Chapter 56: Dreamscape II

A million different thoughts raced through Leo’s head, but chief among them was danger.

His shoulders went rigid and he instinctively moved to grab his dagger, but of course, in this dream he had no weapons on him. It was just him and the other [Fragmentholder] stuck in this spell.

How did this guy even know he had a fragment? He’d certainly never met him before.

Leo said as much, and Sol hummed thoughtfully.

“I have my ways,” he said simply. “If it reassures you, you’re not the only [Fragmentholder] I’m contacting in this way right now. Dreaming allows the mind to accomplish what I could never hope to in physical form.”

“How many?” Leo blurted out, mind still reeling. Sol paused for a moment, thinking.

“I believe,” he spoke slowly, “that the counter was at 997,214 before I began using [Dreamscape].”

Leo stared at him. “You’re shitting me.”

Did he just imply he’d used [Dreamscape] on every single [Fragmentholder] on the continent? That he was doing it at the same time? The idea was too ridiculous for Leo to even consider. He didn’t care if it was “only mentally,” the mind couldn’t possibly split that many ways simultaneously.

Even if he put that aside, the amount of mana it would take to do this, to reach [Fragmentholders] at such long distances and in such a ridiculous quantity, was impossible for any single person to have.

Sol could be Tier 4 for all Leo cared; he didn’t think even the Sovereign of Zelyra could manage a spell of this scale, and the wall of light had already been an extraordinary feat.

“I can assure you I am not.” Sol tapped his head. “I have methods for handling the mental burden. This type of magic happens to be a bit of a specialty of mine.”

Hazel eyes flicked across the man, trying to guess who he might be or even what country he was from. His clothes weren’t excessively lavish, but they were clearly well made.

He had on a green coat with some subtle, but intricate embroidery over a loose silky shirt. Flashes of gold necklaces and asymmetrical earrings gleamed in the light whenever he moved.

It was a distinctly southern style of fashion, the kind popular in countries like Ellis or Zelyra or the Vemian League. The jewelry especially struck Leo as the kind that a noble from the south might wear—expensive, but tasteful.

That didn’t actually confirm anything, though. A lot of southern fashions had been spreading north for years now as they gained popularity, especially among the upper classes. He could just as easily be a noble from Adrya or even a particularly fashionable Empire aristocrat.

Furthermore, Leo didn’t actually know if this was Sol’s true appearance. Leo himself had ended up swapping clothes and losing his injuries in the dream.

Considering [Dreamscape] was Sol’s spell to begin with, it wouldn’t surprise him if the man had the ability to alter his appearance freely with his magic.

Leo gritted his teeth and forced his voice to remain steady.

“Okay, let’s say I believe you’re strong enough to pull like this off and you’re actually talking to every single [Fragmentholder] in their heads right now. That’d still be draining as hell. Why now? Why bother?”

“I’m doing this now,” Sol replied simply, “because I believe this is the highest the counter will reach.” He nodded at Leo.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed the number of new [Fragmentholders] slowing down. Perhaps you’ve even seen the counter go down or been responsible for it yourself.”

A hint of hardness entered his voice, cold enough to make Leo shudder, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Sol continued in the calm, serene tone Leo was learning to associate with him.

“That brings me to my reasoning. This fragment hunt has already spilled much blood, and it will only shed more the longer it lasts.”

Leo thought back to the ravaged village, and he was inclined to agree with the assessment.

“I wish to prevent that from happening.”

The former [Thief] furrowed his brow, the confusion evident on his face. That certainly wasn’t what he’d expected to hear.

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“Think about it,” Sol said. “This entire fragment hunt is predicated on the need to find a new [Administrator], correct?”

Leo nodded slowly. The longer this conversation went on, the more trapped he felt. He needed to find a way out of [Dreamscape]’s hold. But how?

He tried digging his nails into his palm, but he still couldn’t feel anything. He couldn’t use pain to wake himself up.

Would he have to die in the dream? That wasn’t a risk he was particularly keen on taking—there was the possibility that he’d end up killing his consciousness instead.

“My hope is,” Sol continued, “that we [Fragmentholders] may cooperate and peacefully select the next [Administrator] without the need for further violence.”

