Chapter 55: Dreamscape I

Leo’s eyes snapped open. He jerked his head around, rapidly scanning his surroundings as his muscles tensed.

Gone were the waving sea of grasses and the darkened sky. Gone were the silver moon and the cool night air.

In its place now stood a luxurious manor. The earth had transformed into a plush maroon carpet bordered with polished mahogany pillars. Up above, glittering gold chandeliers hung down from a high, arching ceiling.

The hallway extended forward until it branched into two grand staircases leading up to the second floor. Faint light streamed through tall windows, and the dark, rich burgundy walls were decorated with ornate torches and oil paintings. Between the pillars, occasional forks led to separate rooms and smaller passageways. The place was pristine.

Allan and Spade were nowhere to be seen. In the brief second after the notification had appeared and Leo had reopened his eyes, the spell had completely taken hold.

That, however, wasn’t what made him freeze.

Leo knew this place.

Seven years had passed, but he still knew every dip in the wood, every stroke on the paintings, every nearly imperceptible bump in the carpet. It was exactly as he’d remembered.

His heart raced. Leo was faintly aware of his breathing picking up, but his mind felt hazy and disconnected, as if he was detached from his body and simply looking in.

Desperate to ground his churning thoughts, Leo grabbed his arm, only to realize his sling was gone.

He stared down at himself. Not only were his injuries erased, but he was wearing different clothes. A plain, standard issue loose cream shirt belted at the waist. Dark trousers. Worn brown shoes.

Leo suddenly felt an intense urge to vomit. He squeezed his eyes shut.

It’s a spell, he repeated to himself. Dreamscape. A dream. You’re not really here.

He focused on his breathing, forcing his breaths to slow down while his mind scrambled for explanations.

The only real comfort he got was that he couldn’t feel anything, confirming that this was indeed a dream.

Finally, Leo’s breathing steadied to a slower pace. He was still shaking a little when he opened his eyes again, but for now, he’d gotten the initial wave of panic under control.

His fingers squeezed into a fist. Now for the more pressing matter: who the hell had cast that spell?

Leo certainly hadn’t seen anyone around them, and Allan was standing guard. He doubted the man would miss someone approaching. The spell must have a fairly long range, and given the elaborateness of this illusion, he guessed the caster was very powerful.

Danger sharpened his senses. Leo slowly stepped forward, scanning his surroundings for any sign of movement, but the manor appeared perfectly empty.

The [Fragmentholder] came to a stop in front of the staircase, lips thinning as he squinted up at it.

The idea of progressing deeper into this illusory manor didn’t bode well with him, and he knew the memories would only get worse if he went up to the second floor.

He might’ve managed to get his initial panic under control, but a part of him still couldn’t shake the fear that he would turn a corner and see a familiar face. Accusatory hazel eyes. Cold dark grey ones. He didn’t know which would be worse.

It didn’t seem like he had a choice in the matter, however, so Leo steeled himself.

Just as he moved to step forward, a voice sounded behind him.

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“Good evening.”

Leo spun around, the hairs on his neck raising.

There, a few feet away in the center of the once empty hallway, stood an unfamiliar man.

He was around average height and had deep skin that seemed to glow in the light. Curly black hair fell in an asymmetrical fringe, and his eyes were a light brown that was nearly amber. Good looking in a way that seemed almost unreal, the stranger carried himself with an effortless, calm ease that only put Leo even more on edge.

The man looked amiable—friendly, even—but Leo wasn’t about to trust someone who was almost certainly the one responsible for this [Dreamscape] spell. He turned on [Judgement].

Nothing happened.

Leo blinked and tried again. Once more, his vision remained clear of any notifications. He could feel his mana reserves depleting slightly with the activation of the skill, and yet no stat screens appeared.

Cold dread settled in Leo’s stomach. He tried a third time to no avail. A fourth.

Nothing.

“Are you trying to use a skill?”

The man’s voice, serene and smooth like a flowing stream, startled Leo out of his rising panic. He narrowed his eyes at the man, who actually looked apologetic.

“I’m afraid no skills or magic work here. This is a dream, you see.”

Leo forcibly exhaled and shifted his position so he was close enough to run up the stairs if he had to. So far the stranger had yet to move.

“Yeah? And this is your spell, I’m guessing?”

“It is,” the man confirmed. “I know it’s quite crude. I do hope you’ll forgive me; I had few other options for communication,” he explained. “If it helps appease your concerns, you should know that no harm can come to you while inside this dream.”

Leo frowned. He didn’t budge from his position, not having any reason to trust the man, but his words did spark some curiosity in the [Fragmentholder].

“…So, what, you just wanted to talk and figured a whole ass spell was the best way to do it?”

The man actually laughed at that, the sound light and ringing in the wide hallway.

“When you put it like that, it is rather absurd, isn’t it?”

Leo just grunted. “Definitely not a normal greeting, no,” he muttered.

Digging up his worst memories and throwing them out into the open in some sort of twisted illusory dream was a special kind of fucked up. His skin crawled just thinking about it.

The man remained silent, watching the former [Thief] with that calm gaze. There was no open hostility to it, but he had a keen perceptiveness that put Leo on edge. The [Fragmentholder] hated feeling so vulnerable.

“I’m sorry.”

Leo blinked, taken aback by the sudden apology. “What?”

The stranger gestured at the hallway around them. “If I don’t specify a location, [Dreamscape] will draw out a setting that’s particularly prominent in your memory.” He sighed, brows furrowing a little. “Unfortunately these locations tend to be negative ones. It wasn’t my intention to make you uncomfortable.”

A spark of anger flared up at the man’s words. Leo’s fingers squeezed into a fist.

“Yeah? Well excuse me, but I still don’t know who the fuck you are. So forgive me if I don’t exactly trust you.”

“That’s fair.” His voice remained infuriatingly calm. “And I won’t ask for your trust. I was speaking the truth, however.” He nodded at Leo. “I truly do mean for this to be a peaceful conversation.”

Hazel eyes narrowed. Try as he might, he couldn’t find a trace of dishonesty on the man’s expression, but he might just be a very good liar.

“How about you start by saying who you are first.”

“Of course, how rude of me. I completely neglected to introduce myself.” He placed a hand on his chest, the gesture striking Leo as very proper. Definitely someone from a well-off background, he thought.

“I’m afraid I’m unable to share my real name at this time, but you may call me Sol,” he said.

Leo scoffed, about to point out how badly the man was making his case, but his next words made him freeze.

“We’re in a similar situation.”

Alarm bells blared in the former [Thief]’s head.

He stared at the man—Sol or whatever his real name was—and waited for him to continue, to elaborate, even as the answer crashed over him a second before the man said it out loud.

“I’m also a [Fragmentholder].”