Somnus sighed. His plan to create a game world wasn't as easy as he expected. The core mechanics were there. But the actual world itself was barely a few fragments. This had to do with processing power.

Somnus realized that his consciousness was burning energy. He hadn't read the entirety of 'Path of Somnus: God's Death'. So he didn't have a complete concept of entropy.

But without a body and by only relying on the single soul fragment. Creating a simulated world for players was out of reach for now.

Somnus sat on his throne in his heavenly source castle. He felt deeply how empty all of this was.

"Didn't I say I wasn't going to blindly follow that technique? Didn't I make a promise to myself to no longer be 'below average'?"

Somnus laughed.

"The musings of a mortal."

Somnus stumped his feet. The already cracked source castle started to fall apart even more.

"The hidden rule for this universe is Null Spirituality. The spirit body cannot appear in the physical world. I have two lifelines. I have severed one of them by forcefully turning it into a server."

"While the other soul fragment is still working..."

"I am building up energy..."

"But this energy has a limit. By simulating an entire world. I am burning through consciousness."

"If I use more energy then generated. It will be a loss."

Somnus soon had an idea.

"I have already tricked that mortal into integrating the 'system'. His soul is slowly being corrupted by me. Soon, it will fall under my complete control."

Somnus looked at his fractured source castle and sighed again.

"How could I... the great Somnus. Live in such conditions?"

Somnus held out his hand and the black book flew into his hands.

"The first problem now is lack of soul."

"The second problem is no ability to interact with the world."

"Because of the hidden rules of this universe. I can't even take my spiritual body out to explore."

Somnus felt trapped.

He then remembered something crucial.

"I was able to get a soul fragment simply from having someone use my esteemed name..."

"What if I use raw information itself to subconsciously plant a seed in the minds of the people?"

"Consciousness itself."

"Reading."

"Dreams."

Somnus twisted his fingers as his surroundings distorted. Cracks appeared over his reality as a type writer appeared. With the snap of his fingers, a piece of paper appeared within it.

Somnus wasn't satisfied with his current state. It was too inconsistent. Ever since he created his spiritual brain. He had felt more 'real'.

Even though he was a hidden existence and couldn't mess with reality. Especially with the weird hidden rule 'Null Spirituality'.

He started to type:

I am Visdre Mallaichte. If you are reading this. I am already dead. But I am a symbol. I can never truly die. A symbol of what? I am a master. Dreams are the key. Never underestimate the hidden. There are places I can't go and things I can't do.

The perspective of reality is cursed. There are various laws and secrets. But I have no interest in them for now. I have a plan that requires help.

These words were never meant to be read. Within them lies my essence. I will soon enter hibernation. This is for my own enlightenment. A risk, a gamble.

Why risk everything? Why push myself to the limit? There is only one reason.

I am Somnus.

The Master of Dreams.

Somnus stopped typing at this moment and looked at his source castle. It was a white palace and within there was a meeting room, a large table with many chairs. On this table was a type writer and a black book.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Somnus pulled out the sheet of paper. He read through it out loud. With every word, it was as if it was a declaration. The words themselves were ordinary. But when read in this particular order, it was like a weird password.

There was also a spiritual artifact that looked like a blackhole. This was the Visdre of this universes soul fragment. It had been transformed into a server.

There was also a white sphere. This was Mark's soul fragment.

The black book flew into his hand and the type writer disappeared.

"This world lacks a true united dream realm..."

"My existence itself is too vague. My foundation is inconsistent. In terms of hidden existences, I am too weak!"

"Branding your existence on nonexistence itself."

"That ties you to that universe."

"I'll do something far better!"

Somnus didn't simply plan to become an ordinary hidden existence. He wanted to become THE hidden existence. The incarnation of a concept. A being that surpasses gods.

But that goal was a bit far away.

Unless...

"My 'key' hasn't been reconstructed yet. I lack the visualization technique that I'm suppose to rotate while in nonexistence."

"I have always been special. Even before coming into contact with that book or inheritance. I was always lucid while dreaming."

"My existence is broken."

Somnus grabbed both ends of the black book and pulled with all his might. But it was as if it was indestructible.

"As long as you exist. I will be shackled! As long as you exist. I will be eternal!"

"But what is a mere eternity? If I am to be trapped?"

Somnus allowed the book to turn into fog as he recalled it back into his body. A creepy smile appeared over the fog that was his face.

"I was right!"

