergence.¡± Lee Ping answered. ¡°In our case, however, both suck since Terminids belong to the Swarm Category and I¡­ well¡­ I¡­ am terrible with Swarm Zones as my Abilities and Skills are geared for single combat instead of wholesale slaughter.¡±


    Breaking visual contact with the action in the distance, Hannah stared at the man with the pretty face, only the moment she tried, she was privy to the man''s facial pores due to the magnification of her improved sight. Quickly canceling her improved sight since it was fairly simple to retrieve the Flow from her brown eyes before actually separating the invested Focus Point from within the Flow.


    As a result, Hannah instantly understood that Focus Points were not consumed upon use, instead, they could be repurposed all the time.


    Either way, as that slight enlightenment was instantaneous, Hannah had no trouble listening to the next words of the man with the pretty face. ¡°That being the case, a good Party composition would be needed to cover my weakness. However, we have no pre-prepared Party for this event.¡± Ceasing for a moment, Lee Ping sighed before laying out his true thoughts. ¡°Truthfully, I was thinking of mingling with the Mortals for an easier Clear. Unfortunately, now¡­ after seeing who we are dealing with, even that has become out of the question¡­ I mean, I had a hunch it would be so, but I hoped it would be otherwise.¡±


    Frowning for a second, as a few revelations passed through her mind, Hannah asked for clarifications. ¡°So¡­ The bad luck you mentioned was not just from the Third Class Emergence, and your unpreparedness for it, but also from those men fighting the ants? Why? Is it because you are a criminal? Also¡­ Why did you call them Mortals?¡±


    ¡°Criminal!¡± Lee Ping repeated with a rather shaper tone, as if somewhat flabbergasted at the pointed accusation. ¡°I am not a criminal.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ work in a place where women are forced to please men through shady contracts by lending money!¡± Hannah sternly replied, but then, reminded of her current situation, she also arrived at a staggering conclusion. ¡°You¡­ You also force minors¡­ Spirit Minors¡­ No¡­ Is there even a word to describe how you''re forcing undeveloped babies into¡­¡±


    ¡°HOLD ON!¡± Lee Ping instantly cried out. Perhaps a tad too loud since he immediately scouted left and right to see if anybody had heard him. When he noticed nobody doing so, he sighed and addressed Hannah¡¯s advocated problem. ¡°First¡­ Everything Rose Peach has done so far, it has done above the Law, both with Gaia¡¯s Protectorate and the Local Mortal Government.


    Secondly, none of what Rose Peach offers, whether for the employee or the customer, has been done through undermining the Root Principle of Existence. If you don''t know about it, it''s called Free Will, and all Mortals have Free Will, though somewhat biased and instinctive, with which to choose just how to speed up their Awakening Process.


    Thirdly, Gaia¡¯s Veil of Ignorance blurs the lines of Morality. So if you have a problem with that, take it up with Gaia Herself.


    Understood!¡±


    Not agreeing, yet neither disagreeing, Hannah and Lee Ping stared at each other for a few moments.


    Regardless of the staring contest, the longer it went on, the more Hannah desired to not lose it. As such, she steeled her resolve just like she had done so right before capturing the Monster stalking her Nightmare Instance.


    With that being the case, a few more moments passed between Hannah and Lee Ping.


    In the end, as difficult as it was, and despite starting to sweat from her current actions, Hannah refused to downgrade her profound opinion as the majority of that opinion lay rooted within her mind, and for quite some time as well. In fact, it had been there ever since she had learned of her mother''s sacrifice for her. Only, before this very moment, it had never actually been able to express itself, nor in the same intensity.


    In truth, that intensity only grew more and more, and Lee Ping was certain of that fact because, unlike Hannah, he knew what a Contest of Will¡¯s entailed. However, unlike Hannah who was entirely new to it, he had the ability to not be constrained by its side effects. As such, Lee Ping wondered what had truly enabled the young girl the ability to initiate and hold on as long as she had done so far.


    It''s not an Ability. Lee Ping voiced in his mind. At the same time, since I am still getting that hollow sensation from her, it is not a Skill either... Actually¡­ Considering what she is doing, that hollow sensation can only be a missing Aura.


    Yes¡­ No doubt about it.


    In the end, after one single moment of consideration, Lee Ping focused his own Aura and unleashed it in such a way that it affected none but the girl in question.


    ¡°Ghhhh!¡±


    Sensing the slight resistance occurring, Lee Ping snorted and refused to hold back. ¡°Hmph!¡±


    The result was almost instantaneous, like a sudden mountain manifesting on Hannah, forcing her to drop to the ground and with no way to move any muscle, much less actually stand up. Yet, this crushing pressure came not just from above. No, that was just its strongest direction as the crushing force came from every single direction, at the same time, as if trying to squeeze the very life out of her.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    If that was not enough, the crushing force was inlaid with pride and arrogance that made Hannah realize her own significance in this new world she had found herself in.


    Nevertheless, just as Hannah thought everything was over for her, the crushing force vanished, and the man that had made her feel it, broke their eye contact in favor of parsing the ongoing conflict between people and ants.


    Still, that did not mean that Lee Ping ignored her. ¡°Remember that sensation. Integrate it and realize that I am but one stage above you, with three more awaiting you before you are even qualified to speak to Gaia about her Rules.¡±


    ¡°That said¡­ I commend you on holding out for as long as you did.¡± Lee Ping added as an afterthought.


    <hr>


    Recovering from the sudden introduction of being crushed through nothing, Hannah carefully uprighted herself to her knees before once again drawing on her Focus Point to infuse it into her Flow. After that, she focused that flow on her eyes to improve their sight so she would once again witness the ongoing conflict of guns shooting at hip-sized ants.


    Though, during the process, she did notice that she was missing one Health Point and two Stamina Points. At the same time, she realized that barely a few moments passed since she had first placed her sight on the man wearing pieces of silver armor on their torsos.


    Still, as warned before, she did avoid looking at the man with the glowing stuff and his two companions.


    ¡°Back to what you were asking.¡± Lee Ping said without any indication of feeling bad about what he had done. ¡°Ignoring your definition of a criminal. The reason we can not interact with those Mortals, bearing the circle/cross/circle banner on their armors, is because they are racist assholes.¡±


    ¡°The moment you and I grace their sight, we will become nothing but practice dummies on which to practice their shooting skills.¡±


    Surprised by the notion, and with a desire to treat the last minute as if it had not happened, Hannah quickly spoke up. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Quite a few reasons.¡± Lee Ping replied. ¡°The most obvious one would be because we can actually interact with those Mortals. Come, I am sure you have heard tales of Priest exorcizing Demons from people, and whatnot. Right?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Hannah replied with surety, only remembering that tiny fact, and seeing the action beforehand, a frown of mystery appeared on her face. ¡°Mother had hired a few to rid me of my Nightmare problem. Turned out they were just quacks.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps or perhaps not.¡± Lee Ping added without any fanfare. ¡°More than likely, though, they simply had no jurisdiction to exorcize your Nightmare.¡± With that said Lee Ping made no notion of explaining further. Instead, he refocused on the Mortals before them. ¡°Those Mortals you see belong to the Moon Order, or Order of the Moon.


    I am sure they have a proper Latin designation for themselves, but I never bothered to learn it. Instead, I simply use what everybody else calls them, hence, Moon Order.


    By the way, there is a twin for it called the Sun Order or Order of the Sun.


    Anyway, the point is this.¡±


    ¡°Remember when I mentioned that, even if a Mortal could smash a building to rubble, he/she/ them would still be considered a Mortal until they ignited their Spark of Life, their Ego?¡± Nodding, Hannah perked her ears to the topic, but her eyes did not cease watching the battle going on. ¡°Well, due to backdoors existing within Gaia¡¯s Shells, the one you were squeezed out of not long ago, some Mortals have managed to prematurely tap their Souls to create entirely new Paths to Awakening.¡±


    ¡°Try Scrying the man with the glowing staff and his two companions. However, do not try looking deep into them. You should be fine just getting a feel for the energy around them since they are not as sensitive to Scrying as us.¡±


    Hinted at its existence, Hannah gazed at the man with the glowing staff. Though, now that she was taking a closer look, she saw the man wearing silver armor all over his body as if he were a knight of old. His two companions sported a similar armor style, only theirs was much more modernized with their sleek designs.


    The armors aside, soon enough, Hannah discovered that strange feeling, and just like the man with the pretty face had pointed out, it was completely different from what she possessed. Only, regardless of the difference in the energetic pattern between her and them, the true distinction between them lay in something else.


    ¡°The Veil?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. The Veil is still there.¡± Lee Ping affirmed. ¡°Unlike the Original Path, The Path of Dreams and Nightmares, theirs does not enlighten them to the Truth of Existence. Not immediately, that is. As a result, these Powered Mortals still remain integrated within the Veil of Ignorance. To a certain degree, at least.


    They do so until they reach a definite point on their Path to Awaken completely.


    Nonetheless, at that point, and even before that point, the perception of Existence for these Powered Mortals becomes incompatible with ours, thereby resulting in those Powered Mortals not being able to relate with us on the same level existing between you, me, and every other Dreamer.


    The same stands for Nightmares, but we can ignore those for now.¡±


    Ceasing his explanation for a moment, Lee Ping watched another of the big ants appear and screech its existence at its enemies. However, unlike the last one, this one actually managed to grab one Mortal with its pincers before separating the upper from the lower half, right at the hip level where the silver torso armor failed to protect its wearer.


    A consequence of that, however, was that the ant-like Nightmare got blown to bits, such that its blood and bile painted its nearby surroundings to a degree.


    ¡°He¡­ He¡­ He died!¡± Hannah stuttered out as her improved sight delivered extremely fine details to her attention, like the pained visage on the man¡¯s face, the red blood, and the viscera hanging from the man¡¯s upper body before it too was sent flying from the explosion.


    ¡°This is another reason as to why I don''t like them.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°They are true zealots in their Faith, so they won''t hesitate one second to sacrifice themselves for their Creed.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ There is a reason for that as well. Watch what happens now.¡±


    Mesmerized, though not in a good way, Hannah watched as a few of the men ceased shooting their guns in favor of rushing for the blasted body of their fellow believer. Once they reached the two separated halves, they picked up those two big pieces and rushed them to the silver knight-like man with the glowing staff. Then, in front of him, they laid the two body pieces and brought them as close to each other as possible before quickly leaving both the dead body and the silver knight-like man in favor of shooting more of the hip-sized ants.


    Even without seeing it, Hannah subconsciously knew where this was going.


    As such, she witnessed the silver knight-like man speak with vigor while holding his silver glowing staff above the bisected man. Though Hannah could not hear any of the words echoing from the man since the distance between them was too far, not to mention the constant gunfire beside him, she did note that each time his lips moved, his staff resonated with the same energetic pattern around the knight-like man. As a result, his staff began emanating a silver radiance around itself, specifically, the crystal at its top. When that silver radiance reached a saturating peak, the knight-like man tapped his staff on the bisected man¡¯s forehead, causing the silver radiance to infuse itself within the bisected man.


    A moment later, Hannah witnessed the bisected body twitch as it realigned itself magically. Something similar occurred to all the inner organs, with the intestines being the most clear example.


    Then, soon enough, no visible organs remained. Right after that, even the scars of the man once being halved ceased to exist.


    Not long later, the man opened his eyes.


    <hr>


    ¡°They¡­ can resurrect the dead?¡± Hannah questioned with shock pervading her mind. After all, before Awakening, she had only heard of one individual who had managed to do so, excluding the medical field with their defibrillators, shocking hearts to beat with life once again.


    Still, there was a clear difference between a heart beating and a bisected man coming back to life, especially when Hannah witnessed the same man stand up weakly before urgently fishing for something within one of the visible pockets on his pants.


    From inside he picked up an elongated tube containing a red liquid before quickly stabbing the same tube into his left shoulder. Moments later, the tube was empty and thrown away. The resurrected man, however, seemed to regain his strength with every second following his resurrection. Nevertheless, it was as if the resurrection had taken more from him than he could recover in a moment''s notice, hence why the resurrected man slowly got up and settled himself behind one of the white, silver, and bulky trucks beside the road.


    What exactly he did there, Hannah could only postulate, but it was no doubt to rest.


    ¡°Not truly resurrected, since the man had not actually died yet.¡± Lee Ping finally spoke up. ¡°Told you before. It takes a while for a Soul to truly leave Gaia¡¯s Shells after they cease to function. During that brief window, it''s possible to use Healing Abilities, or whatever else you use in their place, to fix the Shells back to their prime state before being injured so they can fight right back.


    In this case, the Templar Cleric chose to conserve his energy for the long run, as that man won''t be the only one nearing the brink of death during this Emergence. As a result, the Healing effect only fixed the heavy injury but did nothing for the missing bodily fluids.


    No¡­ For that problem, the Moon Order distributes their disposable minions with Blood Renewing Potions.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I''ve seen enough.¡± Lee Ping added before ignoring the ongoing conflict and retreating away from it.


    Hannah, surprised by the sudden change, lagged a bit with her actions. Especially, as her improved sight hindered her vision. As such, after quickly returning her Flow to its default state and recovering the invested Focus Point within it, she stood up quickly and chased after the man with the pretty face.


    Back beside him, she spoke her mind. ¡°What now? How do we leave this place?¡±


    ¡°Both receive the same answer. Plan B.¡±


    ¡°What is Plan B?¡±


    ¡°If Plan A was to group up with the Mortals in order to cruise through the Clear with ease, then Plan B is to establish our own Party in order to sidestep the Mortals altogether and eliminate at least one Sub-Boss of the Emergence to receive its Clear Reword; Return Token.¡±


    ¡°Return Token?¡± Hannah repeated once. ¡°So¡­ we can not just stand aside and let those¡­ Powered Mortals do all the work for us?¡±


    ¡°Not this time, I am afraid.¡± Lee Ping replied before arriving at another corner of the same building and checking if the path was clear for them. ¡°Take a deeper look at the fiery shimmer of the Shroud and tell me what you think of it.¡±


    Since they had stopped for a single moment, Hannah stretched her Insight at the particular phenomena, only it did not take long for her to notice the anomaly. ¡°The silver radiance is similar to that of the¡­ Templar Cleric¡¯s staff.¡±


    ¡°That it is.¡± Lee Ping confirmed and finally stepped away from the corner in favor of walking in one specific direction not too far from the subway entrance. ¡°Not every Shroud holds the same properties. Some are more benevolent while some are outright malevolent to everything living inside them because a Shroud¡¯s properties depend on the one who called it down.


    In our case, the Moon Order has done so, so the Shroud will burn away anything Non-Mortal, or under the protection of the Veil, passing through it. Regardless. The problem is that the Moon Order has the habit of seeking out any Spirits, still within the Shroud, with the intent of eliminating them.


    Naturally, this is only after the Emergence is dealt with, but as the Shrouds Callers, they get an inherent advantage in seeking everything hidden within it.


    So, while I could hide from them, the same does not apply to you and probably others as well, because we can''t be the only ones caught within this Shroud. That is why the Silver Shroud does not actually forbid passage through it and instead burns away all Spirits who have no choice but to try their luck and escape through it.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hannah murmured as she followed the man with the pretty face around another corner of the same building before both of them crossed onto the street where numerous cars would hide their visual presence.


    ¡°Sucks¡­ But it is what it is.¡± Lee Ping added nonchalantly as he had experienced that situation once before. ¡°Usually speaking, whoever is unlucky and gets caught within the Silver Shroud tries to go for the Clear Rewards to leave, but some are always left behind, and when they do, it becomes a game of Hide and Seek between Spirits and the Power Mortals of the Moon Order until the Shrouds natural time limit is reached.


    As such, very few try to escape through the Silver Shroud. Typically, when they do, it''s because they have no choice, or their Abilities favor that option instead of hiding or fighting back, hence why their chances of making it through exist when compared to you.¡±


    ¡°By the way, I am one of those few who could do so as I specialize in the Fox-Kin Racial Ability; Fox Fire.¡±


    In the same instance that he said it, Lee Ping ceased moving forward.


    Instead, he crouched down and brought his right hand forward before summoning a misty blue-white flame above his fingers.


    Having crouched beside Lee Ping, Hannah was up close to the ghastly blue-white flame as it conveyed not just Heat but an electrifying sensation as well. There was more to it as well, but just as Hannah tried to pry deeper into its mysteries, the flame vanished.


    Glaring at the pretty face on a man¡¯s body, Hannah noted a proud yet somewhat frustrated expression.


    ¡°Pretty, is it not?¡± Lee Ping voiced out. ¡°I lucked out with my current Racial Incarnation. Unfortunately, since my previous Incarnation locked me into the Dominion Branch, I had no chance of becoming a full-fledged Fox-Shifter. It''s why, after overcoming the Second Tribulation, I focused my Second Stigma on specializing around the Racial Ability; Fox Fire of the Fox-Kin.¡±


    That said, with the flame gone, Lee Ping stood up and continued towards the goal he had in mind.


    With no other choice, Hannah followed right after, but part of her mind was stuck with the revelation the man had just thrown out.


    ¡°Anyway, the reason I showed you my Fox Fire is to make you familiar with its existence.¡± Lee Ping explained. ¡°This way, you should not panic once you see it in action. Come¡­ We are almost there.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°That building over there.¡±


    Staring at the building in question, a perfectly normal four-story office/residential building as far as she could distinguish buildings from their appearance alone. ¡°Why? What is special about it?¡±


    ¡°It''s one of the few ones, caught within the Shroud Zone, above the subway network.¡± Lee Ping answered. ¡°Well¡­ Not perfectly above it, but it''s close enough that it should have an emergency exit somewhere within its guts, and if not, it''s close enough that I should be able to simply make a door for us, more importantly, without attracting the Terminids to our actions.¡±


    Saying nothing more, Lee Ping led the young Spirit into the said building by directing a sliver of his Power into the locking mechanism for the entrance. Once the large door was unlocked, he went inside and Hannah followed him.


    After that, they found the stairs leading to the basement. Nonetheless, they found no special door into the subway tunnel. That did not stop Lee Ping from standing on one particular spot and glaring at a specific wall.


    ¡°Ok¡­ This will be our entrance. However, before I make it, we need to find some Party members for our upcoming Raid.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°There is an Application that can be downloaded that takes advantage of the Social functions of your D-Card.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Lee Ping nodded. ¡°It functions by dispersing a particular signal to every other individual that has the same Application active in order to facilitate contact between individuals stuck within Shroud Zones. It''s helpful most of the time, but a consequence is that it also reveals the position of those who activate its search function.¡±


    Notwithstanding the reason for this¡­ Application, it was not hard for Hannah to imagine that it could be misused for evil. Still, after waiting for a few moments, and not seeing any action on the part of the man with a female face, Hannah quizzed him for it. ¡°Are you waiting for something before using it?¡±


    ¡°Oh... It is already doing its job.¡± Lee Ping said, but seeing the confusion, he elaborated. ¡°I activated right as we entered this building. Only you''re probably more curious as to how I did it. Right?¡± Nodding in return, Hannah listened. ¡°It''s simple really¡­ Just as there is a Basic version of the Optical Holographic User Display, there is an advanced version. However, since it requires more Focus and Power Points for its usage, it''s not recommended for those lacking either of those Points.


    Nonetheless, despite being only an Apprentice, as a Stigma User, I have more Focus Points than the typical Dreamer needs, since that is typically the first roadblock for those desiring the advanced version of the HUD.


    Therefore, I don''t mind reserving a few for more convenience.¡±


    ¡°What kind of conveniences?¡± Hannah wondered.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Nothing that special.¡± Lee Ping elaborated smugly. ¡°Just a complete customization of the O-HUD to my own liking, plus the complete integration of my D-Card with my Soul and all of its inherent functions, so I don''t have to manually use it, much less carry it around all the time.¡±

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 18 - Party?

    ¡°Why does mine not have that feature? In fact¡­ Why does it have none of those¡­ Applications?¡± Hannah quizzed while feeling slightly bitter after realizing that her D-Card left much to be desired.


    Lee Ping replied immediately despite being half busy with other things that only he could see. ¡°Security reasons.¡± He said. ¡°Unlike the core features of a D-Card, Applications can be created by people for all kinds of purposes, and if that is possible, it stands to reason that malevolent Apps will manifest at some point¡­ Oh¡­ The first Party applicant just contacted me. Give me a moment.¡±


    Taking that very moment, Hannah saw Lee Ping¡¯s hands and fingers flutter around, almost as if they were pressing some invisible buttons.


    ¡°Back to your inquiry.¡± Lee Ping told Hannah as he finished laying out the conditions for his Party. ¡°To prevent any mishap from occurring to younglings like you, any uninitialized D-Card must be as clean as possible, with only the core features being present. Only after a D-Card gets attuned to somebody, can Apps be downloaded onto them. Even then, you are only allowed to do so after you have brought your D-Card to the closest local DI-branch to verify its authenticity.


    When that is done, the DI clerk will install some Basic Applications like The Store from which you will be able to download Apps and a bunch of other things.


    Naturally, if you have the Coins for them.¡±


    ¡°Does that satisfy you?¡± Lee Ping asked. ¡°Well¡­ It does not matter that much if it did or not. Stay quiet for a moment and let me focus on Party recruitments.¡±


    With part of her curiosity sated, Hannah turned quiet and waited as the man with the pretty face worked his hands and fingers.


    Nevertheless, as the minutes went by, it became clear to her that it might take a while before any helper arrived. That being the case, Hannah found the closest wall, walked to it, and dropped her round and pink Behold onto the concrete floor. A moment after that, she crouched down and leaned onto the wall with her back to rest her eyes, but before she had crouched and leaned onto the wall, she had placed the Colt in her right hand down onto the floor to avoid any accidental discharges.


    Once she was resting, the thoughts of everything occurring flashed through her mind once again.


    In the end, it took but a few seconds for her to realize that she was once again thrust into something she was barely qualified for. But since she was already there, and with no choice on her part, Hannah firmly refused to simply give in and let herself cease to exist. Not after what she had gone through, and that meant she had to improve her odds of survival.


    Just as Hannah was about to take out her D-Card, her sight settled on the new apparitions in her vision, specifically at the bottom of her vision. Seeking and thinking about the Ability Icon, Hanah saw it flash once before a slightly transparent but large screen manifested in the center of her vision.


    Because it was somewhat distant, it only blocked out a third of her field of view. Either way, ignoring the slight flourishes of the new screen, Hannah gazed at the three new icons, under which names designated what they stood for.


    The first was Ability Potential Assessment while the last one was Ability Awakening, only the last one was grayed out, as if she could not use it at this very moment.


    Tossing the first and third icons aside, it was the second one that Hannah sought and it was dubbed Abilities.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Displaying Abilities;


    First Slot - Dreamon Ball - Level 1/20 +


    Second Slot - Empty


    Third Slot - Empty


    Fourth Slot - Empty


    Fifth Slot - Empty


    *


    Ability Points Available - 1


    <hr>


    Abilities have levels as well! Hannah suddenly realized, yet, the very next second, she got over her tiny blunder after remembering the instructions her father¡¯s ghost had given her. Instead, Hannah focused her attention away from the plus sign so she could see what would happen if she concentrated on her First Ability.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Displaying


    *


    First Ability - Dreamon Ball


    *


    Ability Category - Conjuration - Tool


    *


    Tool Description; A Device conceived by an Unnamed Genius Adept Artificer pouring his Heart and Soul into its Creation all in order to save his True Progeny from what would have been certain Death!


    *


    Tool Ability Description; To Capture, Manifest, and Store Dreamon!


    <hr>


    Father¡­ Hannah voiced in her head after reading the description.


    In the end, after the brief moment of melancholy ended, Hannah was not surprised by what she was reading because she had already known parts of it. However, if she ignored the pompous term Genius, what Hannah did not know was why the term Unnamed existed since her father had a name.


    Thankfully, she did have somebody to ask about it, but that could wait. First, she had to dismiss the current screen before focusing on a certain plus sign beside her Ability.


    When she did, the new screen was offered to Hannah¡¯s awareness, and the screen in question delivered many options from which to choose.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Ability Point Allocation is in progress!


    *


    General Ability Point Distribution Options;


    Utility - Internal - Pocket Dimension - 0/5 +


    Utility - Zone - Translocation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Savvy - Illusion of Serenity - 0/5 +


    Utility - Recovery - Illusion of Serenity - 0/5 +


    Utility - Endurance - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Adaptation - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Cognition - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Conception - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    *


    Unique Ability Point Distribution Options;


    Utility - Extra Dreamon Ball - 0/5 +


    <hr>


    Reading through everything, Hannah was reminded of the instructions her father¡¯s ghost had left her. Namely, an already manifested Ability could be compared to a tree trunk, where the number of the thick branches it grew depended on the number of Evocations present within the Ability yet with a limited amount of growth shared between all those branches.


    Specifically, twenty points, as that number was the limit for any Ability before a Dreamer was forced to undergo the next Nightmare Tribulation in order to manifest another Ability, only to repeat that process five times.


    Meaning, Hannah could have at most four very thick branches, with five or six if she spread out her points here and there by avoiding maximum growth for any branch. As such, Hannah knew she had to be very careful in her choices of what she would allow to grow and what she had to trim away for her First Ability, her Dreamon Ball.


    Father¡¯s ghost warned me that my Grand Dream is a late bloomer. Hannah reminded herself. Meaning, it will take a while for it to truly manifest its grandeur. Moreover, since a Dreamon Ball was never meant for combat, it makes sense that every option remained centered around Utility instead of combat.


    However¡­ I¡­ I am not familiar with those¡­ suffixes attached to the options. Zone, Recovery, Endurance, and Internal I can infer somewhat. But¡­ What do Savvy, Cognition, Adaptation, and Conception have to do with my Dreamon Ball?


    <hr>


    With one thought, the few screens in her vision vanished, yet not completely.


    Instead, the interface Lee Ping had made her activate seemed to be sensitive to her intentions, hence why the screen simply minimized into a tiny icon just above the main Ability Icon at the bottom of her vision.


    As such, Hannah had no trouble glancing briefly at Lee Ping, the man with the pretty face, doing whatever he was doing to help them survive this Emergence.


    Seeing him like that, Hannah wondered if she should interrupt him. In the end, after a quick reminder of just how he had smothered her face to the ground with some invisible force, Hannah chose to be annoying even if it was not in her best interests.


    No, the Adult Hannah would not swallow the insult without payback, in some shape or form.


    ¡°Mister Lee.¡± Hannah voiced out. ¡°What do the suffixes of Savvy, Cognition, Adaptation, and Conception represent within an Ability?¡±


    Ceasing for a second, Lee Ping stared at Hannah before tilting his head to the right slightly all while his fox ears flicked her way with recognition. ¡°You have yet to distribute your Ability Point?¡± With a nod, Hannah replied. ¡°Anything combat-related?¡± This time, a shake of her head became the answer. ¡°Any wording in improving your Summon from its current state?¡±


    Not replying immediately, Hannah re-summoned the screens. ¡°There is one line that contains the suffix for Recovery, but like everything else, it''s about my Dreamon Ball and not the Summon inhabiting it.¡±


    ¡°Dreamon Ball?¡± For one single moment, Lee Ping wondered if he should roll his eyes at the simple name or scoff at the language that had birthed it in the first place. ¡°Wait¡­ Let me guess. Its name is like that because your Summon is a Dreamon?¡± Sensing the slight belittling sent her way, Hannah simply nodded and added another annoyance point to the man with the pretty face. ¡°Well¡­ Could be worse. Anyway¡­ What about your Uniqueness? Is it utility-based as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hannah replied before considering if she should share it or not. But after reading and not seeing anything special about it, she chose to share it. ¡°It says I can have five more Dreamon Balls.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Give me a second.¡± Lee Ping quickly wrote a reply to the possible Party member. That done, he recalled what he knew about Conjurers before cross-referencing everything he had seen from the girl so far. ¡°Ah¡­ Because your Tool is low maintenance, your Uniqueness removes the Rank Conjuring Limit.


    If you do not know about that limit, it goes like this.


    Conjurers naturally get one Tool or Summon per Rank per Ability Slot. Naturally, there are cases like yours where you can get more per Rank, and per Ability Slot. but then you''d be going for quantity instead of quality, and usually speaking, the later ones are better than the former ones.¡±


    That said, Lee Ping settled his sight on the pink ball thingy beside the girl, bearing the Mark of the Silver Tyrant. ¡°Considering you have a Grand Dream, I am guessing, you can acquire quality from the captured Nightmares. Definitely makes sense. Then again¡­ If every new Summon you acquire becomes as useless as that one right there right after the acquisition, your Uniqueness is useless right now.


    Which means, you''re still dead weight for this Party.¡± Lee Ping sighed and uttered one last piece of advice before focusing on recruitment. ¡°Those¡­ suffixes, as you called them, are connected to the Twelve Prime Stat Synergies and Twelve Secondary Stat Synergies. The theory behind them and their influence upon Abilities and Skills is far too long and complex for a brief explanation.¡±


    ¡°Trust your gut and choose the most sensible one.¡±


    Once more being ignored by the man with the pretty face, Hannah centered her thoughts back to her screens. Luckily, even without any major advice, she understood the underlying theme behind the words Stat and Synergy. With that being the case, Hannah reread every single line written regarding her Ability Point Distribution.


    After a few moments of careful thinking, Hannah indeed chose the most sensible thing, by ignoring Rapid Mutation, Translocation, and Pocket Dimension in favor of focusing on Illusion of Serenity and the Recovery suffix attached to its Utility.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    *


    Ability Point Distribution in Progress!


    *


    User; Hannah Blackwood, please confirm your choice for Ability Point Distribution!


    *


    ??


    <hr>


    Mentally thinking of the yes button, the screen vanished.


    In its stead, Hannah felt her Soul quiver. Mainly, the First Ability Slot as it exhibited a particular force to recall her Dreamon Ball to its rightful place from within her skirt pocket.


    Once it was there, her First Ability Slot was infused with the sole Ability Point she possessed. That done, a brief resonance transpired between her Dreamon Ball, her First Ability Slot, and the Ability Point. The result of that harmony was Hannah¡¯s epiphany regarding the Enchantment holding the Evocation; Illusion of Serenity and the Domain regulating its behavior.


    An epiphany, telling Hannah on how to infuse Power Point¡¯s into her Dreamon Ball to induce an environment suited for her Summon recovery. Naturally, since it''s only an Illusion and not a real environment, the said environment will only stimulate her Summon to unconsciously enter its own recovery phase.


    As such, how much her Summon healed depended on the Summon¡¯s own ability to heal.


    On the other hand, the amount of Power Points infused determined just how long her Summon would stay within that recovery phase.


    When the epiphany was over, Hannah eagerly called her Dreamon Ball to her right hand before pointing the ball at her Behold.


    A jagged red light burst from her Dreamon Ball encapsulating Behold as it vanished from the concrete floor.


    A moment later, Hannah called on her Power and infused one point into her pink Tool.


    A moment after that, Hannah was privy to sensory feedback telling her that the Evocation; Illusion of Serenity activated and that it exhibited its recovery functions as fabulously as it could with its current capabilities.


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°I heard that one.¡± A male voice distracted Hannah. ¡°Picked the wrong one? Or did not give you what you wanted?¡±


    ¡°The latter one.¡± Hannah stated disappointedly. ¡°Recovery does not work for hunger.¡±


    ¡°A shame, then.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°Still¡­ If you do possess some way of healing your Summon, you should be feeling far less reluctant to use it as bait. Hopefully.¡±


    ¡°Hnng¡±


    The grunt was all Hannah vocalized in return for the advice. Instead, now that she was done with her Ability Points, she dismissed every screen related to her Ability in favor of focusing on her Status.


    Calling it up, Hannah noted no changes aside from noticing that she was down to seven points of Power. It was seeing that number that sparked thoughts regarding the new visuals she was seeing.


    ¡°Mister Lee!¡± Hannah called out again, still aware that she was interrupting him. ¡°Why do I not see Regen, Flow, and Power?¡±


    This time, not even bothering to face her direction, Lee Ping answered with the rote knowledge that he possessed. ¡°Technically speaking, you do not need your D-Card to know how many of your resources you possess. Think about it and you shall know it.¡± Hearing that, Hannah immediately tried it, and indeed it was as the man with the pretty face pointed it out. ¡°However, it takes time and effort to make it instinctive to accomplish it on the fly and within a moment, and when all you have is moments during combat, beginners like you, and me to some degree, tend to fumble around.


    The story goes that that notion was the very first stone that got rolled in favor of developing the first versions of the O-HUD.


    Either way, Health Points, Stamina Points, and Focus Points are dynamic resources, where their existence is gained and spent all the time, therefore, they require a lot of attention during combat.¡± Not quite there yet, but listening to the simple Logic, Hannah nodded once before hearing the rest of the explanation. ¡°Regen Points and Flow Points, however, remain static, overall. The only time they do not is when Skills or Abilities affect them in the form of Buffs and Debuffs. And when that happens, ignoring the obvious sensations telling you of the change, icons will appear indicating their existence.¡±


    ¡°What about Power Points?¡±


    ¡°That one is easy.¡± Lee Ping stated absently. ¡°Because of constant usage, PP awareness becomes the very first instinctual response developed by all Dreamers, so there is no need for an external gouger for it. Now¡­ Don''t interpret me again. I am arguing with a vital recruit, which could vastly increase our success rate for the Raid.¡±


    Despite still possessing that tiny bit of unspent desire to interpret the man with the pretty face, Hannah reigned in her desire. Instead, Hannah focused her attention on the rest of her visual interface, but what she found was lackluster.


    Skills proved to be nothing since she had no Skills.


    Inventory was the same, only seeing it, Hannah was reminded of its function. Stuck with some curiosity, she wanted to try it once with the only vital item that she possessed, though she knew not what it entailed quite yet.


    Taking out the white Champion¡¯s Association Envelope, Hannah tried opening it once again just on the off chance that it worked, but when it did not, she fluttered her right hand slowly in the same manner her father¡¯s ghost had shown her. Thankfully, being somewhat familiar with calling her Dreamon Ball, it only took a few tries for her thoughts to synchronize with the hand motion required for the stashing and retrieval of items.


    Once she had those down, the envelope was stashed for the last time.


    Then, all that was left was the Map Icon and the Social Icon. The Map Icon brought forth a bigger version of the already displayed map in the upper right corner of her vision. However, as she was currently in the basement of a building and within a Shroud, the only green dot on the Map remained the man with the pretty face despite the increased map coverage.


    Social, on the other hand, mimicked Skills by being utterly empty.


    That being the case, and done with the preliminary examination, Hannah was left to wonder what to do while she waited for those supposed Party members.


    Then, maybe a few minutes later, the man with the pretty face finally displayed something other than random and violent hand/finger gestures into the air.


    ¡°Phu¡­ That was harder than it should have been.¡± Lee Ping stated before suddenly glancing at Hannah. ¡°You just cost me some pretty penny to hire a competent Bruiser.¡±


    ¡°Hire?¡± Hannah voiced out confusedly. After all, was this not a situation where living and fighting together was more important than money?


    ¡°Yea¡­ A few got scared off the very moment I mentioned having dead weight because this meant they would have to put in just that much more effort into fighting a prolonged fight and trust me on this, all Swarm Zones are extra prolonged fights.¡± Lee Ping remarked before sneering once at Hannah. ¡°Consider yourself owing me a favor.¡±


    ¡°The favor aside, with somebody that competent as our frontline,  I can now include lower leveled individuals.¡±


    With that said, Lee Ping began furiously roping in people for their dive into a Terminid Nest, where thousands upon thousands upon thousands of ant-like Nightmares and probably some other tougher and deadlier versions roamed the tunnels.


    His zeal manifested when, not five minutes later, he completed his roster.


    ¡°There¡­ I am done. Now, it is all about waiting for them to arrive.¡±


    <hr>


    Knowing that they had some extra time till the Party members arrived did not mean that they would just stand there and waste time. No, Lee Ping, had no such luxury if he wanted the girl to survive this Shroud. So he did the only sensible thing and issued another physical training session by having the girl repeat his earlier gun-wielding instructions, only now he expanded upon it somewhat.


    As such, he tediously ordered the brown-haired girl as she twirled around with quick bodily motions while trying her best to hold the Colt steady with two hands only to attempt aiming as fast as possible. He still prevented her from firing the Colt as that would waste the bullets it had already generated when she had invested some Power into it.


    At the same time, he provided some commentary on what to look for for their upcoming adversary.


    About twenty minutes passed of this, when Lee Ping¡¯s sensitive fox ears picked up the very first footsteps coming their way.


    ¡°Stop.¡± Lee Ping called out, and Hannah listened. ¡°Move behind me.¡±


    Nodding, Hannah did as ordered before noting where the man''s pretty face gazed at and following his example.


    Moments later she heard the first metallic-sounding footsteps. And it was moments after that that she saw a big man casually walk toward them, at least as casually as a man with full armor could do.


    The full-body dark reddish tint of the armor gave the man a rather rough and wicked impression. At the same time, the way the armor looked at first glance gave Hannah a harder time recognizing if it was leather armor or something that made it look like leather but with metal plates contained within. Whatever the case was, there was no doubt that Hannah felt competence oozing her way. However, it was the relaxed grip on the pommel of the sheathed sword at his hip that truly made the man feel deadly, as if just waiting to find an excuse to quickly draw the weapon.


    After taking in the extremely obvious, Hannah observed the face with its darker complexion, though not from genetic inheritance. No, it looked more like a white man having tanned himself too much in the sun. Only the ginger-colored hair prevented the man from truly becoming somebody originating from a temperate climate.


    In the same instant, Hannah began observing the big man¡¯s appearance, she was observed in return just like she had experienced with the women on the sidewalk. Only, compared to her, this time her target was inching closer and closer to her, and that made her shiver in response.


    As if catching that fact, the man smirked, only the wide smirk in question failed to portray any hint of malice. No, it was closer to the amusement of seeing a helpless kitten and not being able to help oneself wishing to pet it for its cuteness.


    Cuteness? Hannah quickly shook her head before wondering where that thought had sprung from.


    ¡°I take it, that is the package needing escorting?¡± The ginger-haired armored man voiced out after ceasing his walk some steps away from Hannah and Lee Ping. His voice, unlike the somewhat wicked appearance, expressed a deep and smooth tone to the man¡¯s character. At least, that was what Hannah noted. ¡°Must admit, smaller than expected. Handy, though. I can just grab her and run if need be.¡±


    ¡°Let''s hope it does not come to that.¡± Lee Ping commented. ¡°Hannah, this is Henry, the Bruiser who refused to lower his standards in order to protect a helpless lass like you. Still¡­ I appreciate a man with standards, even if it cost me a pretty penny.¡±


    ¡°Haha. Mama told me to be honest, and I strive to fulfill her teachings.¡± Henry, the ginger man, laughed before responding. ¡°Nice to meet you, Hannah. Also, happy birthday if what I was told was true.¡±


    Opening her eyes wide, Hannah remembered that today could and would indeed be considered her birthday, just like she had agreed with her mother it would be whenever she succeeded in Awakening.


