"I am essentially making myself the origin of hidden existences. Bringing their consciousness into layer 666 and disconnecting them from their bodies. Then having them undergo a trial by fire. I am essentially making someone powered by resentment."

"We will then send them to 777 to meet 'God'. He will antagonize them and discard them. We then 'save' them from getting wiped out. We promise safety and a chance to turn back the clock. While they will have thought that that centuries have passed. In reality... this entire process will only take a few seconds..."

"I call this the torment filter..."

Somnus had also spent some time exploring the mechanics of his dream domain. He had successfully created an artifact for Zhar, Jay, Lo, and Ta.

This meant that they were able to revive spiritually. This mechanic was essential for his torment filter. He didn't plan to use the foreign entities spirit bodies in the trial. That would be too easy. A spirit body doesn't need to eat or sleep.

Instead. He would create a mortal body in layer 666 in each closed simulation. They would feel pain, hunger, and have stamina.

While Somnus was playing around with condensing revival artifacts and information balls. He got another idea.

"I can create a copy of their consciousness. Once I have the perfect human. I can dismiss the useless bodies that burned through all their mental energy."

"Then place the copies consciousness into the failures body..."

Somnus realized he could create a copy of his consciousness and make himself into a hivemind.

"That is a horrible idea..."

Somnus imagined millions of himself. He already saw himself as a bit evil. If there was multiple of himself. He didn't dare dream what sort of nonsense and competition he would bring upon himself.

"I experienced foreign entities from merely making an artificial soul. Making copies of my consciousness, with or without my abilities is dangerous... It simply isn't worth the risk."

"But if I can create the perfect warrior. I can save their consciousness information and have them go through constant rebirth."

"This solves the problem of those waste that don't pass the test and use all their mental energy."

"I also must be careful in regards to Visdre... years in this reality are seconds in F554. He is still waiting for me to open up a connection."

"I am not considered Somnus in this universe. I know this because my esteemed name hasn't worked despite my test."

"I don't want to do all of this just for my achievements to not matter in the end."

"Maybe I should completely abandon F554?"

"But how do I steal the target of my esteemed name?"

"What exactly is this universe? Why was I able to reach it out of the vast nothingness out there?"

"I have forgotten my inheritance."

Atesh then got an idea, one that was crazy enough to work!

"The time ratio between this universe and F554 is too insane. A second in F554 is a year in this universe. It had only been a few minutes from the perspective of Visdre since I entered this universe."

"I was against opening up a connection subconsciously... because that would be the end of me."

"I'm a bastard."

"My end will be getting my consciousness searched like the others and then discarded. I won't show mercy even to myself."

"So the moment I set up a stable connection with Visdre. The real Somnus will steal my dream domain and make my consciousness a slave..."

"Everything I have acquired will be lost."

"It is me after all..."

"But this space is my soul after all..."

Somnus knew from his thought process that he couldn't be trusted! Even his artificial soul that he had programmed to be a tool. It had developed a will of its own! The traps and bindings that it should've had were wiped away.

It didn't even have the body it started with. It had stolen the body of a native. The soul had been transformed into a dream domain. A spiritual forum that he planned on using for his organization.

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

Somnus thought about his [distort] ability.

"My understanding of my dream domain hasn't reached the peak. But I should be able to use the energy particles to open up a stable connection to F554."

"I then can use the esteemed name to pray to 'it'."

"It is just like how that foreign entity said. Perhaps he was secretly giving me advice, a way to win against myself."

"I haven't been able to form contracts with souls. But I have learned how to imprint keys and access on other existences."

Atesh appeared in layer 999.

"First. Cut the connection with my current universe!"

Time lost all meaning as Atesh floated in layer 999.

"Now the time ratio will sync the moment I connect to the other universe. But time will continue the moment I open a connection to that universe."

"I will have a few seconds to pull this off!"

"But I can use this timelessness to gain some dream force."

Atesh held out his hands as a knowledge orb manifested. He entered in the technique with low information stability.

He spent a decade in this space where time didn't matter.

[ECHO]: Dream Force: 1%

[ECHO]: Decrypting Packet: 74% stability

Unfortunately, Atesh hadn't built up much mental energy in this universe. So doing this had made his thinking slow down.

He scanned the knowledge orb and was enlightened about his plan.

"Now that I am not connected to anything but the abyss. I could do this until my mental energy tapped out."