Leo snorted at the absurdity of the idea. And yet, when he studied the other man, he seemed genuine. More than that, Sol didn’t strike Leo as being particularly naive, which made the suggestion even stranger.

“You’ve got a fragment too,” he pointed out. “Clearly you’re also in the race.”

“That is true,” Sol said, “but I personally have no intention of becoming the [Administrator]. I’m keeping these fragments primarily as a…safety measure.”

Fragments plural. Somehow that didn’t surprise Leo. Actually, the longer he interacted with the man, the more he was starting to wonder if he really was telling the truth about [Dreamscape]’s scale.

It was still ludicrous to think about, but the way he carried himself, the way he moved and spoke—they all spoke of someone with far more power and status than Leo in his current state could comprehend.

That didn’t bode well for his hopes of escaping. Would he have to wait until he woke up naturally? For Sol to decide to end the spell?

“Safety measure,” Leo quoted, partially to fill time while his mind scrambled for an exit. “So, what, you’re hoarding fragments until you think you’ve found someone worthy enough?”

He attempted to use [Sprint], and once again, the skill did nothing despite his mana reserves depleting as normal.

Leo’s mind stilled. Mana.

His pulse sped up, but he kept talking even as he swore he could hear his own heartbeat ringing in his ears.

“You say you want the [Fragmentholders] to work together, but you’re the one in control right now. You’re the only one talking to all of us.”

Leo thought back to what Sol had said earlier. Their current illusory surroundings had been pulled from Leo’s memories of the manor.

It was impossible for one person to have enough mana to pull off a spell of this scale. But what if Sol wasn’t using his own mana? What if [Dreamscape] used the target’s reserves instead, and he was spreading the cost around all the different [Fragmentholders]?

“It sounds to me,” Leo continued, voice a little louder, “like you just want to make sure the next [Administrator]’s got your approval. You don’t actually give a shit about anyone else’s opinion.”

He could be wrong. He barely understood this spell if at all, but he had to try.

Leo saw Sol’s brows furrow, and without hesitating, he activated [Teleport Object], his highest mana costing spell.

Nothing happened as expected, but he felt his reserves drain, and that was what mattered.

He used [Visual Illusion] next while the other spell was on cooldown, then [Sprint], then back to [Teleport Object].

He could see Sol saying something, but the words were muffled in his focus. Sweat dripped down his forehead, exhaustion overtaking him and a sharp pain piercing his skull from the excessive mana use.

Leo gritted his teeth and kept going, activating spell after spell and skill after skill.

Sol took a step forward just as Leo activated [Teleport Object] a final time.

The well of mana within him was drained of its last drop.

An ear-spitting crack rang throughout the illusory hall. Sol paused, frowning, and looked up to see a wide, jagged cut snaking across the manor ceiling.

Another snapping sound echoed. The fissure grew, allowing inky darkness to spill inside. Sol’s eyes widened and he looked down.

Across the ground and over the walls, thin lines branched out, spreading throughout the false manor like tangled roots. Another crack sounded and more pieces fell away, the dream shattering around them as their surroundings began to shake violently.

Leo stumbled and nearly tripped, adrenaline coursing through his veins as more and more pieces of the illusion fell away to reveal a swirling black void around them.

Through it all, Sol remained in place, a static form amidst the trembling. He stared at the shattered pieces falling around them with an unreadable look.

And then, the man turned to Leo and smiled.

“I see,” he said as the entire left half of the hallway splintered and sank into the void. He tilted his head.

“Not bad.”

The ground split open, the rocking intensifying to a violent degree. Leo felt himself fall as the last pieces of the floor beneath him ruptured.

He might’ve screamed, but his ears were ringing too loud to hear. His whole body hurled down into the depths.

The last thing he saw was Sol, steady and unruffled, staring down at him.

—

Leo gasped. His eyes snapped open, and it took a moment for him to realize he was staring up at the night sky.

He was covered in a cold sweat, and when he dared glance around, he could just barely make out Allan and Spade’s forms further away in the darkness.

He exhaled and tried to steady his breath, but his heart was still pounding like crazy. His uninjured hand gripped the ground almost hysterically, clinging to its solid surface even as memories of the encounter flooded his mind.

“What the fuck,” he whispered to himself. “What the fuck.”