    ¡°T¡­ Thank you. Mister.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Henry. None of that Mister crap. Alright!¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ I am the first one here?¡± Henry asked as his forest green eyes forgot Hannah and focused on Lee Ping, the man who had hired him on this unfortunate day. ¡° Ah¡­ Well, I am sure the others can''t just confidently stroll around as I do.¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡± Lee Ping remarked. ¡°Anyway, they should be here soon enough so we can discuss our tactics.¡± With that said, he ignored the man and focused on Hannah behind him. ¡°Return to your drill. We need you as ready as you could be with barely half an hour of training.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Must have been some half an hour.¡± Henry added jokingly before finding the nearest wall and leaning on it.


    Hannah made no reply to the attempted humor and simply returned to taking a gun stance while facing away from the man. Not only because she knew not what to say in return, but also because she did not want to accidentally fire the gun as her trigger finger had to be in position to mimic her readiness for shooting the gun.


    Like that, Hannah repeated the exercise over and over.


    A few times, Lee Ping had her jump and roll once or twice on the concrete before quickly entering a crouching shooting position. Had it not been for the Health Point buffer, Hannah would have hesitated much more in doing it. With it, though, she possessed much more confidence in not hurting herself because the very first time she had attempted the jump and roll sequence, the action made her lose one Health Point due to its badly angled attempt.


    Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, it was only ten minutes later that her exercise got interrupted as more footsteps echoed in their direction.


    Ceasing and staring down the hallway, Hannah witnessed two people come.


    Both of them were women. One of them possessed a short wavy blond haircut, similar to a man refusing to visit a barber for half a year. The other one displayed shoulder-length black straight hair. As for their outfits, both wore leather armor, only here, Hannah was certain that it was leather armor since none of the hard and thick plates existed compared to the big ginger¡¯s armor.


    Both of the women were of Western racial descent, which made Lee Ping the only man present to be of Eastern descent so far. However, that was where the similarities ended between the two women because one presented two short sword sheets on her hips, while the other one held some kind of forearm-length stick in her left hand.


    With everything going on, there was one thing that Hannah was certain of. One of those women she knew, at least as superficially as she could just seeing somebody from afar because the black-haired woman was the first person Hannah had unknowingly Scryed.


    That fact was instantly discovered when the woman uttered one simple word when their eyes connected. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you did not know her?¡± The blond woman inquired.


    ¡°I don''t.¡± The black-haired woman responded. ¡°Moments before the Shroud descended and caught me right at its edge, our eyes met once.¡±


    ¡°Guess, both of you are unfortunate then.¡± The blond remarked before shrugging her soldiers and quickly introducing herself. ¡°Call me Sandy, and this one, Mira. Fighter and Caster respectively.¡±


    ¡°Good to have some chicks down here,¡± Henry quickly added with a smile. ¡°I am Henry. Bruiser by definition, but I don''t mind being your Tank for the day. Don''t hesitate to call me in your hour of need. I''ll be there faster than you can blink.¡±


    ¡°No Role switching for you I am afraid.¡± Lee Ping quickly interjected. ¡°I hired a Bruiser and you will act as a Bruiser. Understood?¡±


    Holding up his hands in surrender, Henry responded. ¡°Ay¡­ There goes my chivalry. Sorry, girls.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine. Never needed it in the first place.¡± Sandy, the blond rogue commented. ¡°So who are we missing?¡±


    ¡°My luck was spent on the big guy, so there will be no true ranged support.¡± Lee Ping stated. ¡°It will be another Fighter but considering we will be fighting inside tunnels, it''s not that terrible for us.¡±


    ¡°Works for me.¡± Sandy said.


    ¡°Me as well.¡± Mira added.


    ¡°I don''t really care.¡± Henry stated with confidence.


    Lee Ping said no more and just indicated the newcomers to settle somewhere before thinking of having Hannah attempt another few minutes of drills. Only, that was when he noticed her brown eyes switching between the two women and two men inside the basement.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don''t know.¡± Hannah hesitantly murmured beside Lee Ping. ¡°Something is different with them.¡±


    Slightly intrigued, Lee Ping gave his supposed Party members a brief glance, specifically by comparing the two women and the sole man beside him. Only, he noticed nothing amiss. That made him wonder if the girl was sensing something special, since she was a Conjurer at heart all while possessing a Grand Dream. After all, who knew how that affected her and her perception of the new world she had just entered into?


    But then, after dismissing those facts, there was indeed one possibility that made the two women stand out compared to him and Henry.


    ¡°If I am right, what you are picking up on is their obvious lack of Shells.¡± Lee Ping told her before elaborating further. ¡°It''s the only thing that makes sense as they are still Novices while Henry and I are Apprentices.¡±


    ¡°Shells?¡± Hanna repeated with clear confusion on her face.


    Seeing the confusion, Lee Ping chuckled. ¡°When the Shroud descended on us, did you not notice that I left no body behind?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ ¡± Remembering that moment, Hannah indeed realized that she had indeed missed that. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Can''t blame you, girl.¡± Sandy added from across the large room as if Hannah¡¯s conversation with Lee Ping occurred right beside her. ¡°A lot of things must be rushing through your mind with everything going on. I mean, Awakening itself is world-changing enough, but caught within a Silver Shroud, and right after finding out a ginormous eye creature just straight out ripped a huge hole in the sky?¡±


    No more words came out of Sandy¡¯s mouth, but a shake of the head was enough to signify her thoughts.


    ¡°At least we knew it was coming. What with that bulge growing these past few years.¡± Mira, the black-haired woman finally joined the conversation, but not before glaring directly into Hannah¡¯s brown eyes. ¡°I still wonder who the Awakened was that guided it down on us. Not that it changes that much for us ordinary Dreamers.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­ I wonder that as well.¡± Henry joined in on the staring.


    If that was not enough, Sandy and Lee Ping followed as well, thereby making Hannah shiver and fidget around.


    ¡°Ok¡­ Ok¡­ Let''s stop bullying the obvious culprit.¡± Lee Ping interjected, but not before letting Hannah marinate within those glares for at least ten seconds, since in some sense, she was the main fault he was stuck under a Silver Shroud with her. ¡°It''s not that hard to figure out. Not with the generous rewards I offered you guys.¡±


    Just as he wanted to say a few more words, his ears noted additional footsteps coming their way. ¡°Ah¡­ Looks like our last member is arriving.¡±


    With the reminder, five pairs of eyes settled on the arriving man.

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 19 - Behold?

    The very last member of this supposed Party, or group as Hannah understood it, was a man with very bright red eyes. So red in fact that they became the first thing she witnessed, as if they were some kind of magnet drawing in her vision.


    Only after he walked up to them and spoke first had Hannah managed to dislodge that attraction and take in the other characteristics, namely his black skin, his black attire with red furnishing to make it more pleasing, plus a large white cloak with red embellishments that went all the way down to his knees.


    ¡°Yo¡­ What''s up people!¡± The man with the glowing red eyes and a beaming smile announced.. ¡°Huh¡­ Last one. Sorry about that¡­ Had to circumnavigate the silver bastards.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine¡­ You''re not that late.¡± Lee Ping responded. ¡°Everyone let me introduce Cain, our last Party member and Fighter, though, during our talks he failed to mention that he was a genuine Sanguine.¡± With a shake of his head, Lee Ping introduced Cain to everyone else. ¡°Cain. Those ladies over there are Sandy and Mira. Sandy is your fellow Fighter, while Mira is our Caster.¡±


    In the same moment it was mentioned, Sandy and Cain nodded at each other.


    ¡°On this side we have Henry, our Bruiser for the day.¡± Lee Ping told him before pointing at Hannah. ¡°And this is Hannah, our baggage of the day.¡±


    Not particularly liking the way she was referred to, Hannah glared at the man with the pretty face, but only glared because it was true.


    ¡°Now that everyone is here, let us go over everything we want and need.¡± With that said, Hannah pried her ears wide to listen. ¡°Our first goal is to reach and defeat a Sub-Boss, any will do so we get our Return Tokens. Our second goal is to make sure our baggage arrives there relatively unscathed to make sure she can use said Return Token.


    The first can be negotiable in terms of targets, but the second one is not. Rose Peach has Sponsored her Awakening, and as such, her safety is number one priority.¡± Staring at Lee Ping for a moment, Hannah took in the terms but refused to ask about them. At least at this moment. ¡°It was for that reason that I hashed out some additional rewards for your help. That said, aside from her safety, everything else will be standard procedure in terms of tactics and loot distribution.¡±


    ¡°Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes I do.¡± Cain called out. ¡°Ya mentioned something about a minor request. Elaborate?¡±


    ¡°Aye¡­ You said the same to me too.¡± Henry added, followed by Sandy and Mira as well.


    Seeing the immediate interest, Lee Ping nodded and centered his black eyes on Hannah. ¡°Take out your Summon.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Just do it.¡±


    Not quite understanding what the man with the pretty face planned, Hannah considered not doing it to annoy Lee Ping, but after quickly reminding herself to whom her safety depended upon, she acquiesced to the request. As such, after fishing for her Dreamon Ball inside her skirt pocket, she brought it out and released the creature it held, naturally with the release invocation for it.


    ¡°Come out, BE-HOL-D!¡±


    A red jagged beam of light sprung from her Dreamon Ball.


    The jagged beam of red light landed directly into one simple place in the air before gathering itself into a round shape only for that shape to become a genuine creature. However, just like the first time it had appeared in this world, Behold was unresponsive so it could not refute the Rules of the world as it plopped from straight down onto the concrete floor.


    Seeing it like that, Hannah suddenly felt embarrassed at how useless her Summon was at this moment. But just as she was about to rush forward and administer its punishment for making her feel like that, Lee Ping stepped forward and grabbed her Behold, her Summon, by the head tentacular limb before lifting it up and showing it to everyone.


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Cain suddenly cried out the moment he recognized its true form, but he was not given a chance to elaborate on his surprise, and the same applied to the others.


    ¡°As you can see, the girl''s Summon is useless right now.¡± Lee Ping explained, totally ignoring the shocked looks the others displayed at witnessing the girl''s Summon with the Silver Tyrant¡¯s Mark. ¡°Apparently it''s hungry, but since it is an emovore type, regular food is off the table. I have already confirmed and invested two PP, of the positive modifier, into its awakening but since it had just been born, it requires a bit more. Only, I can''t willfully spend more since my Regen is not that high. As such, I need a small donation from you guys, at least one PP to wake it.


    If it does not wake up, then it''s well worth the experiment since one PP will not affect the long term goal of our Raid. But if it does, it should prove useful, hopefully.¡±


    Despite hearing the little speech, Hannah could not take away her vision from Lee Ping¡¯s left hand and how he held her Summon, her Behold. The longer she stared the more she felt aggrieved at seeing her Summon being treated like a useless object.


    Just as Lee Ping¡¯s little speech became a small request, Hannah could no longer ignore the burgending desire to see her Behold being subject to this treatment, she cried out. ¡°DON''T HOLD IT LIKE THAT!¡±


    Her cry surprised everybody, including herself.


    ¡°What?¡±  Lee Ping voiced out with confusion, before glaring at the pink creature and the way he held it. ¡°Why¡­ I am just imitating your behavior.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Reminded of that very fact, Hannah wanted to explain herself, but the sense of aggrievement failed to subside. No, it increased further. It caused her to swiftly step toward Lee Ping and grasp her Summon with both arms. ¡°Let go!¡±


    Still, confused, Lee Ping let go.


    Yet, a few seconds later, he noticed Hannah¡¯s hands bundle around the spherical round pink body before her right hand eventually settled around the creature''s head tentacle.


    ¡°What is the difference between me holding it like that and you holding it like that?¡± Lee Ping asked, a bit too curious to return to his little speech.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Despite recognizing the hypocrisy of her actions, Hannah could not answer. ¡°I am not sure. I just felt this deep sensation of wrongfulness seeing it treated like that.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ You hold it then.¡± Lee Ping said before focusing on everybody else watching their interaction. ¡°As you can sense, it''s a genuine Spirit, and the girl is still figuring out all the kinks. Anyway, the point is this.


    ¡°It''s a small request, but you can refuse it. There will be no hard feelings.¡±


    ¡°How about it? Just one PP?¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°I am intrigued, so I don''t mind.¡± Henry, the ginger armored big man replied. ¡°Come here.¡°


    Nodding, Hannah walked before him and offered Behold by simply raising her right hand higher so the giant man would not have to bend down.


    ¡°Positive, right?¡± Henry verified.


    Nodding once more, Hannah responded. ¡°Negative emotions should work as well, but my father¡¯s ghost advised me to focus on positive ones. I just don''t know how to do it yet.¡±


    ¡°Positive it is then.¡± Henry said before placing his left hand on the spherical pink creature that oh so resembled the ginormous example ripping a hole in the sky above Oaktown City. Applying a positive modifier to his Power was easy and transferring it into the pink creature even easier.


    What he got in return was an obvious trembling, but the creature did not wake. ¡°Looks like it still needs more.¡±


    ¡°Hannah, was it?¡± A voice called out from the other side of the basement. Turning around, Hannah stared at the blond harried woman called Sandy gesturing at her. ¡°Come, I don''t care about one PP since Stamina is the core of my build.¡±


    Doing as told, Hannah walked towards her. However, the moment she took a few steps, she remembered something vital. Turning back, she faced the ginger giant man. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ It''s fine. Go on.¡±


    Nodding, Hannah walked to Sandy who in turn transferred one PP.


    Although the resulting trembling was stronger, just like with Lee Ping and Henry, her Summon refused to wake up.


    Somewhat disappointed at the bad result, Hannah faced the woman standing beside Sandy called Mira, only the moment their eyes connected, Mira shook her head in denial. ¡°Can''t help you, I am afraid. My Ability Damage is proportional with how much PP I spend per usage, so I can''t waste any.¡±


    ¡°My turn, then.¡± Cain, the last arrivee, declared. ¡°As a Sanguin, I can pick up her slack.¡±


    With that said and heard, Hannah walked up to the black man with glowing red eyes. Eyes that seemed to mesmerize one the more one stared at them. ¡°Gorgeous ain''t they?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Hannah quickly said after breaking out of a brief trance.


    ¡°My eyes.¡± Cain pointed out with a beaming smile before repeating the question. ¡°Gorgeous, are they not?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It''s my first time seeing red eyes.¡±


    ¡°That''s it?¡± Cain voiced out, somewhat flustered at what he heard. Staring at Hannah with even more curiosity, his intrigue only piqued higher. ¡°Seems there is some clout to you.¡±


    Saying that, Cain placed his right hand on Behold¡¯s round body before sensing what lay beneath its skin. Just as mentioned before, beneath he found hunger. However, unlike the others, he was far more familiar with everything related to hunger.


    So, out of curiosity, he changed his approach.


    Instead of simply transferring the positively infused power into the pink creature, he elongated the transfer procedure by enacting a bait, line and hook scenario. Where the bait and hook became a small bit of his power while the line presented a direction in which more of the juicy bait awaited. Naturally, this lengthened the duration of the transfer from seconds to a few minutes. So when he sensed his bait and hook working, Cain quickly explained his method to avoid the physical contact between him and the pink creature being broken by Hannah.


    In the end, his method displayed impressive results when the Silver Tyrant Mark on Behold flipped open to reveal a big blue eye.


    Still, while it did open, Behold had not yet fully woken up and remained in a dazed state. Not for long though, because the same waking moment signaled Hannah¡¯s awareness of her prejudice against it, specifically what it used to be. And with that as the major guiding point, Hannah suddenly understood what had caused her previous behavior with how Lee Ping held her Summon.


    Pointing the big blue eye toward her own, Hannah cried out harshly. ¡°WAKE UP, you useless piece of crap!¡±


    Like a jolt directly to its mind, Behold¡¯s awareness surged upwards until it had no choice but to recognize the face of the one calling it. Nevertheless, it was not the face that it registered first, but the Radiance held within it. Radiance which it was extremely familiar with, as that very Radiance had suffused every single tiny bit of its existence, and to such a degree that it had changed its very makeup from what it used to be.


    Still, while all of that was important, none of it held a candle to the amount of pain said Radiance had forced onto it. The result was a simple response so unfamiliar to it, yet it had been something it cherished in others as it unleashed its Nightmarish purpose.


    ¡°BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB¡±


    ¡°STOP THAT!¡± Hannah shouted over her Summon as its cry infuriated her ears.


    Weirdly, the moment she did, her Summon ceased doing it.


    ¡°Good.¡± Hannah said,.but the moment she did, she was unsure on what to do next. After thinking about it for a second, Hannah posited a simple question to her Summon. ¡°Do you regret it?¡± Not seeing or hearing an answer, shook Behold for a second before clarifying her inquiry. ¡°Do you regret what you have done to me in the last seven years? TELL ME!!! DO YOU REGRET IT!!!¡±


    ¡°TELL ME!!! TELL ME¡­ NOW!!!¡±


    ¡°Bbbbbb?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Tell me now, or I will make you regret it even further.¡± Hannah announced with conviction behind her thoughts.


    A conviction that was far more apparent then she knew was possible.


    A conviction that escaped her Dream Body to alert those nearby that there was more to Hannah then she had displayed so far.


    Nonetheless, that very display still felt somewhat raw and hollow because it was missing a key ingredient within its makeup. Regardless, it was enough to signal those very same companions that, while Hannah was but a growing ember that had barely been lit and i still in need of some more nurturing, her blaze would be enormass and magnificent once it transcended its current Spark stage and became an actual Flame, a Flame of Life itself.


    <hr>


    ¡°BBbbb?¡±


    Hearing only nonsense, Hannah¡¯s conviction escalated into anger, but the moment it did, it also became apparent to those around her. When it did, Lee Ping intervened as the one who knew her the most, even if that was but an hour or so more then the rest of those beside her.


    ¡°I dont think your Summon can understand you?¡± Lee Ping offered a solution to calm the girl down.


    ¡°IT CAN!!!¡± Hannah cried out. ¡°IT always did before and now it should even more.¡±


    Correcting his argument for a second, Lee Ping spoke up again. ¡°I don''t mean it that way. I mean that it can not understand regret because it has never seen or felt that emotion before.¡±


    Sensing the Logic behind Lee Ping¡¯s statement, Hannah was reminded of a similar explanation from her father¡¯s ghost. Thanks to that, her demeanor calmed down, but it did not go away. No, it chose to simmer in wait for the next outpour.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Now that you have calmed down, and your Summon is operational. Will it be useful or is the situation still the same as before?¡± Lee Ping inquired as plans could be changed to accommodate its presence..


    For a single second, the simmering anger within Hannah threatened to rise up when the emotions of her Summon¡¯s uselessness entered her thoughts. Luckily, the question distracted her enough for Logic Hannah to take the rains and make her consider her Summon and its Innate Ability.


    However, before she actually elaborated upon its Null, Hanah was reminded of everything her father¡¯s ghost told her about her Behold. When she had that, Hannah found a different outlet for her anger, and it would come in the form of proper disciplinary actions.


    Naturally, for proper discipline actions to occur, there first had to be a fault for their excuse.


    Releasing her hold on Behold¡¯s head tentacular limb, Hannah watched her Summon plop to the ground, with a simple Bee as its only response before it actually started wiggling around like a fish out of water due to its many missing tentacular limbs.


    ¡°Useless.¡± Hannah murmured, but seeing that she was around people with rather sharp senses, that definition was only affirmed deeper, only silently since they did not want to infuriate their escort target further.


    But then, Hannah cried out with a targeted question. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Be¡­ Beho¡­ Be?¡±


    What was said, only Hannah understood. However, it took just one glance at her face to see that it was not what it should have been, because Hannah crouched a moment later and grabbed the head tentacular limb to lift up her Summon into the air.


    When it was decently up, at least considering Hannah¡¯s height, she dropped it again.


    Then, when her Summon wiggled around its tentacular limbs with no effect again, Hannah crouched again, grabbed Behold, raised it up as high as she could before releasing it again. Then again, and again, and again. Every time she did, the creature made a Bee sound as if unable to do anything about the pain it had been unable to escape.


    At the same time, her company noted a sense of elation rising within Hannah by exhibiting her Summon to her actions. It was to such a degree that Hannah failed to notice the other five Dreamers glancing at each other in search of some answers. As a result, plenty of body language occurred to nudge Lee Ping into speaking out once again.


    ¡°Gir¡­ Hannah, what are you doing?¡±


    Interrupted slightly, Hannah hesitated slightly before once again grabbing, lifting and releasing Behold to plop onto the hard concrete floor.


    ¡°I am disciplining my Sumon.¡± Hannah replied absently as most of her focus was spent on Behold and its current behavior.


    ¡°Right¡­ For what?¡±


    ¡°For not being able to fly.¡±


    ¡°Can it fly, though?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it can.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ You continue doing that.¡± Lee Ping said. ¡°We will go over there to focus on strategizing a plan of action.¡± With that said, a nudge of his head to the left caused the others to group around him before further introducing aspects of their Ability and how they behaved.


    Naturally, nothing too detailed as all of them were strangers, but considering the Roles they would be taking, it was easy for them to share some limits and boundaries around which to plan and make contingencies.


    Once they were done with those, they began going over their approach as no doubt it would take them some time to find the antechambers of the Lesser Terminid Queen since all nest had multiple queens, and in todays case, it was a big nest so they would have multiple angles of approach depending on what they found and how fast they found their Sub-Boss.


    All the while the discussion went on, for about fifteen to twenty minutes, they had ignored the constant sounds emanating from Hannah¡¯s direction. Though, even without being privy to all the secrets of the Summon, they knew that the pink creature was not as hurt as it could have been by constant interaction of the concrete floor.


    Hannah knew that as well, as she knew that Behold possessed a Passive called Force Armor. A minor relative of the Telekinesis Ability where it denied a flat amount of damage inflicted upon somebody or something, which in this case was her Summon. Her father¡¯s ghost told her that it was to help Behold ignore minor inconveniences, like dust particles irritating its big eye.


    Regardless of the intent, now, after observing Behold and its numerous hits onto the concrete floor, it was easy to notice the Force Armor Passive being far stronger then it should be.


    Did father downplay the effect, or was my deviation during its capture the problem? Hannah wondered because her decision to impart her remaining Dream Gem onto Behold was a momentary inspiration in delivering the max amount of retribution with the max amount of benefits to her and her Summon. No¡­ It does not matter.


    Crouching once again, grabbing the head tentacular limb, lifting Behold and dropping it once again, for who knows how many times since Hannah did not bother to count, a tiny miracle happened.


    Midway to reaching the concrete floor, Hannah noted Behold¡¯s violet markings on its tentacular limb¡¯s glow briefly before vanishing and thereby causing Behold to drop to the floor again, only much gentler than before.


    Seeing the end result, Hannah repeated it once again, causing Behold to once more feel that sense of weightlessness. And when it did, following the previous success it managed to hold onto that sense of weightlessness for more time. Obviously, it failed moments later, but following that success, each subsequent drop from his new Master, Behold held on longer and longer, until in the end, it did not drop at all.


    Naturally, it did not go up either, but that was when Hannah urged it to just do so. ¡°Float higher.¡±


    <hr>


    The very first sound other than a simple plop, alerted five Dreamers that things had changed, hence why their discussions took a turn away from planning, not that there was much planning left anyway.


    Either way, they did notice, so they saw Behold take its very first flight by not dropping to the ground.


    Regardless, the same could not be said for going up, left or right. As such, Hannah took the matter into her hands, literally in this case, by grabbing each tentacular limb and forcefully dragging Behold in one direction before making her Summon understand which direction was which by imparting its name.


    After a bit of trial and error on Behold¡¯s part, Hannah made her Summon dance around her voice. ¡°Left. Up, Left. Right. Up. Right. Left. Forward. Forward. Backward. Backward. Down. Down. Up. Down. Up.¡± The reason it left everybody with the impression of dancing had to do with the three tentacular limbs flowing around Behold¡¯s body as if immersed within some kind of flow or current, only with much, much less resistance. As such, there were no forceful tentacular movements involved. Instead, it became a simple but graceful dance, especially after Hannah taught the pink creature to rotate clockwise and anticlockwise, plus somersaulting, forwards and backwards.


    In the end, three men and two women were privy to witnessing the first steps of a newly born Spirit as that was a rare thing to see.


    Still, like all things it had to end, and that end came when the team finalizing the final plans and interrupted Hannah¡¯s wonderful but exhilarating trance of commandeering her Summon around like a puppet, but without it being an actual puppet.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Lee Ping inquired and therefore broke Hannah from her trance. ¡°What can you Summon do?¡±


    Coming down from her high, Hannah had Behold stop everything before considering the answer and responding. ¡°When father was making the Template he offered many Abilities to choose from. But¡­ I had this nagging sensation that he was guiding me towards preserving a Beholder¡¯s natural Null Ability.¡±


    ¡°Null, you say?¡± Lee Ping repeated before quickly sticking out his right hand and conjuring his blue/white Fox Fire. ¡°Here, try it.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Hannah murmured while wondering on just how to do that. ¡°Behold¡­ make the fire vanish!¡±


    Behold, who floated beside his Master, on the other hand, simply stared at his Master because, not only did it not know what a fire was but it also did not know what a Null was.


    A moment later, after noticing Hannah¡¯s Radiance spike, it did the only thing it could.


    ¡°Beho?¡± It said with a rather high pitched tone. Unfortunately, with its delay and confusion, Hannah¡¯s momentary trust in her Summon¡¯s capabilities shattered.


    ¡°Make the fire vanish!¡± She repeated, only this time, she pointed directly at the target.


    ¡°Beho?¡± Once again echoed from Behold, making everybody wonder if the pink creature and Summon knew any other word.


    Thankfully, Hannah could understand her Summon without any troubles, so she did not wonder the same. ¡°Yes, that blue/white thing is called a fire or flame. Make it vanish.¡±


    ¡°Be?¡±


    ¡°To make something disappear.¡± Hannah explained, but with every repeat of her command her frustration built up. ¡°To make something go away. Now make it vanish.¡±


    ¡°Beh-ooo?¡±


    This time, even Hannah was stumped a bit. So she quickly went over her knowledge regarding Abilities, and how they functioned. That, however, only made her realize that she possessed very little knowledge regarding how Abilities functioned, in the first place, especially since hers was a Tool. Luckily, the very recent Ability Point she had spent on her Dreamon Ball held a kernel of truth regarding, but even that kernel only told her how to infuse her own Power into her Tool, and not how to use something like a Null.


    Seeing the brief silence, Lee Ping spoke up. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Behold, does not know how.¡± Hannah explained. ¡°And I am not sure how either. How do you use Non-Tool Abilities?¡±


    ¡°Just like Tool Abilities.¡± Lee Ping reasoned since he had no idea either. ¡°Does your Summon Ability center around its sole eye?¡± He posited as that was how Beholders functioned, and the girl did mention that hers originated from one. When Hannah replied with a nod, he offered a solution because he too had encountered a similar problem with the Racial Ability of the Fox-Kin. ¡°Then have it gather its Power and focus it on the large eye before doing the same on my FoxFire.¡±


    ¡°Hnng. You heard it. Now, try it!¡±


    ¡°Be?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean what?¡± Hannah wondered before an answer reached her. ¡°Wait¡­ You do not understand what he said, at all, but you can understand me?¡±


    ¡°Beho!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I think I know the problem.¡± Lee Ping suddenly interrupted. ¡°Here, I will repeat the method with Spirit Speech.¡±


    That said, that was what he did, but all Hannah heard was more of the same. However, the same could not be said for Behold because, this time, it understood the message effortlessly. So it did what was said, or at least tried as it squinted its sole eye at the blue/white flame. Still, the longer Behold squinted at its target, the more it felt something bubble from within it. Nonetheless, similar to how it was with floating, it required a few moments and a few tries to nudge that sensation into existence. On the other hand, unlike floating, using its sole blue eye as a conduit for whatever it had to do felt much closer to its base existence when compared to floating via its tentacular limbs.


    As such, when it finally coaxed its Null Ability to its manifest, two things happened at once.


    The first thing was a rush of Power bubbling from somewhere and flooding its sole eye, causing it to open its eye lid up to its max range. When it happened, it was as if its Silver Tyrant Mark vanished entirely, with only its silver rim being visible. At the same time, said energy vanished the very next second as its sole big eye became the conduit for a Nullification effect centered around the focal point of its vision.


    The second thing, however, surprised even Behold, just like it surprised everybody else because, the same moment its Ability manifested, it cried out its full name and without any choice in the manner, as it was the most natural thing to do.


    ¡°BEHOLD!¡± The cry announced as it echoed from the tip of its head tentacular limb.


    <hr>


    ¡°And?¡± Cain, the Sanguine, quickly said after noticing the flame vanish. Mainly because every new experience to be witnessed and felt had to be cherished, and considering he was still relatively new within the Dreamwalker Society, there were a lot of those awaiting him.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Lee Ping stayed silent to process the sensations, since he had not particularly come into much contact with Null Abilities. Suppressing Abilities? Yes. But, not Null. As such, he deliberated for a moment before replying. ¡°Considering it''s the first usage? It was quite¡­ thorough, if I had to be precise.¡±


    That said, he shook his pretty head and faced Hannah and her now tired looking Summon, if its almost closed eyelid was an indicator. ¡°Either way, it won''t be of much use against the base Terminids. On the other hand, it should prove useful against the Queen and that annoying Acid Spray. Anyway, we stick to the plan.¡±


    ¡°Plan?¡±


    ¡°You will be fine as long as you don''t randomly dash away from us.¡± Lee Ping stated before focusing on the true pillars of the upcoming Raid. ¡°Any other questions?¡± Hearing the no¡¯s and seeing the head shakes, Lee Ping focused on the interface before calling up an App perfected for their upcoming adventure. ¡°Party Invite; Henry, Sandy, Mira and Cain.¡±


    That done, he walked up to Hannah and placed his left hand on her left shoulder only to repeat the same commands only containing Hannah¡¯s full name. ¡°Party Invite; Hannah Blackwood.¡±


    The same instant Hannah heard it, a new System Alert jumped into her vision.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Party Invitation in progress!


    *


    User; Lee Ping [Charming Fox - Apprentice] wishes to include you within his Party.


    Does, User; Hannah Blackwood, wish to accept this Invitation?


    *


    ??


    <hr>


    ¡°Accept it.¡± Lee Ping commanded.


    Once again being thrust into the unknown, Hannah did, and when she did, on the left side of her vision, right below the resource bars five pictures appeared. Pictures bearing very simple representations of the members within the Party. Similar, similar to those small pictures often made by family members and pocketing those pictures within lockets to hang around one''s neck.


    Beside those icons, three tiny bars appeared for each Party Member. However, those same bars only showed the respecting resource color and a percentage scale for said resource.


    Ignoring them, Hannah focused on the fully transparent square at the bottom left part of her vision. Unfortunately, Hannah had no idea what it was for, and just as she desired to ask about it, the man with the pretty voice interrupted that thought.


    ¡°Accept this, as well.¡± Lee Ping spoke again and just like the previous two times, his voice contained a pinch of Power. ¡°Emergence Quest Generation; Escape!


    That voiced out, Hannah felt something mingle around her and around her Party members. That very same something seemed to be asking for her permission. However, it was the new System Alert that told her of its true nature.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Quest Generation in progress!


    *


    Quest Title; From Hatching to Immediate Acting!


    *


    Quest Description; Barely there yet instantly thrust into a full on Combat Zone filled with menacing bugs, eagerly salivating at the thought of eating you piece by piece but preferably whole. Fortunately, you were blessed with decent Party Members to do the heavy lifting for you.


    *


    Quest Goal 1; Survive!


    Quest Goal 2; Locate one Sub-Boss!


    Quest Goal 3; Defeat said Sub-Boss!


    *


    Quest Reward 1 - ???


    Quest Reward 2 - 10 D-D Coins


    Quest Reward 3 - Return Token!


    *


    Does User; Hannah Blackwood wish to accept Quest; From Hatching to Immediate Acting!


    *


    ??


    <hr>


    Having read it, a tiny epiphany struck Hannah, though, why and how it worked would remain a mystery for now, unless of course she inquired about it from the man with the pretty face. Nonetheless, Hannah had this suspicion that it had to do something with the missing Applications on her D-Card.


    Tossing those thoughts aside, for the moment, Hannah accepted the Quest, and with its acceptance, the large screen detailing the Quest vanished. No, better said, it minimized into one transparent diamond icon at the top of her vision containing a question symbol. Focusing on it once, the previous Quest screen manifested before once again minimizing its presence within her vision.


    ¡°Good.¡± Lee Ping declared before addressing the whole party. ¡°Everybody got the Quest?¡± More nods and yes answers, Lee Ping focused on one particular wall of the basement they all found themselves in. ¡°Good. I will do the honors and make the entrance to our eventual exit from the Silver Shroud.¡±


    With that announced, Lee Ping walked to said wall and summoned his blue/white FoxFire into a ring shape before enlarging said fire ring enough that even the tallest of them, the ginger haired and dark reddish armored man could pass through. With the size established, Lee Ping pushed his FoxFire onto the concrete wall and began rotating the ring of fire clockwise. When he did, his blue/white flame effortlessly penetrated into the wall and before quickly vanishing from sight, with only the barest glimmer escaping from the thin cut it had burned into the wall.


    Moments later, a tiny whoosh reached Hannah¡¯s ears.


    ¡°There. Door made. Who wants to open it?¡± Lee Ping asked, when the largest man in the room smirked with glee and rushed to the supposed with a laugh that pierced into Hannah¡¯s mind with ease. Once before the supposed door, Henry posed once before punching the large slab of tubed loose concrete, only instead of breaking apart as Hannah expected, that large slab simply vanished from its place before a rather loud boom echoed from beyond the opening.


    That done, Henry laughed once more and stepped inside the now obvious door.


    Moments later, he was followed by the others, with only Lee Ping, Hannah and Summon Behold remaining behind. But even then, it only stayed like that for a tiny moment.


    ¡°You can close that mouth of yours. This is nothing. Just wait till you see some real action.¡±

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 20 - First Kill?

    ¡°You can close that mouth of yours. This is nothing. Just wait till you see some real action.¡±


    Back from her slightly shocked state, Hannah centered herself. After all, punching a large slab of concrete was nothing compared to seeing almost everything cease to move as if frozen in time.


    Yet, that only reminded Hannah of other peculiarities that she had witnessed that made no sense.


    But just as her mind got curious, it got distracted as well by Lee Ping, when he raised his right hand above his left shoulder and made a motion as if grabbing and pulling something, only, as it turned out, he did grab something because from one moment to the next, the simple outfit of shirt and jeans got replaced by some kind of eastern themed, blue/white colored clothing style with baggy handcuffs and wide trousers at the ankles, thought both the upper and lower parts of the outfit appeared to be a one piece.


    Naturally, the bagginess was within limits to not impede movements, but to Hannah, it appeared extremely foreign. The only identifying marks were the few images she had seen in the history books pertaining to the Ancient East before the Western Colonizations reached that part of the world.


    There was even a black hat on Lee Ping¡¯s head with two small¡­ hinges on the side of the hat, while the upper part of the hat looked closer to a bag wrapped around the scalp.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Lee Ping stared at Hannah and went through the hole in the wall. Although, he was not the first to do so, as Henry, the big ginger-haired and armored man had been the first to pass through citing something that she had ignored due to slight shock.


    Following Lee Ping, the other Party members followed, with Sandy and Cain taking third and fourth place, while Mira stopped right beside Hannah. ¡°Go! I will enter last.¡±


    Still, a bit rattled, Hannah looked at the black-haired woman and did as bidden to do. However, just as she took a few steps, she turned around and faced Behold with a glare. ¡°Follow me, and if you so much as think of leaving my side, expect punishment. Understood!¡±


    ¡°Be!¡± Behold echoed in turn and followed his Master, though, since it was still somewhat unused to its current mode of transportation, its speed was left to be desired. Thankfully, as he had demonstrated moments before, he was a quick learner, so it got the motions down relatively fast when moving in just one direction.


    Passing through the rather thick gap in the wall, Hannah came to its end before realizing that her Party members were below her, by about a meter in height, because of the rail track used for the subway.


    A quick glance left and right, Hannah noted no train, so the only thing of interest became the crumbled stone dust opposite the gap made in the wall. As such, the crumbled stone dust could only have been from the missing wall that had somehow exploded after being shoved into one direction by a punch of all things.


    ¡°Stop gawking and come down.¡± Lee Ping spoke up before pointing in one direction. ¡°We will be going that way¡±


    Not feeling like jumping down, Hannah used the edge of the gap in the wall to climb down slowly. Behold, on the other hand, simply adjusted his floating angle and followed. Mira, simply jumped down beside her Party members. Then, with everybody there, they walked in the pointed direction for a few minutes.


    ¡°Strange¡­¡± Lee Ping murmured, causing his Party members to glance at him. ¡°By now I should have been hearing the noise from the silver bastards.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Henry added. ¡°Sounds should have been echoing through the tunnels even if the action was right at the entrance. Especially the chatter from the insects as they rush at them.¡± Unsure and a tiny bit more prepared for what could possibly come at them, the Party walked forward. Only, as if it was not meant to be, they arrived at a dead end, though not one made by human hands. Instead, it was an earthen wall blocking their way. ¡°Nevermind. Blast through again? Eh, Party Leader?¡±


    ¡°Probably, just let me quickly check.¡± Lee Ping answered before rushing to the earthen wall blocking the subway tunnel. There he placed his sensitive ears on the wall to check that he could discover. Unfortunately, as the wall was part of the Emergence, he could not see through it like he could with ordinary materials outside the Shroud. ¡°Alright¡­ I can hear some sounds, and it sounds like many things are passing through. Looks like this is the main tunnel by which the bugs are moving.¡±


    ¡°Should we try the other direction in hopes for the Emergence to have generated another tunnel?¡± Sandy asked.


    ¡°We should at least check just to make sure.¡± Mira added.


    ¡°I''ll do it.¡± Cain spoke up, causing everybody to focus on him. ¡°Am probably the fastest of us. So I will be back in a jiffy now that I have no need to watch my back for any silvies.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lee Ping allowed. ¡°We will wait here.¡±


    Nodding, Cain turned around, and one moment he was there and the next he was gone.


    ¡°He vanished?¡± Hannah said, with another surprised tone mingling with her usual somewhat placid vocal tone.