Thanks to his ability to perfectly manifest things in his dream domain. He could make copies of the knowledge orbs. He also didn't have to worry about the stability decreasing. The limiting factor here was how long his consciousness could survive in a vacuum.

A decade layer...

He let the information digest.

[ECHO]: Dream Force: 2%

[ECHO]: Decrypting Packet: 74% stability

A decade later...

[ECHO]: Dream Force: 3%

[ECHO]: Decrypting Packet: 74% stability

Time didn't matter in this special state he had put himself in. A second hadn't even passed for the others.

This was the perfect opportunity to accumulate dream force! But he felt his consciousness growing weaker with each passing moment.

Over a century later...

[ECHO]: Dream Force: 15%

[ECHO]: Decrypting Packet: 74% stability

Atesh had been alone for these decades. He felt his consciousness was about to become paralyzed. His mental energy reserves were almost completely empty.

"The moment I open up a connection with F554. This timeless state will end. one second connected would be a year for that other world."

"Let's open a connection with F554..."

How did Atesh plan to open a connection? He planned to cheat! Dream force was quite overpowered. It had allowed him to make himself his origin. His existence itself was like a ouroboros.

But he was outside that loop.

Atesh transformed his spirit body into the appearance of Somnus.

Atesh successfully used the energy particles to create a vortex in his layer. The time ratio adjusted. A second spent in this state would be a year in the universe he was just in.

[ECHO]: Dream Force: 10%

"I have around 10 seconds..."

"Esteemed Somnus. Master and Dreamer of Worlds. I present a key towards your calculation..."

"A contract isn't a one sided transaction..."

A normal mortal wouldn't have noticed anything peculiar from having their soul getting tied to a hidden existence. But Atesh wasn't an ordinary person.

His soul had become a dream domain!

The moment Visdre reached out to him. Something terrifying happened. You see, a normal mortal soul would have a small form. It was easy to control.

But Atesh's soul was a cube that spanned a large area. It also housed some denizens of the other universe. Time for them had basically frozen when Atesh entered the timeless state. But now time was going at an insane rate. A few years had passed in a few seconds.

Visdre made the biggest mistake here. He was completely not on guard against himself... Just what would some artificial soul be able to do to him?

Visdre felt his energy field cracking from the strain. This wasn't his innate energy field but his mental energy server. He didn't give up. It was as if he was spiritually constipated. He pulled and pushed until Atesh's soul was pulled into his universe!

This wasn't a normal soul.

It was a large dream domain!

You must remember the hidden rule for universe F554. It was null spirituality!

The ability to turn false to true was abused here! Atesh directly used dream force to solidify his soul.

His dream domain manifested in the universe F554! Not in the abyss. But in reality itself!

[ECHO]: Dream Force: 5%

You must remember the mechanics behind his layer system. It used timelines and the logic of the abyss to work at all.

Since it had been brought to reality. This opened up endless paradoxes and inconsistencies! The universe itself was becoming unstable...

All of the layers collapsed on themselves as the soul started to fall apart.

But Jay, Lo, Zhar, and Ta's spiritual bodies had become REAL.

Atesh's spirit body looked like Somnus!

His body too had become real. This was creating something from nothing! The ultimate application of dream force.

They all had manifested near Visdre.

"My artificial soul? It would seem you need to be cleansed again..." Visdre became more vigilant.

Somnus waved his hands and fog covered the area obstructing the view.

"I've come for my esteemed name... you foolish faker!" Somnus laughed.

Visdre laughed as well. Somnus then froze.

"The moment you prayed to me. You formed a contract with me. It was a pain to bring you all the way here. You have also disrupted my plan to explore that other universe. It would seem you are in need of punishment."

Somnus struggled.

"You won't get away with this! I am infinite! I AM SOMNUS!" Somnus shouted.

Somnus was actually secretly happy. Things were going as planned!

Visdre quickly used his contract to search through Somnus's memories.

"Distort? It would seem your adventure was worth the 50,000 souls..."

"No! You can't use my dream force!" Somnus made sure even his thoughts were in distress. In reality. He wanted Visdre to use distort!

"Let's see..." Visdre searched through the mechanics.

In an instant. Visdre had generated 100% dream force! He didn't realize the cost of converting memories to dream force however... His eyes lost their intelligence as Somnus laughed.

"Where am I?" Visdre asked dumbly.

"You are exactly where you should be..."