As Angel and Dangross conversed, time passed slowly.
...
Two hours earlier.
In the eastern part of the Flourish Continent, two hundred miles from the thirteenth seal Anzhou of the Stone Mulberry Dynasty, lies a small town in a no-man’s land.
This small town isn’t notable for much, except for the peculiar story that began a week ago, with an eerie castle that appeared out of nowhere at the edge of town.
The castle is sealed by an abundance of thorns, preventing outsiders from entering, though that doesn’t mean it’s unoccupied.
At the moment, from a window in a corridor within the castle, a girl in a red dress could be seen passing by.
"Little Red, what do you think the mentor wants from me?" The girl appeared to be speaking to someone, but no one responded in the air.
"I just find it strange... The mentor has been in retreat for a week, and I have no idea what he’s doing."
"Is that so? I have a feeling it might be related to Sumishe."
The girl talked to herself, soon reaching the entrance of a study.
The door wasn’t locked, and with a gentle push, it opened.
In the study filled with an air of classical nobility, there were two people. A gentlemanly dressed man was sitting at the desk, writing swiftly, while a young man in a checkered vest, pale-faced, was sitting opposite him, holding a cup of red tea.
"Flora, you’ve arrived." The young man in the checkered vest took a sip of tea, greeted the girl with a smile, and then waved behind Flora: "And Little Red, good afternoon~"
Flora lightly tapped the ground with her bare feet, her body like a feather, floating softly over to Sumishe: "You came too? Aren’t you supposed to be recovering in the Bloodbath Pool? Can you manage?"
Sumishe didn’t answer Frode but savored the taste of tea in his mouth with closed eyes for a while before speaking: "Would you like a cup?"
Flora didn’t stand on ceremony, directly picked up the exquisite tea set on the table, poured herself a steaming cup, and drank it all in one go.
After Flora finished the tea, Sumishe said, "The mentor asked me to come, and my injuries are stable enough now as long as I don’t use magic power. It’s okay to come out for a walk."
Flora grumbled, "You call this stable? Without using magic power, what difference is there between you and a regular person?"
Sumishe didn’t argue, having accepted it. Since the mentor said there’s a way, he believed in the mentor.
While Flora and Sumishe were talking, Sanders, sitting at the desk, finally put down his pen.
Placing the pen into its holder, Sanders looked up at his two students.
Sanders didn’t waste words and went straight to the point: "I’ve talked to Angel, and he’s agreed to let Sumishe control a certain ability. However, his injuries aren’t sufficient to bear it yet, so it will have to wait."
"Even though you can’t handle the ability yet, you both have the qualifications to visit that world."
Sanders’ words felt strange to both Sumishe and Flora.
Not to mention how Sanders contacted Angel, what did he mean by "that world"?
Sanders didn’t give them much time to wonder, pointing in their direction, a power with the aura of the Nightmare Realm rushed into their foreheads.
Flora instinctively wanted to resist, but then Sanders’ voice came to her ears.
"Don’t resist. It’s just the Dream Entering Technique."
Sanders’ words left Flora stunned. By the time she reacted, she was already in darkness.
In this dark world, a glowing Bridge of Dreams appeared before her.
Flora hesitated for a moment but still stepped onto it.
At the end of the Bridge of Dreams, there was a magnificent door shining with infinite light.
Although Flora wasn’t a Dream Sorcerer, she had some understanding of dream-related abilities. She knew that behind the door would be her dream.
But Flora couldn’t understand why the mentor would let her delve into her own dream.
Could "that world" mentioned by the mentor refer to the Dream Realm?
Was the mentor trying to meet her in her dream?
Flora’s mind was tangled with questions, unable to find answers. Eventually, she stopped worrying and stepped forward through the glowing door.
All the answers were surely behind this door, and she could explore them herself then.
As Flora entered the Gate of Dreams, she felt a slight sense of weightlessness in her body.
"Weightlessness? Aren’t I in a dream? Why is there such a distinct sensation of weightlessness? Is it a deception of consciousness over touch?"
While Flora was contemplating this, a scene flashed before her eyes.
In a distant dark void, a world of light encased in a bubble floated slowly towards her.
Closer and closer.
Eventually, Flora even saw that this world seemed to be pierced by a gigantic tree.
However, this image only flashed for a moment. When Flora wanted to see more, the glowing world had already enveloped her.
In the next second, Flora felt as if she had turned into a meteor, a strong sense of falling emerged.
When the sense of falling disappeared, she was already standing on solid ground.
Flora looked around and found herself on a path nestled between two pieces of farmland.
Tall crops grew in the fields on both sides, and the wind carried a faint grassy scent.
"Where is this?" A look of surprise and doubt flashed in Flora’s eyes: "Is this my dream? A lucid dream?"
If it was a lucid dream, she should be in control, yet she had never thought of landing in a farmland.
The most important thing was, why did the touch feel so real? Whether it was the sensation of the breeze on her skin, or the plant aroma from the fields, everything felt real.
The only thing that didn’t feel real was herself.
The reason being, she could feel the presence of the Magic Vortex, yet she couldn’t mobilize any magic power. However, an external magic power existed, one she could absorb into her body; though it was slow and faint, it undeniably existed.
What exactly was going on?
"Is this the world the mentor mentioned?" At this moment, a familiar voice reached Flora’s ears.
Turning her head, Flora discovered that, unknown to her, Sumishe was also standing on the path.
Why did Sumishe appear in my dream?
Flora shook her head, temporarily setting aside this thought. She didn’t care whether Sumishe appeared here as a character she conceived in her dream, or if it was truly him.
Right now, she just wanted to know what this place was.
Flora: "Do you know where this is?"
Sumishe: "I can’t be sure, but the mentor previously mentioned our junior apprentice Angel. Unless I’m mistaken, this might be Angel’s Nightmare Realm... the Wilderness of Dreams."