    ¡°Yea¡­ Sanguine are fast.¡± Lee Ping commented. ¡°He will be back within seconds.¡±


    ¡°You have mentioned it before.¡± Hannah remembered. ¡°What is a Sanguine?¡±


    ¡°Vampires, girl.¡± The answer came, but not from Lee Ping, but from Henry with his somewhat grub voice. ¡°Although, they don''t like that term at all, so don''t use it in front of them.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Hannah asked, truly curious, because the only thing she knew about vampires was that they were humanoid monsters who drank blood and lived in gothic castles.


    ¡°Quite a few reasons.¡± Mira intervened and explained what she had read about them. ¡°The main one being that a Sanguine is an Awakener while Vampires are still beholden to the Veil, thus are considered Mortals despite their powers and longevity.¡± Ceasing for a single second, she added one last line. ¡°While there are Vampires aplenty on this Layer of Gaia¡¯s Rift, Sanguine are a rarity since their Race is situated in another. The same Logic applies to our leader here.¡± That said, Mira pointed at Lee Ping. ¡°Fox-Kin are also a rarity on our Layer since mostly humans live here, hence why the majority of Awakened have Human Shells instead of the other phenotypes.¡±


    Just as Hannah processed the new information, a black figure with a white cloak reappeared.


    ¡°No luck. It''s either through that wall or drilling a separate entrance.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Guess¡­ Plan A is still in place.¡± Lee Ping affirmed before turning to the earthen wall blocking them. ¡°I will make a smaller cut this time so we won''t be stampeded with bugs.¡±


    With that said, Lee Ping repeated his earlier light show, only this time, his blue/white flames made a rectangular shape before they went into the earthen wall to make another door, however, it was obvious that this time, only one person would be able to pass through at one time.


    ¡°Henry. Please.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± The armored man said and nodded. One punch later, an opening was made, only this time, a loud screech reached everybody. ¡°Nice¡­ First Kill. Only thousands more to go¡­ I will go ahead again.¡±


    Crouching slightly to pass through, Hannah heard another screech before she saw Henry¡¯s head through the breach. ¡°It''s not too crowded here. Come.¡±


    ¡°Fighters, go.¡± Lee Ping order.


    Sandy and Cain went through, with Cain going first and Sandy second. As a result, more screeches echoed from the other side. ¡°Mira, you go.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Listen, Hannah.¡± Lee Ping said as he faced her. ¡°Steady your mind and remember the exercises I made you do. When you are on the other side, follow those but do not fire immediately. I will tell you when you have the free shot. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good, wait for my signal before going through.¡± With the last command given, Lee Ping went inside the earthen breach and made it to the other side.


    Through the opening, she saw him glance left and right before motioning with his left hand for her to come through.


    ¡°Remember, do not leave my side.¡± Hannah advocated to her Summon again and went through with Behold who followed right behind her.


    However, what both of them found on the other side was simple chaos, at first glance, with Cain and Sandy killing the hip-sized ants with swords. Sandy with two of them as she chopped every ant in front of her, while Cain expertly injected his white sword, a sword she had not seen him possess moments before, into every ant''s brain before slashing once and leaving the ant-shaped Nightmares called Terminid to simply burst apart and flake way as if they had never existed in the first place.


    Henry, on the other hand, had not drawn any weapon and simply punched every creature that got too close. A few times, she even saw him grab one by its pincers, or whatever was the closest to him, before throwing it down the tunnel with a grin on his face to hinder some of the incoming flow of ant-shaped Nightmares.


    Meanwhile, Behold just stared with shock at witnessing the actions. Not only was it completely new to it, but it made it realize that these bigger versions of its Master could clobber its existence with apparent ease now that he was so small. Yet, even if it possessed its old body, the same would have no doubt occurred. As such, scared for its existence, it found the only solace it could, and that was by inching closer to its Master.


    Both Master and Summon were interrupted from their mental paralysis at witnessing combat firsthand by Lee Ping¡¯s voice echoing down the tunnel. ¡°Let one pass through.¡±


    Hearing the order, the three front-line combatants glanced back. ¡°Sure.¡± Henry replied before grabbing the nearest ant and throwing it closer to Hannah, Mira, and Lee Ping.


    Luckily, it landed upside down, so it took it a moment to right itself.


    During that moment, Lee Ping addressed Hannah. ¡°Remember what I taught you. Take a stance and shoot the bug.¡±


    Still somewhat shocked, Hannah¡¯s response was delayed. Thankfully, the earlier brief conditioning she had been given by Lee Ping caused her to do just that and take aim at the ant about ten meters away from her. At the same time, her right forefinger went for the gun trigger while another part of her focused on the targeting function of the NTT COLT LM10.


    Additionally, Hannah tried to regulate her breathing while in the stance. But just as the corsair aligned itself properly, the ant-like wiggled itself back upright before its antennas realigned themselves at the closest enemy which was the trio before it.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± Lee Ping commanded, yet no shot got fired.


    No, despite the obvious, Hannah hesitated for a moment. When she did, during that brief moment of hesitation, the hip-sized ant charged directly at her.


    To Hannah, the charge felt as if a mighty car was coming directly at her.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± Lee Ping¡¯s voice echoed again, only this time it was far firmer with the command it carried, and carry it did, as the command seeped into Hannah for a moment causing her to fire without any active influence on her part.


    Bang


    Alongside the echoing bang sound, the COLT in her hand produced an unfamiliar vibration rattling her hands. It was not strong, but it was somewhat weird as Hannah had not experienced it before. On the other hand, since she had hesitated, the corsair had not been properly aligned with the center mass of the hip-sized ant, so the weirdly glowing shot from her gun only clipped the back carapace of the ant. Yet, even that did enormous damage as the back carapace of the ant exploded sending the ant careening to the left only for the ant to flake away a second later because the Novice Training Tool had been dubbed a COLT for a reason.


    Specifically, it stood for Condensed Optimized Lightning Transmitter while the suffix LM 10 stood for Light Magazine and the number ten indicated the maximum load the magazine could hold.


    Either way, together with the flaking away of the Nightmare, a distant chime reached Hannah¡¯s awareness.


    The moment she focused on the chime, it echoed its purpose.


    Users'' Spirit has grown! User has earned; 1 D-Coin!


    ¡°What¡­ What just happened?¡± Hannah asked while stunned from too much familiarity reaching her. ¡°What was that chime?¡±


    ¡°Considering your Summon, I imagine a notification about your first kill.¡± Lee Ping reasoned out. ¡°As for the chime? Well¡­ It''s an inherent feature of your D-Card telling you that you have earned your first D-Coin, the currency with which you will trade in the future for Skills, Equipment, Consumables, and more.¡±


    ¡°That said, you hesitated too much, so I had to force you to shoot. Let''s try again. ¡± Lee Ping declared before calling out once more. ¡°Send another one.¡±


    ¡°Gladly.¡± Henry shouted back and grabbed the nearest ant before throwing it back near Hannah.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    <hr>


    Bang


    Users'' Spirit has grown! User has earned; 1 D-Coin!


    Bang


    Users'' Spirit has grown! User has earned; 1 D-Coin!


    Bang


    Users'' Spirit has grown! User has earned; 1 D-Coin!


    Click Click Click


    ¡°Pour one PP into the handle and your gun will recharge.¡± Lee Ping stated. Hannah did just that, but in the same second, it made her realize that she had a limited number of shots with her gun. ¡°Good. Now that you are not entirely helpless, it''s time we move forward. Come.¡±


    With the order given, the backline stepped near the frontline fighters. ¡°We can move forward. Remember the plan, and don''t stop till we find a favorable spot to camp in.¡±


    ¡°Finally.¡± Henry voiced as he grabbed another ant and threw it at its friends.


    Right after that, he rushed at the incoming ants before drawing the sword from the sheath on his hip and began actually slaughtering the ants with extreme prejudice. Then when they reached a crossroad in the tunnel, Sandy and Cain rushed out to cover the gaps that had manifested. Hannah and Mira were the next to enter said crossroad while Lee Ping took the last place in case something suddenly jumped at them from behind.


    Obviously, since it was a crossroad leading to many tunnels, there was no end to the incoming ant-shaped Nightmares, and with no end to their numbers, the chance to come across the bigger version as it lumbers through a tunnel. Yet, as Hannah stared at it real close and without the magnification effect of her Flow, she had the chance to take in its actual size when compared to her.


    Only, as big as it was, for some reason, Hannah felt that the ginger-haired big man was somehow bigger.


    Not physically of course, but to her senses he felt bigger.


    Then, the next second, Hannah saw his sword grow bigger until it rivaled his own size, and with the new two-handed weapon, he swiftly chopped the giant ant to pieces. Once again, Hannah witnessed a giant ant-shaped Nightmare send its visceral insides around itself before dropping to the ground. Though, now that the monster had not been blasted apart, Hannah noted no flaking away effect occurring to its corpse, as if the giant ant was more real than its smaller siblings.


    Unfortunately, for Hannah, she had no time to wonder or even ask why that was so. Instead, Lee Ping called out and the group listened when he pointed to one specific tunnel.


    Henry was once again the first to go in, though only after he shrunk his sword back to its normal size. Sandy and Cain followed him, while Mira and Hannah, who had yet to do anything, followed after them. On the other hand, Hannah had seen Lee Ping throw his FoxFire at a few hip-sized ants thus burning them to nothing. But that was all he had done while he used his sharp hearing to examine their next destination.


    As for the requirements for the destination? Well, before they had started on this diving experience, it was decided that the chance of a Sub-Boss appearing was much higher wherever the highest concentration of ants would be. So, Lee Ping listened and examined the loudest tunnels before pointing the way.


    Like that, the Party had rushed through a few crossroads, but the more they went through, the more they realized that finding their way through the tunnel maze.


    During said maze diving, Hannah became somewhat used to the ongoing action.


    With that being the case, her attitude shifted to being more and more focused and aware of her surroundings.


    When that occurred, it took very little to send her into action with COLT in hand.


    Her goal was to practice with the gun-shaped Item of Power. However, since the front-line fighters took care of everything before them, this left her with no choice but to target those who followed them through the tunnels. Unfortunately or fortunately, as they were on the move, Hannah could not target those ants. Instead, it was Lee Ping and Mira who took care of those with Lee Ping naturally burning any ant his FoxFire touched while Mira simply pointed her small stick at an ant and the next moment it was dead due to some kind of small but shimmering light flying from said stick. As such, the only time Hannah managed to shoot anything was when they were stuck at the crossroads while Lee Ping searched for their next destination, and even then, it was only by targeting the distant ones coming at them.


    That being the case, Hannah took her time while aiming and shooting, after all, now that she had realized she had a finite amount of ammunition, thanks to her meager Power Point reserve, every shot had to count.


    Thankfully, the corsair on her vision helped her with that. Additionally, her COLT was so powerful that even if she failed to hit dead center, as long as she hit somewhere on its body, the ant would die.


    At one point, Hannah had imagined herself shooting at the big ants, but after trying once and noticing that one shot would not kill it, she left those to Henry and his big sword.


    Then, on the fifth or sixth crossroad, as Hannah forgot to count, Lee Ping finally uttered something that was not indicating a direction. ¡°How is everyone holding up?¡±


    ¡°Am good.¡± Cain replied instantly.


    ¡°I can still go on too.¡± Sandy added. ¡°However, we should consider taking a break soon.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Henry commented on the side just as he finished another big ant. ¡°This is getting a bit repetitive for me.¡±


    ¡°I am fine, as well.¡± Mira informed the Party because she had hardly used anything so far.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Hannah joined, though, it took her a second to note that nobody paid her much attention.


    The same occurred for her Behold floated beside her who still unblinkingly stared at the action going on. Nonetheless, if anybody had paid attention to its eye, they would have noticed that it had mostly focused on Henry, especially every time he went against the big ants. And if somebody had been able to understand its tentacular gestures, aside from Hannah who simply ignored it as much as she could, they would have noticed that Behold was in despair from everything its big eye was witnessing it.


    ¡°A break is then.¡± Lee Ping decided. ¡°We will have to go for Plan B, however, since no decent sites have shown so far.¡±


    <hr>


    Naturally, Hannah had no idea what Plan B was.


    Regardless, soon enough she knew what the first step of that plan was, and the idea was to first pick the next tunnel. Then when everybody was inside it, The Fox-Kin called out for Mira, the Caster of the Party to make a big boom behind them, and she did after concentrating on her stick for a few seconds.


    Hannah heard the woman¡¯s lips produce sounds that sounded like gibberish to her ears, but the truth was that it could be anything but gibberish because a few seconds into the chant above her stick a tiny flame. A normal red-orange-looking flame before it soon grew and condensed a few times. While that happened, Lee Ping burned any Nightmare coming for them. Then, when the chant was complete, Mira pointed her stick forward and let the ball of condensed fire loose, though it was not at the incoming Nightmares, but at the tunnel ceiling of the opening through which they had just passed.


    Just before the condensed ball of fire was let loose, Hannah noticed Lee Ping doing a similar thing, only his did not become a ball of fire, but a blue/white rectangle, similar to a piece of paper upon which Eastern symbols were written. Naturally, the white part of the flame became the paper while the blue became the characters on the paper. Obviously, Hannah knew not what those words referred to, but after the paper/flame rectangle appeared, Lee Ping slapped it just ahead of them into the air.


    As such, almost instantaneously, Hannah watched an explosion appear just ten meters in front of her only for a shimmering blue/white wall to appear and hide the view beyond it. What it did not hide, however, was the reverberation of the explosion as it rippled through the earth around them, yet not at them, as if the blue/white flame wall protected them somehow.


    Either way, a few seconds after the explosions, Hannah heard many rocks collapsing in on each other as no doubt they successfully blocked the passage through which they had come. It was only after the shimmering flaming¡­barrier vanished that such a thing was confirmed.


    ¡°Nice work, Caster.¡± Lee Ping complemented before ignoring the havoc they had made to focus on the path ahead. ¡°Continued to the end of this tunnel.¡±


    Order given, order executed.


    Nonetheless, when they reached the end of their current tunnel and another crossroad awaited them, Hannah had this unnerving sensation that she was about to be buried who knew how many meters underground, and her premonition turned out to be true.


    A similar scenario of a condensed ball of flame and a shimmering flaming barrier appeared and executed their purpose. Only after the consequence of their actions ceased echoing were the sighs¡¯ of relief released from her companions, and maybe herself as well.


    ¡°Let''s hope that will give us some time to recover.¡± Not waiting even a second longer, Hannah saw Lee Ping execute a familiar motion before a flask appeared in his right hand, only the contents of said flask went down his gullet just seconds after they manifested. When that was done, Lee Ping simply threw the bottle to the side and repeated the gesture only this time, he threw the bottle right at a flustered Hannah trying her best to catch it. ¡°Drink that.¡±


    Stunned and glaring at Lee Ping for a second, Hannah noted a similar scenario was followed by all of their Party members. Witnessing nothing untoward happening, Hannah drank the drink, the potion, the elixir, or whatever it was called. When she did, she noted the contents evaporating in her stomach and infiltrating her Soul, only, unlike how she imagined at first, the contents rooted themselves to the third layer of her Soul, namely the one dealing with Will and its generated resource Regen.


    Obviously, in turn, her Regen affected her Power Point Reserve, all in order to speed up her Power Point generation.


    Done feeling out what was happening in her Soul, Hannah centered on what had occurred so far, and now that she was processing it, everything was closer to a blur with how everything was executed.


    However, one thing bothered her the most. So Hannah asked while glaring at Lee Ping. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Be more specific, girl. How, what?¡± Lee Ping remarked.


    ¡°How¡­ How did you know we would be fine?¡± Hannah asked.


    ¡°Ay¡­ So many things to learn for this one.¡± A gruff voice interjected into the conversation. Turning around and staring at Henry, Hannah heard him speak.  ¡°He is a Stigma User, girl. If he can make something make sense, then it does not matter how something appears or works. It will be as his Logic dictates. It''s a Stigma User''s greatest advantage but also their biggest flaw since there are numerous ways to counter somebody''s Logic.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Provided that you are not against somebody much higher level than you, Stigma Users are the most versatile Awakeners within a Party.¡± Mira added before waving her stick from which a tiny light flew out and rooted itself above everybody to shine its illumination at everybody and everything within its range. ¡°Just like you have not noticed that you could see without any light source to feed you information. Makes no sense to you, but to him it does and as such we all could see in this darkness without any trouble.¡± That said, Mira waved her stick again, and the light vanished, but when it did, Hannah finally understood her words.


    Indeed, she did see everything around herself without any problems, though now that she was paying attention, there was a difference between her current vision and the illumination Mira had provided.


    Nothing too big, but it was there.


    Turning to Lee Ping, Hannah voiced another question. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Fox-Kin can see in the dark.¡± Lee Ping replied, accompanied by a shrug of his shoulders. ¡°It''s easy for me to share that capability, plus enhance it somewhat so it rivals normal light conditions.¡±


    ¡°When?¡± Hannah inquired again.


    ¡°Before we entered that building for the first time.¡± Lee Ping pointed out. ¡°Did you not notice that no switches had been pressed to light the basement?¡±


    Thinking about it real quick, Hannah shook her head.


    ¡°Does not surprise me.¡± Sandy commented. ¡°Many things you failed to witness because you are stuck with the Logic prevailing Gaia¡¯s Veil of Ignorance. Like with me, it will take you a while to unwind those.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Don''t understand. Which Logic?¡±


    ¡°All of them.¡± Lee Ping retorted. ¡°To be Awakened is to set your own Logic down, your own Rules, by which you choose to exist, such that others have to follow yours instead of theirs when confronting you. The difference between Stigma Users and the other Awakeners is that we get to do so the moment we Awaken, while for others it depends on when they base their following Ability on the Domination Ability Principle. It could be the Second or the Fifth. Even then, it will be a constrained type of Logic, set within the bounds of the Dreams you have awakened or will be awakening.


    In your case, your Domination Ability will be all about your Summon, your Dreamon as you call them. However, the difference between you and other Awakeners is that your Grand Dream will require a lot, and I mean a great amount of pondering to not mess up.


    I certainly would not look forward to that.¡±


    ¡°Me aside, let''s focus on the here and the now.¡± Lee Ping switched topics. ¡°Are we changing the length of the break?¡± Glancing at his Party and noting the head shakes, he went on. ¡°Alright. Fifteen minutes it is. How about our tactics? Anything to complain about?¡±


    ¡°Not me.¡± Cain, the black Sanguine replied. ¡°Everything¡¯s peachy for me.¡±


    ¡°Aside from being somewhat bored?¡± Henry remarked. ¡°No!¡±


    Sharing a glance between each other, Sandy and Mira shook their heads in unison.


    ¡°And you?¡± Lee Ping asked while staring at Hannah with his black eyes.


    ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Nodding, Lee Ping addressed everybody else. ¡°Don''t rely solely on the Potion. Try to recover as many resources as you can.¡±


    Almost immediately, as if trying to set an example, he sat down on the rough ground and closed his eyes. Following him, Mira was the first one to sit down, cross her legs, and close her eyes as well. The same happened to Sandy beside her. Henry, on the other hand, simply leaned on the wall while his eyes seemed to watch some distant cloud only without any clouds to be seen deep underground.


    The only expectation then became Hannah and Cain.


    Of course, that was because Hannah had no idea how to do whatever they were doing.


    Cain, on the other hand, beamed a smile at Hannah. But the moment he did, his almost glowing red eyes bored into Hannah. Not out of malice, of that, she was sure. At least as sure as she could be about anything in this new world she found herself in. No, his red eyes seemed to convey curiosity. Only a similar inquisitive feeling bloomed within Hannah. So, she stepped towards the black man with his black clothing and white cloak.


    Once beside him, Hannah whispered to not interpret her companions. ¡°You are not doing the same?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to.¡± Cain replied back, with a whisper as well, though he did not need to. It did amuse him somewhat. ¡°Let me guess. You want to know what they are doing?¡± One nod later, he shared what he knew. However, before he did, he proposed a little exchange. ¡°How about this? For every question we ask each other, we get to ask one in return. Naturally, you do not have to answer, but it would be disrespectful. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Ok¡­ But you go first.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡± Cain said. ¡°Remember the revelations you received from Soul Prism?¡± Hearing it mentioned again, Hannah nodded. ¡±Remember that you are the Ego, the Spark of Life, the barrier between holding your Individuality against the Everything Else.¡± Nodding once again, thought with a bit more hesitation as there was a lot in there to process. ¡°Well, imagine yourself lowering your guard, your barrier slightly to interact with Everything Else instead of isolating yourself from IT.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Hannah almost shouted out. ¡°Is¡­ Is that not dangerous?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­ But it is also rewarding.¡± Cain explained. ¡°The Commune with Everything Else is¡­ something like an exchange ritual, where you share your Experience with Everything Else in return for raw energy. Meaning, instead of growing your Spark, you use your Experience to recharge it.¡±


    ¡°That''s¡­ a good thing, right?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the depth of the Commune, the Experience being shared during it, and the Level of the one doing the Commune.¡± Cain elaborated. ¡°Higher-leveled Awakeners have bigger reserves, so they need to share more Experience for the equivalent recharge.


    Then, there is the factor of Time since that one determines the depth of the Commune. If you have Time for it, the Commune will be shallow but prolonged. If you do not, then the Commune will be deep but brief.


    After that, comes the factor of quality vs quantity. Quantity is used for the shallow but prolonged Communes, while quality is used for the deep but short Communes.¡±


    ¡°Experience has quality and quantity?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ You don''t know this?¡± Cain added. ¡°It''s simple. Experience is a combination of memories and emotions. Longer memories but with fewer emotions involved represent quantity. Shorter memories and strong emotions represent quality.


    In our companions'' case, since not too many resources have been spent so far, I imagine they are sharing part of what they had gone through while fighting to reach this point of our Raid. So¡­ even if their Commune is brief, they will recover at least part of what had been spent for those shared Experiences.¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ It''s my turn. You asked three questions and I have given you three answers.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Ok?¡±


    ¡°My first question will be this one.¡± Cain said before his red glaring eyes gained in intensity. ¡°How did you achieve S-Rank?¡±

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 21 - Leveling?

    ¡°Umm¡­ I¡­ I am not sure how much I should say.¡± Hannah conveyed after remembering the tiny detail Lee Ping mentioned about her Awakening being sponsored by his aunt, yet, the very moment she remembered that fact, she noted a few discrepancies. Namely, regarding her father¡¯s actions because they too were enigmatic from her current point of view, much less everything she had undergone through his enigmatic plans. In the end, Hannah simply shook her head and stuck with the simplest answer she could. ¡°All I can tell you is that my father prepared everything for me, so all I had to do was not mess it up.¡±


    With that said Hannah looked away from the black Sanguine and his brilliant red eyes as if embarrassed that she felt she should not disclose more. Only, unlike her inner feelings, Cain¡¯s were much more pragmatic when he noticed the girl shrugging off the effects of his red eyes, and that only intrigued him further because Hannah had no Skill for that, and her Ability dealt with Summons, which in turn only deepened the enigma.


    Regardless of that, Cain sensed he could only move forward to his second question. ¡°If your father was able to do that much for you, I am curious about his identity. Who is your father?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ Heinrich Blackwood?¡± Hannah answered hesitantly.


    ¡°Does not ring any bells to me.¡± Cain commented. ¡°What is his actual Name?¡±


    ¡°Heinrich¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ That would be the name of his Shell here on Gaia¡¯s Womb.¡± Cain corrected. ¡°Any Dreamer who can guide somebody to a Grand Awakenings has to be somebody knowledgeable, and therefore famous, therefore they must have a Name.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don''t follow?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Nevermind¡­ You will learn about it later.¡± Cain admitted slight defeat. ¡°How about this? I will delay my second and third questions. However, next time we meet, I hope you can provide me with an answer for the second one. The third question will have to wait till then. What do you think? Is that acceptable to you?¡±


    Not replying to anything immediately, Hannah rethought the problem for a second and agreed. ¡°I don''t mind.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Cain added with a beaming smile and glowing red eyes, before switching his sight at his current Party members. ¡°Let''s stop here. We should not interrupt their Commune by chance.¡±


    ¡°Ok!¡±


    After the agreement, Hannah took a glance at her¡­ escort, if the terminology was correct.


    Only, the more she switched between them, the more she felt herself becoming nervous for some reason. Eventually, the nervousness urged her to act, to move away from where she stood. As if by instinct, Hannah grabbed Behold by one of its side tentacles and dragged it to stand beside Lee Ping all while ignoring its cry. Once there, she turned silent, not that Hannah was very vocal, to begin with, and simply awaited the time they would continue moving onward.


    Meanwhile, with nothing else to do, Hannah¡¯s brown eyes moved along her visual field to notice a familiar icon, an anvil-like icon she had only seen once before as it had left her with a profound experience.


    Focusing on it for a single moment, it surfaced to her awareness, and with said awareness, Hannah felt herself swell before eventually condensing into a tiny dot only to explode into three individual parts.


    Having already experienced it once, Hannah knew what each of those three parts did, with the first filling her Soul while the second and third awaited her direct input before being allowed to infuse themselves somewhere.


    Right after that, a pop-up screen appeared in the middle of her vision detailing the leveling process.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Potential Forge has been Initiated!


    *


    Identifying Experience Resources Input;


    First Convalescence - Complete,


    First Emergence - Entrance,


    First Item Equip,


    First Flow Augment - Eye,


    First Ability Point Distribution - Utility,


    First Dreamon Teaching Lesson - Behold,


    First Party Inclusion,


    First Combat Inclusion,


    First Nightmare Takedown - Spawn,


    *


    Applying Positive Experience Modifiers;


    Genesis Soul,


    Dreamon Trainer,


    Emergence - Third Class,


    Party Experience Share,


    Solo Nightmare Takedown - Spawn,


    *


    Applying Negative Experience Modifiers;


    Dreamon Trainer,


    Party Experience Share,


    Solo Nightmare Takedown - Item Guide,


    *


    Maximum Experience Potential Limit Determined!


    *


    Potential Forge Ignition Ensuing in 3, 2, 1!


    *


    Forging


    ?


    *


    Forging Process Successful!


    *


    Congratulations, User; Hannah Blackwood.


    You have reached Level 2!


    *


    Tap CONFIRM to view the results!


    <hr>


    Taking note of everything said, Hannah tapped the Confirm button to view her Level Up rewards, yet just seeing it, her mind betrayed a flabbergasted expression between the contrast of her previous Level Up and her current one.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Congratulations User; Hannah Blackwood. You have earned the following rewards;


    1 Free Stat Point


    1 Ability Point


    6 Special Action Point


    <hr>


    Naturally, it made sense, as her Awakening had been an accumulation of many years, acquired through her father¡¯s machinations to achieve an S-Ranked Dream. However, that did not help when Hannah took into account the number of times the word ¡®first¡¯ had appeared within the report. Therefore, it was only Logical that the amount of Special Action Points would only dwindle down further as she leveled, thus in turn requiring more effort to acquire them, and with that being the case, Hannah could finally understand what Lee Ping, the man with the female face, meant by a colossal waste.


    Shaking her head, Hannah dismissed the report and called up her Status before focusing on just her stats, though not without first recognizing the external resource description within her Status.


    <hr>


    Character


    .


    Name; Hannah Blackwood [Level 2]


    Species; Spirit


    Spirit Age; 0 [Spawn]


    Spirit Trait - Brown [Unyielding Will]


    Physical Species - Human


    Physical Gender - Female


    Physical Age; 15 [Adolescent]


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Titles


    .


    Dreamer


    Novice


    Dreamon Trainer


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Affiliations


    .


    None


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Status


    .


    Vessel - 10 [+]


    Instinct - 10 [+]


    Will - 10 [+]


    Logic - 10 [+]


    Insight - 10 [+]


    Ego - 10 [+]


    .


    Free Stat Points - 2


    Special Action Points - 8


    Ability Point - 1


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Internal Resources


    .Health - 8/10


    Stamina - 6/10


    Regen - 0.5 [x3]


    Focus - 3/5


    Flow - 1.5


    Power - 6/10


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    External Resources


    .


    Dream Coins - 24 - E Grade


    Potion of Power Regeneration - Timer; 20 min - 34 sec


    <hr>


    Twenty-four? Hannah voiced in her mind. Did I really kill that many giant ants? She asked herself, clearly not quite that aware that she had even used the gun that many times.


    Right after that recognition, she paid attention to the Potion given to her. However, only after another quick reminder of what external means, via Lee Ping''s previous explanation, did she search for an icon on her visual field indicating its presence. When she discovered it, it was beside the bars representing her Internal Resources with an icon depicting a slightly oval glass bottle without a cap on it.


    Similar to how she just knew what her bars represented, in the potion icon¡¯s case, Hannah simply knew the amount of remaining time for the potion¡¯s effect to wear off.


    <hr>


    Done indulging her little bit of curiosity, Hannah focused on her Stats, namely where to put them.


    After a quick internal debate, where it was impossible to continue the balanced distribution, Hannah chose to spend everything, with every SAP going into Ego and the two FSPs going into Insight.


    Obviously, after every distribution there was a notable difference in Hannah¡¯s Soul, namely with her Spark of Life becoming far more sparky, if that was a correct interpretation. As if her Spark, or better said, her Ego was trying its best to become something. On the other hand, the two points in Insight barely generated any apparent and noticeable difference, yet it was there that Hannah was sure.


    A quick look at her Stats and Internal Resources affirmed that change.


    <hr>


    Status


    .


    Vessel - 10


    Instinct - 10


    Will - 10


    Logic - 10


    Insight - 12


    Ego - 18


    .


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Special Action Points - 0


    Ability Point - 1


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Internal Resources


    .Health - 8/10


    Stamina - 6/10


    Regen - 0.5 [x3]


    Focus - 3/5


    Flow - 1.7


    Power - 14/18


    <hr>


    Hnn¡­ Now I don''t have to be as careful when shooting. Hannah mused in her head before noting nothing else on her Status screen besides the Ability Point being present, but for that, she needed a different screen before distributing it.


    As such, Hannah dismissed her Status screen and called up her Ability screen, specifically the Ability Distribution Screen and the options offered.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Ability Point Allocation is in progress!


    *


    General Ability Point Distribution Options;


    Utility - Internal - Pocket Dimension - 0/5 +


    Utility - Zone - Translocation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Savvy - Illusion of Serenity - 0/5 +


    Utility - Recovery - Illusion of Serenity - 1/5 +


    Utility - Endurance - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Adaptation - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Cognition - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Conception - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    *


    Unique Ability Point Distribution Options;


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Utility - Extra Dreamon Ball - 0/5 +


    <hr>


    Somewhat undecided on what to pick, Hannah pondered on the little she knew. Pocket Dimension should be about the size of the internal space Behold occupies when inside. Glancing at her Summon in question, specifically at its size, Hannah dismissed this option for the moment. Translocation? It should be about the red jagged lightning, so¡­ distance at which I can summon or call back Behold or any other Dreamon.


    Hnn¡­ Useless as well for now.


    Illusion of Serenity - Savvy? Hannah wondered for a second. If Recovery was for a healing environment, then Savvy should be for something else. Savvy¡­ Savvy¡­ Wait¡­ Considering how Recovery worked, Savvy should be for Behold¡¯s comfort. Cringing immediately at the thought, Hannah dismissed it, at least for the moment. Perhaps in the future, it will be more important, but now she dismissed it. Rapid Mutation - Endurance should be about enduring Trauma during a Nightmare¡¯s transmutation. Adaptation then should ease the transmutation process, or quicken it.


    Hnn¡­ Something like that.


    Cognition and Conception¡­ Mmm¡­ I feel like these two should be about the Template for a Dreamon. Mmm¡­ Yes¡­ Template. I will need a Template for any future Dreamon, and I won''t get any help from my father again. For a brief moment, Hannah again sensed herself having strange feelings about her father, not only because of what he had done to her but also of what he had done for her. In the end, the only thing she could do was shake her head and ignore him for the time being. That leaves me with either continuing Recovery or picking the Unique option, the option favoring more Dreamon Balls.


    With the summary of her options narrowed down, and Recovery not quite being what she had imagined, Hannah chose to press the plus sign for her Ability Uniqueness.


    When she did, just like with the Recovery function, a change occurred within her First Ability Slot. Besides tingling and growing slightly, next to the already existing Dreamon Ball, a new slot manifested, like a miniature replica of the First Ability Slot, a room within a room within the house that was her Soul.


    Anyhow, with its appearance, Hannah simply became aware of its significance since only five such slots could be had. Although, when such slots would be generated was of no consequence, so this extra slot generation could be accomplished with the next four Ability Points or it could be done in ten years.


    It all depended on Hannah and her needs.


    As for what the extra slot signified.


    It was simple.


    By infusing one Power Point, Hannah could Conjure a new Dreamon Ball, an exact replica of the first one. However, there was one difference. If more Power Points were infused, then Hannah would have the option to customize the new Dreamon Ball, such that every new Conjured Dreamon Ball could be specialized for one purpose instead of being an all-purpose capturing device.


    Naturally, that specialization would only display its usefulness after Hannah had unlocked the needed General Ability Point Options since, at this moment, only Recovery [1/5] existed. Luckily, just like with the extra slot generation, it was up to Hannah on when and where she would choose to Conjure her next Dreamon Ball, and right now was definitely not one of those moments.


    Instead, Hannah simply shook her head in slight disappointment, but only slightly because the future offered plenty, she just had to arrive there.


    In the end, after being done with distributing everything she had, Hannah simply chose to sit down on the ground beside Lee Ping. However, when that became stale and boring, Hannah centered her attention on her SUmmon and simply grabbed one tentacular limb before dragging Behold to her eye level.


    ¡°Beho!¡± Behold cried out in surprise before one pair of hands grabbed its round body and turned its giant blue eye to face Hannah¡¯s face. ¡°Beho!¡±


    ¡°Stay still!¡± Hannah commanded and Behold obeyed as it had no choice before its Master¡¯s Radiance.


    <hr>


    Communing with Everything Else was an action of digging your own grave pit in which you could fall easily if not careful.


    Communing with strangers around you? Well, that was like having already set one foot inside the grave, hence a Code of Ethics had been created for the benefit of all Divers, and in this one, a line stated that whoever breaks a fellow Dreamers Commune will be intensely punished for it by those who witnessed said action and without much prejudice, and if said attempt led to Death, a reciprocation of Death was only natural.


    Due to that, Lee Ping had much less scruples about Communing with fellow Divers present. Still, in honor of caution, all Divers like him chose to go for the shallow Commune. As such, Lee Ping had been aware that Hannah had interacted with the Sanguine, though the details were a bit hard to recall at the moment. Regardless, after ceasing his Commune, he stared at the girl in question as she held Behold in her lap to stare at its big eye and the violet markings on its sides and top.


    Then, after observing her for a few moments, he noted a tiny discrepancy, and a very familiar one.


    Glancing at his own visual interface, he saw the girl¡¯s level indicator having changed, which did not truly surprise him since the earliest ten levels were fairly easy to achieve. It was a bit of a shame though, since those ten levels could be easily attained through Skill development before combat was needed to accelerate the later half of the Novice Rank as those were harder to attain because difficulty increased every increment of ten levels with the Rankups every twenty levels being the true major difficulty threshold.


    ¡°What did you pick?¡± He inquired of her by interrupting whatever she searched for on the pink Summon¡¯s body. ¡°Anything useful?¡±


    Seeing her consider her reply became a simple nod. Only, that it took so long, proved that there was more to it. ¡°Now or the future?¡±


    ¡°Future.¡±


    Rolling his eyes before inwardly cursing sleeper builds and their existences, and all Grand Dreams where sleeper builds in some shape or form, Lee Ping stood up to await his Party Members waking.


    When they did, a brief exchange occurred to confirm if everything was up to standard, and when it was confirmed as such, it was time to move on.


    ¡°Alright¡­ Considering how we created your campsite, I will be solely creating the pathway this time.¡± Lee Ping explained. ¡°When it''s completed, rush to the other side. After that, however, it will be back to Plan A to find a Sub-Boss for our much-needed escape from the Emergence.¡±


    ¡°Ready?¡± With the nods sent his way, Lee Ping turned toward the crumbled wall he and Mira had made.


    Calling for his Foxfire and by using his two Abilities, he shaped the white part of the flame into a paper talisman with the purpose of said talisman being the word ¡¯Tunnel¡¯ written with the blue part of the flame. Naturally, there was more to it since his Skills had been carefully chosen to accommodate his current Ability usage. Then, he simply threw the white/blue talisman at the crumbled wall to watch his FoxFire burn a wide hole all the way through before the blue/white flame retreated to the walls and created a flaming tunnel through which one could step.


    ¡°GO!¡±


    Lee Ping yelled, and as discussed before, Henry, Cain, and Sendy rushed out first. Mira and Hannah followed after, while Lee Ping went last. Once he was through, he ignored the already ensuing battle to dismiss the fiery tunnel he had made, thus causing another little cave-in.


    After that, everything went as planned.


    The Party dived into the ant maze.


    Along the way they killed every Spawn and any Juvenile Class Nightmare, Juvenile being any Nightmare which had actualized its Spark of Life thus evolving past the Spawn Class. However, since they had only met workers so far, all Juvenile Terminid Nightmares were just bigger specimens of the hip-sized versions. Nevertheless, due to their numbers after six tunnels, Lee Ping noted that they were not having any luck in moving any closer to their target, which was the inner nest, the true Terminid Nest because everything so far had been simple and small tunnels for the workers to expand a nest and nothing more.


    It was with that behavior that Terminid Nests could get very huge, with some rivaling Mortal countries. Luckily, a Third Class Emergence was nowhere near that scale. That was why Lee Ping thought his fox ears would do a good enough job that he would not have too much trouble finding a Sub-Boss.


    Glancing at his own Map, after using his FoxFire to burn away another ant, he examined the chain of progress they had made through the underground maze. Did I make an initial mistake or has the Emergence only clipped part of the Inner Nest?


    Not receiving an answer, he did what he could before announcing another break.


    With the announcement, Hannah now knew it meant another two cave-ins to divide and protect them from the horde of worker ant-shaped nightmares.


    Once that was done, Hannah saw Lee Ping and the others drink another Potion of Power Regeneration before one was shared with her. Naturally, being more familiar with the routine, her Party Members began another Commune with Everything Else, though with a small difference.


    This time, Cain did the same instead of just standing aside.


    That left Hannah as the only individual not caught up with something, so she searched for something, and she even found it.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Potential Forge has been Initiated!


    *


    Identifying Experience Resources Input;


    Continues Combat


    Nightmare Takedown - Terminid Spawn x 26


    *


    Applying Positive Experience Modifiers;


    Genesis Soul,


    Dreamon Trainer,


    Emergence - Third Class,


    Party Experience Share,


    Solo Nightmare Takedown - Spawn,


    *


    Applying Negative Experience Modifiers;


    Party Experience Share,


    Solo Nightmare Takedown - Item Guide,


    *


    Maximum Experience Potential Limit Determined!


    *


    Potential Forge Ignition Ensuing in 3, 2, 1!


    *


    Forging


    ?