Somnus failed at destroying the book. But it still listened to his commands. So when he recalled it into his spirit body. It turned into fog and was about to merge once more.

It was at this moment. He treated this book like prey. He waved his hands and his entire source castle constricted. It no longer looked like a palace. It had become a prison.

The book remained in a fog state as Somnus was surrounded in darkness.

It looked as if he was holding an orb filled with smoke in one hand. In the other hand was the sheet of paper he had typed. That seemingly ordinary few sentences.

The soul fragments had been compressed as well.

Somnus wrapped the paper around this orb. He then ignited it. The entire structure burned into nothingness.

Now Somnus was in pure nothingness.

He felt cold.

It was as if something was constantly draining away his energy. He barely had enough to think straight.

"I see. I used most of my accumulated mental energy to construct that source castle. A pity."

As he was turning transparent and fading away into oblivion. He was laughing!

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

"No?"

"Well... allow me to introduce myself!"

He waved his hands. Just like how he had manipulated the dream realm in his early years. Just like how he had broken through to this reality. He acted without worrying about the consequences.

"I am..."

The blackness covered every part of his body. His limbs vanished. He was slowly fading away.

"I am..."

Soon the blackness had covered most of his head. The fog that covered his face was consumed. A normal ordinary human face was now shown.

"I AM..."

Soon only a single eye was left. It was closed.

But at this moment of crisis. It opened and a bloodshot eye was visible. There was no mouth to talk with. But a supernatural flow of information spread out into the surroundings.

"SOMNUS!"

It was as if the eye was pulsing. It was like it had become a heart and a lung. Because, the black nothingness seemed to be getting sucked into it as if it was an actual substance!

Somnus started to laugh as his spiritual brain was reconstructed.

Soon he had his entire body back.

"What is mental energy? It is transformed physical energy. Turning consciousness into energy. So that got me to thinking. What exactly is nonexistence? Is it a state, a substance, a concept?"

"It is all of those things and none of them."

"The fact that one can brand themselves on it to become a hidden existence. The restrictions of doing so and the consequences of doing so..."

"That made me question and gamble."

"What if you could devour nonexistence?"

"Then instead of it being something you had to fear... It would become nourishment! This solves my lack of energy! Now I'll have infin-"

Somnus soon felt disorientated. It was as if a white hole had appeared. He was pushed away from his location in a direction that didn't exist. He had no idea what was happening.

"Wait- Don't tell me..."

"I'm getting banished from nonexistence itself!?"

The universe couldn't tolerate being consumed! It saw Somnus like a virus and kicked him out. If the abyss is like a trashcan. Now, Somnus wasn't even qualified to get thrown away!

There was a big problem with this.

Somnus's body could hardly handle the spatial pressure. It looked as if a skin tight shield of energy had covered him. This was made of mental energy.

He knew that if he failed here. He would be wiped out!

It wasn't like he was getting transported to a specific location. It was like a glitch in the system. His body was getting torn to pieces across all of space and time.

"What... have I done?"

Although he had the perspective of a human. He had some tricks up his sleeve. As the shield surrounding him cracked. His body burst into a sea of fog.

He felt two anchors in his mind.

"Universe F554..."

He could hardly stand the infinite torture of having his existence torn to pieces and shift across all of reality.

Soon, his spirit body could no longer handle the stress. Even the fog itself dissipated.

His last moments, he wasn't afraid. He felt at peace.

The legendary image he saw in his final moments was something he would never forget.

"It was a good run."

Although he hadn't lived long compared to most hidden existences or even some humans. He didn't care that this was the end.

The final bits of fog disappeared.

----------------------------------------

Visdre's POV:

Visdre was sleeping. He dreamed of a player named Mark interact with various entities. He dreamed of a town of NPCs. His dreams seemed to be a game world.

Even when he was awake. He couldn't stop these intrusive thoughts. He saw various towns and monsters appear in his minds eye. He hated this feeling.

Ever since his body was initially stolen. He had never been the same.

He could hardly formulate his thoughts or communicate with others now.

He was broken.

He was currently in a straight jacket in a cushioned white room.

He kept repeatedly banging his head against the wall.

When would this end?

All of a sudden he spoke.

"It was a good run."

His eyes rolled into the back of his head.

One of his eyes turned completely black. But it was only for a second.

His eyes closed tightly as his facial muscles twitched.

He then seemed relaxed and at peace.

His eyes slowly opened.

"Oh? I survived?"

"How interesting."