    *


    Forging Process Successful!


    *


    Congratulations, User; Hannah Blackwood.


    You have reached Level 3!


    *


    Tap CONFIRM to view the results!


    <hr>


    Just like the previous two times, Hannah felt herself swell up before being compacted and eventually splitting into three, only even without reading the results, she knew this time that the results were much, much more meager than before.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Congratulations User; Hannah Blackwood. You have earned the following rewards;


    1 Free Stat Point


    1 Ability Point


    <hr>


    Yet, when she read the results, the rewards were far, far more than meager. No, they were the standard. Just like her father had told her. Meaning, that the previous two Level Ups were the bountiful harvests, and to reach such bounty again, she would have to do many new things instead of doing the same over and over again, even if it brought her up the leveling ladder.


    Regardless, the Free Stat Point went to Insight, changing it from 12 to 13, thus increasing her Flow by another 0.1, from 1.7 to 1.8.


    While doing that, she noticed the increased counter for her earned D-Coins which now rested at 51, meaning she had killed twenty-seven ant-shaped Nightmares this time around. Unfortunately, how many she had killed helped her nothing in utilizing her Flow better, such that all she knew now was to magnify her vision, only that was useless deep underground.


    On the other hand, assigning the Ability Point was both easier and harder than before. Easier because now she had a rough feeling of what each General Option did and harder because she was unsure of what to pick since none of it would help the immediate situation.


    That being the case, Hannah shrugged her shoulders and simply choose one of the options connected to Rapid Mutation. Particularly, one of the two that she posited dealt with Dreamon Templates, General Option - Conception.


    <hr>


    With its activation, her First Ability Slot tingled for a few moments before the same tingle occurred within her only Dreamon Ball resting there. When it was over, nothing too obvious reached Hannah¡¯s awareness, but she was sure that now her Dreamon Ball could do things it could not do before.


    Conjuring her Dreamon Ball into her right hand, Hannah observed no obvious outer changes, which made sense. As such, there could only be one solution to figuring it out, and that was to infuse a Power Point inside.


    This made her a bit hesitant but her recent upgrade to Ego deepened her Power Point Reserve somewhat, so she spared one point and infused it into her Dreamon ball. When she did, she got the distinct impression of having a choice between two options. One she was familiar with, and the other she was not, therefore, the unknown was the goal.


    Only, the moment she did, Hannah noted a clear absence of missing feedback that should be there.


    Frowning for a moment, it came to her.


    Pointing her Ball at her Summon, Hannah spoke up softly. ¡°Behold! Return!¡±


    The jagged red lighting instantly enveloped Behold, surprising the heck out of it. But when it found itself within a void-like environment lacking any obvious environmental input flooding its existence, ever since waking up, it felt itself loosen up as if it had finally reached safe territory, similar to being back within its nest, only much more suitable.


    This would have prompted Behold to enter another hibernation state had it not been for the incoming probing sensations coming from its surroundings, examining it from every single angle and probably more. This lasted for a few moments before Behold heard another command echo over its existence via its Master¡¯s Radiance.


    ¡°Behold! Come out!¡±


    ¡°Beho?¡± Behold produced when his giant eye witnessed itself back within that narrow tunnel, with creatures similar to its Master only bigger and deadlier, much much deadlier if less influential than its Master.


    At least, toward Behold.


    Meanwhile, while ignoring Behold, Hannah frowned as she processed what she''d just discovered.


    At its core, just like Recovery, Rapid Mutation - Conception elevated her Scrying, resulting in Hannah receiving many more impressions from Behold. However, compared to Recovery which detailed Behold¡¯s current state, Conception delivered its future possible state, almost like she could sense directions¡­ yes, directions for Behold¡¯s development.


    It was vague but it was there, and that could only mean one thing, she needed more Ability Points to gain more details.


    Still, even one Ability Point had been enough for Hannah to recognize her Summon ready to progress onto its next step. What that entailed, however, was the true problem. With everybody busy, Hannah had no one to ask. The only thing she could do was use what she had been through so far as an example and go on from there.


    As such, if her conclusions were correct, Behold, her Summon, was ready to Level Up.


    How do Summons Level Up? Hannah wondered for a moment before going what she knew of Souls and Leveling Up, forwards and backward. After that, she went over her father¡¯s words regarding Dreamon and her First Ability. When she did, her brown eyes settled on the other three General Options for Rapid Mutation.


    Adaptability¡­ Yes. No doubt about it¡­ It''s the key to Behold¡¯s growth and not just during the initial transmutation from Nightmare into Dreamon. Nodding at the Logic she had just discovered, Hannah knew the next General Options she would choose, and that meant the only thing stopping her would be the lack of experience.


    That figured out, Hannah quitted her thoughts to await her Party Members to rise and make another attempt at finding a Sub-Boss, as they called it since Hannah had never seen one before.


    A small part of her even felt eager to witness just what a Sub-Boss entailed, after all, Hannah now knew that just seeing it would give her more Experience, much less killing it. Not that she was able to do so, but her Party Members could, and the Level Up report had pointed to a thing called Party Experience Share.


    Indeed, the only thing that mattered was the small hope that it was not too grotesque in appearance since Hannah disliked seeing giant ants with their brown/green exoskeleton, many limbs, antennas, and black bead-like compound eyes.


    After everybody woke up from their Commune, Hannah witnessed more of the same.


    Lee Ping made a flaming tunnel for the Party.


    The Party went through before fighting and killing the many, many ants coming at them that seemed to have no end to their numbers. Only right now that somehow suited Hannah¡¯s expectations just fine as she had a goal right now, and the goal was to use the Colt in her right hand to slay as many ants as she could before their next break.


    Luckily, the Potions she had consumed had done their miracles and regenerated some Power Points back, though not as many as Hannah would have liked, but it was better than nothing.


    At the same time, perhaps due to the exposure, Hannah no longer feared the hip-sized ants. With the lack of Fear and the consecutive shooting, her aim precision only increased further. The result of both was Hannah counting the 31st ant-shaped Nightmare flaking away into nothing, in this round, which made for a total of 82 since that very first kill just an hour or so prior.


    That was when she heard Lee Ping call for another break, which meant two more cave-ins to protect them.


    ¡°This is taking longer than I thought it would.¡± Henry, the big ginger-haired man, commented after seating himself on the ground before staring at Lee Ping. ¡°Are you sure we are going in the right direction?¡±


    With the inquiry in the air, every member stared at their Party Leader. ¡°Sigh¡­ Been asking that very question myself.¡± Lee Ping replied. ¡°Every crossing we went through, I''ve been mapping our progress, and so far we have not been circling around or anything like that. Instead, we have been steadily going down as down in the ground is the most likely chance for the Inner Nest to appear.¡± Blinking a bit at the term Inner Nest, Hannah refused to ask for clarification since that would interrupt the man¡¯s explanation. ¡°So either we have missed the right direction early on, or the Emergence has only clipped part of the Inner Nest.¡±


    ¡°Or it''s both!¡± Sandy proclaimed by joining the conversation only to stare at Henry. ¡°Ignoring the chances for that, which of those two would be the better for us? Big man, you are the veteran here. Tell me.¡±


    ¡°Both suck, obviously.¡± Henry retorted back at the women, still his tone held no apparent malice. ¡°The first will exhaust us to the ground while the second will present us with no choice but to fight a Queen and her Royal Guards at the same time.¡± Shaking his head at the scenario in question, he continued laying out his opinion. ¡°Look¡­ I am all in for fighting strong opponents, but if there are more Royal Guards, I won''t be able to occupy all their attention as I am not a dedicated Tank. Not with a Queen present.¡±


    ¡°What if it''s both?¡± Hannah suddenly voiced her concerns.


    Hearing the question, Lee Ping replied. ¡°It means the Shroud is still expanding rapidly.


    Ugh¡­ Think of an Emergence as two flat sheets of paper bending towards each other and touching. One is our Layer of the Rift and the other is the Layer that has connected with this one.


    At the point of contact, something becomes the anchor sustaining the Emergence.


    Usually speaking, the anchor is a Nightmare, but sometimes an item gets chosen as well. When it does, it becomes an Item of Power with its grade depending on the Emergence and for how long the Emergence has sustained itself.


    Once an Emergence is identified, a Shroud is established by somebody to prevent the Emergence from growing further. The problem is, if the Shroud placement is wrong, its strength too weak, or its size too small, the containment process gets skewed and the result turns¡­ well, unfavorable, let us say, to the one establishing the Shroud.


    Does not matter that much to the silver bastards up on the ground since none of them have the power to call down a Shroud. Their boss however can, and he is¡­ Actually, never mind him.


    The result of this skewing can vary, but the most common is that the Emergence still continues its growth, it is just much slower than it used to be.¡±


    ¡°And that is bad?¡± Hannah inquired again.


    ¡°Like everything else, it depends on a lot of factors.¡± Lee Ping answered. ¡°Problem is. If the anchor is a Nightmare, the said Nightmare will grow in strength proportional to the Class of said Emergence.¡±


    ¡°Girl¡­¡± Henry suddenly called for her attention. ¡°This means that there is a chance of us facing a Fourth-Stage Boss, an Elder Nightmare.¡± Only, the moment Hannah tilted her head in confusion, Henry simply shook his head and ignored her, but not before saying one simple line. ¡°Just hope it is not happening.¡±


    Still not quite understanding the significance, yet getting enough of the message, Hannah nodded and simply turned silent.


    That was when Lee Ping spoke up. ¡°I propose one last attempt before we have to take a longer break. At that point, we can consider brainstorming a different approach. Any problems with that?¡±


    ¡°Fine with me!¡± Henry remarked.


    Sandy and Mira looked at themselves for a second before replying. ¡°Us as well.¡±


    That left only Cain and Hannah. But while Cain¡¯s opinion was cherished even if he nodded, Hannah¡¯s nod was glossed over so people could further engage in recovering through Commune.


    <hr>


    Feeling her soul swell and compact to produce 1 Free Stat Point and 1 Ability Point, Hannah quickly used her sole Free Stat point to increase her Insight once more, which set it at 14, which in turn, increased her Flow to 1.9, whatever that truly meant.


    One more and I will focus on Logic or Will next. Hannah determined for herself.


    That done, she took note of her current Power Point Reserve and ignored it to focus on the just gained Ability Point.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Ability Point Allocation is in progress!


    *


    General Ability Point Distribution Options;


    Utility - Internal - Pocket Dimension - 0/5 +


    Utility - Zone - Translocation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Savvy - Illusion of Serenity - 0/5 +


    Utility - Recovery - Illusion of Serenity - 1/5 +


    Utility - Endurance - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Adaptation - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Cognition - Rapid Mutation - 0/5 +


    Utility - Conception - Rapid Mutation - 1/5 +


    *


    Unique Ability Point Distribution Options;


    Utility - Extra Dreamon Ball - 1/5 +


    <hr>


    Staring at the visual interface in her sight, Hannah concentrated on the plus sign she needed and it happened.


    Her First Ability Slot tingled as it resonated with the Dreamon Ball within it to produce a certain effect she needed. Then when it was done, Hannah Conjured the pink ball, with black and white clouds as decorations on its surface, before quickly recalling Behold back within.


    Then, she poured one Power Point into her Dreamon Ball to once again discover an unknown with two known options. Picking the unknown, Hannah noted everything it told her as a result of its purpose. Only, it was not as she expected it.


    Behold did not Level Up as she had imagined, but the way her Scrying focused on delivering yet another strange side of perception regarding her Summon, Hannah understood that she was on the right track. It was just that, she could not be the one to initiate the Level Up. No, only Behold could do that.


    That being the case, and with one more puzzle piece available, reasoned that the answer lay in the third General Option for Rapid Mutation, option Cognition.


    Nevertheless, that was not all Hannah discovered.


    On the contrary, what she sensed only enlightened her more and more to what Rapid Mutation truly did, and what her father had Templated for her future.


    Specifically, if Rapid Mutation - Conception allowed her to sense all the possible directions for Behold to improve and Level Up, probably even more with more Ability Points involved, then Rapid Mutation - Adaptation allowed Hannah to discover Behold¡¯s current limitations and just how much those limitations could be flexed. Naturally, just like Conception, Adaptation was clouded by her inexperience to shift through what she sensed, but Hannah had this nagging feeling that, when combined with Conception, that inexperience could be substituted with¡­ Insight and Logic.


    Oh¡­ Is that what he meant with Stat Synergies?


    Regardless of the sudden discovery, Hannah tossed it aside as she was certain that Cognition was the key to guiding Behold to where he needed to go while Endurance was there to make it succeed in reaching the goal.


    Two more Levels before I can test it out, provided I have the Power Points needed at that point, that is.

 SR - Arc 2 - Chapter 22 - Capture?

    Images flashed through Hannah¡¯s awareness.


    Images of everything she had been through these last seven years.


    They were not chronological, but random bits of here and there. Some showed her when she was younger and some when she was older, yet all of them had one thing in common. In every flashing memory that passed through her awareness, she felt something enormous and all-encompassing narrow itself down to her level before it poured all of ITs attention over that flashing memory.


    It was like that every single time because, every time it happened, Hannah became aware that, after that particular memory survey elapsed, that enormous and all-encompassing something took that very memory and left only to be recalled back when the next random memory flashed through Hannah¡¯s awareness.


    Nevertheless, this enormous and all-encompassing something never extracted something without leaving something behind, something that filled Hannah¡¯s very core of existence, her Ego, her Spark of Life. Yet, there did come a point when her Spark of Life was filled to the brim, and when it did, that enormous and all-encompassing something ceased examining Hannah¡¯s life.


    Instead, it simply left and never returned.


    Regardless, with its leave, a giant bowl of free space was left behind. Perfect for Hannah¡¯s awareness to spread and occupy. Yet, the moment she had, she understood that the very space she had just spread into had, in fact, always been hers.


    She had just not been aware of it being there before this very moment.


    That very dichotomy of realization snapped Hannah¡¯s awareness away from the flashing memories of the past to the present moment where every memory was made. And when it happened, Hannah snapped open her brown eyes, of her Dream Body to once more witness that bleak environment of a collapsed tunnel made by huge ants that were not truly ants but ant-shaped Nightmares.


    ¡°Wha¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ You¡¯re awake.¡± The voice said, causing Hannah to snap in its direction only to see a man wearing an ancient Easter-styled garment with a pretty face that should not be on a male''s body. ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°How did it feel to finally sleep for the very first time ever since you began your Awakening?¡± Lee Ping asked, but he did not give Hannah the time to answer. ¡°Must have been jarring and conflicting to experience and understand just what Everything Else desires. Right?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Hannah stuttered before finally centering herself enough to down on her just what she''d just done unconsciously. ¡°I¡­ performed a Commune?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± As if not expecting her to know about it, Lee Ping failed to respond immediately, only for his mind to quickly extrapolate a possible answer. ¡°Was that what you spoke with Cain about?¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Lee Ping nodded. ¡°Since you know a bit about it, let me give you a warning. Memories and Emotions are what fuel the very you that is you in this moment. Whether painful or happy memories, they all make you who you are and to have those memories and emotions extracted means becoming a lesser version of yourself.


    Similar to a seam being pulled from a dress. If too many are pulled, the whole dress falls apart.


    You will be fine once you''re back within your Shell, though, at that time, be prepared for a different experience. Anyway, the point is for you to acquire some kind of Meditation Skill. That way you can recover Focus without sleeping all while being able to actively direct your Commune to prevent yourself from being deprived of some vital memories.


    It will take you some time to perfect the Meditation Skill, but it''s one of those Basic Skills that are relatively easy to master.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Ok.¡± Hannah hesitantly answered because she was still processing what she''d just done. ¡°How¡­ How long have I been asleep?¡±


    ¡°All uncontrolled Communes take about two hours.¡± Lee Ping replied. ¡°No idea why two, but that¡¯s how it is. Besides, it is not like you missed that much. We have been debating our current approach, and so far, the only outcome is to continue what we have previously done. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless?¡±


    ¡°Unless we try and make use of your particular Ability.¡±


    ¡°Mine?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yours.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ How?¡±


    ¡°By having you capture one of those ants and make it lead us to where we need to go.¡±


    Struck by the possibility, Hannah turned speechless as her head whipped around to check the faces of the other Party Members. Although, the moment she did, Hannah noted all of them staring at her with this or that look in their eyes.


    Henry, the ginger-haired big man, simply nodded and smirked at her when their eyes connected. Sandy simply shrugged her shoulders, while Mira presented a curious facade. Cain, on the other hand, displayed focused red eyes beaming right at her.


    Seeing and now sensing their attention on her, Hannah instantly turned nervous. ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lee Ping asked from the side. ¡°I have mentioned the possible side effects to them, and the Party has agreed that a simple donation to wake your new¡­ Dreamon. It presents a worthwhile investment compared to the regular scenario of us dredging through mountains of ants before actually finding that Sub-Boss.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ It is¡­¡± Ceasing there for a moment, Hannah closed her eyes and centered herself. That done, she opened her brown eyes before giving her Party a simple answer. ¡°I¡­ Don''t have a Template for it.¡±


    ¡°Template?¡± Once again Lee Ping prodded Hannah for answers.


    ¡°Hnn¡­ Father had prepared two Templates for me.¡± Hearing the extravagance from her words, the Party Members became flabbergasted since Templates were hard to make and even harder to acquire as they require specialized knowledge and tools to make. ¡°One was for my Dreamon Ball.¡± The same moment she said it, Hannah conjured it in her right hand since Behold had remained by her side all this time. ¡°With it, and the Materials prepared for my Awakening, my Dream¡­ my Ability reached A-Rank.¡±


    A few nods and shakes later, everybody sensed the arrival of the true topic, hence why, in the same instant, Behold felt the attention settle on its floating body. This made it nervous since every single one could effortlessly kill it, bar its Master who could command it effortlessly.


    ¡°Using the Ball, I could capture the Nightmare plaguing my Dream Instance and possibly reach S-Rank.¡± Hannah told them. ¡°However, since I hated it, not only because of what it had done to me for the last seven years¡­¡± Looks of astonishment passed through the party when hearing the number of years, but none of them interrupted to ask for details since asking for those was considered rude, among a plethora of more important reasons. ¡°but also because it was ugly and monstrous, Father made me a second Template to use during the moment of capture. The Template helped me focus and transform Behold into what it is now.¡±


    ¡°Girl¡­ As an Enchanter, I know a thing or two about Templates.¡± Henry interjected. ¡°Now that your Awakening is done, and considering the achievement of a Grand Awakening, you should not need Templates for any new Nightmare captured. You should be able to do something about yourself. Is that not so?¡± Considering the question for a single moment, especially after taking into consideration her very recent epiphanies regarding Ability Points, Hannah nodded. ¡°Good¡­ Then let me ask you this. What is truly stopping you right now from repeating what you did already once before?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Ceasing there and once again considering her situation, Hannah replied moments later. ¡°Knowledge?¡­ Experience?¡­ Ability Points?¡±


    ¡°All valid reasons.¡± Henny added, yet it was clear in his deep tone that he fished for something else. ¡°Aye¡­¡­ Even though you just mentioned it, you are still denying yourself the true reason behind your reluctance.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Girl¡­ Be simple and just admit it.¡± Henry sternly said, yet a smirk emerged on his lips. ¡°You just hate everything that is ugly.¡±


    <hr>


    Like a lightning bolt, the proposed remark rushed through Hannah¡¯s mind.


    ¡°No¡­¡± The more she felt herself, the more she wanted to utter a denial at the accusations. Yet, the greater her denial the greater the Truth rang true in her mind. ¡°That¡­ That is¡­¡±


    ¡°I can smell the denial all the way here.. .HaHa¡­¡± Henry commented after laughing at Hannah¡¯s expense. Or at least she assumed it was so because the man¡¯s rough and deep voice grated at her mind as if in tandem with her inner denial. ¡°Ha¡­ Did you really think just high-grade Materials and Templates are all that''s needed for somebody to achieve a Grand Awakening?


    Aye¡­ Just admit it, girl. You simply like things that please your sense of beauty. There is nothing wrong with that. No¡­ In truth, it''s one of the most common vices any Ego will manifest. Look at our resident Sanguine here.¡± Like a perfect distraction, everybody ignored Hannah for a moment to settle their gazes on the black man. ¡°You think he''s dressed like that because it''s purely practical? Go on¡­ Tell her how true my statement is.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Can¡¯t deny it, unfortunately.¡± Cain agreed. ¡°If I try wearing something not pleasing looking, the urge to kill somebody gets very annoying. It''s why all Sanguine are¡­ suckers for trending fashion and similar ugh¡­ material possessions, let us say.¡±


    ¡°Hear that?¡± Henry continued his rant. ¡°Look to your left and our Party Leader. Do you think his pretty face will accept anything not suiting its preferences?¡±


    ¡°There is no need to go that far.¡± Lee Ping defended himself. Though, deep down he had admitted it after living long enough in his current life and its Instincts. ¡°Still, Henry is right.¡± He said before staring at Hannah and her panicked face. ¡°The sooner you accept that you dislike surrounding yourself with ugly things, the easier it will be for you in the long run, especially after your Ego grows further.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hannah stuttered before her sight swished around and settled on the only two other girls around.


    ¡°My kink is not so much beauty, but a rather strong desire for adventure and battle.¡± Sandy confided in her Party. ¡°It''s why I like jumping into combat and slashing things apart.¡± That said, she turned to her other companion, Mira. ¡°How about you?¡±


    Frowning for a second, Mira replied. ¡°Not sure. Not exactly¡­ I am kind of veering toward Magic, its complexity, and its mysteries to be unearthed. Something like that, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Dear¡­ You could have just admitted something for the girl''s sake?¡± Henry admonished slightly as if his plan did not achieve 100% completion. ¡°Anyhow¡­ The point is this.¡± He said before standing up and walking up to Hannah only to crouch just before her. ¡°Will you admit to yourself that the only reason you even took¡­ that¡­ as your pet, is because your father promised you to make it cute? At least compared to what it had been prior. Or will you deny yourself of what you truly desire?¡±


    Being gazed down at by the giant ginger-haired man, Hannah gulped once, or twice before actually saying in return. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ Maybe?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ I''ll take the ¡®maybe¡¯ over a clear denial.¡± Henry said before extending a hand for Hannah to grab. When she did, he pulled her up and guided her right to the center of the group. ¡°Now say it. Say with some conviction.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I like cute things!¡±


    ¡°Louder¡±


    ¡°I LIKE CUTE THINGS!¡±


    ¡°LOUDER¡±


    ¡°I LIKE CUTE THINGS!¡±


    ¡°Good enough for now.¡± Henry uttered, only for his right hand to twirl in a grabbing motion and for a weird contraption to appear in his right hand. A contraption that seemed to spew out light on one side. Specifically, above itself. ¡°Take this and connect with it like you did with your gun.¡± Taking it and doing as told, Hannah parsed through the new information flooding her mind about MILP, an Item of Power that translated mental images, or impressions, into light projections through Focus utilization.


    ¡°Remember one of the smaller ants?¡± Henry proposed before Hannah did and a clear image appeared on the projection before her. ¡°Make it bigger¡­ Now make it smaller¡­ Zoom in on the head¡­ Now back to normal again¡­ Zoom in on the legs and back out¡­ That''s it¡­ Now tell me this. What is the first thing you dislike about the ant before you?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ Everything.¡±


    ¡°Be more specific. Is it the shape itself or the chitin exoskeleton?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ Both.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ This will be harder than I expected.¡± Henry murmured. ¡°Let''s start with something simpler like¡­ color. What about its color? Why not try making it pink like your Summon over there.¡± With the proposal in the air, Hannah tried imagining a pink ant, and the color of the projection changed, only, just being pink was not enough to make it cuter. ¡°Try some other colors.¡±


    Like that, Hannah switched from pink to blue, to green, to red, to purple, to yellow, and so on. Soon enough, as if in a trance, she simply began going back and forth before ultimately adding multiple colors without even noticing that Henry no longer demanded anything of her.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Instead, he and the rest of the Party glanced at each other and nodded in satisfaction at a job well done because they had indeed had a small discussion on how to help the young Summoner out in case problems arose from her newfound entry into the wider cosmos.


    Still, one thing all of them silently agreed to was that none of them expected the problem to stem from the artistic side instead of the engineering side.


    Once Hannah settled on a reasonable dual-color template of white and blue, specifically white at its main body with blue colors going down its extremities, she attempted to add some markings on the projected ant. Markings that were similar to Behold. However, it took her but a second to realize that, unlike her father, she was unable to make the markings be anything but a superficial external look instead of the Passives her Father had designed for Behold.


    Still, now that she was staring at the projection, Hannah had to admit that she felt much less reluctance regarding the capturing.


    On the other hand, the reluctance remained quite high due to its ant form.


    That was when Hannah had this sudden urge to change the ant''s original form.


    First appeared an ant standing on its two hind legs before its torso was shaped vertically, almost perpendicular to its lower body, while its upper leg became arms. Only, that form was quickly erased since it creeped her out. Then, came making it more human-like, but that too was quickly set aside due to a similar creep factor.


    In the end, after shaping this or that way, Hannah had to admit that the basic ant shape turned out to be much less heinous than the counterparts she could imagine at this moment.


    However, despite indulging in it, the urge would not leave her.


    No. It demanded some release, so Hannah tried changing the ant form from a chitin-based form to something much more primal, like earth or stone, water or fire, or something similar. But just like before, her inspiration failed to settle on any of those. So, in her bid to satisfy her inspiration her mind sought something more¡­ modern, and that was when it clicked to her, and when her mind focused on imagining the ant as a plushie toy.


    Yes¡­ a plushie ant-shaped toy, which suddenly came alive only to realize it could not move due to its missing stuffed legs due to a child ripping them off for its own amusement. To cover that weakness, Hannah imagined herself patching up the flaw with metal protrusions mimicking its legs with robot parts, only haphazardly as if the flaw was fixed by the same child who ripped them off in the first place.


    ¡°An interesting¡­ design you got there.¡± Henry finally spoke up after noticing no more changes emerging from the projector.


    <hr>


    ¡°It is¡­ Isn''t it?¡± Hannah excitedly voiced out.


    ¡°Yea¡­ Ugh¡­ I must admit I did not think your imagination would go in that direction.¡± Henry slightly hesitantly replied before setting aside the design to consider the practical side with his experience as an Enchanter. Yes, he went the simple brute type way since he adored bulldozing and smashing his enemies, but just because he did, did not mean his Enchanter background suddenly vanished. ¡°But¡­ I do not imagine this working.¡±


    Blinking out of her excited state, Hannah said only one word. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I do not know nor desire to know the details of your Ability.¡± Henry reasoned out. ¡°But one thing I can tell from that design of yours is that it looks more like a Dream-toy coming alive than an actual ant-like Nightmare becoming a toy with robo legs.¡± As if realizing herself, Hannah¡¯s face projected a dejected and disappointed mind. ¡°That aside¡­ Even if your Conceptualization could bridge the gap between the two, it will require experience and far more Power Points than you could possibly have right now due to its complexity despite the apparent simplistic nature of toy and robot. More importantly, will your Ability manifest those robotic legs from Nothing or will it require additional Material to bridge the gap? I ask this because Terminid Worker Ants have no metal Aspects within them.


    At least as far as I know.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Hannah murmured before quickly reverting the changes back to the white-blue ant.


    ¡°You do not have to sound so disappointed, girl.¡± Henry remarked. ¡°All we need is a temporary guide. So when that is done, you can just throw it away.¡±


    ¡°Throw?¡± Hannah repeated horrified before remembering that Lee Ping had used a similar analogy for Behold before it woke up.


    Noticing the brief revulsion, Henry corrected his previous mistake. ¡°You don''t have to throw it away. But consider this. Ants are swarm-type creatures, therefore, unless you can capture a whole swarm, that one ant you capture will likely be useless to you.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°With that out of the way. Is that enough to sway you to capture an ant and make it guide us toward the Sub-Box or are we going to repeat our earlier tactic?¡± Henry inquired by pointing at the projector in Hannah¡¯s hands.


    After debating for a few moments, Hannah replied. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Nonetheless, the moment she said that out loud, her reluctance for the admission settled inside her with a desire and a promise for the next Dreamon to be something more¡­ normal.


    Perhaps a dog? No¡­ A rabbit.


    ¡°Good¡­ Anything else you need? You mentioned Ability Points earlier?¡± Henry asked.


    Reminded of the problem, Hannah nodded. ¡°Ah¡­ I need at least two more Ability Points. Umm¡­ It should work even without them but with them, there should be much better chances for success.¡±


    With a quick glance at his visual screen, Henry confirmed the number. ¡°So Level 6 is what you need?¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡­ I thought I would level up after our last fight, just like I had the previous breaks.¡±


    ¡°No true surprise there. Every Level needs more Experience than the previous one. That means you should be close to Level 5, with Level Six being not far behind.¡± Turning to Lee Ping, Henry inquired. ¡°What do you think? Level up during the fighting before slowing down and letting her kill some of the bigger ones after I prepare them?¡±


    ¡°Early Forging is rather quick so that won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Lee Ping replied. ¡°No... The problem will be actually dealing damage to Juvenile Class Nightmares. The gun I gave her can''t penetrate their chitin shell unless more shots hit the very same area.¡±


    ¡°I can just crack the shell for her.¡±


    ¡°That would just reduce the amount of Experience gained from the Kill even further.¡± Lee Ping quickly denied. ¡°Which would lead to more kills needed. No¡­ The solution for that problem would be to put the gun into Damage Mode.¡±


    ¡°Damage Mode?¡± Hannah voiced out, clearly not remembering something like that from the knowledge the gun had shared with her.


    ¡°The NTT COLT LM 10 is a Tool designed for maximum training capacity.¡± Lee Ping explained. ¡°Meaning, it favors efficiency over power output. It''s why you get ten shots for each PP spent on it. Damage Mode reverses that, where each shot is exactly 1 PP.¡±


    Frowning for a moment, Hannah quickly stepped back to her resting place and picked up the gun-shaped Item of Power to peruse the instructions it shared with her. ¡°I don''t see anything like that.¡±


    ¡°It''s a hidden feature, so it''s not in the instructions.¡± Lee Ping said. ¡°Besides. Henry, I don''t think this approach will be good either way. No¡­ The majority of her Experience comes from the smaller ones being effectively solo killed by her, so we can just repeat what we have done so far. After all, it''s not like we will arrive at our destination that much sooner even with a guide.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­ Anything else you will need? Better think about it now than suddenly realizing in the middle of a battle.¡± Henry poised the question at Hannah, who in turn turned silent to think about it.


    That was when she realized something obvious.


    She needed Power Points to kill the ant-shaped Nightmares to earn Experience.


    She needed Power Points to Conjure her second Dreamon Ball, and considering the hidden feature she had discovered after unlocking her Ability Uniqueness, she would need at the very least four Power Points for the Conjuring. However, if she wanted to guarantee any success during the capturing process, she needed another four Power Points to utilize her Dreamon Ball to its best current capabilities.


    This meant she needed at least eight Power Points, with nine being the more likely case since she planned on enabling the Recovery feature of the second Dreamon Ball.


    Indeed, had she not increased her Ego through the earlier gained SAPs, she would not have been able to even attempt Conjuring a second Dreamon Ball while planning to use it the very next second without a good long rest in between.


    Nine Power Points left to do as I wish. But if the first attempt at capturing fails, that leaves me with four less, probably.


    So¡­ Fifty bullets is my maximum limit without a Potion of Power Recovery. Or another sleeping Commune. Hannah realized. When she did, she faced Lee Ping. ¡°I will need another Potion¡­ I think.¡±


    ¡°Pff¡­ That one is a no-brainer.¡±


    <hr>


    With the plan, a plan that perfectly resembled Plan A for the moment, the Party ventured back into the maze of ant tunnels.


    There they found more ants, as if they simply had no end.


    They killed and killed until it was clear that a break was needed and they enacted another simple cave-in scenario.


    That was when Hannah became Level 5 and spent her Stat Point and Ability Point.


    The Stat Point went into Insight, increasing her Flow from 1.8 to 1.9 while the Ability Point went into Rapid Mutation - Cognition.


    Similar to before, during its distribution her First Ability Slot trembled before resonating with her Dream Ball to unlock the feature she needed for guiding her Dreamon. Although, that was in theory since Hannah had yet to activate it in fear of wasting her recovering Power Points.


    Regardless, after the break was over, there came the time for more ant killing, only it turned out that a small change was made in favor of providing Hannah with as much kill potential for this attempted round. All in the hopes of not needing another round. Naturally, since not much changed from the earlier Plan A, Lee Ping tried his best to guide his team in the right direction. But it seems that it was not meant to be, which only further demonstrated to the Party that they must have taken the wrong route early on.


    Either way, after lots of shooting for Hannah, a break was issued.


    Unfortunately, as it turned out, the latest excursion was not enough for Hannah to reach Level 6. Nevertheless, similar to Level 5, she had to be close to it. That being the case, the following excursion for ant killing did not last very long. In truth, the moment Hannah discovered the forge icon on her visual screen, she alerted Lee Ping who in turn alerted everybody else of the following actions, which was a tightening of their formation and therefore, the amount of wiggle room the ants had in reaching Hannah swiftly vanished.


    During that moment, Hannah spent one Stat Point on Flow, upping it from 1.9 to 2. The major breakpoint became the latest Ability Point as it finally finished unlocking every basic feature of Rapid Mutation. When it did, there was a notable difference in how her First Ability Slot trembled and resonated with her Dreamon Ball. Nonetheless, just like with the previous unlocking, without an active infusion of a Power Point, the truth of the Rapid Mutation - Endurance feature would not show itself. Yet, before even that happened, it was time for Hannah to Conjure her second Dreamon Ball by focusing on the empty slot within her First Ability Slot.


    Pouring Five Power Points into the empty slot, Hannah discovered the true depth of her First Ability Uniqueness. The depth that its unlocking failed to reveal. Yet, at the same time, these revelations had very little influence on what she needed to do right this very second. So, Hannah ignored those revelations and finally affirmed her choice, and when she did, in her outstretched left hand, a replica of her Dreamon Ball appeared, all pink with white and black clouds.


    ¡°I have it.¡± Hannah shouted the moment it appeared.


    ¡°Finally¡­ Henry, grab and drag one.¡±


    ¡°Coming right up.¡± The large ginger-haired and armored man replied and not a moment later, a hip-sized ant was grabbed by its upper and lower torso segment, thus thereby totally neutralizing the ant.


    Once he was about less than five meters near Hannah, a distance measured right before this last attempt to explore the ant tunnels, Hannah pointed her second Dreamon Ball and willed its jagged red lighting to encapsulate the ant-shaped Nightmare. When it did, however, there was no instant vanishing like it occurred with Behold.


    No, the ant somehow resisted the effort so it took much longer than any of them formulated would.


    Regardless, in the end, it was done and the ant vanished.


    That very same instant, Hannah poured four Power Points into the second Dreamon Ball, all with the intention of activating every feature of the Rapid Mutation Aspect and Evocation of her First Ability.


    Those features told Hannah what was happening inside and what she could possibly do while it was occurring because, not a moment sooner, Hannah felt her Dreamon ball wiggle once to indicate a successful capture of the ant-shaped Nightmare.


    What actually occurred was that the captured ant-shaped Nightmare fidgeted around within a black void with its legs not being able to catch onto anything, and this sense of no attachment to anything sent it into an extreme panic mode.


    It was at that point when the first wiggle occurred, thus declaring the success of the capture.


    Nonetheless, what came next, was much more significant as Hannah sensed her Dreamon Ball activate its ultimate purpose as it attached and infused its ultimate purpose onto and into the ant in question.


    When it did, she sensed the ant dissolving from its extremities before actually vanishing altogether. Only, this was no true vanishing because something had been left behind. Something that Hannah was extremely familiar with, as she had had access to loads of it during her Awakening. Namely, this something was Pure Potential, although, in the ant-shaped Nightmare¡¯s case, not exactly Pure since it had been colored by its past existence which in turn generated restrictions in terms of its future Potential.


    Though, now that Hannah was sensing this spectacle, she remembered similar impressions during the final moments of her Awakening, after capturing the Beholder Nightmare.


    Shaking her head, and ignoring the lacking depth and breadth of the ant-shaped Nightmare¡¯s existence, it was at this very moment that Hannah truly realized just how utterly low this Terminid Worker Ant was in terms of Existence inside the Cosmos.


    At least, when compared to just how much Pure Potential she had had access to during her Awakening. Truthfully, it was like comparing a firefly to a glowing all-radiating Sun trekking a path across the skies.


    It was that very realization, of the difference between it and her, that made Hannah pity it.


    Thanks to Rapid Mutation - Cognition, a connection existed between Hannah and the Nightmare in question. That very connection, plus the instinctive pity she felt in this very important moment, reflected off of Hannah¡¯s awareness to become an unconscious crushing force delivered right onto the Terminid Worker Ant¡¯s Will. Unfortunately, when a firefly did a contested Will check against a Sun, it was the ant which got sunburned. Indeed, with the ant¡¯s Will being so feeble, so faint and impotent, all it took was a tiny bit of pity to break it, due to Hannah¡¯s radiating and Unyielding Will, and for ant-shaped Nightmare to puff out of existence when its embryonic Ego failed to sustain its continual existence.


    Then, with its Will and Ego broken, the Tainted Potential which no longer possessed an anchor, attempted to dissipate itself. Yet, when it came across the inner walls of the Dreamball, that was where it ceased its journey before being absorbed.


    Absorbed and stockpiled, if Hannah¡¯s Scrying impressions were correct.


    Still, since everything occurred so fast, barely half a minute, perhaps even less, it was as if Hannah had closed her eyes for a bit and opened them right after.


    Yet when Lee Ping, who had paid the most attention to her, saw the shocked expression, he knew it was a failure.


    ¡°Henry¡­ Prepare another one.¡± Lee Ping shouted before quickly addressing Hannah. ¡°Quick¡­ What was the problem? What happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I pitied it¡­ I think.¡± Hannah finally voiced her flabbergasted experience. ¡°Yes¡­ I pitied its Potential and it broke it.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Honestly speaking. That makes a lot of sense. However, you will need to refrain from doing it this time. Understood?¡± Not a moment later, Henry carried the next victim. ¡°Try it again.¡±


    A quick gulp, a nod, and a jagged red lightning flashed out to capture the hip-sized Nightmare.


    There was a bit of a struggle, but just like the first one, it vanished into the Dreamonball. However, just as Hannah wanted to infuse more Power Points into her Dreamon Ball, she sensed that her previous infusion still held in place since the features she had activated had barely been used at all.


    With that as the center point, Hannah assured herself that she would have more chances at this than initially imagined. Only, Hannah could not be more happy because, similar to the first one, she could not refrain her instinctive reaction from occurring and breaking the second ant-shaped Nightmare at its most vulnerable moment.


    ¡°Pitied it again?¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡­ Could not help myself.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Will take a while, it seems.¡±

 SR - Arc 2 - Chapter 23 - Guardian?

    Another jagged red lighting went out and completed its purpose of capture, yet just like its predecessor, it took but a few moments to pass for another jagged red lightning to reach out, and then another and another, until eventually Hannah simply did not have any further Power Points to spare for infusing into her Dreamon Ball.


    Not if she wanted to keep a few points back in case she needed to use her gun-shaped Item of Power.


    Because of that, another break was issued, and a longer one as well. One where Hannah had to sleep to recover her spent Power Points. An action where she would unconsciously or subconsciously, whichever fit her narrative better, Commune with Everything Else where she traded some of her past Experience in exchange for Power to fuel her Spark of Life, her Ego.


    Due to that, glimpses of Hannah¡¯s past streamed through her awareness before vanishing entirely from her existence. Luckily, none of what Everything Else took had been that important. It was mostly about the suffering she had Experienced under the Nightmare plaguing her Dream Instance in the last seven years.


    As such, when Hannah woke up, she felt rejuvenated at the expense of a few memories she could do without. Nevertheless, remembering Lee Ping¡¯s earlier warning, Hannah promised herself that she would learn Meditation and Active Commune as soon as possible once she was out of this Emergence and the Shroud containing it.


    On the other hand, since that time had yet to come, Hannah continued the next best thing to reach that time, namely capturing and transmuting a Terminid Worker Ant into a Dreamon.


    Unfortunately, things were not going well even after she had figured out how to use every single feature of her Dreamon Ball.


    Specifically, the features attached to the Rapid Mutation Evocation of her Dreamon Ball, but to be even more specific, the feature Endurance, which was related to the overall capacity of captured Nightmare to endure the process of transmutation from a Nightmare into a Dreamon.


    Indeed, Endure not only helped the Nightmare endure the ongoing transmutation process, but it also helped Hannah to not stifle the Embryonic Ego of the captured Nightmare through reflected unconscious impressions upon an Embryonic Ego.


    Yet, despite it being there, the process of transmutation was simply too rigorous for an Embryonic Ego of the captured ant-shaped Nightmare. Mostly due the ants captured so far being considered of the Spawn Class. However, the truth was that not all Spawn Class Nightmares were of the same quality, no matter if the Nightmare came from the Terror, Horror, or Hazard category. Hence, why a Spawn would always be a Spawn and thus easily replaceable, only in today¡¯s case  Hannah learned just how much the term expandable meant, or better said did not mean, to Swarm-type Nightmares.


    Unbeknownst to Hannah, while she was exhibiting more effort and learning as much as she could in these somewhat dire circumstances, Lee Ping had another objective.


    Well, it was the same as before in terms of finding the goal of their Quest for freedom. But what was different was that, during the initial conversation when he had revealed a bit of Hannah¡¯s Ability, the Party Members decided not to put all of their eggs into one basket. However, just in case, they chose not to mention these new eggs to Hannah because all Dreamers were aware that critical progress in one''s Abilities and Skills was usually foreshadowed by extraneous circumstances of either great emotional value or life-threatening peril.


    As such, the Party simply decided to extend one such pressure condition to Hannah in order to make her progress. Only even if the progress appeared, the Party knew this progress would be closer to a wild card, something to hope for yet not rely on. That being the case, during these latest excursions into the ant maze, Lee Ping had been adjusting their course to return them to whence they came from, only not directly, since that path got blocked by themselves, but in a spiraling motion that led further down into the underground instead of up.


    It was because of that hidden plan, that his fox ears flickered with a newfound echo in the distant maze. A sound that had not appeared before because not only was it distinct but it also portrayed a rather heavy or dense feeling as he processed it.


    Indeed.


    It was entirely different from the sounds he''d grown accustomed to hearing from this Emergence.


    Ignoring everything else, his Focus centered around demystifying the origin of that distant sound, and that was when it clanged once more. Deep¡­ Heavy¡­ Dense. Indeed, now that it had repeated itself, he knew for sure it had not been his mind conjuring things up.


    With that clarified, his response became immediate. ¡°HENRY! PLAN D! THAT WAY!!!¡±


    The way his sudden shout appeared, every Party member was stunned by the sudden declaration.


    Luckily, after having fought just ants for what felt like ten hours, breaks included, the fighting experience had forced the Party to get accustomed to the worker ant-shaped Nightmare¡¯s behavior and attack pattern. This meant that, despite the sudden proclamation, none of them were caught totally out of place to not be able to immediately recover.


    At least, if one excluded Hannah who was both shocked by the announcement and the very fact that a Plan D existed.


    Regardless of her feelings, Henry bellowed a cry of relief. ¡°FINALLY!!!¡± With the cry, he broke the neck of the hip-sized ant he was about to grab. ¡°LET¡¯S GOO!!!¡± After the sudden exclamation of new things awaiting him, he immediately drew his sword in its small form and rushed toward the pointed-out tunnel.


    A moment later, the Party followed, only Hannah felt a tiny bit overwhelmed by the sudden change. Still, she had no choice but to follow and forget about the next capture.


    Meanwhile, Behold who had so far done nothing this whole trip into the underground maze ever since being first woken from its hibernation, simply cruised after its Master, as per usual.


    Although, not all was as usual for this very new version of its existence.


    Not at all.


    The reason being? Behold was having conflicting impressions about what its Master was trying to do. Namely, the capturing and converting of Nightmares into what it currently was, whatever it currently was because the only thing Behold knew was that it was a Dreamon.


    That was it.


    There was nothing else to tell it what to be and what to do.


    Nonetheless, the true conflicting impressions came from the undeniable experience of what it had gone through during its own transformation from Nightmare into a Dreamon. To be even more precise. Behold was wondering if it should feel happy and content that it is possible to gain a companion with whom to bask in its Master¡¯s Radiance or to be in fact judgemental about this new possible presence since it seemed that not every Nightmare could join it.


    Perhaps there was more within those impressions, but Behold was entirely new to those kinds of new emotional responses since it had never had those before becoming a Dreamon.


    <hr>


    As eager as the ginger-haired big guy called Henry professed his desire for a change of circumstances down here in the deep underground, he knew he could not rush onwards too far or too fast.


    Instead, he had to clear the way before the next intersection of the ant maze before once again being pointed out the path forward. Three tunnels later, those new circumstances awaited him in the form of enlarged tunnels, both width, and height, as if the crawlers that crawled up ahead were of an entirely different stature.


    That very impression proved itself right when Henry witnessed the distinct shape of something new rushing at him and the Party he protected behind him. As for its shape, it was similar to ants in general, with their triangular heads, a segmented body, and a chitin exoskeleton covering said body and many limbs. From there, however, the new Nightmare veered off grandly because, not only was it bigger than the Juvenile Class Terminid Worker Ants that had appeared so far, but its upper body and lower body had shifted priorities.


    Meaning, it no longer used all of its legs to move but only the last four.


    Similar to how the girl had let her imagination run wild with his little trinket that translated mental images into light projections. Only here, the big difference was that the upper body had not been humanized but instead held onto its insect-like origin but with the added cliche of two more appendages, one larger set and one smaller, that seemed closer to scythes than simple utility appendages.


    Indeed, seeing it rush at him, Henry grinned with ecstasy as his First Ability flared up with Power he had not displayed so far because he had not needed it so far.


    At its core, it was a simple thing, just an Enchantment increasing the Stats attached to the Ability called Call to Arms, the First Ability Sequence of the Six Enchantments depicting the standard Warrior Pathway.


    The way it worked was by temporarily increasing the user''s Tolerance for their Vessel to flex outwardly, better said, the underlying structure of the Vessel depicting Strength. Then Instinct guided said increased Tolerance through Acuity, such that the increased Strength generated an entirely new passive Flow within the User. After that, Logic tuned that new passive Flow for what was needed at the moment with some Concentration only for Will to steady it down even further before Adapting this new passive Flow to the already active Flow within the User, such that these two Flows merged and multiplied each other effects through determined Insights of what and where the desired results needed to be.


    Naturally, those results were further defined through Skills, but in this case, all Henry needed was for his already enlarged sword to falter the incoming enemy''s attention, and the way he did was to use his enlarged sword, and its increased weight and reach, to parry the oversized scythe-like appendages of the Mature Class Terminid Warrior Ant coming at him.


    When the rest of the Party noticed the incoming Warrior Ant, the Party made no instant reactions because so far Henry had proved his ability in his acting Role as a Bruiser for the Party.


    Nevertheless, just holding it off was not enough. ¡°Cain, Sandy take care of those behind us. Mira, prepare your Shards and target the leg joints of that big ant on my command.¡±


    With those orders, Lee Ping instantly used his First and Second Ability to manifest four blue/white talismans before flicking them at the Warrior Ant. Not having been given any order, Hannah watched the four streaks of blue and white split and veer around Henry before quickly attaching themselves to the thick chitin legs of the big ant only to glow brighter for a second and transform into flaming chains that bound themselves around the legs of the big ant.


    In the same instance, Hannah saw and heard the chitin legs sizzle as if strong acid had been poured onto them. That was when multiple actions occurred at once. Henry jumped back and out of the big scythe limbs attack range. Obviously, being bound for a moment, the ant could not rush after him, but it was obvious that that would not be for long because the chains made of blue/white flame appeared to be straining for their existence.


    Still, it was enough for Lee Ping to cry out an order for Mira to fire off her Shards at the newly generated weakness.


    Just like the many times Hannah had seen her do before on the smallest hip-sized ants, the Shards flew away, with each of the four legs receiving two Shards.


    Witnessing the incoming Shards, the Warrior Ant tried to bat away the Shards, but the Shards simply dodged aside before landing onto the exposed and vulnerable joints of the Warrior Ant and causing a lot of impact damage before shattering the joints in question, specifically the internal components used for the joints, thus thereby causing the big ant to almost instantly plop to the ground of the tunnel they were in without any choice in the matter.


    At the same time, the chains of blue/white fire vanished and Henry stepped forward again to occupy the now crippled hybrid ant''s attention that looked to be a cross between an ant and a mantis.


    Still, one thing was certain. Just this, was not enough to get rid of this obstacle before them, and the worst part for Hannah was that she knew just how useless she was at this point. Her Colt basically did very little damage to the larger variants of the Worker Ant, so by exclusion, it should be even less effective on this one.


    Glancing at Behold as its sole eye focused intently on the actions going on, Hannah shook away the pervading thought to use its Null Ability. Not only because it had appeared exhausting on Behold, but also because, so far at the very least, no ant had appeared to use any Abilities warranting such usage.


    In the end, the only thing Hannah could do was turn away from the big ant and point her gun-shaped Item of Power at the smaller ants.


    However, the underlying uselessness she felt at this moment never went away.


    No, with its constant reminder, on top of everything she had witnessed so far on this day of her Awakening, Hannah nurtured a hidden but slowly building desire to improve herself, and the key for that was Behold and any other Dreamon she acquired in the future since the evidence was clear from her current Experience.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Her gun had its limits and the same should apply to all Items of Power.


    This meant the only thing she could truly trust was her own Ability or future Abilities.


    Hnn¡­ Hannah hummed and nodded her head before realigning the corsair in her vision with another hip-sized ant coming their way.


    <hr>


    Finishing off the now crippled Mature Class Terminid Warrior Ant was much easier than when it had not been. Still, it had taken another fourfold binding talisman from Lee Ping on the scythe-like upper appendages to give Henry the needed wiggle room to simply step forward and decapitate the Warrior Ant that was a hybrid of an ant''s lower body and the upper body of a mantis.


    Nevertheless, one thing this big hybrid ant revealed was just how much it took for them to finish off just one of them, never mind the many more awaiting them. On the other hand, after more tunnels and encountering a few more, the Party quickly grew accustomed to their presence, though, whenever they did encounter one, the tactic remained pretty much the same, namely that it centered around Henry, Lee Ping, and Mira.


    However, there were differences.


    Mainly when the Warrior Ant professed a different hybrid template instead of ant/mantis, like ant/beetle with a tougher exoskeleton needing much more firepower to kill it, or ant/grasshopper, or something like it at least, constantly hopping around thus straining Henry¡¯s ability to occupy its center of attention. The strongest however had been an ant/scorpion with a stinger and two large but strong pincers. With that one, Henry had to be much more careful of having his sword or himself grabbed for long enough for the stinger above its back to sting and poison or envenom him. It had required Lee Ping three separate binding talismans and three separate Shard Castings to eliminate the ant/scorpion''s mobility, grappling potential, and the stinger¡¯s attack potential before Henry had been safe enough to stick his large swords into its head.


    Indeed, the Warrior Ants were proving themselves very time and resource-consuming foes to face to fight, which in turn shouldered a lot more responsibilities onto Cain and Sandy to deal with the increased numbers of Worker Ants now that the majority of their Party got occupied by the new arrivals.


    Luckily, Hannah¡¯s improving familiarity with her gun proved itself more and more useful in lowering the numbers of the smaller ones while Henry, Lee Ping, and Mira dealt with the biggest ones.


    Unfortunately, the increased appearance rate of the Warrior Ants leveraged higher consumption resources from the Party, thus necessitating more breaks as well, thus translating into even more cave-in scenarios as the search for the Sub-Boss continued. Still, as the Party continued toward their goal, it was only a matter of time till they reached it because the tunnels around them were getting bigger and bigger, which prompted Hannah to ask for some clarifications.


    After hearing those very clarifications, Hannah prodded Lee Ping to inform her of just how to activate the Damage Mode for the COLT he had given her, so she could at least be of some use against the larger worker ant variants.


    Acquiescing to the request, Lee Ping explained the process of utilizing two more Focus Points, one for infusing a Power Point into the COLT¡¯s handle and the other to withhold the COLT¡¯s designed purpose for splitting that Power Point into ten slices.


    Naturally, it was not that simple since it required a bit of direct and active mental control despite the involved Focus Points. This left Hannah a bit strained since this usage meant she would only have one Focus Point left for free utilization. Thankfully, the only thing Hannah knew to use it for was Vision Magnification, and that was utterly useless down deep in the ant maze.


    A little quirk of the Damage Mode for the COLT was that if the singular but powerful shot had not been fired all while Hannah withdrew the involved extra Focus Points, the COLT in question would automatically process the already present energy into the regular ten shots to prevent any untoward spending of energy.


    Right after that conversation, Hannah had only one thing left to do, either try sleeping or simply wait while the Potion of Power Regeneration did its work behind the scenes. Only, in truth, there was something else she could do, and that was to finally allow herself a Level Up since it had been bottled up for a while at Level 6.


    The reason for that action had been simple, and that reason was to stockpile her Experience in order to generate Special Action Points so she could increase her Ego Stat and therefore the number of Power Points available for usage.


    The idea behind it was simple since the Level Up notifications alerted her of the mechanism behind Leveling Up. Still, after a simple inquiry for the Party, during one specific break, right after her attempts in capturing and transuming an ant Nightmare failed, her thoughts had been confirmed and elaborated on. Namely, they affirmed to Hannah that the act of withholding oneself from Leveling Up, by stockpiling Experience for the next Level Up, was and is considered the most basic Special Action needed and required for Special Action Points to appear.


    Nonetheless, a downside of this was that it took much more Experience for the conversion to occur compared to how little was needed if the Experience was to be done for the first time.


    That being the case, the rarity of Special Action Points only increased in Hannah¡¯s mind, thus one more time reminding her of just how much she had squandered right after Awakening by spending everything on an even distribution.


    Yet, that very same distribution was saving her, or something close to it, in her current situation.


    Another reason Hannah attempted this stockpiling of Experience had to do with the fact that she had already unlocked Rapid Mutation completely, at least its basic version, and going beyond the basics felt unneeded.


    The same applied to all the other options regarding Ability Points, hence, why Hannah wondered if she should or should not Level Up.


    Only, the problem stopping her from outright doing it was her uncertainty if she had already argued the needed amount for at least two SAPs so her Ego would reach twenty allocated points. What exactly occurred at twenty allocated points? Hannah knew not. Even if nothing did, she would at least gain a few more Power Points to increase her safety net, especially now that she knew how to use Damage Mode for her COLT.


    Whatever the case, Hannah pondered upon this small conundrum.


    In the end, however, her choice was to not do it.


    <hr>


    Coming out of the latest break, through a flaming tunnel just large enough for humans, the Party continued their dive deeper and deeper into the ant maze.


    Once again endless numbers of Spawn Class Terminid Worker Ants Nightmares rushed at them, with many Juvenile Class Terminid Worker Ants appearing as well. Naturally, with the numbers involved a few Mature Class Terminid Warrior Ants transformed their dive into a crawl.


    Still, after two tunnel intersections a change occurred from the plane and repetitive circumstances.


    It was a big change, at that.


    So big, in fact, that Hannah glared with open eyes at just how large the new tunnel before them had become. Indeed, were she not seeing it personally, she would not have believed that such large tunnels could ever exist under the earth. Tunnels that were triple the size of what she''d just left and at least five times those she had initially stepped into when they had first started their dive, with at least seven times that of the subway tunnel they had used to enter the ant maze.


    All in all, it was big, and that helped Hannah digest the information she''d been told about Terminid Nests and what lay within them, usually speaking that is.


    Unfortunately, this very size presented a sharp vulnerability since it presented her enemies with much more room to maneuver around when attacking them. As if recognizing the very same, Hannah heard Lee Ping bellow out orders. ¡°Gather around me! Gir¡­ Hannah, retrieve your Summon, and place that gun into your Inventory! Henry! When she''s done grab and carry her. I don''t care how. Mira! Jump onto Cain¡¯s back and hold tight.¡± Right after the order was given, an order that was both simple and confusing, for Hannah at least, she saw Lee Ping conjure another blue/white talisman.


    Shaking away the slight confusion of the moment, Hannah did as told.


    One quick hand motion and the gun vanished just like the few times she practiced invoking her Inventory. Then, another quick hand motion and her Dreamon Ball appeared before zapping Behold and depositing it inside the Ball. As for the Ball in question, which could not be recalled back into her First Ability Slot now that Behold occupied it, it got shoved into her skirt pocket.


    Just as Hannah managed it, a big gauntlet hand grabbed her on the back collar of her father¡¯s brown jacket, which she unknowingly brought from her Dream Instance, before placing her body over his right shoulder and right onto the metallic shoulder pad as if she were a sack of potatoes to be carried, with the stomach area becoming the cushion against its hardness.


    ¡°Welcome to the Henry Express.¡± Henry almost yelled out. Only, by the time Hannah processed the words, the talisman Lee Ping had conjured exploded and covered an area around them with a strange white but see-through mist. With its appearance, Lee Ping bellowed another order. ¡°I can''t maintain this for long, so don''t dawdle around.¡±


    With that said, Lee Ping took the forefront of their group instead of Henry only for the Party to follow him with a mild run. Though, as Hannah found out, a mild run for this Party of Dreamers was closer to a basic sprint for normal people.


    No¡­ For Mortals. Hannah quickly corrected her mind because she no longer counted as a normal person.


    Whatever the case, sprint or mild run, the truth, however, was that the Party ran basically straight through the large tunnel as if no obstacles existed between them and their goal.


    Only that was far from the truth because many ant-shaped Nightmares, small, large, and big, used this extremely wide and high tunnel as a central highway for going to and from places. Nonetheless, the reason it was so easy for them to move in this way was because every single one of them scuttled away from the Party and the white mist surrounding them.


    Almost like the white mist projected the most vile experience onto them, thus making them scuttle away and giving the Party free right of passage.


    Propping herself on Henry¡¯s red armor, all while trying her best to ignore the tight hold he held on her back, Hannah tried her best to take a look behind her and through the white mist to see what was happening. It was a bit hard to make out, but after ignoring Sandy and Cain, who in turn carried Mira on his back with her arms around his neck and his arms holding onto her legs, Hannah had this vague impression that for every Nightmare the white mist forced away, one more took a backseat behind them only to eventually follow them for some distance.


    Not to mention the various openings on the side that could and probably did spew out more Nightmares their way.


    Not being able to hold back her curiosity, and the mild panic-induced thought of what awaited them after the white mist ceased doing whatever it did, Hannah ignored everything behind them to stare at Henry¡¯s big face with very wide eyes.


    Noticing her gaze, Henry gave the young girl a smirk before shrugging his shoulders. Only in this case, Hannah felt the shoulder shrug more than she saw it. As such, with no answer, the Party simply continued in their modest run through the very large tunnel.


    The tunnel itself was not straight as it bent this or that way, but if anybody asked for clarifications for the retelling of this story and adventure into the deep depths, it may as well have been straight.


    Indeed.


    For the next five minutes or so, the Party used this central pathway to head deeper and deeper into the Terminid Nest.


    Naturally, since an end had to come, and when it did, this mode of passage felt both shockingly slow and fast. Only, this end came not from them reaching a dead end but from something blocking their passage. Something that refused to budge away despite the white mist scarring away everything else. Perhaps it had something to do with its enormous size denoting its tier of existence. Or perhaps it was the fact that its head was turned away from them with the Party only witnessing its somewhat round but. Regardless, the truth could not be denied when it was before them, especially for Hannah since she was witnessing something alive being the size of two two-story houses.


    Maybe one and a half if one ignored the fact that only its eight legs made it appear that tall and wide.


    No even wider. Hannah suddenly realized.


    Still, that made its main body, at least one house in size comparison, and that spoke wonders of what they faced in this very moment.


    ¡°Is¡­ Is that a Guardian?¡± Hannah voiced out after a quick regurgitation of the brief knowledge shared with her not long ago. ¡°How? How do you kill that?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t!¡± The man who carried her answered. ¡°That size you see? It proves our worst-case scenario being true.¡± Not giving Hannah a chance to reply to her ignorance, Henry addressed Lee Ping. ¡°Boss. Around or through it?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Around it, obviously. I am not an idiot. One random swing of its legs and we are paste.¡± Lee Ping replied and immediately held onto his words by rushing toward the nearest opening leading away from the large main tunnel.


    Once all of them were inside, it took very little for the plain old routine to return after Lee Ping dropped the white mist around them. It was, however, in that very brief moment, between it being there and ceasing to exist, that Hannah finally understood why every single ant, whether small, big, or large, scuttled away from it.


    Light! Hannah voiced in her mind. It''s only white mist from the inside, but from the outside, it''s a very bright light.


    Once the realization settled down, Hannah returned to shooting any ant she could get her sight on.


    Not long after, the Party executed another two cave-ins to give themselves some room to breathe, with Lee Ping being the main enjoyer of its existence as he had spent a bit more than he would have liked on his last stunt.


    Mainly, because he had not expected the tunnel to go for so long, not within a Shroud encapsulating the Third Class Emergence. Only as it turned out, the latest evidence hinted at the Emergence still growing, which easily explained why their earlier trekking through the Terminid Outer Nest became such a chore to go through.


    Once they were back within safe grounds, Lee Ping immediately settled down, drank another Potion, and began another Commune to recover as much as he could before they had to continue their search.


    Meanwhile, Hannah settled close to Henry before projecting her curiosity at him.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Fine¡­ I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Henry said. ¡°Remember the talk about how an Emergence always attaches itself to something, and how most of the time that something is a Nightmare?¡± One one later from Hannah. ¡°Well, now you have seen one first hand.


    That ant/spider-like Terminid Guardian was a Fourth Stage Boss, an Elder Class Nightmare. Either terminology works since it describes the same thing, an impossibility for us to get rid of as we are now.¡±


    ¡°Because it is so large?¡±


    ¡°Aye¡­ That too.¡± Henry said before denying it with a waving hand. ¡°Size in Nightmares is the most common denominator for their strength. But the true reason I call it an impossibility has to do with something called Stage/Class Suppression. Basically, a Natural Damage Reduction Passive Ability is present within every Nightmare to almost everything below their current Stage or Class.


    Similar to your gun doing reduced damage on the larger worker ants, despite the Tool''s impressive make for a Novice Training Tool. On the other hand, I slice through them with ease as if that natural Damage Reduction did not exist. Get it?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Sort of.¡± Hannah replied. ¡°Because the Boss is two ranks higher than you, you can''t hurt it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Henry confirmed. ¡°Aye¡­ Well¡­ Not that exactly. You see. Despite my build being fairly simple and straightforward, I can ignore a lot of Damage Reduction for Third Stage Nightmares, meaning one stage above me. The same, however, does not apply to Fourth Stage Nightmares. It would be like using the dullest sword in existence against a piece of paper. With enough effort, the paper will be cut down. Only, at that point, was it even worth the effort put into it?¡±


    ¡°Soo¡­ Impossible for us to defeat the Boss of this Emergence?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Who will prevent the Emergence?¡±


    ¡°Beats me¡­¡± Henry said with another shoulder shrug. ¡±As long as we leave the Emergence, I simply do not care who or what does the job. That said¡­ Since you are curious, I will tell you this. The most probable scenario will be those silver bastards up top realizing they bit more than they could chew and then having no choice but to use an Angel¡¯s Descent.¡±


    ¡°Angel¡¯s Descent?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Basically, a call up the religious corporate ladder and saying ¡®Boss!¡­ This is out of our league!... We need backup!¡¯.¡± In the same instant, a deep chuckle of schadenfreude escaped from Henry¡¯s throat. ¡°Aye¡­ Definitely, something like that, only with lots of prostrating and fancy lingo.¡±

 SR - Arc 2 - Chapter 24 - Queen?

    They did it.


    They had done it.


    After numerous ant-shaped Nightmares were slayed, including many hybrids, the Party had finally managed to reach the Sub-Boss, or better said, they had found the large underground chamber housing her presence, and the presence of the Termind Royal Guard guarding the chamber which housed the Terminids future in the form vast numbers of white eggs dotting the chamber¡¯s floor and walls.


    Only, those eggs were not the main attraction.


    No, the main spectacle was the smaller white dots, meaning, the eggs attached to an elongated dark brown tube that took a large part of the chamber''s center. Why did that become the main spectacle? Well. It had to do with the fact that the dark brown elongated tube-like thing generated a green but gentle glow illuminating the Birthing Chamber of the Terminid Nest.


    However, that was not all because said green glow appeared to be siphoned to the white eggs attached to the dark brown tube-like thing.


    It was at that very sight that Hannah recalled a simple explanation about Terminid Swarms, specifically in how they function and why they functioned the way they did.


    Namely, in how Insect-based Nightmares loved exploiting any of the local Yggdrasill branches inside Gaia¡¯s Rift. The reason had to do with all Yggdrasil branches being Dreams of the highest caliber attuned to the Life Domain, and thus thereby contained the requisite energy for Insect-based Nightmares to consume, grow, and spread in extreme manners, from root lovers to bark infesters to leaf stealers to flower munchers and fruit consumers.


    Basically, any part of a Yggdrasil branch became the number one resource within any given area in which it was planted. Due to that, there existed one Duty among Mortals privy to its existence, or a Quest if one were a Spirit, to occasionally become Pest Cleaners if chosen to live near a Yggdrasil branch.


    Whether she liked it or not, Hannah experienced being a Pest Cleaner on the very first day of her Awakening.


    ¡°Henry! Keep the Royal Guard occupied!¡± Lee Ping shouted the order. ¡°Cain! Keep the smaller ones from reaching him! Sandy! Hannah! Protect Mira and me!¡± He bellowed. ¡°Mira! Use everything you got and collapse this tunnel!¡± With the order conveyed, Lee Ping conjured his blue/white talisman to create a large flaming barrier to prevent the incoming collapse from affecting them.


    Best of all, since a Return Token worked on a teleporting basis, the Party had no fear of shooting themselves in the foot by blocking their exit strategy. As such, the Party had no true trouble with blocking their enemies¡¯ reinforcement from swarming them to death. However, because this very tunnel held the greatest opening, closing it required a lot of expenditure from Mira and Lee Ping, with Mira more than Lee Ping.


    As such, both of their actions required a somewhat longer windup before it could be done.


    That was why Sandy became the backline protecting them while Hannah sniped any approaching hip-sized ant to lessen her load.


    As for what happened with the frontline, in the form of a large ginger-haired man wearing red-plated armor and a black Sanguine wearing tight black clothes and a white cape alongside a white sword? Hannah had no idea. Nor had she the time to check their state.


    Still, the large clanking and thudding sounds prompted her to believe it was going ok for the moment.


    Regardless, Hannah focused on shooting.


    Not long later, maybe about fifteen to thirty seconds or so, though it felt much much longer than that to Hannah, the fiery shimmer above Mira finally completed whatever it was doing and launched itself at the far ceiling above them.


    Not exactly above them since none of them wished for the ceiling to collapse right onto them.


    Either way, as soon as it was launched, a flaming barrier encapsulated the tunnel opening to prevent the shockwave and fiery shimmer of its origin from reaching them.


    BOOM THUD Thud Thud


    The collapse had taken more time to happen than it had taken them to cause it, and during that brief period of time, Hannah saw Lee Ping sweat for the first time, ever, as he no doubt concentrated on his flaming barrier.


    Ignoring the sight, Hannah quickly followed Sandy''s example and turned around to help Henry and Cain.


    Mira, on the other hand, hunched down, with her hands on her knees preventing her from dropping down on the ground. Indeed, she looked as if she was heaving for some much-needed air despite actually being a Dream Body and not actually needing any air. However, this was a result and side effect of her First Ability; Conduit. Needing an appropriate consumption of Power Points to produce what she''d just done. Only, there was more to her apparent exhaustion, more than she had shared with her Party as it dealt with her Dream and the path it laid out for her.


    Better said, as a Novice Wizardess, her C-Ranked Dream remained incomplete, hence why Mira only had access to half of a Wizardess prowess. Only after passing the Second Nightmare Tribulation and generating her Second Ability; Core, would she actually become a genuine Wizardess, if of the Apprentice Rank.


    Meaning, that before attaining a Core and gaining access to actual Magic, Mira had to imitate Magic through Power Point consumption and Stamina Point utilization. The first was to generate a Spell and the second was to reinforce the Spell''s Ability to punch above her weight, Novice Rank in her current case, by increasing Spell Efficacy. So, while her Spells did indeed gain in Spell Damage proportional to Power Point consumption, it was Stamina that allowed her Spells to punch through a Nightmares Natural Damage Reduction, and considering the many Mature Class Terminid Warrior Ants crippled on the way to this very chamber, Mira was barely running on fumes since her Dream Body refused to operate as it should due to her Stamina no longer lubricated her Soul.


    Almost as if made of lead, Mira felt her body weigh down on her with its refusal to move as efficiently as it should under normal circumstances.


    Thankfully, after a few moments of recovering herself, plus the retrieval and redistribution of Focus Points back to her Flow and where it was needed, especially now that Conduit was on a momentary break, Mira managed to swallow another Potion down her gallet, or whatever her current Dream Body had in its stead.


    Nonetheless, this Potion she just drank was not a Potion of Power Regen, but a Potion of Power Point Recovery, a much rarer and much more expensive Potion that directly supplied Power Points instead of simply increasing their natural regeneration. Normally, it was about ten times more expensive than a simple and common Potion of Power Regen, and for a Novice that was quite a bit of economic expenditure, especially after considering the many Potions of Power Regen already consumed so far. Still, economic expenditure failed to overcome life expenditure to¡­ well¡­ continue living. Hence, why she eagerly guzzled it down her throat in favor of immediate staying power as it refilled more than half of her Power Point Pool.


    Moments after the flush of foreign energy settled down and truly became hers, Mira channeled a few of the recovered Power Points back into the portion of her Soul responsible for generating Stamina Points.


    Indeed, not long after it was done, Mira felt like she was whole once again, only she knew it would not last for long.


    Thankfully, Shards, her main Attack Spell, possessed inherent Spell Damage and Spell Penetration features at its core, hence when combined with her First Ability; Conduit, it synergized extremely to make her Spells hurt even further, at least momentarily.


    With her return to action, the Party finally began getting rid of the Mature Class Terminid Royal Guards Henry had been occupying with his giant sword.


    <hr>


    One thing Sandy had known about herself, at least before Awakening, was that she enjoyed doing daring things all for that juice called adrenaline which made every moment Experienced through its cocktail coloring that much more special.


    It was on one such adventure that she met her Guide, during a rather routine mountain climb with her friends before actually using a parachute to slide and glide back down it and into the valley it guarded.


    Since she had apparently been close to it, he took note of her Near Awakened State and later on made contact with her to present her with a new path, a path that would be much more exciting and dangerous compared to what she had already had before that very disclosure.


    Truly, as if branded into her mind, Sandy could still remember that one moment when his fist punched through a concrete wall. With that as the tipping point, he slowly used various gentle methods to guide her toward Awakening. In the end, after many rather gruesome battles with her Nightmare, she was presented with a choice, a choice on which paths were favorable to her and which paths she desired to trek.


    In the end, after enough bait from her Guide, Sandy had come to appreciate what combat gave her, where your life depended on factors not of your own choosing, where she had to tightrope her way through scenarios where a tiny slip meant being killed. Indeed, being a Martial Artist was the second best thing that could have happened to her, with only the freedom to explore a totally brand new world before triumphing over being a genuine Martial Artist.


    It was by using those same Martial Arts that Sandy swiftly sidestepped the Terminid Royal Guard¡¯s attack before using her two swords to slice the chitin barrier protecting its valuable insides. And while her attack had failed to completely slice right down to the meat, her attacks provided enough damage to induce blue fluid loss, and for insect-based Nightmares, losing fluids was akin to a car losing its hydraulic fluid for its steering wheel.


    Workable, but terribly inefficient until it eventually stopped working altogether.


    Naturally, this would take a while since her cuts were rather shallow due to Natural Damage Reduction, and many more cuts would be needed to expedite this ant''s loss of motor control, but for fighting somebody above her league, Sandy felt extremely thrilled at the outcome.


    Indeed, Martial Arts were made to conquer fights like these, as efficiently as possible, with bigger and tougher opponents only adding to the pleasure of the eventual takedown.


    Still, despite feeling that she could win over this big and ugly-looking many-limbed creature before her, Sandy bided her time and resources in occupying the creature''s attention all for that moment when blue/white flames came to assist her or tiny crystalline Shards packing quite the punch.


    Whichever came, Sandy would be grateful because when either came, it would provide her with an opportunity to go for the kill once again by utilizing her First Ability; Haste.


    The moment such a moment truly came in the form of blue/white fire entangling the upper limbs of the mantis/ant hybrid, Sandy activated her First Ability, causing a Power Point and three Stamina Points to be used up, with two free Focus Points automatically aligning both her body and mind to such a degree that the world slowed down to her awareness, and when it did, Sandy rushed through the throng of many limbs to slice at just the right angle and at just the right strength for her swords to pierce through the weakened chitin limbs to actually sever the hydraulic mechanism the Royal Guard Ant used to move its limbs.


    With their incapacitation, Sandy used the rest of her hastened world to hack a few times between the head and body segment. While she lacked the raw strength Henry possessed, her swords were more than enough to do the job at the thinner chitin near the neck.


    Then, the hastened world returned back to normal.


    With its return, Sandy jumped off of the falling Nightmare back to the ground. Yet, as she fell and reached the ground, her body felt heavy and clunky. Only that was nothing new to her. All it took was a moment for the imbued Focus Points to free themselves from her First Ability Slot to manually prod her Flow back to where it was needed for her to recover her bearing.


    After that, those two Focus Points stood on standby, awaiting the next opportunity for her Ability to be used.


    With the dead Terminid Royal Guard, Sandy quickly examined her surroundings to notice Cain, the black Sanguine, struggling on his side of the Birthing Chamber, despite being rather fast naturally. It did not surprise Sandy too much, since being of Novice Rank Shifter meant he only had his base Sanguine Stats to work with, unlike her active Ability. Still, Sandy refused to help him. Not only because she knew he would receive help just like she had, and he did in the form of a few crystalized flying Shards, but because he was a Sanguine, a being that held little fear for bodily injuries since they could heal enormous amounts of Trauma.


    Depending on the kind of blood they can get their hands on. Sandy quickly recalled before focusing on the nearest opponent which was a rather disappointing regular Worker Ant that had no doubt crawled at them from some of the smaller entrances that were just too numerous to be closed.


    Instead, the plan was simple.


    Rush inside the Birthing Chamber, and distract the Royal Guard Ants just long enough for the Party to block the largest exit/entrance. Once that was done, the Party would help the frontline get rid of the nuisances before focusing on the Royal Guards, thus allowing Henry to forgo the Royal Guards and switch to the Terminid Queen if need be.


    If not, this just meant a faster clear of the Royal Guard Ants.


    Luckily, as it turned out, it was not needed because the Terminid Queen in question was occupied at the end of the Birthing Chamber doing exactly nothing as she lay down on the ground.


    This was both a great and terrible thing for the Party.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Great because this gave them the chance to deal with the Royal Guard.


    Terrible because, the Queen in question, undoubtedly underwent a metamorphosis to become a Prime Queen since Terminid Swarms functioned on a One Prime Queen, Three Queens, and Five Princesses System where only the Prime Queen laid eggs, with the Three Queens managing the Nest and the Five Princesses taking care of the Birthing Chambers since One Prime Queen tended to have multiple Birthing Chambers.


    Considering that no other Princesses or Queens were present, applying the fact that the Emergence was still growing due to a roaming Boss, it was easy to guess that after the Shroud descended, this Birthing Chamber exhibited the only Princess within the Emergence. Moreover, due to the nature of a Shroud cutting this part of the Nest with the others, this Princess no doubt lost contact with the rest of the Nest, thus automatically being upgraded to Queen status, since there was not much difference between Queens and Princesses.


    With the upgraded status, this Queen then attempted to become a Prime Queen, a Nightmare of the Fourth Stage, an Elder Nightmare which could and would give birth to new Queens and Princesses and whatever else a Nest needed.


    All in all, the problem was not so much in the Queen''s ability to give birth to its underlings, since that always took time, but it''s ascendency to the Elder Class, where Natural Damage Reduction becomes so high that none within this current Party would manage to kill the Prime Queen, at least not without being swarmed and exhausted by the returning Swarm.


    ¡°HOW LONG DOES A QUEEN NEED TO BECOME A PRIME?¡± Sandy called out loudly.


    <hr>


    ¡°NO IDEA!¡± Hannah heard the man with the female face shout back. ¡°HOWEVER LONG IT TAKES. WE SHOULD MAKE SURE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE!¡±


    With that reply, a brief lull happened, between the Party members. However, this lull did not stop them from exercising their powers against the tide surrounding them. Though, it was an annoyance when the biggest felled obstacles refused to vanish into nothingness as the smallest ones do. This caused the Party to migrate constantly since the ant-shaped Nightmares and ant/hybrid Nightmares proved themselves expert climbers when it came to moving over their dead nest mates.


    Luckily, as the combat went on, the Party slowly inched its way toward the central region of the Birthing Chamber, which the Sub-Boss occupied and utilized for its power-up.


    It was a few moments later that a rough but strained voice reached Hannah¡¯s ears.


    The voice belonged to the biggest person in the group.


    Craning her neck in his direction, Hannah saw the man in question defend himself against three Royal Guard Ants and their mantis-like appendages. This was not the first time Hannah had seen him do what he did, but she still could hardly believe how the man did what he did. Not only because the giant sword moved around as if it weighed but a fraction of what it implied it did, but it was also expertly done that every clunk that thunk echoing inside this extremely large chamber came as a result of Henry blocking those mantis-like appendages.


    Yet, it seemed that there was still some room to spare since he actually managed to voice out a conjecture, or an opinion if one was more specific.


    ¡°THE SUMMON!¡± Henry called out. ¡°USE THE GIRL¡¯S SUMMON!¡±


    Just as Hannah wondered how and what to reply with, Lee Ping did for her. ¡°IT WON''T WORK. IT''S BASICALLY A SPAWN. THE DIFFERENCE IS TOO BIG!¡±


    A moment later, another sound echoed from Henry¡¯s direction. ¡°HAH¡­ BACK OFF YOU ANNOYING PRICKS¡­ I NEED TO THINK!¡± In the same instance, Hannah saw the man flourish his big sword faster and stronger a few times. The action somehow knocked back every Royal Guard that attacked him. ¡°NULL ABILITIES IGNORE DAMAGE REDUCTION!¡±


    ¡°YOU THINK I DON''T KNOW THAT, BRUTE?¡± Lee Ping shouted angrily back before conjuring another bout of his iconic FoxFire to deal with some of the smaller ants. ¡°I AM TELLING YOU IT WON''T WORK!¡±


    ¡°IT WILL IF YOU BUFF IT!¡± Came the reply. ¡°APPLY YOUR STIGMA ON IT! HELP THE GIRL CHANNEL HER POWER INTO IT! USE YOUR OWN TO CONDENSE HERS AND THE SUMMONS! THEN HAVE THE SUMMON USE ITS NULL! IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE FOR LONG¡­ ALL IT NEEDS TO DO IS DISRUPT THE QUEEN''S FLOW ONCE AND SHE WILL WAKE.¡±


    ¡°THAT¡­Could work!¡± Lee Ping murmured for a second. Then he glanced at Hannah, and the target in question. ¡°FINE¡­ WE WILL TRY!¡±


    ¡°STOP GRUMPING ABOUT IT¡± Henry added. ¡°JUST DO IT ALREADY?¡±


    ¡°YES¡­ YES¡­¡± Lee Ping voiced out and turned silent for a single moment, only for the next one to focus on Hannah who had been trying her best to shoot any ant she could and follow the conversations between her Party Members. It was not too hard since she was always beside Lee Ping. ¡°Quick, take your Summon out.¡±


    Naturally, having listened, Hannah had a moment to compose herself and do just that by first taking the Dreamon Ball from her skirt pocket and calling it out. ¡°Come out, Behold!¡±


    One jagged red lightning later and Behold was back out of its pocket, floating beside Hannah. Though, since it had not been summoned from there since it last went in, it had fallen asleep.


    Thankfully, all it took was a slap on its side and a shout from Hannah to raise it to wakefulness. When it did, it looked around to see many things going on, yet it was not given much time to process when Lee Ping grabbed its head tentacle to do what his Bruiser had suggested. Only¡­ the moment he grabbed Behold and turned its sole eye to face him, Lee Ping took notice of the silver mark around its sole eyelid.


    That was when a spontaneous idea reached him.


    When it did, Lee Ping dismissed the idea of providing his Stigma temporarily to the Summon because it already possessed one, and one that had to be of a higher quality than his. Thus, instead of applying his own, he simply used his Stigma to resonate with the one belonging to the Silver Tyrant, thus allowing him to apply the temporary modifier it needed to get the job done.


    It took a few moments, but the second Lee Ping managed to generate a resonance, Behold cried out its iconic one line ¡®Behold?¡¯. Aside from the initial confusion due to new sensations, Behold sensed its awareness expanded to something within its existence.


    Something that was enormous and grand, yet also equally distant and empty.


    As if Behold neither possessed the energy nor the ability to utilize it at the moment. Still, the same did not apply to Lee Ping as he used his innate proficiencies with Stigma usage to calibrate The Silver Tyrants Mark for his current need, the need to store, condense, and channel Power Points, specifically at his level of quality or better if his modification worked.


    The moment he was done, Lee Ping cried out. ¡°CAIN! IGNORE THOSE AND COME HERE!¡±


    Being naturally fast, Cain was almost instantly there, yet what he was told turned out to be another pack mule job.


    It grated on his Sanguine Pride, but the Party Leader simply commanded once before rushing and taking his place in dealing with the incoming ant swarm. With no other choice, Cain acquiesced for his own good and quickly turned around before crouching down and urging Hannah, who already held Behold with one hand, to lock herself in place around his neck and his hips.


    Cain''s own hands steadied her further by holding on to her right above her knees, which was bare at this moment. There was nothing obtuse going on there, but for one second, Hannah sensed her thoughts going somewhere before they ceased when the world around her turned into a blur of ups and downs, with a side dish of sudden lunges left and right.


    In this moment, Hannah experienced what it truly meant to be fast and agile as Cain, with his Sanguine strength and dexterity, maneuvered around everything before arriving in front of the Queen undergoing metamorphosis.


    ¡°Quick¡­ Do it!¡± Cain called out.


    Shaking away the vertigo of going too fast, Hannah did as instructed by Lee Ping. Namely, pouring all of her Power Points into Behold, specifically the Silver Mark around its eyelid. What occurred when she did this was an automatic conversion process of her Power Points, almost as if they condensed to become something better than they already were.


    ¡°BEHOLD!¡± Hannah cried out with as much authority as she could channel. Though, it was much more than she knew she had. ¡°USE NULL ON THAT THING! STOP ITS TRANSFORMATION!¡±


    <hr>


    Even though it could not see it, since it was turned away from its Master, Behold felt its Master¡¯s Radiance explode and compel it to do what its Master desired.


    Alongside the compelling, its Master¡¯s Radiance also delivered a very vague set of instructions, like what to do and how to do it. Both would have stumped Behold had it not already used its Null Ability once and since it did, Behold compressed its existence before channeling it right into its sole blue eye.


    Regardless, when it did, the Silver Eye Mark around Behold¡¯s sole big blue eye reared its existence to influence and alter this use of its innate Null Ability, basically by layering its own existence onto and into it.


    ¡°BEHOLD!!!¡± Behold cried out with the mightiest voice it could project at the large existence before its sole eye.


    Truly, it was like a teeny tiny stone demanding a dragon to do as it bid.


    Thankfully, the moment Null was created and employed, the Silver Eye bestowed a new sight on Behold. A sight that told so much it overwhelmed its little mind in seconds. Thankfully, as much as it overwhelmed Behold, it could not compare to that one time it grabbed onto a crystalized piece of Hope, much less when said Hope dissolved and reshaped its very existence.


    As such, during those few seconds, Behold managed to do what its Master desired.


    As a result, the Flow of Power within the Terminid Queen, which was unceasingly roaming and doing something significant to its existence, ceased its movements. Remarkably, it was as if somebody had grabbed it by its strings and pulled it apart, thus causing it to flow rampantly where it was not needed to basically cause untold damage.


    Indeed, that was how powerful Behold¡¯s Null Ability seemed to be, yet it was also clear that Behold could not and would not replicate this stage-crossing phenomenon any time soon, especially since it was still closer to a Nightmare than to a Dream as it had just been reborn.


    No.


    Time was needed for Behold to grow up, if it could grow up, at all. After all, nothing like it had existed before.


    Whatever the case, when Cain felt a distinct sensation rising from the Terminid Queen, he knew it was done and rushed back to the Party. Back within the group, he placed Hannah down and returned to his position by replacing Lee Ping.


    ¡°Cain said he sensed something?¡± Lee Ping inquired as he looked at Behold¡¯s eyelid as if it barely held on.


    Not knowing anything about it, Hannah had no choice but to shake her head. ¡°I don''t know¡­ What do I do now? I have no Power Points left!¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Here, drink this.¡± Lee Ping said as he picked another Potion from his Inventory all while mentally tallying the girl''s debt to him for basically doing so much just for her. ¡°As for what to do? There is not much you can do. Stay close to me. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Hnn!¡±


    Not much to do, was indeed, the underlying truth for Hannah.


    Luckily, she had a few shots left within her COLT, so from time to time, when an opportunity presented itself, she took a shot. After all, she needed Experience, and while she currently had no idea what D-Coins could be used for, having more sounded like a good thing.


    Not that a few more or less coins changed much.


    Fortunately, about five minutes later, she regenerated one Power Point thanks to the Potion''s help, thus giving her the chance at scoring ten more of the hip-sized Worker Ants.


    It was not long later that another shout echoed from Henry''s direction. ¡°IT WORKED¡­ IT''S STIRRING.¡± His message told. ¡°BUFFS! NOW!¡±


    Once again hearing the word BUFF, Hannah wondered how those felt. Still, she at least saw how they appeared. Basically, Lee Ping conjured another talisman made of his FoxFire. Specifically, there were six such talismans in the air before him.


    One immediately flew to his own forehead.


    Three shot directly around them, toward Mira, Sandy, and Cain, while the last two went for Henry.


    ¡°WHOHOOO!!!¡± Henry''s voice announced. ¡°THAT''S IT¡­ I CAN FINALLY GO ALL OUT! CALL TO ARMS!!! SWORD IN HAND!!! I AM LEAVING THE SMALL FRIES TO YOU!!!¡±


    Immediately after, Hannah heard multiple loud clunks in front of her. At the same time, however, the Royal Guards around Henry were cut apart while the smaller visage of Henry simply crouched and jumped away and directly at the stirring Queen trying to stand up.


    As if Gravity had no sway over him, Hannah watched Henry basically fly into the air for a few seconds before reaching the maximum height and finally dropping down, with a parabolic arc due to his initial momentum. After a loud THUD, more CLANGs echoed from his direction, but all Hannah saw was the giant ant queen wiggling around as it probably tried its best to smush away the annoying man around it.


    While Henry did what he did, the other Party Members, sanse Hannah, enjoyed their improved Stats, Skills, and Abilities since very few things could be a Stigma User¡¯s Buffs.


    Sadly, impressive as they were, they also had a tendency to not last very long on other people. So while it was there, Sandy, and Cain, being the only other two melee users, made extremely good use of this chance to pummel as many opponents as they could. Mira and Lee Ping, on the other hand, had to be more choosy in how they utilized this Buff.


    Still, Mira had it worse since the Buff would last much less on her than Lee Ping as its caster.


    Regardless, one thing all of them had in common, was their desire to move closer to the true combat zone and help take down the Sub-Boss. Yet, as if to show them that their desires were unneeded, a pinging echo reached their ears.


    A ringing that all of them, bar Hannah, knew meant a Quest had just been fulfilled, which should not have happened but did, and that could only mean that despite being alone Henry had somehow managed to slay the Queen of this nest despite engaging it alone.


    This surprised everybody, including Henry because the fight he''d hoped for did not actually occur. No¡­ It should have been an epic fight, and for a while it had been just that, but that deception only lasted for a few moments. Specifically, it lasted till he realized the Terminid Queen, the Sub-Boss of this growing Emergence before him, swayed around like an epileptic narcotic drunk man after too many shots during one particular outgoing night.


    Truly, the more the fight went on, the more the Sub-Buss swayed and flailed around with its many limbs. Worst of all, in Henry¡¯s mind, his attacks did entirely too much to the Sub-Boss, as if a large part of its Natural Damage Reduction simply ceased to exist.


    Virtually like being a Juvenile Class Nightmare instead of one at the peak of the Mature Class.


    Was disrupting its ascension that detrimental? Henry asked himself.


    Yet, even though he desired it not to be so, at least the part of him that wanted to enjoy the euphoria of fighting something above his Rank, he knew this was his prime chance to take down this Sub-Boss.


    In the end, after noticing the truth and one long sigh, Henry easily dodged another attempted bite of the Terminid Queen''s mouth pincers. Then using his improved Strength, Agility, and Control he simply stabbed his giant sword into the right side of the Queen¡¯s head.


    With the apparent lowered Damage Reduction, his sword easily slid inside its chitin skull before he quickly swirled his giant sword around to mush its brain it gained the moment it reached First Stage and materialized its body according to the rules present in Gaia¡¯s Rift.


    Still, just that did not kill the Nightmare.


    No¡­ After his attack separated large parts of its brain, thus disrupting much of its behavior, Henry drew back his giant sword to swiftly separate the segmented head from the segmented body. And it was at that moment that the announcement reached his awareness since the main condition for the Quest''s completions had been met.


    As for the reward?


    That one would appear the moment he reviewed the Quest Screen.


    Before that happened, however, he turned away from the Terminid Queen Ant and rushed for his Party Members.

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 25 - Outside?

    The end of the underground adventure went by quite fast after the ringing reached Hannah¡¯s ears.


    First, there was the spurred action of the Party to reach the Sub-Boss to regroup with Henry who had so obviously jumped away from them. Only, as it turned out, there was no need for such a thing when the big ginger-haired man jumped right back to them.


    There was a bit of banter between him and Lee Ping, but that ceased moments later.


    Right after that Henry returned to dealing with some of the Royal Guard Ants around them, and considering he was still Buffed by Lee Ping¡¯s actions, he took care of those effortlessly. With their demise, the Party gained a bit of freedom, but it would not last long because the death of the Queen stirred the remaining ant-shaped Nightmares into a fervor to exterminate the culprits.


    Luckily, the Party had no plans to deal with that exact scenario.


    As such, the moment there was wiggle room, Lee Ping turned to face Hannah and Behold floating beside her head. ¡°Quick! Stash the Gun in your Inventory and focus on the Quest Screen. Then accept its Reward!¡±


    Knowing it was urgent, Hannah stashed the COLT with one motion before centering her sight on the upper part of her vision where a diamond-like thing flashed for her attention. It was a mild flashing, but the moment Hannah focused on it, it presented a brief burst of radiance before vanishing, and in its place, a Quest Screen appeared.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Quest Complete!


    *


    Quest Title; From Hatching to Immediate Acting!


    *


    Quest Description; Barely there yet instantly thrust into a full-on Combat Zone filled with menacing bugs, eagerly salivating at the thought of eating you piece by piece but preferably whole. Fortunately, you were blessed with decent Party Members to do the heavy lifting for you.


    *


    Quest Goal 1; Survive! ?


    Quest Goal 2; Locate one Sub-Boss! ?


    Quest Goal 3; Defeat said Sub-Boss! ?


    *


    Quest Reward 1; D-Grade Aura Skill Token!


    Quest Reward 2; 10 D-D Coins!


    Quest Reward 3; Return Token!


    *


    Congratulations User; Hannah Blackwood! You have accomplished your very first Quest!


    Press ? to receive your rewards!


    <hr>


    Naturally, the most obvious change was the reveal of her First Reward.


    The other two were as the initial Quest Screen detailed, so with no new things to occupy her attention, Hannah quickly pressed the indicated button. In an instant, new DING! DING! DING! sounds echoed into her awareness. Only, when it was over, the rewards did not magically appear in her hands as she''d assumed.


    No, it took one notice at the System Alerts to see what had occurred.


    Though, in Hannah¡¯s defense, it did take her a second or two, or maybe a few more, to remember that part even existed since she''d learned how to ignore it as it kept spamming ¡®User; Your Spirit Grows! User; You have earned 1 D Coin!¡¯ in her head after every kill she managed with her COLT.


    Either way, when she did check the System Alerts, Hannah discovered the truth.


    User; 10 D-D Coins have been added to your Inventory!


    User; A Return Token has been added to your Inventory!


    User; D-Ranked Aura Skill Token has been added to your Inventory!


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Simple.¡± Hannah heard the man with the pretty face reply with haste. ¡°Ignore it, however. Instead, focus on pulling out your Return Token from your Inventory. Hurry!¡±


    Nodding to the request, Hannah pulled a few times with her right hand in a specific motion. It took a few tries because she was unfamiliar with the item and its appearance. Nevertheless, when her right hand registered its appearance, and her brown eyes settled on the small black sphere, she had to admit that she expected a Return Token to look a bit more¡­ special.


    ¡°Good¡­ Now focus on it and imagine yourself returning to your frozen body!¡± Lee Ping explained. ¡°When you''re done with that part, invest one PP inside it and it should activate!¡±


    Once again, Hannah nodded and closed her eyes, only the moment she did, a familiar voice reached her ears. ¡°Wait¡­ Before you return, let us exchange Contacts!¡± Cain announced, but just as Hannah was about to give a reply, Lee Ping did it for her. ¡°Ignore him! Focus and use the Return Token!¡±


    Just like that one time, he had forced Hannah to shoot and kill her first Nightmare, Lee Ping¡¯s words nudged Hannah to do as he asked, and when she did, the black ball in her right hand exploded with black light only to swallow her existence. Only, as if it knew, to not leave Behold behind, the black light enveloped it too before both Master and Summon vanished from the depths of the Emergence.


    Naturally, with Hannah gone, Lee Ping and the others were left behind. Yet, the same instant she vanished, a relaxed expression reached Lee Ping''s beautiful face.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Should have thought of that sooner!¡± Lee Ping replied nonchalantly, totally ignoring the Sanguin¡¯s tone.


    Centering his attention on Sandy and Mira, Lee Ping gave another order. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this side, you girls go first.¡± That said, he immediately conjured his blue/white flames to give them the needed time to actually leave.


    Indeed, just like Hannah, a few moments later a black light enveloped them, though not before Sandy glanced in Henry¡¯s direction to spew out a rather naughty goodbye. ¡°WAS FUN, BIG GUY! WE SHOULD MEET UP! I¡¯D LIKE TO SEE JUST HOW BIG YOUR REAL SWORD GETS!¡±


    ¡°HO¡­ ¡± Echoed from Henry¡¯s directions, only, just as he wanted to say something in return, from the corner of his left eye he noted the black light enveloping Sandy. ¡°Ha¡­ Seems she''s been hiding more than just her sense of adventure.¡±


    Ignoring the obvious in the air, Lee Ping spoke up again, loudly, of course. ¡°Henry! Cain! Protect me for a second! I want to make a big splash around us! We will use that time to leave.¡±


    With the promise made, Henry closed in on Lee Ping.


    Cain hesitated for a moment. His expression displayed a clear scowl at being denied something as simple as Contact information between Dreamers. Regardless of his thoughts, however, he had no intention of being left behind. So, he followed the last command of his Party Leaders and grouped with Henry to protect Lee Ping for a bit as the man in question conjured his FoxFire into a talisman that seemed to radiate power and the purpose of annihilation.


    The moment it was complete, the Talisman exploded and swallowed everything around them, burning everything it touched to ashes, well¡­ everything but Lee Ping, Henry, and Cain.


    A few moments after the explosion of FoxFire emerged and reached its maximum conflagration, both in width and depth, three black lights appeared in its center only to vanish seconds later.


    <hr>


    Using a Return Token was nothing like what Hannah had expected, not that there was much she could expect since she had never used one before. Regardless, the moment the black light enveloped her, and her Summon, Hannah felt her awareness black out before reverberations rattled through her very being.


    Reverberations which produced a peculiar phenomenon that could not be mistaken for anything else.


    CRACK Crack Crack


    Indeed, it was as if a mirror had been shattered, only each crack took a few seconds to manifest before the last one made its presence known to shatter the last shard and toss Hannah back to proper reality, where things moved and behaved as they should, like the van in which she had been riding in, the people inside it, or the people outside it.


    Truly, seeing the world back in motion again delivered a sense of freedom and liberty within her, yet, at the same time, sensations of disillusion and confusion made Hannah finally realize just how absurd the thought was to witness the world go still in the first place.


    Nonetheless, experiencing those feelings at the same time somehow produced a sense of vertigo.


    On their own, they would have done nothing, but since Hannah was back within her fleshly body, that sense of vertigo transformed and magnified itself before intruding on her midsection, right where her stomach lay.


    For Hannah, the result was an imminent threat of barfing the contents of her stomach.


    Urf Urf


    ¡°Calm down!¡± Hannah heard the man with the pretty face utter before his hand clapped on her bent back. ¡°What you''re sensing is but a mild sensory disorientation. It will pass within moments. In truth, you''re a bit lucky since only your Dream Body is experiencing everything. By the way¡­ Your¡­ Kind of squeezing your Summon there.¡±


    Processing those statements, Hannah centered herself before swallowing down the stomach bile that had reached her throat. That done, she proceeded to the last part of the man¡¯s message, the part where Behold somehow found itself squeezed between her thighs and her stomach, especially when she had unconsciously leaned forward to potentially avoid splattering herself with bile.


    ¡°How¡­ Wait¡­¡± Hannah murmured before remembering that before being joinked out of her body, Behold had been in her lap.


    Then, her brown eyes blinked a few times in wonder. Namely, if Behold felt the same way she did. Specifically, if it perhaps felt barfing like her, only right on her skirt and school uniform. When Behold trembled for a second, fearing a mess, Hannah instinctively but swiftly grabbed Behold by its head tentacular limb and shoved it away from herself.


    With the van being the way it was, there was plenty of space between her and the seat before her, so Hannah made Behold hang just above her knees while she shifted her legs to avoid the outcome.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lee Ping asked genuinely at Hannah''s behavior.


    ¡°I don''t want my uniform to get dirty.¡± Hannah replied when she sensed more trembling from Behold.¡±


    ¡°From what?¡±


    ¡°From Behold barfing on my¡­ on¡­ my¡­¡± Mid-sentence, Hannah finally registered something as being wrong, especially when she sensed more trembling from her Summon, only for the same Summon to open its sole eye and echo out a weak ¡®Beho¡¯.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Right¡­ It has no¡­ Nnn¡­ Nevermind!¡± Hannah uttered in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.


    Lucky for her, there was an excellent distraction in front of her.


    With Behold back in her lap, with the command to stay there, Hannah closed her eyes to fully calm herself down. Nonetheless, it did not quite work because images flashed in her mind. Images of everything she had gone through, and everything she had done while down there, or inside there, or whatever it could be described as.


    Indeed, it was as if her brain only now had the opportunity to process everything she had experienced, for good or bad.


    One thing that stood out the most to Hannah was the fact that she had used a gun to kill. Worst of all, it had become a routine down in the depths. A routine that no doubt had been repeated enough times for her to acquire a lot of D-Coins.


    Reminded of them, Hannah opened her eyes before fishing for her D-Card to see just how much she had earned as that literally translated into her kill count. But then, just as her hands roamed in search of the device, Hannah noted something in her visual field.


    Quickly focusing on it, she brought it forth.


    <hr>


    Character


    .


    Name; Hannah Blackwood [Level 6]


    Species; Spirit


    Spirit Age; 0 [Spawn]


    Spirit Trait - Brown [Unyielding Will]


    Physical Species - Human


    Physical Gender - Female


    Physical Age; 15 [Adolescent]


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Titles


    .


    Dreamer


    Novice


    Dreamon Trainer


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Affiliations


    .


    None


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Status


    .


    Vessel - 10 [+]


    Instinct - 10 [+]


    Will - 10 [+]


    Logic - 10 [+]


    Insight - 15 [+]


    Ego - 18 [+]


    .


    Free Stat Points - 0


    Special Action Points - 0


    Ability Point - 0


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Internal Resources


    .Health - 10/10


    Stamina - 7/10


    Regen - 0.5 [x3]


    Focus - 3


    Flow - 2


    Power - 1/18


    ¡ª----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    External Resources


    .


    Dream Coins;


    Grade E - 431


    Grade D - 15


    Potion of Power Regeneration - Timer; 16 min - 34 sec


    <hr>


    ¡°Fff¡­ Four hundred and thirty one?¡± Hannah almost shouted out.


    ¡°What?¡± Lee Ping interjected before his mind swiftly found the possible culprit for the girl''s behavior, especially now that she had calmed down and processed what she had accomplished. ¡°Mmm¡­ Not a bad haul for your first time. Then again, there is not much else to be earned otherwise within Swarm Zones.¡± Lee Ping shook his head. ¡°Probably would have been even more if you had not switched to capturing some of the ants halfway through. You basically wasted a lot of PP while trying it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ But¡­ I¡­ I killed so¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me stop you there.¡± Lee Ping interfered again. ¡°You''re probably stressing over it since it''s your first time and you just left Combat, but you have done nothing wrong. Understood!¡± Lee Ping conveyed, yet even without hearing a response, he continued. ¡°Nightmares exist for you and me, and every other Dreamer, to defeat.


    To defeat. To overcome. To consume. All in order to grow.


    The only difference between the meat your mother bought and cooked for you and what you Experienced down there is the lack of an intermediary doing the slaughtering and packaging for you in order to make everything much more appealing to the eyes.


    No¡­ Ignoring the consequences of what could occur if an Emergence is not closed, what you have done is the proper and righteous process of eating your nutrients, where you personally went after your nutrients before preparing and eating them.¡±


    Unsure of just how to respond to such a statement that belied a different viewpoint of what she had known so far, Hannah tried her best to process it. Still, the more she tried, the more she recognized that Lee Ping¡¯s analogy struck true. After all, she had earned Coins and Experience for every kill, thus enabling herself six Level Up¡¯s, with one more awaiting her undoubtedly.


    Nodding softly, a simple epiphany reached Hannah, though, in the same instance it came, it got tossed away by Lee Ping¡¯s sarcasm.


    ¡°Wait¡­ There is one difference.¡± Lee Ping suddenly realized. ¡°Without me to protect you and the Tool I gave you, you would not have gained any of that nourishment.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Tools,¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°I think it''s time you returned what you borrowed from me.¡±


    <hr>


    Taking out the NTT COLT LM 10 from her Inventory, disconnecting, and ignoring the System Alert about an Item de-equip, Hannah gave the gun back to its owner.


    Although, seeing it leave her hand and vanish in Lee Ping¡¯s did make her a bit sad. After all, after having used it for the last ten-plus hours, he''d grown used to its presence.


    That done, Hannah stared at the man with the pretty face once again, fully expecting the man to mention the debt she had made by consuming his Potions of Power Recovery. However, even after moments passed, no words regarding them left his mouth.


    Being what it was, Hannah stayed silent about it.


    Then, the only thing left to do was await her arrival at the Rose Peach Bordello, and with every minute that passed, she was closer and closer to it. Still, as Hannah stared outside the window, and the people either driving or walking somewhere, the more she was reminded of what she''d just gone through. Nevertheless, when her wandering gaze settled on a little girl and how she held her mother¡¯s hands, a gnawing sensation manifested in her stomach, like a thousand worms eating at her flesh thus making her sweat and shiver.


    ¡°MOM!¡± Hannah yelled out after having forgotten about her own mother for the last ten or so hours. Quickly standing up from her seat, thus causing Behold to drop from her lap and down below the van seat, naturally totally surprised as it happened, she looked over her seat at her mother¡¯s sleeping face. ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    ¡°Quiet down!¡± Lee Ping called out with his eyes closed. ¡°Nothing has changed for her since we got pushed inside the Emergence. Nothing at all. Also don''t even bother asking me how or why that is so. I want to relax and unwind. You should do so too.¡±


    Without a word more, the van''s insides turned quiet once more.


    At least, as far as a moving vehicle could turn quiet.


    Before being seated once again, Hannah stared at her mother for a few moments.


    Nonetheless, while she was doing that, the two men in black seated behind her mother stared at her. with a somewhat confused expression, as if they failed to understand the conversation between her and Lee Ping, much less why she suddenly cried out, almost like an afterthought in forgetting that one¡¯s gas stove remained lit.


    Noticing their gazes, Hannah smiled wryly for a second before nodding at them and settling down back on her seat to await their arrival. Only, this time, it was Behold who made a scene under the simple preconception that its previous order had been revoked by its Master. So it simply used its tentacular limbs as guiding posts to float just above Hannah¡¯s legs.


    Then it observed around to sate its own curiosity, after all, unlike the depths of the ant-maze, here its blue eyes could see and witness many things.


    So many things, in fact, that it clouded its mind.


    More new Master-like being, though still bigger than her. More even when its blue eye gazed outside the van window at the passersby.


    The cars and the buildings projected novelties as well.


    Yet, if one thing had to be picked as the most peculiar, then it would be the colors. Red. Blue. Yellow. Green. Brown. Violet and so many more. Much more compared to its old nest, inside Hannah¡¯s Dream Instance, and at least a hundred times more compared to the dark and dreary tunnels of the ant-maze.


    Indeed, it was only now that it truly understood its entrance into the new glorious, and expansive world. It was only now that it realized what it would have gained if it had succeeded in eating its Master¡¯s Soul.


    ¡°Beho¡­¡±


    Hannah heard her Summon produce before its left tentacular limb touched the glass window barring its way outside.


    Just as Hannah was about to admonish its desire for the outside world, Hannah stopped herself. She remembered a few words from when Henry had been arguing with Lee Ping about his solo kill of the Sub-Boss. When the big ginger-haired men argued about the fact that Behold¡¯s Null had done more than just anull its ongoing Evolution.


    Taking those into consideration, Hannah¡¯s harsh remarks failed to leave her mouth. Nonetheless, something had to take their place. ¡°You can look all you want, but don''t leave my side!¡± Hannah orders her Summon. ¡°Also¡­ When we leave this van soon, don''t touch anybody else. Understood?¡±


    Hearing and feeling the command, Behold had no choice but to ignore the outside in favor of its Master.


    ¡°Beho.¡±


    There were a few things Hannah could have done while waiting for the driver to reach the Rose Peach Bordello, with the prime example being Leveling Up, as undoubtedly she had earned enough new Experiences to gain at least a few Special Action Points.


    Somehow, however, she felt like not doing it.


    So she did not, and simply gazed with Behold onto the passing cityscape.


    About twenty minutes passed by due to trafficking slowing their progress.


    Still, no matter how slow, Hannah had arrived at the Red Light District of Oaktown City, at least, the crossing sporting the large sign at the entrance. Nevertheless, in the same instance, Hannah saw many men in black uniforms blocking its entrance. Man with guns that pointed not at some kind of monsters but at passing humans.


    It took a moment for Hannah to remember that there had been some kind of supposed gas leak, so the district had been shut down for a bit. Only, now that she knew more, now that she had experienced things no normal human ever would, Hannah had this epiphany that there had to be more to this supposed ¡®Gas Leak¡¯.


    Nonetheless, unlike what Hannah expected, the van did not directly enter the main street for the Red Light District. Instead, it passed the main crossing before rolling for a bit further down the road to take a smaller crossing within a smaller street.


    No¡­ It was more like an alley sandwiched between two large buildings.


    Yes¡­ It was after a few of those alley crossings that the van arrived at its destination. ¡°We are here.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°We are here!¡± The driver announced, instantly causing Lee Ping to open his eyes.


    ¡°Finally¡­ Felt like it took forever.¡± He said, without any hard feelings behind it. No, it was closer to a statement. Only this statement, caused the driver to drop his head, as if ashamed at not being able to drive faster. Not only because he too felt like the traffic was unreasonably stuffy today, but also because Lee Ping could get him in trouble. ¡°Greg, you carry Miss Blackwood again. Monty, you go rush to Aunty. Tell her to come to the main hall. Charly, you return to your usual post.¡±


    That said, he stood up, opened the big side door, and left the confines of the van.


    A few moments later, Hannah, Lee Ping, and Greg, who carried her unconscious mother, found themselves inside the Rose Peach Bordello.


    Specifically inside the spacious main hall.


    However, what bothered Hannah was the large number of security people spread around the main hall, stoically standing here and there as if protecting something from something. Though, with her and her mother being the only outsiders present, it felt like they were there for them. Luckily, Monty, who had rushed ahead of them, had done his duty. So it took very little time for Hannah to finally witness who had been pulling the strings of her and her mother¡¯s life.


    The moment she did, a certain image her mother painted of this old Madame, who ruled the Rose Peach Bordello, shattered.


    Instead, a woman in her thirties replaced the shattered image.


    A woman whose slightly round face, dark long hair, and curving body shape emanated elegance and maturity as she slowly stepped down the stairs.


    Truly, the owner of the Bordello screamed mature allure that bewitched both male and female into adultery, especially with the red/white/black dress providing an impression of a foreign deity stepping down from the Heavens and onto the Earth.


    Indeed, even Hannah, who had never felt a single bit of sexual attraction towards any other person, had no choice but to feel something toward this walking and talking honey trap.


    Like a gobsmacked youth finally witnessing the glory, the wonder of just what it meant to be of the female gender.


    Thankfully, whatever she was feeling did not last for long. Mostly because such things seemed to not have much influence against her due to her Unyielding Will, not that Hannah was currently aware of such a thing, but also due to the distracting tails flowing behind the lady as she stepped down the stairs.


    Though, another distraction lay in the fact that the very same tails seemed to ignore the obstacles around them as if they could phase through solid objects. People too, as it turned out when one of the six tails simply passed through a guard as if he was not there.


    ¡°My¡­ oh¡­ My¡­ What do we have here.¡± The Madame of the Rose Peach Bordello said as her black eyes examined Hannah and Behold who floated beside her. ¡°If it''s not the Young Miss of the Blackwood Family¡­ and her Summon, I take it.¡±


    With that said, she finally stepped off of the stairs and made her way toward Hannah before ceasing right before her. Though, in the few seconds she appeared beside her, both Hannah and Behold had these uncanny sensations of something prying at their very existence.


    ¡°I must say your eyes remind me of your father.¡± She added. ¡°Soo¡­ unyielding in their makeup.¡±


    ¡°Your father aside¡­ I see you¡¯ve met some obstacles on the way.¡± Technically, Shao Ping had noticed this before everything else. ¡°Has my little nephew treated you well? Feel free to tell me. You see, I''ve been wanting to peg him down a bit.¡±


    Shivering for a tiny second, Lee Ping defended himself. ¡°I''ve been as courteous as I could, Aunty. Not to mention the sacrifice I had to make to ensure the girl''s safety.¡±


    Greg, who still held Hailey, Hannah¡¯s mother in his arms, rolled his eyes. Though, this would not be the first time a conversation between them, or any of the other guests Madame Ping welcomed, flew right over his head.


    ¡°Definitely needs a good spank on his behind.¡± Madame Ping jokingly berated her nephew. ¡°See how he''s embellishing his accomplishments. Ai¡­ Youths these days. Only thinking of taking the easy way out by buttering up their predecessors.¡±


    Staring between the two, Hannah had trouble identifying what was exactly going on.


    One thing she was sure of, however. Lee Ping barely held his ground before his Aunt. Yes¡­ The more Hannah saw Lee Ping¡¯s mouth open and close as if wishing to retort about his actual accomplishments yet at the same time failing to utter them, the more she was sure about this dynamic between them.


    When she saw a single line of sweat going down his right temple, Hannah sensed him cave in.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Alright¡­ I''ll admit it, Aunty.¡± Lee Ping said in his bid to wiggle out of the trouble he''d somehow stepped into without actually knowing what it was about because the one thing he would not do was antagonize his Aunt. After all, she was the main reason he was in this place to begin with. ¡°It''s just a few Coins¡­ Nothing to be worried about. Anyhow¡­ Just like you wanted, I have brought Miss Blackwood and her daughter.¡±


    ¡°See. Told you it was so.¡± Madame Ping declared and ignored the man with the pretty face altogether. Still, just as Hannah noted the woman focus back on her, out of the corner of her right eye, she saw one of the Madam¡¯s tails rub Lee Ping¡¯s left cheek as if saying ¡®God Job!¡¯. ¡°Now¡­ Let me see what is going on with your mother, dear.¡±


    Similar to how Lee Ping had done it, this Fox Shifter before her, touched her mother¡¯s forehead. Though, in her case, it was a touch-and-release case. As if, she had no need for prolonged examinations.


    ¡°Ai¡­ ¡± Shao Ping barely held herself from uttering more. This is worse than he mentioned. She voiced in her head before craning her neck right at Hannah. ¡°Do you want the good news first or the bad one?¡±


    <hr>


    Gulping once, Hannah steeled herself for what was to come.


    ¡°The¡­ The bad one first.¡± Hannah replied.


    Nodding in understanding, Shao Ping told the daughter of her mother''s fate. ¡°There is a large chance you won''t be seeing your mother wake any time soon, and by soon I am not talking about weeks or months, but years.¡±


    ¡°W¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°Soul Trauma.¡± Shao Ping explained. ¡°By now you should know how Trauma works, or at least enough to know that not every Trauma received is the same. Some are heavier. Some are nastier. Some are downright devious enough to chill you down to your very bones. Your mother is of the last kind¡­ probably. A Curse of some kind, I''d wager.¡±


    ¡°Curse?¡± Hannah repeated, yet she was not the only one who was surprised by the word.


    ¡°Long-term negatively oriented Abilities that latch, infiltrate and induce Trauma within a Soul from within instead of outside.¡± Shao Ping simplified down since there was more to Curses than simply it being an Ability. ¡°Regardless. I can not sense what kind. Just that it was a powerful one, considering the echo¡¯s it left behind. The point is this. Ignoring the Curses¡¯ nastiness, the Trauma was heavy enough to instantly comatose her Soul into healing mode.


    The problem is, with the Veil in place, nobody can help her directly, so all we can do is wait until she heals on her own, however long that takes.¡± With that said, the bad news was out. Preferably before the bad news spoiled the girl too much. ¡°Now for the good news. Your mother will recover, however long that takes. The result of this will be her Awakening¡­ well¡­ Re-Awakening in her case.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Which Rank?¡± Lee Ping suddenly quipped from the side.


    ¡°An Old One at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Old one?¡± Hannah repeated the unknown term describing her mother.


    ¡°Above Level 60.¡± Lee Ping informed Hannah. ¡°It''s an old term, from before D-Cards existed renouncing one¡¯s actual Rank.¡± Though, once it was said, in his mind, Lee Ping finally understood how the girl¡¯s mother always resisted his Charms. ¡°Also¡­ Remember your question about age? Well. Now you can be certain that you''re not older than your own mother.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Madame Shao Ping laughed softly, as otherwise would display inelegance. ¡°Back to the main point. Since your mother is in the process of Awakening, this technically falls under our purview due to the contract she had with us. Meaning¡­ The Rose Peach Bordello will take care of your mother¡¯s Shell while she recovers and undergoes her Awakening.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ How¡­ How much will it cost?¡± Hannah suddenly inquired.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Madame Ping said. ¡°Even if I asked you to cover it, which I will not in this case, it''s nothing you would not be able to cover with a few Quests here and there. Mmm¡­ Unless this takes more than the allotted time frame of her Contract with us. Now¡­ I am sure you''re more curious about how we will take care of your mother¡¯s Shell. Come follow.¡± She said and instantly made her way towards the end of the large hallway.


    However, before she actually left the group, two of her tails wrapped around Hannah¡¯s mother to carry her.


    ¡°Greg, you can take a break.¡± Greg, the security guy, heard the moment he noticed Miss Blackwood''s body lose its weight only to simply float out of his grasp as if he had never held her in the first place.


    ¡°Right¡­ I will Madame. Thank you, Madame.¡±


    Despite the heavy news, Hannah had had a few hours to stew with the information that her mother was in dire straits. So, hearing about some kind of Curse, changed nothing bar increasing Hannah¡¯s resolve to help her mother, however she could, even if that was to earn money¡­ no, to earn Coins to help her Shell not rot away.

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 26 - Sponsorship?

    Following the Madame of the Rose Peach Bordello, Hannah walked through one or two halls before taking one set of stairs into the basement.


    While going down those stairs, Hannah observed the two tails holding her mother exhibiting a steady grip, even when they flowed around slightly as if wading through some kind of current, her mother''s Shell simply failed to come to any harm. Although, every time a bend appeared, the fear in Hannah¡¯s heart resurfaced before going away a second later. Thankfully, there was an end, and the end came with them reaching the basement of the Bordello.


    One thing was certain as Hannah glanced around it. The basement was nothing like the upper part of the building. Not that she had seen much of it anyway. Regardless, Hannah was certain that this part was not open for regular customers because everything her brown eyes witnessed presented wealth, from expensive-looking furniture to plenty of silk curtains covering and segregation areas of the basement into individual rooms.


    On top of that, from the glimpses she witnessed as she passed these rooms, Hannah witnessed even more opulence. So much so that this became the very first sight of material luxury gathered for sheer debauchery.


    ¡°Is the sight bothering you?¡± Madame Ping inquired after noticing Hannah not following her. Naturally, since the girl had stopped, so had her nephew who followed behind her. Ignoring him she faced Hannah and poised a simple question. ¡°Are you wondering if your mother had used these rooms before?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± For a second Hannah wanted to admonish the beautiful fox goddess before her for even mentioning her mother having been in this place. Unfortunately for her, the moment she tried doing so, something stopped her from doing so. Instead, Hannah simply steeled her resolve at what she witnessed, or at least the part of her mind that was imagining what usually happened within this basement. ¡°It¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Not nothing if you are hesitating to voice your opinion, dear.¡± Madam Ping reasoned with a slight mischievous tone in her voice. ¡°But I digress, even without having to voice anything, I know where your thoughts lie. Luckily for you, in the near future, you will realize just how wrong one¡¯s assumptions can be.¡±


    ¡°Regardless. Come. We are almost at the Gate.¡±


    With that said, Madam Ping passed by the last silk rooms before arriving at a rather spacious hall decorated for a single purpose, a grand entrance that welcomed a deity inside it. Though, the way it was designed with an Eastern fantastical feel made Hannah feel as if she had just entered a new and foreign side of reality because a small stepped platform existed in the center of the basement hall, and in the middle of that platform she witnessed a gold or brass looking circular door set within a red brick wall supported with two pillars on the sides.


    There was even a small segment above the circular door dedicated to a red tiled roof as if to protect somebody from rain despite it being built within a building.


    Overall, it was something Hannah had never seen before, especially with the lamps providing an otherworldly theme that this gate was indeed something special.


    ¡°You know? Most people, who have need of this basement, assume this gate is a simple decoration to make everything more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.¡± Lee Ping who stood right behind Hannah commented. ¡°Very few realize that there is more to it. Watch.¡± In the same second, Hannah saw Madam Ping wave her right hand and the circular door that had seemed to be made of gold and brass vanished. In its place a colorful shimmer manifested, and it was through that shimmer that Madame Ping vanished alongside her mother¡¯s body. ¡°Here, take my hand. We don''t want you to get lost before reaching the other side. Actually, the same counts for your Summon as well, so store it back within its ball.¡±


    Hannah¡¯s sight switched between Lee Ping and Behold for a second before she recalled it as suggested and took hold of his left hand. Not a moment later Lee Ping pulled on it, almost forcing Hannah to follow along even before she felt ready to try this mysterious Gate thing. Thankfully, after having witnessed so much lately, and having been under Lee Ping''s supervision for more than half a day, even if that time never happened outside the Emergence, Hannah only resisted consciously for a tiny brief moment before stepping after the man with the pretty face.


    Though, the moment she was about to pass into the shimmer, she unconsciously closed her eyes and held her breath. However, when the sensations of passing through appeared and vanished almost instantly, Hannah felt slightly embarrassed that she had felt any apprehension of going through.


    Nonetheless, when she did open her eyes, she once more faced a wild shift in her perspective because wherever she had arrived, it was not the base reality she had known so far because in front of her three stone-paved paths appeared. Moreover, around each of these three stone paths, a forest of trees could be seen. Additionally, on each stone path, a rectangular shape could be seen every ten or so meters, one made of wooden beams on the side defining the width of the stone path while more wooden beams were placed on top to designate the height of the path thanks to some strange symbols decorating everything.


    ¡°Hold tight.¡± Hannah heard Lee Ping say before he squeezed her left hand and once again pulled on it as he took the leftmost path.


    ¡°Wh¡­ Where are we?¡± Hannah asked after absently walking for a bit as she stared at the passing trees.


    ¡°There are a bunch of names, but the most common ones are The Path and The Road.¡± Lee Ping elaborated. ¡°You could say this place is the space between spaces. All Rifts have them, it is the main method of traveling between the different Layers of a Rift.¡±


    ¡°So we are going to a different layer now?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Lee Ping replied. ¡°The Path leads to many places, including the other entrances within our current Layer, and right now we are going for one of those. If we had taken that central Path, we would have eventually arrived on a different Layer. However, before you even think about trying it, know that it is not as easy as it sounds.


    The Path is a living and breathing thing, and while it welcomes all who enter it, not everybody leaves it. Had you entered without me holding onto you, you would have been separated from me and Aunty. Even if you took the same path as you do now, there would be a big chance of ending up in some other place.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Is that why there are only the two of us here?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Lee Ping shook his head while still guiding Hannah to her destination. ¡°The reason you would have most likely lost your way is because The Path loves separating Souls from their Shells. However, unlike a Shroud, its method of separation is so gentle that you don''t even notice it while walking The Path until it''s too late and you''re completely lost.¡±


    Glancing at the trees around Hannah instantly gained a dose of respect for this space between spaces. ¡°So Madam is doing the same thing as you are doing to me? Wait¡­ Can the same be done whenever a Shroud appears?¡±


    ¡°In theory?¡± Lee Ping thought for a second. ¡°Yes. Although, you would need prescient timing and somebody to help you with it. Neither is likely to happen to you since it would be a stupid thing to do.


    As for Aunty?


    Well, I imagine she is already waiting for us on the other side because your mother is still under the Veil and hence immune to the Paths shenanigans. Not that it can''t find other ways to deal with the Veiled. Come, I am sure you have heard of tales of people vanishing after entering old forests. Hold on¡­ In your language, I think it''s called being Spirited Away.¡±


    Tilting her head to the right, Hannah did indeed hear these tales, but prior to Awakening those very tales were nothing but superstitions.


    ¡°Ah¡­ We are almost there.¡±


    Indeed, just as Lee Ping announced it, Hannah saw the end of the stone-paved pathway, and at its end, she found a similar construction as the one existing in the basement of the Rose Peach Bordello.


    Nonetheless, after passing through the shimmer-like Gate, no basement awaited her.


    Instead, a blue sky awaited her.


    <hr>


    ¡°Welcome to the Ping Clan Residence, Miss Blackwood.¡± Madame Ping announced.


    The greeting brought Hannah instantly out of her fascination of finding herself in some other place. ¡°Th¡­ Thank you for having me.¡± She said in turn, not that she knew of any special customs required for her current occasion. ¡°Umm¡­ Where are we specifically, if I may ask?¡±


    ¡°Curious are we?¡± Madame Ping tilted her head to the left slightly, yet the slight movement only made her seem that much more intriguing as she questioned Hannah. ¡°I am sure my nephew elaborated a few things on the way here, so I won''t go into the details but suffice it to say, you are nowhere near your old home. Once all the formalities between us are out of the way, you will be able to come and go from here all you like. Now, let us take care of your mother. This way.¡±


    Nodding, Hannah followed.


    Thankfully, Lee Ping had released his hold on her hand the moment they had reached this mansion, if in a different style of artistic expression not only because the Gate had brought them inside a carefully maintained garden with smaller paths leading to here and there, but also due to a pond and small river existing within said garden.


    Indeed, if a residence held all that, it could only ever be a mansion in Hannah¡¯s point of view.


    Luckily, there was no time to ponder on every single detail as Madame Ping led them through the garden towards a separate building with slanted black tiled roofs and pointy endings. Nonetheless, when the wooden door opened on its own it was clear that this place held modern conveniences, though as Hannah passed through the door, she failed to recognize anything but simple wood construction.


    Regardless, it was the insides of the building that were important, and what she found inside surprised her a great deal. It surprised her because inside she found many large glass bubbles present within. Additionally, each of these glass bubbles laid at least half a meter above the ground, almost as if they had grown out of the ground like fruits waiting to be plucked. Still, the true surprise lay in the fact that, of the ten glass bubbles four were occupied by women all curled up as if freezing and trying their best to prevent any more heat from leaving their bodies.


    Narrowing her eyes for a second, Hannah realized that each of the four humans also floated within those bubbles, as if immersed within some kind of light green liquid.


    Just as Hannah was about to voice her cluelessness, she noted Madam Ping¡¯s tails swirling for a second before simply throwing their cargo at one of these glass bubbles.


    The problem was that the cargo was her mother, so Hannah instantly cried in response. ¡°MOM!!!¡±


    She even rushed forth, yet without even taking two steps forward, Hannah saw her mother''s body pass through the glass-like surface of the chosen large bubble before settling right in the center of it.


    Indeed, just like the other four women, her mother¡¯s body simply floated there for a second. Then, moments after her body stilled from the force of the throw and the sudden immersion of the present light green liquid, Hannah witnessed her mother¡¯s Shell move on its own to settle into a familiar hunched pose, with her arms around her knees and her head resting on her arms.


    Noting the similarities, Hannah switched her view from her mother to the other woman trapped within these transparent bubbles. That was when Hannah noted the first discrepancy, namely the other four women were naked, while her mother was not.


    Urged by the discovery, Hannah rushed closer to her mother''s bubble only to notice the pajamas she wore slowly dissolving into nothingness.


    Having left Hannah a moment to discover things for herself, Madame Ping finally spoke up. ¡°There¡­ Now your mother¡¯s Shell will be fine for as long as it stays within the Life Pod.¡±


    Brought back from her intense emotions, Hannah absently voiced her intrigue. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Her Shell will be more than fine, girl.¡± Lee Ping suddenly involved himself. ¡°By the time your mother wakes, her Shell will have fixed any and all problems plaguing it, including aging.¡±


    ¡°You mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ If you can afford it, centuries can pass and your mother¡¯s Shell will not age a single day.¡± Lee Ping pointed out.


    ¡°I quite liked your mother, dear. Let us hope it does not take even a fraction of that time for your mother to wake up.¡± Madame Ping reasoned. ¡°If it does, you will have to foot the bill for it.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Hannah simply added, though from her face it was clear she wished for something else. ¡°Madame?¡± She voiced before directly looking at the breathtaking face adorned with fluffy ears on top of her head. ¡°Is waiting for mother to wake really the only thing we can do to help her?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The reply was both instant and heavy with meaning. ¡°Gaia¡¯s Rules forbid us from directly interfering with somebody''s Awakening. Any attempt to do so causes backlash. Not only for those attempting the interference but also for those undergoing the Awakening by having the Tribulation scale in difficulty.


    There is some wiggle room in the Rules for those close to Awakening yet not having actually completed the process for Awakening.¡± Ceasing there, Madam Ping refused to elaborate on the Rule-bending possible at the highest echelons of Dreamer Society. ¡°For those like your mother? It is best to just leave it be and wait for them to wake up on their own¡­. Considering your mother being an Old One, at the very least, even with a Curse making things harder, she will succeed at some point.¡±


    ¡°Meaning, it is fruitless to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Truly?¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡± Lee Ping once again joined the conversation. ¡°You don''t become an Old One by being a sheltered flower in a garden. Remember how many Nightmare Spawns you killed today and you barely reached Level Six, well¡­ seven if you included the backlog of experience waiting for you after your Summon helped with the Sub-Boss.


    Yes¡­ I imagine you will gain quite a few SAP¡¯s.


    Anyway¡­ The point is this. It takes numerous defeated Nightmares, completed Quests, and overcome Challenges for a Dreamer to reach Level 60 and become a Master like my Aunt here.¡± Almost as if sensing the perfect moment to curry favors via other people''s success, Lee Ping drew on some bottled-up courage to brag about his Aunt while in her presence. ¡°Let me tell you something about Fox Shifters. For every ten Levels, a Fox Shifter grows they gain one tail. Because Aunty has six this makes it definitive that her Level is somewhere between 60 and 70, thus thereby making her an official Lower-Ranked Master, one of the few on this Layer of Gaia¡¯s Rift.


    Also, let me tell you something else. Each tail repres¡­ Ouch.¡± Lee Ping suddenly bellowed out and grabbed his buttocks after one of the said six tails looped around Hannah to perfectly whip the only man in her presence on his behind.


    ¡°Less bootlicking, you brat.¡± Madama Ping declared, though deep down, she did not dislike it. In truth, none who reached her level of power did so for it stroked their Ego¡¯s wonderfully. Less in her case, but it still did. No, the reason she whopped Lee Ping on the behind was because he was about to spill a tad too much. Not that it was that much of a secret, but who loved having one''s secrets be spilled, especially with young impressionable youths being present? ¡°Back to the main point, Miss Blackwood. Your mother Shell will be perfectly fine for now, and there is nothing we can do to change her current circumstances. What we could do, is actually talk about your own. After all¡­ Many revelations have reached you on this day, and one of them no doubt is related to why you are here. Right?¡±


    ¡°Hnn.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ Say goodbye to your mother for now and let us converse about your future.¡±


    <hr>


    Not long later, Hannah had found herself on the other hand of the huge garden. Particularly the side closer to the actual mansion than the building her mother now lay in. The actual place aside, Hannah seated herself on a wooden stool made for outdoor activities like drinking tea and eating cookies.


    Both of which Hannah could see on the oval table right beside her.


    As for Madame Ping?


    She was seated on the other side of the table and enjoying a sip of said tea which had been brought forth by some women wearing much less stylized garments that seemed to cover most of her body, almost like a flowing dress without being one. Regardless, while Hannah was unfamiliar with the notion, the way the women addressed Madame Ping and quickly reacted to her orders, Hannah could only assume she was some kind of servant within this¡­ residence/mansion.


    The only thing more disenfranchising of her status compared to whom she sat beside, was the fact that only the two of them were seated there. Moreover, the way this Madame looked only made Hannah feel even less.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Madame Ping announced after putting down the cup of tea on the table. ¡°Let us start simply. What is the first thing you wanna know?¡±


    Nervous beyond anything, Hannah rolled her eyes left and right in search of the correct question. The truth, however, was that she searched for anything familiar that would steady her mind, but even the most dependable pillar gained through their adventure underground was nowhere to be seen since Madame Ping had tossed him aside with a simple glare.


    ¡°Umm¡­ I¡­ I am not sure what to ask.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Madame Ping glossed over the girl''s behavior since so far said behavior seemed to be standard for her. ¡°I will start then. You won''t mind?¡± One head shake later, Madame Ping began with what could only be a banger in the girl''s mind. ¡°Your father is dead but not truly DEAD!¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°Shocking, is it not?¡± The Fox Shifter chuckled for a single second. ¡°Let me elaborate on it first because death to a Dreamer is not as permanent as it sounds. I am sure you have heard about reincarnation. About being reborn every time you die? Right?¡± Blinking her brown eyes, Hannah nodded before actually remembering a comment by Lee Ping early on in the Emergence. ¡°Unlike Mortals, who go through the Reincarnation process, a Dreamer does not lose all memories. Meaning, that we do not start a new life completely blank as our Ego¡¯s, our Sparks of Life whether the process of reincarnating much, much better.


    The higher the Levels the more can be retained.


    There is more to it naturally, but that is it in general. Now¡­ Are you inferring the point I am trying to make?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ My father is dead but he will live again and not lose any memories of me and mother? Meaning that¡­ I¡­ will meet him again in the future?¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Madam Ping affirmed. ¡°The point of me explaining this is to make you realize something important. The closer a Mortal is to Awakening the more likely they are to retain memories of a past life, and when they wake and undergo the transcendental phenomena known as Soul Judge, they will learn about those lives and inherit a lot of things.


    Among those, the understanding of their place in the world is the first one, and that my dear, you have none of.


    How about now? What do you make of this knowledge and how does it relate to you?¡±


    Not saying anything before digesting the statement, Hannah remembered something. Namely, one of Lee Ping¡¯s early advice. From there, she Logiced her way to an answer. ¡°You¡­ are saying that I¡­ that I do not have¡­ the knowledge of multiple lives from which to draw?¡±


    ¡°Go on!¡±


    ¡°You are saying that I¡­ should use Soul Judge to look for that knowledge?¡± One fox ear flick later, Hannah continued. ¡°Umm¡­ Mister Lee suggested something like that, but I thought only during the next Nightmare Tribulation will it be possible. Is that not so?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I mean yes it is possible, but it is not advised since even bad things can be inherited from previous lives.¡± That pointed out, Madame Ping shook her head before finally laying down the fact she wanted the girl to realize. ¡°What I am trying to say is that it will be a pointless endeavor in your case because you do not have a past life. There is only Hannah Blackwood and nothing more.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don''t understand?¡±


    ¡°You, my dear, are a Blank.¡± Madam Ping remarked. ¡°A new Soul. An Original Soul to be specific. When you Leveled Up, among your notifications, you must have noted the term Genesis Soul. Right?¡± Remembering the term in question, Hannah nodded. ¡°There are many connotations to being a Blank and you can learn about them later. However, the main one is that only powerful Souls can create Blanks like you and the minimum rank for that is being an Old One, or as you just learned, a Dreamer above Level 60.


    Now, if you still do not get the point, I am saying that both your parents are big deals within Dreamer Society because it takes two Old Ones to make a Blank like you.¡± Seeing the point finally click with the girl, Madam Ping elaborated further. ¡°The problem is that here on Gaia¡¯s Rift, the present Veil of Ignorance prevents most Blanks like you from being discovered and therefore Awakened during their first lifetime.


    The consequence of this is their loss of the Genesis Soul Modifier thus thereby degrading a Blank¡¯s innate value for Sponsorship. You, on the other hand, retain the Genesis Soul Modifier due to your father being an exceptional individual.¡±


    Much was said, and many revelations exploded inside Hannah¡¯s mind. Still, it turned out that there was more to come. ¡°Unfortunately, due to your mother¡¯s situation and your father being Riftbound, your father came to me seeking a Sponsorship for your Awakening.¡±


    ¡°Uh?¡±


    <hr>


    Seeing the girl needing a tad bit more mental space to process everything so far, Madame Ping took up her cup of tea and slowly slipped on it because, as experience had told her, this way the break in conversation seemed much more natural to both parties.


    Then, when it was time for the conversation to pick up, it was almost as if nothing had occurred prior.


    ¡°What does a Sponsorship entail?¡± Hannah asked.


    ¡°Many things, but probably less than you imagine.¡± Madame Ping responded. ¡°In your case, your Genesis Soul Modifier halves the requirements for all Experience Gain below Level 50 or so, thus making it that much easier to Level Up. However, if that was all it did, it would not be as valuable as it is because Experience is not something that is hard to acquire for a Dreamer.


    No, what is hard to attain is the necessary Trauma prerequisite for overcoming the major stages. Imagine yourself as a sponge soaking in water easily. The same happens to your Soul because Trauma build-up for you requires half the effort for twice the results compared to other Dreamers.


    To simplify it further, the second benefit of Blanks is related to Skills Growth.¡±


    ¡°OH¡­ Father¡¯s ghost mentioned the relation between Skill growth, Trauma build-up, and Ability Potential Assessment.¡±


    ¡°He did? Also, what do you mean by ghost?¡± Madame Ping asked out of curiosity.


    Taking on the chance to be the one elaborating on stuff instead of being on the receiving end, Hannah told her tale in a similar manner to what she had told her mother, only this time she kept most of the gruesome parts to herself. Naturally, since she had gone through everything, there was more to reveal, especially the machinations her father had revealed during Soul Judge.


    Divination anchored onto unformed Dream Gems with feedback translated into specific Spiritual Recordings?


    Interesting¡­ I knew from the beginning that Heinrich was an unusual Riftbound, but did not think he could employ such high-level techniques despite being restricted to the Adept Rank.


    No wonder he was so certain of the girl¡¯s Grand Awakening. This method would have been impossible without a Supreme Dream Gem to act as the focal point of Destiny needed for the Divination to actually succeed under Gaia¡¯s Veil.


    ¡°Now as fascinating as that was to hear, I believe we should center back to the important parts. Namely your Sponsorship helping you achieve a Grand Awakening.¡± Madame Ping interrupted the girl when there was very little to learn from her tale. ¡°I''ll have you know that when your father and I talked about your potential, you being a Blank turned out to be but the entry bargaining chip for my help. I am sure, you can infer that the Ingredients used for your Grand Awakening are by no means simple.


    Each of them was of the Supreme Grade, and to fish out such wealth for somebody outside the Clan took quite a bit more convincing on your father''s side. I told him as such, so he went and threw bait that even my Clan Elders could not so easily resist.


    Honestly, I have no idea how he got his fingers on it, but¡­ Riftbound are known for getting into unusual situations which always result with unique treasures ending up in their pockets.¡±


    ¡°What is a Riftbound?¡± Hannah suddenly inquired because this would be the second time the Fox Shifter beside her mentioned it.


    ¡°Just as the name suggests.¡± Madame Ping remarked with an absent wave of her left hand as if there was little to say about it in her opinion. ¡°There are different kinds of Riftbound, but one thing all of them have in common is that each and every one of them is bound to Gaia¡¯s Rift and therefore to Gaia¡¯s Will, whatever it may be. Imagine it as a draft of sorts, where you sign away your freedom until the terms of your Service are complete, or no longer required, and you regain your liberty from the Rift.


    I remember your father mentioned that his Service will be over after completing two more Tasks for Gaia, though the specifics elude me. The only hint your father shared was that each Task sent him to some other Layer of Gaia¡¯s Rift.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ What was the treasure?¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ That¡­ is much harder for a newbie like you to grasp.¡± Madame Ping indeed at. ¡°During the negotiation, your father proclaimed a hundred percent chance for his daughter to achieve a Great Awakening without any Ingredients.


    Now that I know where his confidence came from, his boldness does not surprise me.


    Anyway, with that as the bedrock he bargained for a Grand Awakening, a bet between him, the Ping Clan, and yourself, though you were unaware of it till this moment.


    If you failed in achieving said Grand Awakening, the treasure would be ours thus offsetting a large part of our investment since individuals with Great Dreams are hard to come by. However, since you did succeed, you get to retain the treasure in question. However, to counterbalance the weight of our investment in you, the Ping Clan retains a stake in the promise the treasure holds.


    As for the treasure itself? It should be in your possession. Why don''t you bring it out.¡±


    ¡°I do?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you mentioned it earlier.¡±


    Not quite understanding, Hannah remembered everything she''d told the beautiful Fox Shifter. ¡°The Envelope?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Take it out.¡±


    Nodding, Hannah almost instantly went for her D-Card before remembering that she could simply pull the item out of its Inventory. With a twirl of her right hand, the white envelope appeared.


    ¡°That is the one. Open it and see what it is.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ How do I open it? I tried before but could not do it.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ Silly girl.¡± Madama Ping smirked in a playful manner, only this manner would instantly increase many men¡¯s blood pressure as their blood sought to pump their neither region. ¡°You are a Dreamer, a Spirit not fettered to the mundane Rules you have known so far. Think, girl. What do you have now that you did not have prior to Awakening but could help you in opening the treasure box?¡±


    Quickly going over everything, the answer became staggeringly obvious. ¡°Power Points?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Use one on the mark and it should break the Enchantment preventing you from opening it up.¡±


    Doing just that, Hannah instantly noted an obvious difference between before and after. It was like the Envelope gained an extra degree of impressionability on her with its desire to be opened up. Not denying it one bit, since she was truly curious about the supposed treasure, Hannah opened the Envelope and found within it a thin, hand-length rectangular piece of golden paper with many black markings and an unreadable script written on it.


    Quickly taking it out, she got a much better look, only the more she stared, the more puzzled her expression became. Not only because the treasure turned out to be something extremely simple looking, but also due to Hannah somehow recognizing the nature of the treasure.


    ¡°A ticket?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ No¡­ That is so much more than a Ticket. A Ticket can be acquired relatively easily, even if it is somewhat expensive to get. That piece of gold, however, is an Invitation.¡±


    ¡°An invitation for what? The Champion¡¯s Association as written on the back of the Envelope?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Madame Ping denied it with a wave of her left hand. ¡°The Champions Association is but one part of the Invitation. Think of them as a Club of sorts. A Club where the strong and wealthy gather to appreciate the finest entertainment possible for one''s Soul within EDIN.


    Them aside¡­ ¡° Madame Ping said before pointing at the treasure in Hannah¡¯s hands. ¡°That, my dear little bundle of ignorance, is a Gold Grade Invitation to the Champion¡¯s Rift, also more commonly known as The Summoner¡¯s Rift.¡±

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 27 - Revelations?

    ¡°Summon-ers?¡± Hannah repeated slowly. ¡°Did father leave it to me because I am one?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± All of a sudden a burst of laughter surprised Hannah. It immediately shifted her attention away from the piece of gold paper. ¡°Ha¡­ Oh¡­ the beautiful ignorance of youth who can''t grasp the full scope of EDIN¡¯s grandness. Ai¡­ Can¡¯t exactly fault you for it either because of your birth language.¡±


    Even though it was a backhanded reprisal that excused her of her current youthfulness, Hannah still turned slightly red from embarrassment. ¡°Wh¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess your father left this part out.¡± Madame Ping stated before immediately laying out one of the most common facts every Dreamer ought to know. ¡°Probably to make you less averse to messing up from knowing about it.¡± One shake of her head, at the enigmatic man, later. ¡°Summoners, my dear, are those who reached Level 100 and passed the Sixth Nightmare Tribulation. Those who do establish their own Rifts. Yes, young one. By Rift, I mean a world, a realm, a reality in which Dreamers can live, just like you do now in Gaia¡¯s Rift.¡± Seeing the girls go all wide with sheer realization to whom she''d just compared herself, she added a few more truths. ¡°Naturally, these new Rifts can not be compared to Gaia¡¯s, but Rifts are Rifts.


    Anyway, the reason you so foolishly compared yourself to one is because there is no perfect word in your language to represent just what Summoners are. The closest one is Callers. But that one fails to portray their obvious grandeur. As such, the word summon was used for inspiration.


    That is also why Dreamers like you are called Summon Users instead of Summoners, just like Tool Users being called well¡­ Tool Users despite the fact that they summon their Tools. To avoid tongue twisters in your language, most simply call you guys Conjurers by the Principle which made you possible.


    Now that you know, I suggest you learn Spirit Speach so you do not make the same mistake in front of others, or you will be laughed at for being dumb and stupid, and you are none of that. Just uneducated. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Un¡­ Understood.¡± Hannah quickly affirmed, with a heavy nod to make it that much more certain to this gorgeous woman sitting beside her. Or was she the one sitting beside her? Hannah suddenly pondered. Regardless, after the nod of understanding, Hannah shied away from facing the black eyes staring at her. Instead, she focused away and back on the piece of golden paper in her hand. Remembering the previous statement of what it was, Hannah asked a simple question. ¡°Does that mean that Father wants me to go to this¡­ Summoner¡¯s Rift? Also¡­ How do I use it?¡±


    The instant Hannah asked the second question, she blinked from the realization that the target of her inquiry was gone.


    ¡°Do not even think about using it.¡± The melodious voice beside her stated, with no room for interpretations. ¡°You are neither ready nor will you be any time soon.¡±


    Craning her neck right, Hannah saw the piece of golden paper in Madam Ping''s hand, as for how it got there, she knew not.


    One moment it was in her hand, and the next it was gone.


    ¡°Wh¡­¡±


    Ignoring the flabbergasted face, Madame Ping finally answered the first question while nonchalantly waving the golden invitation around. ¡°Something like that.¡± Then she got serious. ¡°Naturally, you do not have to. You can just ignore it. Or better yet, give me the Invitation in exchange for lowering your Sponsorship debt provided by the Ping Clan.¡±


    ¡°How about it?¡± Madame Ping asked curiously. ¡°Do you want to exchange it?¡±


    Gaping with her mouth a few times, Hannah finally caught up to what the Madame of the Rose Peach Bordello offered. ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    Totally unsure of what to do, Hannah quickly parsed her mind for what she should do. In the end, after a few moments of silence, well¡­ silence if one ignored Madam Ping once again taking a sip of her tea that seemed to not grow cold, Hannah established a basic train of thought on which to base her answer. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I do not know. Can you tell me more about its worth?¡±


    Staring at Hannah¡¯s brown eyes, especially the way they radiated the Will behind them, Madam Ping nodded before praising her. ¡°A good choice. If you do not know about something, it is easy to be swindled because of it.¡±


    Wetting her throat one more time with tea, she did as asked. ¡°The Summoner¡¯s Rift is a special Rift. Among all the Rifts in existence, it stands like a neutral ground between every Summoner and their alliances of convenience.¡± She told the girl. ¡°At least, for those below the Eternal Rank, like for example Gaia¡¯s Rift. Gaia and the other Eternals simply do not care about it. Or so goes the tale. After all, what would we lower beings know about the whims of greater beings?¡± Shaking her head out of sheer stupidity to even ponder about it, she went on. ¡°Back to the main point. The Summoner¡¯s Rift is special because it is a conglomerate of many small Rifts stacked around each other like a beehive, full of buzzing bees ready to protect their homes.¡±


    ¡°Nonetheless, there is a central pillar within this hive, and that one belongs to Champion, the Summoner around which the others have gathered and laid down their roots.¡± One brief pause to sip some tea, and let Hannah process things so far, she went on. ¡°Champion loves games, sports, fights, challenges, and whatever else exists to entertain him now that he is practically at the top. As such, those who have gathered around him are of a similar mindset.


    Meaning, over a long period of Time, a Time that neither you nor I can fathom, the Summoner¡¯s Rift has become the first choice of venue for entertainment of all sorts, and when entertainment is the goal, rewards are sure to follow for those who provide the best entertainment.


    A consequence of this is Trade.


    Meaning, that a lot of wealth passes through, and when that much wealth is possible, every major organization seeks to establish a foothold there.


    Are you with me so far?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ think so.¡± Hannah replied, though her mind buzzed with possibilities. ¡°You are saying that that piece of gold paper will allow you to establish a foothold there.¡±


    ¡°You are not wrong, but you are neither right.¡± Madam Ping elaborated, but only after another sip of tea that seemed not to be getting colder despite time passing. ¡°You see. There are requirements to do so.


    The first is that you are backed by at least one Grandmaster. The second is that you need enough Masters ready to defend your turf. The third is that every Clan, Guild, Company, Kingdom, Empire, or whatever else they are called, has to have a stake in the games going on there. The higher the stakes, the closer an Association can establish its foothold to Champion, where the true powerhouses gather to entertain themselves, Summoner¡¯s included.


    Here is the crux of it all, and why this little piece of gold is valued so high by our Clan.¡± Madam Ping said before waving the Invitation again. ¡°By stakes, I mean Players. Dreamers who are ready to face death through numerous challenges found within Summoner¡¯s Rift, all in order to climb the ladder of Rankings existing there.


    Here is the big part, this Invitation allows one to skip the Iron, Bronze, and Silver League to enter Gold directly, the League directly under Champions supervision.


    Furthermore, since every Gold Invitation allows multiple Dreamers to enter, provided that they are an officially recognized Party, any organizations can succor favor from others by providing the slots for said Dreamers.¡± Witnessing Hannah tilt her head in confusion, she added more. ¡°Basically, if you exchange the Invitation with the Ping Clan, the Ping Clan can promise other Clans a spot within Champion¡¯s Gold League in return for favors, whether monetary or more exotic concessions.¡±


    Squinting for a second, Hannah found the perfect word to describe everything so far. ¡°Bribery?¡±


    <hr>


    Nodding, Madame Ping affirmed Hannah¡¯s chosen word. ¡°That would be one way to call it. Doing so, however, would be considered a disservice due to the possible rewards all of us could attain in the long run.¡±


    ¡°Now then¡­ What do you think? Are you more inclined to do the exchange?¡±


    Once again called forth to make a decision, Hannah pondered her problem. Nonetheless, the more she thought, the more she realized how little she knew. Worse of all, the longer she thought, the closer her Logic brought her to a stalemate once she realized that her father could have simply done the exchange for upfront benefits instead of letting everything be as it was.


    That meant only one thing.


    There were more facts, she was missing.


    ¡°What will happen if I do not?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡± Madam Ping raised an eyebrow at what she was witnessing, namely just how much time Hannah needed to come to a decision, even one of caution. ¡°It seems you''re the type that relies too much on Logic. We will need to wean you off of that since you''re a Conjurer. That and the many other misconceptions you have agglomerate while being a Veiled.¡± That said, she waved the piece of gold paper again and placed it on the table separating them before pushing it right back to its proper owner. ¡°As you have seen just now, there is nothing you can do if I or anybody else wants to take it from you, so what you are currently only able to rely on is my Clan¡¯s integrity to its promises.


    The bet between us and your father was that we either attain the ticket or get the heads up in taking a stake in it. Meaning, whenever you are ready to, and probably even before that, you will be introduced to your possible future Party Member who will follow you to the Summoner¡¯s Rift and participate in their games with you and thereby represent the Ping Clan and its intentions.¡±


    Once again, Hannah was surprised at how things were unfolding.


    Then just as she was about to ask for more clarifications, Madam Ping voiced out another proclamation. ¡°Naturally, only a Fox Shifter can represent the Ping Clan, as such you will need to learn much about us if you and your future Party Member are to work well together.


    The same applies to your side, as we need to ensure you are qualified for this. As such, aside from the Ingredient investment for your Sponsorship, the Clan has agreed to treat you as we would treat our most talented younglings.


    Meaning, you will be taught combat and tactics worthy of being a Gold League Contender.


    Additionally, in case our Clan¡¯s Assessor can not help you further narrow down the Leveling Schema for your Grand Dream, you will be provided with the Clans connections with the Forge Guild, such that their Expert Assessors and Forge Master can help you instead.


    One more thing.


    As a temporary affiliate member of the Ping Clan, you have the option to utilize our Clan¡¯s Leveling Assets like Gear, Quests, and Grind Zones. However, note that the more of those assets you seek, the more the Ping Clan will dig its fingers into your golden pie, and by that, I am talking about your personal leverage as a Gold League Contenter to seek Party Members not affiliated with the Ping Clan, and their connections, with whom to Dive inside the Summoner¡¯s Rift.


    What do you think? Sounds fair?¡±


    GULP


    Feeling more than she should, yet not being able to avoid the weight of the Fox Shifter''s attention with her flowing six tails, Hannah did the only thing she felt she could, and that was to nod in affirmation that she had received the lady''s instructions.


    ¡°Good. Now take the Invitation, place it back within the envelope, and pour another PP into its seal. Once that is done, send it back to your inventory and never, ever tell or show it to anyone you can not trust with your life or already pre-approved by me personally.¡± Madam Ping instructed. ¡°If word gets out that you have it, Pryers curious about the newest celebrity within town will be the least of your problems.¡±


    GULPing more one time, Hannah quickly did as bid before twirling her right hand and making the Envelope vanish back into her Inventory.


    ¡°Alright¡­ Now that the critical things are established between us, it''s time we talk about less serious matters.¡±


    ¡°L¡­ Like?¡± Hannah could not help herself uttering after suddenly recognizing that she in fact held a very hot potato in her hands, and if not careful, it would scold her deeply.


    ¡°Well¡­ It should be obvious by now. Are you going to return to your little apartment or will you in fact take residence within this place?¡± Madam Ping asked.


    Hannah blinked her brown eyes a few times in wonder at the prompted inquiry. Indeed, now that her mother was incapacitated, she would be all alone in her little apartment. Moreover, what about school? No. Even worse. What was she even going to eat? So far, her mother had been the main provider of food, and while Hannah had been taught to cook, it was nothing like what her mother could make. No doubt eating the simple stuff would easily make her sick of them. What then? Buy finished food? With what? She had no money and her mother could not provide her with any money.


    Stuck with the dilemma, Hannah glanced at the beautiful lady beside her, and simply shook her head in denial, though it was small to not offend the Fox Shifter in question.


    No¡­ I can''t ask for money from them. Hannah affirmed in her mind. The more I rely on them, the more in debt I remain to them.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Wait¡­


    ¡°W¡­ What about the debt my mother worked to pay off?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­ Well¡­ How do I say it without becoming the bad guy in your mind.¡± Madame Ping worried for a second, although her face only portrayed a playful attitude. ¡°Let us just say that the debt your mother tried her best to pay back never actually existed.¡±


    ¡°W¡­ What?¡± Hannah simply could not believe what her eyes told her, so she asked for more. ¡°WHAT?¡±


    <hr>


    Although Hannah''s voice was only slightly raised, it did contain disbelief, hurt, anger, and probably more, and to Madam Ping that was as obvious as the sun is during the day.


    ¡°Your debt was never a material one.¡± Madam Ping elaborated. ¡°It is more one of expectations. Actions that need to be taken once you''re Awakened. As such, your mother could have never inherited it even if she worked multiple lifetimes for it. Only you, and you alone can make the Clan¡¯s expectations go away, the same ones I told you moments prior.¡±


    Stunned, Hannah¡¯s lips opened and closed multiple times before something coherent left in search of answers. ¡°Why? Why did Mother have to¡­ to work for you then? Why could she only earn a pittance if none of it went to cover a debt that never existed?¡± Just as Hannah voiced her question, an answer burst forth from the recesses of her mind. ¡°Were you stealing it for yourself while mother was selling herself for almost nothing?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I will forgive you for your innuendo sent my way due to your ignorance.¡± Madam Ping remarked with a simple tone, only it was anything but simple since that same tone settled over Hannah like a fog of uncertainty that seemed to seep into her body, her Shell, and her Soul. Yet, as Hannah¡¯s brown eyes darted around, nothing could be witnessed, and that fact reminded her of Lee Ping and how he had somehow descended a suffocating force onto and around her until she had no choice but to drop to the ground like a bug being crushed by a human finger. The only difference was, that this one was much gentler on her. ¡°Tell me, girl. Who do you think is paying for your mother''s current state?¡±


    Still clad within that unsettling feeling, Hannah instantly replied, though unconsciously. ¡°Y¡­You?¡±


    ¡°That is right. A day within the Life Pod costs 10 D Ranked Dream Coins.¡± The Shifter explained. ¡°A 100 Dream Coins is equal to 1 D Ranked Dream Coin, which means that every day your mother spends within the pod, it costs 1000 coins. Nevertheless, I still see in your eyes that you fail to grasp the behind-the-scenes.


    How about this?


    Each Dream Coin you have earned on your today¡¯s excursion can be exchanged for¡­ 153 Dollars, as of the latest Mortal Coin Exchange Program.¡± Almost instantly, Hannah gasped at the implications, because if there was one thing that was true about her, then it was the fact that math was one of her strengths. ¡°Yes, girl. A 153 000 Dollars per day.¡±


    ¡°Sounds extremely expensive, right?¡±


    ¡°Hnn!¡± That was all Hannah gave in reply.


    ¡°This means that over the years your mother worked for us, part of the money she earned was set aside for the moment it was truly needed. Unfortunately, D-Coins can only be exchanged one way when it comes to Mortal money, so most of your mother''s earnings have been infused back into the Bordello.¡± Shaking her head, Madame Ping released her invisible hold on Hannah. This made her unconsciously release a sigh of relief from the sheer unnerving effects it had on her. ¡°Now, one thing you ought to know is that your mother could have never covered the bill for her treatment as a Mortal. As a Dreamer, though? Now that is a completely different story since D-Ranked Coins are quite easy to come by the higher one''s Rank is, and your mother is an Old One, at the very least.


    Meaning, that when she wakes up, she will not have any problems covering the owed factors.


    If her allotted time-frame for Re-Awakening is used up but she is yet to wake, then our treatment will stop as well and her Shell will degrade shortly after. Nonetheless, just like I mentioned when we first met, you can cover it easily once you''re an Apprentice.


    Understood?¡±


    ¡°Hnn!¡±


    ¡°Do not feel that bad about it.¡± Madam Ping said in a softer tone. ¡°Not even for your mother''s sake. I say this because you still fail to grasp the very reason why your mother was under contract with us, especially considering how unfair it was.¡±


    ¡°W¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°While you were inside the Emergence, has my nephew mentioned anything about why Spirit chose to arrive on Gaia?¡±


    Thinking for a second, Hannah replied. ¡°Something about experiencing the good, the bad, and whatever else existed. He¡­ He also mentioned how addicting it was.¡±


    ¡°It will do.¡± The Shifter reasoned. ¡°The reason why we all come to Gaia¡¯s Womb is because of the immersion possible thanks to the Veil of Ignorance present within the RIft. Meaning, that every single Dreamer under it forgets about their actual selves and more. This then makes us Mortals for a brief period of time. The result is magnified Experience Gain, the good, the bad, and the mediocre.


    Almost as if we are experiencing things for the very first time, at least as close to it as possible within the context.


    Think of it as an Experience Multiplier Modifier for normal Spirits, unlike Blanks like you, who soak up Trauma like nobody''s business.¡± Ceasing there, Madame Ping took another sip of tea to break the monotony of being a stand-in teacher. ¡±Add on top of that the Biological Shells Gaia designed and Gaia¡¯s Womb becomes the prime location for Experience Gain through Emotional Trauma Build-Up which then results in higher quality Dream Gem Manifestations and fulfilled Nightmare Tribulation Requirements.


    There is more of course, but for now, this will do for your understanding regarding your mother¡¯s needs.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ You mean my mother is here to experience being a¡­ ¡± Ceasing for a second, Hannah refused to say the common word for her profession. Instead, she used the same one her mother used to make it seem more than it was at its core, the selling of the body. ¡°a¡­ Courtesan?¡±


    ¡°Of that, I am not certain, but it could be.¡± Madame Ping added. ¡°When your father proposed your Sponsorship, he was adamant about making your and your mother''s situation as dire as possible but without actually crippling you both to allow a very close-knit relationship to manifest between a mother and her sick child that needs special caring, with both gaining what is needed for their growth.


    You? An example of sacrifice from your mother! Your mother? The sacrifice for the next generation!


    At least, that was my theory before I discovered your mother¡¯s Curse problem. Nonetheless, my guess should not be too far off the mark.¡±


    After one shake of her fox-eared head, Madam Ping continued her little speech. ¡°My guess aside. Typically speaking, the Veiled have no idea of just why they were born the way they were, or just why certain good or bad things happen to them. Some proclaim it Fate. Some call it Destiny, and some delegate it to Karma being a bitch to them for this or that in some previous life.


    Most of the time, however, everything that happens happens due to Riftbound acting behind the scenes to make everything possible.


    By the way, Riftbound are the origin behind the Guardian Angel superstition all Mortals are familiar with.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, at some point, and in some lifetime, the Dreamers'' purpose on Gaia¡¯s Womb is complete. When it is, they wake up to realize who they truly are. When they do, the Mortal Lifetime they experienced becomes nothing but a Dream or Nightmare.


    If it is a Nightmare and enough conditions are met, then the chances of Awakening become that much higher, and if they do Awaken, then they earn Gaia¡¯s approval and the privilege to stay on her Rift all they want, like you and me.


    More me than you, but you should get the gist of it.


    If it is a Dream, however, it becomes a bittersweet memory that one can not help but wish to continue, even to one''s detriment. It is for that very reason Gaia implemented the Death Rule, where one briefly recovers one''s bearing after one Mortal Lifetime to make the choice of either continuing to sleep and dream of another Mortal Lifetime for another chance of whatever reason brought them here in the first place or to finally give up and move back to the Cosmos.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I remember that one. I¡­ think.¡±


    ¡°We all do Young One. We all do.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°Take a moment and ponder on it all.¡± Hannah heard the Shifter say. ¡°Usually, none of this surprises those who just Awakened since they have memories of at least one extra Mortal Lifetime. Your status as a Blank makes things a bit more¡­ confusing, let us say.


    Ponder everything for a moment before voicing your answer to my earlier question.¡±


    ¡°Question?¡± Hannah murmured as if having a harder time recalling what the question was, to begin with.


    ¡°Remain within your apartment to continue your Mortal Lifetime for a bit more or choose to leave it behind and devote all of your attention to fulfilling the expectations the Ping Clan has for you.¡± Madam Ping reasoned the girls'' dilemma from another angle.


    ¡°I¡­ I can do that? I can just ignore everything?¡±


    ¡°Sure you can.¡± The Fox Shifter affirmed. ¡°As you immerse yourself into being a Dreamer, you will realize that we work by different time frames compared to Mortals. To those like me, an Old One, a Mortal Lifetime is like having an afternoon nap. Gone in the blink of an eye. However, if you choose to waste your Blank status, the Clan will have to come for you know what.


    As such, I propose a 50-50 approach. You come here at least three days out of seven to learn all you need to know. The rest of the time you can spend all you like. We would prefer if you use that time to progress in your training, but it would be up to you. Regardless, this way, not even the Clan Elders will have the excuse to complain about your actions on not fully devoting yourself to their agendas.


    After all, waiting a decade or more is nothing for them.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said before. Take a moment to think about it, but don''t take too long. You still have one destination for today.¡±


    ¡°Destination?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. I will have my nephew escort you to the DI-Branch to unlock your D-Card so you can finally have access to the Market. You need to buy yourself some basic Skills, like Meditation to avoid being drawn into the Dreamscape.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Hannah asked because asking about things was much easier than having to make a life-altering decision. ¡°I¡­ I remember Mr Lee telling me to get a Meditation Skill as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Basic Skills cost about 50 D-Coins, and if my nephew''s words were correct, you should have earned enough today to buy yourself the whole First Set. Although, I do suggest you just focus on some kind of Meditation Skill until the Clan¡¯s Assessor has taken a look at you.¡± Madam Ping reasoned out. ¡°As for what the Dreamscape is? And why should you avoid it for now? Ah¡­ Let me ask you this. Ever since you established your own Dream Instance, you have been appearing within it every night. Right?¡± Witnessing the nod, the Shifter got to the actual question. ¡°Then where do you think everybody else goes every night?¡±


    ¡°Th¡­ The Dreamscape?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Think of the Dreamscape as an extremely large Dream Instance unique to each and every Layer of Gaia¡¯s Rift. A subset Layer within the Layer, to be specific. During the day, the Veiled experience the Mortal perspective, and during the Night, whether Mortal or Spirit, they all go there to rest, recover, and release part of the pent-up stress acquired during the day.¡±


    ¡°And I will be forced to go there without a Meditation Skill?¡± Hannah inquired, all wide-eyed.


    ¡°Not forced. You can''t be forced to go there.¡± Came the reply. ¡°But you will be guided there through your Shell since it is used to doing something similar for as long as it has existed. In fact, this is the very reason you were able to achieve a Commune with Everything Else while sleeping. You were so used to this process being possible that you unconsciously tapped Everything Else because you were trapped within the Shroud, as nothing can block one from tapping Everything Else.


    ¡°Wait¡­ You know about that?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, my nephew told me about your adventure.¡±


    ¡°He did? When? No¡­ How? You guys barely spoke with each other?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ Clan secret. If you want to learn about it, you will have to take those lessons I told you about.¡±


    ¡±Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Back to the last topic.¡± Madame Ping guided the topic back to where it was needed. ¡°The reason you should avoid the Dreamscape for now is because Nightmares exist within, and unlike the Veiled, you will have none of the protections typically present. So you will most likely have to fight all alone. Best to simply not take those chances.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ I will do that.¡± Hannah said before actually being reminded of something else. ¡°Wait¡­ Can you not give me the required Skill?¡±


    ¡°I could but Skills fall under the Gear category. You sure you want to already start on that road?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Wait¡­ You just mentioned that each Basic Skill costs only 50 D-Coins. Can I not buy them from you?¡±


    ¡°Ho¡­ Already discovered the loophole?¡± Madame Ping smirked at Hannah who in turn instantly turned slightly red. ¡°Take out your D-Card!¡±


    Fumbling for a second, Hannah did just that. Though, it took her a second to remember where it was on her. Once it was in her hands, she looked back at the beautiful Fox Shifter with the everflowing six tails that floated behind her all while ignoring any of the abstractions existing, like the seat on which the women sat with her behind.


    ¡°Place it on the table!¡± The suggestion was given and executed. The next second, Hannah saw the Shifter¡¯s left hand pass right above its dark screen. Yet, when it did, in her vision a new screen manifested because Hannah had never turned off the holographic interface enabled through Lee Ping¡¯s help.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    User; Shao Ping [Illustrious Fox - Master] has initiated a Trade!


    *


    Does User; Hannah Blackwood accept?


    ??


    <hr>


    ¡°Umm¡­ Yes!¡± Hannah hesitantly said right before remembering that she ought to glare at the yes button to make it work.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    Trade Platform Launched!


    *


    User; Shao Ping [Illustrious Fox - Master] has offered to trade an E-Grade Skill; Basic Trance in exchange for 60 D-Coins.


    *


    Does User; Hannah Blackwood accept?


    ??


    <hr>


    ¡°60?¡± Hannah instantly cried out. ¡°You said it''s 50?¡±


    ¡°I have to earn something from our deal.¡± Madame Ping said with another smirk. ¡°Take this as a warning that buying from the Clan will always be more expensive than buying from the Market. So¡­ Will you accept our first-ever Deal?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Hesitating for a second, a few quick reminders jumped through her mind only for something else to click. Namely, the fact that each D-Coin was worth 153 Dollars. That meant she was not spending 50 D-Coins to buy a Skill, but a staggering 7650 Dollars to buy an E-Grade Skill, the lowest grade possible. Yet, just as this revelation thrust up to fruition, another reached her, one even more mind-boggling. Urgently acting upon it, Hannah did the mental math in her head and reached the full conclusion of her current monetary wealth. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ am RICH!!!¡±


    Recognizing what might have gone through Hannah¡¯s head, Madame Ping instantly admonished the girl out of her delusions. ¡°Not even close.¡± She said before lowering her expectations even further. ¡°Sure, if you exchange what you have for Mortal currency you can immediately relieve most of your current monetary problems. Where it matters, however, you are neither rich nor will be anytime soon.


    Remember that your Ingredients were of the Supreme Grade, the category where every Ingredient is bought with A-Grade Dream Coins. Remember every coin upgrade takes a hundred denominations of the lower one?


    Ai¡­ I might as well just spare you the effort.¡± With that said, Madam Ping waved her left hand, and above it, light gathered to produce a simple visual illusion in the form of numbers, and just how the conversion would work if Mortal currency was the medium, which it thankfully was not. ¡°Remember these numbers as a constant reminder of just how heavy the Ping Clan¡¯s expectations are for you.¡±


    ¡°EEEEeeeeeeppppppp¡­¡± Hannah produced as her brain short-circuited from witnessing the zeroes.

 SR - Act 2 - Chapter 28 - Back?

    ¡°We are almost there.¡± Lee Ping said with a detached voice, or at least as much as he could make it because a part of his thoughts centered on just what his Aunt could have said to the girl that had made her so¡­ dispirited.


    Closer to a doll simply following after him as he led her to the DI-Branch within the pleasure district of Oaktown City. Naturally, being there, it meant it was a rather small branch unlike the main one in the center of the city, but considering what the girl needed, there was no need to bother with the bigger one.


    Regardless, it took but a few more moments for them to arrive at the small building. Nonetheless, the way it was situated between two larger ones, almost highrise but not quite, it looked rather downtrodden. In truth, though, it was anything but that as Dream Incorporated is one of the many Associations that is the most spread throughout EDIN. In fact, Dream Incorporated will be the very first outsider Association to settle their roots into any new Rift once established and even at the behest of the Summoner, if the tales were to be believed.


    Indeed, that was how proliferated they were as the creators, and maintainer of the SpiritNet, the web of information connecting anything and everything. Truly, they held an unbelievable amount of power. The only thing protecting everything else from their fingers was the Oath of Neutrality sworn and upheld by the highest of Dreamers directing this behemoth of an OmniCorp. Obviously, there was more to them, like with the D-Card¡¯s and no Dreamer able to even imagine a life without them and its conveniences.


    Still, staring at the black and white clouds swirling and flowing around each other before being swallowed by a black dot in the center, Lee Ping remembered his own first time entering one, and just how eager he had been in unlocking the rest of his D-Card.


    Undoubtedly, nothing like the girl beside him.


    Just as they were about to enter, Lee Ping addressed the girl. ¡°Look. I may not know what made you so depressed, but something good is about to happen. Try and set it aside at least for the moment.¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡±


    ¡°Are you even hearing what I just said?¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡±


    ¡°You''re not?¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡±


    ¡°Definitely not.¡± Lee Ping murmured before thinking of the only way he knew to bring the girl back to the here and now. Was it the right response? Probably not. But it was for sure working when he chopped his right hand into the girl''s head, causing her to stagger back for a step or two before unconsciously whipping her arms where he''d hit her. ¡°Pay attention and be on your best behavior. You do not want the clerk to mess up with your D-Card. You hear me?¡±


    ¡°Hnn!¡±


    Despite being sure that his message had finally clinked into the girl, Lee Ping shook his head at being stuck as her babysitter for longer. Still, it beat getting on the wrong side of his Aunt. So, Lee Ping shook his head one additional time before sighing internally and entering the building he had guided the girl to.


    Once inside, Hannah found herself within a rather small reception room, with one bench on the right side able to hold up to five people and a desk with electronic equipment on the left side. Unfortunately, as she glanced around, she found none but her and Lee Ping.


    Nonetheless, that did not stop the man with the pretty face from boldly stepping near the desk and pressing on a counter bell to ring their arrival.


    Perhaps it was because of the lack of customer traffic but it took a few moments for anybody to arrive from the door behind the desk, but when they did, it turned out to be a male clerk. There did not appear to be anything outstanding about him bar a rather bright blond hair color palate on his head and beard. Even his blue eyes failed to make him stand out from the perfectly average salary man found everywhere else due to the brown round glasses set on his nose.


    No, the only differentiation between this clerk and every other clerk was his lack of the Veil and his big smile showcasing as special as it somehow made the man that tiny bit more friendly in Hannah¡¯s estimation.


    ¡°Oh. Wow¡­ Did not expect any customers since the guys with the guns came.¡±.The man said. ¡°Hi¡­ I am Mandel, The Twelfth Oak. What can I do for my dear customers?¡±


    Not making any statements on the strange last name, Hannah listened to Lee Ping voice the very reason she had come here. ¡°Hi, the girl Awakened not too long ago and needs her D-Card unlocked.¡±


    ¡°How wonderful.¡±¡± Mandel voiced out before his gaze settled on Hannah and he somehow beamed a smile at her that made her feel strange. Nothing untoward, but it was definitely strange, Hannah quickly decided. ¡°Let me take a look at your Card, little one.¡±


    Nodding, Hannah took out her D-Card and placed it on the counter. The blond clerk took it, sat himself behind the desk and immediately turned it around to check out the backside where a picture of her and Behold existed. ¡°Well, that certainly looks like you. But¡­ What is this? Are you a Summon User?¡± He asked before seeing Hannah nod as she refused to elaborate on the truth. Though, the next sentence made her refusal simply inconsequential. ¡°Could you show it to me for further clarifications before I unlock the Card?¡±


    Just as Hannah was about to ask why it was even needed, Lee Ping spoke up. ¡°Do it. Nothing will leave this place as customer confidentiality is the number one sales pitch for Dream Incorporated.¡±


    Nodding, Hannah brought out her Dreamon Ball. ¡°Come out, Behold!¡±


    The jagged red lighting escaped the pink ball and settled into the air before transforming into its equivalent pink resident. Unfortunately, for the resident in question, its Master¡¯s Call instantly woke it from its sleep. Not to mention the instant weight upon its body trying to push it down. Obviously, Hannah¡¯s¡­ training bore success when it instantly unfolded its three tentacular limbs to activate its floating Passive Ability, though not before crying out one simple word.


    ¡°Beho?¡± Behold cried out as it looked around at once again finding itself in a completely new environment.


    ¡°My¡­ Goodness. Is that what I believe it is?¡± Mandel almost cried out the very second his sight settled on Behold. Behold, on the other hand, instantly noted a strange sensation covering him. ¡°Come here, little one. Let me examine you for a second.¡± Mandel said with heavy expectations of Behold to do as he wished, yet when it did not do so immediately, he almost certainly checked off an internal checkmark for his assumption. ¡°Do not worry, little one. I won''t hurt you.¡± Mandel added as his smile beamed a disarming feel onto all three customers.


    Still, despite the added feeling, Behold quickly shook off the feeling telling it everything was fine. When it did, Behold finally recognized the strange sensations on its body. Namely, it was extremely similar to its Master¡¯s Radiance. Unfortunately, it had none of its Master¡¯s absoluteness, hence how Behold managed to ignore it.


    Still, knowing it was there, Behold unconsciously floated closer to Hannah to bask in her Radiance to further negate the blond man¡¯s influence.


    ¡°Hihi¡­ As expected of Old One Eye''s descendent!¡± Mandel said with a wide smile. ¡°Yes¡­ This explains many things. Ha¡­ Hard to believe I get to be the one to welcome you. Man¡­ Eleventh will be so pissed when I tell him about this. Can''t wait to see his face bloom from jealousy.¡±


    ¡°You can bicker with your brothers all you like, just tone down your Aura. It is unbecoming of DI¡¯s usually impeccable services.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ You are right. My apologies, Customer¡­ Charming Fox.¡± Mandle acceded before receding, said Aura. Though, only after pushing his glasses up his nose once, almost as if they were slipping off yet were not even close to actually doing so. Instead, the motion was used as an activation condition for his glasses to acquire certain information about Lee Ping. ¡°Now that I have confirmed your Identity, back to business it is.¡±


    <hr>


    Mandel took Hannah¡¯s D-Card and slotted it within its counterpart tool on his desk. It looked like a toaster of sorts, only naturally more fancy and a million times more technical. That done, in his vision, screens appeared which he then manipulated. A few times he nodded, and at one particular screen he just shook his head before finalizing what every D-Card went through.


    As that was happening, the holographic display in Hannahs vision flickered a few screens that vanished just as fast. Then when everything returned to normal, Mandel simply picked Hannah¡¯s D-Card and placed it back on the desk counter. ¡°There. I am done. From now on you can use it without any restrictions. Do note, Customer Blackwood, that I have taken the liberty to include a few small changes considering you are more than just a simple Summoner User.


    The change in question will appear within the Ability tab. However, do also note that this will be all that can be done until you have resolved some key issues with your Grand Dream.¡±


    ¡°Issues?¡± A voice asked, but it was not Hannah¡¯s. No. It was Lee Ping since the girl''s Grand Dream was related to his Aunt¡¯s plans. ¡°What could be the issues?¡±


    ¡°Unless I have Customer Blackwood''s permission I am not at liberty to say the specifics.¡± Mandel replied with a despairing sigh to exacerbate his Company''s Policy.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Fine. I will be waiting outside then.¡± Lee Ping said before just as quickly leaving the building.


    When he was gone, Mandel immediately released a big sigh of relief at finally being able to speak freely. ¡°Good. The nuisance is gone.¡± He said. ¡°Listen girl. Within your Ability tab you will find a new screen detailing your Summon since none existed there before as you are a special kind of hybrid from what I have seen.


    However, that is not the problem.


    The problem is this. Once you activate it, your D-Card will scan your Summon and attempt to organize it. Nonetheless, it will fail for all but the most common categories since your Summon is still in the very first stages of its formation as a newly born Spirit, and the existing categories will not fit it. As such, I suggest you give me a visit every time you have made some major progress in regards to your Grand Dream so I can adjust the parameters by which the scanner works.


    Will that be fine, Customer Blackwood?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Hannah replied in no uncertain terms but those of a girl who was still in the throngs of getting used to being in a new world and everything around her demanding for her attention.


    ¡°Perfect. Unless you have some more business with Dream Incorporated, you are free to leave and enjoy your life as you please.¡± Mandel told Hannah, and she in turn denied. ¡°Excellent. Now I am free to brag to some of my brothers.¡± In the same instant, Mandel stood from his seat and went through the doorway behind him, but not before murmuring something to himself that Hannah could not overhear. ¡°Hihi¡­ If I play my cards right, the position of District Manager will be but the very first stepping stone.¡±


    Meanwhile, just as the blond man vanished inside, Hannah cocked her head to the right, right to where Behold had snuggled near her head. Yet, just as she imagined lashing out at its audacity, Behold shied away from her as if she was a giant piece of hot metal.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Hannah said and made for the entrance with Behold following right after her.


    Once outside, Hannah witnessed Lee Ping leaning onto the road railing.


    ¡°That was brief.¡± He said. ¡°Thought it would take longer. What was the issue?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ My D-Card cant examine Behold properly so I was told to come again in the future.¡±


    ¡°Doubt it is that simple. DI Clerks rarely break their code of conduct for just that.¡± Lee Ping commented wildly from simply gut feeling. ¡°Whatever¡­ Aunty mentioned to drive you back to your apartment so that is what we will do. But before we do that, I will have to have a certain talk with a Vampire.¡±


    ¡°Sanguine, you damn half baked fox.¡± A rather familiar voice instantly shouted in their direction. ¡°Cough¡­ I am a Sanguine.¡±


    ¡°Then stop acting like one and present yourself like one. ¡± Lee Ping added to the failure, but not before craning his neck right and slightly up to see what stood on the concrete pillar beside them sporting a simple street lamp. ¡°Come down, or I will make you!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Echoed from above, only for a black man wearing black attire with red furnishing to make it more pleasing on the eye, plus a large white coat with red embellishments, come down from the air, right beside Hannah and Lee Ping. ¡°Yo¡­ We meet again.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ Hi?¡± Hannah managed to utter after staring at Cain''s glowing red eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been paid for your help down there before we reached the Queen''s Nest. Why are you here? How did you even know we would be here?¡± Lee Ping asked, with a clear tone of objection. Considering their slight misalignment of priorities before leaving the Birthing Ante Chamber, he had known he would be seeing this Sanguine pretty soon, but not this soon. ¡°Also what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Hannah and I failed to register as friends, so I am here to fix the mistake. What? Is she forbidden from doing so?¡± Cain argued back on the last question yet saying nothing about the ones which came before.


    ¡°No. But your stalking habit is the problem.¡± Lee Ping retorted in turn. ¡°I know you guys like to prowl on people, thinking yourself stealthy, but did not think you''d have the guts to simply stay there as if I would not notice you. Either that or your Cloaking Item simply sucks.¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°No¡­ Not exactly.¡± Cain defended himself. Still, he avoided going on a tirade of excuses. Instead, he simply ignored the Fox-Kin and focused on Hannah. ¡°Bring out your D-Card. Let us exchange contact information.¡±


    Glancing between the two men beside her, and their slight bickering, Hannah nodded and presented it. Although this would be the first time she''d exchange information with anyone, her father¡¯s ghost did mention all that was needed was bringing two D-Cards close to each other. And indeed, that was all that was needed after Cain brought out from some inner pocket of his stylish and long white coat before having the two D-Cards touch briefly.


    <hr>


    System Alert!!!


    *


    User; Cain Jarmal Chapman [Novice] wishes to Exchange Social Information with you.


    *


    Do you accept?


    ??


    <hr>


    Nodding and concentrating her gaze on the yes button, a bell echo reached Hannah¡¯s awareness.


    DING! User; Cain Jarmal Chapman has been registered!


    ¡°Awesome¡­ That will be all. After all, now we can communicate without a certain fox overhearing. Cya!¡± Cain said before instantly crouching and jumping extremely high into the air to tap once onto the concrete lamp pillar and bounce off of it onto a nearby balcony only to repeat the same and simply vanishing from Hannah¡¯s view.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ He sure was swift to run away.¡± Lee Ping remarked softly. ¡°Ignore the creep.¡± He said and focused back on Hannah. When he did, however, he instantly noticed a certain round and three-tentacled creature gazing into the sky with full abandon with its sole blue yet big eye, as if having just noticed a giant version of it existing in the sky over the city. Still, that was not all, the silver mark around its eyelids seemed to give off a subtle shine. ¡°Girl¡­ Something is happening to your pet.¡±


    ¡°Pet?¡± Hannah repeated before remembering she did in fact have one now.


    Snapping her gaze in its direction, she witnessed Behold¡¯s unflinching stare into the sky. Following the direction, Hannah was once again reminded of a giant monster being in the sky, under which a giant tree crown could be seen. Only that was not all. Unlike the first time, this time there was nothing blocking her view of both, so it was of no surprise that she too simply began standing there and staring at the sky.


    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±


    <hr>


    Hannah was the first one to recover as her Unyielding Will only tolerated being under the whim of something for that long. As such, it took barely a few moments to pass before she flinched away from the ginormous silver eye in the sky and the many sparks appearing and disappearing within its vision.


    Flinching one, Hannah called out her stupor. ¡°Wh¡­ What just happened?¡±


    ¡°Nothing unusual. You simply zoned out as your Soul witnessed too much without the Stats needed to understand what you were actually witnessing.¡± Lee Ping replied as simply as possible. ¡°Do you remember anything specific?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Hannah hummed for a second before quickly recognizing she in fact remembered only one thing. ¡°I¡­ I remember countless lights appearing and disappearing.¡± She said somewhat absently, as her gaze returned to the sky once more, only this time, Hannah could feel her reluctance to maintain her sight.


    Instead, the longer she tried, the greater her need to look away.


    That was when Lee Ping spoke up again and brought her back to the present. ¡°Nothing new then. That is the only impression I am able to remember the same despite my higher Stats. That aside, what about your pet?¡±


    Remembering about it, Hannah centered her sight back on Behold as it stared unflinchingly into the great being it so much resembled. When she noted nothing at first glance, Hannah remembered to flex her Insight to pry into Behold¡¯s current status. Yet, even there, all she sensed was a certain confusion and¡­ and awe.


    Yes.


    AWE


    An awe induced sensation that seemed to embed itself into Behold, almost to the point that made one seek to become said awe.


    Having stared at the same being as Behold, Hannah could understand this awe, but unlike her, Behold seemed to be much more influenced than her. It even made sense, but the more Hannah thought about it, the more she disliked something having such significant influence upon her Summon.


    Yes.


    Even if she was having mixed feelings due to its origin, Behold was hers and only hers.


    None but her had the right to define what her Dreamon was.


    Riding on these gestating impressions, Hannah instantly stepped closer to Behold and smacked it on the back of its round head since it only had a head, eyes and three tentacular limbs. ¡°Stop gawking!¡±


    The smack, the pain, the order and the ephemeral Radiance on Behold could sense for see for now, the Summon woke from its trance. ¡°Beee! Be? Beho?¡±


    ¡°I said stop gawking. For now I forbid you from staring at the monster in the sky for more than five seconds. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Beho!¡± Behold replied in as much affirmation it could because it simply dared not behave otherwise.


    Still, a deeper part of its existence whispered to ignore the order and continue gazing into the sky. Yet, just as its sole blue eye angled over a certain angle, a second smack arrived to remind it just who its Master was. But then, even after the second smack, Behold unconsciously tried to peer where it should not.


    ¡°Grr¡­ Come back, Behold!¡± Hannah recalled Behold through a red jagged lighting. Staring at the pink Dreamon Ball, she shook her head and begrudgingly admitted that a certain giant eye in the sky held far too much sway over her Summon.


    Stashing the Dreamon Ball within her skirt pocket she turned to face the man with the pretty face and fluffy fox ears on his head. ¡°I¡­ I want to go home.¡±


    Back on the same course that brought them to the DI-branch, Lee Ping noted the girl once again mulling over something. However, unlike last time, this time he would have an answer. ¡°What did Aunty say to you to make you so depressed?¡±


    ¡°Depressed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Depressed.¡±


    ¡°I am not depressed.¡± Hannah argued back.


    ¡°Fine, you are not. Still¡­ I think after having put up so much effort in bringing you safely out of the ant nest, I deserve a bit of truth. It would be the very least you could do after Aunty waved away your little debt to me.¡±


    As if her world revolved around said word, Hannah felt like she just could not get away from it. A part of her, wished she was back within her Dream Instance and undergoing Awakening so she could edit the money pit revelation she''d been led to by her own father, even if it was for her own good.


    ¡°It¡­ It¡­ I just discovered just how deep in debt I am.¡± Hannah finally said.


    ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­ Indeed. That would make anybody second guess their life.¡± Lee Ping concurred. ¡°Could be worse, though. It could always be worse. Remember that.¡±


    ¡°What could be worse?¡±


    ¡°You could be a Wildling!¡± Lee Ping replied before elaborating. ¡°Those who Awakened without any framework helping them Awaken properly as they stumble on what to do, and completely blind at that, not to mention all while wondering just what kind of hell pit they had stumbled into.


    Indeed. You are quite lucky, especially with what you have achieved already. So instead of grimacing over what had occurred, just focus on what you could do to improve yourself and your situation in the near future. With yourself being the prime target because with every improvement of yourself, your situation automatically improves itself, regardless of the truth behind your situation.¡°


    ¡°Oh¡­ That¡­ That sounds good.¡± Hannah murmured while nodding in appreciation.


    Although, in the very next moment, she suddenly remembered the other thing she had done after managing to swallow all the zeros her eyes had witnessed. Truly, in her mind the zeros overshadowed all the fantastical stuff she had gone through on this day of Awakening.


    Just as Hannah was about to ask for some advice from this unexpected pillar that had emerged into her new life, they had arrived back within a back alley that held the entrance to the Rose Peach Bordello.


    ¡°There. Your ride is ready.¡±


    ¡°Go in.¡± Lee Ping ordered.


    Naturally, Hannah did as demanded. She even found herself on the same seat that had brought her to this part of Oaktown City. Moments later, the black van began to rumble and make its way to her apartment. Still, unlike how it had been on her ride to the Rose Peach Bordello, nothing truly outrageous happened, even the traffic remained in the same stuck up situation.


    The only true exception being the arrival of dusk and bathing the city within its orange glow.


    During this ride back home, Hannah went over the pretty man¡¯s advice on simply becoming stronger, but even by the time they arrived before her apartment complex, there was little Hannah managed to conclude due to her complicated situation, especially after her adamant refusal on the trade with Madame Ping.


    Yes, it was only ten Dream Coins.


    Ten was nothing when compared to those many zeros of expectations already weighing upon her shoulders. But, Hannah still could not set aside the frothing desire to not add more to those zeros.


    Yes, it was stupid.


    Yes, it was extremely foolish considering the aftereffects predicted upon her refusal, but that was what Hannah happened.


    Indeed.


    Hannah had refused to make the deal with Madame Ping, who in turn only smirked deeper as if amused by her resistance, her refusal to accept the situation that it was but a matter of time before she caved in and sought the Ping Clan¡¯s resources. And when she did, the very first step would begin her reliance outside of what had already been agreed upon through her father.


    No¡­


    No¡­ I will not falter.


    <hr>


    No¡­ I will not falter.


    I will stand on my own legs, no matter what. Hannah promised in her mind.


    It was not long after the internal promise was made that Hannah arrived at the front entrance to her apartment complex.


    ¡°Take out your D-Card!¡± Lee Ping suddenly broke the silence.


    Used to being ordered by him, Hannah did and the next second he waved his hand over it. This caused a familiar screen to appear. Agreeing to it, a bell echoed in Hannah¡¯s mind.


    DING! User; Lee Ping [Charming Fox, Apprentice] has been registered!


    ¡°I am not sure what exactly Aunty has in store with you, but if you need something or need some extra advice, feel free to write to me.¡± He said. ¡°However, remember that next time there will be no personal chauffeur for you. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Hnn¡±


    ¡±Before you go, here is one last piece of advice. Once you open the Market App on your D-Card, search up two simple Apps.¡± Lee Ping voiced out. ¡°The first is called Mortal Coin. It is an App developed for Tech-Layers like the one we find ourselves in. Once registered on it, you can exchange D-Coins for money. The ones behind the App will even issue you a Debit Card for ease of access, delivery included.


    With it you can find any, and I truly mean any ATM to get some cash.¡± Nodding as the same had been advised by the Fox Shifter, Hannah awaited the second advice. ¡°The second one is less of an App but more of a¡­ call center you can contact. It is called Mortal Law. Through it, you can call up a Law Firm designed to bridge the gap between us Dreamers and all the bothersome Laws the Mortals have set up.¡±


    Blinking from surprise, Hannah almost cried out her response. ¡°A¡­ A lawyer? You want me to call up a lawyer?¡±


    ¡°Not immediately.¡± Lee Ping added. ¡°Nonetheless, you will soon realize that you have a lot of Mortal money to spend, and it is your privilege to do as you wish with it. However, despite your true self, your current Shell still counts as a minor within the Mortal Governance and hence will cause you problems down the line.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡±


    ¡°Indeed. With the Mortal Law App you will be able to sidestep a lot of the normal rules present and with the least repercussions towards you.¡± Lee Ping hinted at. ¡°Even murder will be a chinch for them to cover up.¡±


    ¡°M¡­ Murder?¡± Hannah cried out this time. Yet, she was not the only one surprised as the driver who had driven them so far had in fact unwillingly listened in. As such, his head could not help turning a bit as his eyes settled on the rear mirror to see Lee Ping and the fifteen year old girl in question. ¡°Hey¡­ I am not saying you will do it. But if it does happen by some freak accident, and we can''t help you immediately, you will at least know whom to call up for help.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Okey¡­ I will find this App.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± With that said, Lee Ping stood from his seat and opened up the large side door of the van. Then he stepped out and waved for Hannah to follow. ¡°You are free to go.¡±


    Perhaps it was from the shock of being offered a way out of murder, an act she would never do on anything but Nightmares, provided that they were not cute, that is, but Hannah took her sweet time to leave the van.


    Once outside it, Hannah took a glance around to note nothing amiss within her neighborhood.


    ¡°Aunty said something about a month to give you time to come to terms with your current circumstances. So I guess, I won''t be seeing you for at least that long.¡± Nodding at his own words, he stepped back inside the van. The next moment he closed the side door, and a moment after that, the van was back in motion. Just as the van was about to make a u-turn. Hannah remembered something else. Rushing before the van in question, her action caused it to stop. A second later, the side door opened. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°C¡­ Can I borrow it again?¡±


    ¡°Borrow? Borrow what?¡±


    ¡°T¡­ The gun?¡± Hannah whispered. At least, she thought she did because, in the same instance, the driver flexed his left ear as if in disbelief.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Lee Ping stretched his answer with consideration. ¡°Fine¡­ I have this feeling that Aunty will get mad with me if I don¡¯t.¡± Then he twirled his right hand and the familiar shape appeared, only to be offered to Hannah. ¡°There. I suggest you do not take it out before ordinary people. Not that most of them would not think of it as anything but a toy, either way.¡±


    Grabbing the thing in question, Hannah quickly powered it up, and linked it to her V-HUD, before making the gun shaped Item of Power vanish into thin air.


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Umm¡­ No.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now make room.¡±


    Giving said room, the side door closed again and the black van rolled on its wheels back to the Rose Peach Bordello leaving Hannah standing on the sidestreet. Yet, it was only after it was gone, that Hannah came back to her senses.


    Taking a deep breath, she faced her apartment complex and slowly rushed to her apartment.


    After unlocking the door, going inside and slamming it back to its closed state and locking it again, Hannah¡¯s eyes went over the small apartment. Since dusk was still in the process, she could still observe everything. The shoved table to the side, as it had bothered the giant men called Greg while trying his best to pick up his unconscious mother, or better said, her Shell as gently as possible. The couch and the rag which had been used to cool down her head while she Awakened. The kitchen that was attached to the living room. The opened inner door, leading to the small bedroom. A bedroom with no actual bed but laid out blankets on which she and her mother had slept for the past five or so years.


    Basically, ever since they moved out of their old house.


    Nevertheless, after having gone through so much on this day, with part of it having been stretched out for an extra maybe fifteen hours or so, full of action and carnage of battle, but more importantly, hours her Shell had felt none of, seeing the apartment as it was, as if nothing had changed made Hannah acknowledge that the apartment felt emptier than it had ever felt before without the one entity that made it cozy to begin with.


    It was both lonely and¡­ liberating.


    The very contradiction bubbled out of Hannah as if the damn holding it back no longer functioned, hence causing tears to once pour down her cheeks. Tears that could not be stopped. Nor did Hannah wish them to cease. Instead, she just leaned her back onto the closed entrance door before slowly sliding down onto the floor.


    Then, when her bum touched the floor, she curled up with her arms around her knees with her chin resting on said arms.


    Still, beyond all that, while Hannah refused to cry out physically, it was clear her tears were tears of anguish.


    Anguish at being left all alone.